#Miner'sRespite – April 1, 2014

Renala has been sitting at the bar downstairs for about five minutes now, occasionally sipping the glass of beer before her, which is now about half empty. She's wearing a dark-blue top under her brown leather jacket. She has her left arm resting on the countertop while reading something on her omni-tool. Due to her sitting, it's not easy to notice her injuries.

Steve enters from the backroom in his hardsuit, having obviously been on duty. He forces a smile as he approaches Renala from the opposite side of the counter and leans against it. "Got your message." he says, keeping his voice low, "Went over the surveillance feed and I saw that she paid you and Iressa a little visit. I wasn't working at the time." he sighs, "So how are we handling this?"

Renala looks up at him, letting her omni-tool's interface dissipate. "I'm not sure," she says with a sigh. "I... think she has put the past in the past, but... I don't know where I stand."

Steve sighs and gives a glance down the bar. He passes a few fake smiles and nods at a few of the regulars before returning his attention to Renala. "I don't like it." he states plainly, "This could come back to bite us in the ass... Do you think she'll stick around?"

Renala thinks for a moment. "I don't know," she says, "but I hope she understood. We were in no shape to fight them, and had no idea where she was."

Va'ynna is working behind the bar, currently mixing a drink for patron at one end of it, with some quick glances at a terminal near her that has the mixing instructions on screen.

Maria walks down the stairs of the Respite, stumbling slightly on the last one. She's wearing the same simple clothes as before and still has the Predator. She already has a bottle in hand and doesn't bother to go over to the bar, instead heading right for a nearby booth and falling into a seat. She leans on the table as she looks around with the bottle in hand.

Steve snorts loudly, "Let's be honest here... Even if we had our gear on hand, we don't even know the woman. Nobody in their right mind would stick their neck out like that for someone they just met. Nobody."

Renala frowns. "You'd have to in a job with the agency," she says, "but yeah, I wouldn't have held her above that herself, yet she blamed me like I ran the operation."

Renala is facing the bar, and thus did not notice Maria.

Steve leans further across the counter. "That reminds me... I got a message from Wolfe. Said they've got a job starting soon and he wants me in on it." he raises an eyebrow, "Guessing I've got you to thank for that?"

Maria takes a swig from her bottle and keeps looking around the Respite with an unfocused gaze until she notices Steve and Renala. She studies them from a distance, ocassionally muttering to herself.

Renala nods, offering a tiny smile. "I may have put in a good word or two, yeah," she says. "Speaking of jobs, I really need a new suit of armor." She lift her left arm slightly, with her elbow joint not moving.

Steve takes a look at the asari's arm. He reaches out and grabs her wrist to lift her armor higher so he can get a better view of her elbow. "What happened?" he asks, sounding genuinely concerned.

Maria seems to consider something, and she soon gets up and staggers over to Steve and Renala. She comes up from behind and puts an arm around Renala's shoulder. "H... Hey bluey..." Her breath stinks of batarian ale.

Renala frowns. He wouldn't see the injury as her jacket's sleeve streches along whole arm. "One of those... freaks ran at me with a knife," she says, "I'm rusty at fighting, but I was never good up-close. The doctors did a decent job, thoug--" She is interrupted by a woman patting her shoulder, and looks up at her. "Uh, hey," she says, a little awkwardly.

Va'ynna -- who is currently just standing behind the bar, not currently attending to any patrons -- glances at Maria, with a frown, but keeps quiet.

Steve releases the asari's arm and stands up straight as he locks his gaze on the obviously-drunk woman. "Maria." he greets plainly, "Good to see you back safely." He passes a glance towards Renala.

Maria 's gaze takes some time to center before she looks at Steve. "Oh hey... you're... that guy... I know you. What's up?" She keeps her arm around Renala, offering a smile at the asari.

Steve folds his arms across his chest, "Not much." he says, "So... You-... Uh... Good?"

Renala tenses a little at the contact, frowning, but decides to let the other two talk for the time being.

Maria ponders the question for a bit. "Oh I'm fucking great! I'm gonna be... working with, uh... with you guysh!" She smiles again and raises her bottle, emptying it.

Steve furrows his brow and looks to Renala, as if she may be able to provide an explanation.

Renala raises an eyebrow. "You are?" she says. "That's great!" The smile that follows, as well as the enthusiasm, is not entirely genuine.

Maria nods in agreement with Renala. "I kno-... I kno-... I-... right? See you at the mission!" She pats the asari on the back and then puts the bottle on the counter, almost making it fall over. She waves in Steve's general direction before leaving towards the stairs.

Steve watches Maria with a concerned expression on his face as she stumbles off towards the stairs.

Renala offers a small wave as she watches her leave for a few seconds. She then turns back to face the bar. "You think I know?" she says with a chuckle. "I'm going to ask Jason next time I see him."

Steve glances towards the stairs with a sigh. "Does Jason know about-..." he glances around and lowers his tone a bit, "You know... What you told me in the message? Did you tell him what she did?"

Renala nods. "Yeah, he was with me when that woman pulled a gun on me," she says. "He didn't like what I told him afterwards, about leaving her behind on that job for ExoGeni."

Steve looks down towards the counter and a devious smirk crosses his lips. "Maybe this won't be so bad." he muses, "Don't get me wrong... I'm pullin' for the lady to put this all behind her and move on. But if she can't? This might be a chance to keep an eye on her and see where she stands. Nip the problem in the bud before it becomes something bigger..."

Renala nods. "Yeah, I'm all for that, but with Jason...," she says. "I can't get the job I want on this rock, so I might do my best to stay in the one I have." She picks up her glass with her right hand and sips it. "I think I can afford a set of armor if I sell one of my guns, or borrow a couple thousand. They did let Victoria do that on another job."

Steve puts his hands up defensively, "I'm not saying we do anything to put our job in jeopardy... I'm just saying we keep an eye on the woman, and if things don't add up and an opportunity happens to present itself?" he shrugs and tilts his head to the side, "Well, lots of accidents happen in the heat of the moment, you know?" He begins searching through a compartment on his hardsuit and produces a bottle of pills, "I told ya, if you need to borrow a few credits, just ask, Ren." he says as he pours a few pills into his hand and tosses them back into his mouth.

Renala nods slowly. "Yeah, sounds like a plan," she says, sipping her beer once more before placing the glass back on the counter. "I'll talk to Jason about it if I meet him before the job, but I'm sure he's aware of what's between me and her." She pauses, a smile creeping up. "And thank you," she says. "I checked the extranet site for a store in town, they had a nice set for thirty-one thousand."

Steve nods a few times and sets a hand on the counter, "How short are you?" he asks.

Renala thinks for a few seconds. "I could use four thousand," she says with a smile. "I'll pay it back as soon as the job's over, but it might put our plans for an apartment on hold if I the payment is bad."

Renala nods. "Thank you," she says, offering a smile. "I have looked at a few places in town, though, but a decent two-bedroom apartment cost six thousand a month."

Steve grabs a glass from under the counter and begins filling it with water, speaking as he does, "That's not too bad between the two of us." he glances at Renala for a moment, "I mean, if Wolfe keeps me in the field rather than..." he lowers his tone, "...than here? Well, hopefully we can have a comfortable life."

Steve takes a swig of the water and sets the glass down on the counter. "Enough." he says with a shrug, "Taking in around eight-thousand a month. I've got some credits saved up, too, though... So we should be fine either way."

Renala smiles. "Yeah, we can definitely afford it, then," she says. "That's probably what I'd earn if I got that tech job, I think, but that job a month or two back paid a lot."

Steve shrugs and looks down at the glass, sliding it around on the counter as it leaves a trail of condensation, "Like I said... It's less about the credits, and more about having something to keep myself busy." He looks slightly embarassed and continues to avoid eye contact, "You saw how I get when my mind wanders..." he adds.

Renala frowns. "Yeah, I remember," she says, but doesn't pursue that topic. "I think we should look over what we've found after the job. Apartments, I mean. Even if I don't get called in for a job, I get enough to afford it if we split the cost."

Steve nods and re-establishes eye contact, "Sounds good to me." he says with a smile.

Renala nods. "Most of the vacant apartments are out in the homesteads, so we don't have too many options," she says.

Steve takes another sip of his, sadly, non-alcoholic beverage and gives another shrug. "That doesn't bother me much. I'm not too picky. So long as we're in the city, I'm good." he says, "What about you? That an issue?"

Renala looks a little thoughtful. "I found one that seemed alright," she says, "6,200 a month, and well... I think the calculator put it at forty-something in a human area unit, but I looked at it a few days ago, so I don't remember exactly."

Steve nods a few times. "That works for me. I pretty much keep to myself, so I don't need a palace. As long as you're good with it, I say we give it a look once this next job pans out."

Renala chuckles. "After living in the tiny room upstairs for the better part of a year," she says, "pretty much anything would feel like a palace."

Steve takes another swig of his water. "So, what's the story about your arm?" he asks, nodding towards the asari's elbow, "Knife wound, you said? How bad is it?"

Renala frowns as she glances towards her elbow that's resting on the counter. "Remember these weird-looking guys from that mine? They sure put up a fight," she says. "One of them hit just between the armor's plates on the elbow with a knife." She picks up her beer, and takes a sip of it. "The bleeding was bad, but we got it patched up with medi-gel before I lost too much."

Steve frowns, "What were you guys doing down there, anyway?" he asks.

Renala considers the question for a moment. "There was some people that went missing," she says, "and our investigation lead us to that place."

Renala nods slowly. "I don't think there's any more of them left," she says in a lowered voice. "And the place is... probably not looking too good either."

Steve gives a stern nod, "Good. Just wish I could've been there..." he sighs.

Renala nods, again. "Yeah... me too," she answers. "It's a shame I didn't figure out we were headed there before looking at the coordinates I found on their shuttle."

Renala frowns. "Yeah, the woman seems.... unstable," she says, "but at least we'll figure out where we stand on the next job."

Steve gives a nod and a sigh. "Well..." he says as he pours the remainder of his glass into the nearby sink, "Guess I should get back to work. If you hear from Wolfe before I do, give me a heads up. In the meantime, keep an eye out for our resilient friend."

Renala nods, and picks up her glass. "I suppose I should get going, too," she says. "I'm not sure about the opening hours on the store that sells the hard-suit. Speaking of that, could you send me four-thousand credits?"

Steve chuckles at the bluntness of the request, but nods, "Yeah, no problem." He lifts his forearm and begins typing once the holographic projection displays. After a few moments, the orange glow dissipates and he gives another nod. "You're all set to go." he says.

Renala downs the remainder of her beer, which was less than a third of the glass. "Thank you, Steve," she says with a smile. "I'll pay it back as soon as I'm able." She stands up from her seat.

Steve puts up his hands and waves it off as he backs towards the door behind the counter, "Don't mention it." he says, "And take your time. I'm not worried, I know you're good for it."

Renala nods. "I'll see you again, Steve," she says as she places the empty glass on the counter. After a few seconds, she turns around and makes her way out of the Respite.

Steve puts a hand up to wave goodbye before turning on his heels and disappearing back through the door he entered from.