Jason lets a sigh slip out, but gives a small, understanding nod. "Yeah... I get that." he says. "I know not everyone gets to see the side of Linda that I get to see. You know, the-... uhh-... the side that isn't a psychopath." he elaborates, a lopsided smirk that crosses his lips clarifying that he's joking. Mostly. "But it does exist. And-... I know her pulling shit like this is gonna leave a bad taste in your mouth-... I
#RedrockAgency – August 19, 2025
get it." he reiterates. "But if the chips were down? I know she'd walk through fire for you, Halisi, and Li. I just hope you know that."
Ilyna does not seem very amused by the joking tone of that, and a slight annoyance is visible on her face. "I... do trust that," she says before looking away. "She... must have thought she was... saving us from making a big mistake, but... I can't just get over what happened yesterday no matter how... good the intention might have been."
Jason's smirk slips as it becomes clear that Ilyna isn't exactly in the mood for jokes. Justice must sense the tension as he shifts over beside Jason, garnering idle pets as the pair continue their conversation. While it's a relief to know that Ilyna understands it's not maliciousness driving Vasquez, the damage done is no less upsetting. But, as much as he'd like to mend that bridge right here and now, it's not his to mend and
it's unlikely anything he has to say will fix this. Besides, the last thing he wants is for this to seem like he's making excuses for his wife's behavior. "You wanna talk about it...?" he asks. Helpless as he might be to help clean up this mess, it doesn't mean he can't lend an ear to a friend.
Ilyna looks a bit guilty when the conversation seems to have made Justice uncomfortable. "What more is there to talk about it?" she asks as the feelings of hurt gets harder to hold back. "She... locked the door behind us and confronted me with camera footage from the party on the roof."
Jason frowns. "Yeah... Halisi told me. Me and Linda had a long talk after I found out." he says with a sigh, gaze dropping to Justice briefly as he uses his thumb to stroke a line between the dog's eyes.
Ilyna looks back at him, and sighs. "It's... like she didn't trust me enough to hear her out," she says. "And that lack of trust went both ways. I was... afraid of how far she would go."
Jason listens, gaze fixed on Justice as he does. A small smile slips out as his animal companion presses against his hand, but Ilyna's words quickly wipe it away. He's all too familiar with the feeling of being in the crosshairs of an angry Vasquez. "Ilyna..." he sighs, gaze returning to the asari, "...She's just scared. I'm not saying she's right to be." he clarifies, raising a hand- palm out- to make that clear, "But it's
kneejerk, you know? She knows who you are. Who you really are. The kind of friend that'll travel across the galaxy and kick in Cerberus' doors to bring her home. Sometimes she just-..." another sigh slips out, his gaze dropping briefly as he gives a shake of his head, clearly wishing all of this had gone differently, "...needs to be reminded."
Ilyna sighs, and her breath is starting to tremble as frustration starts to tear at her already fragile emotional state. "I wasn't right to be scared, either," she says, closing her eyes, "but that doesn't change that I was, and... will be for some time because I don't think this is over."
Jason falls quiet for a moment, his frown only deepening as Ilyna's emotions begin to spill out. "...I don't believe that, Ilyna." he says, his tone gentle. "I spoke with Linda. She's uncomfortable with all of this, sure, but she also understands that she overreacted. She's just-... I don't know, always expecting the worst, I guess." Something seems to occur to him, drawing a heavy smile to the corner of his mouth and he gestures
Ilyna is not entirely convinced about his answer as it doesn't answer her concern, and she takes a slow deep breath. "I... guess we are," she says, her voice still heavy, "I was trying to think about what... I would do if working here became... impossible...." She reaches up to wipe a tear that's forming under her eyes. "I'm... willing to put this behind me, like I told her, but... that doesn't mean pretending it's...
Jason gives a shake of his head as Ilyna mentions the possibility of her being unable to work here, but remains quiet as she continues. "I don't expect you to, Ilyna." he says. "Just hoping with some time you two can figure this out and move forward. Last thing I want is for two of the most important people in my life to have friction." he says, flashing a sincere, if somewhat heavy, smile. "As for you not being able to work here?