This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#RedrockAgency – April 1, 2017
It's midday on the 14th of November. An average, overcast winter day in Freedom Falls. With neither Aite's fantastical sky nor the imposing outline of the nearby mountains visible through the thick, gray clouds, the settlement could almost pass for some remote Earth town. Vasquez' car has just pulled into the parking lot. She's been away most of the morning, gone off with Markus to tell him about their mother. She's gotten little,
if any sleep, having lain awake most of the night, easily noticed since there was none of her usual tossing and turning, which often requires a reminder of Jason's presence to calm her. No mention was made of Jason's birthday during her brief presence in the morning before heading out.
Jason is seated in the rec room in his usual attire- long sleeved white shirt, black pants and boots. Asajura highlight from throughout the week are playing on the screen as he sits at the table pulling apart his Phalanx and putting it back together over and over. It's currently just a mess of parts spread out in front of him. He looks each one over, his synthetic hands hovering just over the table for a moment before he begins
Vasquez enters the building, soon making her way upstairs after a stop in her office. She's wearing her grey work pants along with a tank top and light jacket, having dropped the winter coat in her office. She enters the rec room with a bag of groceries in hand, a distant look on her face as she heads over to start restocking the fridge.
Jason cusses loudly as he finds himself having trouble properly seating his Phalanx' barrel and tosses the parts on the table. Seems maybe he hasn't adapted to the new arms quite as well as he's been playing off. He gives an embarassed glance in Vasquez' direction as she enters the room and sits back in his seat. An uncomfortable silence permeates the air as he does his best not to pry, instead simply watching as Vasquez begins to
stock the fridge. It's not hard for him to put the difficulties with his Phalanx behind him as his focus turns to Vasquez. "Hey beautiful." he calls out, forcing a lopsided grin into place.
Vasquez sets the bag on the counter, opening the door to the fridge and starting to place groceries inside. She shows no immediate reaction to Jason's greeting, but after a moment she furrows her eyebrows, letting out a confused "Huh?" and looking over her shoulder at him.
Jason shrugs his shoulders and folds his hands atop the table. "How-... Uhh.... How is Markus doing...?" he asks. Nice and generic. The perfect way to pry while hiding your prying behind a veil of small talk.
Vasquez stops moving groceries for a moment, letting out a weary sigh. "About as well as you can expect." she has without looking his way, staring idly at a carton of space cow milk for a moment before resuming.
Jason's gaze moves down to the table and he nods a few times, matching her sigh with one of his own. "So... He-..." he falls silent for a moment as he tries his best to navigate the touchy nature of the conversation. He clears his throat and looks back to Vasquez. This requires subtlety. A delicate smoothness. "How'd he take it? Hearing that your mother came back from the dead as a mad scientist?" he gives a long, drawn out
whistle, "Gotta~ be~ a~ mindfuck~" Delicate. Smooth. Subtle. He gives an awkward chuckle that quickly turns into an uncomfortable sigh.
Vasquez lets out a quiet grunt, far from amused, but too tired to be annoyed. She unpacks the last of the bag in silence before responding. "I was never able to read him very well..."
Jason stands from his seat and crosses the room, taking a position against the counter behind Vasquez. "What did he say...?" he asks. Realizing he's doing exactly what he was trying to avoid- prying- he sighs. "Shit. Sorry, Linda. I don't mean to-... I mean, I know this must be hard. If you don't want to talk about it...."
Vasquez looks over at him with a brief scowl. "I don't." she confirms, and then places the last few groceries in the pantry before filling up a glass of water and taking a long sip as she leans back against the counter, looking out the window.
Jason sighs, but gives an understanding nod. "Yeah..." he says simply. His gaze follows Vasquez and- when she takes her position against the counter- he slides over beside her, extending his arm to rest his hand flat against the counter behind her. He remains silent for a few moments before deciding to cut through the discomfort. "I'm here..." he says, looking her over briefly with a shrug, "If you decide you do want to talk.
Alright...? You don't have to go through all of this alone, Linda. I know it-..." he shakes his head, giving another sigh, "...It all sucks, right? It's a fucked up situation... But... yeah." He forces his lopsided grin back into place, a clear look of discomfort on his face over the whole situation and having to address it openly. "You and me, right? We're in this together."
Vasquez gives a small nod, brushing a hand briefly against his arm, and then immediately pausing briefly as she realizes the futility of the gesture. It was a hard habit to shake. "I know." Another moment of silence before she finishes her water and puts the glass down, pushing off from the counter. "Markus and I aren't exactly close. He needs some space."
Jason gives a shrug of his shoulders. "Close or not, it's a lot to take in. Think about how you felt when you first found out..." he says, stepping over towards the fridge. "Takes time to wrap your head around something like this." he adds as he begins looking for any sign of the glazed donuts he has taken a liking to. "Just let him have his space. You two are a lot alike and I know how you get..." he gives a glance in Vasquez'
Vasquez lets out another quiet grunt, turning to the coffee maker and starting to fill it up. There's no sign of donuts, unfortunately.
Jason is unable to hide his disappointment over the lack of donuts. "You didn't get any donuts..." he says with a frown. "You know. The ones I like from that-..." he glances over to Vasquez, "...place down the-..." Okay, probably not the time. He sighs and shakes his head before propping his smirk back into place, "It's no big deal. I'll pick some up later."
Vasquez glances back at him. "Yeah, I was a little preoccupied, alright?" she snaps at him before turning the coffee maker, watching it in silence as it starts to hum, fortunately no longer producing an eardrum-rupturing whir.
Jason puts his hands up defensively, palms outward. "Hey, I'm not complaining!" he explains, "I get it!" He shrugs and retakes his position against the counter. "...Just had a taste for a donut is all..." he mutters under his breath.
Vasquez continues her wait for coffee, a slight edge lingering in the air as she remains silent. Once the machine's work is finally done she fills up a cup and mumbles: "I need to get to work.", holding the warm cup in her hands.
Jason furrows his brow. "Work? I thought maybe-..." he gestures towards the screen, obviously having assumed they'd spend some time together considering it's his birthday, "...we would watch a few movies or something...? Come on." he pleads, nudging her playfully with his shoulder in an attempt at defusing a bit of the edge, "You've had a pretty heavy day. Relax. Work will still be there tomorrow."
Vasquez furrows her eyebrows in a mix of annoyance and confusion. "Movies? What-... Jason, I have a lot of work to do, I don't have time for that." she says as she walks past him towards the door, coffee in hand.
Jason gains a brief look of frustration and hurt before it sets in that she probably doesn't even remember that it's his birthday. Obviously that doesn't feel very good either, but she has a lot on her plate. "...Right." he says simply, his tone growing a little more distant. He gives a nod to himself and folds his arms across his chest. "Just-... uhh.... take it easy, alright? Try not to dwell on everything so much... It'll all
Vasquez gives a distracted nod and a grunt in response as she leaves the rec room, heading for her office downstairs.
Jason remains against the counter as she leaves the room. "I'll just be right here if you need me..." he calls out to her. Once out of earshot, he gives a deep sigh and stares distantly at a spot on the floor for a few minutes, doing his best to keep himself from taking it personally. Eventually he makes his way back over to the table where his Phalanx is dismantled. "Just you and me..." he grunts as he retakes his seat and begins
looking over his hands. He balls his hands into fists a few times before relaxing them and beginning the process of putting his weapon together yet again.
Halisi opens the rec room door fifteen minutes or so later, seeming to have come straight from town judging by the fact that she's still in her winter clothes - coat, purple knit hat and gloves. In her hands is a fairly flat, impeccably wrapped package, with a neatly tied and curled strings. She pokes her head in first, gaze darting across the room as she searches for Jason with a smile on her face.
Jason is just finishing up another full reconstruction of his weapon. It seems his goal is simply just to pull it apart, put it back together, and then repeat the process over and over again. After a couple hours of frustration prior, there's a pleased expression on his face at having finally put it together without any hitches. A sense of accomplishment as his hands do exactly what he wants them to do. He lifts his weapon,
Halisi clears her throat as she steps into the room, gesturing slightly with the package in her hands. "Hope I'm not interrupting." she says in a cheery tone, a brief moment of confusion crossing her face as she notices that Jason seems to be sitting on his own, tinkering with his gun. "I didn't hear anything about plans for a party, but I figured I would at least drop by and offer my congratulations."
Jason's attention snaps towards the door as he hears Halisi enter. There's a brief look of disappointment on his face when he realizes it's not Vasquez, but he does his best to hide it with a smirk. "Hey." he greets, sliding his weapon aside. He waves dismissively at her comment, "Just another year, right? Didn't feel like making a big deal out of it. Besides, we've got enough shit going on right now without me adding to it." he
explains, trying to downplay his disappointment at being alone on his birthday. "But I appreciate it. You didn't need to come all the way out here, though. A call would've been more than enough."
Halisi shakes her head dismissively. "Don't be silly." she says, removing her coat and leaving it on the back of the couch as she rounds it to sit down next to Jason. "It's not exactly a long trip, and besides, it would have been hard to give my present in a call." she says with a smile, wiggling the box slightly before extending it to him.
Jason raises an eyebrow as he looks over the box. His smile grows a little more genuine as he takes the box from her hands and sets it down on the table in front of him. His gaze moves back to Halisi, giving her a look that- despite the smile- makes it pretty clear he's not too comfortable with accepting gifts. "You didn't have to do this. Seriously." he insists as he begins to open the box.
Halisi raises an eyebrow, and a small smirk follows at Jason's comment. "But I wanted to." she says with a small shrug. "Happy birthday, Jason. And... thank you. You and the rest of Redrock. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you." Her gaze moves to the gift as he starts to unwrap it. The wrapping paper conceals what appears to be a paper book. More specifically one about the history of asajura as a sport and its
turbulent early years. She frowns slightly. "I-... well, I'm not really much of a sports person. I'm not sure if it's something of interest, but..."
Jason gives a snicker as he looks over the book. He glances over to Halisi before gesturing to the screen which is still going over the asajura highlights as an asari broadcaster commentates over them. "Yeah. You could probably say it's an interest of mine." he says. "Thank you." he adds with absolute sincerity. Whether or not he'll read it is beside the point. The gesture and the attention paid to his interests is more than
enough. "And... don't mention it. Really. Because that road goes both ways. When things got bad-..." he continues, unable to keep from glancing to his synthetic arm, making it clear what he's referring to, "...you got me home. And you brought Linda back to me." He reaches across the table, giving a brief pat against the back of her hand. "You've more than done your part. You'll always have a place here, Halisi." Never one
to get too comfortable with wearing his emotions on his sleeve, he reaches into the box and removes the book, giving another appreciative glance her way.
Halisi nods slightly, and for a moment her gaze follows Jason's to his arm. Her smile soon returns, and she leans back in her seat. "While I ended up here through... terrible circumstances, I'm glad that I did. I feel I have been able to do more good here than I ever did working for Londinium." She pauses, looking down at his hands once more. "How are your arms doing? Have they been giving you any trouble lately? I have been
Jason gives a loud groan at the mention of a checkup and slumps a little deeper into his seat. He sets the book down on the table beside his Phalanx and sucks in a deep breath. "They're-... fine. Great." he says. After a short pause he shrugs his shoulders, "I'm-... still getting used to it all. Big movements?" he bends his right arm at the elbow, bringing his forearm up and then back down as if lifting wights, "No problem. I can
squeeze a trigger. Rip an elevator door open." he continues, a lopsided smirk crossing his face briefly but it just as quickly fades away. "They get the job done. But smaller more precise movements? Still taking a little getting used to... It's not perfect yet, but I'm getting there."
Halisi 's smile softens, and she gives another nod. "That's not surprising. They are still a rather new part of you. It will come with time. I would like to do a checkup regardless though. There may be some adjustments we can make to help things along."
Jason seems conflicted about something for a moment, his own gaze moving down to his hands as he sets them flat against the table in front of him. "I think they make Linda uncomfortable." he finally blurts out, giving a brief, embarassed glance towards Halisi. "She avoids them. Touching them. Even looking at them. She thinks I don't notice but-..." he shakes his head. "I mean, I get it. It's fucking weird, right? I'm like a human
can opener." he jokes, letting out a quiet snicker as he returns his attention to his hands, "I guess I was just wondering if there was something we could do to-... you know.... Make them a little more-... uhh..." he trails off.
Halisi frowns, going quiet as she looks down at Jason's hands. Eventually she looks up at him with a sympathetic expression. "I-... we can look at some options. Your prosthetics are designed to be compatible with synthetic skin but you should know that it's both expensive and high-maintenance. If... that will help you be more comfortable it's definitely worth considering, but... if this is all about how... Linda... sees you...
have you talked to her about this?" She pauses and adds: "Would you like me to talk with her? I'm sure it's been an adjustment but these arms are a part of you now, and I'm frankly surprised to hear she doesn't treat them as such."
Jason brings his hands up, waving dismissively as she offers to talk to Vasquez. "No, no, no... She-..." he sighs, shaking his head, "She's great. It's not like that. It's just taking her a little more time to get used to them. Just-... don't say anything, alright? She's going through enough right now with the pregnancy and the wedding and-... Just a lot." He sucks in a deep breath and forces a smile as he looks to Halisi, "Just
Halisi 's frown remains, not particularly convinced by Jason's forced smile, but she nods slightly. "Alright. I didn't mean to intrude in your relationship, I just don't want you undergoing a medical procedure because of outside pressure, even if it's from your fiancée." An uncomfortable second later she asks: "Have you had a chance to read through the pregnancy literature I sent yet?"
Jason settles back into his seat, giving a couple of nods to her question. "Of course." he says plainly, followed by a shrug of his shoulders, "....Mostly. I mean I skimmed... Found plenty of shit on the extranet, though. So I think I'm good." Suddenly remembering something, he leans in a bit, "Which reminds me! I read this one story on the extranet about this chick who was pregnant, right? Human woman. Human husband. They did
the dirty diddle double dumpling dance, okay?" he raises his left hand, making an O with his thumb and index finger before inserting his right index finger through the hole, "And then when she was like eight months pregnant, she drank out of the wrong cup at work. Turned out it was an asari's cup, right? BAM. Month later she gives birth to an asari baby. Fucking crazy, right? I'm gonna write Linda's name on a bunch of
cups. Make sure she doesn't drink from the wrong cup." He taps a finger against the side of his head, "Staying on top of things."
Halisi shoots Jason a skeptical look at his initial claims, but when he launches into a ridiculous, and medically impossible story she finds herself covering her face with her palm and letting out a groan. "Wh-... that's not-..." She shakes her head with an exasperated sigh. "Smart move." she says simply, before taking a look around the room. "Where is Linda anyway?"
Jason gives a proud nod. At her question, he cocks a thumb towards the door. "She's down in her office. Had some work to do." he explains, doing his best to keep from showing his disappointment over the lack of her presence, "Pretty busy around here right now with everything going on. I think she's trying to cram as much in as she can before the wedding takes all our attention..."
Halisi nods, though a faint frown lingers briefly before her smile returns and she shifts in her seat. "Always work to be done, isn't there? Speaking of, I should be heading back. I'm sorry I can't stay any longer, but I need to get ready for the afternoon shift." she says as she stands up.
Jason waves her off with a nod. "Stay warm out there, doc." he offers before raising the book up off the table. "And-... thanks again. Guess this means I'm gonna have to figure out when your birthday is now, huh?" he teases.
Halisi grabs her coat, smirking as she looks back at him. "You may find that a challenge. I had your medical file to help me, after all." she says before exiting the room.
Jason gives a snicker and a shake of his head as she leaves. Once gone, his smile quickly fades as he's once again left with only his thoughts to keep him company. He sets the book back inside of the box and places the box on the floor beside his chair to clear out some room to get back to work. With a deep breath, he looks over his synthetic hands.