January 15th. It's late afternoon. Nearing the end of the day when Vasquez' receives a buzz at her door.
#RedrockAgency – November 12, 2025
Vasquez is in the middle of a call when the door buzzes. She checks the corridor camera feed while continuing to talk. "Yes, that'll be fine. Our people are used to less comfortable sleeping arrangements." On spotting Jason, she presses a button to open the door, holding up a hand with her index finger raised to indicate that he should keep quiet since she's on a call. "But it needs to meet the reference specs when it comes to
physical and digital security, and I want final say on location, beyond the general input on the overall layout of the site we agreed on last time we spoke." She reaches up to her headset and mutes, offering Jason a distracted "What is it?" while listening to the response from the other end.
Jason is stood on the other side of the door. He's back in his standard work attire since his visit with Ilyna earlier in the day. Boots, black pants, and a long-sleeved white shirt. He mimes her gesture to indicate that he understands. He offers a casual, whispered, "Hey." once addressed as he steps inside, giving the interface a tap to close the door behind him. Brows furrowed, he shakes his head, "I can wait just-... handle
your shit." he assures. He seems to have invited himself to stay and places a hand on the back of the chair on the side of the desk opposite of Vasquez- the chair for guests and clients- and scoops it up, giving it a little flip in his hand to turn it around and then catches it. Likely an attempt at showing off how far he's come with the fine motor skills of his cybernetics in such a short time. The cocky little wink he
sends Vasquez' way after the little flourish all but confirms it. Unsurprising, really, given how quickly he threw himself into the fire after having them installed. That combined with his daily regiment and training, and he's come a long way in a short time and command of his new limbs have almost become second nature. He carries the chair past Vasquez' desk and sets it down just behind her, off to the side. The sound of
Vasquez nods, the entirety of her focus returning to the call once more - although she does briefly glance his way when he flips the chair around. Her expression is unchanged, however - eyebrows furrowed in 'work mode' focus. "Mhm. Yes. Yeah, that should work. I'll have a look tomorrow and get back to you. Good. Uh, to you as well." She looks just slightly puzzled before delivering the last line with a slightly stilted delivery.
Jason occupies himself by reaching into the pocket of his cargo pants and pulling out what appears to be.... sliced meats? Yep, those are definitely cold cuts he had in his pocket. Still in the familiar little baggy that the place down by the market uses. He pulls a slide of meat out, rolls it up, and takes a bite. "Busy day?" he asks as he chews once she settles into her seat,
Vasquez rests one elbow against her armrest, letting her head rest against her fingertips, which rub her temple. "Mmh... still sorting out logistics for the construction site job," she mutters. Her gaze is still on her screen, staring through it, but her nose scrunches up slightly as she smells... cold cuts?
Jason nods a few times as he busies himself with his snack. "The super-nerd lab? How's that shaping up?" he asks, the baggy rustling as he pulls out another slice of meat.
Vasquez looks over her shoulder at the sound of Jason snacking, turning her chair a little as her eyes fall on the bag. "Can you-..." A slightly frustrated sigh, eyes closing as she grimaces and rubs her face. "Please put that away."
Jason blinks in confusion, his gaze turning from Vasquez to the bag on his lap then back. "Protein." he explains defensively. He seems to realize what she's getting at- or at least, what he thinks she's getting at- after a moment and reaches back into the bag. "You want some?" he asks, rolling up another slice of meat.
Vasquez lets out a frustrated noise. "No, I don't want some!" she snaps, the queasy undertone of the scowl she shoots at him giving some insight into the cause of the outburst. "Just... put it away."
Jason looks even more confused for a moment before he seems to catch up, a soft, "Oh-... riiiight..." slipping out. He quickly stuffs the tube of rolled up meat into his mouth and begins closing up the bag as he frantically chews. He gives his hand a few wipes against the thigh of his pants and stuffs the baggy back into the pocket he pulled it from. "Sorry. You good...?" he asks.
Vasquez draws in a slow breath and nods, letting her hand fall as she sits up a little straighter. "Fine," she says, a bit of sharpness lingering in her voice, but her expression softens once her eyes fall on Jason, the corner of her mouth tugging slightly upward. "And, uh, yeah." She shakes her head faintly to clear her head. "Preparations are progressing fast. Won't be long until we have a team living on-site. After the two of
us have gone with the initial convoy and inspected the site. Don't want to make any decisions about layout without seeing the place in person."
Jason seems a bit surprised at the mention of them joining the Matriarch's team to inspect the site. "Didn't expect us to have any input on construction matters." he admits, "Guess that means they're serious about keeping us on long-term." The thought draws that lopsided smirk of his back out. They could use a sustainable payday. Especially one with low risks. "So? When do we go?"
Vasquez nods. "It's gonna be a long build, if we're defending this construction site, I want it to actually be defensible. If something does happen, our team will be isolated. We won't be able to reinforce them quickly. As for when... should know soon. Still working out the details."
Vasquez leans back a little in her chair, watching Jason silently. She still looks a little bit nauseous, and more than a little bit tired, but her expression is soft and thoughtful. "What is it?" she asks once more, breaking the silence. Her tone is very different than the first time she asked, low-energy but focused. "I can tell you have something to say." She can probably guess, but... she leaves that unsaid.
Jason's smirk grows, like he was just caught. "What? Maybe I just want to visit my incredible wife?" he asks with a tone of mock offense, laying it on thick. "Is that a problem?" he adds through his smile. But it's pretty obvious that there's something specific on his mind.
Vasquez snorts quietly, but her exasperation is more fond than annoyed, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "No, but... your 'incredible wife' has work to do," she points out. Nevermind the fact that she's been working all day.
Jason snickers, sitting up a bit straighter in his seat. "If you ask me? My 'incredible wife' works too much." he teases, his own tone softening. He studies the woman in front of him for a moment before finally giving in and voicing why he's here. "I talked to Ilyna. She told me that you two spoke." he admits. He doesn't bother bringing up his impression on how that went. That's not important. Nor is it particularly his business.
He certainly can't blame Ilyna for having reservations. As much as he'd like both parties to just forget everything that happened and move forward, that's a selfish wish. For now, it's enough that Vasquez extended the olive branch. They'll figure the rest out with time. "Just-... uhh-..." another shrug, "...wanted to say thanks. That's all."
Vasquez ' almost-smile manifests for just a moment, but there's a sadness to it, and her gaze falls away from Jason. She leans forward, elbows on her knees as she frowns down at the knuckles of her interlaced fingers, ponytail slipping over her shoulder. "Don't think it went over too well," she admits quietly. "With either of them."
Jason falls quiet for a moment, unwilling to voice his insider information on just how well the apology went. It's irrelevant anyway. He draws in a breath, his own smile slipping just a bit. He scoots his chair a bit closer. "That's alright. You made the effort. I think she just needs a little time. It's still fresh, you know?" he offers. "But she knows you. They both do." He reaches out, placing a hand over her leg and giving a
Vasquez ' eyes shift to Jason's hand, one of her one shifting to grasp it and give it a squeeze, her thumb brushing over synthetic knuckles. She lets out a deep, purging sigh, trying to dispel the heavy emotions that the topic summons. "Yeah..." she says with a nod. "I guess so." She seems less convinced herself, the smile she flashes after straightening up half-hearted.
Jason turns his hand over so they can meet palm-to-palm. He knows her far too well at this point to be fooled by a half-hearted smile. But he's also all too aware that there's not a whole lot more he can do to help with this whole clusterfuck of a situation. "I was just about to head out to pick up some dinner." he says. Because food fixes everything, right? Maybe once they get their own place they can rely on take out a little
less. The thought helps to make his smile a little more genuine. "Got any particular cravings tonight...?" he dangles the question out there, "I'm guessing sliced meats are off the table."
Vasquez leans back in her chair with a groan, looking up at the ceiling in thought. She seems a little relieved by the change in subject, and there's a sudden rumble in her stomach, as if it's aware of the new topic. Her eyes widen as the answer comes to her, and a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. "Fruit salad," she says, as if it's a revelation. "Think you can find something with Earth fruits?" she asks, turning her head to
Jason considers the request for a moment. Fruit salad? Easy. Earth-based fruit salad specifically? A little less so. But it's nothing that can't be fixed with a little bit of creativity. He pulls his omni-tool from his pocket, a sudden burst of urgency in his movements as he briefly activates the interface to check the time. "I know a guy." he says with a bragadocious shrug, rising to his feet. He brings a hand to Vasquez' chin,
urging her to look up at him so he can lean in and press a quick kiss to her lips. "Fruit salad and-.... something spicy." he repeats, starting towards the door in a backpedal. He'll figure out the 'something spicy' later. "Coming right up." Spinning on his heels, he taps the door's interface and heads out to see a man about some fruit.