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#RedrockAgency – August 4, 2016
Victoria knocks on the door to Jason's office, finally changed from her armor and into more casual outfit. Long shelved tee-shirt, long dark blue pants and a red jacket as well.
Jason taps his terminal, causing the door to slide open. Still dressed in his armor, he's seated behind his desk. His helmet and gauntlets are beside his terminal and his Revenant is laying flat next to them, thermal clip removed. He glances over towards the door and sucks in a deep breath. "Hey Vicky..." he says softly, glancing beyond the woman and into the hall, "...How is V doing?"
Victoria takes a step into the office after the door opens. "Hey Jason..." She pauses for a second "She seems to doing fine now or at least better than what she was."
Jason gives a couple of short nods, gesturing towards the empty chair opposite of him. "That's good to hear. She's been through a lot. I know I should be-..." he sighs, "I'll stop in and check on her later-..." he begins, wincing slightly at the fact that he's here in his office rather than speaking with Va'ynna right now, "...but I don't plan on resting until I know she's safe." he
Victoria nods "Uvena and I think it would be best for her to stay here for a couple of days. That way she will be safe until this is over." She moves to the empty chair and takes a seat. "Especially since I will leaving soon to collect the goods for people I made deals with."
Jason nods a few times, furrowing his brow. "Oh, yeah. Of course!" he agrees. "That's not an issue. She's welcome to stay here as long as she needs to. I can have Jasper take her to work if she needs to get to the Respite-..." he pauses, "...I'm guessing Aylena will give her some time off." He shakes his head, realizing that's a discussion better had with Va'ynna herself, "It doesn't
matter. We'll figure it out." he finally says with a sigh. He goes quiet, shifting uncomfortably in his seat for a moment as his eyes move to his terminal. Eventually, he looks back to Victoria, cocking an eyebrow at her. "So...? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you've probably figured out I didn't call you down here just to ask how V is doing...."
Victoria nods and looks to the floor for a second and then raises her head back up. "Yeah, I figured that much out."
Jason nods again, looking just about as uncomfortable as he feels. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. Biting his lower lip, he folds his hands on his desk and lowers his gaze to them as his mind races with a way of breaching the subject. "I know what you're going through." he finally says, gaze still locked on his hands. Being open and honest with the people important
in his life is what has gotten him this far. When in the field, his life hangs in the balance and hinges on Victoria's actions, and if that doesn't count as 'important' than what does? "Maybe you've already heard that. Maybe some of the others have given you the pat on the back, the sympathetic eyes-..." he waves it off dismissively, finally resting his gaze back on Victoria, "It's
bullshit. Well meaning kindness? Sure. But it's bullshit. I know what you're going through. Someone you love was hurt and every bone-... every muscle-.... everything inside of you is screaming out and telling you that you need to put those fuckers in the ground!" he continues, poking his index finger into his desk with a thud. "And you want to believe that's the right thing to do.
You want to believe it because you think it's gonna feel good. You want to believe it because you think it will keep V safe. You want to believe it because-... fuck it. Those scumbags deserve to be in the ground." He bites back on his words, realizing he's getting himself worked up. He folds his hands once again and settles back into his seat. "I know what you're going through." he
repeats calmly. "Story of my fucking life, alright? When those assho-.... when those-... people had Linda-..." he reigns it in, doing his best to remain professional but failing miserably, "...It's not a stretch to say I was prepared to tear half the galaxy apart to get her back. Every second that she wasn't here. Every second that she was out there in danger was like a thousand needles,
poking at every part of me. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't do shit without wondering if she was okay. If she was alive. If I would ever see her again...." he relents once again, letting out a deep sigh. "I get it. But you keep yourself in check. This self-destructive bullshit-...?" he continues, casting a brief glance to his metallic hands, the first thing his mind
jumps to at the phrase 'self-destructive' although he tries to hide it, quickly returning his gaze to Victoria, "...It's not good for anyone. Not you. Not V. Not the rest of us. Because no matter how scared you are for her. No matter how worried you are. When you tie up your loose ends and bring her home- and you better fucking believe me that was the only way this was ending, with V
safe and sound- you still have to live with the shit you've done. The person you've become. And you owe it to V to be better than that. Better than a monster. Better than the people who took her." His features soften as he falls silent and it's quite apparent that he's probably talking as much about himself as he is about Victoria. "You are better than that, Vicky."
Victoria remains silent during it all, taking in Jason's words and listening. She understood that had been at least two times with Redrock where she had been self destructive and both times had been things she had personal ties with. She remains silent for a few moments after all of his words taking them in. "I know." Being the only words she speaks at first. "I am not better than that, Wolfe. I never will be. Va'ynna is the only thing in my
life that makes me want to be a better person." She pauses again and looks to the floor. "It took every fibre of my being not to go back to the old me, the me that would do anything to get what I wanted or to keep those I find close safe." She shakes her head and then raises it to look back at Jason. "Wolfe, I am a monster. Va'ynna is the only thing that makes me not feel like one. When they had her, I almost went back to being that
Jason listens silently as Vicky speaks, and it looks as if he's about to interrupt when she refers to herself as a monster, but he stops himself. When she finishes, he shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Vicky. But that's just not true. You're a good person. You've got a whole lot of baggage weighing you down but-... fuck, who doesn't?" he asks, although he doesn't give Vicky a chance to
answer before continuing, "The people on that ship of yours? The one you're about to pilot across the galaxy to make an honest wage? You probably saved all of their lives. Gave them an honest life. A chance to make something of themselves. You could have just as easily said 'fuck it' and went right back to what you used to do when we took the ship back. You could have but you didn't.
That is the person that V deserves. The person who won't take the easy way out just because it's comfortable. Because it's familiar." He sighs and shakes his head as he looks Vicky over, "I'm not saying that asari back there didn't deserve a round to the dome." he admits, "I'm just saying it didn't need to come from you. Because- and trust me on this- shit has a tendancy to boomerang
right the fuck back. So we let her go. Maybe it bites us in the ass, maybe it doesn't." he shrugs, "We'll deal with it when the time comes. If the time comes. But we'll deal with it on our terms. Not as monsters willing to snuff out another life like it was nothing. So rest easier knowing you were the bigger person, Vicky. You gave her a second chance. That means something. And,
fuck, I'm proud to be able to say you're a member of my team. You just have to find a way to deal with that shit inside of you or it will eat you alive." he adds, tapping himself on the chestplate with his index and middle finger.
Victoria gives a nod and continues to listen silently to Jason's words as he continues to speak. Maybe she was not that monster she use to be, but that side is still apart of her and she knew it as it show some of itself today. "Thanks, Wolfe. I just don't think me and jobs that have personal connections to me, go well together." She said with an honest tone.
Jason gives a sigh and a nod of his own. "Sometimes I wish I could take a step back, too..." he admits, "...Because if you think it was easy for me to let her walk away, you're dead wrong. V is my friend. One of my best friends. I would be lying if I said there wasn't something tugging at me that wanted to make sure every single one of those pieces of shit never had the opportunity
to hurt anyone ever again. Right. Wrong. Didn't matter-..." he adds with a shake of his head, "But then I reminded myself that I can only avoid mirrors for so long. Eventually I'd have to take a look at myself and accept the things I've done. Is that the sort of man I want to accept? One who pulls a trigger rather than giving a second chance just because it's easier? Because there's less
risk and less to be scared of when all of my enemies are dead? Is that the sort of man Linda deserves?" he asks, lingering on the question for a moment as his gaze lowers to the table. He gives a shake of his head, "I'm not going to let them determine the type of person I am, and neither should you, Vicky. We walk a tightrope everytime we go out there, regardless of the stakes or
personal connections. It's the nature of the business. We wear armor. We carry guns. But it's on us to show everyone that we're not a bunch of thugs that go around shooting anyone that opposes us. We're professionals who believe in more than just a credit chit."
Victoria nods still sitting silently and listening to the words of Jason. "I understand. I will make sure that I will keep it under control from now on." She goes back to being silent for a few moments again. "I will be sure not to give Redrock a bad name due to my actions."
Jason finally allows a smirk to form and he nods. "I'm not worries about you giving us a bad name, Vicky. I just wanted to make sure you're alright." he says. Glad to have gotten through all of that, he seems to relax slightly, though his gaze shifts back to his hands for a few moments before he speaks again. "So you're setting out soon for our first trip...?" he asks, trying to shift
the attention away, "How is all of that going? I flicked through the reports but-..." he shrugs sheepishly, "....Eh. Paperwork has never really been my thing. Looked like it was shaping up well from what I saw, though."
Victoria nods and relaxes in her chair after dealing with all that drama. "Yeah, the first trip will be in a few days. It is going alright, got a few stores I am doing businesses and the Respite."
Good to hear. It should be some nice added income if you're able to keep all of that running smoothly. You've got the experience, though, so I'm sure it'll be fine.
Jason shifts in his seat a bit and glances over to his helmet briefly, "Before you go, I've got one other thing I needed to talk to you about." he says, "Given what we just talked about, I'm going to let you be the one to make the call here. You know what you can handle." he begins, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Renala might be able to trace the location of the buyer that
asari was talking about. Like I said, I don't plan on resting until I know V is safe." He gestures to his gear, alluding to why he's still in his armor, "If Renala is able to come through with a location, I'm planning on moving on the intel right away. I understand why you might want to be a part of this. But like you just said, personal connections have a way of complicating things.
Given how important this is to you, if you want to come with, you're in. If you don't feel this is something you'll be able to keep a level head about, I'll call in someone else to handle it with me, but the offer is on the table. If you say you can keep your shit together-..." he shrugs, "...then I trust you."
Victoria gives a nod and thinks it over for a few moments, thinking if she would be able to keep it under control or not. "I would like to be apart of that job, if it happens. Or at least try to be, and I will do my best to keep it under control."
Jason 's smirk grows into a smile and he nods in turn. "I'll send a message your way as soon as I know more. Expect to hear something in the next few hours, so stay ready to gear up and move out." he says. He gestures towards the door, "Go ahead and get back to V." he adds, "She should be around people that care about her right now. She's been through too damn much..."
Victoria stands up and nods at Jason. "Yeah, I will be ready to gear up as soon as I am need." She stops for a second to think about her next words. "I should try and spend as much time as I can with Vay before I have to travel across the galaxy."
Jason snickers, but nods again. "You do that." he says, tapping his terminal to reopen the office door. "And Vicky?" he starts, "Think about what we talked about. Figure out the person you want to be and the person that deserves to spend the rest of their life with V. I've got nothing but faith that you've got it in you. And if you ever need to talk or-... hell, just a stiff drink-..."
he taps his knee against his desk, indicating the bottle of rum stashed away inside, safe from prying Vasquez eyes, "...My door is always open." He furrows his brow for a moment and shrugs, "...Okay, well not always. But that's what the buzz thing is for." he gestures towards the door. "Just-... I'm here, alright? You've got friends and people around that care if you need an ear." He
Victoria gives a nod "Thanks Wolfe, I will keep that in mind. Now, I know a place to get a bottle of something if I am ever low on money." She jokes on the last part. "Now if you excuse me, time for me to spend some time with Vay." She begins to walk out of his office.