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#Miner'sRespite – August 9, 2015
Skythix entered the Respite with a tired look on her face for those who could even tell on a turian. Her clothes were the usual warm leather vest and tight black pants that didn't cover her spurs. She tried to look casual but her gait would give away her exhaustion. Making her way to the bar counter, she ordered a brandy for herself. Anything to help her calm down after a hectic day.
Skythix browsed her omni-tool that kept notes on her day to day things that she did. So many things to go through that she was confused about. It was slowly becoming harder and harder to convince herself that what she was doing was the right thing. She drank from her heavy brandy before ordering another one. She hated being in bars by herself but it was much better than being alone in
Skythix tapped on the bar counter with a talon, mostly out of boredom. "Perhaps coming out was a mistake." she said to herself, thumbing the top of her glass with a finger. The longer she was here the more she felt like she didn't belong. Maybe she should just take her bike back out to the wilderness? Ugh, not if she's gonna run into that mech-loving human again. The restraint she had
to exercise was almost painful. She looked around to see if she could see anyone. She silently wondered where Kim or Jason were.
Skythix could tell at this point that even she was starting to get a little drunk. Her eyes were half closed and her mandibles were slacked. She leaned lazily against the bar and just stared at a particular imperfection on the bar counter. Usually her high metabolism made it so she rarely got drunk but she guessed it had just been a long time since she really had so much.
Jason slowly makes his way down the stairs, his gaze so focused on the datapad in his hand that he nearly misses a step. He quickly recovers but glances around to make sure nobody saw. He's dressed in the same manner as he usually is: black fatigues, white t-shirt (With the sleeve clasped shut where his arm once was) and a pair of black boots. He casually strolls over to the bar and
tosses the datapad down before taking a seat atop a stool beside Skythix. "Rum and cola." he orders aloud as the bartender passed by, eyes still glued to his datapad. "You're looking like-..." he paused for a moment and furrowed his brow, "Well, like I usually do." he greeted the turian without looking in her direction.
Skythix perked her head up slightly at the sound of a familiar voice but her eyes remained transfixed on the spot she was staring at previously. It wasn't until she realized that the person next to her was actually talking to her that she turned her green eyes towards the voice. She blinked and coughed as her brain suddenly tried to rally her body to attention but was fighting off the
drunken haze that was enveloping her. "Agh! Y-you scared me." She stuttered. How did he scare you? It must have been a solid ten seconds before you realized he was there. "I don't really know what you usually look like." She said, avoiding answering why she was drinking herself silly alone.
Jason glances over at the turian for the first time and gives a satisfied nod. "Yep. Just like that." he says with a smirk, "Too sloshed to think about the volcano I'm sitting on top of." With a swipe of his arm, he slides his datapad to the side to make room for his drink's arrival. "So? What's your volcano? You just got here, right? Couldn't have dug yourself too deep of a hole
Skythix leaned her chin on an open palm with her elbow resting on the bar counter with a drawn out sigh. Her breath was reeking of alcohol. "I don't know what you're talking about." She would most likely be fine in a few hours when her rapid metabolism kicked in but for now, she was practicaly oblivious to the world. "No eh, volcano. Just a lot on my mind. It's also my first time huffing
it on my own." Her other hand continued to thumb the condensation left over on her empty glass of brandy.
Jason scoops up his drink as soon as it's set down. "And a lot on your liver." he says before bringing his glass up to his lips and taking a long sip, peering over the top at the turian, "In your liver...?" he corrects, "...Do turians even have a liver?" He instantly sets his glass back down and begins rummaging through his pants pocket for his omni-tool, no doubt preparing to look
up whether turians have livers. "So out with it." he says with a grunt, leaning sideways at a hefty angle to get his hand deep into his pockets, "What kind of boss would I be if I didn't listen to my employees? What's on your mind?"
Skythix tilted her head that was resting on her palm so that it looked like it was laying flat on the side of her hand. Her eyes were half closed with a bored look on her face. "Of course I have a liver..." She would have rolled her eyes but she didn't want the room to start spinning. "Wait, you're my boss?" She said with a half smirk that just looked like she moved a mandible down.
"And before you ask, yes I have a brain as well. It helps take the load off my liver when it needs to." She said with a drunken chuckle. She attempted to straighten herself mentally but just ended up extending her arms fully and resting her hands on her thigh with her shoulders shrugging. "I don't know..." Or more she just didn't know how to word it. "Spend so many years around my own
kind and in a strict military setting... Just a little culture shock I guess...?" She didn't sound like even she was believing it.
Jason gives a short nod. "I hear ya. Might not seem like it, but you get used to it." he says, lowering his glance down to his glass, "For better or worse, you get used to it..." he adds in a mutter. "My old man was Alliance. His old man was Alliance. Rinse, repeat for as far back as I can recite. When I signed up, I always figured it was for life. Was only a few years back where I
was sitting right where you are." He gives a sad chuckle and a shake of his head, "Shit... Feels like a lifetime ago now. Anyway, it'll pass. Just give it time."
Skythix straightened a little more naturally while she listened to Jason talk. She could have sworn she heard him mumble something but her senses were too dulled. She instinctivley looked down at her chair as if him saying right where she was sitting was to be taken literally. The thought made her smile before it went away. "My whole family was strict military, just like every other
turian. If it ran so far in your blood how come you stopped and came here?" It didn't feel like it was something that would pass with time. Then again, they never did.
Jason sucks in a deep breath as he ponders the question. "Well, I suppose the two aren't directly related." he admits, "I didn't stop and come here. After I left the Alliance, I spent some time on Omega." His lopsided smirk returns, just for a moment, as he shakes his head, "You think this place is a 'culture shock'.... Omega is somethin' else entirely. Anyway, that went to hell as
things tend to do on Omega. Spent a little time on Illium. Little time back on Earth. This-..." he glances up arbitrarily and performs a sweeping motion with his hand, "...was just chance. Me and Vasq-..." He pauses and lowers his eyes to the counter and attempts to mask his pause with a quick clearing of his throat, "Me and Vasquez knew we wanted to set up outside of Council space.
Cheaper. Did some research and this place seemed like it had everything we needed..." He spits out the last sentence and quickly takes a rather large gulp of his drink.
Skythix was staring straight at Jason, mostly just concentrating on him to prevent her mind from wandering. She shook her head. "I never went to Omega. My patrols got close but never close enough to have to worry about it." She couldn't imagine setting foot if the pictures she saw were any clue. She tilted her head in an avian fashion when he stopped himself mid word. It seemed odd
to even her drunk mind. Was it a former friend or something? "But you're here, right? Might be a little damaged but you're still alive." She said as if trying to placate an injured soldier in the infirmary. However, she ended up just looking down at her hands that were on top of her thighs. "I'm pretty sure I'm just an idiot." She spoke quietly but enough for Jason to hear her. "Stopped
once at home for a week after leaving the service and came straight to here. I don't even know why." She could sit there and pick her brain for hours on the subtle reasons why she chose a cold human colony out in the Terminus but it was just too hard to talk about out loud.
Victoria walks down into the Respite wearing a t-shirt and long pants. Her now short hair look as if she has just got out of bed. She slowly makes her way to the bar.
Jason reaches over and pats his damaged shoulder with his good hand at the mention of his 'damage'. "This little thing? Flesh wound. Nothing that can't be fixed." he offers, attempting to deflect any notions she may have of him being 'damaged'. He forces a smirk, "I get it, though. Why you went home." he clarifies, "Familiarity. I did the same thing. Once my discharge came in, I hopped
on the first bus I could and went right back to my uncle's place. I had my own apartment and everything at the time, but that was home to me, ya know? I was so-...." He stops himself and shakes his head, stifling a chuckle, "That's a story for another time. But yeah. That didn't last. Going back home after going through so much-... it's like looking at 'home' from another angle or
Skythix nodded her head slowly while she listened. "I kept in touch with some people after they finished up their mandatory service. Some said they had a hard time melding back into normal life. Most of them went into C-Sec since that was the next best thing other than being a merc but it's kind of hard to tell your parents after your finished your tour that you're gonna go kill people
and sell drugs for money instead." She laughed but it sounded devoid of humor. Wasn't that exactly what she was doing? Sans the killing and drugs part, at least so far. "I think I'm mostly just confused why I came here specifically. It's cold, tiny turian population, and out in the land of the lawless. It's literally everything I stand against yet here I am." She blinked and looked
around erratically. "Er, not that I'm against humans or something like that." She tried to cover it up by clearing her throat. In her drunken state, she barely registered another human joining them at the bar close by.
Jason snickers as she begins backpedaling. "Of course not. We're just 'vile', right?" he asks, the humor clear in his voice, but doesn't wait for a response before addressing her statement, "I think people just like to do what they're good at. What they know." he says slowly. He gives a nod, satisfied with his own response, "No matter who you are. Race. Gender. Whatever. It's comfort.
It's 'home'." He reaches for his drink, but doesn't lift it from the counter quite yet, "I tried giving it all up. Went back to Earth. Got a job in construction. And it was okay. It was okay. But it wasn't what I know-... what I'm good at. It was suffocating." He gives a cursory glance around the bar, inspecting it as if it were an old familiar friend, "This is where I belong.
Skythix brought a hand up to her mouth to suppress laughter. "No, it's just you." She tried to say in an angry tone but her shaking shoulders would give away any detest. She finished off the rest of her brandy before ordering another one immediately after with a wave to the bartender. "I don't think I could do construction. Although I'm sure there's someone out there that can make a
'turian lift crane' joke about my biotics or something." Now she did roll her eyes but ended up laughing again. It was strange, this was probably the first time she'd spoken openly to anyone since finishing her service. Even then she rarely ever talked about her feelings. She also rarely got drunk enough to do it. "If this is where you belong then why can't you drink something classier
than a rum and soda." She pointed at his drink with another smirk on her face. "If you're so good at what you do then why are you here?" She now leaned more towards Jason with her elbow against the bar with her bodied turned towards him.
Victoria finally makes it to the bar, she takes a seat next to a turian and accidently nudges her. "Oh... sorry.." Her voice clearly sounding like someone has just woke up.
Jason chuckles along with her. Once she finishes speaking, he lifts his glass in front of his face, examining it. "What's wrong with it?" he asks with a frown as he lowers the glass back to the counter. He rotates on his stool a bit as Victoria makes her arrival and watches while she takes her seat. "Hey Vicky." he greets, looking back between her and the turian, "Was just sharing
stories with our new employee." he says, "How about you stop being so fucking rude and introduce yourself?"
Skythix felt the nudge against her which made her elbow slip on the bar counter. Most of her weight was leaning against that so she nearly fell off the stool and had to correct herself by quickly grabbing the side of the counter with her other hand. She growled at first but when Jason introduced her as the new employee, her brain slowly realized it was one of her new coworkers that
bumped into her. She couldn't tell if Jason was calling her rude or the new woman and her stoic instinct took over. She hopped off her stool and turned around with a tall stance and a crisp salute at the woman. "Lieutenant Skythix Teratus, ma'am!" She was pretty sure she still looked like a drunken idiot even though she was trying her hardest to act like she was in front of her
Victoria flips Jason off with both hands "I am only rude to you. Plus I said sorry." She then looked at the turian and, watched and listened to her introduce herself. "She has not been out here long has she? Victoria Steels."
Jason rubs at his forehead and shakes his head at the formal introduction. "No, she certainly has not." he says. "At ease, soldier!" he calls out, poking a bit of fun at the turian.
Skythix watched the human do some kind of gesture with her hands but didn't know what it meant. She turned and looked at Jason with her hand still saluting, realizing what she was doing. The tone of their voice made it realize that they were joking at her expense, at least Jason was. "Ass." She said curtly before flicking her fingers twice at the man and sitting back down in her seat
Jason glances past the turian with a smile. "But she catches on qui-..." he pauses as a confused look crosses his face at her gesture. "Uh, yeeeeah.... So, Teratus is on board. I'm gonna see about having her take Steve's spot for a while. Although, seeing her tonight-..." he leans over, staring at Skythix pointedly, "I'm beginning to wonder if it may be a bad idea keeping her around
Skythix put both of her arms crossed on the bar top when her new drink came. She grabbed it with both hands and hissed at Jason with mirth, holding her drink close to her. "Boss or not, it's mine." She rarely got the chance to drink, let her have this!
Jason puts his hand up, palm outward. "Nobody is taking anyone's drink." he sighs, "I'm just saying-..." He bites his lower lip and looks over Skythix for a few moments. Realizing she's probably too drunk to have a conversation about her first assignment, he just sighs once more and shakes his head, "Nothing. Nevermind. Drink as much as you want."
Skythix made a finger gun motion at Jason and mouthed her firing a shot at him. "You're damn right I will." She said before throwing back a hefty amount of the new glass of brandy and letting out a sigh of relief. Why was she acting like this? While it was rare for her to really get drunk, mostly because she knew how to stay under her limit, she was never this kind of person. The model
of a turian soldier was always her claim even if she did play fast with the rules. "Besides, who cares? It's not like I'm working tomorrow or anything." she shrugged her shoulders at Victoria.
"Well you might, so might not be an idea to drink yourself into a coma. But whatever floats your boat."
Jason clears his throat as she mentions not having to work tomorrow. " Alright. So tomorrow is off the table. How does next week look? Planning any blackout-drinking-nights?"
Skythix was about to take another drink from her glass but the glass stopped before reaching her lip plates and her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "I... Wait, what?" She slowly did a double take between Jason and Victoria. "Fuck, wait... I didn't know you wanted me to..." She put her drink down and hung her head in her hands in shame. "Shit..." she mumbled to herself, now wishing
"Boss said next week. Go crazy kiddo. Cause I am totally not the devil on your shoulder." She looks side to side swiftly.
Jason gives a short shrug. "It's no big deal. I haven't even cleared things with Briggs yet. I'd like you to take some of his shifts here at the Respite. Just security. Nothing big. Something to keep you busy until we get back out in the field. Sounds like Briggs could use a break, anyway. Think of it as your Redrock training wheels." he says with a lopsided smirk.
Skythix took her head from her hands and looked between the two humans. She suddenly felt like they were feeling sorry for her and she felt like she was going to start panicking. "No no! Please!" She said to Jason, waving her hands on front of her. "I-I can still work tomorrow. I'm biotic so i'll metabolise the alcohol really fast, I promise!" Great, you're drunkenly begging your new
Jason reaches out and clasps a hand on Skythix' shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze, "It's fine. Really. Like I said, I still need to talk it over with Briggs first anyway. But we can discuss the details when you're less... preoccupied." He gives a short chuckle and glances over at Victoria, "You and I need to have a talk, too. I've got some information that I need to follow up on,
Skythix looked down at the ground with shame in her eyes. The comforting touch didn't do much for her other than ground her and make her realize how unacceptable her additude was. She pushed her half finished drink away from her, suddenly not wanting it anymore. Not that she really deserved it anyway. Her mind was preoccupied enough that she missed anything more that they were saying
while she silently continued to shame herself. Her face went back to looking like it did when Jason first entered.
"I said you needed to talk to Austin about all that. He has all the information, and he can't talk to me in person much in case the ol' crew notices who I am."
Jason gives Victoria a quick nod, not particularly wanting to go into details with Teratus right nearby. He looks the turian over for a moment and furrows his brow. "What's wrong? Are you seriously beating yourself up over having a few drinks? It's nothing. Seriously. I mean, hell, I think Vicky here is drunk half the time while she's on the clock." he says. "...If her piloting is
Skythix groaned internally. How would she explain that it was fine to get drunk whenever she wanted as long as it didn't impeed on her work or the crew she worked with. It was deep ingrained to her brain that people who drank enough to black out were people wasting their potential. And yet here she was in front of her new boss and coworker and she was on her way just to that. It didn't
matter to her if that's what they wanted to do. All that mattered was how she held herself. "I'm fine." Her eyes were still half-lidded but there was more of a frown to her face. "I just don't want it anymore." She chose to cover up her personal humiliation.
"I am not drunk when I work. Plus I am a better pilot than you." Presuming that is what he said under his breathe.
Jason gives an exaggerated nod. "Uh huh. Yeah. Of coooooourse not." he says, making a motion with his hand as if he's tipping back a flask, "Glug, glug." He grabs his glass and drains the remainder of his drink as he watches Skythix. "Whatever you say. But I gotta admit, I'm more offended by the fact that you're letting a perfectly good drink go to waste than I am at you being
Skythix pushed the unfinished drink to Jason. "It's yours." She said plainly. What, have you reduced to sulking now? Be a fucking turian and show these humans what it really means to be a drinker. That was the arguement going on in her head anyway but her reasoning was winning out this time. "Get a taste of my own buzz."
Jason glances down at the drink and leans in to have a sniff. The signs he made for the party all those years ago back on Omega flashes through his head. Quarian. Not quarian. He pushes the drink back aside. "Thanks, but I'm doing my best to avoid any crippling illnesses right now..." he jokes.
"Just because I am with one of the staff members here, does not mean I am with her for the drinks." She sits in silence for a few moments "Ya ass."
Skythix exhaled deeply and brought the drink back to herself. "Didn't think so." She muttered to herself. She had tried an asari wine once before and she had to admit, if it wasn't for the on-ship infirmary, she'd have been out of commission for at least a few days. She drank a sip from the glass gingerly as if unsure if it'll still taste good. "I've made a right fool of myself, haven't
Jason nods once. "Absolutely. You'll fit right in with Vicky." he deadpans, at Victoria's expense. "You're not in the military anymore, Teratus." he continues, his tone getting a bit more serious, "Time to figure out what it's gonna take for you to let that go. You're a big girl. If you want to have a drink-..." he glances at the glass in front of her, "...or ten. That's your choice.
I'm certainly in no position to judge..." As if to punctuate his point, he slides his empty glass back across the counter and signals the bartender for another.
Jason narrows his eyes at Vicky. "Your job is-... What? Why are you even-... How much have you had to drink already? You're not making any sense. I mean even moreso than usual."
Skythix wasn't expecting a reply from anyone and the sarcasm to her own self-inflicted wounds to her pride wasn't helping. She glared at Jason for a moment before her gaze softened. She turned back to Victoria before looking down at her drink that she was cupping in both hands. "Maybe you're right." But it wasn't something she was going to be able to drop and if that encounter with the
woman and the mech was anything to go by, she was going to have to lighten up for sure. Although she's still pretty sure that that woman was insane. She still stared at her glass as if unsure if she really should keep going.
Va'ynna has been busy most of the time, but now that her workload is letting up, she makes her way over to the familiar group at the bar.
Va'ynna takes the glass and pours the drink, since the bottle with the ingredients to it was still where she put them when filling his previous drink. She then puts it on the counter infront of him.t.
Jason scoops up his drink as soon as it's set down and gives Va'ynna a wink. "Let's just consider this your official welcome to Redrock, Teratus." he says, lifting his glass up as if proposing a goofy toast.
Skythix raised a single browplate at Jason and Victoria. Was she dating the asari or just flirting? As for Jason's toast, she sighed with a lopsided grin and raised her own glass to his. "Think I could have gone without all the emotional shit." It was mostly a chastise to herself but she was also kind of blaming Jason. It wasn't fair to him though, it wasn't his fault that he was just
Va'ynna nods and pours rum and coke into an ice-filled glass. "Here," she places it on the counter, but avoids interrupting their conversation.
Jason taps his glass against hers and takes a swig of his drink before setting it aside. "Well, better out than in, I suppose... Sounds to me like you've got a whole lot on your shoulders right now. You ever need to talk-..." he cocks a thumb over his shoulder towards the staircase, "...My room is right upstairs. Redrock means a lot to me, and I can't help but think of it as my family.
I know it's not what you're used to, but we're here for one another. So, for better or worse, you're now a part of the most dysfunctional family this side of the galaxy" he offers with a chuckle.
Va'ynna can't help but giggle, and she moves a hand up to cover her mouth while she tries to stifle it.
Skythix took a small drink after toasting with Jason. Maybe that was what she needed? A reason to feel like she was a part of something again. The whole time she'd been on Aite she'd been by herself. "I... might just take you up on that offer. I'm kinda drunk though and you've clearly seen how I act when I am. I'm not sure I'm great company." she said with a nervous laugh and a shrug
Jason rolls his shoulders in a shrug. "Well it's an open-ended offer. Like I said, we've got a lot of work coming up and it's good for everyone to have a clear head so-... you know..." he says as he scratches at the back of his neck uncomfortably, "It's no big deal."
"We are a family now? When did this happen? Also what does that make me in the family?" She asks wondering what was her position in the family.
Skythix smiled genuinly for the first time all night. "Thanks, Wolfe. I appreciate it." She said with a nod of her head. "Really." She'd seen counsellors before for shallow psych evals and talked to other squad mates that needed an ear but she was never the one to do the talking about deep things. She turned her head to look at Victoria after what Jason responded with. "I'm guessing
Hey, hey, hey. Let's be clear, here. Mendez is the grumpy grandfather. I'm the handsome, interesting, exciting cousin. Or something equally impressive.
Va'ynna moves her hand back to cover her mouth, managing for the most part to stop the snigger, although she looks amused.
Skythix snorted at the conversation happening. Humans were strange that's for sure but she at least liked Wolfe's sense of humor. Maybe it was just that she knew that he was a former soldier too. "Hey, if that offer still stands, I'm pretty sure you're gonna have to get me drunk again." She knew she wasn't going to go near these kinds of topics sober. "So... either we do that talk now
Jason makes a face as if he's offended at Vicky's comment. "Whatever. Jealousy doesn't look good on you, Vicky." he teases. He returns his attention back to Skythix. "That's not a problem. I've got a running tab." he says with a smirk, "Give me a chance to catch up on this paperwork-..." he taps his nearby datapad, "...and then we can get to that talk, yeah?"
Skythix nodded her head and finished the last bit of her drink. She shook her head violently at the last bit of drink, clamping her mandibles to her face. "Ah! The last bit is always the worst." She said with a light laugh. "That's fine. Send me a message when you're available." She slowly stood up to prevent herself from losing her footing. She put down the last of her credits on the
counter and turned to head out. "See you later Wolfe, Steels." She waved off drunkenly with a goofy grin before trying her best not to stumble out of the Respite