Renala enters the Respite, a large travel bag in one hand held up partially by a telekinetic field. She's wearing her brown leather jacket with a weak kinetic barrier system built into it, zipped up halfway over the plain blue top .She looks over the first floor to see if Steve is there at the moment.
#Miner'sRespite – December 25, 2013
Renala nods to herself before making her way upstairs. She drops her bags off at her own room before heading over to the door to Steve's. Renala knocks two times on the door and waits outside.
Steve | A series of loud thumps sound off before Steve's muffled voice is heard. "What?" he demands, sounding rather harsh.
Renala | "You asked me to come by when I returned," she replies, not raising her voice. "It's Renala."
Steve | The door slides open upon Renala identifying herself, revealing Steve off to the side of the door, leaning against the frame. He's wearing a pair of cargo pants and boots, but no shirt. The dark circles around his eyes hint to severe sleep deprivation. "Get inside, Ren." he says, sounding quite distressed. He reaches out with one hand and tugs lightly on her jacket, urging her into the room.
Renala complies, stepping inside with her head slightly tilted to the side. "Hey, what's going on?" she asks in a lowered voice. "Are you okay?" Renala seems a little uncomfortable, but the reason why is unclear.
Steve 's room lacks any personalization aside from his hardsuit which is strewn across the floor. His bed is unmade, the sheets having been torn from the bed and tossed about the room. Steve leans his head out into the hallway and glances in both directions. Once inside the room, Renala would be able to notice the Tempest in Steve's trembling hand which he haphazardly slams against the door panel, causing it to slide closed. "How many were out there, Ren?" he asks, "How-... Did you get a count on them?"
Renala raises her brows. "I don't know," she says, still in a lowered voice. "Who do you want a count on?" She glances nervously towards the door after noticing the tempest in his hand. "What's going on, Steve?"
Steve sighs and steps onto his bed to look out the small window above it. He sets the SMG on the window sill and rubs at his forehead "I-... I'm not sure, Ren. They showed up yesterday..." he says before shutting his eyes tightly and shaking his head, "No... No... A few days ago. Did you see anyone in the bar? Anyone that shouldn't be there?" he asks, looking back over his shoulder at the asari. "Please, Ren, think. Anyone at all?"
Renala takes a few steps towards him, and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Steve," she begins. "I didn't see anyone out of the ordinary. For a terminus world, anyway." She pauses for a brief moment as she looks out of the window, before enumerating all she can remember from the top of her head, "The new bartender was there. An asari in armor in a booth. Some humans playing cards at another. I think there was a batarian there too." Another pause follows before she shakes her head. "That's all I remember from looking for you down there."
Steve grabs his Tempest again and taps the barrel against the window, pointing towards a small shuttle parked nearby. "That's theirs." he says, sounding slightly unsure of himself, "That's what they arrived in." he adds, nodding to himself. "I saw two of them, but there could be more." he continues, turning to face Renala, "There's probably more. No-... No, there's definitely more. There was a salarian and a woman-... a human woman in the vehicle."
Renala steps towards the window, and looks for the shuttle. "Do you know what they're doing here?" she says, very concerned as they both might be in trouble -- she doesn't know anything other than the last few jobs that could lead to this, after all. "Are you sure they're looking for you?"
Steve nods a few times, continuing to watch the shuttle. "I'm sure. They're-..." he stops abruptly and wipes a hand across his face as he turns to face Renala, "They're here to take me back." he says, his voice cracking. His breathing gets heavier and he rubs at his eyes. "I'll die before I go with them!" he shouts, no longer paying attention to the window as an older human male begins to enter the vehicle.
Renala sighs, looking out the window. "Who are they?" she asks, putting a little emphasis on the last word. "Oh, there's another one," she quietly announces; "a human."
Steve quickly turns his attention back to the window. Upon spotting the old man, he furrows his brow. "What...? No..." he says, shaking his head, "He wasn't with the other two. I don't remember seeing him. They must know I'm on to them..." He swallows hard and hops off the bed, taking a few steps towards the door, then pacing back towards Renala. "I know what I saw... I know. They're here for me..." He taps the Tempest against his leg uneasily.
Renala frowns. "Who are they?" she repeats her question, sounding a little bit irritated while she still looks out the window at the shuttle. "Why would they be looking for you?"
Steve sits on the bed, landing heavily on the bare mattress. "It's the Alliance..." he groans, tossing his weapon down beside him. He rests his elbows on his knees and leans forward, holding his head in his hands. "No, no, no-..." he says with a frustrated sigh. "Why would you say that." he whispers- to who, exactly, is unclear, "Not-... Not the Alliance. I-... Eclipse." he nods firmly, still resting his head in his hands, "It's Eclipse."
Renala looks at Steve, still standing near the window -- in clear view for anyone looking inside. "Eclipse?" she begins. "I don't think you've told me you've been with them? They're a merc group, right, or did I not remember correctly?"
Steve nods slowly. "They're not going to let me out." he says, his tone shaky and uneven, "They'll keep chasing me until they kill me... Or I kill them. They think that they-... they have some kind of right to judge me? Judge the things I've done?" he leans over even more, burying his face further into his hands, "I was just a kid. My parents-... I trusted them. They knew what was best for me, right?" he says as thoughts seem to get jumbled in his head and confusion sets in. "Right?" he repeats, looking up from his hands at Renala, "They're liars. Ecl-... Alliance. They're no better than criminals! And they say the pills will help." he snorts loudly as a blue shimmer envelopes his form, "The pills won't make me forget. Fuck their pills!" he shouts. Suddenly a lamp beside the bed lifts up and is hurled across the room, breaking against the floor of the small bathroom. The lamp shatters. The pieces mix and mingle with loose pills that litter the bathroom floor.
Renala quickly steps towards the wall near the window as the lamp is hurled across the room, looking both confused and worried. After it shattes, she makes her way over to the bed and sits down beside him. "Hey, calm down," she says, looking at Steve, though she sounded a little bit anxious herself. "Aren't the pills important? We ran into what seemed like certain death at the time for them." She sighs. "I don't think I follow... is it the Eclipse or the Alliance that want you back?"
Steve tilts his head to the side and stares at Renala quietly for a moment before speaking. "Important? I don't need them! I'm fine without them!" he shouts. He lowers his gaze to the floor. "I-... I'm fine without them, Ren." he repeats, sounding somewhat embarrassed for having raised his voice. He closes his eyes and sits silently for a short time before speaking again. "It's Eclipse." he says, "I said it was Eclipse..."
Renala sighs. "You made it sounds like you'd die without them back on that job," she says. "What are the pills for, anyway?" She sounds slightly on edge, right now; though her seeming a little tired might offer some explanation. Her gaze fall upon the window again. "When did you first see the shuttle?"
Steve shakes his head, looking slightly confused. "What? No... No, I never-... I didn't say I'd die wi-... I don't need them, Ren." He reaches up and rubs his throbbing temples, "I don't..." he repeats to himself. Looking exhausted and worn down, he stands up and steps back onto the bed. He moves over to the window and leans against the sill, staring out at the location where the shuttle was previously parked. "Like I said, it was a few days ago." he says, sounding as if the wind has been knocked out of his sails, "I don't remember." he admits.
Renala stands up in turn, looking more confused than ever. She does, however, drop the train of question about the pills as what's done back there was done. "And you're sure they're with the Eclipse?" she asks as she walks up towards the window.
Steve continues staring out the window. "Yeah." he says softly, "It has to be them." He props his forearms against the window sill, looking back and forth at the street outside of the Respite. "I-... I don't know." he says. He lightly bangs his head against the window few times before repeating himself. "I don't know."
Renala tilts her head. "Hm?" she begins while continuing to look out the window. "Do you recognize some of them, or is there an emblem I'm not recognizing?" Renala has only vaguely heard of this security company, as their founding was after she settled down on Thessia.
Steve shakes his head. "No..." he says. "I don't know." he corrects himself, giving another shake of his head, "I thought I did but-... They're-... They died." He continues tapping his head against the glass, each time a little harder than the last. "It couldn't have-... I don't know, Ren."
Renala sighs. "What makes you think they're eclipse, then?" she asks, genuinely curious, though a bit irritated. "What if they're just travelers with their own matters to attend to here on Aite?"
Steve turns away from the window and makes eye contact with Renala briefly, "Because th-... Because..." His gaze lowers and he winces as another sharp pain shoots through his head, "I don't know... I can't remember." Tears begin to well up in his eyes, "I don't need the pills..." he pleads, "...I can do fine without them..."
Renala frowns, seeming thoughtful for a moment as she looks at Steve. "It's probably not much to worry about, then," she concludes, not sounding too confident in it. "Maybe we should go downstairs and get something good to eat." She pauses for a moment before adding, "If they're after you... better to confront them now than have them sneak up on you later."
Steve shakes his head. "The bartender..." he begins, wiping at his eyes, "The way she looked at me." He snorts loudly, "She's definitely with them. That's probably-... It's probably how they found me!" he says, seemingly finding a burst of energy in this new theory, "It can't be a coincidence that she starts working here and then they find me. Right?"
Renala raises her brows. "Don't be ridiculous, Steve," she says. "That girl looks she's barely old enough to leave her mother's house. I really don't see how she could be up to anything, other than another maiden traverling arouind." She pauses. "And we're still not sure whether the people outside are after you."
Steve scratches at the back of his neck nervously. "Are you-... Are you saying I'm crazy?" he asks, "Or maybe that I'm just a liar? Is that it?" he continues, his tone suggesting that his feelings are genuinely hurt by Renala's suspected insinuations
Renala steps up to the window, looking outside towards the shuttle with a sigh. "I'm not sure what to think about all this," she says. "I don't know the details of your past. I barely know what the Eclipse is. I can't assume anything certain in all this." A brief pause follows. "I know you, you're not crazy." She offers a small apologetic smile. "I'm not saying that."
Steve joins Renala back at the window. A long silence passes between them before Steve finally speaks up. "No... I'm sorry, Ren." he says, sighing deeply and leaning against the wall beside the window. He sounds defeated. Straining to hold back tears as he speaks. "I fucked up." he admits, "I just thought..." He stops abruptly and shakes his head as he begins walking towards the bathroom. Once inside, he lowers onto his knees and grabs an empty, cracked pill bottle off the floor. He begins picking up the loose pills and tossing them into the bottle. "You're wrong." he continues as he sweeps some of the glass from the broken lamp out of the way with his hand, "I am crazy. Fucked up in the head. No matter how much I run or hide, it's not going to go away, is it?"
Renala follows towards the bathroom, crouching near the pile of pills and lamp-remains to help him gather them. "No, you're not," she says with a small smile. "Not the Steve I've gotten to know." She pauses. "How long have you been hiding in here?" she asks. "And have you had something to eat since sending the message?"
Steve tosses a few more pills into the bottle. A large amount of pills are also floating around in the toilet, with their respective empty bottles sitting on the bathroom counter. "Few days..." he says, nodding back towards the other room, "I have food." he sighs. He sets down the pill bottle and grabs a few more pills off the floor. Sitting back against the wall, he pops the pills directly into his mouth and swallows hard. He stares straight ahead as he speaks, "I just thought that... Maybe this time was different. Maybe I didn't need them any more. Then-... Things just happen so fast." He reaches up and touches his forehead, "My head... I can't think straight."