#Miner'sRespite – January 7, 2015

Aylena stands by the bar, wiping down the rather empty shelves. Despite some bottles becoming casualties of yesterday's skirmish, most have been moved to the storage to clean up the spilled alcohol. She's wearing a black shirt and cargo pants. A large black bag lays against the bar's front with all the refuse picked up. The bar is closed, so there are no guests present.

Shyva'Nahl is present though. She steps in through the back door used only by employees. See what neat benefits you get from bar employeeship? Back doors! She visibly shakes as she shuffles across the floor, not even flinching at all the work she has to do soon. She wrings her hands nervously, and the light on the front of her mask is off, signalling mute.

Aylena has already taken care of the biggest pools of blood yesterday, albeit small drops of all colors exist among the dust. "Morning, Shyva'Nahl," she says with a glance towards the quarian before getting back to work. The asari is visibly tired.

Shyva'Nahl stops and looks up at Alyena. Her body motions make it look like she's talking but she's still muted. She waits a few seconds for some sort of answer, then finally realises. With a facepalm she unmutes herself. "Hi B-Boss." she mumbles with a tinge of sadness to her tone.

Aylena walks over to the sink to clean the cloth. "Slept well?" she says before turning on the wter and holding the cloth under it while trying to squeeze out the wierd mix of drinks gathered within.

Shyva'Nahl shakes her head. "N-not really. Z-Zaan agreed t-to meet and talk a-about us." she says. "C-Couldn't sleep w-with the anxiety. I s-still feel it." she finally sits down, still shaking quite a bit. A faint sniff can be heard from under the mask.

Aylena shuts off the water tap and squeezes the cloth. "I don't follow," she begins. "You said she agreed to talk, but it sounds like you already have." She starts wiping the bar counter.

Shyva'Nahl nods. "I j-just got back." she says. "She had an early shift, w-we had to m-meet beforehand." she says, then rests her hands on the table. "It... m-might be the last time I'll s-see her."

Shyva'Nahl shakes her head again. "No, she f-finished it a while a-ago. S-She... well, t-that's complicated. N-Now though, she's s-swamped with work and.... w-we agreed t-to..." her voice catches in her throat as she tries to regain her composure. "W-We agreed its n-not f-fair on either of u-us to keep g-going out." her voice catches again. "Its over."

Aylena nods. "I understand," she says. "It is probably hard for her, too, given how long it took without even a word from her."

Shyva'Nahl sniffs and sits still, well only a little considering how much she's shaking, until she finally gets up and looks to Aylena. "S-she seemed p-pretty upset." She stands a bit awkwardly for a few moments, then looks back up to Aylena. "Its t-times like this I w-wish I c-could talk to my mother... c-can I have a hug?"

Aylena nods, and puts the cloth down on the counter. "Her ship is too far from a comm buoy?" she says. "My eldest used to serve on a patrol ship, so I know how that can be." She makes her way over to the quarian.

Shyva'Nahl is quick to zip over to the asari and wraps her slender arms around her. "S-She can't go back, she's an exile." she finally says, ebbing on tears. "S-she's just too busy with w-work, she doesn't h-have time to see me. Not... going a-away or anything."

Aylena winds her arms around the quarian in turn, holding her tightly. "I'm sorry," she says. "Your mother is an exile?"

Shyva'Nahl blinks and looks at Aylena. "I... t-think I misunderstood." she says. "I w-was talking about Z-Zaan, s-she's the exile and can't see me." She rests her head on her boss' shoulder. "I t-tried, b-but I underestimated the c-comm channel's s-strength here. It'll b-be another week b-before I get another chance."

Aylena nods faintly. "I see," she says. "I haven't been out of town, but I wouldn't expect planet-wide extranet coverage on a world where nobody trusts their neighbors. I even have trouble calling some of the local suppliers."

Shyva'Nahl nods and sniffs, still holding her tight. "Alright... a-alright, t-this is g-getting silly." she says, releasing her and trying to regain her composure. "Its... ITs j-just a breakup. L-Leaving someone I liked. R-Really liked." she takes a deep breath. "A-And you're my boss. W-When do you w-want me back at work?"

Aylena chuckles. "Hey. I would be lying if I said my first breakup went any better," she says with a warm smile, giving her a squeeze before letting go of the hug. "I would appreciate some help cleaning up in here. I've got some contractors coming in 250 to fix the table, so getting rid of the clutter there would make it easier for them to work."

Shyva'Nahl takes another deep breath and nods. "G-Give me t-twenty minutes to... f-freshen up," why would a Quarian need to freshen up? They wear a suit all the time. "t-then I'll be down. M-My new c-cleaning solution b-batch should be done. B-Best go check on that too." She gives the woman a small bow, then shudders a little. "I'll... b-be back soon."

Aylena nods. "I'll see you," she says. "Maybe we can open tomorrow at this rate, even if I have no idea what bartender wants to apply here now." She picks up the cloth again and continue working on cleaning the counter.

Shyva'Nahl wrings her hands and nods, then looks to the stairs. "Um... b-bartender... er... I'mnotdoingit." Zip! She's off like a flash, scampering across the empty bar and up the stairs. Her contract said nothing about bar work!

Aylena can't help but chuckle at the quarian's misunderstanding/joke, but gives no verbal response. She heads over to the sink to wash the cloth before continuing her work.