#RedrockAgency – October 3, 2018

Jason accompanied Ilyna to the rec room to try and wait out Vasquez with a healthy dose of cartoons while, for Li's sake, doing his best to mask his worry over their current predicament. The constant checking of his omni-tool- coupled with the repeated steps away from the couch to pace- probably gives away his concerns, however. The more time that passes, the more his worry grows and the more obvious it becomes. After all, Vasquez

Ilyna has not said much at all since she spoke with Jason, and she has been trying her best to focus on the cartoon. She's met with little success in that, and she is not hiding her worry very well. Ilyna still does not know the outcome of this and what it means for her future here, and as time goes on, she fears she may have another night awake thinking about it.

Li 's eyelids have grown heavy over the course of their waiting, and she's lying curled up in the cough by now, head in Ilyna's lap as she watches the cartoons half-asleep.

Jason during yet another lap of wearing a track in the floor due to his pacing, glances at Li. Drawing in a deep breath, he stops his pacing and looks between her and Ilyna. "Look, Ilyna..." he begins, "...It's starting to get late. I appreciate you sticking around and waiting but-... you should probably head home so short stack can get some sleep. All of this will still be waiting for us tomorrow..." he says with a sigh as if

Ilyna looks down for a moment as Jason speaks. She looks about to protest, but seeing Li almost asleep in her lap makes her reconsider. With a weary sigh, she nods. "Yeah, I know," she says, the exhaustion clear in her voice, "I can come back after, though." She looks down to Li, and give her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Should we go home?" she suggests.

Li blinks. "Hmmmh?" she mumbles without making any effort to get up.

Jason gives a few shallow nods. Li's reaction causes a brief smile to cross his lips, but it doesn't last with everything else on his mind. "How about I give you a call tomorrow?" he offers as he steps closer to the couch.

Ilyna lets out a chuckle at Li's response, but it's not long before the weight is back on her shoulders. "We're going home," Ilyna decides, Li's tired mumble is answer enough. She turns her head slightly to the side to see Jason in the corner of her eyes; her neck is still not entirely healed since the mission. "I'll keep my omni-tool close," she says. "So... if you need me to be here tonight, please don't

Li doesn't seem particularly eager to get up. She's thankfully unaware of Ilyna's worries, and the conversation between her and Jason doesn't catch her attention, especially in her tired state.

Jason gives a couple more nods in response. "Don't let this keep you up." he says with a tone of mock threat, well aware his advice will go unheeded. Especially considering who he's talking to. Ilyna isn't exactly the most optimistic of people under the best conditions. Unfortunately there's usually good reason for that. "We're gonna clear all this up. I promise. And we've got a whole helluva lot of work to take care of around

Ilyna nods, returning a smile that's just as forced. "Yeah, I'll... try," she says, though there's not much heart in that promise. "Do you know if Sullivan can bring us home?" She looks down at Li, and gently pokes her shoulder. "Am I carrying you home?" she asks, her flat tone not conveying the fact it's a joke.

Jason is quick to reach back into his pocket. "Oh-... uhh, yeah. Of course." he says, giving a few shakes of his head for not having already thought of that. "Let me just-..." he mutters under his breath as he retrieves his omni-tool, taking the opportunity as an excuse to once again check for any response from Vasquez. He tries to hide the disappointment upon seeing there's still no word from her yet, but he gets right to typing

Li grumbles quietly as Jason ruffles her hair, quiet 'Pfft!'s following as hair inevitably falls in her face. It does prompt her to, somewhat reluctantly, sit up though, bleary-eyed as she looks around.

Li doesn't answer Ilyna, perhaps hoping for just that, but when Jason ruffles her hair a quiet grumble sounds, quiet 'Pfft!'s following as hair inevitably falls in her face. It does prompt her to, somewhat reluctantly, sit up though, bleary-eyed as she looks around.

Ilyna slowly lets go of Li's shoulder as she sits up, breathing the smallest sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you up this late," she says as she reaches for the remote to turn off the screen. "I'll let you sleep a little later tomorrow, okay?" Ilyna rises from the couch, and waits for Li to follow suit before she leaves. "Thank you," she says with a glance towards Jason.

Jason waves off Ilyna's appreciation dismissively. "Don't mention it." he says. A ride home is the least he can do after the stress he put her through with Vasquez. Lowering into a crouch, he furrows his brow at Li as if offended. "Where's my hug, munchkin?" he asks in mock offense, arms out.

Li slides out of the couch and staggers alongside Ilyna, keeping a hold of her hand in one of her own while clutching the omni-tool with the educational VI in the other. "Hmbyejasmh..." she mumbles, but Jason's question causes her to stop and turn around to hug him, practically leaning on his shoulder.

Jason snickers and gives Li a hug. "Take care of your mom and make sure she gets some sleep." he says, emphasizing the word 'sleep' with a glance Ilyna's way as he releases the hug. "Alright?"

Li gives a tired but determined nod from beneath her messy hair as she pulls back.

Ilyna sighs, but she doesn't say anything about it. She holds out her hand and waits for Li to take it. "I'll talk with Halisi about your hair," she suggests, maybe as a distraction from the subject of Ilyna's sleep. "Maybe she can cut it again so that it doesn't get in the way so much."

Jason gives Li a pat on the back as she rejoins Ilyna, watching the pair as they head out into the hallway. Unfortunately as soon as they're gone, so too is anything to distract him from dwelling on the situation at hand.

Li is too tired to offer much of a response.

Jason abandoned the glass from earlier. And the cola, for that matter. A bottle of rum sits on the holorange's countertop, sans cap. His black combat boots are untied, having just been hastily tossed on along with the same black pants he was wearing before. Standing in front of the holorange in a shooter's stance, he places a trio of rounds into the chest of a simulated target as it pops upwards. The scenario he has chosen is a

Vasquez steps through the front door, and after finding neither Jason or Ilyna within view she consults Fergus. After being notified of Jason's location she starts to make her way through the base. Eventually the door to the gym opens. She lingers by the doorway, arms crossed as she watches Jason with a hard-to-read expression.

Jason remains in place, Phalanx tightly gripped as he studies the range. As soon as a target flips up he snaps to it. Three squeezes of the trigger later and he's presented with another closeup view of a tight grouping of shots. The door opening causes him to turn his head to the side and peer Vasquez' way out of the corner of his eye. Drawing in a deep breath, he reaches for the open bottle and slugs back a healthy portion before

Vasquez ' gaze lingers on the bottle for a moment before returning to Jason. "Is she still here?" she asks with a glance around the empty gym, although she probably knows the answer already. There's an uncomfortable stiffness in both her expression and tone.

Jason gives a shake of his head as he studies the grouping of shots for a few moments. "No..." he says. He continues to look towards the screen for a number of moments- or at least pretending to give a shit about what's displayed on the screen- as he chews at his lower lip. Finally he sets the Phalanx down on the counter and turns in place, both palms on the edge of the counter as he leans back against it, eyes coming to a rest on

Vasquez nods her head a few times, staying by the door. There's no shortage of tension on her end either, and for a while she says nothing, before looking off to the window. "I got your message." she says as her gaze returns to Jason. Whatever anger and fear was there when she stormed off as faded over the course of her time away, but what's left is fatigue and discomfort.

Jason glances down towards his boots as he gives a few nods of his own. And then silence. Weighing what he wants to say- needs to say- against the discomfort of the situation, he eventually meets her gaze once more. "I should have told you. I wanted to tell you-..." he begins before relenting with a small shrug of his shoulders where technology meets flesh and bone, "...I should have told you."

Vasquez swallows hard, her gaze falling away before she nods again. "You didn't." she says. There's no hostility in her tone. She looks off to the side as she draws in a breath through her nose. "I-... I thought-..." Something between a sigh and an empty chuckle slips out as she looks back to him. "Why?"

Jason glances away from Vasquez, giving a few distant nods to her assessment. "At first? It just wasn't my secret to tell." he explains as he looks back to her. "I'm not gonna make any excuses, Linda. After Niacal? I should have told you. Guess I was just worried about how you'd react." he admits. "Worried you might flip your shit. Say some shit you don't mean to one of the only people who would have our backs through damn near

Vasquez ' expression hardens, clearly not amused by Jason's 'examples', but her gaze soon falls, her stance turning more defensive at what she perceives as being judged by the man she loves. With the initial shock having passed during her time away it's clear that his words hit her hard now that she's receptive to them. Everything that's happened over the last weeks has weighed on both of them. A silent nod is her only response at

Jason continues to watch Vasquez in silence from across the room. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other as he releases his grip on the counter with one hand and reaches for his bottle and drags it closer to him. He takes his time lifting the bottle to his lips and taking a long draw from it. "Look, you have every right to be mad at me, Linda. I fucked up." he says as he sets the bottle back down beside him. "But all I

Vasquez looks up at Jason when she hears the shift in his voice, and the words that follow cause a shift in her expression. She bites down on her lips, gaze moving away for just a moment before she wordlessly starts to close the distance between them. There's no yelling or hard looks. After all the turmoil of the last weeks and the sheer honesty of Jason's words all she can do is wrap him up in a tight hug.

Jason is quick to return the gesture, synthetic arms wrapping Vasquez up tightly as he pulls her against his chest. He rests his chin against her head as he draws in a shaky breath. "I'm sorry..." he repeats in little more than a whisper, seeming in no hurry to release her.

Vasquez is in no more of a rush to let go, closing her eyes as she presses a cold cheek against Jason's neck. For a while she remains silent, just assuring both herself and Jason that they're both here, together, no matter what. It's obvious that Jason's reaction has affected her, and a faint sniffle sounds as she adjusts her head, squeezing him tighter again. "I didn't-..." she starts, but as no words come she lets out an

Jason despite his aching body protesting the hug, continues to hold Vasquez close. The silence is only broken by the sound of a small kiss he plants against her hair. "...When I was on that ship I thought I might never see you again." he says softly, almost as if the words are stuck in his throat. "...That I'd never see our child. Meet them. Hold them. That I'd never get to see what kind of person they'll grow into. That-..." he

Vasquez plants a soft kiss of her own against Jason's neck as she hears his words, struggling to hold it together as it becomes clear just how shaken he is. "I'm here. We're both here with you. Nothing's gonna change that." she half-whispers near his ear before tightening the hug again, forgetting about the bruises that cover his body. There's much more to be said. So much more. But right now she can't focus on anything else.

Jason gives Vasquez a squeeze as she speaks. "I know..." he says softly, the words seeming to calm him a bit, "...I know..." He envelopes her in the hug, broad shoulders arching forward as he presses a line of kisses across the top of her head. He falls silent for a few moments, a million thoughts going through his head. A million things he needs to get off his mind. Worries and fears that need voiced. But they just get caught in

Vasquez closes her eyes again, letting out a quiet sigh and an uneasy, tired "Jason...". She pulls back a little, loosening the hug and lifting her head, but she avoids meeting his gaze, focused on his shoulder for now. It's obvious she's far from eager to get into this, even though they inevitably have to.

Jason's shoulder is painted with a nice big patch of purple all around the point his arm anchors to. He looks down at Vasquez through tired, glassy eyes as she pulls away. The exhaustion is painted on his face. "Linda, please..." he interjects before she can say anything more. "I'm not going to pretend to know what you went through on Niacal. But I was there by your side every day after. For all of the doctor visits. The