Li frowns, looking at the toy guns again. "When can I have a real one...?" she asks with a questioning look back up at Jason.
#RedrockAgency – December 3, 2020
Halisi doesn't look thrilled with Jason's choice of gift, but she's soon distracted by Li's question, her jaw dropping a little before she brings up a hand to her mouth. She seems speechless, a pained look in her silver eyes.
Vasquez snickers a little at Cynthia's reaction, shooting her a smug smile. She continues to keep a hold of Jason's hand, thumb tracing the seams of his cybernetics as she studies the rings at the bottom of the frame. His words make her give his hand another squeeze, and she seems about to say something when Li's question stops her. Even she seems caught off-guard by the girl's words, sucking on her lips and scanning the side of
Cynthia makes a face, deciding that she's definitely not getting involved in that conversation. Nope. She takes a swig of her beer instead.
Jason too, seems a little caught off guard by the question, his gaze instinctively turning to Halisi with Ilyna out of the room. "Well-... uhh-..." he stammers, gaze shooting Vasquez' way. "That's-..." his eyes dip towards the coffee table for a moment before turning back to the young girl. "I-... uhh-... I think that's probably a conversation for when you're a little older, small fry..." he offers with a snicker colored by his
Li seems to pick up on the fact that she's said something 'wrong', and her gaze falls, frown deepening with a quiet mumble of "Ok..."
Vasquez ' hand skims up Jason's arm up to his shoulder, seeking to provide a comforting touch in an effort to back him up. She looks like she's trying to think of something to say.
Halisi shifts out of her armchair and over to the couch next to Li, right arm wrapping around her and leaning down to try and get a look at her face. "You-... you don't need a gun, sweetie." she says, sounding a little shook.
Halisi shakes her head, struggling a bit against the lump in her throat. "No, they're-... they're gone. They're not going to come for you again." she promises, pulling Li in for a hug, hand stroking the top of the girl's head as she casts a glance towards Jason and Vasquez, face full of emotion.
Li curls up in the couch, leaning against Halisi. "What if they're not...?" she says, voice a little muffled. Ilyna had said the same, but she was recently introduced to the concept that Ilyna can be wrong...
Cynthia frowns from her seat in the armchair, shifting her bottle from one hand to the other, elbows on her knees as she watches the group on the couch.
Jason's smile slips away entirely as Li asks about the monsters. It's no surprise after everything she's been through, but that doesn't make it any less heartbreaking. He draws a deep breath in, unaware of the scowl manifesting on his face as he meets Halisi's gaze. "Then-..." he shakes his head, "...I guess we'll just gonna have to kick their asses. Again." he says, sounding a little harsher than intended as a bit of anger brews
to the surface at everything those... things put her through. Put all of them through. He reaches out, placing a synthetic hand over Li's shoulder. "But we're not gonna let anything happen to you, Li. Ever." It's said with far more conviction than just a hollow assurance meant to placate. It's a promise he intends to keep. "Okay?"
Vasquez ' hand slips down to Jason's back as he speaks. She nods in agreement, watching Li with a deep frown. "You're safe here."
Li looks up at Jason as he speaks, watching him in silence for a few moments before nodding. "Ok." she says, a tiny smile crossing her lips.
Halisi loosens her grip of Li as she looks to Jason. After the girl responds, she pulls her into her lap. "Jason and Linda saved me too from the monsters once, you know. They're very good at it." she tells Li, doing her best to keep the emotion that accompanies those memories in check. After leaning down and catching Li's gaze to show her sincerity she offers the two of them a soft, thankful look above the girl's head.
Halisi leans to her side to look at Li again. "So leave the real guns to the adults, okay? You don't have to worry."
Cynthia shoots Vasquez a look as the talk of their past encounters with the Collectors and their spawn continues, but her concern is waved off with a subtle expression.
Jason swallows at the lump in his throat. When Li seems to react positively to his words, he gives her a firm nod. Halisi's addition causes his gaze to turn to her, studying her softly. He offers her, too, a nod. What they did on Ogofau hardly felt worthy of thanks. So many people were lost... But he doesn't focus on those encroaching thoughts. For better or worse, he's had plenty of practice blocking them out. Ignore them.
Pretend they're not there. Leave them and the guilt that accompanies them to ambush him later when he least expects it. While he's in the shower. Or running on the treadmill. Or when he wakes up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. He finds himself leaning a bit heavier against Vasquez' touch and he shoots a look her way, his hand moving to her leg to give it a squeeze as he props a heavy smile back up.
Ilyna returns with a rectangular box in hand. It is wrapped in a blue paper with a repeating pattern of christmas trees, and bound with blue ribbons. There is a sticker on it with a reindeer and the text, written in clear galactic standard letters. She looks around the room questioningly as Li had found her way into Halisi's lap, and the expression of the others appear more serious. Her own smile wavers as well.
Vasquez runs her hand up and down Jason's back, leaning in to nuzzle the side of his neck, planting a couple of gentle kisses there. She's well aware of where his mind is - hers isn't far away. Panic as contact is lost. Another ship overrun. Bloodstained walls. Last stand. Too familiar. Guilt turned to anger and then regret. It's her fault. Again. It always is. Her other hand goes over his, the picture frame set aside, squeezing
the synthetic limb hard. It's only Ilyna's arrival that makes her pull up from the mental nosedive she's in, forcing herself to pull it back together. Not now. She shifts back, drawing a deep breath and watching Jason for a moment as she steadies herself, and then she turns her attention to the asari in the doorway. "Thought you might've gotten lost." she says, trying for a smile. It doesn't quite land.
Halisi 's attention turns to the door as Ilyna returns, offering the asari a small smile, heavier emotions shining through underneath. "Looks like your mom is back." she says to Li. "I should let her have her seat." She lifts her back into the couch, keeping her hand on her back for a moment just to make sure she's okay before standing up and heading over to meet Ilyna, placing a hand on one of the asari's arms and guiding her to join
her in turning away from the others. "We had a... small incident. She brought up you-know-what. Asked if she could... have a weapon in case they came back. But it's handled. We explained she's safe here. Just thought you should know in case she mentions it." the doctor explains in a quiet mumble, so as to not be overheard by Li.
Li frowns as Halisi leaves, looking over curiously towards her and Ilyna as they speak, craning her neck to see over the back of the couch.
Jason draws a breath in through his nose as Vasquez shifts back, giving her leg a small, comforting squeeze before bringing his hand back into his lap. As his focus shifts away from her, he catches Cynthia's attention on them, but his eyes quickly bounce away from her, not wanting to acknowledge the obvious strife just beneath the surface. Instead, he turns his attention towards Ilyna's arrival. When Halisi begins to lead her away
and Li tries to listen in, he gives her a small nudge in hope of drawing her attention away from the others so they can speak. "It-... uhh-... might not be the real deal. But that does have most of the same functions as the real thing." he explains to Li, shooting a glance towards the pair of toy pistols. His gaze turns back to the gift from Halisi in his lap and he digs his thumb up under some paper, tearing it away.
"Whaddya say when we're all done opening gifts I show you how to use that, small fry?" he asks, shooting her a quick smile.
Ilyna raises a brow at Vasuqez' joke before stepping into the room. When Halisi heads her way, she stops again and lets her pull her aside. "Oh," she replies, "but we all know they're not going to." She notices Li looking the couch in the corner of her eye. "Or... we hope," she adds barely above a whisper. She sighs. "Thank you for letting me know, Halisi," she says. "What brought this on, though? She was going
for a present when I stepped away?" She has not yet seen Jason's gift, and is too focused on what Halisi is telling her to listen in on what Jason is saying to her.
Underneath the wrapping paper of Halisi's gift is a book on the challenges of fatherhood and supporting a pregnant partner written by an 'Etuia T'Zara', a name Jason might recognize as a prominent asajura player.
Li 's attention is successfully diverted, sitting back down as she listens to Jason speak. His question prompts furrowed eyebrows, and she reaches out to grab the still taped-together toy gun boxes, studying them for a moment before nodding firmly and returning the smile.
Vasquez casts a glance towards Ilyna and Halisi, but soon lets them have some privacy. Her hand finally leaves Jason's back as she reaches for another present - one of Cynthia's - and starts to open it. Inside is a copy of 'N7 Code of Honor: Joint Strike Force', the latest entry in the long-running military shooter series. She raises an eyebrow as she removes the game from the packaging, shooting Cynthia a questioning, slightly
Cynthia flashes a grin. "Think you remember how to play? This place needs some better entertainment options, and I figure I need to prove I can still kick your-..." Her eyes shift to Li for a split-second before returning to Vasquez.. "...butt."
Halisi nods in response to Ilyna's thanks, flashing the asari a small smile. The question that follows makes her sigh, glancing back towards the couch. "It was just one of the gifts, I imagine-... I would be surprised if it wasn't something that's on her mind a lot. After everything she's been through, it's no wonder if she worries. I believe the most important thing is to... reinforce to her that she's safe. And that she's surrounded
by people that she can trust to keep her safe." she offers with a faint shrug, trying her best to be helpful.
Jason finds himself temporarily distracted by the book, a more genuine lopsided smirk slowly replacing the heavy smile. Perfectly on brand for a gift from Halisi. Lame, but practical and thoughtful. At this pace she's gonna provide him with a whole library. He studies it for a second before shooting a glance Halisi's way. He thinks better than to interrupt her and Ilyna right now and just sets the book in his lap for now.
Ilyna nods a few times as Halisi speaks. "I suspect so, too," she says. "She is unnerved by the dark living room window at home; so the reminders of that night and-... the rest really are everywhere." She glances down at the gift in her hands. "But you're right, and we are doing our part to reinforce that," she says, "and we can do it, because they can't reopen that wound this time."
Halisi offers a a smile and a nod, giving Ilyna's arm a pat before gesturing in the direction of the couch and starting to head back herself, retaking her seat in the armchair. Her smile returns, a little wider, upon noticing that Jason has opened her present.
Cynthia snorts, leaning back in her armchair with a cocky look. "Don't remember you being named 'Barracks 3 Champion', Chief..." she points out with a shrug.
Cynthia looks oh-so-innocent. "What? Me? No idea what you're talking about... pretty sure I remember being declared innocent."
Vasquez looks unamused, crossing her arms as she leans back against the couch. "Yeah, and that had nothing to do with the bet..." she mutters, shaking her head to herself and leaning forward to start opening the big present from Halisi to both her and Jason. It's still sat on the floor, given its size. She nudges Jason to get his attention once she's started to get rid of the wrapping paper, revealing the unmarked cardboard box
Jason listens in amusement as Vasquez and Cynthia bicker. But when Halisi returns he gives the book a little lift, smile still present. "Starting to think you're trying to trick me into reading, Doc." he jokes. The nudge prompts him to sit up a bit straighter, a small, "Oh..." slipping out as he shifts and reaches down to help her tug off a bit of the lingering paper. "What do we got here...?" he asks, shooting Halisi another
Ilyna returns the smile and follows the doctor back to the couch, and she puts the gift down on the floor in front of Li, not wanting to dump it in her lap while she's still holding the unwrapped gift from Jason. "I hadn't forgotten your gift, Li," she says. She picks up her trio of gifts and sits back down on the couch. "What did you get?" she asks as she studies the toy guns. "Training equipment?" She does
The large box from Halisi contains a variety of items that all follow an obvious theme - baby clothes, pacifiers, a holo-mobile, a baby bottle and even a carrier. It seems that the doctor has dedicated herself to making sure that Jason and Vasquez are kitted out for the future.
Cynthia smirks to herself, definitely considering Vasquez' grumpy disengage a victory as she sips her beer.
Halisi snickers quietly, shrugging slightly in response. As Jason and Vasquez turn to another of her gifts she falls silent, watching.
Vasquez gains a small, soft smile as she takes in the contents of the box, a quiet snort slipping out. She shoots a glance Halisi's way, offering her a nod. "Thank you." she says, her hand shifting to Jason's knee as she sits back.
Li 's eyes follow the newly arrived package curiously, but she looks down at the toy guns as Ilyna asks about them, handing them over to show her (and to free her own lap). "Jason's gonna show me how to use them." she informs helpfully, already reaching for the present the asari brought.
Jason furrows his brow as he looks into the box, looking a little overwhelmed by how far Halisi has gone. "I-... uhh-..." he begins but trails off, gaze turning from the contents of the box to Vasquez, a goofy smile slipping back out as he studies her for a few moments. Every day the realization gets a little more... real. They're having a baby. Leaning forward, he reaches down into the box to grab an article of clothing. He looks
it over for a moment before shooting a glance Halisi's way. "I don't know how to tell ya this, Doc..." he begins, grabbing the item by the shoulder area and holding it up to his chest, "...but I think you might've gotten my size wrong." As his lopsided smirk manifests a small snicker slips out and he quickly folds it loosely before setting it back into the box. "No-..." he continues with a shake of his head, sincerity soon
Ilyna takes the two boxes off of Li's hands and puts them aside for now, nodding at her words. "I suppose that's why there's two of them," she says with a chuckle. Ilyna's gift is not a small box, and a little bit heavy, but she should be able to pick it up and unwrap it in her lap without difficulty. It does not rattle when lifted or shaked. She looks over at Jason when he speaks to Halisi, grinning at his
Halisi lets out a chuckle at Jason's joke, but the comments that follow from him and Vasquez make her smile warmly, nodding a couple of times and making a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Someone needs to make sure you're ready when the time comes, hm?" she says, picking up the gift that Leah gave her when she visited her home. It was brought an added to the tree alongside Halisi's presents. She opens it carefully.
Vasquez chews on the inside of her cheek as she watches Jason pick up the baby clothes. She leans a little against him, giving his leg a squeeze, unable to keep a small laugh laced with emotion from slipping out.
Li pulls the present into her lap with a tiny grunt of effort, wasting no time in starting to unwrap it.
Beneath the paper of Halisi's gift is a rectangular box. Inside is a full set of what appears to be hand made winter gear. A tuque, mittens, and a scarf, each fashioned from cloth with intricate, ornate designs that give away their quarian origins. Undoubtedly purchased from one of the many artisans that have set up shop either at the market or the spaceport since the quarians arrived in Freedom Falls. A hand written note is laid atop the
items, scrawled in Leah's crisp handwriting. "Thank you for always being there. Joyeux Noël, Halisi." it says, the i's in Halisi's name dotted with goofy little hearts.
Jason brings one arm around Vasquez' shoulder as she leans against him, bringing his arm across her shoulder to give her a playful little side-hug. "What do you think?" he asks her, goofy smile growing a bit, "You think we're ready?"
Li makes quick work of the wrapping. The metallic-gray cardboard box within has a transparent part on the side that gives away what is inside, a model gunship that is an A-61 Mantis in anything but name. The brand name is Vindictus (with the tiniest familiar blue hexagon with three lines on it next to it). The packaging brags of many features, from range and battery life, night-vision, real eezo levitation, wide
integration support and even built-in games. The box has no seals on it, just these folds that needs to be pulled out to open it; and there is some foam inside to keep the craft in place.
Ilyna looks down at the gift as it's being unwrapped. "When I told my friends on Thessia that I had just learned of the gift-giving tradition, I had unknowingly set in motion a scramble to get this to Enila who was on her way to Illium," she explains, with some admiration in the tone of her voice. "Renala told me that the controller should be on your omni-tool once you open this."
Halisi smiles to herself as she studies the contents of the package, and the note that accompanied it, momentarily oblivious to her surroundings.
Vasquez lets out a snort in response to Jason's question, although it ends up sounding more nervous than anything. "One step closer, anyway..." she muses, shifting a little, pulling her legs up into the couch and allowing herself to lean a bit more against Jason. She's not used to letting her guard down with others around, but she's not surrounded by random employees. There's no need to be 'The Chief'. These are people that she
trusts deeply, and cares about. And she can afford to relax. To be soft for a bit. Even if she has to consciously remind herself of that.
Li turns the package to look inside, eyes wide. "It's a ship?" she asks, looking up at Ilyna. The multitude of features bragged about are quite lost on her as she cuts right to the point. "Can it fly?"
Jason snickers softly, dopey smile lingering as he gives Vasquez a little squeeze with the arm still draped around her. The commotion from Ilyna and Li causes him to glance their way, gaze shifting towards the gift. It takes him a moment before he realizes what it actually is, brow suddenly furrowing. Well that's... surprising. This was supposed to be an easy crown. The Christmas victory was supposed to be his! He brought guns!
Lots of guns! And coffee mugs! Everyone loves coffee mugs, dammit! And Ilyna is an amateur! She's not supposed to be the one to win Christmas! Wait a minute... He cranes his neck to the side a bit to get a look at the logo. Maybe it's one of those TresCo. knockoffs. Nope. He sniffs at the air, quickly wiping away the scowl that threatens to crop up. "That's-..." he starts, giving Ilyna a nod as he shifts against
Vasquez a bit, "...nice." He nods again, "Real nice. Really managed to pull it all together last minute, huh?"
Ilyna nods to Li. "Yes," she says with a smile. "That's what the controller on your omni-tool is for. We can look at it together if there's any evening left after everything is unwrapped, but there's always tomorrow." She chuckles as Jason comments on it, looking up at him. "You let me know in no uncertain terms how important this was," she says. "I had a lot of help, though."
Halisi seems mildly amused by Jason and Ilyna's interaction, watching them fondly after putting her gift from Leah aside.
Li nods several times, returning to studying the gunship, turning the box this way and that. It seems like the sheer novelty factor has generated a good bit of interest. She takes a moment to hold it out to show it off to Halisi, who chuckles and nods, suitably impressed.
Vasquez covers her face with her palm, giving Jason's leg a pat. With a shake of her head she reaches for the last present from her husband, starting to open it while he recovers from the devastating blow dealt in the battle for Christmas.
Cynthia eyes Jason and Vasquez' gift-pile with an odd look. Impatient? Is she waiting for something?
Jason seems to relinquish his assumed crown to Ilyna with a small, impressed dip of his head, smile eventually fully re-emerging as Li's eyes light up as she looks over her gift. That was what all of this was about, after all. Giving her a day free from all of the troubles that this past year has put on her shoulders. A reminder that all of that was in the past. And... maybe in the process reinforce it for himself, too. If Cynthia
was waiting for him to open her gift, then she's not forced to wait much longer. Leaning forward, he sets the book that was on his lap on the coffee table and replaces it with the gift from Cynthia. He pre-emptively shoots an appreciative look and a nod her way before his focus turns to the gift. The wrapping paper stands little chance against his synthetic hands.
The wrapping paper on Vasquez' gift gives way to an unremarkable cardboard box. Actually, upon close inspection, Vasquez might notice by the markings on it, that it's one of their boxes. One of many that has passed through the base, usually filled with whatever spare parts or odds and ends Jasper needs. But, hey, a box is a box. The top is taped closed. Taped closed many times, at that. Jason's policy when it comes to gift wrapping most
Ilyna watches Li study the gift for a few moments. The earlier episode has made clear the fragility of this excitement, but that doesn't cause Ilyna any doubt that this has been great for her. She puts the toy guns' boxes down on the floor to clear up space in her lap to start unwrapping her own gifts. The one with an unknown sender draws her attention first. "I didn't think Santa would be very happy with me
after what I said about him the other day," she muses aloud as she begins unwrapping the flat and hard gift.
Vasquez furrows her eyebrows, fingers digging in for leverage to tear the top open. She will not be defeated by mere tape!
Cynthia 's eyes remain on the pile, she must have been waiting for something else, but when Jason offers her a nod she returns it with a fingergun.
Cynthia's gift is... another game! Her and Linda's old traditions are shining through a bit in both their picks. The game in question is 'Super Centurion: Battle Arena'. A fighting game, by the looks of it, the cover filled with familiar characters from the cartoon.
Li keeps the gunship box in her lap as she grabs her next gift, the most easily accessible one - Cynthia's. It's shaped very similarly to Jason's, and, well, as she opens it, it becomes clear that it is a second copy of Super Centurion: Battle Arena!
As Ilyna removes the wrapping for her present of unknown origin, it reveals... a copy of the director's cut of A Beautiful Shade of Blue. With previously unseen deleted scenes! And a commentary track!
Halisi 's chin is resting in one of her hands, elbow against the armrest. She brushes her knuckles back and forth across her lips, definitely not covering up a smile. Her silver eyes look out across the room, her expression the picture of innocence.
Jason snickers aloud at Ilyna's musings, attention remaining on the gift in his lap. Once the paper has been done away with (Discarded into a mounting pile of wrapping paper on the floor in front of the sofa), a small smirk crosses his lips as he spots the familiar characters. It causes him to give a glance Li's way, already lifting the box to show it to her before realizing she's got one, too, resulting in a small snicker. In the
process, he gets a look at Ilyna's gift, causing his smirk to grow. Just the set up he needed. Excellent. Offering Cynthia another small, appreciative nod, he casts another glance down to the box. "Shit-..." he mutters before instantly catching and correcting himself, "Shoot!" as the Li Language Rules kick in. As if, if he spits out a replacement word quickly enough, it erases the slip up. Five Second Rule of cussing.
"Been years since I played one of these." he says, small, fond smile spreading across his face as the nostalgia sets in. He, too, is no stranger to a good barracks tournament.
Once Vasquez finally manages to work her way through the layers of tape, the box opens to a number of items. Maybe intended to be a goodie bag (Or box as the case may be). Or maybe he was just running low on wrapping paper so he decided to dump the rest of his gifts into one box. The world may never know. Either way, the largest of the items is a bag of coffee, imported from Earth. The good stuff! Gotta have plenty of coffee when you
have plenty of coffee mugs. It's upside down, but thankfully it's in a nice, sealed bag. There's also a set of Christmas stockings. Three of them. Traditional in their look and coloring, red with white, fluffy trim. On the trim of one of them is his name. On the second, 'Linda'. The third is smaller, with nothing printed on it. Not yet, at least. Don't worry, Jason made sure that the guy down at the market would still make good on his
3-for-2 printing special after-the-fact once he comes back with a name to put on it. Value! At any rate, the message seems to be that it's time for them to start their own Christmas traditions. At the bottom of the box is an olive green tuque. It seems as if Jason- for some reason- just assumed that would be the side Vasquez opened it from, as the tuque is taped to the flap on that end with more of that heavy-duty tape. On the flap of the
box, written in black marker, is the phrase 'JUST WEAR A DAMN HAT!!!!!', harkening back to their previous conversation. It would've been hilarious if she had just opened the box from the right side only to be greeted by it!
Ilyna casts a few careful glances around the room after seeing what it is, first at Jason who she should have expected something like this from, but Halisi's over-the-top display of innocense is enough for her to shift her suspicion. That it doesn't garner a strong reaction from anyone else (especially Jason) does temper her own reaction to it, and she can't help but laugh. "That was you?" she asks. "I thought
you were better than that, Halisi." The smile is still on her face as she conceals the copy among her unwrapped gifts; any accusation in her tone is hollow at best.
Vasquez gains a triumphant smile upon finally getting through the tape, starting to look through the items in the box. The coffee garners a smirk and small nod, while the socks make her stop, just holding them in her hands and studying them for a while, her eyes locked on the nameless one. She swallows and nods to herself, tilting her head to press a kiss against Jason's neck. When she notices the hat, and, more importantly, the
message behind it, she lets out a surprised snort of laughter, shaking her head a little and looking his way.
Halisi feigns confusion as she turns her attention to Ilyna. "Hm?" she says, as if she didn't quite understand what she said. "What was?"
Cynthia cracks a smile as both Jason and Li open their copies of Battle Arena. "Figured you'd have about the same taste in gifts." she says with a wink to Jason before turning her attention to Li, leaning forward a bit in her armchair. "It's a fighting game. You get to pick your favorite character and then you fight each other. Uh... in the game. It's got online multiplayer." she explains. "That means you can play even if
Li shows off her copy to Jason when she realizes he has one too. The cursing doesn't seem to register for her, and as Cynthia addresses her she listens and nods, the final comments eliciting a giggle and another set of nods.
Jason gives Cynthia a roll of his eyes. "Hilarious." he mutters sarcastically through his lopsided smirk. The attention from Vasquez causes him to tilt his head her way, smile widening as he realizes she's looked through the box. A small snicker slips out and he presses a quick kiss against her head. "But, really. Wear the hat." he teases, though there's an obvious bit of honesty behind his words.