Makk loudly clears his throat before accepting the pill bottle with an appreciative nod, shaking a few out into his palm. After Wrench hands him the water he downs the pills.
#MSVJackOfDiamonds – August 25, 2020
Senya frowns. "Better?" she asks. After the krogan nods, she steps back, attention drawn to the ongoing conversation.
Makk gives Wrench a nudge when he realizes that she still looks worried. "I'm fine, kid. Go get the board, would ya? Let's play a game." The worn armchair creaks a little as he shifts in his seat.
Lucy smiles emptily, nodding along with Jason's words. Her expressions have gone stale, struggling to keep up appearances. After her gaze shifts briefly to the others again she draws in a breath, shoulders slumping a little as she expels it in a heavy sigh. She goes to set the bottle aside on the counter before looking back toward Jason. "Let's head on over to the bridge." she suggests. "Senya, keep an eye on the potatoes,
Elena gains an offended frown as Lucy passes her towards the bridge. "Wh-... ey! I can cook! Bet the doc don't even know how to tell they're done."
Lucy stops to look at Elena, raising an eyebrow and pointing at her. "You're a fire hazard, city girl. I ain't forgotten about last time." she says, although she lacks the energy that would be appropriate for the banter.
Jason avoids staring as the others tend to Makk, flashing a smile of his own as he looks to Wrench and steps out of her way as she hurries down the corridor. "Yeah. Sure..." he nods, attention shifting back to Lucy. If she hadn't offered, he would've asked anyhow. What he came to discuss isn't the sort of thing he'd want to talk about in front of the whole crew. It'd just put Lucy in an even more awkward position, and she's
been through enough. He casts a glance towards Makk and Senya in turn, offering them each a farewell in the form of a small dip of his head before turning to follow Lucy, a small snort slipping out at her exchange with Elena.
Elena rolls her eyes, giving Lucy's shoulder a slight nudge with her own before heading over to 'help' Senya watch the potatoes.
Lucy shakes her head to herself, the faint smile the interaction brought out quickly fading as she leads the way towards the bridge. It looks more or less the same as last Jason saw it. The guitar is resting in the chair with the custom paintjob that must be Elena's, and the shotgun is wedged between control panels. There's a few empty bottles scattered about, and as her foot hits one of them, Lucy lets out a frustrated
noise and kicks it aside. It rolls into the wall with a 'clink'. The look on her face as she slumps into her chair is a tired one. Outside the viewports is the open hangar door, and the snowy spaceport grounds beyond it. She doesn't say anything, just grabbing her hat from the ship controls, turning it over in her lap.
Elena rolls her eyes, giving Lucy's shoulder a slight nudge with her own before starting towards Senya to 'help' her watch the potatoes.
Lucy shakes her head to herself, the faint smile the interaction brought out quickly fading as she leads the way towards the bridge.
Jason is quick to intercept Elena's route towards the stove by reaching out, extending the bag he pulled the wine from towards her. "There's a little something in here for you, too." he says, lopsided grin spreading across his face as he hands the bag off to her. It should be pretty obvious immediately that there's nothing else in the bag, but he's already well on his way to keep up with Lucy. "The opportunity to do a good
deed!" he says, casting a glance back Elena's way. "Throw that out for me." he adds, snickering gleefully.
Elena realizes Jason's ploy too late, and is left standing with an unamused look on her face as she scrunches up the bag in her hand. "Wh-... seriously?" she mutters before her gaze lifts to Jason. "Huevón!" she calls out after him, aiming a cybernetic middle finger his way when he looks back.
Lucy just lets out a quiet snort at the exchange, waiting the briefest of moments before continuing on her way, soon stepping onto the small bridge. It looks more or less the same as last Jason saw it. The guitar is resting in the chair with the custom paintjob that must be Elena's, and the shotgun is wedged between control panels. There's a few empty bottles scattered about, and as her foot hits one of them, Lucy lets out
a frustrated noise and kicks it aside. It rolls into the wall with a 'clink'. The look on her face as she slumps into her chair is a tired one. Outside the viewports is the open hangar door, and the snowy spaceport grounds beyond it. She doesn't say anything, just grabbing her hat from the ship controls, turning it over in her lap.
Jason's snickering only seems to grow louder as Elena flips him off. "Appreciate it, Elena!" he calls back before repeating an amused, "Fleece Navy Dad!" The big dumb grin on his face tapers off as he catches up to Lucy. Those empty bottles strewn about are a painfully familiar sight. And a reminder of everything that she must be going through right now. He does his best not to let the concern show on his face, casting a
glance out the viewport and across the activity continuing throughout the spaceport before dropping into the seat beside Lucy. He doesn't say anything immediately either, merely continuing to watch the snow cleanup going on outside.
Lucy 's gaze follows her thumb as she traces the worn brim of her hat, remaining silent at first. The door remains open, and although they're out of hearing range for conversing, the Christmas music can be heard here too. For a moment she seems on the verge of speaking, hazel eyes looking up at Jason, but then she deflates, attention back on the hat.
Jason drums his fingertips against the armrest of the chair as he watches a plow go by the front of the hangar. "So, I've gotta be honest..." he begins, drawing in a long, deep breath and rolling his head against the headrest to finally look Lucy's way, "...I'm starting to get the impression that you're not all that happy to see me." he offers, a timid smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.
Lucy lets out a sigh, meeting Jason's gaze again. She shakes her head faintly, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she considers her response. "Suppose my hospitality ain't what it used to be." she says with an apologetic grimace. "It ain't nothin' personal." she adds, gaze turning out towards the people moving about the spaceport as she scratches the side of her face. "Still... findin' our footin'." she explains with a
faint shrug, looking back his way. "Figured we'd probably heard the last of you folks after the meetin'. Especially once the news came in..." The last part is said with a vague upward gesture. It should be obvious what she's referring to, of course.
Jason's expression shifts to something a bit more sincere as Lucy begins to speak. He gives a few small, understanding nods as she mentions their struggle to get a grasp on everything. Her mention of the Collectors causes him to draw another breath in through his nose, head settling against the backrest. "Crazy, isn't it?" he asks, gaze once again turning out towards the viewport as he swivels slightly in place. It still
hasn't fully settled in for him. Maybe it never will. A part of him can't help but wait for that other shoe to drop. It's hard to forget a nightmare that he's been wading through for years. But for Lucy it's different. It's something that came from out of nowhere and turned her, and her crew's, entire lives upside down. And before they can even digest what they've experienced, it's over. The timing of it all may as
well be a slap in the face. If only the Collectors had been dealt with a month earlier... There's probably a lot of people out there pondering that exact thought. "It almost doesn't feel real." he admits softly, a quiet, embarrassed snicker escaping as he casts another look Lucy's way.
Lucy 's expression turns sour, biting down hard on her lip as she looks down at her hat again. "Mm... universe has a cruel sense of humor, don't it?" she says, the smile that crosses her lips a bitter one. She seems to realize this, and it drops away with a dismissive shake of her head.
Jason's gaze falls to the space between them and he gives a small nod, whatever remained of his smile falling away. "It sure does..." he agrees quietly. His attention shifts right back to the viewport, unable to meet Lucy's eyes. "The Collectors have been the black cloud over my life for the last few years." And that's exactly how it felt. A black cloud. Hovering. Lingering just out of reach. No telling when it would rain down
on him again. "Before I knew what they were. Before I even had a name to give them. Spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to track down leads." Plenty of late nights browsing extranet sites, sifting through the crazy ramblings of conspiracy theorist nutjobs for whatever nuggets of truth that he could find. "Seen... a lot of good people die." he nods, the weight of that statement reaching his eyes. It halts
his words for a moment as he finds himself unable to tear his thoughts from those names that reside upon the wall.
Lucy 's gaze lingers on Jason, studying his expression as he speaks. The heavy words prompt a faint nod. "Mm..." she acknowledges, glancing off towards the galley, where her crew is moving about. Elena arguing with Senya over the stove. Wrench sitting on the edge of the table, clunky boots dangling as she's setting up a wooden game board. "Suppose I should be feelin' this way or that about it, but..." she trails off with a
Jason lets a deep breath out through his nose as he finally looks back Lucy's way, offering a small shake of his head. He's not here to tell her how to feel about any of it. With what she's gone through, it's no wonder that she's a bit numb to it all. "No, it's-..." he gives another shake of his head, a sigh slipping out. "...I get it. And, believe it or not, I actually didn't come here to try and bring down your mood." he
says, flashing her a small, apologetic tilt of his head, some small, if heavy, semblance of his smile returning.
Lucy 's attention returns to Jason, a questioning look in her eyes. "What brings ya out here, then? On Chrismas Eve, no less." she asks. There's no blame in her tone, no indication that his visit is unwanted despite the shift in mood he's brought with him.
Jason draws in a deep breath, straightening up in his seat a bit as he uses a boot against the floor to help swivel his chair and better face Lucy. "...Can't help but notice that you're still-... here. On Aite." he offers. It's not a judgement. Just a statement. "Been almost a month since-... uhh-..." he stammers, reaching up with his right hand to scratch at the back of his neck as he attempts to navigate around any
specifics. "...since... everything..." he settles on. He opens his mouth to continue, but seems to reconsider his words and, instead, leans forward in his seat, forearms coming to rest on his thighs. "...Do you have a plan, Lucy? I mean-... what's next?" he asks. It's an honest question. A concerned question, even.