#Halisi'sApartment – October 3, 2018

Ilyna leaves the bedroom after promising Li she would be right there with her. She hasn't said much to Halisi so far other than that it's been a long day.

Ilyna considers going to the bathroom to change out of her dress, as it did catch some snow on her way from the shuttle and the entrance, but she decides against it. She instead walks over to the couch and sits down, leaning back with a weary, frustrated sigh.

Halisi looks up from the datapad in her hand when Ilyna joins her on the couch. She forces the focused frown on her face away in favor of a faint, sympathetic smile as she studies her. "Hey." she says softly. "I wasn't expecting to be the first one here today. Are you alright?" she asks as she turns a bit in the couch, resting one arm on the backrest.

Ilyna looks down at the floor as she considers the question, hands on her lap. "I... had to tell Vasquez," she says, not feeling at ease enough to speak clearly on the subject when Li's in the next room. Aside from exhaustion, there's not much to read from the tone of her voice.

Halisi furrows her eyebrows slightly. "You... had to tell Vasquez? Tell her wh-... oh." she stops as realization washes over her. She takes a moment to process before leaning her head to try and get a better look at Ilyna's expression. "How did it go...?" she asks carefully.

Ilyna takes a deep breath, still not look away from the floor. "It was as if everything I've done didn't matter anymore," she says. "Jason tried to temper her anger, but... she kept shouting, accusing, and then she stormed out."

She draws another shaking breath. "I don't know if she's back yet, but... I couldn't keep Li awake waiting for her."

Halisi 's lips narrow as she listens, frown deepening. The state Ilyna is in prompts her to shift closer and grab one of her hands, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I-... I'm sorry, Ilyna. That's-... you don't deserve that kind of treatment." she's quick to say, still absorbing this new information and searching for more words.

Ilyna looks down at her hand being taken, ignoring the slight pain on her recovering neck, but she makes no reaction to it. "Jason... is convinced she'll change her mind," she says, "but I... I'm not so sure."

She pauses for a moment and lifts her head back to stare at the floor in front of her, and whispers, "If only I wasn't among the pods brought onto the collector ship."

Halisi 's frown returns as she puts the pieces together in her head. "Is... is that why you told her?" she asks quietly.

Ilyna gives a slight nod, still looking at the floor. She takes a deep breath to hold her tears back. "It had to be kept off the agenda for the debriefing," Ilyna says, "so she had to know."

Halisi sighs. "I'm sorry." she repeats softly. "It's not fair to be robbed of the chance to choose on your own terms how and with whom to share something like that." she says as she studies Ilyna. Noticing how close to tears the asari is she utters a quiet "Hey..." as she wraps her up in a hug without hesitation.

Ilyna doesn't return the hug right away, but she does reluctantly lean on her. She's still looking away. "It's... never a choice," she says, not holding back the sadness in her voice even if she manages to keep it low. "I... I told you because I... didn't want to hurt you by leaving you wondering why I couldn't take your hand."

Halisi slowly pulls back with a heavy sigh, suddenly finding herself wondering if she might be making Ilyna uncomfortable after she does. "I-... I hope you know that I'm thankful for that trust." she says quietly.

Ilyna looks up at her, turning a bit to the side so that she doesn't have to move her neck so much. "I wanted to take your hand," she says, her voice trembling as she holds back tears. "I still do." She takes a deep breath and for a brief moment, looks Halisi in the eyes. "But look at me," she says. "My mind is in disarray, I'm scared of going to work tomorrow, I'm... worried for my sister, I... I strive to

Halisi offers a soft, understanding smile that hides underlying sadness. "I know you have... an awful lot on your mind. I'm... sorry if I've added to that. Made you feel... pressured. That's the last thing I want. I care about you, Ilyna. And I'm here for you in... whatever way you want me to be." she says with a faint shrug.

Ilyna is quiet for a moment as she thinks about her response, taking another shaking breath. "It's not your fault,... you couldn't have known," she says, and gives her hand a gentle squeeze. "Thank you... I... I wish it didn't have to be like this. I-I care about you too."

Halisi returns the squeeze of her hand, tilting her head a little as she continues to watch Ilyna. "I've often wished parts of my life were different, but... no one gets to choose everything about their life." she says, her voice betraying the emotion of that sentence. "Might not be fair, but it's how it is. So you try and make the best of what you have, right?"

Ilyna offers a slight nod before sitting back in the couch, and shifting closer to gently lean on Halisi. "Yeah," she says with a sigh and closes her eyes. The long day after last night's poor sleep has worn on her, and even speaking it starting to feel exhausting, but she doesn't want to admit it. "I don't... know what I'd do without you, which... makes me feel worse about it. It'll... always be a

Halisi squeezes Ilyna's hand again, letting the asari rest against her. She almost wraps an arm around her, but decides against it, perhaps worried about overstepping. "You have nothing to feel bad about, Ilyna. I have nothing but respect for you, and the strength you show in dealing with something you had no choice in." she assures quietly, letting silence take over for a moment before adding: "We can talk more about this

Ilyna listens to Halisi's praise wordlessly while taking a few deep breaths to pull herself together. She seems content to just sit like this in silence, knowing the risk of ending up sleeping on the couch like this again. Halisi's interruption of it is met with a weak, affirmative hum, and she sits up straight. "I suppose so," she says, and suggests in turn, "You should probably get some sleep too." After some reluctance, she stands up and sluggishly walks to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Halisi soon goes to do the same after checking her datapad and signing off for the night. She changes in the bedroom while Ilyna is in the bathroom getting ready for bed. Soon enough she enters, grabbing her toothbrush from a glass on the sink. "It's... been nice to have some company in this place." she says out of nowhere, briefly meeting Ilyna's gaze through the mirror from where she's standing next to the asari. She starts to brush her teeth without saying anything else.

Ilyna has changed into a simple nightdress, and is just done brushing her teeth when Halisi enters. She raises her brows as her racing mind is interrupted by Halisi speaking to her. It's a welcome interruption, but still unexpected. "I'm glad you invited us to stay here," she says. "I... I'm going to miss it when the repairs are done."

Halisi nods faintly, meeting Ilyna's gaze again with a brief, faint smile. She leans down to spit, one hand holding back her hair. Upon leaning back up again she replies with a quiet "So will I..." over the running water of the tap as she rinses her toothbrush, taking a bit longer than normal as she tries to keep herself busy, an excuse not to look over at Ilyna again.

Ilyna takes a step back from the counter. "You can visit us anytime," she says, "and we'll come by here, of course. You aren't getting rid of us that easily." She lets out a mostly forced chuckle before starting on her way to the bedroom.