#Miner'sRespite – February 4, 2014

Renala is sitting at a booth near the bar, in her usual wear. There's a plate with an almost eaten hamburger on the table before her, as well as a pint-ish glass of beer that's nearly empty. She seems a little tired, but has no visible injuries.

Steve enters the Respite through the front door, having been out-and-about for the day. He's in his hardsuit, minus the helmet. "Hey Ren." he sighs, sounding a bit down as he slips into the seat across from the asari, "So when is the big job again?"

Renala looks up at Steve with a small smile. "Two days ago," she answers, then gives his armor a lookover. "Take it you've found a job, too?"

Steve glances down over his armor, looking slightly sheepish, "Uhh... No..." he says dismissively, quickly trying to change the subject, "So how did it go?"

Renala ponders the question for a moment. "Well," she begins. "As well as it could have gone, I guess. Got my ass kicked by a biotic twice, but we got out of there alive after job well done." She takes a long sip of her beer, and another bite of the burger.

Steve tilts his head at the mention of getting her ass kicked, and catches himself looking her over. "You okay?" he asks, a hint of concern in his voice, "Nothing too serious, was it?"

Renala nods. "Yeah," she says. "My back still hurt a little when I put pressure on it, and same with my stomack, but the docs says I'm gonna be fine." She sighs. "I really wanted to kill that bitch, but they surrendered before I got the chance."

Steve raises an eyebrow, "Surrendered? Sounds like it went pretty well... The team work well together, or was it as bad as we expected?" he asks with a bit of a chuckle.

Renala chuckles, as well. "Better than what I expected, to be honest," she says. "We've had no training together, or knew each other, but we still got the job done. I chose to guard the surrenderers while the others was off seeking out the target, so I didn't see that part, but it sounded like they had it rough out there."

Steve gives a slight shrug, "Shame nobody died... Maybe then I'd have myself a job." he says with another chuckle, but it's unclear whether he was completely joking, "So... You think it's a company worth sticking with?"

Renala | "Absolutely," she says. "Not so sure about the line of work, though. I'm sure that biotic could have killed me if she really wanted to." She downs the remainder of her beer. "She had me floating around in a singularity."

Steve chuckles at the thought of Renala simply floating around, "Well, that's the job, right? No risk, no reward. I suppose if you're still kicking at the end of the day, that's all that matters. So when is the next job?" he asks, giving a quick glance around the bar.

Renala looks thoughtful. "I have no idea, but I think he said they have more contracts than staff to fill them," she says. "Right now, I just want to enjoy the pay... when I get it, that is. Might burn a lot of it on a new hardsuit, though." She eats the last bite of the hamburger and moves the plate to the side.

Steve nods a few times to himself. "If you don't mind the trip and dodging a bit of gunfire, there's a nice selection in Adrasteia. Was just there..." he lets slip, "With all the fighting going on over there, arms merchants come in droves. Might be able to get a nice deal on a new hardsuit."

Renala tilts her head. "What have you been doing there?" she says, curiosity getting the better of her. "Looked like you had enough pills to last for life when you got back from there last time."

Steve forces a smile and nods in agreement, "Yeah... I'm good on meds for a while." he admits, "But while I was there, I ran into someone who was interested in...." he pauses for a moment, searching for the right words, "...my particular 'skillset'. Got a message asking me to stop by for a talk." he shrugs, "So I did. Didn't go anywhere. Can't say I'm buying what he's selling. But it s was worth a shot."

Renala leans back in her seat. "Yeah, that's what I hate about this line of work," she says, "you have to risk trusting a stranger. What was the job about, if I may ask?"

Steve glances around and scratches at the back of his neck uneasily. "Uhh... Wasn't a single job, really. You know how Aite is. Power is always changing hands. Seemed like he was just a new player looking to buy a little muscle." he says, giving a shake of his head, "But I'm not looking to get involved in some political war that I have no stake in. Seems like an easy way to get yourself killed. No thanks, I'd rather just relax here with some good company..." he gives Renala a wink, "...and let them all kill each other over a dying rock."

Renala smirks at the wink. "Sounds like a good plan," she says with a chuckle. "If you were on the winning team, you'll probably get a bounty on your head." She sighs. "I still wish I could have had you along in Redrock, though."

Steve leans back in his seat, "Winning team..." he repeats, "There's no winning team, just a surviving team. Doesn't take much research to see that peace never lasts too long here. Someone new always comes along to stir up the pot." he taps at the table and allows a stare to linger on her glass as he contemplates getting one of his own, "But yeah... Wish I would hear back from Wolfe already. Even if it's just a 'thanks but no thanks'... I'd like to know."

Renala frowns. "He hasn't?" she says. "I suppose I can try asking him about it when I see him next. Maybe he's just holding off on hiring more people... see if he needs any more, or something like that."

Steve shrugs, "Maybe. Not much I can do other than wait, though." he says. After a short silence, he asks, "Do you think I should try contacting him again?"

Renala nods. "It's been a while now, so I don't think he'll take it the wrong way," she says. "Not much to lose in trying, right?"

Steve | "I guess... Just don't want to come off as needy. I didn't exactly make a strong first impression, so the last thing I need to do is irritate the guy." He shifts in his seat, deciding against getting a drink, and lifts his legs onto the bench. "But we'll see... At least it might get me confirmation one way or another." he says, sitting against the wall.

Renala offers a slight smile. "Wolfe seems like a good guy," she says. "I'm sure he won't be annoyed by that." She pauses. "So," she begins, trying to shift the conversation away from that. "What else have you been up to?"

Steve leans an elbow on the table and gives another shrug, "Not a whole lot. Did a little bit of looking into a few of those homesteads. Gotta say, they seem pretty peaceful." he pauses, reconsidering it for a moment, "That is, if you were still interested in all that." he adds.

Renala leans forward in her seat, looking a little bit sheepish for a moment. "Oh, that. Yeah, I'm still in on it," she says. "If jobs I get pay as well as that last one.... What did you find, then?"

Steve waves dismissively, feeling slightly embarassed upon her reaction, "No, no... It's really not a big deal. You've got a lot of other shit going on right now." he says, "I just looked at a few. Prices seem reasonable." he shrugs, trying to downplay his interest, "Take your time. I'm not in any rush. Just figured I should follow up on it since we spoke about it." he says with a smile.

Renala returns the smile. "I've had the job to think about, yeah," she says followed by a sigh. "Still do, since I'm worried I didn't cover my tracks properly. But anyway," she continues, "I'm interested to know what you've found."

Steve shakes his head, "Not much more beyond that. I can send you the listings if you'd like." he offers, "There's a nice sized three-bedroom just a little ways outside of town. Nice chunk of land. But back up a second, what do you mean you didn't cover your tracks properly?" he asks, the look of concern returning to his face.

Renala thinks for a few seconds. "I did mess around with their network systems," she says. "I think I managed to delete everything, but I didn't really get to know their network structure on a hardware level." She pauses, then shrugs. "I'm probably being too paranoid about this."

Steve raises an eyebrow, "Shouldn't really be much to worry about, right? I mean, you guys did..." he drags a thumb across his neck silently, "...the lot of 'em, right? Who's going to come for you?"

Renala shakes her head. "No, only two were killed," she says. "The contract asked only for one target being eliminated... appearantly their leader. Hopefully, that means they disband and move on."

Steve reaches up and rubs at his forehead, "So... So you let the rest go?" he asks, a puzzled look on his face, "...Why? Can they identify you? Can you be sure that they won't come looking for revenge? I don't-... I don't understand."

Renala nods. "Yes," she says. "Wasn't my call, but they surrendered, and we made good on our promise. Well, I did kick that bitch in the head, though... the one that hurled me around with biotics."

Steve shakes his head, "Wolfe's orders?" he asks, "You can't just leave a bunch of witnesses and expect no repercussions. That man's going to get you all killed." he says with a sigh.

Renala frowns. "That's true," she says, "but what's done is done. Now we can hope they don't follow us here. If they do...," she pauses for a moment. "Well, we're not all in one place."

Steve nods slowly, "Just-... Be careful, Ren." he says, genuine concern in his voice, "Watch your back."

Renala | "I will," she replies. "Aite is a big world, anyway, so I don't think they'll find me based on what I look like... or my name."

Steve nods once again, "I suppose you've got a point. Still, just keep your eyes open." he insists as he slides out of the booth. "Hate to cut and run on ya, Ren, but I need a shower. That trip takes a lot out of ya. You want me to send you the postings on the homesteads I checked out?" he asks.

Renala gives off a weak smile. "Yeah, I'd like to take a look at them," she says. "And I'll see you around, Steve."

Steve gives the asari another wink and disappears up the stairs to retire to his room for the night.

Renala remains on the first floor for about 3 more minutes before returning upstairs to her room, stopping by the bar on the way to leave the plate and glass, and pay for her drink.