#SteveRenalaApartment – July 3, 2016

Steve is posted up by the window. Dressed in a pair of jeans and his beat up work boots, his bare shoulder is pressed against the glass as he stares out, cradling a bottle of beer by the neck. He glances down at the handful of pills in his other hand, jangling them around in his palm for a moment before tossing them into his mouth and washing them down with a swig of beer.

Renala enters the apartment, about an hour earlier than usual. "Having a party without me?" she smirks before taking off her jacket and hanging it up. She shivers a bit, as that thin blue jacket is a poor defence against the cold weather outside.

Steve barely even notices the asari enter, hardly stirring until she speaks up, at which he glances away from the window and in her direction. "Ain't you home a lil early, Ren?" he asks, slugging back another swig of his drink. He pokes his bottle towards the kitchen counter with a nod, "Couple left. It ain't ever too late to show up to the party." he jokes.

Renala heads over to grab a beer at the kitchen. "I was deployed on a mission today," she says, "and after that, well, I wasn't in the right state of mind to do my work." She opens the bottle and takes a long sip off it.

Steve grins and gives her a nod. "No rest for the wicked." he says before a guilty look washes over his face, "...Which makes this request all the more awkward. I-... uhh... I need a favor, Ren."

Renala downs half of the bottle while he speaks. "Just so you know, I'm not stealing another car, Steve," she says with a chuckle. "Alright, let me hear it."

Steve rolls his eyes, but his smile returns. "Nothin' like that." he assures her before taking another swig of his drink. "Just need you to look up a name for me. Farik Verax." he says, his tone suddenly turning more serious. "Whatever you can dig up on it. Sounds salarian to me. Only connections to the name I've got is another name. Daina. Some crew wearin' blue armor. Maybe Blue Suns?" he begins rattling off thoughts

Renala tilts her head. "Doesn't surprise me, this Aylena person hasn't been up to anything public before she came here," she says. "Did you grab anything useful off the scene? Omni-tools, pictures, things like that."

Steve gives a sigh and a shake of his head. "Militia was on top of the scene too quickly. Didn't have time for any of that." he says, suddenly feeling dejected at his lack of leads for her to follow up on. "Look, Ren. They sent a lil' girl in there to kill someone. They tried turnin' her into a weapon. Just... Just do what you can, alright?" he pleads, tossing the empty bottle into the nearby garbage can with nearly enough

Renala raises her brows. "Those assholes, apparantly," she says, the distaste clear in her voice. "I'll do what I can, Steve. The militia is probably not going to do crap about it, so maybe we could persuade them to take any recovered tech off their hands."

Steve lowers his gaze, giving a couple nods. "Yeah... Yeah, I'll give it a shot." he says softly. He goes silent for a few moments before returning to his position near the window. For whatever reason, this situation has clearly had an affect on him. "Just see what you can dig up, Ren. And keep it between us, alright? Just for now? I don't wanna involve the agency or Aylena unless we get somethin' concrete..." he says,

Renala nods. "Of course, I avoid the managment as much as I can, anyway," she says. "Did you read the report of the job for that krogan? The people that attacked her could have come all the way here, or maybe it's about that matriarch that tried shaking her down while I stepped in for you at the Respite. Come to think of it, I don't think I wrote a report after that little fight."

Steve gives a shake of his head and lets out a quiet sigh. "Seems like ol' 'Janysa' has a whole lot of secrets up her sleeve. Said the whole ordeal at the Respite was over some sort of legal battle. To be entirely honest, I don't really care one way or another what it's about. I just wanna get my hands on this Verax fellow and see what he's got to say for himself..."

Renala sighs. "Legal battle..., that sounds like Illium to me, so I'll grab the report first thing in the morning," she says. "Just tell me if you find him, okay?"

Steve nods, continuing to stare out the window. "Back at ya, Ren. Any info might help. I'll hit up the militia in the mornin' and see what they're willin' to turn over to me."

Renala downs the remainder of it and walks over to join him by the window. "What happened with the little one, though?" she asks. "Is she alright?"

Steve nods again, a distant look in his eyes as he stares at the snow falling to the street below. "Leah made sure she got home. Was scared shitless, though. Can ya blame her? Ya don't just forget somethin' like that... Just glad we managed to stop her before she went through with it. Before she was stuck livin' with that sorta guilt on her conscience..."

Renala frowns. "I don't blame her," she sighs. "Things like this makes me think Nally was right in refusing to let my girl visit me all the way out here."

Steve shrugs, leaning his forearm up against the window and pressing his forehead against his arm. "Don't go foolin' yourself, darlin'. Ain't nowhere safe. At least here ya know what kind of scum you're dealin' with right from the start." He glances over at Renala, studying her face for a moment before returning to his window gazing. "You'd keep her safe. Ain't a doubt in my mind about that."

Renala gives a faint smile. "I know," she says. "That doesn't mean I've stopped trying. I even tried sweet-talking the T'Rea at the office into supporting me, but that went nowhere." She sighs. "Turns out she's working towards taking her adoptive kid with her to Thessia, as well."

Steve gives a shake of his head. "You sure are persistent." he says with a soft chuckle, gaze still locked on the street outside of their apartment. He brings his bottle to his lips and takes another sip. "I admire that about you." he adds with a nod to himself.

Renala shrugs. "I have to be to do what I do," she says. "Most of the tech out here is old, outdated and poorly maintained, but some places still stay ontop of this -- like the Respite if you can believe that. If I ever stop improving, stop trying, I will let you all down one day when it really counts." She chuckles. "As for seeing my kid again, I need to find the most agreeable part of this 'system' and, well, gain support."