Nathan gives Leah a merry little waggle of his fingers in farewell, though the mirth is dampned by the mention of the Collector ship. Nathan's eyes almost seem to glaze over for a moment, his mind snap firing horrific stills of that day. However, it disappears as quickly as it arrived. Laugh, joke, cry, suppress trauma. "Ooooh yeah, I remember," he says, taking a sip of his drink.
#Miner'sRespite – December 4, 2025
"Well, that's awfully kind of her. Make no mistake, though, I'm going to be wanting joint custody of it. Every weekend at least."
Jason snickers, doing his best to slip right past any of his own lingering discomfort over the Collectors. They're gone. That's what Cerberus says. That's what the news has been saying. So act like it doesn't bother you and ignore the fact that less than two months ago you were fighting for your life to escape one of their city-sized ships. Just healthy coping here. "Figuring out the logistics of getting a firing range set up at
HQ-... a real firing range." he corrects, idly digging into his pocket with his free hand for his omni-tool. "No more of that bullshit old setup upstairs. As soon as that's handled you can bet your ass you and I are gonna open that Falcon up and see what she can really do."
Emma casts an assessing glance at Zaylus, a moment of silence passing before she replies with an affirmative hum and a nod. "And your arm, it happened how?" she asks before taking a sip of her beer.
Halisi 's other hand briefly lands on Ilyna's waist, the kiss a brief, sweet thing, broken when Dr. T'Ala's teasing "Oooo...", and Holly's subsequent muffled giggle causes her to smile against Ilyna's lips, pulling back slightly with a chuckle and a warm look, giving her hand a squeeze. "Contrary to popular belief, it does happen."
Crux comes down the stairs in a rush, skipping the last couple of steps entirely, landing on the floor before spinning around to call out to RC, who is only halfway. "But that doesn't mean it's never gonna happen! Once I show somoughf!" They're cut off as they back right into Leah.
RC winces as he makes his way down the remaining steps. He seems to have acquired some new clothing, no doubt thanks to the financial security of their new employment. He's wearing his lightweight armor vest, but it's unzipped, and worn over a rugged burgundy sweater and brand new brown pants.
Crux spins around, eyes wide. "Shitfucksorry!" They too seem to have invested in some new clothes, namely a dark green plaid shirt over a black tee with a print of a cyborg batarian skull. They're still wearing Rae's yellow jacket over it, but have foregone their other layers given that they have no plans to leave the building. Their jeans are still an old, worn pair, but hey, at least they're clean now! The same goes for the frayed
Leah just so happens to be glancing towards the table occupied by the hospital employees when Ilyna and Halisi embrace, the kiss drawing an ear-to-ear smile out of her and distracting her just enough that she walks right into Crux. "Sorry!" she offers overtop Crux' own apologies, backpedaling a few steps. When she realizes who she's just collided with, she furrows her brow. "Oh! Hey!" she offers, smile returning as her gaze
Nathan raises his glass in a toast to Jason's words. "Done deal, Jase. Proper firing range would give everybody a good outlet for whatever!" And what an outlet it would be. Already, the demolitions expert is sketching out the logistics in his head, dreaming up the ideal firing range. Naturally, it would be very, very blastproof. The sound of collision snaps him out of wonderland and
causes him to cast an eye across the room. But, seeing no need to interject, he instead returns his focus to Jason. "Bet you got a few remodelling projects in mind for the old homestead. Glad to see the firing range is at the top of the priority list."
Zaylus blows hard into the hot drink, taking a generous drink as if he's trying to sate his hunger with it instead. "It was uh, a rescue mission." His gaze his averted forward as one hand runs through the grooves of his fringe, "That part isn't important, but those fucking insane bugs were-" He shakes it off briefly, clearly feeling no need for any secrecy but some other reluctance
to recall the details. He continues all the same. "It- I took a fall." The words are tight, stressed. "It was a real shitshow." The last phrase is spoken into the mug.
Jason gives a few nods, oblivious to Leah's near-disaster as he splits his attention between Nathan and his omni-tool. As soon as he hammers out a quick message to Va'ynna to let her know he's here, he drops the device onto the table beside him, his focus returning to the man across the table from him. "The plan is to get some real training facilities up and running as soon as possible." he confirms. "We've got quite a bit of
land going unused and-... uhh-..." his smile grows a bit more sincere, gaze briefly turning out towards the rest of the bar, "...me and Linda picked up a small plot just on the outskirts of town. Not sure if I-..." he glances back to Nathan, unaware if he's mentioned this previously. Deciding it doesn't matter, he shakes his head and continues. "Anyway, we're working on getting a place setup out there for us. Nothing crazy
just-... a place to call our own, you know? As soon as that's done we'll be moving out of the Redrock building so-..." he shrugs, "...figure it'll be a good time to get started on some of the more involved construction work that'll need to be done."
Crux relaxes a little, a smile tugging at the corner of their mouth. "Hey!" They shift their weight restlessly, looking like they've got something to say.
RC lifts one hand from his pockets to wave at Leah, offering a small smile of his own. He has a beat up old pistol holstered on his hip - the same one Crux was using - or rather not using - during the ill-fated attack on the Mercier house.
Crux glances back at RC, and then their attention is back on Leah. "Dunno if you heard, but... we got the jobs!" they blurt out with a bright, excited grin, rocking from their toes to their heels with the exclamation, oblivious that the man that interviewed them is not too far away. "So, like, thanks... doubt we would've gotten those interviews without you," they add with a slight, casual tilt of their head. Behind them RC echoes the
Tara loks over towards Crux and RC - she's seen them around in the Respite, and even served them food, but her first association is still the Talon attack and its aftermath, eyebrows furrowing as she watches them talk with Leah.
Emma 's gaze shifts to the new arrivals by the stairs, watching them closely until Zaylus' words draw her attention once more. "Bugs... the Collectors," she concludes, having been around for the aftermath and debrief. She studies him curiously. "I've read the reports. Heard bits and pieces. As bad as they seem, then?"
Nathan perks his brow up in surprise. This is indeed the first time he's hearing about the purchase! And it is accompanied by him chuckling. "Well I'll be, the mighty Jason Wolfe settling down on the frontier. Next thing you'll be raising cattle and getting yourself a beer belly." He punctuates the point by waggling his glass, before throwing the rest of it down his own neck. "I'm
stoked for ya. Really. It's a hell of a thing, raising a family and running a business. 'Specially out here."
Leah's eyes widen briefly, her smile brightening. "That's great!" she says. "I heard that you had your interviews the other day and I was planning on checking in with you but-..." she gestures around the room, widening her eyes for emphasis, "...it's been a bit busy around here so I figured I'd wait until my day off. If I even get one." she rolls her eyes, "If the weather keeps up like this I might be here all week." she
snickers and seems to realize she's rambling, causing her to draw in a breath and shift her weight to one foot. "But-... yeah! I'm happy to hear that! When did you find out?"
Jason snorts, though he meets Nathan's raised glass with a slight lift of his own in an unspoken toast before he takes a swig in turn. "Something tells me there won't be any cattle in our future. I mean, could you imagine Linda in a cowboy hat?" he asks with a snicker. A short silence follows, his brows furrowing as he seems to consider it. His brows slowly lift in surprise, head tilting just a smidge at the mental image it seems
to conjure and then, as if Nathan might be able to see whatever he's imagining, he quickly dispels it by clearing his throat and shaking his head. "But-... uhh-... how have things been going on your end, Ten?" he asks, suddenly feeling a bit self conscious at just how... well... normal life seems to be for him right now. No fires to put out. No barrels to face down.
Zaylus sighs raggedly. He eyes Emma for a moment skeptically, perhaps suspiciously, but that emotion melts almost immediately into a deep, lingering nod. "I mean, I didn't really know much about them before. Wasn't my problem." He flinches, maybe recognizing the insensitivity of that comment. "They weren't just takin' people, they were doing stuff to them? And the monsters, like real
Renala still seems a bit caught off guard by the younger asari's carelessness about it. Perhaps they're not as hard on the grunts as a human L2 biotic they've invested much in, but Renala would not be surprised if she's wrong. "One can certainly hope," she says, "but maybe keep your voice down about them for a decade until they're no longer anyone's problem."
Ilyna blushes at the reactions around her, even if she had expected them, and she is smiling when Halisi pulls back. She wants nothing more than to stay like this forever right now, but that would be selfish of her. "I love you," she whispers, her expression getting a bit emotional before she composes herself. She seeks out Halisi's other hand with her hand now, and grasps it. "Is there room at your table for one
more," a glance down towards Li, "maybe two if Li won't find our company too boring, or should we maybe catch up later?" She might be a bit self conscious about throwing a wrench into a colleagues' night out.
Nathan lets Jason have his moment, pouring himself another as the man's facial expressions do most of the talking in the silence. He places the pitcher near Jase, a silent offering for when his glass ran dry and shrugged. "Honestly? Completely fine." The look on his face betrays at just how strange saying that aloud was for him. "Sofia is getting ready to head back to Earth in a few
days; much to her own disappointment. She's really enjoyed her time out here." That does bring a small smile to his face that was partially mixed with relief. Seems he was worried that she would hate her time out here. "And mostly just been working. Tending to the armoury, pulling security detail, yadda-yadda-yadda." He shrugs, spreading his free hand out to the side in a
Enila catches a glimpse of Ilyna and Halisi kissing from across the room during a brief idle moment between serving patrons, an unreadable thoughtful look on her face.
Va'ynna does not respond to the message right away, but she does leave the office to get ready to start work in the kitchen.
Crux grins, a comment about Leah's apparent role as security-slash-waitress going unvoiced due to the question that follows. "This morning! We, we went and got some new threads to celebrate," they say, gesturing at themself and RC with a flourish. "Gotta look good for our first days of work, right?"
RC looks a little flustered at having attention called to his new clothes, clearing his throat and standing a little straighter.
Emma doesn't seem to pleased about Zaylus' comment, the hand on the coat in her lap balling up a fistful of fabric, deep blue eyes looking just a little icier. She hums faintly in acknowledgement of his words as he continues to talk, taking a sip of her beer and looking out across the bar towards the Redrock crew, and then towards the hospital staff table. "And yet the Council did nothing," she mutters bitterly.
Celyna shrugs, taking a sip of her drink - maybe downing the first in one go was enough. She slumps a little against the bar and looks at Renala, furrowing her brows. "Sound like you're speaking from experience..."
Halisi 's eyes widen, looking a little stunned. She goes quiet, saying nothing until Ilyna's question snaps her out of it, nodding and stepping aside, gesturing for Ilyna to take a seat. "Of-... of course!" she exclaims.
Li has stopped paying attention to Ilyna and Halisi, trying her best to look around the pub from her low vantage point.
Jason tops off his glass as the pitcher is slid his way, Nathan's words fortifying the smile on his face. "Yeah... I could do with a bit of 'normal and quiet'." he agrees with a snicker. "Think we all could." It's only then that he seems to take notice of Ilyna and Li's arrival at the other end of the bar, just narrowly catching Ilyna's shared moment with the doctor as they pull away from one another. He points them out to Nathan
with a nod in their direction. "Looks like our people are out in force tonight." he says."I saw that!" he teases from across the room, cupping a hand around his mouth to be heard, completely unbothered by the glances he gets. Most are familiar faces anyway.
Leah makes a show of looking the pair over, smile ever present. "Does that mean they're already setting you up with a shift...?" she asks, playing up a bit of secondhand excitement to keep the mood up. "Any idea what you two will be doing?"
Crux nods. "I guess I'm gonna be shadowing, uh... Renala?" they say, not sounding quite sure they remembered the name right. "And RC..."
Crux nods again in confirmation, shifting their weight again. "Yup! The word was 'no field work', just this, at least until we prove ourselves. But hey, it's a start, right?"
Nathan nods in agreement. Normal. Fucking hell, seems almost alien on his tongue. Normal. He finds himself drifting his gaze over toward Leah, a somewhat thoughtful smile on his face as he contemplates normalacy on Aite. After everything they went through in a short, few months, it seemed like fate decided to give them a break. No big jobs, no weird buggy abductions or fighting off
slaver strike teams. Just... normal. Jase's words pop the bubble around his mind and he leans a little to see who he was pointing out. "Yeah, seems so." The sudden yelling draws a laugh from Nathan, giving Jason a lazy kick to the side of his boot. "Don't tease the happy lovers and their PDA."
Zaylus isn't oblivious enough to miss the cold response to his words, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment before looking around for nothing in particular. He looks again at the doctor's table, spotting Ilyna and then scanning lower for the little one. Emma's bitter comment causes him to turn back, however, with a surprised look. "Right, I mean from far away its just stories, but
that shit was really happening. If we found it then- They did nothing? How- what are they good for?" His incredulity isn't as personal, just bewildered.
\/renala nods, taking a sip from her drink. It might be more recent experience than she'd want to admit, but she won't be lying when she pulls from way back. "I had my share of excitement trying to stay out of trouble while I made electronics misbehave in ways that paid my bills," she says, "but I knew when to lay low and let things cool off." She does not seem to register her name being mentioned.
Ilyna winces as Jason calls her out, her cheeks burning as she takes the offered seat between Halisi and Holly with a soft "Thank you." She tries her best to remain composed, but she still is feeling the butterflies after the kiss. "Hey," she says to the others, before her eyes fall on the asari and salarian across from her. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Ilyna, and this is Li." A gesture towards Li follows.
Renala nods, taking a sip from her drink. It might be more recent experience than she'd want to admit, but she won't be lying when she pulls from way back. "I had my share of excitement trying to stay out of trouble while I made electronics misbehave in ways that paid my bills," she says, "but I knew when to lay low and let things cool off." She does not seem to register her name being mentioned.
Emma looks a little surprised, studying Zaylus for a moment and making a noise of agreement. Jason's antics draw a bemused look from her, and she falls quiet for the moment, sipping her beer and observing the crowd in thoughtful silence.
Sarze inclines her head. "Dr. Sarze T'Ala," she says by way of introduction. Halisi's mentioned the name once or twice - a frequent co-worker, and apparently a slacker when it comes to paperwork. She nudges the salarian.
Li climbs into the booth as well, a little shy around the unfamiliar faces, but Holly gives her a wave from the other side of Ilyna, with the girl returns with a small grin.
Halisi takes the outermost seat, scooting the shared plate of fries towards Li. Bar food is bar food, even she can't escape that.
Celyna lets out a grunt, taking another sip from her glass. "Guess there's something to that.." she admits in a mutter.
Leah gives a few nods in turn, quietly relieved to hear that they'll be taking things slow. "Gotta start somewhere." she agrees, seeming genuinely excited for the duo. Especially considering her own role in all of this. Given all of the hits Redrock has taken over the past year, it's nice to have something work out for once. "As for Renala~..." she continues, "She juuuust so happens to be here tonight." She shoots Crux a
conspiratorial glance before pivoting on one foot and giving a nod towards the counter. "Asari. Red jacket with the gray hood." she points out.
Jason chuckles as Nathan gives him a nudge. He doesn't dare explain just why such a small display of affection from Ilyna is so important. That's not his secret to tell. "Just-... glad to see them happy. They deserve it." he explains instead. And, while it's not the whole truth, that doesn't make it any less true. He takes a sip from his drink, shooting a pointed look Leah's way, then back to Nathan. "That goes for you, too."
Crux leans to the side, craning their neck conspicuously in search of Renala. "Oh shit!" they exclaim. "What's she like? Should I, like... talk to her?" they ask on spotting the asari.
RC casts a curious glance himself, but doesn't linger, attention wandering across the rest of the pub. Spotting Tara reading from her omni-tool, his expression softens a little, but he doesn't manage to get her attention to offer a wave of greeting.
Zaylus looks thoughtful with the mug cradled in both hands, like he's considering for the first time what failure the response to the collectors had really been. He stays quiet though, lest he further expose his lack of tact or understanding. Leaving the crowded bar might be a sound choice at this point, but maybe he's still holding out hope of eating first. He finishes the warm
Nathan concedes to Jason at that, about to take a drink when the focus is directed completely at him and Leah. He stifles a slight cough, suddenly finding a scratch on the table the most interesting thing in the entirety of this building. Fascinating. What an exquisite cut! "Uh, well, yeah. Thanks?" He says, honestly not entirely sure how to respond to that. He offers a somewhat
sheepish look as he meets Jason's gaze again, rolling his shoulder into a shrug. "I'm doing my best," he admits, sneaking a glance over to Leah. It lingers, smile small and soft. "Sometimes feels like I'm just making it up as I go along, y'know? Never been all that good at, uh... relationships. Fumble a lot." A pause. A frustrated sigh. "A hell of a lot."
Renala takes a long sip of her drink. "You did right getting out, though," she says. "Redrock... has had a few rough times too, but our day-to-day work will probably bore a maiden like you." She may remember her name and face, but not just how recently she joined. She chuckles, then looks over her shoulder when she hears name spoken by Leah over the noise of the room, and looks up towards her, but she did not pick
Ilyna smiles at the introductions, but looks a bit sheepish when the salarian is forced to introduce himself. The asari's name rings familiar, but she cannot place it, suspecting wrongly it might be from when she was a patient or visitor at the hospital. "It's nice to meet you two," she says, unsure what to really talk about with the group that work together daily. She does take a fry from the offered plate, though.