Renala is sitting in a booth nearest the bar, a plate wtih a sandwich containing many ingredients the asari fails to recognize, and a cup of a black liquid the menu said was called 'coffee'.
#Miner'sRespite – July 15, 2013
Steve sluggishly makes his way down the stairs and approaches the bar with a scowl on his face. After ordering a glass of water, he glances around the Respite for a moment before his eyes come to rest on a familiar asari. His scowl turns to a smirk as he grabs his water and makes his way over to her booth. "Renala, right?" he asks, recalling the asari's name, "Care for a little company?"
Renala looks up as she hears a familiar enough voice call her name, and nods. "Sure, go ahead," a reply comes soon after. "How are you on this fine morning?" She picks up the cup of coffee and take one cautious sip, grimacing slightly at the taste.
Steve sets down his glass and slides into the booth, opposite of Renala. "Been better." he says plainly, rubbing at his temples with the thumb and middle finger of his right hand. "Any luck finding work?"
Renala shakes her head while putting the cup on the table. "Not yet," she replies. "I'm thinking on going out to buy the necessary gear today." She picks up the sandwich, holding it with a paper towel and takes a bite of it.
Steve nods and absent mindedly pushes his glass of water around with his fingertips. "You said you were looking for some security work right? That can get expensive. Sounds like it could be a pretty risky investment if you don't have a job lined up yet."
Renala nods. "If the description of this world isn't lying, a job like that should be pretty easy to find," she reckons aloud. "Still, you have a point. I'd be at least spending thirty thousand for a full armor set." She pauses, taking another sip of the coffee. "So, how about you?"
Steve continues fiddling with his glass of water. "We've got a saying. You never count your chickens before they hatch. Best be careful, you don't want to end up stuck with some equipment on your hands that won't see any use." he says. He reaches a hand into his pocket before continuing, slightly more distracted than before. "I-... What did she say it was called? Hnipinn minerals?" he asks, glancing down as he produces a small bottle of pills from his pocket and sets it on the table in front of him. "Whatever it's called... Thinking I might check it out tomorrow. See if they have any open positions."
Renala seems a bit thoughtful. "I'll take that into consideration," the asari says. "I could use a gun nonetheless, though. Not a very peaceful world, they say about Aite." She takes another sip of the coffee before putting it down on the table again. "I think that what Galatea called it, yeah," she says. "Maybe they could use some security personnel too."
Steve removes the cap and empties a few pills into the palm of his hand. "It's worth a shot." he says as he seems to reconsider the number of pills needed and pours a couple more into his hand. "So you hear that a place is rowdy and your first instinct is to sign on as security?" he asks with a chuckle, but quickly continues before awaiting an answer, "No, that's admirable I think. You know, in a 'sees fire and runs towards it' kind of way. But I'm lookin' for something a bit more... Quiet. Figure if I stay out of the wrong peoples way, I should get along with this town just fine."
Renala chuckles along with him, a sheepish smile on her lips. "We asari are naturally risk-takers," she says with a shrug. "I've beaten the odds already by hitting the matron stage." She pauses, picking up her sandwich. "I could also see if there is anyone needing a programmer, or IT technician, around here, but I'm not sure about taking an office job again," she continues, "especially without the drama of bondmate and kid to make up for the lack of action." She smirks; the last part was spoken in a not very serious tone. She takes a bite of the sandwich and a small sip of the coffee.
Steve shifts in his seat and pops the handful of pills into his mouth. "Well-..." he mumbles through a mouth full of pills and takes a long drink of water, swallowing hard, before continuing, "A desk job might not be as exciting, but you can't deny the benefits of a job that isn't trying to kill you."
Renala hums in contemplation. "Except your manager," she smirks, exaggerating. "Well, I might calm down and find a job like that sooner or later anyway." She glances at the pill box, curiously. "What's the pills for?"
Steve screws the cap back on and tucks the bottle away in his pocket. "Just a bit of a headache." he says with a grimace, rubbing at his temples once again to further emphasize his statement. "It's no big deal. Just a bad night. So... How's the food here?" he asks with a nod towards the sandwich in an attempt at changing the subject.
Renala glances at the sandwich. "It's quite alright," she replies. "Not yet used to the taste of it, as I've eaten mostly Thessian food for the last few decades." The asari nods at her cup of coffee. "Not sure what to make of that yet, though," Renala says. "Probably just not accustomed to its taste." She picks up her sandwich and takes a bite of it. It had a local cheese equialent that tastes very similar to that of Earth, or at least, that's what it was advertised as, and a ham-equivalent from an Aitan animal, and some vegetables from Aite and other human colonies.
Steve glances at the cup. "Coffee," he says with an amused grin, "There's no better way to start a morning than with a nice black cup of coffee. So, assuming you find some work, you plannin' on sticking around for a while? Or is this just a short stay for you?"
Renala | "I haven't decided yet, to be honest," Renala says in response, "but it seems like a nice enough place to settle down." She pauses, sipping her coffee. "Who knows, maybe a few years down the road, I've a family with kids here," she half-jokes, followed by a chuckle.
Steve takes another sip of his water. "A family, huh?" he asks, contemplating the idea himself. "Yeah... I can see that..." he says, nodding a few times, "Might not be the ideal place to raise a family but-... Yeah, it could work."
Renala nods, a small smile visible on her face. "Yeah, I know," she replies. "Raising the little ones is difficult enough on the safe worlds, even."
Renala glances at her coffee for a moment before returning her gaze. "You could say that," she says with a sigh. "I screwed up, of course; was a poor influence on my kid, and the mother wanted me gone." She picks up her coffee and takes a sip. "…and now I'm here."
Steve breaks eye contact uncomfortably. "I'm-... Sorry to hear that, I shouldn't have pried. We all make mistakes, though. You can't let that keep ya down..." he says before re-establishing eye contact. "Besides, you've got hundreds of years to mend broken bridges, right?" he adds, a slight smile returning.
Renala | "It's okay. I don't see a point in keeping it secret," Renala says, before taking another sip of her drink. "I still talk with the little one most days, so it's not all that bad."
Renala | "I don't mind," Renala says with a small smile, picking up her sandwich. "She turns thirteen in a few weeks." She takes a bite of it and sips her coffee.
Steve nods silently. "A teenager, huh? Tough time for any kid..." he says, trailing off for a moment before clearing his throat and straightening his posture. "Take it from me... No matter what you did, you're still family. She's gonna need her mother. As long as you're there for her, that's all that matters."
Renala nods, but she can't help but give an amused smile at the last part. "I'll be there in the capacity I can," she says, "but I trust her mother to help her through the worst of it."
Steve catches the statement, but decides against further prying... At least for now. "You do what you can. That's all any of us can do." he says as he stands from the booth. "Well, Renala. I don't mean to run out on you, but the rest of my belongings are being delivered to me shortly, so I've got a few things to take care of before they arrive. Hope you can excuse me for cutting out chat a little short."
Renala | "Good talking with you, Steve," Renala responds with a nod of goodbye, a small smile persistent on her lips. "I hope it all got here in one piece then."
Steve smiles and grabs his glass from the table. "That makes two of us. I'll see ya around" he says before heading back to the staircase, making a quick stop at the counter to drop off his empty glass.