#RedrockAgency – February 13, 2014

Ilyna steps out of the shuttle, just outside the gates, and walks towards Jason. She seems a little worried as she notes the apparent argument, but eventually reaches them. She nods in greeting to both of them, but doesn't really want to interrupt them. Ilyna is dressed in the same dress as yesterday, though she has no luggage on her person this time.

Jason spots Ilyna and slaps a gauntleted hand against the larger man's chestplate in a playful 'patpat' manner, having to reach up to do so. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do. But this is the way it is. I'll be sending one of the new recruits out with you. Probably Renala. Just do what you can." he says before holding eye contact with the man, "We can't afford to lose this contract. You know that." He puts on a smile and turns to face the asari, "Hey!" he says excitedly and claps his hands together, "Thanks for coming, Ilyna. Uhh... This big motherfucker is one of our employees, Mendez." he says, gesturing towards the man beside him.

Mendez glares at Jason for a moment longer before turning to face the asari as well. He holds out his hand and gives a nod of acknowledgement as Jason introduces him, not seeming to mind the manner in which his boss did so.

Ilyna returns the smile. "I'm glad I could be here," she says before facing the other human, extending her hand and taking his. "I'm Ilyna T'Rea," she says. "Me and Jason used to work together."

Mendez gives the asari a polite nod and a firm handshake before turning back to Jason. "I'm gonna get going. Just let me know when you're sure about how we're handling this." he says, obviously frustrated over whatever they were discussing, but doing his best to remain professional.

Jason gives the larger man a nod, sending him on his way, and refocuses his attention on Ilyna. "So... Let me take you inside." he says, placing a hand on the small of her back and nudging her in the direction of the door. "I know it's a little bit out of the way, but I kind of like it out here. Peaceful." he continues.

Ilyna nods. "He didn't seem very happy about some contract," she commented from what little she got out of the conversation, her voice slightly lowered. She begins walking towards the entrance. "I think it was easier finding it here than when you had the office on Illium, and it looks more useful for your company."

Jason chuckles dryly and shakes his head, "Yeah... I'm not too happy about it either. But we'll cope." he says, quickly attempting to change the subject by addressing her other comment as he follows her to the entrance, "Finding anything on Illium is like looking for a needle in a stack of other needles. Don't get me wrong-..." he continues, putting a hand up defensively, "...I loved the time I spent on Illium. But I think this is more-... Personal? It feels more personal anyways. Like this is something that I can look at and honestly say it's 'mine'. Well, ours." he corrects, "Linda would never let me hear the end of it if she heard me talking that way..."

Ilyna chuckles. "I think you've done well with it," she says. "And I doubt you could have a shuttle in your office back there." She pauses. "I don't think even a salarian could memorize the terms of the contract I had for my apartment there..."

Jason shakes his head as the front door slides open and he enters through it. "No kidding. Plus it's cheap. Apparently not many people want to invest in land that's probably going to be destroyed in a couple generations time. Who would've thought." he jokes, "So, this our lobby." he says, sweeping a hand over the room which consists of a receptionist's desk and a wall lined with chairs. The room has an almost clinical feel with its white tile floors and white walls, the only thing breaking the lifeless mood of the room being a few random paintings decorating the walls. "Well... It will be once we have a receptionist. And a reason to have a receptionist, I suppose." he adds with a smirk. "We've still got a lot of work to do on the building, but it's coming along."

Ilyna looks around the lobby thoughtfully before turning back to Jason. "I take it everyone who comes here usually do so on appointment, then?" she asks, curious. "Since the receptions is empty, I mean." She takes a few more steps in, glancing around once more.

Jason nods, "Yeah... We're not at a point where we need a receptionist." he says, before adding hopefully, "Yet." He takes a quick look around the room before stepping through a door behind the desk, "Anyways, this is where most of our time is spent. We've got a few desks... But most importantly, a killer screen." he says proudly, nodding towards the large screen against the far wall. "When nobodies around, this is where I catch the asajura games." he nods, "Otherwise, it's used for any kind of information relevant to our contracts, jobs, what-have-you. We've got a desk for everyone, but I'm sure-... Well, hoping-... We'll be needing more eventually."

Ilyna follows him into the next room after he walks in, glancing around as he talks. "If I change my mind about this line of work, I'll make sure to call you," she says with a smile. "I do watch a few of these games, but usually only when visiting friends that are really intrested in it." She looks over the room again.

Jason smiles and nods, "And if you ever do change your mind, you'll have a spot waiting for you here." he says. He heads towards a door on the right-hand wall from where they entered. "We're trying to get ahold of everything we need, but it's an expensive business." he says as he taps at the panel, causing the door to slide open, "So it's slow-coming. But we'll get there." he continues as he steps through the door and into the makeshift shuttle bay.

Ilyna nods. "Thank you. I'd be happy to work with you again," she says, following him into the shuttle bay. "And I don't doubt that, since you've already come far from what I've seen." She looks around the room they enter. On another note, there's a hint of worry in her expression.

Jason points towards the man. "That's Jasper." he says, "He's a damn good mechanic. He works outside whenever the weather's nice." he adds with a shrug. "Everything alright?" he asks with concern in his voice as he turns to face Ilyna, seeing that something seems to be 'off' with her, his smile slowly fades away.

Ilyna glances towards the shuttle outside, nodding. "Just something on my mind," she says as she turns back to face Jason, though it's barely above a whisper when she asks, "Does Linda know? About... me?" She looks more than a little nervous after asking.

Jason raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" he asks, looking slightly confused.

Ilyna is quiet for a few seconds as she tries to pick her words. "What... I don't talk about," she whispers.

Jason shakes his head, "No... No... That's-..." he sighs, "That's your business, Ilyna. I wouldn't betray your trust like that." He lowers his gaze to the floor for a moment before re-establishing eye contact, "It's not my place to decide who gets to know your personal life."

Ilyna offers an apologetic smile. "Oh, I'm sorry I brought it up," she says, still keeping her voice lowered, but not a whisper, "and thanks. I didn't expect you'd do that, but... it's possible she could have learned of it."

Jason gives another shake of his head, "Nah... But-..." he struggles for a moment, looking away as he searches for the right words, "...We've both... Me and Linda, I mean..." he continues, stumbling over words, "We've both lost people, Ilyna. I-... I just want you to know if you ever need to talk about it, you can talk to me. Not sure I'll be much help, but I'm here if you need to-... You know, get anything off your chest." He nods and looks away from the asari, watching the mechanic fiddle with the shuttle.

Ilyna | "I really appreciate it," she says with a genuine smile, keeping her voice a little lowered still, "but as long as she isn't afraid of me.... That was what I was worried for," Ilyna admits, "and why I brought it up."

Jason sighs, "Ilyna... You've been a good friend. More than that, you're family. The asari that attacked Linda..." he shakes his head and puts his hands on each of Ilyna's shoulders, staring her directly in the eyes, "You're not like her. You're a good person. Linda wouldn't be afraid of you. She couldn't be."

Ilyna stands still as he talks, her expression growing serious for a moment before a smile forms again. "That... means a lot to hear," she says, holding her arms out for a hug while breathing deeply. "Thank you."

Jason pulls the asari in for a hug, giving her a slight squeeze as he does. "Really, Ilyna... That never even entered my mind." he says, his smile returning. He clears his throat and takes a step back from Ilyna, leaving an arm draped over her shoulder as he tugs her over to his side. "So-..." he continues, attempting to steer the conversation away from such a gloomy topic, "As I was saying... That's Jasper. That old hunk of junk he's working on is the only shuttle we've got right now. He's confident that he can restore it, but-..." he raises his voice loud enough to be heard by the mechanic from across the shuttle bay, "...he's taking his sweet time with it!"

Jasper cranes his head around to glance back at the two in the shuttle bay. "Oh? I'm sorry, I forgot you were some kind of hot-shot shuttle expert. Maybe you should get your ass down here and show me how to do my job right." the older man shouts, followed by a large toothy smile that could be seen even from where Jason and Ilyna are standing. "Have you ever even held a wrench, son?"

Ilyna chuckles, looking a tiny bit embarrased that she finds it amusing. "I'm sure he knows what he's doing," she says. "And with something like a shuttle... one have to make sure it's done right."

Jason chuckles as well, "Just giving him a hard time." he says before raising his voice again, "Yeah, yeah... Point taken, old man." he shouts. "So..." he begins, turning back to face the asari, "What do you think of our little operation so far?"

Jasper shakes his head, and a bit of laughter can be heard coming from his direction as he happily returns to working on the shuttle.

Ilyna smiles. "I'm impressed," she begins, glancing over the room once more before facing Jason. "It certainly looks like you and Linda poured a lot of resources and effort into it."

Jason nods a few times. "Time and effort... Yeah. Resources?" he tilts his head to one side, then the other, looking a bit embarrassed, "We had some help." he admits, "An old friend of mine with deep pockets paid for most of it." he says, looking away from Ilyna for the moment. A look of sadness seems to overcome him, "There's no way me and Linda could've afforded all this."

Ilyna nods, frowning. "But you have it now," she says. "Does... this old friend expect anything in return? If I may ask, of course."

Jason shakes his head. "No... I told her I'd pay her back, and we've already made a few small payments, but-..." he hesitates for a moment and sighs, reaching up to rub at his forehead, "...No, it's nothing." He forces a smile, "It's just going to take a while to pay her back."

Ilyna looks thoughtful. "It's... something to be thankful for, I think," she says. "I don't know if any reliable bank would offer you a loan for something here on Aite."

Jason nods a few times, seeming to consider the subject, "I've known them-... Her for a long time." he says, trailing off for a moment. "Anyways, let me show you my office!" he says with what could only be a false display of enthusiasm, "Never thought I'd have my own office." He turns around and heads through the door they entered from.

Ilyna follows after him into the other room. "I'm sure it'll be alright," she says, her attempt at reassuring him. "I don't think any of us mercenaries do think that," she says. "Didn't you have your own office back on Illium?"

Jason snorts loudly as he crosses the room with the screen, stopping at the door opposite of the shuttle bay. "My own office?" he asks, his snort turning into a chuckle, "No. Linda had an office, and I was her employee." he continues, pressing the panel beside the door. "Redrock Agency was hers. Now, we're officially 'partners'." He steps through the door, once it slides open, into a wide hallway. It's mostly barren aside from a few more doors opposite of the door he entered from, and a staircase against the wall leading to a second floor. "So that means she can't fire me no matter how badly I fuck up." he jokes.

Ilyna chuckles as she follows him into the hallway, looking it over breifly. "But I doubt you'll hear the end of it, right?" she says, thinking back to his correction around when they met outside here.

Jason smirks and nods, "That sounds about right." he says, crossing the hallway to the closest door and pressing the panel beside it. "This is me." he announces as the door slides open, "Linda's office is right down the hall. We've got a couple more open offices. Not sure what we'll use 'em for. Maybe one day we'll get big enough to put some people in leadership positions." he shrugs before stepping into the office. The office is a small room with a basic desk with a terminal atop it. A few datapads are sloppily laying about the desk as well as a picture of himself and Vasquez, displaying him with his arms around the smiling woman. They seem to be laughing, as if the picture was taken unexpectedly by a third party. A few other digital frames display pictures on a shelf behind his desk. Including a picture of a familiar salarian, as well as a sloppy drawing that appears to have been drawn by a child. Jason rounds the desk and takes a seat behind it, making a show of adjusting his chair. Two more chairs sit in front of the desk.

Ilyna steps into the office, looking around it thoughtfully. "Oh, there's no picture of me? I'm hurt...," she says, making it clear she's joking. Ilyna approaches the desk and sits down on the leftmost chair. "I think it's a nice office you have set up here, Jason," she says.

Jason glances back at the picture frames before swiveling in his seat to face Ilyna once again. "Thanks... And we'll have to change that before you take off." he says with a smirk. Suddenly, he seems to recall something and puts his hand on his forehead, "Oh! I can't believe I forgot to tell you! Tess is here, too! She's actually working for us." he says with a grin, "She just... Showed up one night at the Respite, looking for a job at the bar. Seems like everyone is gravitating back together. Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something." he jokes.

Ilyna raises her brows. "Oh?" she says. "I remember that... she was a little... strange when I met her last, uncomfortable around me. I can't honestly remember why right now." She pauses. "I hope I get a chance to meet her, and Tarlon, before I have to go."

Jason nods a few times. "I'm sure they'll be around. Truth be told, I haven't seen a whole lot of Tarlon since his arrival." he sighs, "Guessing he just has a lot on his plate right now. Can't say I don't miss the irritating little bastard." he says.

Ilyna chuckles. "I didn't find him irritating, to be honest," she says. "Goddess, I've been so out of the loop about all of you when I was on Thessia." She pauses, glancing away. "I really don't wonder how me and dad didn't talk for fifty years..."

Jason | "It's not the same for you, Ilyna... I mean, you're going to be around long after the rest of us are dead." he gives a slight smirk and a shrug, "I get it. It's gotta be pretty easy to let long stretches of time pass when you've got plenty to spare. Coupled with everything you've been through? I don't blame you. You just needed some space away from all-... that. Us. Hell, we're not the safest people to be around." he chuckles, "But it is what it is. And no matter how much time passes, we're always gonna be here for you. That's a promise."

Ilyna nods. "I never needed space from my father. She moved off world for a better job, and we drifted apart. I'm bad at keeping in touch, and shame piled up to the point a dared not contact her," she she sighs. "We asari learn to live with that. I will value what time I have with you all... and not think about... that too much." She smiles slightly

Jason reaches down as the asari speaks, removing a large bottle and a couple of glasses from a drawer and setting them on the desk. "Yeah... You can't worry about that stuff too much." he says, pouring himself a drink, "For all we know some unknown force could appear out of nowhere and wipe us all out tomorrow. Everybody's gotta die sometime, right?" he shrugs, hovering the bottle over the second glass, "Care for a drink?"

Ilyna nods. "Yes, please," she says before addressing his topic. "I don't take it for granted that I'll reach the matron years, let alone the matriarch stage. Both are a long time from now, even for me."

Jason begins filling the second glass with the golden liquid as he speaks, "I try not to put too much thought into it. When you're surrounded by species that will outlive you by hundreds of years, it can get a little depressing if you dwell on it too much." he smirks and sets the bottle down, "Besides. It could be worse, right? Could be Tarlon."

Ilyna nods, slowly. "Yeah, that reminds me of when I tried to comfort him back... when he felt bad about his life," she says. "I don't remember the context, but I told him he still has a chance to change it... or something like that." She picks up her drink and brings it up to her lips. "Thanks," she adds before taking a sip.

Jason nods and takes a sip from his own glass in turn, "Doesn't really matter when it comes right down to it anyways. In this line of work there's almost no chance of me dying of natural causes." he says, setting his glass back down. He gives a short, somewhat sad chuckle, "I've made my decision, though. We-..." he nods in the general direction of where he said Vasquez' office was, "...already had this discussion. When it comes right down to it, I'm just not cut out for a regular day-to-day job. I can't do it... Back on Earth I was miserable, Ilyna. Out here... Out here I can do some good. If that means my life is cut short, then fine. I'll take that over settling down on Earth, working some dead-end job day-in and day-out..." He sighs. It's clear that he's put much thought into this.

Ilyna places her drink back on the counter. "I'm not certain about my new life, either," she says, "but I promised my family I won't give up trying. I don't know what I will be doing a decade from now, much less if I'll enjoy it."

Jason stares off absently for a moment before seeming to snap back, "So... No idea on what you're going to attend university for?" he asks, "There's gotta be something you're interested in, right?"

Ilyna thinks for a moment, then shakes her head. "It's a big decision," she says. "I've been in the military for more than two-hundred years." She picks up her drink, again. "What makes it worse is that my mother promised to pay for it... which does add some weight to the decision."

Jason leans forward against the desk, "Come on... There's nothing you want to do? What's your passion? Something you've always wanted to do? This is your chance!" he says, slamming a hand down on his desk in an exaggerated manner.

Ilyna looks thoughtful, flinching a little as he slams his hand on the desk, causing her to spill a drop of the drink on her dress; though she doesn't notice. A sheepish smile crosses her lips. "I've lived most of my life being told what to do in the military," she says, "and I was very restricted there, which was why I left in the end. I... don't know what to do now... there's so much to choose between."

Jason smiles and nods, understanding her situation. "I know what you mean. I joined the Alliance as soon as I was old enough to sign up. Maybe that's why I do what I do." he shrugs. "I was a good soldier... At least, I think I was." he chuckles, "Then again, I did just abandon my unit... So maybe I wasn't such a good soldier."

Ilyna tilts her head. "Oh?" she says. "I don't think you ever told me about that. May I ask what happened?"

Jason raises an eyebrow, curious as to how they could have spent so much time together without her ever knowing. He considers the question for a moment, deciding how to properly answer it before speaking. "Well..." he begins with a sigh, "I was on a tour out in the Attican Traverse. I-... There was-... Uhh... Someone close to me. She-..." he sighs again, having a little difficulty approaching the subject even after so much time has passed, "She suffered an accident. No-... Not an accident." he continues, shaking his head, "She was killed. Died on Omega." he says, forcing a somber smile, "The Alliance let me come home on leave, but I just couldn't get my shit together. There was no way I was going back. I had a spotless service record up until that point, so..." he shrugs, "They gave me an evaluation and determined that I was unfit for duty. I received an honorable discharge. That's-... Well it's why I was on Omega."

Jason immediately takes a rather large sip of his drink.

Ilyna leans a little forward when hearing the story, quietly placing the glass on the desk. "Oh, I'm...," she begins. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Jason." She wasn't sure what else to say to this, and kept any questions she would have to herself.

Jason sets his drink back down and stares at the near-empty glass for a moment before reaching for the bottle and pouring himself a refill. "Don't be." he says, purposely avoiding eye contact, "I've spent a lot of time grieving, Ilyna. A lot of time feeling guilty for even trying to move on. But at the end of the day, she's gone, and I'm still here." He manages to look up from his glass, just for a moment, "She wouldn't want me to keep carrying this with me. So I try not to. I don't always succeed but-... Well, that's life, right?"

Ilyna nods, agreeing. "Yeah, that's life," she says with a sigh. "And I'm sure that if she could tell you what she wanted, it'll be that."

Jason sets the bottle back down on the desk and continues to stare absently at his glass for a few more moments before finally nodding to himself. "Yeah..." he says, returning his gaze to the asari, "Sorry, Ilyna. I didn't mean to make things all serious on ya like that." His smile grows into something a bit more genuine.

Ilyna returns the smile, but it fades as she goes quiet for a few seconds. "But I think I know how that is," she begins. "I think I would still be on Illium if... I didn't lose her. She got to tell me just that... that I should move on, find happiness elsewhere." She sounds slightly saddened, though not as much as one'd expect from what she said.

Jason takes another sip from his refilled glass as Ilyna speaks. "So that's exactly what you have to do." he says, staring the asari directly in the eyes, "For her."

Ilyna nods. "And I have," she says, the tone not changed. "I still remember the day I saw her message. I've been gone for half a month, and returned to only a datapad. It was maybe the worst feeling I've ever felt in my life." She pauses, taking a deep breath. "It's good my father came by, because... it was too much for me."

Jason sets his glass aside once again, "I know it doesn't mean much... But I'm sorry you had to go through that, Ilyna. You deserve to be happy." he says, resting his head on his hand, "Are you and your father close these days?"

Ilyna nods, again, a small smile appearing. "We are," she begins. "She, and my half-sister visits me on Thessia occasionally, and I call them both regularly enough. I won't make that same mistake twice."

Jason | "That's nice... Family is important." he says, "The only relative I have left is my uncle. Who, admittedly, I haven't been the best at keeping in touch with..." he shrugs, "But he's just... Such a dick." Jason reaches up and rubs at his forehead as a laugh escapes him, "But that's okay. If there's one thing life has taught me, it's that you don't have to share blood to be family... I've got Linda. My Redrock family. I've got Tarlon, wherever he is on this rock." he says with a smirk, "I've got you. I'd say I'm a pretty lucky guy when it comes to family."

Ilyna chuckles. "Some family I am, then," she says, a grin on her face. "We didn't talk for over a year and half. Tarlon even told me that I shouldn't have been ashamed to contact you... and that was over a year ago."

Jason gives a shrug, "Like I said, don't worry about it. But now that you're back in touch with me, you know I'm not going to let you off that easy, right?" he grins, "If weeks go by without any word from you, I'm gonna find out where you're studying, show up at your university, and kick your ass!"

Ilyna can't help herself but burst out laughing. "I can imagine you doing that," she says, "but I'm not at University yet, so your search might have hit a dead-end."

Jason glares at the asari silently for a few moments, "Fine..." he finally says, "You win this time! But it would only be a matter of time before you popped your pretty purple head up. And when ya do, I'll be there to kick your ass!" he says, attempting to suppress some laughter and failing miserably.

Ilyna chuckles, and tilts her head in challenge. "How could you be so sure it was my purple head?" she says. "It's a world full of asari, and I have relatives that do resemble me at a quick glance."

Jason shakes his head as his smile grows, "Nah... I've spent too much time around you, Ilyna. I'm certainly not going to be confusing anyone else for you."

Ilyna nods, feigning a frightened expression. "That's... true," she says as it softens and a smile returns. Her omni-tool interrupts her before she can say anything more and she quickly reads the message. "Oh...I knew I forgot something," she mutters to herself. "I'm sorry, Jason, but I've got to go," she says. "Me and a classmate have a project I believed was due tomorrow. Turns out it is in six hours."

Jason nods and takes another quick swig of his drink. "No problem. Let me at least call a shuttle for you." he says, pulling up his omni-tool and poking at the orange interface.

Ilyna picks up her drink and downs the remainder of it, evoking a soft cough from her. "Thank you," she says as he places the glass down. "It's going to be a hectic evening for me." She stands up. "I'm sure we'll see each other again... and tell Tarlon and Tessa if you see them that I would love to meet them."

Jason continues tapping at his omni-tool for a few moments before allowing the interface to dissipate. "Alright... Should be out front in a few minutes." he says, "I'd give you a ride back to town myself but-..." he shrugs, "...you seen our shuttle. At this point, I wouldn't trust it to get you through the front gate." he jokes, standing from his seat. "But yeah... If I get ahold of Tarlon, I'll let him know you're in town. I'm sure Tess will be around. We've got a pretty big workload coming up, so she better be." he rounds the desk and taps the panel beside the door, causing it to slide open. "Thanks for coming by, Ilyna... It was fun." he says, leaning against the wall just to the side of the door.

Ilyna nods. "I'm glad I could come by," she says, holding her arms out for a hug. "And thanks for showing me around."

Jason pushes away from the wall and wraps the asari up in a tight hug, "No problem." he says, "It's nice having you around again."

Ilyna holds him for a few seconds, not saying much until she lets go. "You too, Jason," she says. "Give Linda my regards too." She glances towards the door out, but stays where she are for the time being.

Jason smiles and nods a few times, "Yeah... Yeah, I will." he says, "Send me a message when you're free. We'll get together for drinks down at the Respite."

Ilyna nods. "I will," she promises. After lingering for a few more seconds, she finally makes her way out of the room, and through the rest of the building.

Jason follows the asari out to the lobby and remains in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. "Don't forget!" he shouts, "If I don't hear from you soon... Ass kicking!"

Ilyna looks over her shoulder, and he could probably hear her laughing. When the shuttle arives, she cast another glance back before climbing aboard; leaving with it.

Jason remains in the doorway until the shuttle disappears in the distance before returning back to his office.