It's early afternoon on the 11th of December. The weather outside is calm with cloudy skies, but the biting cold of the Aitian midwinter still keeps it from being pleasant.
#SioriaApartment – January 20, 2019
Ilyna walks down the street and up to the building. She double checks the navpoint on her omni-tool. The asari is wearing a long, black winter coat with the hood up to shield her from what little wind that still is there. It's difficult to tell if she's armed. Sioria has not received any messages that she is visiting.
Sioria sits alone in her apartment, a glass of something strong in one hand, and an open omnitool on the other, cycling through the broadcast channels without much luck finding anything worthwhile. A fine example of how the last week has been for the Turian. Thankfully she still has time off, but she isn't sure if she wants it just yet.
Sioria blinks and looks to her doorphone from across the small living space, entirely unsure on what to make of it. She wasn't expecting anyone, not today, which really threw a wrench in the works for her plan to wallow in anger and upset. With a grunt, the Turian stands and dusts off her dark blue hoodie and black comfy lounge pants, brushing aside the remaining crumbs from her mid morning snack, which was undoubtedly
unhealthy. With some careful footing, stepping over her still unpacked suitcase which had been left out, she heads for the phone and answered. "Yeah?" She asks in a low tone.
Ilyna steps back from the door phone. "Hey," she says, her voice a bit weak. "Ilyna here. Could we talk for a few minutes?" If there is a camera, Sioria will be able to recognize her.
Sioria peers at the camera, which had seen some damage before she took over the lease, leaving the screen a little distorted. The voice was easier to recognise at least. "Uh... Yeah, alright," Sioria says, entirely unsure why Ilyna had come, especially without saying anything. Weird. Either way, she buzzes Ilyna in and unlocks the front door. "Door's unlocked, let yourself in." With that, she heads back to the couch,
Ilyna enters the building and makes her way to the apartment, taking about a minute to reach the apartment. She opens the door and steps inside, taking a catious look around the apartment before her eyes settle on the turian. "I hope your trip went well," she says. "You have my condolences, by the way."
Sioria looks up briefly before downing the last of her drink, then shifting over on the couch to make room. "About as well as a funeral can go, but... Thank you," the woman grumbles. "Make yourself at home. Take a seat, raid the fridge, whatever it is guests do." Sioria definitely didn't seem to be in good spirits, to say the least.
Ilyna glances off for a moment as she considers her offer, but remain standing when she looks back at her. She can tell the turian's mood is low, which she takes as a sign to be more careful "I won't trouble you for long; I assume you have a lot to catch up on," she says. "I'm here because of Ehanis." She studies the turian's face as she asks, "Have you heard from her in the last eight solar days?"
Sioria slowly nods as she listens to the Asari, processing the words, but her eyes and mandibles twitch with attention as Ilyna mentions Ehanis. She looks up at the woman from her seated position, then shakes her head with a sigh. "Nope. She was meant to come with me, give me some friendly support. Some friend she turned out to be. She won't return any of my calls or messages." The woman lets out a heavy sigh and sinks
Ilyna sighs and looks down at the coffee table, frowning deeply as she listens. For a moment, she wants to believe the turian is just elaborating on the lie. Ilyna knows the turians' aversion to lying very well, and her story sounds consistent with everyone else that's been a part of Ehanis' life, so she refrains from pushing any further. "Ehanis quit her job suddenly eight days ago and haven't been seen
since," she says, not looking up. "Her not showing up on your trip may not be her fault though. I'm not sure you received our call for help, but Ehanis answered it. I wanted her to get off the ship and stay home, but... but she didn't listen to me. I think you had already left when we came back from that mission."
Sioria looks back up to Ilyna at the mention of a call for help, to which she can only shamefully shake her head, she hadn't received a call. She begins to fidget with her hoodie's draw strings, trying to find something do with her hands to calm herself down. "Guess that's it then," she says with another heavy sigh. Her brow ridges looked defeated, her mandibles loose, and her demeanor deflated. "She's just gone. Poof.
In the wind." She taps the draw strings together once or twice as she thinks deeply. "I don't know if I'm more pissed off, or more... Sad. Upset. That she's just gone. I thought she was a friend, someone I could rely on." She cant help but facepalm at her self percieved stupidity. "I don't think I realised she was more than a friend to me. Stupid, stupid Turian."
Ilyna sighs as she listens to the turian, sharing her anger at Ehanis for a moment. Her roommate Mian, Redrock Agency, her, and now Sioria. All people that she's left in the dark. "I can't claim to understand Ehanis any more than you," she says. "We wouldn't be here having this conversation if I did... I think." She finally looks up at Sioria. "My first instinct is to make excuses for her; nobody came out of
that mission without deep scars, but she has a lot to explain when she comes back." She sighs again and adds in barely more than a whisper, "if she comes back."
Sioria shakes her head again as her hands fall to her legs, her body shifting and sitting forward. "I have no clue what happened out there," she says, looking down at the carpeted floor. "So I can't comment on that. Ehanis though... She ain't coming back." She looks up to Ilyna again. "That's what my gut tells me. She cut and run. She doesn't put down roots, she doesn't get involved in anything serious, so it comes
easy to her." The woman is forced to shake her head again. "Deep scars or not, you don't leave without saying anything. It's not right, I don't care who you are."
Ilyna nods. "Yeah, which... isn't atypical for an asari her age so far from home," she says, "but her departure doesn't look like her just moving on. I don't think we're getting the whole story, so... if it's possible, I want to find her." She brings up her omni-tool, navigating away from the employee records to find a message from Jason, and she quickly brings up the attachment. Ilyna adjusts the flat
holographic projection of the picture to face the turian. "She sent this along with a message two days ago," she says. "I forwarded it to T'Iavay for analysis, but she couldn't find much right away. She said she's most likely on this continent's eastern coast judging by her being a few hours ahead of us, but... that's not much to go on."
Sioria looks up at Ilyna, still as deflated as before. "Got it. Never get involved with young Asari, they'll just leave you hurt." She watches as Ilyna prepares the picture, feeling the reluctance deep inside to look at the picture, but she forces herself to. "So... She's still on planet?" She asks, looking back the woman. "...you're going to go looking for her, aren't you. Whats the plan, boss?" She seems to have
perked up just a little, but the Turian face doesn't quite allow for the subtleties similar to a humanoid one. Not enough soft tissue. "You want back up?"
Ilyna looks down to the table again, a bit guilty. Both about a sense of responsibility for her sister's action, and that she's going to burden the turian with this. "Jason and Vasquez just left the agency in my hands for a week, and my daughter Li needs me more than ever after... the mission," she says. "I had to call in a favor to come here, so... I suppose 'backup' isn't exactly what I'm asking for." Ilyna
looks back up at her, placing a hand carefully on the turian's shoulder. "My last lead is Wenera Leren, another dead end most likely, but... a lead worth pursuing nonetheless," she says. Wenera is not a name Sioria would have heard about. "I can compile a list of any reports and documents we have on her, and I can assign you Mendez' Respite shifts if you believe that'll help you find her."
Sioria looks a little... Confused. She doesn't move when her shoulder is touched, not seeming to mind, but Ilyna had her stumped. "So... You want me back working," she says, looking up at her. "Guard duty, regular stuff... And you want me to find her at the same time? Look, Ilyna... I cant guarantee I'll get much out of documents, even if I do get my head on straight. I'll try, of course, but... I dunno. I'd rather be
out in the field looking. Less... Frustrating, I guess." She gives a light shrug. She had been good at finding information in documents, just as well as the next person, really, but with the amount of distractions she had, she wasn't so sure of herself.
Ilyna lets go off her shoulder. "It was a suggestion so you could watch and listen to the people there without raising suspicion," she says with a small smile. "If you don't need that, that's fine. We are short on people at the moment, but that still leaves us with three able employees per active contract."
Sioria considers her words for a bit, then takes a deep breath. "Look, I still need some time off to process. Both Ehanis leaving and my friend passing... It's been a hard week." Then she looks up at Ilyna. "But guard duty at the Respite will do for now. I'll just... Take another week off when we get back to full strength or something. Sounds like easy work, for now." Then she shrugs. "Besides. It has drinks and some
decent eye candy, so I'll have something to distract my thoughts, outside of the research. I'll do it, but uh... Lemme sober up a bit." She looks at the glass on her table, something that has the whiff of strong Dextro spirits.
Ilyna nods. "I'll assign you the evening shifts for tomorrow and the day after," she says, offering another smile. "Just let me know if you don't want them. I understand. I have a lot to deal with too, and... I know it's not easy, so if I can allow you to resolve one thing at a time, you just... tell me and I'll leave your schedule clear." There's is a clear sadness in her voice, and realizing that she stands
from her seat. She's the only authority left in the Redrock HQ, Sioria doesn't need to see exactly how close she is to the breaking point. "I said I didn't want to trouble you for long," she says, looking down at the turian. "You take care of yourself, okay?"
Sioria nods before standing alongside Ilyna, if a little wobbly at first. "Mm. Thanks, Ilyna," she says, genuine appreciation in her voice. As Ilyna moves to the door, Sioria follows, if only to see her off properly. "I appreciate it, chief. I'll get my shit together and get to the Respite tomorrow night, see how we go." She then taps her on the shoulder before giving her a hug. Bizarre, most definitely, and probably
feels strange to be hugged by a Turian. "Sorry if this is inappropriate, boss," she says, before giving her a squeeze. "But I think we both need it."
Ilyna gasps at being pulled into a hug, looking briefly uncomfortable, but it takes just a few seconds for her to lean into it. She has turians in her family who are of the more jagged and cumbersome form: males, so that isn't a problem at all. Ilyna still keeps her side of he hug loose to not overstep any boundaries, however. "Thank you," she says with a weak chuckle. "Please let me know as soon as you learn
something." She lets go of the hug, and taps on the door's panel. "I need to get back to work, and Li," she says. "It was good to see you, Felcolus." Without waiting for her response, she leaves the apartment.