Jason shifts uneasily in his seat when Lucy doesn't chime in. The ride here gave him ample time to practice his sales pitch, but this sort of thing is well out of his wheelhouse. Vasquez handles the business side of Redrock. Not him. And for good reason. But this time he knew that it needed to be him in this seat. Because he's been in Lucy's seat. This is about more than just business. "I'm not sure if I mentioned it before,
#MSVJackOfDiamonds – October 1, 2020
but-..." he continues, reaching up to scratch at his temple with a gloved hand, "...we've got a ship of our own. It's nothing fancy. Just a-..." he shrugs as he settles back against the backrest of his seat, "...small side gig hauling cargo."
Lucy 's expression turns a bit more guarded. This wasn't the direction she expected out of this conversation and she's not quite sure where it's going. She doesn't say anything, just shifting a bit in her seat as she continues to watch Jason.
Jason too falls quiet, if for but a brief second. He had hoped that Lucy would make this more of a conversation, but he can't blame her for being cautious. He gives a small nod of his head, almost as if to himself as his gaze turns towards the ship's control panel. "It-... umm-... barely even pays for itself right now." he admits, the corner of his mouth pulling into a lopsided smirk as a silent snicker escapes. "But we're
trying to make a go of it. And me and Linda were talking and-..." he offers, head tilting back her way, smile falling away as he gives another shrug of his shoulders. "...We'd really like for you to be a part of that, Lucy." he says earnestly, allowing himself to meet her eyes once more.
Lucy blinks, straightening up a bit in her seat. "Ya want to... what, hire me? Hire us?" she asks as if she can't quite believe what she's hearing, eyebrows rising a little. She looks more 'suspicious' than 'enthused'.
Jason gives a short nod. "Yeah." he says, though it almost sounds more like a question than an answer, finding himself on the backfoot given Lucy's tone. "Or more of a-... a partnership...?" he stammers, studying the womans expression. He pokes at the inside of his lower lip with his tongue for a moment, trying to piece things out in his head.
Lucy 's eyebrows furrow. "I-... I don't-..." she brings her closed right hand up, looking down at the floor pressing her knuckles against her lips as she tries to wrap her head around this. "We ain't soldiers." she cautions as her gaze returns to Jason. "And the Jack's no battleship." She heard the part about the side gig, of course, but it seems important for her to make sure that they're on the same page here regardless.
Jason offers a few quick nods as Lucy voices her thoughts in an attempt at getting out ahead of her concerns. "We're not looking for soldiers and I sure as hell hope we won't be needing a battleship." he's quick to respond, a soft smile returning to his face as it begins to seem as though Lucy isn't outright offended by the idea.
Lucy relaxes a little bit once that point has been cleared up, nodding faintly and falling silent. She looks down at her hat again, thumb tracing the worn brim as her eyebrows furrow in thought. "What... are ya lookin' for then?" she asks, voice quieter, hazel eyes shifting to meet Jason's only briefly before falling again. The apprehension is definitely still there, but she doesn't seem ready to outright dismiss the idea
Jason falls quiet, dipping his head in a small nod. It's a fair question, after all. A short silence fills the air before he rotates his chair to fully face Lucy, forearms coming to rest against his thighs as he shifts towards the edge of his seat and draws in a deep breath. "You and your crew would operate through Redrock." he says, searching out her eyes as best as he can. "No more worrying about clients or scheduling
or-..." he trails off with a shake of his head and a dismissive wave, "...any of that bullshit. All you'd have to do is get us in touch with your contacts and then focus on getting this thing where it needs to be." he reaches out, patting one hand against the control panel. "Let us worry about the rest." And by 'us' he of course means Vasquez and Vicky.
Lucy frowns as she listens, dodging Jason's gaze and picking at a small tear in her hat. "The Jack Of Diamonds has been flyin' independent for a long time." she says in a half-mutter before brushing back a strand of red hair that's escaped her ponytail and looking up at Jason again. "Why do ya think we're flyin' out here? Freedom. Could've signed up with a company a decade ago. But that wasn't what we wanted, wasn't what
we-" she cuts herself off with a choked noise and a grimace, biting down hard on her own lips and leaning forward heavily, arms against her legs as she closes her eyes and draws in a deep, slow breath through her nose.
Jason's gaze turns low, well aware of where Lucy's thoughts must be taking her. A few short, distant nods escape him as his focus shifts back to the viewport. And then another short, charged bout of silence takes hold. "I get it, Lucy." he finally says softly. "And I'm not here to sell you on anything. I just-..." he shakes his head, almost to himself. "I know that we didn't exactly get off to a good start, but my friend's
daughter is home safe because of you and your crew." he says, once more looking her way. Sure, they may have had a hand in her kidnapping, too, but how could he possibly blame them? They were manipulated by the Collectors. And if it hadn't been them, it would have been someone else. Of that much he's sure. The difference is Lucy and her crew put in the effort to make things right. "And I can't-..." he cuts himself off
sharply, blue eyes nearly instantly turning glassy, but he forges ahead, if a bit quieter, "...I can't bring back all that you lost in order to do that, Lucy. I-... I wish that I could. I do. But I can't." he shrugs. It's a futile gesture, burdened and weighed down by so much of his own loss that he's helpless to undo. "But this?" he asks, his tone firmer, "Giving you the chance to clear your head? To figure things
out? To make damn sure that those people out there are taken care of while you do?" he continues, stabbing a thumb back towards the galley. "That I can do. I just-... I just need you to meet me halfway, Lucy." he pleads. He pulls another heavy breath in. "...I'm not asking you to give me an answer right now. I'm just asking you to consider it. To let us send you a contract. Look it over with your crew. Discuss it.
Lucy listens in silence as she tries to pull herself together. To keep from cracking again. Once her face is under control she meets Jason's gaze again, swallowing hard and offering a faint, distant nod, eyes still full of heavy emotions. The mention of the rest of the crew kills the reply she was forming before she has a chance to voice it, her attention drawn to the galley. She chews on her lip as she watches the people
out there.. People that depend on her. Their chatter is rendered indistinct by the Christmas music playing on the speakers. The captain's shoulders slump and she lets out a heavy sigh, a few more nods following as she looks back to Jason, blinking against the fresh wetness that makes her eyes glisten as she studies him. "I-... yeah. Of course. Send your offer and... we'll look it over." she says, trying to put up some
kind of professional front, but it's a lost cause. "I want to do right by everyone on this boat. Maybe that means things need to change." she acknowledges quietly, still looking at Jason.
Jason's gaze rests on Lucy, doing his best to keep his own bubbling emotions in check. He gives a small, distant nod as she agrees to look over the contract. 'Things need to change.' It's a sentiment that he himself has been unable to shake lately. A terrifying sentiment, as change so often is. But if the past year has taught him anything, it's that tomorrow is never guaranteed and he's been tempting fate for far too long.
Gone are the days when he could throw caution to the wind. He has a family to think about now. A wife that he loves with every fiber of his being and a child that deserves a father. "It doesn't have to be a bad change." he offers softly, perhaps subconsciously to himself as much as to Lucy. "Nothing wrong with just... taking a step back. Taking your foot off the gas for a little while." He props that lopsided smirk
Lucy brings her hands up and locks them together, resting her chin on her knuckles as she watches Jason. His words do little to ease the conflicting thoughts running through her head, but his sincerity causes the corner of her mouth to tug upward a bit. "Hmh... you're a strange mercenary, Jason." she comments quietly, a shadow of a smile crossing her lips before she sits back, left hand grabbing her hat and putting it on
and knuckles of her right hand running back and forth across her mouth as she looks over towards her crew again.
Jason gives a low snort, brows furrowing in confusion. "Why do people keep saying that?" he asks in a lighthearted mutter. Using a boot against the floor to further rotate his chair, he joins Lucy in looking over towards the crew.
Senya is still by the stove, but she's slipped out of her coat and jacket. In a gray undershirt now, her cybernetic arm is fully visible, as are the scars that cover much of her light blue skin in the area around it. Whatever took her arm off can't have been pleasant. Elena seems to have lost interest in proving her cooking skills, and is now backseating Wrench's boardgame with Makk, much to the young engineer's frustration. An annoyed
comment in batarian is responded to by Elena ruffling her uneven black hair with a laugh. Pivin looks up briefly from his reading and shakes his head to himself.
Lucy just watches in silence for a while, her smile resurfacing, a bit more solid, before fading once more. "They're a good crew. Good people. Ain't had it easy, most of 'em... but we look after each other on the Jack. Try and... make the best of things. Always have." she says, choking up a little towards the end, but she holds it together. "I know ya understand that."
Jason joins in on the people watching, lopsided smirk reinforced by the atmosphere that permeates the galley. Lucy's utterings draw his attention back to her and he studies the woman in silence for a moment before turning his gaze back to the crew. Of course he understands it. They're a family. And what's more important than that? "I should probably let you get back to them. Think I've taken up enough of your time." he
Lucy 's attention turns to the man in the seat next to her, nodding softly. "Right. Christmas Eve, ain't it?" she says, briefly managing to bring that smile back, but it's short-lived. She stands up with a groan, rolling her shoulders and drawing in another long breath. Her back straightens and she expels a puff of air.. "Thank ya." she says, the sentiment sincere despite the discomfort that accompanies it. "For stoppin'
by. Now... get outta here." she instructs with a faux stern look and a nod towards the stairs in the galley, giving him a light push as soon as he's out of his seat. "Go enjoy the holidays with your wife, alright?" she adds, voice softer, flashing a small, sincere smile despite the pain just beneath it.
Jason gives a nod of his own. "It sure is..." he responds, his own smile firmer than hers. Taking her lead he climbs out of his seat as well and gives a small arch of his back to stretch. He gives a small snicker as she tries to usher him out. Her mention of Vasquez makes it impossible for him to avoid thinking of James. It causes his smile to falter ever so slightly. He didn't even know the man, but it's hard not to sense the
love that everyone here felt for him. Still, looking over the crew of the Jack... he's confident that Lucy is in good hands. They'll see her through this. He gives a small, somewhat distant nod to Lucy, her words hitting like an obligation. He owes it to her to enjoy every moment he can with Vasquez, for every moment she lost with James. He meanders for a moment, looking to be in no rush to go running off. "Regardless of
whether or not you take us up on this offer, if you need anything, you just call, understand?" he asks as he looks back to Lucy, hoping to make it clear that his friendship doesn't come with conditions. Not after what they went through together out there. What they survived.
Lucy sucks in her lips, nodding faintly. For a moment it seems like she's going to say something, but she just ends up nodding again, the motion a bit stilted despite her appreciation. There's a moment as she tries to form a reply before settling for a quiet "That's... kind of ya.", gaze falling briefly as she nods yet again. She crosses her arms and nods to the side again as she looks back up. "Now get goin'." she says,
the smile returning, having an easier time ignoring the weights on her with a bit of playfulness, even if the sentiment is painfully sincere. Enjoy what you have. She starts to lead the way back to the galley - maybe she's expended her energy for heavy conversation at the moment.
Jason nods in turn, seeming to take the hint that his presence might be sapping a bit of the holiday cheer. "Get the hell out of here so I can get back to cooking." he says through that lopsided smirk of his, "Yeah, I can take a hint." The sentiment isn't lost on him. He's been struggling with it ever since they stepped foot off of that Collector ship. How painfully close he came to losing everything. How often he keeps
throwing himself at danger despite having so much to lose. He falls in line behind her, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket, gaze scanning over the others in the galley as he follows her towards the stairs. There's plenty more he has to say, but he keeps it to himself. Today isn't the day for it. And maybe he isn't even the one she should be hearing it from.
Lucy lets out a quiet snort, smile widening briefly before fading. "Now, that ain't what I said." she protests. She greets Senya as they return to the galley and then stops, eyebrows furrowing as she turns towards Jason. "Actually, speakin' of cookin'..." she says, going to open the fridge and looking around. She pulls out a porcelain food container covered in plastic wrap. "Why don't ya take this? Home-made potato salad."
Elena , still standing behind Wrench, watches Jason with cautious curiosity upon noticing his and Lucy's return out of the corner of her eye.
Jason gives an unconvinced, "Uh huh..." in response to Lucy's protests. Her offer is met with no objections and he promptly pulls a hand free from his pocket to accept the container. He and Vasquez have a Christmas dinner to take care of, after all. And, despite him having nothing short of absolute confidence in Vasquez, 'gourmet chef' is most certainly not on either of their lists of qualifications. So it's not entirely
outside of the realm of possibilities that this plate of potato salad might end up being the only thing edible at dinner. But absolute confidence! "You won't hear me say no to a good home cooked meal." he says, already reaching up with his other hand to peel an edge of the plastic wrap up so he can get a whiff.
Lucy cracks a small smile as Jason inspects the potato salad. As might be expected from Lucy's cooking during their ill-fated excursion it looks - and smells - like more home-cooked goodness.
Lucy lets out a faint sigh and looks her way. "We've got another one, Wrench." she assures, causing the girl to settle down and return to the game. The brief interaction seems to have solidified Lucy's smile as her attention returns to Jason. "Wish Linda a Merry Christmas for me." she requests, voice and expression softening. "Suppose I oughta meet her properly soon if we're gonna be considerin' what... what you proposed."
Elena leans back against the galley table, mechanical hand fiddling with one of the beltloops of her pants as she watches Jason and Lucy.
Jason takes a hearty whiff and is suddenly reminded just how small of a breakfast he had, having hoped to save as much room as possible for Christmas feasting. Wrench's objection garners a snicker from him as he presses the plastic wrap back down. "Will do." he responds to Lucy's request as he steps over towards the stairs, lingering a bit as his exit is halted. Her follow up is met with a few small nods. "Feel free to swing
by any time. My casa is Sue's casa." he says, shooting a confident glance Elena's way as he further proves just how strong his Spanish is.
Lucy nods in response, and then shoots Elena a sympathetic, if amused, look - her pronunciation might not be much better but she at least knows enough Spanish to be aware of that.
Jason begins to descend the stairs, bidding his farewell with a loud, "Merry Christmas!" and a quick wave on his way out.