Va'ynna is quiet for a few moments as she tries to pull herself together. It's not the first time she's fought tears from behind the bar, and worrying about how it looks doesn't make dealing with it any easier. "Why, Jason?" she murmurs. "It was... so easy to get rid of the program and... and... leave it at that, but then...." She lets out a sigh, and drops the tissue into a waste bin behind the bar. "She lied
#Miner'sRespite – January 22, 2020
Jason draws in a breath, gaze dropping to his glass. The topic of patching up familial relationships has become all too common of an issue lately and it's hard for him to keep his thoughts from drifting to Vasquez. It's never quite as simple as 'forgive and forget'. Maybe Nari isn't responsible for working alongside a terrorist organization like Amel, but it's clear from Va'ynna's reaction that there's a whole lot of confusing
feelings there. "Maybe not..." he says softly, giving a small shrug of his shoulders as he lifts his blue eyes to Va'ynna once again. "...But nobody is saying that's a decision you have to make right now, V." He props up his smile in an attempt at offering some semblance of comfort. "Figure out what it is that you want. That's what's important."
Va'ynna gives a small nod, and takes a deep breath. "Yeah, I... I'll think about it," she says. "I'm not... putting her call program back on my omni-tool, though. T'Iavay said it was doing things it shouldn't." She steps aside to a sink to wash her hands, and wipes her face once more. The implied offer of leaving it at that does help her compose herself, but the conversation still weighs on her voice and
Jason gives a single, stern nod in response to Va'ynna's comment. "I think that's probably a good idea." he agrees. "But-... uhh-..." he gives another nod, this one softer, "...we'll keep it locked down for you at the office. Whenever you're ready-... if you decide to-..." he stammers, "...you know. It'll be there." he leaves off on as she begins to wash her hands, deciding better than to pile it on. He studies the asari,
silently kicking himself in the ass for not knowing what else to say. The change in subject- even if it is an obvious attempt at self-distraction- causes his smile to grow a little more sincere. "...Yeah." he agrees. "I think she's looking forward to Christmas." he snickers softly before taking another sip of his drink. After everything that poor girl's been through, she deserves a little happiness. Hell, they all do...
"Speaking of which-..." he continues, brows furrowed as he sets his glass back down, "What are your plans for Christmas? I know-... asari." he points out sheepishly, "...but, uhh-... You working, or-...?" he bites back on the invitation that's on the tip of his tongue.
Va'ynna doesn't say anything more about the program, commited to leave that topic behind in favor of matters more immediate. "I'm... going with Victoria to the market after work tomorrow to buy presents," she says. "I don't have the.. slightest idea what to get for anyone, but... I hope I find something interesting." She gives a small smile as she gets to his last question, "I'm not working on the day itself,
Jason tilts his head back sharply at the mention of Victoria. "Right, right, right. Was gonna say you're always welcome to swing by the office." he offers tentatively, lopsided smirk cropping up, "We don't have anything big going on. Just gonna be me, Linda, Ilyna, and Li." he explains, unsure of whether or not Ilyna's courage will hold out to extend the invitation to the good doctor. "Dinner. Maybe some shitty old Christmas
movies." he shrugs, "You know you're always welcome, but I don't want to get in the way of whatever plans you and Vicky have."
Va'ynna tilts her head in thought, seeming conflicted about what she's missing out on. "I... do have plans, with Victoria, her sister, and Uvena," she says, "but I'll... try to stop by for a little while. Just to say hi, and give Li my present. If that's... okay." She gives a small smile, the heaviness of the earlier conversation starting to give way. "Your plans sounds lovely, though," she says. "I haven't
Jason's smile widens a bit and he gives a single, pleased nod. "Absolutely. Like I said, you're always welcome, V." Her conundrum causes him to give a dismissive shrug. "Well, you can't go wrong with the old, classic, animated movies. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? The Grinch? Frosty the Snowman!?" he lists off in hope that one might ring a bell for the asari, seeming particularly excited by the last one.
Va'ynna tilts her head at the unfamiliar movie names, trying to commit them to memory to later ask Victoria or Sarah about it. "I... I haven't heard of those," she says, "but thanks, I'll definitely look into it." Va'ynna sighs. "I've... tried to soak in every little thing there is to know about it," she says, "but I understand that everyone has their own opinions about how it's celebrated. It's.... I like
Jason gives another pleased nod at Va'ynna's commitment to following up on the movies. "No, no, no." he shakes his head, brow furrowed, "Don't get all turned around with the details. Gifts." he begins, raising a hand and extending his thumb. "Food." he extends his index finger. "Family. Friends. Bad sweaters." he continues his list, each one getting a finger devoted to it until his hand is laid out flat. With a shrug he lowers
his hand back to his glass. "There you go. That's all you need to know. Mash those things up and you're doing it right." he explains before adding as an afterthought: "And you can't go wrong with Frosty! The guy has a carrot for a nose!" It seems that, in Jason's mind, this qualifies him for greatness. "A carrot."
Va'ynna brings her hand up to her mouth to cover a giggle at Jason laying out the details for her. The description of Frosty makes her raise an eyebrow. "Strong opinions like this, that's... what I mean," she says, "but... at least yours doesn't involve many different kinds of cookies that I would never find the time to make." She pauses before addressing the important details. "A carrot for a nose sounds...
impractical, though," she says, "but animated films can... ignore things like food spoilage, I suppose."
Jason's smirk widens a bit until Va'ynna calls out the practicality of his old pal Frosty's nose, causing him to furrow his brow thoughtfully, gaze shifting back to what little remains of his drink. He remains like this for several seconds before hit by a question that, somehow, evaded him for all these years. All those early Christmas eves spent on the couch, watching as Frosty marched across across town jovially as he hoped for
a white Christmas of his own. All these years and yet, somehow, he's never considered it. Until now. "...I wonder if he can only smell carrots...?" It stands to reason, right?! The man has a carrot for a nose! Carrots have a distinct scent! Wait, do they...? They must! The story is... It's a tragedy! Brought to life and given a nose but doomed to forever have his senses colored with a carrot filter. Gaze turning back to
Va'ynna, he looks shocked. Well that just won't stand. This requires answers. He scoops his omni-tool back up and the interface projects in front of him, synthetic fingers poking at the keyboard.
Va'ynna looks very confused about why he got so quiet, but the question coming from him makes her have to cover her mouth again. "I... don't know," she says, and leans on the counter to get a better look at his research. The carrot nose is the only detail she knows about Frosty, and so she would also like to know.
Enila appears in the doorway behind the bar, a canvas bag in hand that she was going to carry somewhere until a patron that has been unable to get Va'ynna's attention waves her down. She goes to take their order without giving more of a greeting that a nod Va'ynna's way.
Jason studies the interface intensely, brow remaining perched with a stone expression on his face as he gets to searching. A combination of lackluster typing skills and an uncooperative auto-correct's attempt at compensating for said lackluster typing skills result in a few moments of frustration and confusion. No, don't want to frost snowmen. No, don't want to frost carrots. No, don't want to frost men. 'CAN FROSTY THE SNOWMAN
SMELL' Just as he finally wrestles his omni-tool into cooperation, a small notification pops up across the interface to accompany the sharp ping that sounds out. 'Shane: Be there in 5.' Well, shit. A mystery for another day. Drawing in a sigh, he shuts down his interface, gaze pulled towards Enila, just now taking notice of her presence. He only studies her for a moment before turning his gaze back to Va'ynna and letting
out an exasperated breath. "Meeting up with a buddy-..." he begins before realizing she's been formally introduced and correcting himself, "...uhh, Shane. I should probably go grab us a booth before he gets here." he offers apologetically.
Va'ynna manages to resist laughter as he fumbles with the typing, but there's a clear look of disappointment when the research is interrupted by a message. Whether that's about not getting the answer, or their conversation coming to a close is anyone's guess. "That's... fine," she says with a small smile. "Thanks again, for... letting me know about Nari." The heavy feelings from earlier threaten to return at
uttering the name, and a distraction is needed. So she stands back up. "Should I prepare something for when he arrives?" she offers. "I can... bring it to your table."
Enila does give the pair a brief sidelong look at Va'ynna's thanks and the name mentioned, but she quickly gets on with her work as she goes to fetch a bottled beer with little more than a name to go on.
Jason gives a small nod to the comment about Nari, his smile growing a little heavier as he does. "Of course." When Va'ynna asks about preparing something, he sits up a little straighter on his stool and stretches his neck a bit. He can sense that Vasquez-shaped angel on his shoulder. She's not really saying anything. It's more of a look. A familiar look that's enough to make his jaw ache. Unfortunately, it's the devil on his
other shoulder that speaks up first. "Yeah, sure. A pitcher of beer and a couple glasses." he says. One pitcher between friends. That's all. Hard cutoff. He silently pats himself on the back for setting limits. "Oh, and those fried-... veggie-... things" he adds. "The caliente ones!" he further qualifies with an overblown accent attached to the word, smug smile crossing his features that just reeks of 'I know things'.
"That's Spanish for spicy." he explains through his grin, offering the asari a sagely nod as if he just provided her a nugget of wisdom.
Va'ynna nods a few times as he gives the order, glancing down at the terminal at the second item hoping that the VI made sense of it. It has entered something, but Jason will know for sure in a few minutes whether it got the right thing. She refrains from asking what 'Spanish' is, but the smug tone does evoke a brief laugh from the asari. "Noted," she says. "I'll... try to get it to your table as soon as I
Jason gives a stern, pleased nod, smile remaining on his face for a few moments longer as he studies the kind asari. But it's not long before his smile grows heavy, unable to shake the conversation they abandoned. At first he shifts in place, one hand moving to the counter as he prepares to climb off the stool before stopping abruptly and looking back Va'ynna's way. He wrestles with his own indicision for a moment longer before
finally speaking up. "Just-... one more thing before I-..." he cocks his head towards the booth he usually settles into. There's another brief flicker of hesitation, discomfort overshadowing him. Drawing in a breath, he leans his forearms heavily against the countertop once more. "Look I-... I don't know what your relationship with Nari was like. I don't-..." he shakes his head, "...I'm not-... this isn't me trying to
lecture you." he explains, tripping over his words for a moment. "And-... and I know it's probably not my place to be talking to you about time." he adds, a humorless snicker slipping free. "Hell, my entire life will pretty much just be a-..." he raises a hand and snaps his fingers, the synthetic material of his hands offering little more than a muted thunk, "...flash in the pan to you. But-..." His gaze turns distant
for a moment, peeling away from the asari when silence takes as he considers his words. Fortifying himself with a deep breath, he nods to himself and looks her way once more. When he continues, his words are softer than before. Weighed down. "...take it from me, time goes by faster than you think." He forces that lopsided smile back into place that he so often wears like armor. "And it can get away from you if you let it.
And then, before you know it-..." he swallows, resigning himself to a mere headshake, eyes dipping low for a breath. "...it's too late. So-... uhh-... just-... whatever choice you make, make sure you're making it for the right reasons. That's all I'm trying to say." he concludes on, an uncomfortable wince entering his expression at his inability to get his intention across without stumbling over it. "And whatever choice
you make, I'm here, V if you ever need to talk." he adds, sounding almost like an afterthought as if that should be a given by now.
((And it can get away from you if you let it. You think you've got all the time in the world to fix things. To-... say the shit you wanna say... And then, before you know it-...*))
Va'ynna turns her attention away from him to submit the order when it seems that he's about to go, but it's not long before her attention is pulled right back to him. She lets out a furstrated sigh as the topic is brought back to the fore. It's hard to find Va'ynna away from work for long enough for a chat, she knows that, but why does he always have to bring up these matters when she's behind the bar and
people are watching. It was an easy choice when she thought the only line of contact was gone. She didn't need Nari anymore, not after what she did to her. "Don't say that," she mutters at the talk of time, however. He is right, there might come a time where almost everyone she knows right now only lives on in her memory. If she lives that long with her luck. She takes a deep breath. "I don't... want to
put that back on my omni-tool," she says with some amount of resolve. Tears are starting to well up, and this time she can't keep talking about it. "Your order will be at your table soon," she says flatly, hitting the button on the terminal, and she leaves the room with brisk steps.