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#RedrockAgency – January 4, 2017
Jason is currently in the gym on a treadmill. He's dressed in a pair of jogging pants, running shoes, and a white tanktop. A towel is draped over the side of the treadmill's handrail. He's been going at it for a while since Va'ynna left to work off a bit of that unspent aggression after the Respite shooting.
Ilyna is walking along the second floor hallway of the Redrock Agency's first floor, near the staircase. She's currently talking with Uvena who want to take her out clothes shopping. If only Ilyna didn't have to dance around why she dresses the way she does, like today where she wears a modest black dress covering her from neck to toe, shoulder to half her hands. She stops outside the gym door, having asked Fergus
for Jason's location. "I appreciate the offer, Uvena," she says as she hits the interface to open the door, "but no, I don't need new clothes."
Uvena lays a hand on the side of her arm, offering a smile. "Come on, Ilyna," she urges. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. You call the," she glances towards Jason at the treadmill, "some of the shots around here, but your little sister dresses with more confidence." She chuckles.
Jason glances to the open door as he hears the talking. Not having expected company during his exercise, he suddenly finds himself wishing he had worn a full-sleeved shirt. The tanktop gives a clear view of where the synthetic arms are anchored into place. Medical grade bolts connect them to his collarbone and portions of the prosthetics weave beneath the flesh of his chest. He reaches for his towel and slings it over one of his
shoulders, a subconscious gesture to cover as much of his self-perceived (And to some degree, self-imposed) disability as possible. "Hey." he offers, giving Ilyna a lopsided smirk.
Ilyna returns the smile to Jason and turns back to Uvena. "Another time, okay?" she asks, feeling a bit guilty for putting off this discussion instead of telling her off. "It's not that I don't want to go out, but... this is what I like to wear."
Uvena nods. "Fine," she sighs. "I'll hold you too it!" She gives a wide smile and walks back down the hallway towards the rec room.
Ilyna chuckles as the asari leaves and enters the gym. To anyone not in the know about her issues, Uvena's opinion is more than understandable, but Ilyna has made the mistake of letting the wrong people know in the past and it was not something she'd like to repeat. "Hey Jason," she says as she stops next to the treadmill. The cybernetic armjoint had caught her attention, but she didn't stare this time. "Am I
Jason gives a shake of his head as he shuts down the treadmill. As it comes to a stop he slows his jogging, allowing hismelf to slide back to the edge of the machine before stepping off. "Nah." he says as he gives a glance back at the treadmill and brings the towel on his shoulder up to wipe at his forehead, "Winding down is always the hardest part after a firefight. Exercising seems to do the trick for me better than anything
else." he explains as he returns his attention to Ilyna and steps towards her. "For what it's worth? I like the way you dress." he offers, his smirk widening as he lets it be known that he overheard their discussion. There was a time when he, too, found it a little strange. But the more he has gotten to know Ilyna, the more it just seemed to... fit.
Ilyna nods. "I'm usually too worn out to do anything like that after a firefight," she says with a chuckle, obviously exaggerating. When he addresses her clothing choice, she looks down, blushing a little bit. "Thank you," she before regaining compsure and return her gaze to him. "I can't fault her for not understanding, but... she's persistent about it."
Jason gives a shrug of his shoulders as he approaches one of the weightlifting benches and takes a seat on it. "People always think they know best for you. My advice? Tell her to mind her own business and keep doing you." he says, knowing very well that's not really Ilyna's way. It takes a lot to push her buttons.
Ilyna follows him and taking a seat at the adjacent bench, thinking about his advice about advice. "I suppose," she says. "I'm not opposed to spending time with her, there might even be something I can learn from her. I don't want to be ungrateful either." She gives a deep sigh. "That wasn't what I wanted to talk about, though," she says. The asari looks away for a moment as she picks her word. "I'm feeling
stressed out with everything going on, that... I cannot do everything I want to do for the people I care about."
Jason puts the lid on the advice for now, furrowing his brow as he listens to her. When she finishes, he gives a sigh, lowering his gaze slightly. He's certainly no stranger to stress. Especially with everything that has happened over the past few months. "Is this about Ehanis...?" he asks, a hint of worry in his voice over the possibility of drumming up their previous argument. "....Because there's not much you could've done
about that, Ilyna. Hell, there wasn't anything anyone could've done about that. It was just a case of wrong place, wrong time. But it sounds like she's gonna be fine..."
Ilyna frowns. "I know," she says. "I just... I would never forgive myself if... the worst were to happen to her one day...." She takes a deep breath, some moisture showing up below her eyes. "She keeps getting hurt, and... something is clearly bothering her," she says sadly. "I want to help, but she keeps pushing me away."
Jason lowers his gaze, giving a short nod at the first part of Ilyna's statement. When he notices the emotion setting in, he stands up with a short, tired grunt and swaps across seats, taking the spot beside Ilyna and bringing a hand up to her shoulder. "I-... That's your sister, Ilyna. It's kind of your job to worry about her, right?" he jokes, forcing a quick smirk. "But I get it. Believe me, I get it..." he repeats with a
sigh. "What we do is dangerous. We do the best we can to make sure everyone comes home, but sometimes it's just-... it's out of our hands." he says, though the words are hollow even to him. The sort of thing that's easy to say, but hard to internalize. Every person they lose. Every injury. It always cuts deep for Jason. But it comes with the territory. "But she's a grown woman, Ilyna. It's like-..." he gestures back towards
the door, "...Uvena telling you what to wear, right? Nobody likes being told what's best for them. She was in this field before Redrock, and I sure as shit think she's a hell of a lot safer with us than some of the other organizations out there. As much as it sucks, I don't think you'll get very far by trying to talk her out of it..."
Ilyna looked guilty about interrupting his exercise, but she wasn't going to push him away. She let him speak without interruption, but the words did not help. Ehanis was different. Her responsibility to her was more than that to most coworkers. She was her sister too. Not that she shrugged off the losses of those at her side in combat, and those she should have been at the side of. "Uvena isn't my sister," she
begins, her voice lowered a bit. "I... know what you're saying. I want Ehanis to be happy, which she clearly isn't, and... I don't want her to experience the kind of things we've seen out there." She looks up at him, a tear trickling down her cheek. "I don't know what to do, Jason," she says, her voice heavy with emotion. Jason was one of the few she could really open up to, free of the constant pressure to
be strong and in control. "I want to be a good mother, a good sister, and... a good friend and coworker."
Jason moves his hand to Ilyna's other shoulder, furthest from him, giving her a quick sort of side hug. "You are, Ilyna..." he assures, "...But that doesn't mean having all of the answers. I mean Li couldn't be luckier to have someone like you looking after her. Ehanis knows how you feel. With how much you worry about her? There's no hiding how much you care about her. And me? I would've been a fucking mess without you here to
keep things running." he lists, alluding to all that she did to keep Redrock going while Vasquez was missing. "You do the best that you can, Ilyna. And that's a hell of a lot more than most. But just because you're willing to give Ehanis good advice doesn't mean she's always going to be willing to listen, right? Sometimes all you can do is let someone find their own way and be there for them when they stumble." he offers
before giving a shrug as he smirk returns, "...And maybe give 'em a few kicks in the ass along the way."
Ilyna leans on him when he wraps an arm over her shoulder, and gives a slight smile. She hadn't done much to close the flood of emotions, and her tears kept coming. "Thank you," she whispers at first while she ponders his words. "And I'd do everything I can to help so that Vasquez has less to do, even if she won't admit she needs it." Ilyna lets out a chuckle, but it doesn't change how she feels. "It's... not
easy," she says. "When Ehanis stumbles, she'll deny it, and then push me away." She sighs heavily. "I... just want her to talk with me, tell me what's wrong."
Jason gives a loud snort. He's certainly familiar with the concept of caring about stubborn people. Though he has little room to talk in that regard. He's not exactly the most forthcoming with his own struggles, either. "Tell me about it." he says with a sigh, "Getting Linda to admit she needs a hand with anything is like pulling teeth. I'm just surprised she was so willing to step down from field duty. A part of me was just
expecting her to keep active in the field all the way through her pregnancy. Figured she'd just bring a little bandana and an extra machinegun in case she had the baby in the middle of a firefight...." he jokes, a chuckle escaping him, "So yeah... We got a couple of assholes to look after. But, fuck it, right? That's just the way things are. We'll do the best that we can." His shoulders bounce as he gives another chuckle at
the thought of baby Rambo with the Confetti Maker. "Maybe easing back a bit will bring the two of you closer. Make Ehanis feel more comfortable with talking to you about things when she's not worried you'll get so upset? You know what they say. Gotta give a little room to breathe or else you'll smother 'em." He furrows his brow as he glances to Ilyna, "That's a thing people say. Somebody said that, right?" he asks, sounding
Ilyna let's him speak uninterrupted, letting out a chuckle at his joke, giving a sheepish smile at finding it funny. That did sound a lot like the Chief Vasquez she knew, even with the recent evidence to the contrary like how she mended things between them after their heated conflict surrounding Ehanis' involvement on Rakhana. She had no input on the human phrase, other than that, "It sounds reasonable to me," she
simply answers. She looks away as she considers his idea. It's anathema to everything Ilyna is and stands for, but it might be the right course of action. It still felt wrong to the asari. "I... I don't want her drifting apart from me again, though," she says, "but I suppose this is different. I'll think about it, maybe... talk to her about it." She was feeling a little better now, but sadness was still
Jason gives the asari another sidelong squeeze on the shoulder, jostling her a bit. "I'm not saying you step out of her life or distance yourself from her. Just-... give her some space, you know? Let her make some mistakes without feeling judged. That's how people grow, right? How do you think I became such a beacon of maturity and wisdom? On top of a pile of horrible, awful, miserable mistakes." he says, not a hint of sarcasm in
his voice. Then, as if on command, he spots something on the floor between the two workout benches. It's a small gummy candy. The sort that were handed out to Li and Tara during the Halloween party. Must've fallen on the floor when he was eating them earlier. He removes his arm from Ilyna's shoulder, leans over and picks the candy up right off the floor before popping it into his mouth and chewing it. Beacon of maturity and
wisdom. What is more wise than the 5 sec-... 5 hour rule? After a moment he makes a face and begins picking at a piece of hair on the tip of his tongue before flicking it away. "See? Growth." he says with a nod as he scraped the top of his tongue against the bottom of his front teeth with a disgusted look on his face.
Ilyna looks down in thought as he squeezes her shoulder and gently shaking her. She doesn't pull herself back when he let go of her, and falls on him. Only when he leans forward, she reacts and straightens up with a sheepish smile on her face. She was about to protest when he ate the piece of candy off the ground, but seeing his grimace as he learned why himself amused her too much. She was feeling guilty about
it, but her attempt at holding back laughter failed miserably, the asari shaking and chuckling at first and eventually breaking out into full on laughter. Intentionally or not, it certainly lightened the mood for the asari. "I... haven't looked at it like that," she says as she forces the laughter down, trying to hurry things back on topic. "I've made some dangerous mistakes too that... led me here. Going to
Jason gains a mildly embarassed look as he becomes the source of Ilyna's laughter and gives her a playful shove with his shoulder. But his attention is quickly drawn back to the topic when she continues speaking and he gives a nod. "...But look where those 'mistakes' got you, Ilyna. We've been through a lot, but we've also done a lot of good out there. Without Omega, we never would've met." he says with a shrug. "Alyssa-..." he
begins, not particularly sure what there is to say there. It was surely a touchy subject. Even moreso given Ilyna's condition. He sighs, allowing a silence to fill the gap and his gaze lowers to the ground once again before he continues, "...The way things ended... I know things weren't-..." he stammers, "Sometimes, we just have to be happy with the time we had with the people we love, right? It's not always enough but-....
but it is what it is." he offers as he looks back to Ilyna, "We take what we can get and fight for just a little bit longer..." His gaze immediately travels back to the floor as he's unable to keep his mind from drifting to his own past. After a few moments he lets out a deep breath and returns his attention to Ilyna "The point is-... we're shaped by those 'mistakes', you know? That's what makes us who we are, for better or
worse. Teaches us who we are... You've gotta make sure Ehanis has enough room to find all of that out for herself."
Ilyna gives a look of mock confusion when she's shoved, but she composes herself quickly when he starts speaking. She gives a few nods during his reply, letting him have time to finish his answer before she speaks. "How... it ended just made me angry," she says. "I wasn't there when she needed me the most because of..." she shakes her head. With the amount of surveillance and sensors there are for security and VI
purposes, she doubted that it was a good idea to continue explaining that. "I don't want to lose Ehanis the same way, Jason," she says in a low voice, "but you're right. Maybe I've been unfair to her."
Jason gives a silent, saddened nod. The guilt of not being there for the ones you love. Letting them down. Another unfortunate situation all too familiar to him. His mind once again drifts back to his past. To Mina. He clasps his hand back on Ilyna's shoulder and gives it a squeeze as he looks to her. "You are there for Ehanis." he says, establishing eye contact to add weight to his words, "We all are. And we're not going to let
anything happen to her, Ilyna." Despite his limited interactions with Ehanis, she's Ilyna's sister and that's more than enough to make her important to Jason.
Ilyna shifts to lean on him again. "Thank you, Jason," she whispers at first, now finally wiping away the moisture under her eyes. "I don't know what I'd do without friends like you right now." She had seen the sad look in his face, but she didn't want to pry.
Jason gives Ilyna another squeeze on the shoulder as he looks to her. "You've been there for me more times than I can count, Ilyna." he says, "So no 'thanks' required." He lets out a long sigh as he shifts a bit in place, "I'm just hoping for a nice, quiet few weeks so I can handle all of this wedding shit. Lately it's just been one thing after another."
Ilyna offers a small smile, wrapping her arm over his shoulder. She can't exactly recall if he'd feel it with the cybernetics arm, but at least the thought is there. "And I'm still here," she says. "Just tell me if I can take some work off your hands, and help with wedding preparations."
Jason can't exactly 'feel' the arm over his shoulder. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. The sensors in his arms give him a sensation akin to pressure to allow him spatial awareness. "I appreciate it. And I might just take you up on that offer..." he says, giving the asari a smirk, "But for now, just keep doing what you're doing, Ilyna."
Ilyna nods and looks off towards the door, her smile widening when her offer is potentially accepted. "I will," she says. "You have given me a lot to think about." Her gaze wanders around the room for a moment. "Tell me, are you going to be in here for much longer?" she asks. "I could join you."
Jason sucks in a deep breath and glances around the gym before slowly nodding his head. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll probably be around for a bit longer." he says, the smile returning to his face, "And I'm not gonna turn down good company."
Ilyna nods and lets go off his shoulder and stands up. "I'm good company, right?" she says with a chuckle. "I'll be back in a moment." She makes her way off towards the door to the hallway.
Jason gives a snicker as he stands from the bench. "For now." he jokes before stepping back over to the treadmill as Ilyna disappears through the doorway.
Ilyna stops by the locker room and grabs some almost just as modest training wear from her locker. She takes it with her down to her office to change where she can change in private.
Jason remains atop the treadmill and pokes at the holographic interface, causing it to start up again. He glances down at the towel draped over his shoulder as he begins to match the speed of the treadmill, keeping it low to start. After a moment, he lets out a sigh and removes the towel from his shoulder to place it back on the treadmill's handrail. Not like it did much of a job covering up his prosthetics anyway. And Ilyna is