Ilyna chuckles at Halisi's remark before she nods at Li. "Yeah, that one," she says, looking over the screen with her. She resists her inclination to pull Li into her lap while she assist. "Let's see if I remember all Renala told me," she adds.
#RedrockAgency – January 14, 2021
Jason's jaw clenches as Vasquez strikes the door. For the moment, he merely stares at the spot on the door, the emotion pouring out of Vasquez cutting through him. "Hey..." he offers, the words quieter then intended, but nothing follows. What can he say? There's more than a little guilt involved over his part in Amel trying to re-establish contact with Vasquez. "C'mere." he says in little more than a whisper, using his hand on the
Vasquez tenses at first, seeming like she might push Jason away, but then she relents with a heavy, sighed "...fuck.", hand falling away from the door as her arm goes limp. She lets the Shuriken return to its idle form as she shoves it back into the pocket of her jacket, and then she shifts closer, rapidly deflating as she leans against Jason, silent tears still rolling down her cheeks. "I-... I'm sorry, uh..." she mumbles
Halisi shifts a bit, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible on the floor as she watches Li with a smile.
Cynthia stops near the others, taking a sip of her beer. "Time for a test flight?" she asks with a small smirk that doesn't quite conceal the fact that she's still in 'alert-mode', despite the drinks in her system.
Clicking the icon causes two holographic surfaces to appear above the omni-tool. The first shows a view of Halisi from a camera at the front of the craft, and is rotated to meet Li's eyes. A faint three-dimensional grid forms outwards on the camera to cover the walls in the view, and a wireframe block sorrounds obstacles like the table, the mess of wrapping and -- last but not least -- Halisi. The camera holo-screen
lifts up as a rough three-dimensional map of what's in view pops out of the other holographic surface. There is a small model of the craft at the edge of this map.
The craft flares to life with a soft hum and starts hovering about a few inches above the floor, held afloat by a relatively weak M.E. field. Ilyna can feel it from sitting too close to it.
Ilyna returns the smile, looking down at the holographic controls. "Now, pinch the little craft on the hologram and lift it up," she says. "Renala said there are more... realistic controls available that let you do tricks and more precise flying, but let's start with the easiest controls which lets us tell it where to fly." While she hasn't shaken the concern that something is not right about the package
Jason shakes his head as his arm slips a bit further around Vasquez' lower back to pull her in close. "Nothing to apologize for..." he whispers, tilting his head downward to press a kiss against her shoulder. For a few moments he merely holds her close, gaze fixed on the wall opposite of him. Eventually, his other arm slips around her, unwanted package pressed against her body as he gives her one final squeeze before leaning back
enough to look her in the eye. "Just-..." he starts and stops as he struggles with his words, not wanting her to take what he's trying to say the wrong way. "Fuck her, right?" he offers up as what almost seems like an attempt at softening what he's about to say, to remind her that he's on her side. The words that follow cautious. "...But don't let her ruin today for you, Linda."
Vasquez ' arms wrap around Jason in turn as she allows herself to just lean against him for a while, another sigh slipping out as she closes her eyes, willing the anger to fade away and the faint shaking to stop. Not today. Jason's words as he leans back to meet her gaze actually hit the right note, a quiet snort slipping out and the corner of her mouth tugging almost impeceptibly upward. It's short lived, soon replaced by chewing
on the inside of her cheek as she looks over his shoulder, cheeks still wet. She runs a hand up her face and over her hair, letting out a loud, uneven sigh and rolling her shoulders as she tries to compose herself. "Why can't she just leave me the fuck alone...?" she says quietly, looking at the door.
Li 's eyes go wide as the tiny craft lifts into the air and all sorts of displays come to life. Her head turns as she looks between camera-Halisi and real-Halisi. Ilyna's instructions make her furrow her eyebrows, the information overload of the interface a lot to take in. She looks immensely focused as she reaches out to pull the little hologram upward.
Halisi chuckles and waves to the toy gunship when Li eyes the camera display, watching with curious amusement. She's not exactly up to date on the latest and greatest in the toy world.
Cynthia just watches from where she's standing, arms loosely crossed, bottle resting against her forearm. She looks a little like she wishes she had an RC gunship too.
Li pulls a fainter ghost of the hologram out of it, and a moment later the small craft hums a tiny bit louder as it gains altitude. The craft reorients slightly to match the subtle changes in orientation of Li's pinch as the holographic representation moves in to match the ghost's position and orientation. The holographic map gains a few details that were previously obscured by Halisi.
Ilyna grins to Halisi after seeing her wave to the camera. "You can turn it around too by turning the little hologram," she says. "It will try to fly around anything... or anyone that's in the way, so don't be afraid to move the little hologram around the room."
Jason's expression mirrors Vasquez', a small, faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as she seems to get a handle on things. Her question goes unanswered at first. Because she's your mother? Because, as fucked up as her way of showing it might be, she loves you? He silences those thoughts. He said his piece already. Gave his opinion, as unwanted and, perhaps, unwarranted as it was. "Because
she's a Vasquez?" he offers instead, willing his heavy smile to fully manifest. "I hear they can be pretty stubborn pains in the ass sometimes..." he adds, an obvious fond undertone to his words.
Li 's focused frown deepens as she studies the map, trying to make sense of it. She pulls the hologram towards somewhere behind Halisi, but she doesn't quite manage to 'unstick' it before pulling her hand back, and so she ends up dragging it back towards herself and down through the floor of the map.
Halisi raises an eyebrow at the 'anyone', looking a little like she's wondering whether she should be keeping still lest she risk a gunship collision.
Cynthia watches the toy gunship move, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "What kind of heat is that thing packing? Dartguns? Lasers?"
Vasquez lets out a quiet, surprised scoff, a half-hearted glare on her face as her attention returns to Jason. It quickly softens, a tiny, exasperated smile breaking through before she leans in to plant a kiss against his lips, one hand briefly on his neck. "Let's-... let's get back to the others." she suggests with a glance down the corridor they came from. "You're right... today's been great, and... I don't want this to ruin
When the hologram is pulled further away, a curved path is drawn between the little hologram and the ghost. It does start moving as soon as the path is drawn. When the ghost is pulled through the floor, the shuttle turns around and then comes to a stop. The camera view populates the holographic map with the new information, and shows a path going down to the floor and stopping there with a flat red circle.
Ilyna looks over at Li with a reassuring smile. "Let's try that again," she says. "You need to let go off it before you pull back your hand." She glances up at Cynthia as she asks. "It can fire some kind of dart, I think," she says, "but it didn't come with any ammunition."
Jason's eyes drift close as Vasquez' presses a kiss against him. The smile that emerges when she pulls back is more genuine and he offers a small nod, glancing back down the corridor himself. It has been great. A nice, quiet day, surrounded by people important to them. They've, unfortunately, had far too few of those these past years. His gaze turns back to Vasquez, free hand reaching down to grasp hers. He intertwines his
fingers with hers, giving her hand a quick squeeze. It's little more than pressure to his synthetic hands- no warmth or gentle sensations- but he'll take what he can get. He uses his grip on her hand to pull her back in and press a quick kiss against the top of her head before releasing her hand and gesturing down the corridor with a nod of his head as he starts back. Knowing Ilyna, if they're gone for much longer she
Li frowns at the failed pathing and reaches out to move the hologram again, putting it as far away in the miniaturized representation of the room as she can.
Vasquez gives Jason's hand a squeeze in return, taking a deep breath and nodding before following alongside him as they start to make their way back towards the stairs, her hands soon buried in her pockets.
The ghost returns to its previous faint color once it's pulled out of the floor, and a new path is drawn towards it. The holographic map is continiously upgraded as the camera gathers new information as the craft flies towards the new position, using orientation of itself and the engine nacelles to move. It's only when it reaches its destination that it turns around to match the orientation of the little hologram. The
objects and people it cannot see right now remain on the map, but any changes won't be reflected until the camera can see them.
Ilyna looks over her shoulder to look for the gunship that flew right over her head. "That's much better," she says. She sneaks in a glance towards the door as she returns her attention to Li and the remote controls. "Can you turn it around so it looks at us?" she asks.
Jason shoots a glance down to the gift in his hand as he heads back towards the stairs, unable to fully push Amel from his thoughts. She's a difficult one to pin down. Truth be told, he's not even sure what to think of her. She's a terrorist, responsible for countless atrocities across the galaxy. She's the reason for the pangs of phantom pain that shoot through an arm that his body hasn't quite accepted isn't there anymore. And
she was the culprit behind kidnapping Linda and jamming whatever that Cerberus tech was into her head. For that, he'll never forgive her. But she's also Vasquez' mother and, try as he might, it's something he's having trouble seeing past. Sure, maybe it comes from his own family life. His feelings over what he'd do if he had a second chance with the mother he barely even had the opportunity to know. He's not so blind that he
doesn't see that. Soon, regardless of whatever else she may be- terrorist, horrible mother, psychopath, murderer, extremist- she'll be a grandparent. The last one standing, at that. And what will they tell their child? Will they lie? Pretend that Amel is dead? He swallows at the lump in his throat, willing those thoughts away as he shoots a small, forced smile Vasquez' way. "Guess you can cross 'Make a salarian shit his
pants' off your bucket list now, huh?" he teases, just to fill the silence so his thoughts don't do it for him. After a moment's consideration he furrows his brow, offering a shake of his head, "Who am I kidding. Probably checked that one off years ago."
Li nods a little uncertainly, focused expression returning as she reaches out to twist the little hologram around, watching for the changes to be reflected on the real thing as she starts to grasp how this works.
Halisi watches the gunship fly off with a small smirk. "The pathfinding is smarter than I expected." she admits.
Cynthia studies the flying toy skeptically. "How does it react to moving obstacles?" she asks, looking like she's tempted to test for herself.
Vasquez ' thoughts are, of course, also stuck on her mother. How couldn't they be? Unwelcome childhood memories of Christmases past swim through her mind. One of the few times of year that Amel, ever busy with work, would be home for an extended period of time. Memories of listening, enraptured, to stories about the wonders of the galaxy. It's hard to reconcile those memories with the past year. It's hard reconcile the woman that
she looked up to, that she mourned, with the monster that revealed herself after years of deception, and almost tore their lives apart. There's a distant frown on her face as she starts up the stairs, but Jason's teasing soon draws her out of her thoughts, and she lets out an uncomfortable grunt, not exactly in the mood to have her outburst poked fun at.
The twisting motion spins the ghost around, and the craft is quick to match the new orientation. It will not obey too great a roll, but she could pitch it all the way around and it will rotate the engines to compensate. All four of them are in frame of the camera now.
Ilyna smiles as she sees the group on the screen and waves at the little craft. Her waving is also shown on the map, though the resolution is a bit rough. "It's supposed to avoid moving obstacles," she says to Cynthia, "but I don't think you should try to get in its way." She returns her attention back to the controls and gives Li a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You're doing well," she says. "When you want to
land, and I'm not telling you to do that right now, you can set the little hologram down somewhere flat and hold it still until a blue circle fills up around it."
Jason decides it's probably for the best if he doesn't push his luck with Vasquez. But he continues to wear his smile, heavy as it may be, as they crest the top of the stairs. "You go ahead and rejoin the others." he says as they get a few steps down the hall, stopping to turn towards her. "I'll-... uhh-..." he nods further down the hall, "...put our jackets away." Not that he's too concerned with returning to the party with their
jackets on. But the last thing he wants is to further pique anyone else's (More specifically, Ilyna's. Mistress of Pessimism) concerns with a folded up machine pistol hanging out of Vasquez' pocket. He extends his free arm out as he waits to take her jacket.
Li nods a little and tries to drag the mini-gunship in a big circle around the room, going high. Her gaze keeps shifting between the interface and the real thing, still in focus-mode.
Halisi joins Ilyna in giving the camera a wave. She smiles as Li starts making more dramatic motions. "Are we looking at a future pilot?" she teases.
Cynthia 's attention shifts towards the door as she hears faint hints of conversation outside given her proximity, watching expectantly for Jason and Vasquez' return.
Vasquez shifts a little, casting a glance towards the open door to the rec room, and then she lets out an affirmative grunt and nods, hands leaving her pockets before she slips her jacket off and hands it over to Jason.
The craft obeys the new path the little ghost leaves in its wake as Li draws big circles in the room. The orientation it's held does not matter much as it needs the camera to point where it's going to keep the map up to date. When it's pulled through a tall obstacle like the Christmas tree, the path bends around it.
Ilyna looks up at the craft as it makes its way around the room. "I think Steeles should be worried for her job," she says light-heartedly in response to Halisi. She thinks she just heard some sounds from the hallway, and it does draw her attention to the door for a moment. She returns her attention to the mini-gunship instead of saying anything about it.
Jason is quick to retrieve the pistol from Vasquez' jacket so it doesn't go tumbling out while draped over his arm, and shoves it into his own pocket for the moment. "Be right back." he assures her, shooting her a playful wink to try and help prop her mood back up before turning on his heels and starting down the hallway once more. As he passes the rec room, he gives the doorframe a pat with his free hand to announce his presence
and leans inside. "Just gonna-..." he begins to explain to those inside before his attention is pulled to the airborne gunship, gaze tracking its movement for a moment. When he glances at Li and spots the look of intense concentration on her face, a small snicker slips out, lopsided grin re-appearing. "...I'm gonna put our jackets away real quick." he explains to the others before disappearing down the hall.
Vasquez enters the rec room after Jason pops his head inside for a moment. She props up a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes as she offers their guests a nod. Her attention too is drawn to the miniature gunship circling the room, her smile feeling a bit less fake after her gaze falls on Li. "Sorry about that. It was just a delivery." she assures the others.
Cynthia offers Jason a nod before he disappears, while Vasquez gets a questioning look upon her return to the rec room. She's probably noticed the odd look in her eyes, but her concern is waved off.
Halisi looks a little relieved when Jason appears in the doorway, flashing him a small smile and following his attention to Li.
Li doesn't seem to have thought anything of Jason and Vasquez' absence, too busy with her presents, although her eyes go wide as the latter steps into the flight path she's plotted, and her frown deepens as she tries to adjust it, not realizing that the pathing software can probably handle that.
There are small spheres along the drawn path that can be pinched and moved in the same way, but the path has already changed the moment Vasquez being in the way shows on the mini-map.
Ilyna breathes a sigh of relief as she sees Jason pop his head through the doorway and she nods to him with a small smile. She nods to Vasquez' expalantion of it being just a delivery, but she refrains from asking any questions about it after seeing her propped up smile. "It's fine," she says, before her attention returns to the gunship as it maneuvers around Vasquez.
Jason continues on his way down the hall and disappears into their room. He quickly hangs Vasquez' jacket on the hook, his own soon joining it. Fishing the pistol out of his pocket, he gives it a quick once over to ensure the safety is on and everything is secure before stowing it away in the nightstand. Before leaving, he lifts the gift up, looking it over for a moment and giving the contents a soft squeeze. Vasquez would
probably prefer if he just tossed it in the trash. Wipe away any trace of it. Out of sight, out of mind and all that. And, for a moment, that seems to be his planned course of action. But soon enough his expression softens and, with a deep sigh, he gently drops the package onto the table. With a small shake of his head, he steps back into the hall.
Vasquez leans back a little as the gunship buzzes past her, gaze following it with the faintest hint of amusement. Seeing Li enjoying herself is a good antidote to the tumultuous thoughts and feelings circling in her mind. "Did you four manage to pick a vid while we were gone?" she asks, eyeing the group.
Li looks relieved when the gunship doesn't crash into Vasquez' face - it seems like she overestimates her direct control of it a bit. She's still entirely focused on piloting the model craft around.
Halisi snickers quietly. "I'm afraid we were distracted watching our fledgling ace pilot here." she says.
Cynthia allows herself to slump back into her armchair now that Jason and Vasquez are back, taking a long swig from her beer. "Let's get Headkick or some sh-... uh... thing going." she suggests.
The mini map is starting to look very complete now that Li has explored the room, though the parts not immediately visible to the craft's camera is shown as gray. It will update the gray parts of the map if it recognizes something from it having moved into view elsewhere.
Ilyna frowns at Cynthia's suggestion, recalling the Headkick movie she watched on the way back from the ice planet surveying mission, and nods in agreement with Halisi and Vasquez. "I have been busy assisting the pilot," she gives her excuse with a small smile.
Halisi gains a thoughtful look, pondering for a moment before offering a suggestion of: "What about a classic? 'Christmas on Europa'?"
Cynthia briefly looks like she's going to protest, but then she relents with a shrug as she fails to come up with a good argument. "Yeah, I guess." she agrees.
Vasquez smirks a little and nods. "Sounds good. Cyn, get it queued up?" she requests, giving the armchair she's lounging in a tap with her foot. "Still need to get dessert ready." she adds before starting to head off towards the kitchen, where the bowl of rice pudding is still waiting.
The path appears above the table at first, as Halisi was in front of it the last time its altitude was below the tabletop. Once it gets closer to the floor, the projected path snaps back underneath the table and it goes in for the maneuver. The group of three sat on the floor is on the other side, but it has already accounted for them in the turn drawn in the path just after its exits the table.
Ilyna smiles as Halisi makes a request that, judging only by its title, sounds much more pleasant. "Are you flying it under the table?" she asks as she shifts back a bit to not be in the way of Li seeing the craft coming their way under the table.
Jason steps back through the rec room door, fiddling with the collar of his overshirt that was displaced by his jacket. He gives a glance about the others as he enters, smile shifting back into place. "We decide what we're watching?" he asks nobody in particular as he picks up where he left off: Getting a fresh beer. But he only makes it a few steps before he spots the death-defying maneuver Li is pulling off, stopping him in
Li does an excited little bounce as the gunship goes in for the dive, watching intently for it to emerge on the other side.
Cynthia grumbles and stirs, setting her beer down before taking out her omni-tool and connecting to the TV.
Halisi glances Jason's way briefly as she replies "Christmas on Europa." It's a well-known classic from the 2120s about a group of first-wave colonists on one of Jupiter's moons, and their makeshift Christmas celebration after their holiday trip back to Earth is delayed. After giving the title her attention is back on Li's maneuver - wouldn't do to miss it, after all.
Vasquez takes out a set of smaller bowls, placing them on the counter. She glances over her shoulder as hears Jason, watching him for a couple of moments before resuming what she was doing.