Later on the 7th of December. The winter sun has long since set on Freedom Falls, giving way to darkness outside the small, simple room shared by Jessica and Yan Sun. The latter could almost be believed to not have left the bed at all if it wasn't for the empty noodle cup and half-full can of energy drink on the nightstand. She's laying back in bed, looking up at a set of projected screens that have angled to match her head. It's a
#YanSun'sRoom – November 28, 2018
considerably more relaxed way of browsing than the semi-circle wall of holograms she sometimes surrounds herself with, one hand behind her head as the other reaches out to swipe between news articles - mostly about Hong Kong, but some about other places on Earth - on the main screen. With a quiet sigh, perhaps deciding she's had enough for the moment, her eye lights up, and her focus shifts to an unseen point closer than the holo-screen, a
Jessica's return is announced by the sound of the door sliding open and heavy footsteps following. After hanging her jacket, she marches into view without so much as looking Yan Sun's way, her thoughts weighed down by the meeting. She sets a six-pack of beer aquired from downstairs on the desk before absentmindedly unholstering her Predator pistol, removing the thermal clip and placing them beside the booze. She brings one shoe-
still covered in a light glaze of snow- onto the chair and lifts the leg of her pants to get at the batarian blade sheathed beneath. Her and the blade have been pretty inseparable since her return to Aite. There's a distinct lack of a 'Hey slut'.
Yan Sun blinks away whatever brought a smile to her lips when she hears the door open, but it returns when she spots Jessica. "Hey." she says, rolling over to her side and propping herself up, following her with her eyes. Her smile fades as she notices the distracted mood, eyebrows furrowing slightly. She's wearing the thickest socks she's been able to scrounge up along with a black t-shirt, her hoodie, and Jessica's pyjama pants,
Jessica is, unsurprisingly, wearing the same clothes she left the house in. White sneakers. Cargo pants. And a long-sleeved black shirt that looks more along the lines of something you'd sleep in- thermalwear- than something you'd wear to a work meeting. Small holes have been ripped in the wrist to allow her to jam her thumbs through. "Mmm?" she hums distractedly as she turns to face the bed and puts her back against the desk. "You
are still right where I left you. Bum." she tries to tease, but the smile that she attempts to summon makes itself scarce just as quickly as it appeared. She grabs one of the bottles of beer from the holder and lifts it up, briefly inspecting the underwhelming label then bringing it to her mouth and using her teeth to tear at the cap. She struggles with it for a moment in what looks to be a painful attempt at digging the
non-twist cap off but, as with most things that come up against Jessica, it eventually submits and slips off. She holds the metal cap between her teeth for a moment before spitting it onto the desk.
Yan Sun scooches up into a sitting position, leaning back against the wall with her pillow for a backrest as she watches Jessica. She smirks slightly at the weak attempt at an insult. "I got food!" she points out. "There's a cup for you too, but you're gonna have to heat it." she adds with a gesture in the general direction of the public kitchen. She cringes slightly as Jessica tears the cap off with her teeth, briefly distracted before
Jessica takes a quick swig from the bottle then steps forward, holding it by the neck to hand it to Yan Sun. The mention of food gets a genuine grin but Yan Sun's question doesn't garner quite as much enthusiasm, a shrug being her only response initially as she backs up to the desk and begins to repeat the excruciatingly-difficult-to-watch process of tearing another cap off of a beer for herself. This one puts up a little bit more
of a fight, causing her to try a few different teeth, grim determination on her face. But eventually she rids this bottle of its cap as well. It joins its fallen brother on the desk and she turns her gaze to the bottle. "Went-..." she shrugs again, "Was a boring, pointless meeting. Went like boring pointless meetings go." She takes a swig from her own bottle and sets it down on the desk beside her with a sigh, bringing her
hands to rest on the edge of the desk as she leans back against it. "They are thinking the Collectors will come here..." she says, her gaze failing to meet Yan Sun's as she speaks.
Yan Sun takes the offered bottle, having a small sip before letting it rest in her lap as she studies Jessica. She winces as she attacks another bottle, letting her gaze wander across the room for a moment. Jessica's final statement causes her gaze to go back to her, frowning. "Really...?" she asks quietly, twisting the bottle uneasily in her hands.
Jessica gives a few distant nods, her attention turning to the floor beside the bed. She falls silent for a number of moments and it's not until she seems to notice the silence that she straightens up. "Hopefully they will burn this shithole to the ground." she mutters, giving a glance about for any sign of her noodles. "Is unimportant for us." she lies with a shrug, though even she doesn't know whether the lie is to herself or Yan
Yan Sun 's frown remains, flashing a brief, sad smile at Jessica's attempt to dismiss the significance of her homeworld. "Sure, but..." she quickly trails off, sighing quietly and shrugging, perhaps wary of arguing with Jessica despite hardly buying her lie. "You-... you think they're right?" she asks instead, her voice quiet. She leans forward, crossing her legs as she studies Jessica's expression, taking another small sip of beer.
Jessica scoops the cup of noodles up and gives them a quick once-over. As if keeping the conversation casual will keep Yan Sun from seeing just how much the thought bothers her. "I shoot them in their face, kitty cat. Not have a conversation with them. How am I supposed to know?" she sighs dismissively, giving Yan Sun a sidelong glance. Turning in place, she lifts the cup of noodles up in a gesture towards Yan Sun. "I am going to
Jessica go make foods. If they come before I am back, it was nice knowing you." she says as she starts towards the door, a tasteless joke to downplay the severity of the situation as per usual.
Yan Sun 's frown still lingers, and she shifts a bit in the bed, but nods in acknowledgement of Jessica's departure, if not the questionable attempt at humor. She turns her attention to the screen that she abandoned earlier, giving it a swipe as she navigates to a new article.
Jessica re-enters the bedroom a few minutes later, already shoveling a forkful of noodles into her mouth. Using the tried and true lazy method for shoe removal, she steps on the back of each sneaker and steps out of them. She meanders her way back over towards the desk and quickly washes down the bite with a swig of beer.
Yan Sun is still where she was when Jessica left, although the article on her screen is one about the Collector abductions now, which she closes after Jessica enters the room. She pulls her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees as she watches her. "So... so what did-... I mean, what did they say? About the Collectors?" she asks, voice a bit hesitant, unwilling to abandon the topic despite being less than eager to push
Jessica pulls the chair out a bit so she can sit on the desk and put her feet on the seat. Resting the cup of noodles against her knee, she continues to dig in, keeping her focus on the food rather than on Yan Sun. Another shrug is all Yan Sun gets while she focuses on another mouthful of food for the moment. "They don't know shit." she says after a hard swallow. "We piss them off and they are probably coming to kill us all. Blah,
Jessica blah, blah." she says. She finally looks up at Yan Sun from the cup perched on her knee. Taking notice of Yan Sun's obvious concern causes her to fall quiet. "...They don't know shit, kitty cat." she repeats, the slightest hint of uncomfortable sincerity slipping into her tone. "Maybe they come. Maybe they don't. But we are going to be gone either way, yes? Is-... Is going to be fine." she mutters. Being reassuring isn't
Yan Sun sucks in her lips briefly, swallowing as her mouth feels dry. "I-... yeah, I... I guess." she says, gaze falling for a moment before she lifts her beer to her lips again, taking another small sip. She doesn't seem sure what to say, and for a moment she just ends up watching Jessica in silence as she process the possibility, and how to feel about that. Other thoughts enter her mind too. About just how affected Jessica was by what
Yan Sun she saw out there. About the extranet leaks and rumors she's looked through. About the colonies already gone, and about Earth.
Jessica seems to welcome the silence that follows, turning her attention back to her food pointedly. Her gaze turns distant, looking through the cup of noodles rather than at it as she abandons the fork and merely picks at it with her fingers. As much as she tries to pretend that her encounter with the Collectors didn't rattle her, it's not hard to see that there's more going on inside of her than she's letting on. And her worries
have only been worsened by the meeting. She seems at odds with herself for a moment, visibly wincing as she wrestles with the idea of bringing up the data. It was something she had planned to drop into Yan Sun's hands when the time was right. When her intentions might not be quite so transparent. But the truth is, if the Collectors do come? They have no clue when that might be. Maybe it'll be many months after her and Yan
Sun have left. Or maybe it'll be tonight. In the middle of the night while they're both sleeping. Maybe they'll awaken to the sound of a thousand insects buzzing through the Respite. There's no guarantees. Almost aggressively, she grips the cup and sets it on the desk so she can jam her hand into one of the cargo pockets on her pants. "Also, I get-..." she grumbles as she searches for the object in question. She removes a
small storage device and holds it up for Yan Sun to see. After bringing it to her attention, she tosses it to Yan Sun underhanded. "I get that." she says with a nod Yan Sun's way. "They-... The Collectors can-... they can do things... to cybernetics..." she says, her delivery cautious to conceal her concern as much as possible. "Control them. The person who is doing these things for Redrock is not around, so I tell Jason
that you are a big fucking nerd-..." she gives a small, uncomfortable snicker, doing her best to make light of the situation, "...and maybe you will be able to figuring-... figure out how to stop it for them. In case-... in case they come back..." She swallows, unsure how Yan Sun will react. Whether or not she'll see through the very transparent cover for her concern. "Is up to you. Look. Don't. I don't fucking care." she
Yan Sun seems confused, and a little surprised, scrambling to catch the drive in her free hand. She looks it over as she listens to Jessica, eyebrows furrowing. She blinks at the mention of the Collectors controlling cybernetics, shifting uncomfortably and looking up at Jessica as she listens intently. She's quick to nod repeatedly when there's a pause before the final, dismissive addition. "I'll-... yeah, absolutely. I'll have a look
at-... uhm... what's on it?" she says, realizing halfway through that there's been no mention of what's actually on the drive. She looks back down at it in her palm, a mix of curiosity and discomfort on her face.
Jessica's gaze turns to the device in Yan Sun's hand. "I don't-..." she scoffs, another shrug accompanying her sudden frustration over her own ignorance regarding this sort of stuff. "Code? They put it in Jason and the blonde bitch when we are fighting them and the doctor have to take it out." Hey, close enough considering her subpar English skills and lack of any sort of coding knowledge. "And-..." she sighs, her discomfort only
growing more apparent at the thought of Yan Sun knowing the details of what happened out there. What she went through. "...is a report on there, too. Maybe see what you think about how they are doing these things? How to stop it or something? Like I say before, if you don't want to is fine. I am just thinking-..." she trails off, punctuating her words with yet another, far meeker shrug of her shoulders.
Yan Sun nods a few more times, letting her legs stretch back out and closing her hand around the device. "N-... no, I-... of course I'll look at it." she's quick to say, looking up at Jessica again. The discomfort is not lost on her. She considers for a moment before deciding it might be a good idea to have a peek at the contents right away to get an idea of what's on the drive, and she reaches over to plug it into her holo-emitter.
The contents are pretty much as described. The device is encrypted preventing any copying of its contents, though it's highly unlikely Yan Sun wouldn't be able to crack it if she were so inclined. A copy of what Halisi's diagnostics found in Jason and Leah's cybernetics along with a mission report. There's photos and clips. All of the information that was put together for Renala. Most of the still images are of Mingxia and the numerous
hosts the suspected 'Revelator' took throughout the Collector ship. But they're accompanied by general images taken throughout the ship. A sea of husks. In one, the unmistakable grey Enforcer hardsuit can be seen from someone else's perspective opening fire on the possessed Collector with a Falcon. If the Horizon footage hadn't set the stage already, nobody would blame Yan Sun for mistaking the images and helmet cam clips for something out
Jessica lowers her gaze when it's clear that Yan Sun is going to open Pandora's box immediately. "It took over the peoples' cybernetics and makes them to do whatever it wants." she continues, almost in a ramble as if to head off Yan Sun from having the opportunity to comment about the data she's looking over. "It is calling itself 'The Revelator." she says, deepening her voice as she says the creature's name with a scoff. "They
are thinking maybe it is the Collector's general or something..." she trails off with a shake of her head, "...Just-... is all in the damn thing. You can read it for yourself..."
Yan Sun 's eyes widen as her gaze scans across the myriad of images. By the look on her face she hadn't expected this. "乜春..." she mutters breathlessly, staring at the dead, empty cyborg faces, and the twisted shape of Mingxia. She may have seen the footage of the bodies on Horizon, and supposed leaks online, but this is quite a different matter. "Wh-..." She licks her lips and swallows before opening her mouth to speak. A quiet: "...oh
my god..." is all that comes as she watches, transfixed by the footage. For a moment her gaze lingers in the glowing, cybernetic eyes of one of the husks, prompting a sudden chill to run down her spine and causing her to blink and turn off the glow in her own eye.
Jessica bounces one foot nervously against the seat it's rested on. Yan Sun's mutterings cause her good eye to dart about the room, resting anywhere but on Yan Sun. "Mmm. It was fucked." she delivers flatly in her usual attempt at downplaying the situation. Pretending it doesn't bother her. She absently reaches for her beer, fingers curling around the bottle. "So-... So just read the things when you have time and see what you are
Yan Sun flashes an uncomfortable attempt at a smile that doesn't really go anywhere, gaze still lingering on the images. "I-... I will." she says before suddenly deciding to reach over and remove the drive. She looks over to Jessica, sliding one leg off the bed and folding the other under her thigh as she closes her hand around the drive. "Jessica, I-..." she starts, clearly feeling like she ought to say something, but having no idea
Jessica furrows her brow as Yan Sun begins to speak up, finally looking her way. There's nowhere that sentence can go that she wants to hear. A sense of dread settles in at the assumed sympathy that's sure to follow. "I'm not afraid of them." she's quick to say before Yan Sun can pick up where she left off, almost a sense of defiance in her tone. It might not be true, but she sure wants to believe it. "There is nothing that they can
do to me that is worse than has already been done." Except she knows that they can. They have. 'Hate' is a word that comes pretty easily for Jessica, and she has a long list of people, things, and places that she 'hates'. But behind all the false bravado and the front she puts up, there's little she hates more than herself. Being put in that pod? Left to swim in her own thoughts. Her own fears. Her own mistakes. Her own
regrets. Well, if there is a hell then it has a whole lot to live up to after that. "They are not so tough, anyway. We kick their ass back on that ship. So-... so they should be afraid of me, mmm?" she continues, biting down hard before lifting her bottle to her lips and taking a long swig.
Yan Sun offers a small, half-hearted smile, caught between hesitance to poke holes in Jessica's false bravado and a wish to express that there's nothing wrong with being afraid. She ends up putting the drive aside on the table next to the mostly full beer bottle and empty noodle cup before motioning for Jessica to come down from the table and join her on the bed. It's little more than a subtle movement of her head, but she hopes it gets
Jessica cocks her head to the side and leans back against her hands as she studies Yan Sun, her beer bottle letting out a loud CLANK as it comes into contact with the desk. Taking Yan Sun's reaction as an implication that she's relented, a small, wary smile of her own re-emerges. She draws in a deep breath, rolling back slightly before slipping off of the desk, beer in-hand as she crosses over towards the bed. As she approaches
it, she reaches out to rest her beer atop Yan Sun's shoulder and hold it in place as she looks down at her. "Mmm?" she hums in that 'What are you looking at' sort of way.
Yan Sun lets out a slightly exasperated snicker at Jessica's questioning hum, flashing a soft smile before reaching up to grab the beer and, if Jessica lets her, set it aside on the nightstand. She hooks an arm around Jessica's midsection, scooting back a little in the bed to make room while simultaneously tugging gently to both turn Jessica and encourage her to take a seat. If Jessica sits she'd wrap her up in a hug from behind.
Jessica reluctantly releases her grip on her beer with a playful frown and lets out a breath as she drops onto the edge of the bed. A small snort escapes as she's wrapped up in a hug, the standard eyeroll accompanying it. "You are sooo gay..." she mutters in response to the gentle show of affection, though she leans back against Yan Sun. She reaches up with her left hand, burying her fingers in the back of Yan Sun's hair and gently
Yan Sun snickers loudly in response, resting her head on one of Jessica's shoulders and pressing a soft kiss against her cheek as she tightens the hug temporarily. Her eyes close, letting out a quiet purr of a hum as fingertips run through her hair. She doesn't say anything, sitting in silence with one leg on either side of Jessica, and arms remaining around her midsection in a warm hug.
Jessica brings her right hand overtop Yan Sun's, the rough, burned skin of her palm grazing against Yan Sun's. She rolls her shoulders against Yan Sun, putting her full weight against the makeshift backrest as her fingers continue to comb through her hair. Eyes closed, she attempts to push the encroaching thoughts of Collectors away, at least for the moment.
Yan Sun nuzzles the crook of Jessica's neck, and intertwines their fingers, the coarse texture of her hand familiar and comfortable to her. She knows that hand. She knows its rough touch. She loves it. She... loves the woman it belongs to. Despite all the rough edges. Sometimes because of them. She swallows, the sudden butterflies in her stomach combining with the image of Jessica fighting a horde of monsters to come back in making her
want to say the words aloud. I love you. Her mouth opens but doubt and shame ensures that the only sound that emerges is a quiet, flustered sigh.
Jessica gives Yan Sun's hand a squeeze as their fingers intertwine. She continues to slowly, gently run her fingers through Yan Sun's hair, simply enjoying the warmth and the closeness. "Mmm?" she hums in response to the sigh, cocking her head slightly against Yan Sun's in a failed attempt at glancing to her without moving away. "What is wrong, slut?" she teases with a snicker, somehow having turned the crude word into an endearing
petname in her own 'rough around the edges' way. She nudges against Yan Sun playfully, entirely oblivious to Yan Sun's own concerns.
Yan Sun lets out a resigned laugh, pressing her lips against Jessica's neck as she pushes down her embarrassment and forms her response. "Nothing. I'm-... I'm just really glad you're here." she settles on, fear of mockery and rejection combining with the voice of her father hidden somewhere deep in the back of her mind to keep her from voicing her true thoughts.
Jessica gives a small nod, barely more than a subtle movement of her head for fear of displacing Yan Sun and disrupting the comfortable position she's in. "Mmm." she hums softly, "Me too." Despite the casual delivery, there's some raw honesty buried in there. After a lifetime of trying to get away from Aite, there's an undeniable comfort in being back after the Collector ship. And fear, even if it goes unspoken, over what might
happen to the only home she has ever known if the Collectors do decide to show up. Her fingertips rub softly against Yan Sun's scalp as she refuses to entertain these thoughts. "I am glad you are here, too, kitty cat..." she adds. Though, realizing she allowed a little too much sincerity to sneak in, she's unable to resist throwing in a playful: "I guess." Sincerity is Jessica kryptonite, after all.
Yan Sun 's growing smile brushes against Jessica's cheek before she plants a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Hmh... thanks. I think." she says with a snicker, leaning her head to the side enough to look at Jessica, studying her up close as her smile lingers, the feelings she's afraid of voicing shining through in her eyes.
Jessica smiles through the kiss before cocking her head to the side to meet Yan Sun's gaze. Her one, brown eye searching Yan Sun's. Jessica has left a trail of lovers behind her. Bouncing from one to the next has come easily and frequent over the years. Use them up. Get what she can out of them. Leave them before they can leave her. Maybe calling them lovers is a stretch. Is it even a relationship if you're just using the other
person? But Yan Sun saw through all her bullshit. She saw her for what she really was. She saw all of the ugliness before Jessica had a chance to run off and... here she still is. For some reason that eludes even Jessica. Each time she enters the room a part of her expects Yan Sun to be gone. To have come to her senses, realized that Jessica is a dead end, and packed up her things. It's a feeling most would distinctly
identify as fear but she refuses to accept it as such. Because that would mean she cares far more than she's willing to admit. Moments pass before she catches herself simply staring and a wave of discomfort washes over her, causing her to swallow her feelings and look away, clearing her throat as she does. "Well, you did bring me food." she finally responds to try and shake free a bit of the awkwardness she's feeling.
Yan Sun barely seems to notice the time that passes before Jessica looks away, her smile lingering. The comment elicits an amused snort. "Well, yeah. Didn't want to risk having my lunch stolen again." she says with a smirk, letting out a quiet sigh before releasing the hug and scooting back in the bed. She tugs Jessica's arm in the hopes that she'll follow as she lies down lengthwise, trying to get under the cozy warmth of the blankets.
Jessica gives a snicker at Yan Sun catching on to how things work between them. She's rocked in place a bit as Yan Sun tugs at her and she swats at her hand, shrugging her off. "I need to change." she groans as she watches Yan Sun slip beneath the blankets, suddenly wishing for the warmth they provide given the chill still settled into her bones by the walk back to the Respite. With a sigh she rises to her feet once more and starts
Yan Sun shifts a little and slips out of her hoodie, bunching it up against the wall, no longer needed with the blankets now warding against the winter cold that manages to seep through the window. She lets her head rest against the pillow as she watches Jessica head over to the dresser, a soft remnant of her smile still visible in the corner of her mouth.
Jessica shuffles through the dresser for a moment, back to Yan Sun. Jessica, being Jessica, has little issue with just disrobing right where she is rather than moving to the bathroom. She does away with her pants, shirt, and bra, tossing them in a small pile beside the desk. Part of the trail of star tattoos is visible even from behind, snaking its way up the left side of her body. Stars of different sizes and orientations. Some
filled in. Others left empty. It's a sharp juxtaposition to the uneven burns that adorn the right side of her back. One could almost reconstruct exactly how her body must have been sprawled out in the accelerant based on the pattern of burns. The cold Aite air gives her an added incentive to hurry things up. She slips on a pair of sweatpants and a slim, white tanktop before starting back over towards the bed. "You take my
Yan Sun 's gaze travels down across Jessica's body as she watches her change, only turning back to her face when she starts heading back to the bed. She snickers in response to her comment. "They're comfortable!" she exclaims through a slight grin, lifting the blankets aside to let Jessica into the bed. The holo-emitter still lies atop the blankets, inactive, forgotten and pushed off to the side near the wall.
Jessica gives a playful scowl. "Is why they're my favorite, you thief!" she exclaims, a hint of a snicker making itself present as she nears the bed. She reaches out, pressing a palm against Yan Sun's forehead and giving her a playful little shove. "You take my things and you are still not buying me a new hat!" she reminds as she slips under the covers. Almost reactionary at this point, she slips her still-cold hands under the
bottom of Yan Sun's shirt so they come in contact with her stomach. She doesn't even need to consider it. Being annoying is just in her DNA.
Yan Sun lets out a mischievous giggle after her head is shoved, grinning widely. The feeling of cold hands pressing against her belly immediately causes her to squirm and let out a surprised squeak. She's quick to grab Jessica's hands, enveloping them in her own and bringing them up to warm them under her chin as she shifts closer to Jessica.
Jessica judging by the laughter erupting from her, seems amused by the reaction her dickbaggery gets. As Yan Sun begins to warm her hands, she shifts closer in turn. A grin remains on her lips as she presses right up against Yan Sun, eager to absorb her body warmth.
Yan Sun seems happy to oblige, glad to have Jessica close. Since she's lying on her left side, her dark, partly dyed hair ends up falling in her face as she adjusts the position of the hands under her chin and wraps her right leg around Jessica's in an effort to press closer to her. She doesn't say anything, just enjoying the comfort of her presence, and doing her best to silence the parts of her mind that dwell on the data drive and its
Jessica uses the positioning of her hands to raise Yan Sun's chin. As she feels the leg wrap around her own, she removes her left hand from beneath Yan Sun's chin and traces her index finger along the outline of Yan Sun's face to sweep her hair out of the way so she can press their foreheads together unimpeded. Eyes open, she nuzzles up good and close, grin never faltering.
Yan Sun mirrors Jessica's grin when her hair is brushed aside, a quiet, content sigh slipping out as she looks into her eyes - eye? - , which is little more than a blur this close. She's more than happy to just stay like this for the moment, her thoughts split between the now and the future... which is full of questions to be sure, but right this moment she's feeling hopeful. It's going be their adventure, together. Yeah... that sounds
Jessica brings her left hand to Yan Sun's side. So close they can feel one another's breath, she remains silent, merely enjoying the closeness. But the peace and quiet can't last forever and, much like Yan Sun, Jessica has had unspoken words caught in her throat since getting back from her meeting as well. She gives a gentle lift of her head, lovingly nuzzling her nose against Yan Sun's. In little more than a whisper- their