Va'ynna is sitting in a booth near the bar, reading from a datapad. She doesn't really seem too concentranted as she does glance around now and then. There is a glass of water on the table before her. The asari's dressed in a mostly dark-green dress.
#Miner'sRespite – February 14, 2014
Zaylus descends the stairs from the upper floor, equiped with armor and clearly armed. He almost seems like he's on his way out before his confident gait falters. He's come to a wavering halt, hesitating for a moment before giving in to some unknown quandry. With softer determination he crosses the floor, giving the purple asari a wave as he approaches. "Hey, Va'ynna." He greets.
Va'ynna looks up at the turian as he greets her, though she did notice his approach. "Hey," she says, staring at the pistol for a moment with concern, though her expression softens. "How... are you?" Va'ynna asks before placing the datapad down on the table gently, its projected screen fading out when her hand lets go of it.
Zaylus gives one glance at the door before taking the seat across from her. "Never better." He says, producing a wide grin. It fades somewhat as he adds, "How are things down here?" His question is general but a more precise meaning isn't hard to figure.
Va'ynna seems to ponder it for a moment. "I…. I'm back to work," she says, "I guess… that's something. I'm… still thinking about it all, though." Whether that was what the turian asked her about, she didn't know.
Zaylus 's smile widens again, "That's great. You know, the working again part." He says sincerely. "No one expects you to get over this quickly, either. It'll take some time, no doubt about that." He gives a small shrug, placing his hands on the table before him. "Are they giving you some of the quieter shifts for a while, then?"
Va'ynna nods. "Yeah," she says. "I've always had... those shifts, though. I work in the kitchen on the more hectic... parts of the day." She glances towards the bar before adding, "And we'll be having some security around here soon." Her voice is a little flat, but she doesn't seem too anxious right now.
Zaylus nods thoughtfully, "That'll be... interesting." He mutters, looking off toward one side. After a brief pause he appears to bring himself back from whatever side world he had drifted into, and returns his attention to the asari. "That can't be all that's been going on, has it?" He asks almost pleadingly.
Va'ynna tilts her head. "No, but... my day-to-day life isn't something you'd write a book about," she says, though not sounding too serious. "I met Jason here a few days ago, though... and an old friend of his."
Zaylus gives a snort, followed by short chuckles, clearly amusing himself in some way. "Old friend, huh?" He shakes his head, shoulders twitching with internal laughter. "That guy." He says, seeming to follow no clear path of reasoning. "Just... just out of curiosity here." The turian taps the table for emphasis, still not steady in his gaze. "What do you think of that guy?"
Va'ynna looks away, feeling a little uncomfortable at such a direct question. "Um," she begins, not wanting too long of an awkawrd silence. She decides to be honest "He's... a good man," the asari answers. "Ever since before I got a job here, I had an offer to work at the agency as a receptionist... and to live there." Va'ynna picks up her glass and takes a long sip of the glass.
Zaylus doesn't seem terribly surprised by this answer, and nods. "Yeah, I might be in love with him." He answers casually, trusting Va'ynna to understand he's not serious. "I'm pretty sure he's still in need of that receptionist, too. Every time I walk in there he's sitting on the damn receptionist desk." It's unclear why this particular fact disgusts the turian so much.
Va'ynna tilts her head. "Is there... something wrong with that?" she says. "I... haven't been there before... and, um, don't know how that sort of business is run." She sips her glass again before placing it back on the table.
Zaylus picks up his hands, gesturing vaguely as he attempt to explain his distaste, "It's just... desk... no." He says adamantly, shaking his head. "It's not important, really. I'm a little surprised you've never seen the place, despite all these offers. Never wanted to take a look around?" He asks curiously.
Va'ynna nods, still looking a little bit confused at what he first said. "Yeah," she says, "but I've not felt like... going outside recently. Maybe... once I feel safe leaving, I will." She pauses, smiling. "I really want to see it, though."
Zaylus leans back, putting his hands on the edge of the table. "It's a pretty nice place. Not bad for up-and-coming, I mean." He says, "though it'd be nicer with a beautiful face around to greet us." The turian gives her a wink, rising from his seat. "I think I'll grab something to drink, need anything?"
Va'ynna blushes a little at the compliment, but a smile crosses her lips. She considers his second question, glancing at the glass of water. "Yeah, please," she says, looking back up at him. "Nothing too strong, though."
Zaylus nods, casually making his way over to the bar. When the bartender spots him, he orders a pair of drinks and leans against the counter to wait.
Va'ynna remains in the booth, in her own thoughts mostly. She does glance towards both Zaylus and the exit while she waits for him to return. Va'ynna doesn't pick up her datapad, though.
Zaylus returns with two drinks in hand, setting one down in front of Va'ynna per her request. He settles back into his own seat with a contented sigh, wordlessly raising his glass before bringing it to his lips.
Va'ynna looks at the glass thoughtfully before reaching towards it. "Thanks," she says with a small smile as she picks it up and leans back a little. "So, um, what have... you been up to?"
Zaylus goes to put his drink down on the table, but appears somewhat startled by this question. He sets the glass down and begins to visibly ponder. "That's... a good question." He says thoughtfully. "What... -have- I been up to?" He wonders aloud, whether he's genuine or less than serious in this response isn't completely clear. "I'll have to make some calls, get back to you on that one."
Va'ynna looks at him, not sure whether to be amused or confused... or both. A giggle escaping her imply the former, though. "Uh," she begins. "I... don't understand, but yeah, please do."
Zaylus chuckles, giving up the thoughtful look. "Alright, alright." He shifts in his seat, glancing to the side and seeming unsure how to put it. "Sometimes I get a bit of spare time on my hands, right? So I like to go walk around town, just see what's out there." He says quickly, already sounding defensive. "I don't know, it keeps me from getting stuck in my room all day."
Va'ynna tilts her head. "That... doesn't sound like something to hide," she says, a little perplexed. "If I felt safe outside, I... would have done something like that, too. Well, I'd have done some shopping too, I guess."
Zaylus smiles, appearing somewhat sheepish. "Yeah, you're probably right." He says, his expression soon fading into one of displeasure. "I hate to bring it up... but I'm going to guess that you hadn't heard anything about that salarian, right?"
Va'ynna frowns, lowering her gaze to stare at her glass. "No, I haven't," she says with a sigh. "I... just want to know why," she murmurs. She finally takes a tentative sip of the drink he brought her.
Zaylus puts up his hands, "Right, right. I won't ask again, there's really nothing to gain from it." He admits with a sigh. "It might be comforting to know, but I doubt he'll ever clue us in. Now we have to find a way to put it all in the past." The turian says hopefully, taking a large sip of his drink.
Va'ynna keeps staring at the table for a few seconds before leaning back, looking at him again. "Who... is he?" she begins. "It seemed you... knew him."
Zaylus | "Oh... yeah." He says in a hushed tone, somewhat surprised that this hasn't come up already. "He hired us to do a job not long before he showed up here. That's why Jason was so surprised to see him." He explains, lightly tapping his talons against the drink he's inspecting so intently. "I have to wonder if they're related in anyway... It must be far more complex than we know. That's why I'm so convinced you were just an innocent bystander rather than a high valued target."
Va'ynna considers it for a moment, though there's a skeptical look on her face. "But... why," she begins. "Why did she shoot? If-if it was about something else, she would... have made demands, right?"
Zaylus thinks for a moment, returning a somewhat confident head shake. "From what I could gather, I think she genuinely thought you were a target, and was just following orders. And for whatever reason, he just..." He trails off, starting not to believe his own words. "Look, Va'ynna." He starts in a quieter tone. "It won't do you any good to dwell on it, or try to make sense of it. If either of them try to come back, we'll get them. That's all there is to it now, and you have nothing to worry about." The turian offers a sympathetic look, hoping to be done for good with the subject.
Va'ynna nods slowly. "I know I shouldn't, but...," she begins. "I can't really help it.... I'll try though." She glances towards the datapad. "I could read for hours on that thing, but now I have to stop myself so often because... I realize I wastn't reading for much of the page." She looks a little embarrased at her rambling. "Sorry," she adds in a mutter.
Zaylus frowns, an obvious air of concern over him. After a moment of deliberation, he proceeds: "You know, Va'ynna. I don't see a lot of people like you way out here. I mostly see people who've gotten so used to being shot at they could just go home and have a drink and call it a good day. This might sound strange, but it's refreshing to see someone who's not to so desensitived and hard-bitten." He says carefully, trying not to convey the wrong message. "And this might sound even worse, but you will get used to it. Or, at least be able to live your life like you did before."
Va'ynna frowns. "Well... I hope I never have a reason to... get used to it," she says flatly, not really enjoying the topic. "I will get over this, I think." She takes a long sip of her drink. "I knew it would be... dangerous coming here, but months passed and I started to feel safe."
Zaylus nods, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Where are you from, Va'ynna?" He asks out of curiosity as well as need to divert attention from this unpleasant topic.
Va'ynna offers a small smile, a little thankful for the diversion. "I'm from Sanves," she begins, "but I spent a few decades on Thessia before coming here."
Va'ynna looks thoughful. "I rarely left Etheai, the capital, when I was a kid," she says, "but I liked the forests around it... and so did the many tourists that visited."
Zaylus casts a skeptical look, "There were tourists... for the trees? Were these special trees? Giant ones, perhaps?"
Va'ynna tilts her head. "Well, there were hunters and biologists too, I think," she says, "I never paid too much attention to it, to be honest. I grew up there, after all... and didn't visit the world as a tourist."
Zaylus shrugs, "I just thought there'd have to be something spectacular about them... apparently some people just like trees." He says with a short chuckle. "What could ever make you want to leave such a... tree-y place?"
Va'ynna just stares at him for a few seconds before considering the question, or more specifically, how to phrase her answers. "Family," she mutters, sounding a little bitter before her expression softens. "I... grew up... moved out;" she answers.
Zaylus hesitates, noticing the shift in tone before giving a nod. "Yeah, I get that." He says sympathetically. "And you moved out to the big planet itself, huh? Not a bad upgrade." He reaches for his drink, seeming to have forgotten about it for a while.
Va'ynna looks at her drink. "Yeah," she drawled out, sadly. "A, um, friend helped me move, find a place to stay, all that." She picks up her drink and takes a sip of it. "I... found work. It was a dead-end job, but like now, that's... the best I could get."
Zaylus shrugs, "It's something, at least." He offers, taking a long sip of his drink. "It's not so bad out here, is it?" He asks, mostly teasing her for her last statement, trying to retain a cheeful atmosphere. "I mean, you even get to hang out with us while you work!" He exclaims, rather ambiguous about who 'us' is.
Va'ynna nods, her smile returning. "That's... the best part of it," she says. "And no... aside from what happened, it's.... I like it out here."
Zaylus smiles in return, "I'm glad to hear it." He says sincerely. "Like I said, you're not the usual type that finds themself this far out. I guess I... admire that." He says, tilting his head at this.
Va'ynna averts her gaze, a slight blush viisble on her cheeks. "Th...ank you," she says. "I... guess I don't fit in, but well... I'm... not going anywhere." Her tone was neutral, implying little beyond what she said. She sips her drink.
Zaylus nods enthusiastically, "That's the spirit!" He says with a gleeful grin and a short chuckle. He finishes off the rest of his drink, setting his glass back down with another small laugh. "I guess we'll both be sticking around here for a while." He says, his grin fading somewhat as he does.
Va'ynna nods, a small smile visible on her face. "It would be boring without you... all around here," she says. Her omni-tool interrupts her with a notification, however. "Oh... I've got to go," she continues before downing the remainder of her drink.
Zaylus nods quietly, now somewhat preoccupied with his own thoughts. "Alright, Va'ynna. Good talk." He says quietly, keeping up the small smile.
Va'ynna stands up, picking up both her empty glasses with one hand, her datapad with othe other. "You too," she says. "I'll... see you again." She makes her way out of the booth.
Va'ynna lingers there for another two seconds before making her way to the bar to leave the glasses on the counter. After that, she heads upstairs to her room.