Léaina - Asari Term Explained, Mass Effect
Léaina - Trusted women who help asari through their heat. There are private Leaina and commercialized Leaina. They are guardians, protectors, psychiatrists, and spiritual advisors.
A term of respect given to those who help an Asari through the madness of heat. They are always considered a safe haven. An Asari who is in her heat will seek aid from a léaina if their homes do not have a safe place of its own they will go to a den.
Only the most trusted of Asari hold this title and so are given the same level of respect and honor as a Matriarch.
Sometimes a léaina is the chosen partner of another Asari. Someone who has helped them through before and so they have come to trust them; they are a "personal léaina". But the term is no less deserving of respect. It is considered terribly bad manners to insult these women in any form. Though outsiders often misunderstand the need for them among the Asari, and their solemn duty to a woman who seeks them out.
Before Elektra there was only one way of doing this job. The hard way.
Elektra as an empath showed that "Heat" could be dispersed throughout a crowd, reducing the original Cycle bearers suffering so much that not only did she not have to be sequestered, but that she could function in battle because of it. It was only after they looked at the statistics after the Reaper War they realized that something was happening in her unit. They thought that it was her fiance's doing. As it had never been heard of a human having the ability to help an Asari with their heat. If the heat is strong they add more acolytes or other léaina to help.
A side effect of this type of "help" is that depending on the strength of the oestrus cycle, or the lack of bodies to disperse it, it could trigger other heats and possibly a cascade.
An orgy almost happened once in training. It also can leave the léaina and their acolytes in a heightened sexual state that needs taken care of before it compromises and cascades. Because of this for the first time in history, Hetaira have begun to have an important role within any Den. It is also why the interactions of any engaged group is monitored after each encounter and assessed by a superior before someone is allowed to assist more in one day.
They convinced Elektra to begin teaching this new schooling to others as soon as possible. Using battle proven tactics, fine tuned by her huntress cadra in the middle of the war. Created by BerryShiara