#Miner'sRespite – August 23, 2015

Ilyna enters the Respite along with Li, minutes after they left the spaceport. She's wearing the same dress as when she picked up Li at the embassy.

Li keeps a hold of Ilyna's hand, but is look around at all of the patrons curiously.

Jason makes his way down the stairs dressed in his usual fashion. Plain, unremarkable white t-shirt, a pair of fatigues, boots, with a Phalanx in a shoulder holster. He holds onto the rail as he descends the steps, looking about the Respite until he catches sight of the pair. A goofy grin crosses his face. He reaches way up and gives a wide, exaggerated wave as he approaches. "Welcome

Li nods proudly.

Jason chuckles and reaches out to pat Li on the head, rustling her hair a bit in the process. He stands back up and puts his hand on his hip as he addresses Ilyna. "We've got a bit to talk about."

Ilyna laughs softly. "That we do," she says. "How have things been back here?" Despite having had two long flights to sleep during, she seems to be tired.

Jason glances off to the side and, upon spotting an open booth, gives a nod towards it. "Well, things have been..." he pauses, furrowing his brow as he slides into the booth, "...Productive? New cybernetics on the way. Construction on the new headquarters are already well underway." he says with a nod.

Ilyna follows to the booth, and takes the seat across from Jason. "That's great," she says with a small smile. "What kind of cybernetics are you talking about?"

Jason blinks a couple times and glances down at the spot where his arm used to be. With a lopsided smirk he returns his gaze to Ilyna and deadpans, "A new leg. Obviously."

Li climbs into the booth next to Ilyna. Upon Jason's comment she leans under the table and pokes his knee. "Is it broken?"

Ilyna glances at Li with a smirk before looking at Jason. "I didn't know you wanted a cybernetic replacement."

Jason glances downward. "Just a joke, munchkin." he says with a smirk. His smirk slowly fades away as Ilyna speaks. He gives a dismissive shrug, "Yeah, well... The real thing takes time, ya know? Time isn't exactly something I've got." He leans forward a bit, setting his forearm against the table, "I've got a lead, Ilyna... But it needs to be handled soon. Real soon. That means I

Li bumps her head against the table on the way up, causing tears to well up in her eyes as she buries her face in Ilyna's side.

Jason winces and rubs at the top of his own head as Li bumps her head. "Yeah... I do that all the time, kid..."

Ilyna raises her brows as she hears her hit her head. "Hey, come here," she says, extending both arms to pull her into a hug. She looks at Jason. "How soon?" she asks in a lowered voice.

Jason squints, unsure if Ilyna will be too happy about his response, "...In a few days..." he says. "And... There's a stipulation to go along with it." He lets out a heavy sigh, "Have you ever heard of Cerberus?"

Li 's voice can be heard exclaiming a muffled "...stupid table." without moving.

Ilyna holds her arms up for a few seconds before just placing a hand on her back. She stares at Jason at the mention of Cerberus, and then nods. "I have," she says. "What do they have to do with... Vasquez?"

Jason shakes his head. "I don't really know the connection, to be honest. They were on Di Yu with us to retrieve the artifact." He leans forward a bit, looking Ilyna dead in the eyes, "You know leaving that thing in a terrorist organization's hands is not an option." he adds with a sigh. "Best sense I can make of it all is that they caught Linda off-guard. Must've figured they could

Ilyna nods, and sighs. "I completely understand," she says. "Are you sure we have the people necessary to do it?"

Ilyna nods. "That's true," she says. "What details do you have on the facility? Any numbers?"

Jason gives a shake of his head. "Nothing yet." he says, "But that should be coming. Hopefully. They don't-..." he pauses and glances down as his omni-tool begins to beep with a confused look on his face. He continues to speak as he fishes it out of his pocket and sets it on the table, "....they don't seem particularly interested in sharing details easily. But they've got a large

Ilyna tilts her head, looking at the omni-tool as he enables it and then slaps it. "What... was that?"

Jason scrunches up his nose. "What did I tell you!? Bounderies! Number four! Stay the fu-..." he glances over at Li and quickly cuts himself off, "...stay the noodles out of my omni-tool!" He glances across the table at Ilyna, "Just our new partner..." he groans, "She's a real pain in the ass."

Li finally removes her face from Ilyna's side, giggling quietly.

Ilyna can't help but smile at Jason's corrections. "Can't you block her from calling you?"

Jason frowns and glances down at the omni-tool. "She's not calling. I need a new omni-tool." he sighs, "This is why I don't trust this sort of shi-...ndig. Just too easy to funk with! And then all of your shindig is funked up and you can't do shindig about any of it. I had three songs on it, too." he says with a nod towards his omni-tool, "Might as well delete those, too! It's all

Ilyna can't help but chuckle at his choice of words, but her smile fades. "These things are expensive," she says. "Can't one of our techs take a look at it instead?"

Jason grimaces and looks back at the omni-tool, "I don't think I'll feel comfortable knowing she could be in there." He leans down, sticking his face closer to the interface and inspecting it, "Watching me."

Ilyna nods. "Maybe she can make sure it's safe," she says. She then turns a bit towards Li, and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Would you like something to drink, or a snack?"

Jason gives Ilyna a nod, "Suppose it's worth a shot. I've got Renala working on something else for me, anyway, so I should touch base with her." He furrows his brow and stares straight into the omni-tool. "You and I need to talk. I need details so I know how to prep my team, understand? Now, get a hobby or something, ya stalker. Stop listening. No, better yet, I'm gonna go stick you

Li nods. "Yes!" She says enthusiastically. The seriousness of Jason and Ilyna's talk seems to go over her head.

Ilyna gestures over at the bar with a smile. "Do you see the nice lady standing over there?" she asks. "Just tell her what you would like, and she'll get it for you."

Va'ynna offers a little wave after noticing her gesture. There are still no one else at the bar.

Li looks over to the bar and nods. She jumps out of the booth and runs over to the bar. She's far too short to reach up of course, and so ends up trying to reach up with her hands.

Jason looks completely confused for a few moments. "What? No I don't! I have absolutely no clue where to find you." he sighs. He glances across the table at Ilyna, "I'm gonna go and toss this thing in my room. I'll be right back, alright?"

Ilyna turns back to Jason, then frowns. "Okay, but one question," she says in a lowered voice. "I'm guessing that I'll be expected on this mission?"

Jason 's expression slowly changes into something between offended and hurt. "....What?" he asks, seeming a bit caught off guard. "I-... I guess I just sort of assumed you'd want to-... You know I won't make you do anything you don't want to, Ilyna, I just-..." he trails off.

Va'ynna walks around and out to the front. She crouches down near the kid. "Hey," she says with a small smile. "What can I get for you?"

Ilyna nods. "I... I want to," she says, "but what about her? I have just returned, and I don't know who I can trust to take care of her." She keeps her voice low. She doesn't glance or gesture at the bar while talking.

Li furrows her eyebrows. "Drink?" (TyrAlternate)

Jason glances over his shoulder back at Li and quickly returns to facing Ilyna. "We won't be bringing everyone along. There'll be someone to keep an eye on her, I promise." he says, his pained expression easing up somewhat as he realizes she has a legitimate cause for concern.

Va'ynna tilts her head. "Is there anything in particular... um, I mean, is there some kind of drink you really like?" she asks.

Li looks puzzled. "I dunno..." (TyrAlternate)

Ilyna hums thoughtfully. "I think that'll work," she says, still keeping her voice low, "but I don't know if she will... trust them."

Jason 's smile returns as Ilyna agrees. "These people are gonna be her family for a long time, Ilyna." he says. "We'll all have a sit down sometime in the next couple days. Give her a chance to meet them. It'll be fine." he assures her with a nod. "Now, give me one moment to remove our uninvited guest from the conversation." he says with a sidelong glance at the omni-tool.

Va'ynna thinks for a moment, then nods. "Wait right here. I'll be right back," she says and gets back up. She walks to the other side of the bar and looks through the drinks. They do have a decent sortiment of non-alcoholic drinks, especially since some of them also double as part of mixed drinks. She does take a while to look over them, trying to find something appropriate.

Li tries to climb up onto one of the barstool. Undeterred by several failed attempts she eventually manages it, balancing on it carefully. (TyrAlternate)

Ilyna smiles. "Thank you," she says. "Let's hope that goes well." She then nods. "I'll be right here."

Jason snatches the omni-tool up and slides out of the booth. As he heads towards the stairs, he points towards Li. "This is one of the new Redrock recruits, V!" he shouts, "Ilyna's personal bodyguard. But she's on duty right now so, no matter what she tells ya, no booze for her until she's off the clock, alright?"

Li giggles, and loses her balance for a moment, causing her to grab a tighter grip of the barstool.

Va'ynna gets a bit worried as she hears her climbing on the barstool, and gets up with a few bottles under her arm. "Be careful," she says while she puts the bottles on the counter and finds a glass. She looks up at Jason as he shouts at her, and then giggles; looking a little embarrased. Va'ynna pours a little bit of a green fruit juice into the glass and puts it on the counter.

Va'ynna starts walking around the counter and over to the girl, in case she is about to fall off the stool.

Li does not fall off. She reaches up and pokes the glass suspiciously. "What's that?"

Jason instinctively starts towards the bar as he sees Li losing her balance, but stutter steps and stops once Va'ynna addresses the situation. He gives V a wink and makes his way up the stairs then to his room. "And this is where you'll be staying from now on." he says aloud as the door slides open and he underhands the device onto his bed, "Probably shouldn't have played your hand

Va'ynna leans to the side, but can't get a good view of the bottle. "It's a fruit juice, it's a bit sweet," she says. "Feel free to have a small sip of it. I'll... find something else if you'd rather have that."

Viper is seated in in the office chair with her feet on the desk, idly browsing the extranet. "Ya gotta admit it's a pretty cool trick though."

Ilyna was also about to get up at seeing Li climb the barstool, but remains where she's seated once it looks like Va'ynna has it under control.

Li grabs the glass, looking at the green liquid suspiciously before taking a sip. She makes a face and puts it back up on the counter.

Jason snaps his attention over to the chair, a bit taken aback by the sudden voice. "You fucking serious!? What did I say!? WHAT DID I SAY!? BOUNDARIES! Out. Now. Come on." he waves towards the door impatiently, "Stay away from my terminal. Stay away from my omni-tool. Stay away from my room. Stay. AWAY. How hard is that to understand? Are you just dense? Is that what information

Viper snickers quietly and then spins around in the chair, getting to her feet. "You said we needed to talk, no?" She says with a questioning gesture.

Jason stares Viper down and waves towards the door. "Out. We can talk downstairs. I don't want you in my room. Touching my shit." he says without blinking, "My partner is downstairs. This is a conversation she should be a part of, anyway."

Va'ynna looks at the glass. "Would you like something else?" she asks while walking to the other side of her.

Viper shakes her head, looking briefly exasperated before grinning. "Ya never know who might be listening in a place like this. Your room is secure. I'll talk here. I advice you do the same. Bring your friend up if you want."

Jason tilts his head back and groans. "You think I want to bring people in here?" he asks, gesturing towards the rest of the room with all of its piles of clothes, stained carpeting, empty beer bottles, and strange odor, "Besides. We've got the kid with us. I don't want her up here with you. You'll give her nightmares. Downstairs she can sit at the bar and we can keep an eye on her.

Viper glances out the door. "You'd be surprised. I know for a fact there are unfriendly ears in this town. Hopefully none on your team. Look, ya gotta stop being so difficult. What if the asari girl behind the bar heard something she shouldn't, huh? I don't wanna have to kill her. She seems nice." She makes an apologetic gesture and leans her left shoulder against the wall of the room.

Li nods at Va'ynna, trying to look over the counter with little success.

Jason stomps across the room, stopping only about a foot away from Viper and sticks his finger in her face. "You threaten her again and it'll be the last thing you do. Don't mention her. Don't talk to her. Don't even look at her. She has nothing to do with any of this."

Va'ynna leans over the bar to grab a bottle and another glass, as she still stands beside her. She pours a bit of the orange liquid into the glass and puts it before the girl. "This is orange juice," she says. "It's... a fruit from your kind's homeworld, I... think." She takes the other glass and leans over to put it below the counter.

Viper rolls her eyes, not really reacting to Jason's posturing. "Not threatening anybody. Just saying. Gotta make sure we don't leak mission intel."

Li takes the new glass, looking at it for a moment before taking a sip. She takes another sip. And another, sitting in content silence.

Jason remains in place, holding his finger outward awkwardly for an uncomfortable few moments before letting out a sigh. "You're an asshole." he says plainly, "I'll be right back. Don't touch my shit. I mean it." he says. He starts towards the door before turning right around and snatching his omni-tool back from the bed. He holds it up and raises his eyebrows as he backs out of the

Viper shrugs as Jason leaves, lying down in the bed after shoving some dirty laundry out of the way. She looks up at the ceiling idly.

Va'ynna smiles, and puts the bottle on the counter. "So, what is your name?" she asks.

Li pauses just long enough between sips to say "Li."

Ilyna is still sitting in the booth, glancing at the bar every now and then.

Va'ynna nods. "I'm Va'ynna," she says. "It's nice to... meet you, Li."

Jason stomps down the steps, muttering to himself with his omni-tool in-hand. He stops by the bar and lets out a deep breath. "Hey, V... Sorry to be a burden, but-..." he begins before giving a quick glance around the Respite, "...it doesn't look too bad today. You mind keeping an eye on the kid for a few? Need to talk with Ilyna about business. Should only be like 10 minutes? 15 at

Li stops drinking. "Homeworld juice!"

Ilyna gets up after Jason returns and starts walking over to the bar, carrying the small travel bag she totally had with her the whole time.

Va'ynna nods to Jason, and sits down on the barstool beside Li. "That's fine," she says. She giggles at what the girl called it. The bottle is on the counter.

Jason 's frustrated expression turns to a wide smile as Li answers. His eyes wander to the bottle and he gives a stern nod. "Ahh. 'Homeworld juice'. Good choice." he says. He glances over at Ilyna as she approaches and holds up his omni-tool. "The psychopath is up in my room." he says calmly, although a bit of frustration creeps back into his expression. "V said she'd keep an eye on

Ilyna frowns. "A moment." She walks over and puts the bag against the vacant barstool behind Va'ynna before joining up with Jason. "Is she alright with me coming with you?" she asks in a lowered voice.

Jason gives a shrug as he sets off towards the stairs, pausing momentarily to give Va'ynna and Li a short wave. "I don't know. Don't really give a shit." he admits as he starts upstairs, "She knows you're coming, though."

Ilyna follows behind Jason, glancing down at the bar twice before she's upstairs.

Viper sits on the edge of the bed with the Confetti Maker in her lap. She's sweeping left and right with the machinegun as if seeing how it handles. When the door opens she waves at Ilyna. "Hey."

Jason continues down the hall and taps at the door interface, causing it to slide back open. As soon as he spots Viper on his bed with the weapon, he lets out an audible sigh. "To do list: Burn bedsheets." he says as he crosses the room towards the woman and grabs the weapon by the barrel, attempting to pull it away from her. "Ilyna." he says through gritted teeth, glancing at the

Viper looks at the weapon appraisingly. "This is a badass gun. Can you even fire it?"

Viper looks over at Jason, and the lack of arm. "Oh. Right. Of course you can't."

Ilyna nods, but steps back into the hallway after seeing her with the machine gun.

Jason gently pulls the weapon away and tosses it onto the bed behind her. "Temporary situation." he grumbles before parking his ass in the chair at the desk.

Viper leans against the wall behind her, remaining seated in the bed. "Right."

Ilyna steps back into the room once the weapon is taken care of, looking at their information broker curiously.

Va'ynna remains seated beside the girl, sometimes looking around the Respite.

Jason rolls his eyes. "Don't get too comfortable in there." he mutters. After a few moments, he tosses his hand up as he shrugs, "So? How about it? You were listening in. You know what we need. What sort of defenses do they have? Troop numbers?"

Li returns to her drink. The glass is soon empty. "Why aren't you blue?" she asks, tilting her head as she studies Va'ynna."

Va'ynna raises her brow, looking a little unsure as she picks her words. "That's... because I was born... this color," she says. "You... humans too have different skin colors."

Viper nods a few times, taking out the SIU knife and playing with it again while she speaks. "More than you can handle. That's why we need to go in under their radar, try to get the artifact - and your - what is it? Wife? Girlfriend?" She makes a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Whatever. Her too, as quietly as possible. Hopefully we can avoid setting off the alarm altogether."

Ilyna stands by the wall near the door, catching herself glancing unimpressed around the messy room. "We have some agents with technical skills," she says. "Would that help with preventing the alarm from going off?"

Jason gives a nod as Ilyna speaks. "Renala should be able to handle that side of things." he says as he waits for Viper's response.

Viper shakes her head with a chuckle. "The Barn has an AI. Doubt your friend is outwitting that."

Ilyna frowns. "Fair point," she says, "but are you expecting we can get in and out without this AI noticing us?"

Li ponders this for a moment, and eventually seems content with the response. "Are you friends with Ilna and Jason?"

Viper smirks, leaning forward a bit. "Nah, I've got that covered... I'll be uploading a virus to the station systems that'll mask our path. It'll keep the AI busy with false readings. Should work. Probably."

Va'ynna nods. "I am," she says. "Jason is the first... I mean, second person I talked with here, and I... have known him since then. Ilyna is an... old friend of his, and I've known for over half a year."

Li doesn't delay long before asking another question. "Are you from the homeworld?"

Ilyna raises an eyebrow. "Probably?"

Jason sighs and shakes his head. "You can't expect me to risk my team's life on a 'probably'." he says, "How about you send over your 'virus' and I pass it along to my techie? She's good. She can give it a look and maybe improve our odds."

Viper glances awkawrdly to the side. "Almost certainly!" She looks at Jason. "Not gonna happen. You'll have to trust me on this one."

Va'ynna considers it for a moment, but decides not to have to explain the concept of homeworlds. She wouldn't be lying, either way. "No, I'm from... a planet called Sanves," she says. "I lived in a city with big forests around it, but... they were dangerous, so I... didn't walk in those forests often."

Li furrows her eyebrows. "Oh..."

Ilyna sighs. "We'll have to consider the possibility of it going wrong, then," she says. "Do you have any more information on the site, like a layout and where we're likely to find who we're looking for?"

Jason rolls back and forth in a small line on his chair, nodding as Ilyna speaks. "Trust me. You keep saying that. 'No location, trust me. No virus, trust me. No enemy numbers, just a lot, trust me.' How about you give us something we can work with?" he asks with a sigh.

Va'ynna smiles slightly. "It wasn't bad living in the city," she says. "We... didn't need to walk in the untamed... part of the forest to get anywhere."

Viper looks at Jason and makes an "eh" face. "Sure. There'll be security mechs, a significant compliment of well-trained troopers, possibly some high-ranking operatives. Cerberus doesn't mess around. In a direct fight we won't stand a chance. Which is why we're going to avoid that. I don't have the layout, but once we're on the station - oh, right. It's a space station. Did I mention that? Anyway... once we're on the station

Li listens curiously to Va'ynna. "I went to a city with Ilna... it was in space!"

Ilyna listens patiently. "Are you sure they won't see us coming before we're even there?" she says. "With the ship... or shuttle we'll be using?"

Va'ynna tilts her head. "Oh?" she says. "What was it like?"

Jason shakes his head. "It won't work. Not for us. This sounds like a plan that only takes your needs into account." he says, making no attempt at hiding his accusation, "How will we know where Linda is being held? How do we know we won't need to fight our way through the entire facility to get to her? You keep saying that's not an option, but it very well might be required."

Viper flips the knife over, studying it as she speaks. "Of course they'll see us. That's why we're using one of their shuttles." She then looks to Jason. "Look, you've gotta stop acting like you're calling the shots here. This is the only way you're getting this Linda back, okay? So if that's what you want, you do this my way. All I'm asking for is a little trust, buddy."

Li thinks for a moment before responding. "...big?"

Ilyna frowns. "What is your goal?" she asks. "What do you get out of taking us there?"

Va'ynna gives a small smile. "Cities... tend to be that," she says. "This city isn't... too big, though." She reaches for the bottle. "Would you like more?"

Jason snorts loudly upon hearing Viper. "Like I said, Ilyna. Her employer wants the artifact." he says once Ilyna finishes speaking, but keeps his gaze on Viper. "So why would I trust you? This isn't a friendship. You need us to get something that you want. It's that simple. Fuck trust. Honesty is what I want. So I'm just gonna lay it out for you: You won't get your artifact until

Viper leans forward a bit more, seated on the edge of the bed now. "Loud and clear. Long as I walk away with the artifact I couldn't care less what we do first. Besides..." She adds with a grin. "I have a feeling we'll find your woman on the way to the artifact anyway."

Ilyna raises an eyebrow. "And what gave you that feeling?"

Jason continues wearing down the carpet with his back-and-forth chair-rolling, waiting for Viper to answer Ilyna.

Viper shrugs. "Just a hunch. Look, I don't have time to spend all day on this little Q&A session. I have prep work to do, and I'm assuming you do too? How's those arms coming along? I still think you should get like four at least."

Li nods. "Yes!" She holds out her glass with a smile.

Jason furrows his brow as he leans forward in his seat. "No thanks." he says casually before continuing on, "And what sort of prep work can I do? I have no information to go on. There's no plan to lay out to my team." He glances off towards the wall, "Hey, you guys ready to go?" he asks cheerfully, speaking towards the wall. He turns his head in the other direction, "Yep!" he says

Ilyna nods. "And you're interested enough to... bug Jason's omni-tool," she says.

Va'ynna holds the glass to make sure it's steady and fills it about slightly more than half-way with juice.

Viper smiles. "Just making sure he's behaving. As for what you can do - pick out your team. The shuttle can fit a max of 14 people. Keep in mind that'll include me. And 'Linda'. So twelve of you people. I have some ideas for what to do if we end up with space to spare. Other than that, ya know, make sure your people are ready to fight on a space station. It's likely we'll attract some attention on our way out. Hopefully your

Li sips the refilled glass. "Thanks Vanya."

Va'ynna sighs, but is still smiling. Seems humans are bad at saying her name at all ages. "You're welcome, Li," she says.

Jason rolls his eyes and looks over at Ilyna. "She's obviously not gonna give us much. I don't think she has much to give." he says before muttering 'useless' under his breath. "You have any more questions for her?"

Ilyna sighs. "Yes," she says. "If you have to make sure he's behaving, as you say, why should we trust you at all?"

Jason butts in with a lean forward, "We shouldn't." he says plainly before settling back into his seat.

Viper seems to be getting rather tired of the constant questions. She points at Jason with a nod. "You're not wrong. I have a feeling there's nothing I can do to make you trust me until you have her back, right? So I'm not gonna bother." She stands up. "So let's just get this done and we'll all be happy. And remember - if you don't fullfill your end, none of us are gonna be happy. Trust me." There's no sign that the last part

Li sips her orange juice, but is starting to look less content. She looks towards the stairs with concern. "Is Ilna coming back soon?"

Jason rotates in his chair to look towards Ilyna. He raises his eyebrows and shrugs. "Charming, isn't she?" he asks sarcastically.

Va'ynna glances at the stairs, and nods. "Yes, she said she wouldn't... be long," she says. "There are... no other ways to leave the building, so she... can't sneak away." A giggle escapes her. "I can't imagine... Ilyna doing that."

Li doesn't seem very entertained by this possibility, looking at the stairs worriedly. "She's not leaving me here, right? She almost left in the city before..."

Ilyna frowns. "She's... something else," she says. "We should keep an eye on her during the mission, and so should the people that are coming with us."

Viper looks over her shoulder while forcing the window open. "Come on guys. I'm like... two meters away. At least wait until I'm out of view." She gets the window open and starts to climb out. "Oh, and remember - don't go blabbing about the mission, or me. Unfriendly ears." She jumps out while cloaking.

Va'ynna raises her brows. Oops, maybe she shouldn't have given the kid ideas. "No, she's not," she says. "Ilyna wouldn't do that."

Jason watches Viper, since she hasn't left the room yet, and nods. "Absolutely." he responds to Ilyna, "That goes without mention."

Ilyna nods. "Would it matter?" she asks, "you'll hear it anyway."

Jason stands up once Viper has made her window escape and groans. He glances over towards his omni-tool and nods towards the door silently, making his way over to it. Once it slides open, he steps outside and waits for Ilyna to exit into the hall.

Li keeps looking at the stairs, clearly hoping for Ilyna to appear.

Ilyna follows him out into the hall. "You should get the room tidied up," she comments with a grin. "If it's going to be our office until the construction is done."

Jason frowns and pokes the door's interface once Ilyna is out, causing the door to slide shut. "Yeah, yeah... More important shit to take care of right now." he says. He turns back to face the asari and leans back against the door, lowering his voice to a whisper, "So... obviously we can't trust her. Obviously I'm not too comfortable with the idea of her people getting ahold of

Ilyna nods. "I understand," she replies in a whisper. "I've more than heard of them, and if there's anyone I trust less with it than her, it's them." She pauses. "Can I get an up-to-date status on our people? A few of them were still hospitalized when I left, I take it they still are?"

Jason holds up a finger and winces somewhat, "Unless-... Well, Vasquez handled all the research on the Di Yu mission. She seemed to have some sort of plan to stop it before Cerberus stepped in, so-..." he gives a shrug, "If she knows how to get rid of the thing... We follow through on that. Otherwise, plan B. Hand it over to Viper." He sighs before finally addressing her question with

Ilyna smiles a bit. "That's good news," she says. "I'll look over what I have and we can plan this later." She takes a step towards the stairs before stopping and turning around. "Also, my sister.... I won't let her come on this job, but if there's someone we could use in the field that's currently busy with an assigment somewhere in town, she can step in for them."

Jason gives a nod. "Absolutely. You want to protect your family, I understand. We'll get her a shift down at the dam until we're back. Or here at the Respite. We'll need to plug a few holes, anyway. That's not an issue."

Va'ynna glances at the stairs. "Hey,... don't worry," she says. "Ilyna will come back. She's helping Jason with his company, and they're... probably going over some boring paperwork that... took longer than he thought."

Ilyna | "Thank you," she says, giving Jason a quick hug. "Va'ynna knows her, I think, so the Respite wouldn't be a bad assignment."

Li renews her attention on the stairs upon hearing Ilyna's voice.

Jason wraps his arm around Ilyna and gives her a quick squeeze. "No problem." he says, "Now, I'm gonna head back in, blast some music and sit my omni-tool right up against the speakers." he smirks childishly, "See how she likes that!" With that, he turns on his heels and opens his bedroom door before stepping inside.

Ilyna chuckles. "That'll show her," she says. "Try not to annoy your neighbors, though." She starts walking down the hall. "I'll see you around." She starts walking down the stairs, glancing towards the bar once that's within view.

Li lights up, waving at Ilyna.

Va'ynna whispers, "Told you," as Ilyna comes into view, and stands up.

Ilyna increase her pace as she approaches the bar, giving Va'ynna a quick hug, "Thank you." She lets go of the hug, and turns to Li. "Are you ready to go?"

Li nods, and looks down at the floor. She seems hesitant of jumping off the barstool.

Ilyna notices, and crouches down a bit. She extends her hands to help her down from the barstool.

Li jumps off with Ilyna's help, keeping a hold of her hand once she's on her feet again.

Va'ynna picks up and hands the travel bag to Ilyna.

Ilyna stands up and takes the bag. "Thank you," she says. "I'll see you later, Va'ynna." She hands her a credit chit and starts making her way out of the Respite.

Li follows Ilyna out of the Respite.

Renala is sitting in a booth near the bar, having a coffee while reading something on her omni-tool. She's wearing a dark-red top that shows some skin below her neck, and her jacket is lying on the seat beside her.

Jason enters the Respite, having just wrapped up his meeting with the strange mechanic and her mech, and gives a cursory glance around. Spotting Renala, he sets off towards her booth. "Renala." he says, tentatively as he approaches, unsure of how important her current omni-tool business is, "You got a few minutes?"

Renala shuts off her omni-tool's screen upon hearing him; it displayed some information about an apartment. She looks up at Jason with a nod. "Of course," she says, gesturing to the seat across from her.

Jason glances down at the booth and slides into it, taking a moment to get settled before addressing the asari. "How have you been...?" he begins, attempting a bit of an ice breaker before dropping everything right on top of her.

Renala shrugs. "Fine," she says. "The little one is nagging me to go visit her on Thessia, but I don't see that happening with my current assignment."

Jason nods but tilts his head uncomfortably to the side a bit in something of a nervous twitch. "About that..." he says with a sigh, "...We're gonna have a job coming up soon..."

Renala reaches for the cup of coffee and picks it up. "I'm listening," she says. "What's it about?"