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#RedrockAgency – May 27, 2016
Leah is seated in the locker room rearranging her gear in her locker, having just left it here in a hurry during her previous visit. Dressed in her usual attire, tight black pants, clunky boots and a blue top. Her hooded jacket is on the bench beside her and her hair is pulled into a loose ponytail. She's currently looking over her Mattock, studying it to make sure nothing was damaged
Nathan arrives into the agency headquarters, letting out a quiet yawn as he heads towards the locker room, donned in a pair of loose blue jeans, trainers and a simple white T-shirt. He's carrying a small rucksack on him. As he enters the locker room, he raises his casted hand to Leah in greeting. "Hey. How'd your meeting with the Chief go?" He asks as he wanders
Leah startles a bit at the sound of Nathan's voice, having been too focused on her weapon to notice his arrival, causing her rifle to slip off her lap and clatter to the floor. "Shit!" she exclaims as she swipes a hand at it, attempting to catch it but failing. She winces and cocks her head to the side to glance at the new arrival. "Oh, hey!" she greets, looking a bit embarassed at
having been spooked by him. She leans over and scoops her rifle back up before tucking some loose hair behind her ear. "Thought I had the place to myself for the most part." she explains with a shrug. "It went-... well? I guess? I mean, I'm here soooo. Yeah. Well." She offers a bright smile and nods to her locker, "Good to be back."
Nathan chuckles, quirking an eyebrow. "And here I was thinking I was the only one to get easily spooked," he muses as he opens his locker. He unceremoniously throws his bag in before closing it. "Well, that's good news!" He turns to face her, smiling. "Well, I've sort of become the armorer of this place, so if you need me to go over your gear, I'd be more than
happy to." He then looks down to her rifle, letting out a low whistle. "Speaking of gear, that is a beaut. M-96 Mattock. Y'know, my rifle used that as it's base design... before I lost it," he adds with a mumble.
Leah sweeps a hand across her Mattock, glancing down at it as he comments on it. "Appreciate the offer, but I think I've got it under control." she says confidently, glancing back up at him. "Lost it? Sounds like there's a story there-.... Ten...? Was it?" she asks, scrunching up her nose as she attempts to recall his name. "I'm usually good with names, seriously! Just-... a lot going
on lately." she explains, not giving him a chance to respond, "But I'm preeetty sure it was Ten. I'm at least close, right? I'm positive it was number related. Which is kind of weird." She winces again and raises a hand, palm outwards, "Not that I think you're weird. It's just-... Ten? I mean, if you've got nine brothers and sisters that would make more sense because-... by the
time your mom popped out a tenth one, she'd probably be pretty much over the whole naming thing, right?" She blinks a couple of times, "Nathan!" she says loud-and-proud as it comes to her, as if she has finally grasped victory, "Your name is Nathan! Ten is just a nickname, right!? See? Told you I'm good with names."
Nathan laughs as he watches Leah as she rambles. He folds his arms across his chest and quirks an eyebrow. As she finishes he nods. "Clearly you are brilliant with names," he muses. "And you're Leah. In much less words than you," he says with a wink. "But please, stick to Ten. Only people who are angry or pissed with me seem to call me Nathan."
Leah frowns at the insinuation that she might talk too much. "Right. Ten." she repeats with a nod as she stands up and places her Mattock into the locker in front of her. "So when did you join the Agency?" she asks, arranging a few things inside of the locker, out-of-sight to Nathan. "Didn't exactly have a chance to ask last time we spoke. Seems like a lot has happened since I left.
I mean-... I was only gone a few weeks, but apparently that was enough time for the Agency to get itself into more trouble." she jokes, nodding towards Nathan's arm.
Nathan winces and looks to his arm. "About a month ago is when I joined. This-" he says pointing to his arm. "-Is the result of a vorcha/krogan crossbreed that snapped it like a twig," he says. He leans against lockers and chuckles lightly, scratching his chin. "And that was after I got smacked around by a giant eelsquid."
Leah blinks a couple of times and opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. She gives a shake of her head, her attention pulled from her locker. "You know what the scariest part about that statement is?" she asks, cocking an eyebrow, "It's that after everything I've seen working with this agency? That doesn't even sound all that strange." she says with a chuckle. "Well, at least you're
alive, right? Better a broken arm than a broken neck." She removes a Carnifex from her locker and gives it a once over, her thumb gliding gently over the insignia on it before turning away from the lockers and grabbing her jacket. She attached the weapon to a magholster on the inside of her jacket and sets it back down.
Nathan nods sagely, pointing at her in affirmation with his cast. "You have a valid point. Though the broken neck almost came about when my mech decided to act like the ball in pinball, bouncing around an ice shaft before being launched out of it," he quips. He looks at the weapon with interest, though elects not to comment on it for once. He looks back to Leah and
smirks. "Alright then, what's the strangest shit you've see-" he cuts himself off and his smirk fades, a slightly ashamed looks crossing his features. "Uh, actually, don't answer that. I think I already know...".
Leah gains a grim look as the question leaves Nathan's mouth, but it turns to confusion at his quick turn around. "Uhhh-... what?" she asks, looking a bit uncomfortable. "...I feel like I'm missing something here..."
Nathan bites on his lower lip. "Uh, something about a planet with... what, mechanical zombies or something? Ilyna and Jasper told me about it. Heard some people came back scarred... and some didn't come back at all," he mutters. He looks down, arms folded across his chest.
Leah lowers her gaze in turn, giving a slow nod. "Yeah it was-... bad." she says, swallowing hard. It's quite obvious that she doesn't feel too comfortable talking about the subject. Especially considering it's the point she can trace most of her recent hardship right back to. "I wasn't sure I'd ever walk again after that job..." she says, although what she doesn't say is how her
Nathan rubs the back of his neck awkwardly before he clears his throat. "Listen, you wanna quickly grab a coffee with me in the rec room? If I'm going to be spending all day working in the armoury and finalizing requisition reports, I am seriously gonna need that boost," he says, changing the subject quickly. "Plus, wouldn't mind getting to know a little more 'bout
Leah bites her lower lip for a moment, giving a glance back at her locker. "I shouldn't re-... Tara is waiting for me back home and-... food-..." she rambles, still a bit shaken by the previous topic of conversation. She nudges the bag of fast food beneath the bench with the toe of her boot. After a moment she takes a deep breath and gives a shrug of her shoulders. "Ya know what?
Nathan smiles and nods. "I won't keep you if you need to go, though the company is welcome," he says as he starts towards the hallway. "So, who is Tara anyway? She your sister?" He asks, opening the door.
Leah scoops up her jacket and shuts her locker before turning and following Nathan. "My sis-... no." she says with a shake of her head. "She's-..." she sucks in a deep breath and scrunches up her nose as she attempts to explain. "She's just a young girl in need of some help." she says with a shrug, lagging a little behind Nathan. "When I left the agency, I had a little business to
take care of out on Omega. I-... maaaay have gotten myself into a little bit of trouble..." she undersells, "...But, long story short, I came across some slavers that were trying to sell her." She shakes her head, giving a look of disgust as she scoffs loudly. "Absolutely disgusting. How can anyone think they have the right to own another person!? Like-... like you've gotta have some
serious screws loose to be alright with that. And-..." she trails off, realizing she's beginning to ramble again. After a moment, she simply says, "I couldn't just do nothing, you know? So I helped her get out of that life. She's a good person, she deserves at least a shot at happiness, right? Everyone does..."
Nathan falters in his step at the mention of slavers and a look crosses his features, though he keeps it hidden from Leah by not turning back to look at her. He listens quietly for a moment before nodding slowly. "You risked your life to free her? Well shit, you just got in my good books for life," he says. He eventually looks back and smiles at her, a nod of
approval following as he starts towards the staircase. "Seriously though... that takes guts." He takes the steps slowly as he speaks. "And you're right. Everyone does. Even if it doesn't seem within reach, it will come for you eventually. And you'll know when you see that spark of light in the darkness." He pauses and turns, cracking a grin. "And for Tara,
Nathan falters in his step at the mention of slavers and a look crosses his features, though he keeps it hidden from Leah by not turning back to look at her. He listens quietly for a moment before nodding slowly. "You risked your life to free her? Well shit, you just got in my good books for life," he says. He eventually looks back and smiles at her, a nod of
approval following as he starts towards the rec room. "Seriously though... that takes guts." He opens the door as he speaks. "And you're right. Everyone does. Even if it doesn't seem within reach, it will come for you eventually. And you'll know when you see that spark of light in the darkness." He pauses and turns as he reaches the coffee machine, cracking
a grin. "And for Tara, that spark was you. All you gotta do now is turn that spark into a flame and help her along."
Leah 's smile returns as she listens to him speak and follows him into the rec room. "Well, aren't you quite the poet." she jokes, although his words have clearly bumped her mood back in the right direction. "I don't mean to play it up like it was some heroic sacrifice... I was already in it before she was really a part of the equation, to be honest." she admits in an attempt at
downplaying her 'rescue'. After Damien, she's been painfully aware that she's no hero. "I just did what anyone with even a shred of decency would do: kept her safe and got her far away from those creeps." She glances past him at the coffee machine, "I can't even imagine what she's going through right now, you know? From what I gather, it seems like she's spent nearly her entire life
as a slave." she continues, "I'm doing the best I can to help her get acclimated, but I'm not gonna lie... I'm in way over my head."
Nathan makes to twirl a fake mustache at the mention of being a poet. He chuckles and turns towards the coffee machine, boiling up some water as he preps two cups. "Well, the way I see it any who, you were in deep shit yet you still went out your way to pull put the girl rather than focus on your own survival." He shrugs lightly as he looks to her. "Downplay it as
much as you want, what you did was damn courageous. And at least you're trying to help, which is probably more than what she's used to in... Forever." He sighs, tapping his fingers against the counter. "Yeah, you probably are. If she's spent her whole life in servitude, her mind would just struggle to cope with the concept of being free. If anything, you
need a psychologist to help you out." He adjusts a cup idly before asking, "How'd you take your coffee?"
Leah continues to listen as he speaks. As he finishes, she returns her attention to him and gives a shrug. "Cream and sugar is fine." she says. "And I appreciate the sentiment. Really. But I'm far from a saint. I was just trying to do the right thing" she says with a sigh, trying not to dwell on just how unbalanced that ledger is. "More importantly... Where in the hell am I supposed
to find a psychologist out in the Terminus Systems?" she asks as she steps over to the counter and takes a seat at the edge of it as she awaits her coffee.
Nathan wags a finger in the air. "And therein lies the problem of my suggestion..." He admits. "Keep forgetting this is literally the arse end of nowhere," he says with a sigh as he makes their drinks. He adds milk and sugar to one and slides it across to her. "Here." He takes his and gently blows on it, but doesn't take a sip quite yet. "Maybe there's information
on the extranet? The Alliance might have something on it." He shrugs lightly as he takes a sip. "Or you could just go on GalaxyTube and take a lesson in psychology. I mean, shit, there tutorial lessons on becoming a heart surgeon on there for Christ sakes," he says with a grin, indicating that that suggestion wasn't entirely serious.
Leah pulls her cup across the counter and sets it beside her, looking down into it. She gives a chuckle at the suggestion and shakes her head. "Yeah. Right. Because that's juuuuust what she needs. Me giving her advice on how to put her life together." Another chuckle escapes her. "I'm barely keeping mine together as it is." she admits, though it's lighthearted, "I think this might
be one of those situations where I just need to play it by ear. I thought about maybe reaching out to some people in the Alliance, but it's been a long time since I left and-... well, we all know they're not too keen on doing much for the people out here in the Terminus."
Nathan chuckles and nods. "And truer words have not been spoken," he says to her latter. "Yeah, suppose you're right though. I mean, you haven't gone wrong yet, have you?" He asks with a quirked brow. "Well, if there's anything I can do to help out, just ask. God knows I have a lot of free time now cause of this," he says as he raises his casted arm.
Leah lifts her cup of coffee up in front of her face and blows on it lightly before taking a tentative sip."I appreciate it, but I don't think there's much anyone can do to help me with this one..." she says. "Sooooo~" she sings, turning the conversation around as she begins to rhythmically tap the heel of her boot against the cabinets beneath the counter, "Have you been on Aite
Nathan nods. "Offer stands regardless," he says before shaking his head. "Nuuuupe," he chuckles as he turns to her. "About a month for here as well. I'm still learning most of Falls' locations and the like. Shops, points of interest... And most importantly, fooooood places." He nods sagely. "Oh, and bars. I know two and I'm pretty sure I can't go back to one
Leah blinks a couple of times. "...Oh. That's not... good." she says before taking another sip of her coffee, cradling between both hands. "Freedom Falls isn't half bad. Me and dad have lived here for a few years now-.. she begins, "...He's off-world right now but-... Yeah. Despite being out here in the Terminus, it's pretty peaceful. Mostly. Sometimes." She scrunches up her nose and
shrugs, "Better than it could be!" she settles on. "There's a few good spots around town to eat. If you like burgers there's a spot-... I juuust came from it. It's like a block away from the market. Cheap and greasey, just the way I like 'em!" she chuckles, "I was actually picking up some food for me and Tara when I figured I should probably drop by here and fix my locker up a bit
Nathan shrugs. "Yeah, wasn't great," he mumbles before listening to her. "Burgers eh? I'll be sure to check that place out. Nothing like a bit of artery clogging from time to time." He chuckles before taking another sip from his coffee. "I make some mean homemade burgers though. Something an old flame of mine taught me." He glances to her and smiles. "Heh, sorry
Leah gives a quick shake of her head. "Oh, no! It's no big deal. I think Tara could probably use a little time to herself an
Leah gives a quick shake of her head. "Oh, no! It's no big deal. I think Tara could probably use a little time to herself without me talking her ear off anyway. I'll toss 'em in the microwave as soon as I get home and they'll be good as new." She brings one foot up and perches her clunky boot on the edge of the counter, reasting her cup of coffee atop her knee. "Besides, now we're
Nathan laughs and shakes his head. "Ooooh no, I am not talking more about that without a drink that resembles whiskey in my hand," he says with a grin. "And it's flame. No plural... I'm, uh, actually really crap when it comes to women. Flirting I can do. Acting on it afterwards?" He raises a hand and slowly brings it down onto the counter, whistling as he does so.
Leah 's shoulders rise and fall as she snickers at his misfortune, but as soon as it dies down she gives a fake pout. "Awww, well you're no fun. Did you at least give her a ridiculous nickname, too? Something like 'Eight'? So the two of you could be like an adorable math equation or something?" she teases.
Nathan narrows his eyes and gives her a playful glare as he sets his mug down. "Smart arse," he mutters with a smirk. "Keep this up and I'll come up with a nickname for you. And I promise you, it won't be pretty!" He warns her with a not so serious tone. He then clocks on to something she said. "Hey! My nickname isn't ridiculous..." He pouts with an overly dramatic
Leah gives a roll of her eyes. "I've had more nicknames than I can count. Mostly bad. One more isn't gonna hurt anything." she says with a sigh. Not one to ruin the mood, she immediately moves on. "So what'd ya do before you came to Aite?" she asks, "Alliance?"
"Tsk, now I feel like a prick," he says with a small smile. He then shakes his head. "No, freelancer. I tended to drift from place to place and help out where I could. And before that, I was EOD for a peacekeeping company called Sandbeck." He picks up his coffee and takes a long drink from its signing contently. "I came to Aite because... Right, don't laugh,
but I came here because it felt like the next step on my journey. I tend to keep moving forward, no matter what happens and this, as I said, was the next step." He sweeps his casted arm around for emphasis. "A lawless backwater in the terminus... I feel like I could make an impact here for the better. Especially with Redrock. You all seem like good people...
Leah blinks a couple times before her face contorts and a quick laugh escapes her. "No, no!" she says, bringing her free hand up defensively, "I'm sorry, I'm trying not to laugh! You just-... when you tell someone not to laugh you're setting yourself up to be laughed at! It's not funny, really!" she explains. She lets out another light chuckle and takes a quick sip of her coffee before
resting the cup back atop her knee. "Really. It's just-... you know. The way you said it! 'The next step on my great journey!'" she says, doing her best to imitate him and failing miserably. She gives a quick shrug of her shoulders, "Really, though, you want to help people. Nothing to be ashamed of there. I didn't have you pegged for a freelancer, though. You seem too soft." Her hand
shoots up defensively once again, "I mean that in the best of ways! Really. In this line of work you run into a whole lot of assholes that don't know how to relax and take a step back from the whole-... you know, macho tough guy-slash-gal bullshit. It can get exhausting."
Nathan brings a hand up to his face and sighs, running a palm over his features. "Thanks...? I think?" He says through a soft laugh. "I know it sounds stupid, but I truly believe it. Life isn't about the destination, but the journey. It's why I couldn't bear staying on Earth all my life," he says with a soft smile. "Too soft? Eh, isn't the first time I heard that
one." He sets his near empty cup down with a quiet clunk. "Alright, what about you? Why did you come to Aite?"
Leah scrunches up her nose, avoiding his question for the moment. "I didn't mean it like that. Context! I gave context! Too soft for a freelancer!" she repeats. "That makes all the difference in the world!" Her focus shifts to the coffee cup atop her knee and she slowly removes her other hand, attempting to balance the cup in place. "As for me? I was with the Alliance for a bit-...
just a few years." she says, taking her eyes off the cup and looking back to Nathan, keeping her leg perfectly still to keep the coffee cup from tumbling off. "My mom passed away a few years back and it took its toll on my dad, ya know?" she says, gaining a somewhat distant look that slowly drifts back to the cup. "He kind of shut down. Stopped taking care of himself entirely so I-..."
she shrugs, "...Decided I was gonna take care of him. Him and mom gave up so much raising me, it's the least I could do." The coffee cup shakes slightly and goes to tumble off, causing Leah's hand to shoot forward in an attempt at catching it. When it's obvious she's going to be too slow to keep it from crashing to the ground, a blue glow envelopes her and stops the cup in place. Frozen
in mid-air, it slowly begins to rise back up and comes to a stop right back on her knee. Leah gains a sheepish look, her cheeks reddening somewhat as she brushes some hair from in front of her face and continues speaking as if it never happened. "It was pretty clear he needed a change of scenary. That house-... that planet. It all reminded him of her. And not in a good way. He just-...
he missed her. Soooo, we packed up and moved here. Why here?" she glances around and gives a shrug, "Why anywhere? It's quiet. Remote. Simple. It's a beautiful planet. Just seemed right."
Nathan listens in silence, a sympathetic look etched onto his face as she tells her tale. As the coffee cup tumbles, he too shoots his hand out to grab it, but snatches it back as it is enveloped in the blue glow of biotics. He smirks slightly and offers her an admiring look for her reflexes. As she finishes, he offers a light smile. "You're just one big ol' bag of
selflessness, ain't ya?" He teases. His tone becomes more serious as he continues to talk. "I'm sorry for your loss. I know that doesn't mean much from a relative stranger. And as far as places to go... Aite isn't so bad, yeah," he agrees quietly with her. "I can think of worse. So, why's he off world if you don't mind me asking?"
Leah lowers her gaze as she listens to his response. "It's-... It's complicated." she says, offering a forced smile, although it's clear that she's a bit uncomfortable. Both speaking about her father and about the sympathy he has shown. "And thanks." she adds, gripping her cup of coffee and taking a large sip as she scoots to the edge of the counter and bounces off of it, back on to
her feet. "Hey, I really should get back to Tara. I'm already gone longer than I said I would be. Don't want her to worry." she explains, "But thanks for the coffee!" she says, gesturing with her cup, "...And the conversation. It's-... nice to be back." She glances around the room, her bright, genuine smile returning again as she bounces on her boots. "I'm sure we can talk more later.
I mean, outside of keeping me entertained, what else are you going to do with that broken wing? Right?" she says with a snicker, although it quickly turns to a wince as she realizes it may have been insensitive.
Nathan waves it off. "I won't pry," he says with a smile. At her comment, he stares at her blankly before laughing and shaking his head. "Smoothly done. But out of all the things I could be doing... Keeping you entertained doesn't sound half bad," he says with a genuine smile. He nods once to her and raises his cup in farewell. "I'll see you about, Leah."