#Miner'sRespite – September 15, 2015

Va'ynna is standing behind the bar this late afternoon, again being too nice to say no when Kanaya wanted a short break. She's in a dark gray dress with green trims, which is one she wears rarely.

Mendez steps into the Respite wearing his workout clothes once again. Today it's a pair of black shorts, running shoes, and a grey tanktop. He makes his way over to the bar and plops onto a stool without much grace. A large sweat mark stains the front of his shirt. "Just a glass of water." he says. Seems the Respite has become his new stop during his routine since he was asked politely

Ethos walked into the Respite with a calm demeanor. He was wearing a dark colored jacket with intricate designs across the chest as well as equally dark pants and boots. Being a new place, his dark eyes crossed every corner of the room to sweep for trouble. He was no stranger to such a place but was pleasantly surprised at how low key it felt. Just what he needed. He approached the

Va'ynna nods and finds a glass, filling it up with water from the tap. She puts it on the counter. "I'll be right back," she says to the drell before making her way off to find a tea for his order.

Mendez pulls the glass in front of him and looks down at it, inspecting it for a few moments before taking a swig from it. He gives a nod to the new arrival, looking over his fancy jacket. "Asari tea? How is that shit?" he asks, cocking an eyebrow at the drell. "Tried a few asari dishes." he continues, making a disgusted face, "Not for me."

Ethos nodded in thanks to the asari. Unphased by his colorful words, he bowed his head slightly in return as a sign of good faith. "The tea depends on who makes it. It could have any number of effects that range from a stinging wake up to the soothing feeling of being wrapped in a warm blanket." He spoke with a placid tone. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment to

Mendez gives a loud chuckle, absently fiddling with his glass. "Thiago." he offers as he starts to extend his hand towards the drell but seems to rethink the motion and quickly draws his hand back. He looks over it, giving it a quick wipe on his shirt before thrusting it back outwards. "This your spot?" he asks with a sweeping glance over the room.

Va'ynna returns with a cup of steaming hot water, and two teabags still in their wrappings. They're both the same tea, but one has a tiny amount of element zero added. They're produced on Illium by a fairly reputable manufactorer, and often imported to Terminus colonies where there's a market for it. "Are... you a biotic, or... otherwise tolerant to element zero in food and drink?" she asks.

Ethos glanced an eye down at the second guessed gesture. When the human seemed to be satisfied with his decision, he stuck out his own hand and shook it. A gesture that he learned over the years from humans. The sweat and other filth from the man's hand would simply have to remain on his own since he didn't dare wipe his hand on his pant leg. "Ethos. Today is actually my first day on

Va'ynna gives a small smile. "You don't have to," she says. "They're... both the same tea, but one is... without element zero. So, which one of them would you like?"

Mendez places his hand back on the counter in front of him. "Peaceful life..." he muses with a nod of his head. He could definitely get behind that idea, but it seems as though life has different plans for him. "Not a bad place to start a life." he says, his voice deep but soft. "Or restart." he adds, doing his best to keep from prying, but experience has told him that you rarely

Ethos stiffled a laugh behind a wide grin. "I'd say I learned that on a dare... but that is a story for another day." He said before pointing at the normal tea. "I will be satisfied with the normal one." His attention returned to the human. "Every new experience is a chance to reshape your life. Arashu always knows the correct path. With her guidance we can all find it on our own."

Va'ynna nods and unwraps the package and puts the teabag into the cup to soak. Tea isn't ordered all that often, so she may not know the dos and don'ts when it comes to preparing it. She doesn't hand the cup over immediately, however. She takes the other wrapped teabag and leaves it below the counter.

Mendez furrowed his brow. "...Right." he says flatly before taking another sip of his water. "Hey, whatever gets you through it." As ridiculous as he finds that sort of thing, he can't help but feel a little bit of jealousy at the idea of having something to believe in. He watches as Va'ynna prepares the tea before finally nodding. "It does look like dirty water."

Ethos watches the asari prepare the tea, smiling slightly to himself as he realized she seemed hesitant. "It's not the best way to make tea but it is easiest." He said as if answering her unasked question. Thiago was very amusing to him. Such a large human yet seemed to have a curious side to him that Ethos could feel. "Everything appears as 'dirty water' until you taste it. You simply

Va'ynna puts the cup on the counter, assuming the drell knows better than her when it's done soaking. She makes a mental note to read up on that at a later point, even if she shouldn't be working at the bar anymore. "I... don't think there's any kind of... formal citizenship here," she says. "Or have I missed something?"

Mendez tilts his head to the side as he contemplates the question. "It's home for now." he answers simply, "Not my first. Most likely won't be my last."

Ethos took the tea for himself, choosing to let it steep a bit longer to increase the strength. "Simply a question of residence more than of lawful belonging." He answered the asari. "A true vagabond at heart?" He asked the human before taking a small sip of his tea to test the flavor. It was a delightful sweet taste that he was sure to order again sometime.

Va'ynna nods. "Then... I suppose I am," she says, "even if... I really shouldn't have come here in the first place." She glances around, but noone else seems to need service right now.

Mendez nods a few times, seeming far more interested in his water than he probably should. "Vagabond... Suppose that's one way to put it." he mutters, "And you? Where did you call 'home' before deciding to join our ranks?"

Ethos | "What makes you say that, my dear? There's no sense in regretting where you are. This should be the place where you embrace life." He said while cupping his tea. As opposed to taking it away, he chastised himself. A life long of repentance. He turned and slowly smiled at Thiago. "A traveller myself. Perhaps Aite will be where I finally settle down." He said in a slow tone,

Mendez continues to study his water, making no attempt to further pry. He knows deflection when he sees it. "Hopefully that will be true for both of us." he offers, lifting his glass slightly in a sort of toast before taking another swig of the water.

Ethos raised his tea cup at the human in response. The asari however seemed distressed by the conversation. "It's impossible to prepare for everything but I'm sure you know that." He said with a small tilt of his head and a hand gestured palm up towards her with a friendly smile. "For instance, the people you meet. You never know if it's chance or the Gods' doing." He said, looking

Va'ynna offers a small smile. "I'm Va'ynna," she says. "It's... nice to meet you, Ethos."

Mendez allows a snort to escape at the drell's sentiments. What sort of god would allow the things he had seen back on that planet. A pang of anger shoots through him, but he quickly reigns it in, feigning a quick cough to cover his rude gesture. "Perhaps this place has made you a stronger person than you otherwise would have been, Va'ynna." he offers with a nod, attempting to sound

Va'ynna tilts her head. "It's... been a year," she says, then frowns. "I think I... dared go outside alone when I got here, though."

Ethos | "Likewise." He responded with a smile. The surge of anger was not lost on Ethos. He'd seen it enough times to be able to spot it out. "Even for those who choose not to believe. The Terminus is notorious for housing societies' less fortunate but it's not such a horrible place. Light can be found even in the darkest of places." It wasn't clear if he was answering to Va'ynna or

Va'ynna nods. "I... can believe that," she says. "Don't ask me... how the town is, though. I... don't get out often."

Mendez gives a shake of his head. "This place isn't too bad. Every town has its dark corners, but Freedom Falls is pretty well kept. Especially considering the location."

Ethos nodded his head. "Then I have chosen wisely. A simple form of income is all that's required and I will have the simple life that I craved."

Mendez gives a glance in the drell's direction. "Looking for anything specific?" he asks, "I'm out every day. I'd be more than happy to give you a heads up if I come across anything. What sort of experience do you have?"

Va'ynna takes a step back to let them talk, glancing around to see if anyone needs service.

Ethos hadn't actually planned this far ahead of his story. He quickly realized he needed to come up with something reasonable. He raised a hand palm up in inquiry. "Something simple would be fine with me. A place where I could do the most good. Perhaps in the medical field or farming."

Mendez lowers his head for a moment before returning his attention to the drell. "I work with one of the doctors down at the hospital. Give me a few days to have a word with her and I'll see what I can do. You have any sort of experience with that sort of shit?"

Ethos blinked a few times. "That would work nicely, yes. The extent of my knowledge does not transcend many species but I... have had years of experience."

Mendez swigs back the rest of his water. "Send over your contact info." he instructs, "I'll pass it along as soon as I can. No promises, though." He rotates on his stool and shoves a hand into his pocket to retrieve his omni-tool. "I'm not even sure if they're hiring right now."

Ethos has his omni-tool already on his arm, activating it to send his contact info to Thiago. "I greatly appreciate the generosity. Should you find yourself here with me at the same time again, I will buy you something of your choosing." He sounded honored to be offered the help. "What is it you do if you don't mind me asking?"

Mendez confirms the information and gives it a quick skim before sending his own in return. "Security." he says idly as he reads, "I work for an agency based right here in town." After a moment the holographic interface dissipates and he returns the device to his pocket. "Nothing fancy. Mostly quiet work." he says. Partly true. It reminds him of how happy he is to not be on the current

Ethos seemed to appraise Thiago for a moment. "Security work in such a dangerous part of space must be tiring. I'm sure the people of Freedom Falls appreciate your services." As far as he could tell upon arrival, no one group of people seemed to control the town.

Mendez shrugs and turns back to look over his empty glass with a frown. "It's just a job." he says distantly, "Pays the bills and keeps me clothed. It's mostly just a whole lot of camera-watching."

Ethos seemed satisfied with the answer. "We all play a part in the grand scheme." His low voice rasped. He took another sip of his tea, taking out the bag since it had set enough. "Some just don't know their part yet." While some choose to reject their own, he reminded himself.

Va'ynna walks over to serve another human patron that waved at her.

Mendez resists the urge to roll his eyes, but had heard enough of the drell's sermon. He reminds himself that Ethos most certainly means well as he slides his empty glass across the bar. "Well, like I said, I'll check in with my friend over at the hospital and see if she's able to find your part in 'the grand scheme'." he says, not attempting to be offensive, although it may come across

Ethos bowed his head in appreciation, either choosing to ignore the jibe or just missed it. "Thank you again. It was a pleasure speaking, Thiago." He said before returning to his tea.

Va'ynna looks towards him with a shake of her head. "No, we don't," she says before getting back to serving the other patron.

Mendez returns the gesture with a nod. "You too, Ethos. Take care." He hops off the stool and raises a hand to Va'ynna as he makes his way from the bar, "And welcome to Freedom Falls." he offers to the drell, something of an afterthought.

Ethos | "May the Gods watch over you." He responded before finishing up his tea cup.

Mendez exits the Respite with a shake of his head. No they may not.

Va'ynna is eventually relieved from duty again when Kanaya returns, and she sits there talking with her for a few minutes. After that, she heads upstairs.