#Miner'sRespite – August 25, 2015

Jason glances off to the side, looking about the Respite for a moment as he attempts to come up with a way to twist a few words. Recalling how poorly Renala reacted to the last job, he doesn't particularly want a repeat. After a moment he returns his attention to the asari. "Job for an information broker, actually." he says, mentally patting himself on the back, "Recovery mission. I

Renala frowns. "And you didn't look to eager to tell me," she says followed by a chuckle. "Hadn't it been for that woman kicking ass, I would have gone down with the base. If we're going to get her, then I'm all for it."

Jason 's face brightens up and he seems as though a weight has been visibly lifted off his shoulders. "Good. Because we're going to need all the help we can get. Like I said, I can't give you all the details right now, but once everyone has been brought up to speed and I-..." he glances down at his shoulders, "...get this all taken care of, I'll be holding a briefing for everyone

Renala hums. "Your weeks starts with Monday, right?" she asks. "I'll get to checking over my equipment as soon as I can, then." She pauses, and takes a sip of her coffee. "Speaking of week, Steve said he saw Leah up and about. Does that mean she'll be doing her night shifts again?"

Damien walks down the stairs in his usual casual attire with his carnifex holstered at his hip. He scans the bar and, spotting Renala and Jason, wanders on over to them, a hand casually shoved into his pocket. He's looking as tired as ever. "Hey."

Jason gives a short nod. "It does... I think. To be honest, I've been a little too busy pulling as many strings as I can, recruiting, overseeing construction on the new building-..." he gives a somewhat guilty shrug, "I haven't had a chance to really sit down and talk to her. Spoke to her briefly the other night and that was it..." He glances up at the new arrival, "Hey. How you

Damien gives a tired smile to the pair, shrugging his shoulders. "As well as usual. Never ending nightmares, broken gear, cybernetic arm... The usual." He chuckles, scratching at the stubble on his face. "You follow up on that lead I gave ya?"

Renala nods to Damien, but keeps quiet.

Jason slides a bit further into the booth, in case the man wanted to take a seat. "I did." he says with a nod. A smirk crosses his face, "We've got ourself our very own YMIR mech." He gives a chuckle and shrugs slightly, "Gonna have to see how we're gonna get that sucker comfortably into a shuttle with us, but I'll chalk it up as a checkmark in the win column. Now to convince her to

Renala chuckles. "YMIR?" she asks with a raised eyebrow. "You sure that's a good idea? If we're against anyone with a good tech or two, that could backfire."

Damien flops down into the vacant seat, resting his head back and folding a leg over the other. "Well, if I did my homework right, that girl isn't any pushover when it comes to tech. 'Sides, we have some good techies on our team." He shrugs and slides a little further down into his seat. "We'll be alright."

Jason gives Renala a lopsided smirk, nodding with Damien's remark and adding, "So it's a good thing you're coming along. You can add YMIR babysitting to your resume."

Renala smirks. "That's no small baby," she says, "but yeah, I can do that." She raises her brows in realization. "Oh shit, it's her?" she says. "That girl isn't right in the head, but if she's with us, I would like to talk with her about the hunk of hardware we're going to be trusting at our side."

Jason raises an eyebrow, looking between Renala and Damien. "What are you talking about?"

Damien scratches the back of his neck, looking off to the side. "Ehhhhh... Renala?"

Renala chuckles. "I was working security here when she parked it outside the front door," she says. "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to go for a drink anywhere with a huge mech standing outside like some sort of greeter."

Jason sighs and tilts his head to the side, "It does seem like a bit of a strange 'partnership'." he says, "A turian joined up with us, Skythix. During a chat of ours, she mentioned running into the woman just outside of town. Skythix said the woman drew a weapon on her and claimed the mech was her friend." He gives a nod, "Might be a bit unhinged. We'll keep an eye on her, but if

Damien hums in thought. "Probably best to keep her on a tight leash, at least until she proves her usefulness." He raps his fingers against the table, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "I'll see what else I can dig up on her."

Renala nods. "Speaking of, I'm almost done finding hardware for our base," she says. "I'll finish it up while I'm at Hnipinn tonight, and send it to you." She takes a long sip of her coffee.

Jason gives a couple nods to the pair. "Let me know what you find, Monroe." he says before turning his attention to Renala, "They've got a skeleton up already. You're more than welcome to stop by and begin working with the contractors before they start walling the place. Let 'em know what to leave open and such to make your job easier."

Damien nods and yawns before he can stop himself. "I have some feelers out there. Not many, but enough."

Renala | "I'll do that," she says. "There's some wiring involved. I'll run the list by you first, because it's a little expensive."

Damien grins at the pair. "Hey, while we're at it, can we have a bar installed? Maybe an all you can eat buffet? I tell ya, recruits would start flooding in at that rate."

Jason tilts his head to the side, "I thought that was what the Respite was." he says with a smirk. He gives Renala a nod, "Send me the list and I'll see what we can do."

Renala chuckles. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to have something to drink on base."

Damien slaps a hand against the table with more energy than he should have. "That's what I'm talking about!"

Jason shakes his head and rests his eyes on Damien's hand. He gives a nod towards it. "Still waiting on mine...." he says, "How does it feel?"

Damien flexes his metallic hand, shrugging. "Unnatural... But handy, I suppose. The worst part is where metal and flesh meet. Itches like a bitch and aches just as worse." He looks at Jason and gives him a sad look. "Look, I know you want Vasquez back as soon as, but... I don't know. Maybe waiting for an organic replacement is better for you."

Jason glances down at his own arm and gives a shake of his head. "No time for that." he says, returning his gaze to Damien, "Besides. It's already on the way." He gives a short sigh, "Two, in fact..."

Damien gapes slightly, a look of disbelief on his face. "You're- what?" He shakes his head. "Are you mad? How the hell do you figure that's a good idea? You do realise you won't ever be able to truly feel her again, right? Pressure sensors don't replicate the feel of touching skin very well. Not like an organic hand, anyway."

Renala raises an eyebrow. "The second one's a spare, I hope?" She downs her cup of coffee as it has gotten lukewarm.

Jason lowers his head. "Doesn't really matter whether or not I can feel her if she's not here." he says, "We've all given up things. You've lost your arm for this agency, Monroe." he says, looking towards the man, "She's my partner. My friend... She's everything to me. The least I can do is give twice as much for her as the rest of you."

Renala sighs. "What kind of advantages would lopping off a perfectly working arm have?" she asks. "Can't you get an implant instead if you want to fix what isn't broken?"

Jason reaches up and rubs at his forehead. "You think I haven't thought of all this?" he asks, "Modifications. Upgrades. Implants can only do so much. Having it all right here-..." he pantomimes using his remaining hand tapping his other missing limb, "...And easily accessible without going under the knife constantly? If our past is any indication, then I need to be more than-...

Damien shakes his head. "It's a fucking stupid one." He pauses, sighing explosively. "But I trust your judgement, boss. It's your body anyway, who am I to judge?"

Renala frowns. "You won't be going alone, Wolfe," she says, "but of course, that's your business."

Jason nods silently. After a few moments he lets out a deep breath, "I know, Renala... But I've already got a trail of bodies behind me. There's only so much I can do to make sure you all come back. If there's anything I can do to increase those odds, I owe it to the rest of you to do it." He glances down at his hand and flexes his fingers, "Stupid decision or not, it's the right

Damien groans and rolls his eyes, though a small smirk plays upon his lips. "That nobility of yours is going to get you killed, one day."

Jason snorts loudly and gives a shake of his head, "If only that were true... Unfortunately, so far it's just gotten everyone else killed..." he says softly.

Renala nods in agreement, but decides against saying anything about it.

Jason sighs and leans back in his seat. "So..." he begins, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, "...We'll be leaving shortly after I get this taken care of." he says with a nod. "Like I was telling Renala," he continues, glancing at Monroe, "...I'll prepare a briefing for the team when I have a set time for departure."

Damien scratches his neck. "That's all well and good, but I'm still waiting on my new gear arriving. I had to pull some serious strings back on Omega to get it shipped out...". He falls silent and looks off to the side uncomfortably.

Jason gives a slight nod. "I've got mine being prepped as we speak." he says, "Yours gonna be here in time?"

Damien shifts in his seat. "New armour. More armour than my last set. I was having it made back when I was with the Suns, but I never got around to nabbing it before I had to hightail it out of there." He looks at Jason and shrugs. "Dunno."

Jason sighs and glances down at the table. "You get your set repaired in case it doesn't make it in time?" he asks, "Can't have you out there without gear..."

Jason furrows his brow and leans his arm against the table as he rotates to better face the man. "Go on." he says with a grunt, not particularly excited to hear of potentially more Blue Suns problems.

Damien ponders for a moment. "The man was a joke and stole from the Suns himself. I was just trying to get proof. Course, it backfired and I was the one being chased off Omega."

Renala tilts her head. "And now you're leading them here?"

Damien coughs awkwardly. "That seems to be the case. My guy back on Omega managed to cover his tracks, but not mine when he sent the

Damien - gear. They're following it, or they're sending bounty hunters, I'm not sure... Guess it doesn't really make much difference."

Jason slams his fist down against the counter and frowns. "And you didn't think to mention this sooner!?" he growls, "Are you-.... Seriously, Monroe!? With everyth-... What did I ask you when you signed on? I asked you if you came with any baggage! And-..." He lowers his head and holds his hand against his mouth, cussing softly to himself, "How bad is it?" he asks through the palm of

Renala raises an eyebrow, but she remains quiet.

Damien frowns and jabs a finger at Jason. "With all due respect, at the time my baggage was under control. I covered my tracks, wiped my accounts and went off the grid. I wasn't actually far off with managing to clear my fucking name!" He takes a deep breath.

Renala sighs. "Is the armor suit really worth the risks attached?"

Damien growls and folds his arms. "I can deal with them."

Jason sighs loudly. "It doesn't work that way, Monroe." he says, "Your problems are our problems... I-... I just wish you would've mentioned this before. You realize I have a history with the Suns, right? If this had put them on to my scent... Well, we're going to have more issues than a few bounty hunters..."

Damien frowns at Jason. "You have a history with them? You mentioned it, but never explained."

Renala nods. "And you live here, unless you were just visiting someone upstairs," she says. "I know D'Inea sure wouldn't let you stay here if you're knowingly drawing angry mercs this way."

Jason lowers his gaze momentarily, "No. I didn't." he says, "And I'm not going to." He sighs loudly and shakes his head, "Just-... be careful, alright? And, for fuck's sake, communicate with me a little, yeah!? I don't want my only head's up to be you, running through town waving your hands around shouting, 'The Suns are coming! The Suns are coming!', okay!?" he continues, pantomiming

Damien sighs and facepalms at Jason's theatrics. "Alright, stop yelling. Inside voice, pleaaaase. It'll be at least two, maybe three days before they get here. Plenty of time to formulate a strategy."

Jason runs a hand across his face, "And in two... maybe three days... We may not even be here. Then what? What if they try fishing information out of those we leave behind?" He groans loudly and lowers his gaze.

Renala leans back in her seat, just listening.

Jason lets out a deep breath and reaches up to rub at his forehead. "I don't have time for this." he says, "You work for me, yeah? What am I supposed to do? What sort of position does this put me in when I'm telling you I need you out there and you're telling me no? Partially due to personal issues? Get your armor repaired. Put it on the Redrock account. Make sure it's done in time.

Damien grits his teeth and glares at Jason. "No."

Jason bursts into laughter. "You don't need my help!?" he shouts, "I don't give a shit. You're not on that shuttle and your paychecks stop. Simple." He glances across the table at Renala and shakes his head, "The fuck is wrong with everyone? You think you can just say you're not doing the work and the paychecks are going to keep coming?" he asks, not particularly expecting an answer

Renala looks up at him. "Make sure the people here know the risks of having you stay upstairs," she says.

Damien balls his hands up into fists, trembling something fierce. He takes a step towards Jason, murder in his eyes as images flash before his eyes, all the fear and anger from their botched mission pooling together. Justified or unjustified, for now, Jason was to blame for all of it.

Renala holds up a hand, a biotic shimmer forming around her person. "Now, now," she says. "Take it easy."

Va'ynna watches from the bar with a concerned look on her face.

Jason sighs and looks up at Damien as he approaches. He doesn't even bother getting up. There's no real fight in him. "Go ahead. Hit me." he says, "Put it on me. Like I did something wrong. This is your mess. And it's a mess that I would go out on a wire to help you out with, by the way, despite it not having shit to do with me. Because that's what I do for the people that work for

Damien grits his teeth, a vein bulging in his forehead. "I don't give a shit about you helping me or not," he hisses. "It's you throwing us into the fucking meat grinder again, you bastard. You want a fucking backwater PMC to take on Cerberus, all because you flaunt a paycheck and talk about watching each others back? Like you did back on that nightmare of a planet?!-

Damien How many died because of you? Because of Vasquez? Who, for all we know, is dead! Another life on your hands, all because of your naïve ideals." He leans forward, his metallic fingers scratching along the surface.-

Damien "You wouldn't be the first alliance dog I killed. And you won't be the last." He glares straight into the man's eyes, Jason's last sentence further riling him up. "So prove it."

Renala stands up. "I said, take it easy," she says through gritted teeth. "Nobody's getting killed in here."

Jason slowly scoots to the edge of the booth and stands up, he slowly raises his gaze to meet Damien's. "What did you think you were signing up for when you joined a PMC?" he asks calmly, although a slight twitch is tugging at his cheek at the mention of Vasquez, "Did you think it was going to be safe? Is that really what you thought? It's dangerous work. We get paid to go out there

Damien | Something snaps within Damien's sleep deprived brain. The trigger? Being called a washout? The implication of being called a coward, weak? Who knows. But murder is all that drives him now. Pure and simple instinct. "Alright, Wolfe," he whispers. Like a coiled snake, Damien throws his cybernetic hand into a flat palmed strike to Jason's chest, followed by his omni-blade flaring to life.

Renala releases the biotics into a stasis field directed at Damien. "Enough!"

Va'ynna gasps as she sees Jason get hit, and rushes to the nearest terminal to manually sound the alarm; it's a silent alarm that only Steve and D'Inea would hear.

Jason seemingly had more respect for the man than he should have. He's caught cleanly in the chest by the palm strike, which sends him sprawling backwards right back into the booth. In a somewhat sloppy motion, he skitters to draw his Phalanx from its shoulder holster. It clangs against the bottom of the table awkwardly as he tries to raise it up. "Monroe! Stop!" he shouts.

Steve strolls out through the door behind the bar, muttering to himself. "Yeah, yeah..." he says to Va'ynna as the alarm starts, letting her know he's already on it. "You two lovebirds wanna calm your shit?" he shouts, although there's no weapon in-hand since they're both teammates and he has no real plans to fire on anyone.

Damien is caught in the stasis, frozen in Renala's biotics. Tears prick at the corners of his eyes, but they can not fall. Through gritted teeth and choked sobs, he speaks. "You did this to me! You did this!" Clearly, the man wasn't strong enough to fight back the fear, the pain, the hate of the monsters encountered. He is a broken man.-

Damien | His chest heaves as adrenaline flows through his systems. However, slowly, his actions dawn on him, his eyes seemingly widening in the stasis. He attacked Jason. He. Attacked. Jason. "Oh God... Oh my god...". The fight drains from him. He feels limp. Ashamed.

Steve makes his way over to the commotion and looks over the scene wearing the frustration plainly on his face. He looks over at a panicked patron and points at the man's drink, "Mind your own business! This is fine! I've got it under control..." he says before looking over at Renala. "How long can ya keep him like that?"

Renala frowns. "A few more seconds, I think," she says. It takes 4 seconds for the field to suddenly dissipate.

Damien falls to the floor, falling to his knees. His omni-blade dissipates and his head sinks towards his chest, his body trembling. A lone tear caresses his cheek and drips to the floor. If one could see his eyes, they would see a man haunted by his actions. "Jason I-...". No. Nothing he can say will make this right.

Jason doesn't bother raising the Phalanx as he coughs from the palm strike. He merely holds it loosely in his hand and slides out of the booth, giving his attacker a wide berth. He gives Renala an appreciative nod and wincess at the stinging sensation in his chest. "Monroe... We were all there." he says, "And we all left something behind. Blame me if you want. I don't give a shit

Steve gives a bored groan and looks around at the patrons that are watching the event unfold, "C'mon, Monroe. Pull it together. I'll walk ya out. Maybe some fresh air will help." he says, casting a glance at Renala.

Damien shakes as he slowly raises his gaze to meet Jason's eyes. Tears are spilling freely down his cheeks, his eyes red and raw. "H-how do you cope?" He asks in a scarce whisper. "Vaden died for me. And this is how I repay him? Attacking his friend?" He ignores Briggs-

Renala is still standing up, but she has no biotic shimmer around her. She seems to be relaxing a bit.

Damien completely, looking at the Redrock leader. "I... I can't- forgive me". He shakily looks at the gun in Jason's hand, his eyes pleading in a silent question.

Jason 's face contorts into an expression of anger. Offense. Frustration. "If you think I don't have my scars, you're out of your fucking mind." he spits, "Every. Single. Day. Friends. Family! I've lost everyone. I spend half of my life clawing my way out of the bottom of a bottle." He lowers his gaze and slides his Phalanx back into his holster, "How do you cope? There is no

Damien stares silently at Jason, a new perspective on the man he blamed for all the recent pain and anguish. He drops his gaze to the floor and remains quiet for a few pregnant moment. Eventually, he sits back onto his legs, keeping his gaze down.-

Steve sucks in air through his nose as he realizes this isn't going to be wrapped up right now. He takes a quick lap around his teammates on the floor, shooing off a few people taking interest.

Damien "I will... Go get my things," he says slowly. "And I will leave. I am nothing but a burden to you." He looks off to the side, his body calming. "I don't expect forgiveness. Nor should I ask you for it. I have many regrets, Jason. Now I have one more. I am... Truly sorry."

Damien slowly stands, hands to the sides with palms open.

Renala sits back down with a sigh, looking at Damien. "Sorry about the biotics," she says, though she's not regretting taking that action.

Jason stands along with the man and tilts his head back. He glances over at Steve, then to Renala. He seems torn for a moment and shuts his eyes, letting out a loud sigh. "Monroe, wait..." he says, instantly wondering if he'll regret his decision, "Just-... Wait."

Damien doesn't move from his spot, his hands slowly lowering to his sides.

Steve watches the whole thing play out, looking a bit dumbfounded. Fighting. Attempted murder. Crying. The fuck... He shook his head and sat back against the table Renala was seated at. "Appreciate you steppin' in, Ren." he says.

Jason remains silent for a few moments before opening his eyes again. He sounds a bit exhausted by the whole thing. But he understood. He had been through it all before, too. It was a lot to take in. A lot to absorb. "I get it." he says, "I really, do. You've got a lot of that-..." he presses his hand to his chest, "..pent up in there. Universe seems a whole lot darker now. And maybe

Damien seems dumbfounded, his mouth hanging agape as he listens. The man couldn't be serious. He just couldn't. "But- I... I...".

Renala gives a small smile. "Just doing my job," she says. "Doing your job." She chuckles.

Steve raises an eyebrow and jabs an elbow into Renala's shoulder playfully, "Now don't you go sayin' that too loud, darlin'. Bound to get me fired." He lowers his voice and leans in a bit, "Don't worry, I'll pay ya under the table." he teases.

Jason takes a step towards Damien and clasps his hand on the man's shoulder. "Tried to kill me?" he says with a snort, "If I turned away everyone that tried to kill me, I'd be a very lonely man." It's obvious he's joking, but if Damien knows anything about Vasquez, he'd know there's a definite truth somewhere in there.

Damien tisks and looks down at the ground, his fist clenched in anger. This time, however, it is aimed at himself. "I- guh... Thank you," he chokes out. "But... Do me a favour. Don't tell Leah. If you do, then I will kill you." He looks up and forces a smile at the man, obviously joking... Mostly.

Renala smirks. "What if I want to steal your job?" she asks. "Even better, there's an off-world mission in a few days if you want to trade." She doesn't sound too serious.

Steve stares Renala down as he gives a phony "Ha. Ha. Ha." He folds his arms across his chest, "Unfortunately for you, shithead over there-..." he nods towards Jason, "...already signed me up for Suicide Mission #248. So you're shit outta luck. He'll probably put the cripple on duty here or somethin'. Though I hear the lil' ballerina is dancin' again."

Jason studies the man for a few moments before his smirk returns. His posture eases up a bit, but he winces and grasps at his chest. "Your secret is safe with me." he says. He rubs at the spot where he was struck as he speaks, "If you need to sit this one out... Go ahead. Get all of this straightened out. I was planning on leaving Leah behind to watch over the dam, but you can take

Renala sighs. "It was worth trying," she says with a shrug. "Anyway, do you have time off today?"

Damien shakes his head fiercely. "No. Those bastards need to pay. I can bottle it up for one more mission," he looks directly into Jason's eyes, a feral need for revenge. "Please."

Steve gives a shake of his head. "Not really. I could take my breaks together, though. Whatcha tryin' to pull me away for?" he asks.

Jason seems conflicted for a few moments before finally nodding. Maybe the man was a liability, but Jason couldn't help but remember how his own life had spiraled out of control after the ExoGeni mission. All he wanted was a way to end the terror. Maybe a place to focus his anger was all Monroe needed. "You know what you're capable of. If you say you're good, then you're good." he

Renala smiles. "We've been talking about finding a place in town to live for... a year. I think it's about time we get off our asses and checked out a few places in town."

Damien nods once, rolling his shoulders. "You won't," he says with fierce determination. "I won't let you down."

Steve looks down at the asari, "You got some places in mind?" he asks.

Jason gives a hard nod. "But you've gotta take care of yourself, Monroe." he said, the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. "You still having trouble sleeping?" he asks, recalling their conversation from the other day, "Talk to Halisi. She might be able to help you with that."

Damien swallows what little pride he has left and nods. "Alright... I'll see her." He sighs, flexing his hands. "But I won't take anything that dulls my senses. Not before a mission like this." He pauses for a moment. "We'll get her back."

Steve lets out a smile, somewhat surprised that Renala put so much thought into her search, "Sounds good to me. How about you swing by in a couple hours and I'll take both of my breaks together. We can go check one out. It'll also give me some time to calm down Twitches." he says, glancing towards the bar, "She probably pissed herself the moment a punch thrown. May have to track

Jason clenches his fist, his expression hardening, "We sure as hell will." he agrees, "Whatever it takes."

Renala chuckles. "I didn't know you cared so much about her.".

Va'ynna is glancing at them every now and then, but far less than when the action happened. She is currently serving a patron at the bar.

Damien nods, glancing at the staircase. "I better go and see what little I can salvage of my armour." He turns to walk away.

Steve rolls his eyes. "Care is a strong word. What I care about is my job. Which relies on there being an actual bar to work at. With Aylena out of commission for now, it's all on her shoulders. She stops servin' drinks and there's no reason for me to sit on my ass back there and collect a paycheck."

Jason gives the man a nod. He had plans of heading that way, too, but now it'd just be awkward. Dammit. "Take care, Monroe." he says as the man departs, "Remember what I said. You need to talk, I'm right down the hall."

Damien shoves a hand into one pocket and throws a wave over his shoulder with his other hand. "Alright, I'll remember that," he calls out, refusing to look back .

Jason sighs as the man disappears up the stairs. "Weirder and weirder..." he repeats under his breath. He turns back to face the other two with raised eyebrows. "Well... That was-... something."

Renala nods. "Mhm, keep telling yourself that," she says, "Now that you mention the old lady, has her subsitute shown up yet?"

Steve raises an eyebrow as he glances over at Jason, but otherwise doesn't respond. "Not yet." he responds, returning his attention to the asari, "Hopefully she gets here soon. Gotta be honest... I miss the kitchen bein' open. Nice and quick dinner on demand."

Jason sighs and gives the pair a thumbs up. "Great talk..." he mutters, "I'll just-..." he nods towards the stairs, "...Yeah..." He starts towards the staircase.

Renala waves at Jason. "Take care, boss," she says. She looks at Steve. "You and me both," she replies. "At least it's a chance to see what other places in town has to offer."

Steve gives a nod. "Can't say I've been that adventerous." he says with a chuckle, "Just been gettin' takeout nearby. It's quick and I can just set it in the office with me. Should probably explore my options a bit more but-.." he shrugs, "No time for that."

Renala chuckles. "I often use the kitchen upstairs," she says, "but I usually also order takeout before those places starts closing if I'm going to be up all night at the dam or the mine."

Steve settles in place a bit. "When we've both got some time off, we should hit one of the restaurants. Try somethin' different." he says, glancing down at the asari, "I'm tired of the same ol' thing anyway."

Renala stands up from her seat and picks up her jacket. "That we should," she says with a smile. "I'm working every night before we're leaving for the job, though."

Steve pushes off of his makeshift seat as the asari stands. "Yeah... Me too." he says, "Assumin' these knuckleheads don't get us killed-..." he glances over at the stairs, "We'll grab a bite around town when we get back, alright?"

Renala nods. "Yeah," she says. "I'm going to go get some breakfast and stock up on some ammo while I'm out. I'll see you around, Steve."

Renala puts on the jacket and starts walking out of the Respite.

Steve unfolds his arms from across his chest and gives a wave to accompany his head nod. "Talk to ya later, Ren." he adds as he makes his way back towards the counter.

Va'ynna is currently serving a patron, but it looks like they're about done as the patron leaves the bar with three cups of coffe and a snack of some sort on a tray.

Steve swings around behind the bar and scoops up a glass. He begins to fill it with water and glances over at Va'ynna. "Just a lovers spat." he informs her with a shake of his head, "Guess he needed to let off some steam. All taken care of."

Va'ynna glances towards the booth. "I... saw that much," she says, "but what was it... about?"

Steve watches as the cup slowly fills and gives a shrug. "Couldn't tell ya exactly, I only caught the tail end. Seemed like Monroe is a strugglin' with a few issues and they just happened to find their way to the surface at the wrong time." he says, turning the tap off. He raises the glass and inspects it for a moment, "Some people just can't compartmentalize, I guess."

Va'ynna frowns. "He... has said he hadn't slept much at all lately," she says. "I... told him that I would tell Halisi to go visit him if I saw her in here."

Steve gives a nod. "Sounded like he wasn't takin' that last outing of ours too well." he says, holding the glass in one hand as he reaches down and removes his pill bottle from a compartment on his armor with the other hand, "Nothin' to worry about, though. They seemed to get a handle on things." He flips the lid off with his thumb and dumps a few into his mouth, washing them down

Va'ynna nods. "I... can't understand taking that well at all," she says. "It also looked like... Jason and T'Iavay were angry at him before... this happened, though."

Steve swallows hard and chugs back a bit more water before returning the glass to the tap to refill it. "Like I said, I just caught the tail end of it. Happens, though. 'Specially in our line of work. Tensions run high. Bound to be a few fights here 'n there." he says non-chalantly, "So, you hear from that replacement for Aylena yet?"

Va'ynna shakes her head. "No, I haven't," she sighs. "I'm really looking forward to it, so I... can take a break."

Steve nods slightly and sips at his glass. "I bet... How many hours a day are you workin' right now?"

Va'ynna thinks about it for a moment. "Since I... get up in the morning until we close," she says. "I... feel I have to be here, because I know more about the place than the... other bartender."

Steve gives another short nod. "Makes sense. Well, hopefully she'll get her soon." he gives a glance around the Respite, "Get this place fully operational again." He tips his glass towards the door, "Should probably get back to work, though." he says, taking a step towards the back hall. As he reaches the door, he pivots back towards the asari, "I might be takin' both of my breaks

Va'ynna nods. "I... will call if anything happens while you're away, then," she says.

Steve gives a short wave over his shoulder as he disappears into the back. "You do that."