The ride to the Redrock building is short and sweet. Freedom Falls, ablaze with lights, is quite the sight from the viewport of the old shuttle, and Jasper does his part in taking the scenic route, doing his best at keeping the brunt of the lights within sight of his passengers. But it's over far too quickly and, soon enough, the Kodiak as drifting smoothly through the shielding of the hangar, a practiced maneuver that's practically muscle
#RedrockAgency – October 22, 2020
Jasper steps back through the open cockpit door, soft smile on his face as he places one hand against the doorframe for balance. "Well. Pretty sure that this is yer stop." he jokes, "Lemme jus' give ya a hand unloadin' all a' this an' then I'll be on my way..." he hums, gaze turning towards the mass of gifts tucked away beneath the shuttle seats.
Halisi seems quite content to enjoy the sights during the short trip, but once the shuttle has settled down in the hangar she unbuckles, well aware that most of the things in need of unloading are hers. "Thank you, Jasper." she says, leaning down to start collecting the presents that were stacked in her arms when she came aboard. "Perhaps you could hand me the two bags?"
Li spends most of the trip craning her neck to try and look out the windows since she's been denied pre-dinner candy. As they set down she waits for Ilyna to help her with the tricky unbuckling.
Cynthia narrows her eyes at Jason. "Starting to feel like you're trying to get me to confess to something..." she says with equal amounts of suspicion and confusion.
Vasquez just lets out a beleaguered sigh, ignoring the conversation as she pours up milk in the pot for heating. The muffled sound of the Kodiak's thrusters make her look towards the window reflexively, but the angle is entirely wrong. She glances over her shoulder towards Jason. "Think that's them?"
Ilyna has cast a few curious glances out the viewports on the way there, but has otherwise kept her attention ahead of her and keeping the candy under supervision. "I can help carry a few of them too," she offers before turning to Li and unbuckling her harness.
Jason furrows his brows in confusion at Cynthia's confusion, seemingly forgetting that she lacks any context whatsoever for the line of questioning. "Wha-..." he begins before Vasquez' question causes him to glance towards the door, gaze low as he listens. Definitely the telltale sound of the shuttle returning. He gives a few small nods and takes another sip from his mug. "Sounds like it." he agrees, propping that lopsided grin
Jasper offers nods all around. "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that." he agrees, deciding it's probably better than intruding on their plans by carrying them up himself. He wasn't invited, after all. He'll just... help 'em out and be on his way. He collects the bags and remains by the door, waiting to hand them off once they've gotten themselves situated.
Halisi struggles a bit with re-stacking her gifts, one of them slipping as she stands up, but a lightning-fast save keeps it from hitting the shuttle floor. Never let it be said that the doctor doesn't have good reflexes. As she turns to accept the bags her eyebrows furrow slightly. "Are you... coming up to say hello to Jason and Linda before you're off?" she asks, a small smile crossing her lips.
Li slips out of her seat immediately upon being freed, leaving the shuttle with little attention paid to the adults. The Redrock HQ is familiar ground. As much home as Ilyna's apartment is.
Vasquez flashes Jason a brief, slightly nervous smile, drawing in a breath as she returns her attention to the stove.
Cynthia glances off towards the door as if they might appear there instantly. Then her eyebrows furrow and her attention returns to Jason. "...the fuck is a melon baller?"
Ilyna unbuckles herself and gets up after watching Li hurry off with a chuckle. She was about to go for the falling present, but stopped when it was clear Halisi was going for it as well to avoid a potential disaster. "Are you sure you don't need any help carrying them, Halisi?" she asks as she hops off the side of the shuttle and takes the bags.
Jasper blinks. "Well-... uhh-..." he hums, tilting his head slightly. "Jus' saw the Chief a lil' while ago. Was helpin' her with some a' the decorations." he explains idly, thrusting a thumb upwards that's a bit hindered by the bags in his hands. A soft, sheepish smile slips out and he gives a shrug. "But I s'pose I could swing up." He takes a step towards the hall, opting to carry the bags himself if he's going up anyway. "But
Jason snaps around towards Cynthia once more, pointing sharply in her direction. "Right?!" he asks, his conviction so strong that one might think they're discussing some age old philosophical question. What is a melon baller?
Halisi shakes her head with a smile. "I'm quite alright, Ilyna." she assures, seeming a little amused. Jasper's response garners a nod and a slight widening of her smile as she too starts to head towards the corridor.
Li has already disappeared down the hallway, apparently in no mood to wait around for these slowpokes!
Cynthia blinks, just looking even more confused by his reply. "No, seriously." she says before taking a sip from her mug.
Ilyna follows by her side through the corridor, not very concerned with where Li must have run off to as she is probably headed the same way as her. "Fine," she says with a shrug. "I'll be right behind you to catch any that comes flying, though." Her tone is light-hearted as she knows Halisi has probably carried the precarious stack down one stairwell on her way here.
Jasper starts down the hall, casting a brief glance back at Halisi and Ilyna with a snicker at the lighthearted back and forth. "Ya'll are only my first stop today." he says, making small talk as they go, "Gotta pick up Mendez in about an hour an' some change. Sounds like him an' Ten are gonna be spendin' the day over at Leah's place." He conceals the small frown that threatens to slip out from the frustration that still
lingers over their little unapproved mission. The Idiot Crew. Damn near got themselves killed. Blood that would've been on his hands. But he expels those thoughts, reminding himself that they came back, and in mostly one piece.
Jason nods sagely to Cynthia, as if he, too, has been there. Right where she is. Just a tadpole, new to all of this 'melon baller' business. A small fish in a big melon baller pond. It takes another few moments before her confusion seems to really set in and he realizes she just has no idea what he's talking about. "Oh! Uhh-..." he shrugs dismissively, "It's like an ice cream scooper? I guess? But-... but for melons?" He doesn't
seem too sure about the explanation himself, causing him to shoot a glance Vasquez' way. Unfortunately with her being busy, no confirmation is to be found. So, instead, he just looks back to Cynthia a bit more confidently and takes another sip of his drink. Confidence is key.
Cynthia just blinks a couple of times. She opens her mouth. Closes it. Takes a sip of the mulled wine. "You're a weird guy, Jace." she settles on, before cracking up a little and shaking her head. She looks over towards the kitchen, seeming about to call out to Vasquez when Li comes storming in.
Li appears in the doorway to the rec room before the others have even reached the stairs, smiling brightly and waving. "Jason!" she calls out, winter boots thumping as she runs right for him.
Vasquez glances over her shoulder upon hearing Li, the sight of the girl, and her enthusiasm, bringing out a small smile.
Halisi snickers quietly at Ilyna's comment. "And it's much appreciated." she assures through a smile, glancing her way and giving her a playful nudge with her shoulder, well aware that she can't retaliate against a poor, defenseless woman holding a precarious stack of Christmas presents. Jasper's words prompt another brief laugh, her reaction warmer since she's already made her peace with the 'Idiot Crew'. With the ringleader, at least.
"Yes, so I've heard." she comments, gaze wandering the lights strung in the corridor with a bit of surprise.
Ilyna raises a brow at the nudge to her side, but continues on her way as if nothing happened; savintg her retalation for later. Her smile fades for a moment at the mention of Nathan, but its far from enough to shake off her holiday cheer, and she doesn't mention anything about it. "Li has a lot of work ahead of her," she comemnts with a glance at the stack. She stops for a moment by the stairs to let Halisi go
Jason furrows his brow, "Wha-... I don't have a melon baller!" he protests, as if that should clear him of any claims of weirdness. "I didn't even know-..." he begins before hearing the pitter patter of winter boots from the hall outside which draws his attention. He casts a glance back towards the door just as Li comes sprinting through it, drawing a snicker out of him. "Hey, small fry!" he greets, big smile spreading out
across his face as he lowers into a crouch, his free arm extending out to the side and he shifts his mug away to protect it, bracing for the incoming hug.
Jasper gives a few nods. When he catches sight of Halisi's interest in the decorations, he gestures across a string of light with a slight lift of his hand. "Chief really wanted ta make sure Li's first Christmas was a good one." he explains, his smile turning a bit softer as he shoots a glance Ilyna's way. The asari's addition gets a chuckle, causing his gaze to turn towards the bags in his hands and he gives a playful lift,
grimacing as if they're far heavier than they are. "That girl is gon' be happy as a rat in a cheese parade." he comments.
Li throws her arms around Jason with a giggle. "I'm not small!" she protests. "Halsi-... Halisi said I've grown an entire, uhm... centimeter!"
Cynthia smirks as Li and Jason hug, just watching casually from the couch as she sips her mug again.
Vasquez ' smile threatens to grow and she sucks in her lips a bit to contain it. She crosses her arms loosely and leans back against the kitchen counter as she watches Jason talk to Li, expression distant but filled with a vulnerable warmth. Lost in the future.
Halisi nods faintly as she eyes the lights. "It's an odd sight. A place like this all decorated. But... it's nice." she says softly as she heads up the stairs. Ilyna's comment causes her to chuckle. "Oh I suspect we can rely on her to manage just fine." she judges after a glance at the stack of presents in her arms.
Ilyna is a few steps behind her, shifting her bags onto her forearms as she holds her hands ready to catch falling objects. That gesture is mostly for show, as she would easily be able to summon a biotic field enough for an object so light and small compared to the targets she is trained to handle. She nods to Jasper's words. "I have no doubts about that," she says with a grin. "Or that," she adds at Halisi's
Jason returns the hug with one arm, careful to keep Li from knocking his mug over. "A whole centimeter?!" he asks. "Well, crap." he continues. He's slowly getting better at watching his mouth around Li. It's a process. "Guess we need to upgrade you to 'medium fry' then, huh?" he teases, giving her a playful jostle. "So where's Ilyna and Halisi?" he asks, shooting a curious glance over towards the door. "You forget them at home?"
Jasper leads the way up the stairs, soft smile on his face. "I reckon yer prolly right." he admits regarding Li's ability to tear through her presents.
Li nods proudly, before grumbling a little as she's jostled. "They're slow." she says with a displeased look. There's presents to be had! She has no patience for their dawdling!
Cynthia snickers quietly and shakes her head, leaning back in the couch and digging out her omni-tool to check something.
Vasquez is still just watching, increasingly failing to hide her big smile - until she suddenly remembers the stove and turns around to make sure she hasn't burned the hot chocolate. Her shoulders slump in relief after confirming that she hasn't, taking the pot off the plate and grabbing another couple of mugs.
Halisi falls silent as they near the rec room, the sound of voices and the faint Christmas music on the speakers bringing a fresh smile to her face.
Ilyna relaxes her arms with a sigh as they reach the second floor with the stack still secure. A smile takes over for her focused expression at the smell of food and sounds of Christmas from the rec room.
Jason snickers softly, giving Li one more playful jostle before bringing his arm back. "So you excited for Christmas?!" he asks, putting a bit of extra enthusiasm in his tone as he takes a quick sip from his mug- the taste slowly growing on him- and stands back up.
Jasper leads the way into the rec room, dipping his head in a greeting to Jason as he sees him before passing a glance about the room to the others. "Merry Christmas, ya'll!" he offers. "I'm jus'-..." he raises the bags in his hands on his way over towards the tree, "...helpin' deliver some cargo and then I'll be outta yer hair."
Cynthia 's attention turns to the door as Jasper enters, casually raising a hand in greeting. "Merry Christmas, man."
Vasquez heads over towards Jason and Li with a cup in each hand. She offers Jasper a polite nod. "Merry Christmas, Sullivan. Thanks for the help earlier. As you can see, the last of the preparations went smoothly." she says, briefly gesturing around the room with one of the mugs and smiling faintly.
Li offers an enthusiastic nod, smile immediately back on her face. She eyes his mug. "What are you drinking?" she asks, maybe having caught the odd smell.
Halisi enters a little after Jasper, stepping side to let Ilyna through and offering the others a smile in lieu of interrupting their pilot to greet them.
Vasquez attention quickly turns to Li, and she crouches down in front of the girl. She almost immediately gains an immensely awkward expression, but she pushes past it, forcing herself to speak. "Hey Li. Jason's drink is for adults only. But, uh... I... have some hot chocolate, just... for you and me. If you'd like some." she offers, holding out one of the cups with an almost nervous smile.
Li pulls back a little, a faint frown on her face, looking uncertain and maybe even a little scared.
Vasquez swallows hard, Li's reaction cutting right through her composure. The last few times Li has been around her she's been angry, yelling at people. She closes her eyes for a moment, drawing in a slightly uneven breath and struggling to keep her wavering smile in place. She seems at a loss for what to do.
Ilyna nods in greeting as she gets through the door, but her attention is immediately drawn to Li as she notices their tense interaction. Her smile fades at first, as she feels responsible for this tension as well. "It's okay, Li," she says, propping up a reassuring smile. "I would like some as well if there's more." She sets her bags down by the door for now.
Jason splits his attention between Li and the guests as they file into the room. "Merry Christmas!" he greets in turn. Li's question causes him to glance down into his mug, giving it a little sniff, but Vasquez beats him to the punch. "Yea..." he agrees with his wife, smile remaining on his face, "Guessing Ilyna probably doesn't want you getting drunk before dinner." he teases, shooting the asari a wink. But Li's apprehension
causes his smile to slip a little, blue eyes shifting from her to Vasquez, and then to Ilyna as she chimes in. "She does make a damn good cup of hot chocolate..." he offers in addition to Ilyna's words, his tone suggesting Li probably doesn't want to miss out on it. Just a little additional nudge to try and coax Li into bridging that gap.
Jasper casts a cursory glance about the room, nodding to himself. "Looks real good, Chief!" he says as he sets the bags by the tree with the rest of the gifts. "Jus' like Christmas back home."
Li 's attention darts to Ilyna, and then to Jason, before settling back on Vasquez and the offered mug, hesitation remaining. It doesn't take all that long for curiosity to win out, however, and she slowly reaches out to take the hot chocolate, studying it.
Vasquez lets out a breath, her smile still fragile, but growing a little as she hands the mug over. "Careful, it's hot." she instructs.
Li studies the contents skeptically for a moment before taking a cautious sip, flinching a little at the temperature, but she licks her lips and it's not long before she takes another one.
Vasquez seems relieved, smile a little firmer. With Li having seemingly accepted the hot chocolate she opts to stand back up and give the girl some space, turning her attention to the others. Jasper's comment garners a brief smile, and Ilyna's makes her eyebrows furrow. "I... actually only made a little for me and Li." she says, glancing down at her cup briefly. "But there's plenty of mulled wine if any of you would like a cup."
she offers. "Well, not you Sullivan, you still have some flying to do, don't you?" she says, eyebrows furrowing slightly.
Cynthia keeps an arm on the backrest of the couch, still turned to study the new arrivals. "It's not bad." she chimes in regarding the mulled wine, lifting her cup a little.
Halisi observes the interaction between Li and Vasquez, smiling a little when the former accepts the hot chocolate. Vasquez' question prompts a slight chuckle. "I certainly wouldn't mind something to warm me up." she answers. "Is it alright if I go put these by the tree?" she asks, lifting the stack of presents that almost obscures her face with a joking look of exertion.
Ilyna breathes a sigh of relief as Li takes the offered mug, and her smile doesn't fade when Vasquez answers her. Her request was mostly done to underline her reassurance. "That sounds lovely too," she says, not having the slightest idea what was offered to her. She goes to pick up her bags again and starts crossing the room to put them under the tree with the others; not asking permission like Halisi. "Merry
Christmas," she says to the hosts on her way across. "I'm impressed with the decorations you've put up, and the food smells great."
Jasper turns back towards the others, hands moving to his hips. Vasquez' comment regarding the mulled wine causes him to lift a hand and give a gentle, dismissive shake, as if he wouldn't even think of having any while he still has trips to make. The small flask he keeps in the cockpit tells another story, however. But that's his flying hootch! Totally different. Just enough kick to take the edge off! "Yep. Yep." he
Jason gives a small lift of his own cup after Cynthia, silently letting Ilyna know that he has some as well and it gets his seal of approval. "Better than that shit I sto-... uhh-... borrowed from Cross." he corrects, shooting a brief glance Li's way and giving away the reason for the last second correction. Halisi's request gets a nod as he takes another sip. "Yeah, that's fine, just shove 'em wherever you can find room."
Vasquez returns Ilyna's smile. It hasn't been long since things were more than a little tense between them. It's a relief to be on good terms again. "Merry Christmas, all of you." she replies, gaze briefly landing on each of the new arrivals before she heads back towards the kitchen, taking a small sip from her cup before putting it aside to serve up some more of the mulled wine. Jason's comment about Cross' wine causes her to
Li 's attention is quickly drawn to the pile of presents under the tree, and a moment later she's hovering near Ilyna and Halisi studying the treasure trove curiously. "We're not opening them?" she asks in dismay.
Halisi offers Jason a gracious nod and smile before following Ilyna to place her precarious stack of presents wherever they can fit under the tree.
Ilyna starts taking hers from the bags, and stowing them where there's space. She does glance at a few labels while doing so. "The dinner will be cold if you're going to open all your presents first, Li," she says with a chuckle.
Jasper remains in place for a moment longer, rocking in place as he watches the others before letting out a deep sigh. "Well, s'pose I should get ta gettin'..." he muses aloud, reaching up to adjust his cap. "I tucked away a few goodie bags this mornin'. They're-..." he glances towards the mass of presents beneath the tree, snickering lightly, "...Well, they're somewhere in there." he explains and, true to his word, somewhere
amongst the pile of gifts are a few more bags just like those he handed off to Ilyna, Halisi, and Li. There's even one that was hastily thrown together for Cynthia, having learned that she'd be joining them during his time decorating with Vasquez. "Ya'll have yerselves a good evenin' and jus' gimme a shout when yer ready ta head home."
Jason looks to Jasper as he starts to head out. "What about you? You doing anything for Christmas?" he asks.
Jasper has already taken a few steps towards the door when Jason's words halt him, causing him to draw in a breath and offer a small tilt of his head. "Eh. Lauren and the kids are spendin' this Christmas with her mother." he explains, trying not to show how much he'd rather his daughter and grandkids were spending it with him. He gives a dismissive shrug as if it's no big deal. "Hopin' that next year I can get a lil' time off.
Maybe fly out their way fer the holidays." he continues, perhaps issuing an early warning of his intentions for next year. "But this year? I'm jus' gon' pick up a pizza from the Respite and catch a game over at Jattic's. But my omni-tool'll be on so, like I said-..." he shoots a glance to Ilyna and Halisi, as if to ensure them they won't be bothering him, "...soon as ya'll are ready to go home, you jus' go ahead and
Jason offers a few silent nods. "I-... uhh-..." he shoots a glance over his shoulder towards Vasquez, "...I'm sure we can work something out and make sure you get home to your family for the holidays, Jasper." he assures.
Li's name appears more than once among the labels, but it's hard to get an overview of the total distribution. Ilyna's name is there too, of course.
Vasquez glances over as Jasper and Jason talk, and when she catches the look her way she nods in agreement. "Absolutely." she says, grabbing the two cups she's filled and starting to head back towards the others. "Fly safe, Sullivan."
Li sulks a little - how is she supposed to wait that long with all these presents just sitting here?!
Halisi snickers quietly and nods in agreement with Ilyna. "They'll still be there after dinner." she promises, giving Li's shoulder a squeeze before resuming her unloading of the presents. She finishes the gift-stacking just in time for Vasquez to hand her a mug of mulled wine. She gives it a curious sniff after standing up, nodding in approval, and then her eyes widen and she reaches down into one of her shopping bags, grabbing the last thing
there. It is, as it turns out, not a present, but rather a plastic container full of food. "Speaking of dinner..." she says, lifting the container a little sheepishly to emphasize it. "When I was invited I felt like I ought to contribute something. It's... nothing special, mind you. Just some chicken skewers and vegetable mash." she explains, offering the container to Vasquez.
Vasquez ' eyebrows rise in surprise as she accepts the container. "You... didn't have to do that, Halisi."
Halisi offers a patient, slightly amused smile. "I wanted to, Linda." she says with a tone that gives the impression this is an exchange they've had more than once before. "It's the least I can do with all the effort you've put into all this."
Vasquez is silent for a moment, studying the container, before nodding, looking a little embarrassed. "Right. Well... thanks." she half-mutters.
Halisi 's plan is revealed when she takes the opportunity while both of Vasquez' hands are occupied to wrap her up in a hug. "Merry Christmas, Linda."
Vasquez blinks, food-arm and mug-arm both held awkwardly out to the sides as she's hugged. "Oh. Uh... yeah. Merry Christmas."
Cynthia lifts her hand from the backrest in goodbye to Jasper before turning her attention to the group by the tree, letting out a snort at her former superior's all-too-familiar awkwardness.
Ilyna smiles at Li after putting the last present away from her bags. "You also need the extra energy to open all the presents with your name on them," she says light-heartedly, likely not helping things, "because there is a lot of them." She stands back up, and carefully takes the offered mug of mulled wine while Halisi is hugging Vasquez. "Thank you." She brings it up to her lips and takes a moment to enjoy
Jasper's smile seems to grow a bit firmer at Jason's assurance and Vasquez' confirmation. "Well... I sure would appreciate it." he says softly. With another nod to Vasquez' follow-up statement, he passes glances to the others, lifting a hand in one final farewell before heading on his way. "Enjoy yer dinner!" he bids as he disappears back through the rec room door, a bit more pep in his step.
Jason offers a nod with Vasquez' words. "Take care, Jasper." he says as the engineer heads on his way. He watches as Li scuttles about to gather intel as Halisi and Ilyna unload the presents, an ear-to-ear grin on his face. One that only grows when Halisi wraps Vasquez up in a hug. A quiet, restrained snort slips out, well aware that his wife isn't the touch-feely type. "Not bad, right?" he asks Ilyna once she tries the drink, the
Halisi has a warm, amused smile on her face as she pulls back from the one-sided hug. She brings the cup she was given up to her lips, smelling it again before taking a sip.
Vasquez offers Halisi a small, subdued but appreciative nod after the doc pulls back. She only know seems to realize that Ilyna has already snatched the second mug of mulled wine, shifting the food container into both hands as she waits for their opinions.
Halisi takes a longer sip, closing her eyes and letting out a quiet sigh. "Mm... just what the doctor ordered." she decides as the warmth settles in, seeming quite proud of her poor sense of humor.
Li kneels down by the tree while the adults talk, digging around among the presents. She hasn't really had time to learn reading yet - her education has only just gotten started, really. But she's learned to recognize a few things, and given some time to study the labels her name is one of those things.
Cynthia seems quite content to continue lounging in the couch, sipping her mulled wine. She lets out another snort as she overhears Halisi, shaking her head disapprovingly.
It's probably no surprise that the majority of the gifts put under the tree by Jason are for Li. And Jason's gifts are certainly recognizable. He's far better a soldier than a gift wrapper. Plenty of rips and tears in the wrapping paper that he has eloquently covered up with... tape. Lots and lots of tape. Corners are taped. Rips are taped. Some of the packages are more tape than wrapping paper.
Ilyna lets out a small amused snort at Halisi's comment. She raises an eyebrow at the sounds of Li perusing the presents, but she decides to trust her enough to not keep an eye on her for now. "I like it," she says, looking between Jason and Vasquez before going for another sip of it.
Jason goes to take another sip of his drink but then Halisi speaks up, jerking his attention her way. He doesn't say anything, but the look on his face is one of disappointment. Sheer, and utter disappointment. And then... suspicion. Narrowing his eyes on the good doctor, he studies her for a moment. "Hey, doc." he says, hazarding a quick glance Cynthia's way, "...I got a question for you."
Halisi raises an eyebrow, shooting Jason a curious look while taking another sip from her mug. "Hm?"
Cynthia just returns Jason's look with an expression that makes it seem like she should have a bunch of big question marks over her head.
Li continues to shuffle around on the floor, studying various colorful boxes. She seems a little in awe over just how many of them have her name on it.
Vasquez smiles a little at their responses, refusing to acknowledge Halisi's attempt at humor. "I'm... glad you could come. Both of you." she says with a firm nod, expression serious as she looks between Ilyna and Halisi. Jason's question causes her shoulders to drop a little with a sigh, rubbing her forehead.