Oxaris breathes a little easier at his simple, but just as reassuring response. She could never quite flick that NCO switch off in the back of her mind. But, given what they just went through, that turned out to be quite a good thing. His fall to silence, however, draws her focus back and she looks at him with a more traditionally stoic look. Her mandibles twitch as she remains silent, giving a quick glance around the room
#Hospital – January 13, 2019
at his gesture. Truthfully, she wasn’t a fan of them either. Too many bad memories for her liking and, grimly, likely many more to come. Oxaris looks back to Jason as he manages to stammer his way back to what he wanted to say. And it... briefly confused her. Getting thanked for doing what was right, what had been ingrained into her through many gruelling years of vigorous and sometimes dangerous training. If there
was the slimmest chance of getting her people, her team out of there, then you take it. You fight for your fellow soldiers, your squad mates. That’s what it made meant to be a Turian. Then again, as she so often has to remind herself, these people aren’t Turians. Their doctrines are wholly different and, what’s more, this isn’t a military organisation. It’s a security company at the edge of the galaxy
that’s ran more as some... strange family than a true business. She looks to the foot of her bed in silence for a moment, clasping her talons together in thought. “Jason,” she says softly. What does she say to that? Normally, it would be a dismissal of the thanks, a statement that she did what was right, what was expected. But this clearly means something astronomical to him. They defied the odds, they did the
impossible. They got to come home to friends, family, loved ones. While she didn’t have that, they did. So, instead, she looks over to him and reaches over to place her hand on his shoulder. “Redrock is my team now. My squad. My...” Family? She barely knows these people. She can’t say that, can she? No. “...If it wasn’t me, it would’ve been one of the others. I saw no scenario where we were leaving that
Jason's gaze remains fixed to the floor until he feels the hand on his shoulder, causing him to meet the turian's gaze. It seems to steady him, hardening his gaze as he swallows and gives a single, stern nod once she's finished speaking. "Maybe so." he says. And she might be right. No, there's no 'might' about it. He knows she's right. For all their flaws, they're a good bunch. And whatever they might lack, 'fight' isn't on that
list. Still, it was Oxaris that took the lead. Fought through a sea of creatures single handedly to save Li. He's seen the footage. Far more times than he'd ever admit. Rewinding. Replaying bits and pieces from all of the helm cams. Doing his damndest to figure out how to keep things from going so poorly next time. Will there be a next time? The thought causes him to inadvertantly sigh aloud. Of course there'll be a next time.
There always is. "But-... thanks all the same. Because of what you guys pulled off out there? I get to go on a honeymoon with my wife." he continues, the lopsided smirk returning to his face, doing his best to focus on that rather than everything else weighing his shoulders down. "Because of what you guys pulled off, Li is back safe and sound with Ilyna. So-... so yeah. Thanks." he repeats one more time, no less sincere than
Oxaris pulls back her hand and gets herself back into a comfortable position in her bed. She offers a smile, having enough knowledge to know what a honeymoon is for humans. But what truly brings comfort to her is knowing that the child is safe. Safe from those creatures. Safe from the horror. It makes the injury just that little more bearable. “Thank you for coming by. It’s nice to have visitors. Especially when they
bring...” She looks at the bottle again. She hopes that classified as alcohol. “...whiskey.” The Turian lets out a gentle laugh, looking at him once more. “I might have to get injured more often.” Again, trying to inject an air of levity into the conversation, Oxaris smiles.
Jason gives a snicker and draws in a breath to clear away a bit of the discomfort that had settled in. "Well, we take care of our own." he says. "Just don't let Halisi catch you with that." he adds with a nod towards the bottle, "Not unless you're in the mood for a lecture."
Oxaris nods softly. “I wasn’t planning on drinking it yet. It can be my celebratory drink after I’m discharged from the hospital.” She smiles, nodding again. “I appreciate it though. If my armour can be fixed, that’s good enough for me.”
Jason gives another stern nod. "Like I said. We take care of our own." he repeats. "You just focus on getting some rest and getting back on your feet. Let us take care of the rest, alright?"
Oxaris nods and motions to the datapad she has nearby. “That was the plan. I’ve been reading some of your people’s literature to pass the time, actually. It’s fascinating, there’s so much variety in your storytelling compared to Turian literature.” She plucks it up and checks she is back on the right page before looking over to him. “Thank you, Jason. And I hope you and Vasquez enjoy your honeymoon trip. I
Jason's smirk grows slightly at the kind words and his attention turns briefly to the datapad. Sensing that the timing of his visit may have interrupted, he grips the armrests and gives a small nod. "Yeah..." he nods again softly, "We sure do..." Rest. That would be nice. But these days even rest has turned on him. Gets away from waking nightmares only to be haunted in his dreams. But the sentiment is comforting. "But I'm not gonna
take up too much of your time." he adds with a grunt as he pushes himself back to his feet with the armrest, his body still not quite recovered from the battering he took onboard that ship causing a brief jolt of pain to shoot through his side. "I'll-... uhh-..." he gestures towards the datapad she's holding, "...let you get back to it."
Oxaris gives him a brief, critical once over at his sudden twinge of pain, but immediately smiles afterwards and inclined her head thankfully to him. “You take care, Jason. And to Vasquez as well.” She leans back into her pillows with a content sigh, as she dials up the brightness on her datapad. But there is something niggling at her mind and she lowers it down once more, gaining a rather awkward look on her face.
“Um... thank you. To you and Redrock for being so concerned for me. I know I haven’t been around long or been very... social, but-... well thank you.”
Jason waves off the appreciation with a gesture of his cybernetic hand. The woman walked through hell to pull him and the others out. Carried a crying child through a ship of monsters. Got her ass shot off protecting his team. And here she is thanking them? Something about that causes a twinge of guilt to settle into his chest. "You're a part of Redrock now, Oxaris. Part of my team. My squad." he explains, using her own words through
a sincere- if tired- smirk. "Like I said. We take care of our own..." he repeats once again, allowing that to linger for a moment before giving a bow of his head and turning towards the exit. He takes a few steps towards the door but the thought continues to nag at him as he reaches it. He places a hand against the frame and lowers his head briefly before turning in place. His gaze crosses the other person in the room, causing
him to grow a bit self conscious over the man being able to overhear him, but he turns his attention back to Oxaris. "If the situation had been reversed?" he says before elaborating, "If it had been you and the others in those pods?" He gives a few small nods of his head. "You can bet your ass I would've been back for you guys." Even though he has a wife at home. Even though he has an unborn child. Even if it meant not coming
home. It comes out more as an admission than anything else. "I-... uhh-..." he stammers, "...I just want you to know that."
Oxaris appreciates his words more than he may realise. In the military, the protection of your teammates and your dedication to them is expected. You can hate one another’s with every fibre of your being, but still protect one another with your life. Here? When he uses those words? She knows that it means more than just professional obligation. So, she looks to him and smiles, a soft bow of her head to add. “I know. Go
Jason allows his head to dip, a bit of embarassment settling in at his own lack of eloquence when it comes to this kind of thing. "That's your free cheap shot for saving my life. I hope you enjoyed it, cuz we're even now." he teases, the lightheartedness seeming to shake away a bit of the discomfort. "Roster is thin right now, so wrap up this vacation ASAP so I can put you to work." he continues as he starts out the door, doing his
Oxaris laughs warmly, glancing at him from the corner of hers with a bemused expression on her face. “Yes sir.” She salutes, a slightly half-assed effort given the situation, before lowering her hand back to her datapad. “Enjoy your honeymoon, Jason.”