This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#RedrockAgency – May 5, 2017
It's early November 15th. Another cold, winter day on Aite with a light sprinkling of snow outside. In contrast, the inside of the Agency is nice and toasty. Jason and Vasquez don't seem to be in their offices and the building is mostly silent outside of the click-clack of Mendez typing up a report in the shared offices.
Leah is upstairs in the gym in her workout gear. Sweat pants, a tanktop, and some running shoes with her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She's sitting on a bench against the wall, one leg sprawled across the bench as she leans her head against the wall. "Sooo I think I'm getting through to her." she says, despite nobody else being in the room. "It's just taking time but-..." she nods to herself, "...Yeah. Yeah, I think
Nathan palmed the interface leading into the gym just as Leah finishes her sentence. His training gear is now too dissimilar to hers in a way with the exception of a pair of shorts rather than sweat pants. A small towel is draped over his shoulder while a water bottle is clutched in his left hand. The cut in the top allows a scar to peek over the top, reminiscent
of a bullet wound. "Who's on the right track?" He steps in and pauses to look at her with a small smile, albeit a curious one.
Leah straightens up as Nathan enters the room, wincing a bit and gaining a brief look of embarassment. "Uh-..." she stammers as she sweeps a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. She glances upwards, looking at the newest additions to the room that are hanging just above her head. A set of metallic, rectangular plaques are mounted on the wall above her. There are two near the top of the wall. They're simple, unremarkable
plaques with a small flourish decorating the corners of the border. Neither plaque has anything else on them. Below them, however, is a set of four plaques. They each have a name engraved on them. 'Justus Tacitus' on the first. 'Maria Penttilä' is on the plaque beside it. 'Sur’Kesh Delaros Dunb Abimuno Nummol Noran Vaden' on the plaque beside that one, which requires a second line of text, causing it to look a bit
out-of-place among the others. The final plaque in the row reads 'Damien Monroe'. "I was just-..." she scrunches up her nose as she looks back to Nathan with a gesture towards the plaques, "Tara... I was talking about Tara." she finally manages without any more context.
Nathan nods softly as he looks to the plaques, a brief look of surprise adorning his features at the new additions. He walks closer, mumbling the name of each one before he ends on Damien's. "Is everything alright between you two? If you don't mind me asking, of course." He doesn't comment on the plaques yet, easily guessing what they are in terms of purpose. He
remembers a time where he had to place up a few himself, after all. His mind is brought back to the now as he looks at the woman, still offering the same, small smile.
Leah falls silent as Nathan examines the plaques, her gaze dropping slightly as he reads out Damien's. When questioned, she gives a single nod. "Yeah." she says softly, almost to herself, before giving a few more nods. "Yeah." she repeats, "I think so. It's-.... taking time to adjust. Everything is still so new to her, you know? And she still seems to think somebody is just going to swoop down out of nowhere and take her
back..." She sighs, bringing her leg in closer and pulling her other one up onto the bench. "The worst part about it all is she almost seems okay with it. Like-.... like it's the only life she knows, right? So that is normal." She asks, glancing over to Nathan with a look of disgust.
Nathan draws his lips into a thin line and he looks to the plaques once more. It was a reminder. For some here, to remember the fallen and their sacrifice in whatever form it came in. For Nate, it served to keep him focused. To make sure no more names were added to it. He sets down his bottle and towel to sit besides Leah, resting his elbows on his knees. "It's
tough. Moving from one life to another in the blink of an eye. Tougher still when you do it alone." He rubs his chin, glancing to her with a sympathetic look. "She just needs time and support, Leah. With that, she'll adapt sooner or later. But it's what is left in here-" He taps the side of his head. "-that will be the hardest to overcome." He pauses for a
moment and his voice grows a modicum softer. "And it'll be difficult for you too. How are you feeling with all of it? Truly?"
Leah leans back against the wall and rests her elbows on her knees, her gaze glued to a spot on the floor as Nathan speaks. When he finishes, she simply shrugs her shoulders. "How am I feeling? Truly?" she repeats the question, hesitating for a brief moment before answering it, "Worried." She gives a tired snicker at her own admission as she tilts her head to the side to look to Nathan. "I don't want to let her down, Nate. I
want to keep her safe. She deserves to be safe. But I-..." she swallows, nodding to herself, "...I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to protecting the people I care about. A runaway slave and a weaponized biotic don't really make for the least conspicuous duo, either... And Jason has been-..." she shakes her head, clearly feeling a bit overwhelmed by the entire situation and far from her usual
rapid-fire-conversationalist self, "...on me to convince her to get her tattoos removed. Some kind of slaver identification system or something. And I'm trying but it's not easy. She's still adapting. This stuff takes time. But it's time we might not have. If the wrong person walks into the Respite and sees those markings on her...?" She lowers her gaze back to the floor.
Nathan runs a hand through his hair, a gentle exhale escaping through his nostrils. He mulls over her words as he looks back to her with that same smile. "Then we forcibly eject them from the Respite for being a nusciance." He raises one shoulder in a gentle shrug. "Look, I'm not really one to talk when it comes to... to protecting people. But you can't let the
past keep you anchored down, you know? You'll just... drive yourself crazy if you do. All you can do is try and if you're doing your utmost, then no one can ask more of you." He allows his gaze to drift to the gym and the equipment. "Just keep doing what you've been doing. You'll see. It'll all work out."
Leah snickers, nodding in agreement at his slaver contingency plan. "You know you're awfully optimistic for a guy who was nearly eaten by a snake a couple weeks ago?" she says once he has finished. She scrunches up her nose as she studies Nathan, "It kiiiinda makes me wanna punch you." She raises her hand, extends her index finger, and draws a circle around her own face, "....Somewhere in this area."
Nathan snorts and turns to her, brow perking up as he watches her little display. "Yeah, well, coming face to face with death certainly has a way of making you try and see the bright side of things." He pauses. "That and my little sister would've kicked my ass if I kept moping around." He studies her for a moment before gesturing to the sparring mat. "Fancy putting
your money where your mouth is, Mercier? Although with the amount of shit you talk, I'm starting to think your mouth has switched places with..." He leaves it at that, a grin on his face.
Leah rolls her eyes, though the grin on her face implies that their conversation has perked her up at least somewhat. "Hey, I wasn't shit talking! I don't shit talk!" she insists, "And why does it feel like my entire life consists of men lining up and practically begging to get their asses kicked?" she adds, entirely contradicting her previous statement. "I'm going to politely decline your offer." she says with a shrug
Nathan laughs, returning the smile as he pushes himself onto his feet. "I have never heard someone cotradict themselves so quickly before in my life. You have a real talent there." He winks as he spreads his arms, slowly stepping backwards across the mat, only occasionally glancing over his shoulder to make sure he isn't going to tumble over some equipment. "I see
how it is, short-stuff. Afraid you might break a nail~?" He snickers, slowing his crossing over the mat just a little. "If you reaaallly don't want to, do you mind at least spotting me?"
Leah gives another eyeroll and a shake of her head. "Yeah, this one right here." she says, giving Nathan the middle finger. She hops to her feet, standing up on the bench, and turns towards the wall. "Talk later, dickbag." she says softly under her breath, pressing a quick kiss to her fingertips and tapping them against the rightmost plaque. Given her height, it requires her to stand on her tiptoes to reach. "Fine. Since you
asked sooooo nicely." she says, dripping with sarcasm as she hops off the bench. Suddenly, she furrows her brow as she follows Nathan over towards the equipment. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Did you just call me 'short-stuff'!?" she asks, the insult just now really settling in. "Not! Cool!"
Nathan flashes her a wink as she steps over, but his attention is drawn to her earlier action. He flicks his gaze to the plaque and the name adorned on it. Damien Monroe. 'I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to protecting the people I care about.' And it slowly dawns on him why she was talking out loud in a room devoid of others. He inwardly
scolds himself for interrupting her and he looks almost ready to ask her about the name. But seeing her brighten up from the inital dour topic and move into her more... jovial self, he just couldn't bring himself to ruin it. So, instead... "Your mind is as quick as an arrow to catch onto insults, Mercier." He grins from ear to ear, watching her with folded
Leah gains a confused expression as she listens to Nathan's continued teasing. "You do realize you literally just asked me to spot you, right? As in, 'Hey, Leah, can you make sure I don't somehow seriously hurt myself?' " she says, putting on a deep, throaty voice as she imitates Nathan. Which sounds nothing like Nathan. Realizing that may not have the desired effect, she puts the dumb voice on again and adds, " 'Because I'm
a little bitch.' " She smiles proudly as she continues to follow behind, "Would be a shame if- oh, I don't know- an accident was to happen."
Nathan stares at her for a minute as his eyes narrow. "...Hey, so... anyone told you that you're just oh so wonderful and kind and not cruel enough to drop a bar on my throat?" He pivots sharply on the spot and crosses to the bench. He slides on the weights, glancing to her as he asks, "So, you planning on taking Tara to Vasquez and Jason's wedding? You know, if
you are planning on coming." He plonks himself down on the bench and adjusts it until he is comfortably underneath the bar.
Leah snickers, amused by his backpedaling. She takes a position near the head of the bench, resting both hands on the bar as Nathan adds weight to it. "Of course I'm coming!" she says, "How many opportunities do you get to go to a wedding out here? Shootings? That's a Tuesday. But weddings? Wouldn't miss it." As Nathan gets situated on the bench, she removes her hands from the bar and straightens up, remaining near the head of
the bench. "And, yeah. I think it will be good for Tara. Seeing people happy~ Dancing~ Music~" she nearly sings with excitement, "What about you? Assuming, of course, that you don't get lost on your way home today and freeze to death or something."
Nathan grips the bar and slowly breathes in and out, in and out before lifting it and slowly lowering it to his chest. He's started off at a reasonable weight, so he manages to talk between each press. "Shootings are Tuesdays, with the occasional crazy person on a Thursday." He lowers it down to his chest, grunting softly. "Well, considering Sofia and I are
providing said music then yeah, I'm coming." He pauses his workout to send a pout mixed in with a glare at Leah. "I think I know my way home by now. And after surviving all that shit on that dustball, I'll be damned if I'll die to that."
Leah cocks an eyebrow upon hearing that they'll be providing the music. She quickly pantomimes playing a violin, tilting her head to the side as she slides an invisible bow back and forth, an annoying gesture that should be familiar by now. "Diddleiddleiddle?" she says, her inflection somehow implying that the familiar nonsense is a question of sorts this time rather than mockery.
Nathan rolls his eyes and waves for her to add some more weights to the bar. "Sofia will be. I'll be on a keyboard," he says with a small smile. "She's always been better at it than me. She absolutely loves it. You know, she came back from a walk in town not too long ago and said that Halisi encouraged her to do the violin as a profession. Travel across the
colonies and perform." He chuckles as he looks up to the ceiling. "That'll make mum happy for sure."
Leah allows a big bright smile to cross her face. "That sounds... nice." she says as she begins to add weights to each end of the bar. Not too much, just a small bump. "Seeing new places. New people. People that just... appreciate you because you can create beautiful music." She nods a couple times to herself as she finishes sliding the weights onto the bar. "Good?" she asks before locking them into place.
Nathan tests the weight before he hums and nods, resuming his workout. Again, not too much strain to inhibit speech, but his replies are a little more spread out. "Yeah, she deserves to live life. Sofia is... heh, she's a caring soul. Not a bad bone in her body, you know?" He huffs as the bar is lowered to his chest, then risen again. "She's the reason I kept going
with my music. Seeing that bright smile eveytime we practiced was something else. And during one of the shitest times of my life, she was there with that violin...". There is a brief lull in his routine, causing the bar to drop just that little bit too far as he finishes his sentence. He blinks and pushes it back up, resting it as he nods for more weight.
Leah's smile grows as he continues to talk about Sofia, though it fades briefly during the tail end of his statement, her gaze moving to meet his when he mentions a rough patch, though she keeps quiet. She doesn't move to help with the bar when it looks as though he may lose it. Though there's a small, barely noticeable glow that wisps around her. It quickly disperses and she does her best not to draw attention to it, wiping a
few loose strands of hair from her face as she moves to add more weight. No smartass comment this time. "I like her." she says, as if just now deciding it. She flashes a quick smile as she continues to add weight to the bar, "And you two seem really close. Guessing it's not easy with you living all the way out here, huh...?" she asks. The jump in weight is a bit further this time, and she glances to Nathan for
Nathan tests the weight once more, nodding and pressing the weight. This time, it's enough to keep him quiet as he does his reps as all his breath is focused on keeping his arms pumping. Up, down, up, down, up, down. After twenty, he sets the bar back into its perch and breaths deeply. "Yeah..." Her glow went unnoticed as he glanced back to her. "We're the two
youngest out of four kids. I suppose that explains why we are close." He pauses for a minute, his chest rising and falling with each breath he takes. "I'm glad to see her. Being out here in the ass-end of the galaxy is tough, away from her, mum and dad... but it's worth it in the end. I've made my fair share of mistakes, but I feel like I've done some good
Leah moves to help him set the bar back down on its perch. It's mostly just a gesture, as there's little for her to actually do. "I think we all have our fair share of mistakes..." she says, forcing a brief smile into place. "All you can do is try and, if you're doing your best, then no one can bitch about it, right?" she says, paraphrasing his earlier words. A nice sentiment, but its difficult for her to really believe 'doing
your best' amounts to much while a plaque commemorating Damien's death is nearly literally hanging over her. Or maybe it's just the thought that she didn't do her best. She pushes those thoughts out of her mind for now. "So... back to Sandbeck?" she asks. "Why?"
Nathan shakes his head and sits upright, ignoring the bar to look at her fully now. "I mean back home. To Earth. I sometimes consider just giving this life up and heading back there. Finish school, get a degree, see I can't get a job in... something." Her words force a smile onto his lips. Using his words against him, even if he didn't completely believe them
himself. It was one of those moments where it is best to say what feels right, even if you don't fully belive it. After all, be carries the mark of his failure with him at all times. "Heh... I was originally going to be a teacher. I had it alllll planned out. And then I decided to catch a shuttle off world with my mate and bang! I get a mech license and join
Leah leans forward, pressing her forearms against the bar to prop herself upright as she watches Nathan. A big smile crosses her face as he tells his story. "A teacher? Really?" she asks. "I mean there's nothing wrong with that! A noble profession!" she immediately backpedals defensively, "I just can't see you sitting at a desk grading papers, I guess." She snickers to herself and then shakes her head. After a moment, her
snicker turns to a sigh. "Think you could go through with it?" she asks. Her tone implying she already believes she knows the answer.
Nathan chuckles and smiles faintly. He honestly couldn't imagine himself behind a desk either, dealing with bratty kids whilst ticking away at exams. He peers at her with a small shrug and, there it is, his easily predictable answer. "No. No I don't think so. How could I? This life, out here... shit, it's where I belong really. The excitement, the adventure, the
chance to see new places and meet new people. Heh, call it cheesy, but that's what I live for. Not knowing where the next step I take will lead me to. Sure, I miss Earth and my family but it'll always be there and I always have enough credits to go there for a week or two."
Leah gives a chuckle, her shoulders bouncing up and down as she gives a shake of her head. "Thought so." she says, "You've just got that look." She points to him, scrunching up her nose as she pretends to study him, "Mmmhmm. Mmmhmm. Same one I see on Jason. After the Chief told me they had a bun in the oven, I went to congratulate him. Asked if this meant he was hanging up his helmet. He gave me this look, like a deer in
headlights, and clammed up." She tries to imitate the look, bugging her eyes out and leaning her head back. An obvious exaggeration. She then gains a sudden, amused expression as she recalls their conversation, "I asked him what he'd be doing if he wasn't doing this and he just-..." a bit of laughter begins to seep out, "...He stuttered a bit and said, 'Donut' before shoving his entire donut in his mouth." She shakes her
head as she shifts her weight a bit and looks back to Nathan. "You've got that same look. I thiiiink you might be what we call... Dun, dun, dunnnn.... A lifer."
Nathan tisks and shifts to face her once more, a bemused expression on his face. "You really have a dramatic flair to your actions. Should've considered a career in acting, methinks." He breathes a laugh, leaning back against the equipment as he mulls over her words once more tonight. "A lifer, huh? Fitting, I 'spose." He falls silent before he picks up on perhaps
the most important part of that entire topic. "A whole doughnut? In one go? He must be a panic-eater."
Leah nods, "Oh. It was impressive." she says with another snicker as her mind lingers on that image before addressing the suggestion. "Acting? Me? Noooo thanks. Millions of people watching you in vids? Crtisizing every little thing you do? Until it pushes you to develop a deep depression that you need four different medications to control? Then you get some sort of designer-drug addiction. And then you're just sitting in
your hotel room, all alone on your birthday, at fourty. Three failed marriages and five kids who you named according to some dumb naming scheme just to remember them. Just hopping from vid to vid, hoping for one more shot at the limelight." Yep. Rambling. "Then... Then.... THEN you traumatize some poor maid when she has to find your body after you off yourself with a bottle of pills that you washed down with one of
those dumb pina coladas. You know the ones?" she asks, this suddenly becoming the most important part of the conversation, "You know, the ones with the dumb little umbrellas in them? Yeah." She shrugs her shoulders. "Just not for me."
Nathan just stared at her as she rattled off. He'll admit, he was impressed at her ability to turn anything into a full blown ramble with multiple points and issues. It was something akin to... well, he couldn't rightly think of a comparison right now. So, instead, he just nodded dumbly. "You watch alot of sitcoms and TV dramas, don't you?" He cants his head,
unable to suppress the creeping laugh finding its way to his mouth at her hatred of pina coladas and their umbrellas. He feared the day Leah was stuck in a room with all three of his sisters. Correction, he feared for anyone else stuck in a room with them.
Leah furrows her brow, almost looking offended. "What is that supposed to mean? I don't-.... I mean-... I watch a few!" she admits begrudgingly. She frowns as he begins to laugh, "Hey, what's so funn-... Tara likes them!" she says. Not exactly a lie, but not the entire truth.
Nathan stands up, a bright smile on his face as he reaches across to clap her shoulder in a friendly pat. "It's nothing. You just have a flair for the dramatic, is all. Fits right in with a Saturday night drama. And, if I can be honest, I think that's one thing you can skip introducing Tara too. God knows she doesn't need to be cursed with those shows," he teases.
Leah gives a roll of her eyes, but her expression of mock-offense slips back, giving way for her smile to return. "Uh huh. I'll take that piece of advice into consideration." she says. She gives a glance down at the weights before shrugging her shoulders. "All done?"
Nathan smiles and looks down at the weights. He nods, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah. I'll most focus on cardio for the next hour or so before I head back. I dunno if you started your workout or not before I came in, but you're welcome to join me regardless." He gives a subtle glance to the plaques once more, his eyes honing in on the fourth one once more before
Leah nods in response. "I started. Wasn't finished, though." she explains. "I was taking a break when-..." his subtle glance doesn't go unnoticed, and she follows suit, gaining an embarassed look. "...Yeah." She clears her throat before tossing her arms out to her sides in a shrug. "I'm good for another hour, I think." she decides and starts towards the treadmills. "Can't wait for winter to be over. I put together my own little
Nathan follows her with his gaze for a moment and he decides to ask, albeit a little hesitantly. "Damien. You two were close?" He takes a few steps to the treadmill and steps onto the one besides her, although he leaves it deactivaed for the moment. He'll ask about the outdoor gym another time because that sounds like something he'll want to use.
Leah seems a little caught off-guard by the question. Her immediate reaction is the typical 'pretend you didn't hear to stall for time'. "Hmmm? Wha-...?" she stammers as she climbs onto the treadmill. Her gaze moves to the control panel and she absentmindedly fiddles with the controls. She shoots a quick glance to the plaque. "Oh..." she says softly, giving the faintest of nods. "We-.... Yeah." She bites her lip and glances over
Nathan gives her a thin smile and a nod. There was a reason you told yourself not to ask earlier, you idiot. He leaves the internal scolding to go on as he programmed in the settings before taking off at a light jog. Where does one go from asking such a question? 'Oh you were, so how did he die?' He shakes his head faintly and looks across to her. "Think?" Well,
Leah's attention shifts right back to the treadmill. She gives a small, insincere snicker through her nose, acknowledging that her response probably didn't clear much up. Meanwhile, she continues to pretend she's actually adjusting settings on her treadmill. Truth is, the stupid treadmill couldn't be further from her mind. "Yeah." she says. "Truth be told, I didn't get nearly as much time to get to know him as I'd have
liked...." she admits, "He was only here for a short while." She blinks a few times, forcing a smile into place to try and tuck her emotions behind, "But he was a good man. He would say otherwise. But, then again, he was also kind of an idiot" she gives a brief, sad chuckle.
Nathan breathes a small laugh as his shoes thud against the treadmill. He looked down at the interface as he watched the numbers slowly tick up as time went on. "Right. Well... he must've made an impression alright." He glances towards the plaques once more, but holds back anymore comments or questions. There was only so far he dare pry and even now he thought he
crossed the line. Instead, he looked to her and smiled faintly, reaching across to finish the programming on her treadmill. "Come on. Let's see if you can keep up, short-stuff," he says softly.
Leah gives another sigh to accompany her nod. "Yeah." she agrees, looking to the plaques once more, "He did." As Nathan's curiosity turns back to teasing, she blinks a few times and quickly brings a hand up to wipe at her eye, cutting off any tears before they have a chance to escape. It's definitely a welcome change of topics. With a beep, her treadmill starts up and she begins to jog, "Fuck off!" she snaps back playfully.