December 24th. Christmas Eve. Late morning. The world is blindingly white. Someone must have told Aite that it was Christmas, because the ground is covered in snow. The sky is bright but cloudy, and the Syranis Foundation has put out a prognosis for heavy snowfall later in the day, but right now the air is clear. In the spaceport, workers are busy plowing and shoveling. Occupied pads are left to the mercy of the crews of the ships
#MSVJackOfDiamonds – August 21, 2020
though - more than one crew is out and about clearing snow. The Jack Of Diamonds is, thankfully, in the same indoor hangar its been since limping its way back to Aite. The main door is open, small truck parked right outside. Repairs have progressed, but there's none underway today - the scaffolding stands empty and there's no sparks of welding or sounds of clanking metal. The cargo bay door stands open as well, revealing the metallic
grays and browns of the ship's interior, lit in warm light from the ceiling. It's a far cry from the cold, dimly lit steel of an Alliance ship or the sterile white of a lot of corporate vessels. It feels more like a scrapheap, and more like a home.
Jason has had a pretty routine day so far. Morning jog on the treadmill. Short workout. Shower. Quick bite to eat and then he was off to the spaceport. He arrives in the company car and slowly navigates the hustle and bustle of the spaceport to the hangar where the Jack is docked. Given the day's festivities, he's uncharacteristically dressed in a pair of simple bluejeans rather than his usual military-style cargo pants. Once
parked outside of the hangar, he zips up his jacket and reaches over to grab a bag from the passenger's seat before stepping out, boots crunching fresh snow underfoot. Despite the cybernetics he still wears his winter gloves. Perhaps it's just a case of old habits. Or maybe it's just easier to put out of his mind when people aren't staring or asking questions. After locking up the car, he trudges his way over to the
hangar, looking around for any sign of the crew before hazarding to step into the inviting light of the cargo bay.
Elena 's voice can be heard coming from her little workshop corner. She's there amid the crates, tools and spare parts strewn about, sitting atop a crate and looking at a camera that's precariously balanced atop another crate. It looks like it was probably ripped from something larger, like a drone. She's dressed much as she usually is - worn cargo pants and a tank top. She seems to be talking to the camera. "Feliz Navidad,
manita! Sorry I couldn’t make it back home this year. The Jack is still grounded, and-... and the captain needs me here right now. Your present’s gonna have to wait a little, but with some luck it ain’t gonna be too long, so you make sure mami freezes some leftovers for me, okay? I’ll-... I, uh..." she seems to loose some steam, letting out a sighed curse under her breath and glancing briefly across the cargo bay,
which causes her to notice Jason, eyes widening a little. She reaches out to turn off the recording, remaining atop her crate as she studies him. "Ey..."
Jason meanders a bit as he realizes he's walked in on Elena in the middle of something, a gentle, lopsided grin spreading across his face. Not wanting to interrupt her, he slows his gait, hoping to let her finish. But when she slows down and glances his way, he gives an idle lift of his gloved hand in greeting. "Hey." he offers in turn before offering a simple, "Merry Christmas." as he continues towards her.
Elena draws in a deep breath and expels it through her nose to purge the emotion that her failed attempt at recording had brought out. "Merry Christmas." she replies with a few nods, hopping off the crate, although she doesn't sound all that merry. "Wasn't expecting to see any of you guys..."
Jason gives a few small nods. "Yeah, I just wanted to swing by and-..." he gives a small raise of the bag in his hand, "...give this to Lucy." His grin slips a bit at the mention of the captain, unable to ignore the state she was in the last time he dropped by. "...How's she doing?" he asks cautiously, voice lowering as he turns his gaze further into the ship as if to make sure she's not around.
Elena bites on the inside of her cheek as she reflexively glances towards the stairs, considering the question for a couple of moments. "Better, I guess." she sighs with a shrug, looking back towards Jason. "I'll walk you up, yeah?" she suggests with a nod towards the stairs, not waiting for a reply before starting to move. She doesn't seem in a rush, though.
Jason gives a nod, giving a quick, "Thanks." before falling into step behind Elena. Better. Well that's... something. "So-... uhh-... you know what her plans are...?" he fishes as he starts up the stairs, "Been docked here for a while now..."
Elena frowns as they start up the stairs, gaze on the worn metal grate steps. She seems to hesitate on what to say, but eventually she lets out a sighed "No.", frown deepending a little. "Repairs are coming along, but... we ain't got shit lined up." she admits. She seems about to say something else, but reconsiders, falling silent.
Jason lets out a sigh of his own as Elena confirms his assumptions. Of course they don't have anything lined up. After what that woman went through, work is probably the last thing on her mind right now. In the time after losing Mina, it was a good day if he managed to get dressed before getting drunk. Thankfully he had the luxury of not having a crew depending on him... "And the others?" he asks as he casts his head briefly
up to Elena as he continues up the stairs behind her, "How are they-... uhh-... holding up...?" he asks, unsure of how to phrase his question without sounding like he's prying while still managing to pry.
Elena grunts quietly as she proceeds up the second stairs. There's a bit of hesitation, not sure how much she feels comfortable sharing with someone outside the crew, but something makes her relent with a sigh. "Niklos is like a robot. Always working. T-... Makk and the doc... they're used losing people. Ain't much that fazes 'em." she says with a faint shrug, sounding tired. "Wrench... no sé. She-... she seems fine,
but..." she trails off with a shake of her head as she realizes it's probably not her business to go blabbing about the others. "We're dealing." she says instead, looking back towards Jason as they cross the walkway. "What about your crew? Everyone healing?"
Jason gives a few nods of his head, keeping pace just behind Elena. "They're... managing." he says. Hell, Leah and Nathan have already moved on to healing from new trouble. "Oxaris was pretty banged up, but it's looking like she's on track to a full recovery." Unlike Elena, he and his team somehow managed to survive the day without suffering any losses. There's a certain guilt that comes from that. Guilty for feeling
relieved that his friends and family are safe when others weren't so lucky. "And I-..." he stammers. It wasn't just physical wounds they endured. Some things can't be forgotten. Like that feeling of helplessness as his cybernetics defied him. The ripple of pain that shot through his muscles as he fruitlessly urged his arms to obey his commands. Or the numbness that coursed through him as he lost all control of his body
and was forced to wait. Wait to be placed into that pod. Or that thought that hung in his mind just before it all plunged into yellow blackness that he would never see Vasquez again. Never see his child. That he failed them. He swallows all those memories down, sealing them away behind that lopsided smirk that he props back up. "...I'm dealing." he says simply, opting for her own choice of words.
Elena nods, pressing no further. The question seems like it was more a nicety than anything. Something to fill the silence as she wrestles with whether to speak about the other thing on her mind. Once they reach the top of the third stairs she stops. They're on deck 2 now, the medbay next to them and the galley above. There's Christmas music coming from up there. Antique, traditional tunes. There's bits of muffled speaking
too, but the words can't be made out. She heads a bit further into the room and turns to face Jason, crossing her arms after gesturing for him to come closer. "Mira, I-... I gotta ask you something..." she says, shifting a bit uneasily.
Jason gives a glance towards the stairs, the music that's escaping the room above helping to fortify his smile. When Elena speaks up, he casts a glance her way, brow furrowed as he steps over to her. "...Yeah?" he asks, instinctively lowering his voice to match her unease.
Elena lets out a sigh. She seems reluctant to speak, but presses on regardless, brown eyes fixed on Jason. "You guys got any jobs coming up? Anything that needs an extra gun? Or a toolkit. Lo que sea. I-... " she shakes her head, frowning. "I love these guys. I do. But... we ain't had a payday in months, and-..." her gaze flicks away, discomfort etched into her face. "...and I need creds." The last bit is spoken firmly,
Jason breaks eye contact as Elena asks her initial question, gaze shifting back towards the stairs. Yeah. They're hurting for credits. That's no surprise considering they've been docked for nearly a month. Renting a hangar doesn't come cheap either. He draws in a breath, holding it in for a second as he tries to decide how much to tell her about his reason for coming. He giving a few soft nods to himself before finally turning
his attention back to her. "Let me talk to her." he says, "I-... might be able to help you guys out." he continues, hinting that perhaps his reasoning for visiting was about more than just a check up and well wishes. "And if she doesn't want to hear it?" he offers a small shrug. The last thing he wants to do is 'split up the band'. He's seen how much they care about each other. They're a family. But he can't fault the
woman for wanting work. "Then we can talk about finding you some work." he adds, holding her gaze, "Alright?"
Elena 's eyebrows rise a little, unease replaced by restrained surprise. She shifts back a little as she absorbs his words, unspoken questions running through her head. After a moment she offers a couple of nods. "Yeah... yeah." she agrees, curious what he might have in mind. "Let's head up." she says with a nod towards the final set of stairs, taking the lead up.
The music grows louder as they walk up the stairs, and food-smells fill the air, a varied mixture of savory and sweet. The galley is quite busy, and looks a little different since last Jason saw it. There's some decorations - a few lights around the doors, a tacky santa figure on the table, a small tree in one corner. A large, puffy, very worn armchair sits near the table, next to the corner couch. Makk, too large to fit on the couch,
sits there, observing the activity in the room. The old krogan is out of his jumpsuit, wearing what must be his nice clothes instead - a positively massive sweater and a pair of sturdy pants. Steam rises from the oversized cup that sits next to him on the edge of the table. Pivin is sitting in the couch, writing out a message on a datapad. He's wearing a green Christmas sweater over a simple black bodysuit in lieu of his usual flight
suit. Senya is in the middle of moving groceries from the plastic bag in her cybernetic hand to the fridge. She must have returned recently, still wearing a blue wintercoat instead of her usual worn, gray one. Lucy is at the stove, checking on one of the several pots. The kitchenette counters are cluttered with various ingredients. She's in her usual blue jeans, but her plaid button-up has been tied around her waist, leaving her in a
white undershirt as she cooks. Wrench is stood next to her, peering into a nearby bowl. She too is in a Christmas sweater, and she's wearing jeans instead of a jumpsuit. When she reaches out with a hand towards the bowl Lucy slaps it away. "Hands off, missy!" she scolds lightheartedly. "Chocolate ain't for eatin', it's for the pie."
Lucy gives her a look. "Eatin' my ingredients ain't helpin'." she points out, seeming about to say something else when she hears footsteps in the stairs and glances over her shoulder.
Elena points a thumb back towards Jason as she reaches the top of the stairs. "Found a familiar face wandering about the cargo bay." she calls out, moving aside.
Lucy 's eyebrows rise a little in surprise as she turns around. She does look better than the last time Jason saw her, there's no arguing that. She's not wasted, for one, and she seems more present. Less haunted. It seems like being around people that love her is doing some good. But the emptiness is still there in her hazel eyes, all too visible when her gaze meets Jason's. She swallows, propping up a half-hearted smile.
Wrench and Makk are both wearing identical Christmas hats, although they fit the former considerably better than the latter.
Jason's smile gets a bit sturdier when some of the unease seems to drain from Elena's face. Her suggestion causes him to shoot another glance towards the stairs. "Sounds like the party started without us." he jokes in a mutter, giving a roll of his shoulders as he falls back in line behind Elena. As he crests the top of the stairs, the sight he's met with causes that big dumb grin of his to spread across his face. The scent of
a home cooked meal nearly stops him in his tracks and he takes a deep whiff of it, suddenly reminded of just how little he's had to eat today. Thankfully the mention of pie helps to curb his appetite. What a horrible waste of chocolate! Elena's introduction and Lucy's subsequent response causes him to give a small dip of his head in greeting. "I was in the neighborhood." he jokes. "Figured I'd swing by and wish you all
a merry Christmas." he explains before shifting Elena's way, an almost apologetic look on his face for having misspoke earlier. "Uhh-... Fleece Navy Dad." he offers as a correction for his previous transgression, far more confident in his pronunciation than he has any right to be judging by the firm nod and smug smirk that follow. "Yeah. I speak a bit of Spanish myself." he says, giving a sheepish little shrug of his
Elena shoots Jason a sidelong look, briefly seeming like she's going to say something before looking back to Lucy, caught between sighing and cracking up.
Lucy nods a little, although his comment to Elena causes her to raise an eyebrow, letting out a quiet snort. Her smile widens a little. It's genuine, just... weighed down. "Merry Christmas." she replies with another nod, folding her arms over her chest. It looks like there's a turkey in the oven, and potatoes on the stove, alongside another for melting butter and a couple of baking bowls next to the stove. One of the
Senya glances Jason's way upon hearing his voice. "Mr. Wolfe." she greets simply. She looks no less severe than usual.
Lucy steps away from the stove, looking a little unsure what to say, a bit of discomfort tinging her movements as Jason's presence brings everything back to the forefront, no longer afforded the distraction of Christmas preparations.
Wrench sneaks a hand into the bowl behind Lucy's back, bringing back a chocolate-covered finger and proceeding to lick it.
Jason gives a tilt of his head Senya's way, giving the asari a small nod in greeting. "Senya." he offers in turn. As his gaze settles back on Lucy, he takes a step towards her, reaching a gloved hand into the bag he's holding. "Kind of got the impression that you weren't exactly a fan of the whiskey I dropped off last time I was here-..." he says, his attention briefly settling on the bottle of WHISKEY sitting on the stove.
His blue eyes start to turn down to the bag before quickly bouncing over to Elena, brows furrowing into a stern expression. "...Even though it was perfectly fine whiskey..." he asserts in an attempt at getting out ahead of her naysaying.
Lucy lets out a quiet snort, offering a shrug, but her smile falters at the mention of his last visit. "It gets the job done..." she mumbles, prompting a disapproving look from Senya, which makes her shift a little. "Not sure it's any good for cookin' though. Ain't exactly the smoothest." she adds with a nod towards the bottle on the counter.
Makk lets out quiet, rumbling noise of amusement at Wrench's shenanigans before reaching for his cup and taking a sip. He's interrupted by a brief but nasty-sounding coughing fit which causes his apprentice to rush over with a worried look, but he waves her off.
Wrench exchanges a look with Senya, who puts the last of the groceries into the fridge before heading off down the corridor with the crew quarters.
Elena shoots Jason a skeptical look. "That shit ain't fucking whiskey, man..." she mutters with a shake of her head.
Jason's attention is briefly pulled Makk's way when the krogan breaks into a coughing fit but he's quick to tear his gaze away, shooting a frown at Elena when she speaks up again and muttering a quiet, "...I thought it was fine..." to himself as he turns his attention down to the bag and the bottle he pulls free from it. It's a tall bottle with a long neck and a fancy label containing asari script. The vibrant blue liquid
inside catches light in just the right way that gives it a beautiful transparency. He lifts it to eye level, studying the label for a moment before turning it so Lucy can see it. "Well stick this in your pipe and smoke it." he taunts as he shows it off to Elena. "Thessian wine!" he exclaims and, indeed, it does appear to be the real deal. Rather expensive looking. "Is this whiskey enough for you?" he asks, smug
Elena frowns a little as Senya departs, but her attention is soon drawn to the bottle Jason is showing off, eyebrows furrowing as she looks at it, and listens. "Wh-..." she starts before immediately stopping, seeming unsure how to even answer the question.
Lucy briefly looks Makk's way, but when Jason presents the bottle her attention returns and she raises an eyebrow. "Don't think I've ever had any..." she admits, reaching out to accept the bottle and look it over more closely.
Wrench remains by the krogan's side, sitting on the armrest, which has plenty of room for her. Her mood seems dampened.
Jason grips the wine by the neck and extends it Lucy's way, laying the body of the expensive bottle against the palm of her hand. Elena's muttering doesn't go unnoticed and he rolls his eyes. "Metaphorical whiskey, Elena. It's metaphorical whiskey!" he clarifies.
Elena shoots Jason a skeptical look. "Riiight... metaphorical whiskey." she repeats with a nod, a hint of an amused smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
Lucy gives the alien bottle a look-over. "Well, regardless, thank ya..." she says, forcing a faint smile into place and offering Jason a nod. "Afraid I ain't got anythin' to give ya in return, though... weren't expectin' guests." she admits apologetically.
Senya is coming back down the corridor, heading over toward Makk and Wrench once she's returned to the galley. She has a pill bottle in hand, and her expression softening a little as she hands it to him, cybernetic hand moving to his shoulder for just a moment, giving it a squeeze.
Wrench is quick to slip off the armrest and move behind Lucy to the sink, filling up a large, sturdy glass with water and bringing it back to Makk. Pivin seems to have been about to do the same, but sits back down when the young engineer hurries off to handle it.
Jason catches himself looking Makk's way once more as the others rally to his aid, expression slipping slightly. He might not know what's wrong with the krogan, but it's not hard to see that the others care a great deal about him. They are a family. He tries to mask the dip in his mood by propping his smile back up as he looks back to Lucy, giving a small shake of his head in response. "Wasn't expecting anything in return."
he assures, "Just... something for you guys to enjoy with Christmas dinner." He conveniently doesn't mention that the expensive bottle of wine came at no charge to him. Nor does he bring up the fact that he stuffed an entire duffelbag with them during the course of his stay in Adrasteia, undoubtedly embarrassing Vasquez. Free room service is free.