[b]Rough Riders, Frontier Corp, Eliza Weaver - Gomorrah, New Vegas, Nevada[/b]
 
 
 Feeling only slightly better than before Eliza made an effort to compose herself once more. Honestly she was surprised at the compassion she was getting from Shelby. Everything she thought she knew about her said she should expect otherwise but Eliza expected that she was just being polite to get information from her as well. After all Eliza had an extensive knowledge of her even though they’ve never met until now. Regardless of her intentions Eliza took the time to enjoy her compassion and it helped calm her down a lot more than it probably should. After all this was a military operation, her and her unit are equipped for a fight. She needed to rally her emotions and carry on before her unit arrived, but the way Shelby touched her made her feel so damn good. She knew they would understand if they saw her this way but she needed to straighten up and continue with the mission, but why couldn’t this be the mission. They were here to provide security for the Jaded Empire’s delegation after all and here she was in bed with one of the Empress’s most trusted delegate. 
 
 Eliza shivered as Shelby touched her scars, no one's touched her like this before. Not even her former lover. Shelby had a particular way about her, she was erotic but Eliza could tell she was examining her with every stroke of her finger. She was obviously caught off guard by Eliza and her actions and was taking this time to learn as much about her as she could. Although Eliza sensed a serious sense to comfort her, the scars on her back for instance. An awful gift given by a horrible man. [i]“Was his name Fusilier?”[/i] It doesn’t matter now anyway. All that did was the fact that Eliza knew the circumstances behind those scars weren’t something that Shelby discussed with anyone. Eliza knew the story but chose not to bring it up, as she ran her hand down Shelby’s back she could feel the suffering in everyone. They were definitely scars from a whip, the way they crisscrossed and intersected, some hadn’t healed before another lash had been added over top of it. She knew that Shelby had suffered but in person it was so much more personal. Eliza felt the deepest sympathy for her, an emotion she didn’t think she could possess for anyone outside of the Corp. It was due to this sudden realization of Shelby’s suffering and the fact that Eliza at least owed her an answer, after all this woman needed to trust her. 
 
 When Shelby wrapped her leg around Eliza she could feel her heart skip a few beats. It was one of her favorite things that she nearly forgot she loved. Eliza laid her hand on Shelby’s thigh not intending to grip it too tight but she soon realized that her grip was a lot stronger than she thought. 
 
 “I’m sorry. I’m not used to this sort of thing.” Eliza began to gently rub Shelby’s thigh as if she saw her apology as insignificant and was trying to remedy it. “I could lay here forever though.” In a moment of blind desire Eliza started to move her hand underneath Shelby’s thigh but snapped back to her senses and went back to laying it on top of her thigh this time not nearly as firm. “Shit. I’m sorry for that. You’re the first woman I've touched in years. I guess I’m getting a little swept away in it all. Anyway I do owe you some answers. It’s the only right thing to do.” Eliza took a deep breath before she spoke. She was scared, this wasn’t something she did with everyone. This whole situation was completely unexpected. Shelby, the flashback, all of it blindsided Eliza. She didn’t expect any of this to happen but she figured if she was straight with Shelby she could attempt to mend the situation. “My name’s Eliza.” She panicked a little bit. Someone outside of the Corp knows her name now, that scared the shit out of Eliza but she wanted things to be right with Shelby. In an attempt to calm herself down she ran her hand up Shelby’s side. It wasn’t helping she was getting hit with so many emotions at once, it was starting to overwhelm her. So Eliza gently placed Shelby’s leg onto the bed and sat up along the edge of the bed facing away from her.
 
 “I’m sorry Shelby but as much as I like this. I don’t think I can do it.” Those words hung heavy in Eliza’s head. She was willing to walk away from all of this. Shelby, the mission, everything, and for what? She was just running from a part of her she wanted to forget about. As much as she wanted to feel another person’s compassion she was afraid of hurting someone else again. Afraid of failing someone that trusted her. Why though? Eliza was stronger than that. Rarely did she worry about failing her team. So why was she worried about failing Shelby? Her mission was simple enough. Asset protection while dynamic and difficult was an easy job for Eliza and her unit. To them it was a contained chaos, keep everyone in check and watch for outside and inside threats. They’ve done it a thousand times and this time would be no different. Except for Shelby. She added an unknown element, she made Eliza want to feel again. She brought back emotions and events that Eliza wanted to forget, she could relate to her and that meant much more to her than a paycheck. So when Shelby called to her Eliza's mind was already made up.
 
 “Eliza. I can tell you’re holding a lot back. So am I, but something is telling me that if you walk away from this. Whatever is eating away at you isn’t going to stop. So please will you just lay back down? Shelby’s voice carried as much concern as it did demand. Part of her wanted Eliza to stay for her sake as well and she was a little scared that she would leave. That resonated with Eliza, for a moment she felt human again. She had someone that wanted to be with her, and she couldn’t walk away from that. If not for any other reason but for Shelby.
 
Eliza continued to sit on the edge of the bed for a few moments gathering her thoughts. While she was doing so she began to unbutton her blouse. She was hesitant to do so at first but it was only fair. Shelby laid behind her with nothing on and didn’t seem to care at all. Eliza on the other hand was ashamed of her body. Her scars too emotional, each one a story she wanted to hide away underneath a layer of clothing. She was weak and she knew it. Shelby had endured just as many hardships as Eliza but she didn't seem to be bothered by the marks they left on her body. Eliza wanted to crawl underneath the covers and hide herself away. Too afraid to show herself to Shelby but that something that drew Eliza back into bed, kept her above the covers. She was shivering slightly from anxiety and her skin was covered in goosebumps. She didn't know what to do, what was appropriate. So she covered her chest with her arm and laid next to Shelby, too afraid to make a move.