Vasquez is sitting by the desk in her office, reading on the computer terminal. A few boxes of takeout from a nearby foodplace - noodles and meat from an unknown local source sit on the table. She's wearing a tank top and simple pants and soft shoes unlike the combat boots and cargo pants she used to wear back in the day. Her hair is let out and she looks quite exhausted, staring at the screen without really moving her eyes much.
#RedrockAgency – March 23, 2014
Jason steps into the doorway and leans against the frame, still in his hardsuit. "Long day?" he asks, folding his arms across his chest as he eyes the takeout boxes.
Vasquez looks up with a slightly unfocused gaze and lets out a sigh when she notices Jason. "Yeah. Could say that." She grabs one of the boxes and tilts it to look inside. "Still some food left for you."
Jason nods as he takes a few steps towards her desk. "Our lead on the miners panned out a bit today." he says, reaching far back behind his head to stretch as a yawn escapes him. "Looks like Renala has an 'in' with Quinn's contact. Wants to meet with her tomorrow afternoon, so we're getting together early to figure out what our next step is." he continues as he reaches towards the box and lifts the lid to check the contents. "Feels like I haven't seen you in forever." he adds with a smirk, "Work must be piling up on you, huh?"
Vasquez looks across the room at the opposite wall. "Yeah... I barely remember last time I was outside this building. This... wasn't what I had in mind. When we started. Guess a lot of things didn't work out as planned though." She turns her gaze to Jason, tilting her head slightly and observing him in silence.
Jason takes a seat on the edge of Vasquez' desk and gives a faint shrug. "Maybe not... But at least it's ours, right?" he asks, gesturing towards the room around them, "That's gotta be worth something."
Vasquez runs a hand along the desk and nods faintly. "Yeah... yeah, guess you're right. You think things are going to pan out with Hnipinn? To be honest I don't know what we'll do without them." She sighs and puts an elbow on the table and rests her head in her hand.
Jason tilts his head to the side and stares at the door for a moment, contemplating the question. Finally he simply shrugs, "I really don't know. But we'll do whatever we can, right? It's not the end of the world if we lose 'em... We'll find something else." he says in an attempt at being optimistic.
Vasquez presses a key on the haptic interface, and it dissolves, along with the screen. "Maybe." She stands up with a tired grunt and walks over to the window, looking at the rain striking the glass in silence.
Jason rummages through the box and shoves a piece of meat into his mouth before hopping off the desk and taking a position beside Vasquez. "There's no 'maybe' about it, Linda. We do what we have to do. Always have, always will. Don't let it get you down."
Vasquez stays silent for a bit before responding. "I guess... I'm just getting sick of sitting on my ass in this office all day."
Jason shrugs and nudges her in the shoulder, "So do something about it. Take some time off and come to the Respite with me every now and then. This place won't fall apart without you, will it?" he jokes before going silent for a moment. Suddenly, his face takes on a deadly serious expression, "Will it...?"
Vasquez sighs and turns her head to look at Jason. She gains a faint smile and shakes her head. "I don't know. It's been a lot of work to get things running. And I'm not good for much else these days."
Jason frowns and takes a step towards her. "I hate it when you say shit like that." he mutters as he leans against the wall, "What's the worst that could happen? You make a friend? Have a good time?"
Vasquez seems about to say something, but reconsiders and lowers her gaze briefly before looking back at Jason and moving closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. She remains silent.
Jason wraps an arm around her waist. "Stop worrying so much. We're keeping our head above water right now." he says before kissing her on the top of the head, "We'll worry about whatever happens when it happens, alright? For now, we'll just enjoy what we have. I'm proud of what we've done so far..."
Vasquez seems to relax a bit, pondering in silence for a little while. "You're right. I'm just... worn out."
Jason nods to himself. "Of course you are. You've been through a lot... We both have. But the worst is behind us." he says, giving her a slight shake, "Right?"
Vasquez speaks in an almost mumbling tone: "Sure as hell hope so. Don't want to know wha-..." She's cut off by a rather long yawn.
Jason chuckles softly, "Might wanna consider calling it a night." he says, "It's probably going to be a long day tomorrow for both of us."
Vasquez lifts her head and nods in agreement. She then plants a slightly inaccurate and tired kiss on Jason before moving over towards the door and turning around to speak before exiting: "Don't forget your food."