This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#Miner'sRespite – September 3, 2017
It is the evening of the 21st, and strong winds howl outside, a hint of the winter's chill making itself known to those seated near the windows. The usual crowds are present, the seasonal weather driving more people than average to seek out the protective warmth of the Respite - and its drinks. There is a gust of wind, and a swirl of snow flies onto the nearest table as the doors open and Yan Sun step in, clad in full winter carb
and clutching her hood in one hand, while the other holds a plastic bag. She stomps the snow off of her boots and steps in, only relaxing once the door closes.
Va'ynna is standing behind the bar, talking with an asari patron while she pours her a glass of light beer. The fatigued asari look anything but ready for the long night ahead of her tending the bar alone. She's wearing a tall long-sleeved red shirt and black jeans as opposed to the usual dress.
Yan Sun heads over to the bar, brushing some snow from the shoulders off her jacket as she goes. She studies Va'ynna for a moment with a curious expression, waiting with no particular rush for the asari to finish with her current patron.
Va'ynna frowns as her hand is patted by the other asari – a dark-blue maiden around Va'ynna's age with a brighter hue around her face. However, their words are drowned out by the chatter of other patrons, making it nearly impossible to listen in unless you were to sit right next to them. Va'ynna gives a small nod before walking off to meet the new arrival. "Hey," she says with a small smile, though eye
Yan Sun rubs her just ungloved hands together as she considers the question for a moment. "Something, uh... something warm. Uhm... tea!" she exclaims with a small smile. After putting the plastic bag down by her feet she takes a seat on a stool, her gaze moving to Va'ynna's clothes for a moment.
Leah steps through the back door with her omni-tool in-hand. She hasn't changed into her armor, but it's not unusual for her to go entire shifts without doing so. She's dressed in a light blue t-shirt and form fitting black pants to go with her clunky, unlaced boots. Her dirty blonde hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail. "Yes I-..." she says, nodding to herself as she speaks to whoever is on the other side of the call.
"...But-... I'm-..." she continues, seemingly cut off every time she speaks. She rolls her eyes and removes her earpiece, allowing it to dangle between her fingers as she stares towards the counter, silently counting the seconds in her head. As she spots Yan Sun, she gives a bright smile and lifts the hand gripping her omni-tool to give the woman a brief wave as she mouths the word 'hey'. The temporary distraction causes
her to wince as her attention shifts back to the earpiece and she shoves it back into her ear. "Wha-... I-... Of course I'm listening to you, dad! I just-... Yes, but I'm at work! I have to go! Okay. Okay. Okay? Okay!" She scrunches up her nose. After sucking in a deep breath, her frustration slips away, replaced by her smile once again. "Love you too, dad..." She gives a roll of her eyes as she ends the call.
Va'ynna tilts her head. "I... don't drink tea, so... there's none that I can recommend over the others," she admits and puts a small, open carboard box on the counter with a handful common types of tea. "I should, though,... because the weather isn't getting warmer anytime soon." She's momentarily distracted by Leah's voice cutting through the ambience and looks her way, but quickly catches herself doing that
Yan Sun lifts her hand off the bar counter in acknowledgement of Leah's wave, an amused smirk briefly crossing her lips as she overhears the end of the phonecall. As Va'ynna addresses her her focus returns to the asari, and she seems about to say something when she heads off to fetch water. She closes her mouth when she realizes it'll have to wait a moment.
Leah tucks her omni-tool and earpiece into her pocket before approaching the counter and fetching a glass for herself. She steps over to the sink and begins to fill it with water as she gives a glance in Yan Sun's direction. "Bad day to go for a walk." she says through a smirk as she examines Yan Sun's clothes and the small amount of snow still clinging to her jacket that hasn't yet melted.
Va'ynna returns just a moment later, carefully carrying a teacup filled with steaming hot water. "Good evening," she says to Leah before putting the teacup on the counter.
Yan Sun shrugs, grinning slightly. She bounces a little in her seat, trying to get her blood moving. "Had some shopping to do. Kinda understimated how long it'd take. Used to being able to get what I need online I guess." As Va'ynna returns she smiles and hovers her hands around the cup with a nod. "Thanks."
Leah takes a sip of her water and sets down the glass as she leans against the counter. "Hey, Va'ynna." she returns the greeting, tilting her head to the side to look towards the asari. She shifts in place a bit until she's comfortable and nods to Yan Sun. "Yeah, it can take some getting used to..." she agrees before adding with a frown, "But it's not so bad when the weather clears up. Nice excuse to get out of that cramped
Va'ynna takes a step back, deciding to remain quiet while she looks around to see if anyone needs service. She frowns, thinking back to how long it's been since last time she went shopping, especially alone.
Yan Sun snickers slightly, glancing towards the stairs as well. "Yeah. Realized I should explore the place more while I'm here. It's, uh... very different. From what I'm used to." After a quiet, slightly awkward chuckle her attention turns back to Va'ynna, frowning as she looks at her. "Sooo... just curious. Don't w-... wait, I'm Yan Sun. Maybe I should repeat that in case you don't remember me. I was just wondering about your
Leah glances Va'ynna's way, looking over her outfit as well. "You look nice." she adds as a sidenote with a smile, but decides not to interject.
Va'ynna raises her brows, blushing a bit as her clothes becomes the topic of discussion. "Thank you, I... um, it's... what I found that fit," she says. "Other than dresses, it's difficult... to find anything Thessian that's my size in Freedom Falls." She frowns, and looks down. "It's... been a while since I've spent a lot of time clothes shopping," she continues, "I don't want to be... a burden on anyone that
Yan Sun raises an eyebrow at the comment about keeping her safe. "I... guess the streets aren't the safest. Learned that last week. Been working on my self-defense since. Can't be afraid of moving around, right?"
Leah frowns and leans a bit more heavily against the counter as she listens. "Can't let a few assholes keep you from living your life." she offers to Va'ynna with a shrug. "In my experience, Freedom Falls may not be the safest place in the galaxy, but it's a whole hell of a lot of steps up from some places out here in the Terminus..."
Va'ynna closes her eyes, looking quite tense. "Everytime I... feel safe enough to walk on my own...," she shakes her head. "My biotics are... useless, and I can't cope with dangerous situations like... like... a combatant." She sighs and looks over at Yan Sun. "Sorry, you... didn't come here to... hear me complain."
Yan Sun frowns slightly. She didn't really anticipate this kind of response from an asari. She glances towards Leah, not quite sure what to say. "Well... I'm no fighter, trust me. Like I said, last week? This asshole with a knife came at us. I froze. It's a good thing my girlfriend didn't." she says, opting to leave out the ugly scene that followed, but the thought of it causes her frown to deepen, as she turns her focus to
Leah's frown deepens. With a sigh, it fades away and she gives a sympathetic glance Va'ynna's way. "Maybe you just need a little training." she offers with a shrug. "Something to boost your confidence a bit. Hopefully you never need it, but it can never hurt, right?" Her gaze lowers to the counter as she considers Yan Sun's words. Just the fact that people were openly attacked on the streets right here in town causes her mind
to drift to Tara and just how potentially dangerous her presence in town might be. And just what in the hell the militia are doing. No point in voicing any of that, though. Wouldn't do much to ease Va'ynna's concerns, that's for sure.
Va'ynna takes the box back below the counter, being careful not to bump into Yan Sun's teacup. Her frown has not faded at all, Yan Sun's story affirming her pessimism. "I... that... that will take a lot of training," she says, "and... I would still not be able to hold my... own against three armed mercenaries." She closes her eyes again, looking deeply concerned as a thought crossed her mind. "I'm... probably
Yan Sun blinks. "Armed-... what? You have mercenaries hunting you? 敗家了..." She seems surprised that such a timid-seeming asari would be in such trouble. She carefully sips her tea as studies Va'ynna, flinching slightly from the heat, even if it isn't unwelcome.
Leah falls silent. She's been mostly kept up-to-date with what happened with Va'ynna by Jason. She is security in Va'ynna's place of employment, after all. It's unlikely anything she can say will put Va'ynna in a better position. "For what it's worth, you're safe here, Va'ynna." she says. Her size and less-than-intimidating presense may say otherwise, but hopefully she's proven herself enough by this point for that to mean
Dawn enters as the doors slide open, sidestepping another patron on their way out. The final gust of wind before the door closes causes her long, relatively light for the season, black coat to flutter briefly. She pulls down her scarf from her face as she approaches the counter.
Va'ynna gives a slow nod. "I... don't understand either," she says. "I... don't even... know who paid them, or what she wants." She turns towards Leah. "I... I do feel safe here," she says, her frown still present. "Even after... all that's happened." She takes a step back, her discomfort only growing. "Again, I'm... I'm sorry," she mutters. "I didn't mean to... bring this up." She turns around and starts
Yan Sun 's frown lingers as Va'ynna starts to depart, and she shoots Leah another glance. She knows little of the situation, and it's not really her business, but still. She says nothing however, since Dawn reaches the counter.
Dawn gestures for Leah's attention, since Va'ynna seems to be departing. She shoots Yan Sun a brief glance as she waits.
Leah turns, looking at first as if she's going to say something to Va'ynna but thinks better of it. She turns back towards the counter with a sigh and takes a sip of her drink. "She's... been through a lot." she explains simply to Yan Sun, opting to avoid any detail, lest she share information that's not really either of their business. She straightens up as Dawn arrives, setting her drink down and propping her smile back up in
place of the frown she previously wore. "Hey..." she greets, despite their less-than-friendly previous encounter and the lingering discomfort it left behind. "...Need something?"
Dawn nods. "Yes. I'm looking for someone that used to stay here. Gregorij Sakamoto. Can you tell me when he turned over his room here? Did he say where he was going?" She stares at Leah with her unnaturally violet eyes. They look almost glowing in the gloomy lighting of the Respite.
Leah furrows her brow. "Uhh... Sorry I-..." she passes a glance uncomfortably over her shoulder towards the door Va'ynna disappeared through. With a sigh, she shakes her head and levels her gaze back onto Dawn. "I don't think we can really... give that information out, Dawn. Anything else I can do for you? Drink or...?" she offers, hoping to ease away from the subject without incident.
Dawn doesn't entirely manage to hide her frustration as she briefly bites her lower lip. "I really need to speak with him. Any information would be appreciated."
Leah offers a friendly smile and a nod. "I can let him know you're looking for him if I happen to see him. That's the best I can do." She tilts her head apologetically, "Sorry..."
Dawn lets out a quiet sigh, resisting the urge to bring a hand to her temple, and instead digging into a pocket and leaning against the counter. She slides a credit chit across. "Please." she says, meeting Leah's gaze. Her expression is blank, but a glimpse of her frustration shines through in her stare.
Va'ynna emerges from the back door, looking a lot more calm and composed than when she wandered off. She takes a few steps in the opposite direction of where Leah is, fearing that they'll resume the conversation she walked out of. She looks around the bar to see if there's anyone that needs her service.
Leah glances down at the credit chit, then back to Dawn. Then back to the credit chit. When she looks back to Dawn, the espression on her face is one of frustration. Offense, even. It's not like she knows Greg very well, but the implication that she might sell a customer out for the right price is just insulting. Holding Dawn's gaze, she presses a finger against the credit chit and loudly slides it right back in front of Dawn.
"Orrrrr I have a better idea. See, my job is to make sure the people here are safe." she explains, having shifted from her usual bubbly tone into serious-business mode. "It's a job I take pretty seriously. So when someone comes up to me with a bribe-... And that is what this is, Dawn. A bribe- for information on one of our customers? That sets off red flags. So I suggest you tell me what this is about." She offers
that familiar, bright smile once finished. An insincere smile, sure, but a smile. "Or-..." she shrugs, "...You could just order a drink and be on your way."
Dawn breathes through pursed lips, nodding slightly. "Right. My mistake. I'll have an ice tea." she says, gesturing towards the credit chit to indicate it as means of payment. She stands in place as now uneasy atmosphere envelops them.
Leah doesn't reach for the credit chit. Instead she simply nods and moves to make the tea. She remains silent as she does, opting to handle this one herself rather than involve Va'ynna. When she returns, she sets the glass down on the counter and slides it to Dawn. "On the house." she offers. Maybe it's not within her authority to do so, but they can charge her for it if they see the need to. Defusing potentially hostile
situations is her job, and nothing calms someone down like free shit. Free shit and smiles, which she also keeps on display once more. Besides, the last thing she wants to do is touch that credit chit, lest Dawn misinterpret it as covertly accepting her little bribe.
Dawn grabs the chit, and reorients it with a quick twirl between her fingers before sliding it back into her pocket. "Thanks." she says, her voice rather stilted, before grabbing the ice tea and heading off towards the stairs.
Leah's smile persists as Dawn steps off towards the stairs. Once Dawn is a good distance away, however, her smile slips away. "Another day in the Terminus Systems." she says to Yan Sun with a sigh. "Hope that one isn't gonna be trouble..."
Yan Sun 's expression is distant once Leah addresses her, and her eye is lit up. "Urgh, nothing." she mutters after a moment. "It's... really weird being in a place without cameras. I'm used to IDing people pretty easy." she adds as her attention turns from her AR HUD to Leah.
Leah cocks an eyebrow, an amused smirk on her face. "We've got cameras." she says with a glance to an arbitrary location in the ceiling. "Guess it's not the same when you're dealing with people who don't have legal records and-..." she furrows her brow as something seems to hit her. "Hey! Were you trying to hack our security!?"
Yan Sun blinks. "What? No! I was trying to run a face-check... then I realized there's nothing to check against out here. I don't have access to shit. Used to have an easy time telling who people are back home. Just had to get into the PubSec network and you've got names, records, addresses. String the surveillence alerts together and you can track movement..."
Leah blinks a few times. "Right. And you do realize that's incredibly unsettling, don't you?" she asks as she casts one last glance towards the stairs before returning to her previous position leaning against the counter. "So... do you stalk people often, or is it just a side hobby for you?" she teases as a grin returns to her face.
Yan Sun frowns slightly, but the second question elicits a snicker. "Right, because it's less unsettling when it's a faceless corp or government agency doing the stalking. I mostly learned how to hack it to keep them from tracking me." After a split-second she adds, with a shrug. "Mostly." and then sips her tea with a small grin.
Leah waves a hand dismissively. "Oh, you'll get no disagreements out of me when it comes to whether or not creepy big brother is-... well... creepy. I've read more than enough to know what all of that could mean for me in another ten years..." Her smile fades briefly as she lets out a short sigh, absently reaching back to touch the tip of her fingers to her amp. "But, that doesn't mean I feel any more comfortable about
Yan Sun studies Leah in silence, the fading of her smile not going unnoticed, and she seems about to say something, but the last comment causes her to let out a brief laugh. "Hey! No need for name-calling! I'm the nicest stalker you could ask for!" she exclaims, but her small smile quickly fades. "Guess there are... good reasons for someone like you to want to live somewhere off-grid like Aite..."
Leah shrugs her shoulders, trying not to dwell too much on the subject. But, being a subject her and Yan Sun have already breached in the past, she finds herself less inclined to brush the subject off. "It's just nice to live somewhere where it doesn't matter quite so much, I guess..." she says simply. "On Earth?" she asks, standing up straight and reaching back to untie her ponytail. As her hair falls free, she scrunches up
her nose and shakes her hair into place before doing a quick little twirl in a circle. Her hair does a nice job of concealing the amp. "I hid it. I had to. But you can't live that way. People will find out. They always find out." she sighs, far more than any one incident springing to mind. She reaches back as she begins to pull her hair back up into a ponytail. "But out here?" she continues as she ties it back into
Yan Sun looks on in silence as Leah demonstrates her hair. Her explanation causes a small smile to cross her lips. "I get what you mean. There's... a weird since of freedom out here. Despite everything else it's... kind of nice, actually." She takes a sip of her tea, and ends up lowering her gaze to the cup, a thoughtful look on her face as she studies the amber liquid within.
Leah gives another nod once her hair is taken care of and resumes leaning against the counter. "Well, whatever it is, it's home. That's good enough for me." she offers with a smile. "You said before you were planning on leaving soon, right?" she asks, recalling their prior conversation, "Where to?"
Yan Sun nods. "Yeah, uh... yeah. I'm showing Jessica Earth. Hong Kong, specifically. My home. After that... I have no idea, honestly. Been thinking about that a lot." She sips her tea, briefly reflecting on how much she wants to tell someone that she, after all, has only recently gotten to know. "I mean... it's exciting. Knowing we could go anywhere... but it's... overwhelming."
Leah leans a bit more heavily against the counter and props her cheek up with her hand. "Oooooh~" she sings, "Traveling the galaxy with Miss Grumpybutt. Sounds like things are serious, then?" she asks, leaning right into gossip-mode with a big grin.
Yan Sun looks back down at her tea in a fruitless attempt at hiding the embarassed smile that covers her face. "I, uh... I guess, yeah." She grips the cup more tightly and shrugs. "It's... kind of hard to tell with Jessica." she admits, finding herself surprised at how easy Leah is to talk to.
Leah gives a loud snort. "Oh, I know." she admits. "I read the reports. Doesn't sound like too many people at Redrock will be sad to see her go." Realizing this may come across as harsher than intended, she lifts a hand apologetically, waving it from side to side, "I haven't personally had any issues with her!" she spits out just to make it clear, "And you seem nice enough. Aside from your creepy hobby, anyway." she tosses in
Yan Sun looks up at Leah with annoyance, and a hint of sadness, but the save softens her expression. "I know Jessica is... a difficult person. I'm not gonna pretend that's not true. But... I hate that that's the only impression a lot people have of her. There's... so much more to her." A smile starts to creep onto her face as she talks about Jessica, and she lowers her gaze again, brushing a strand of hair aside. "Sometimes
Leah's smirk widens right back into that familiar smile of hers as she listens to Yan Sun speak. "Well, I try to make a habit of filling my contact list with awesome people, so I suppose I should finally get around to having a chat with her before she leaves." she says. Her promise to Yan Sun to give Jessica a chance despite hearing mostly negative things about the woman.
Yan Sun 's smile remains as she finishes the last of her tea and turns her gaze back to Leah. "Well, you got me on there. You really need more?" she asks with a smirk as she hops off her chair, leaning down to grab the plastic bag as she prepares to head up to her room. After a moment's thought she adds: "You're pretty cool, Leah.", with another smile.
Leah gives a humble little shrug, lowering her gaze to the counter briefly. Ah, what the hell, who has time to be humble? "Yeah. I am, aren't I?" she agrees, followed by a quick snicker as she settles in for the rest of her shift. "See you around, Yan Sun."