Jason chuckles along as Li begins to giggle. The voices from down the hall causes him to glance towards the rec room door, lopsided grin on display. "Hmm? Nah. I'm good." he offers Ilyna with a wink, as if she was talking to him. Another snicker slips out as he looks from Halisi to Li. "Just swapping battlefield advice. You know, between two old soldiers." he jokes, giving Li a playful jostle with his shoulder. "Isn't that right,
#RedrockAgency – March 4, 2021
Halisi lets out a quiet snort, smiling to herself but saying nothing as she takes a sip of her newly acquired coffee.
Ilyna can't help but chuckle that her question lands with Jason, but there is no doubt he's doing it on purpose. She steps into the hallway. "Theory is as important as practice," she says with a sharp nod, as well. "So, what have you been able to teach Jason, Li?" There's a bit of a jab in her question.
Jason tilts his head Ilyna's way. The smile he flashes the asari in response is proof that a smile can, indeed, be sarcastic. But the lopsided grin remains as he gives a shake of his head and looks back to Li in amusement as he awaits her answer.
Li blinks, looking a little confused, clearly not in on the joke. "We've shot lots of robots." she says informatively, if not quite relevantly.
Halisi remains just outside the doorway as Ilyna talks to Jason and Li, idly sipping her coffee. She casts a brief glance back into the rec room as Vasquez says something, and shakes her head faintly in response.
Ilyna gives a small smile as she realizes her joke didn't land with Li, and casts a glance over at the targets they've been shooting at. "These robots had it coming," she says. "So, Cynthia is going to start a Super Centurion Christmas vid next, Li. Would you like to come watch it with us?"
Jason snickers, giving a sharp nod in confirmation of Li's assessment. And another at Ilyna's apparent detest for their "gef" opponents that's followed by a good ol' fashioned marine, "Oorah." Her mention of the next Christmas vid causes him to glance back Li's way. "Super Centurion Christmas vid? Well you can't miss that!" he encourages with a healthy dose of enthusiasm for her sake.
Li 's mouth opens a little and it's not long before she's up on her feet. She hurries off towards Ilyna, but just as quickly stops herself and turns to face Jason, snapping off an admirable attempt at a salute, a focused frown on her face.
Ilyna can't help but smile widely at the salute, and she stifles a chuckle. She looks at Jason for a moment to see him mirror her gesture, while waiting patiently for Li to join her.
Jason catches himself before his snicker slips out, doing his best to match Li's serious expression. Having a career of practice, he fires off a crisp, practiced salute of his own in response. Fine form, though no self-respecting officer would accept a salute from a slouched soldier sitting on the floor, but that's neither here nor there. "At ease, soldier." he says, his lopsided smile slipping back out as he waves her off. "Go
on. Enjoy the movie. I'm gonna get all this-..." he gestures about towards the targets, weaponry, and darts that litter the hallway, "...cleaned up." After a moment's consideration he adds, "Save me a spot on the couch!"
Li wastes no time in running back into the rec room upon being dismissed, although she stops in the doorway to offer a series of quick nods in response to Jason's instruction, then, she's gone.
Halisi wisely steps aside as Li rushes past her, another chuckle sounding. Her smile grows a bit, and she watches her go take a seat on the couch while indulging in another sip of coffee. "Do you need some help?" she asks Jason as her gaze turns back to the corridor, surveying the slight chaos of the battlefield with a quirked eyebrow.
Jason gives a shake of his head as Li rushes off, smile remaining. Halisi's question causes him to once again examine the battlefield, brow furrowing before he gives a shake of his head. "Nah. I got it." He shifts slightly before seeming to reconsider. "But-... uhh-... actually, I was meaning to talk with you, doc. If you don't mind?" he asks, as if not wanting to impose. His gaze shifts to Ilyna, lopsided grin growing, "You
Ilyna casts a glance after Li, but she stayed behind as she was about to offer her help as well. She could see the next words coming from a mile away when Jason turned his attentin to her, and she lets out a sigh when expectations are met. Despite that, she does look a little flustered. "Of course," she says. "I'll let you talk." She doesn't wait for a response before she slips past Halisi to enter the rec room.
Halisi shakes her head, shooting him a curious, and slightly surprised look. "That's quite alright." she assures, although his addition to Ilyna garners an almost inaudible scoff, her attention turning down the corridor until the asari has departed. "How can I help?" she asks as her gaze returns to Jason and she steps away from the door, letting it close behind her. The assumption that her aid is needed with something or other seems
Li is already regaling Vasquez with tales of her and Jason's epic battle in the corridors of the base as Ilyna makes her return to the rec room, gesturing animatedly as she talks.
Vasquez ' elbow is set against the armrest, knuckles against her cheek as she listens to Li, offering the occasional nod and 'Mhm' to ensure her attention isn't questioned. A closer look reveals the faintest hint of a fond smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
Cynthia looks relieved to be allowed to zone out as much as she wants, fiddling idly with the vid menu via her omni-tool.
Jason looks pleased with himself, his grin turning smug as Ilyna beats a hasty retreat. A snicker slips out once she's out of sight. He turns his attention back to the doctor but doesn't immediately answer her question, instead shifting to rise to his feet with a grunt. "Tell ya what... I did learn something out here." he offers, regarding Ilyna's earlier jab. "Learned that I might be getting too old to sit on this floor." he
jokes in a bit of a mutter, offering a grimace and a small roll of his shoulders for emphasis. Though, buried somewhere in the joke, there is a nugget of half-truth. But it's not really the years, it's the mileage. He's put his body through the ringer. With a nod down the hall, he leads the way towards the gym, seemingly wanting to make sure they're out of earshot.
Ilyna does cast a glance at the door closing behind her, but her attention is soon on the group on the couch. She has a smile on her face as she listens in on Li's retelling while quietly taking the seat in the couch next to her.
Vasquez looks up as Ilyna makes her return. "I was just getting the latest update." she informs, the smile manifesting a bit more before fading. "Jason and Halisi?" she asks her with a questioning glance towards the door as to why they haven't made their return with Ilyna.
Li 's story tapers off as Ilyna returns, and she shifts to lean against her, obviously getting a bit tired despite her excitement.
Halisi lets out a quiet hum of agreement as she follows Jason, looking like she's pondering just that nugget. Given her job, it's hard for her not to be acutely aware of just how much he puts his body's been through, even just in the time she's known him.
Jason takes a few steps into the gym before turning to face Halisi. Expended darts litter this room as well. Halisi may notice a couple of the spare vests tugged down over the top of a couple of treadmills, the vests' advanced hit tracking allowing them to be used as more targets in addition to the geth ones. Can't exactly make a 'kill house' with only a couple of targets, can you? Jason pokes at a dart with his boot, causing it
to roll unevenly in a semi-circle. "I just-... uhh-... wanted to touch base with you about-..." he stammers, gaze lifting from the dart on the floor to the doctor, a slight wince crossing his features, seemingly second guessing whether or not this is the right time. "...That jibberish that you found. After our head bang with the Collectors? The-... uhh-... code?" he continues, using the index and middle fingers on his right
hand to tap against the inside of his left forearm, as if there's a chance in hell Halisi might not know which 'code' he's referencing. "I gave a copy of it to Jessica to have her girlfriend take a look at it, but I haven't heard back yet. You said you'd look into it when we got back, so-..." he offers an apologetic tilt of his head, as if she should probably know what he's getting at.
Ilyna nods at first, then gives a faint shrug at Vasquez' question. "Jason just wanted a word with her," she says. "They'll be back soon." She looks down at Li who's leaning on her, and she winds an arm around her to pull her into her lap. "Sleepy?" she asks in a murmur.
(("I gave a copy of it to Renala and one to Jessica to have her girlfriend take a look at it, but I haven't heard anything back yet.*))
Vasquez offers a nod in response to Ilyna's explanation, casting a glance towards the screen. "Why don't we get this started before Cyn implodes..." she suggests with a faint smirk.
Cynthia looks over towards the group on the couch. "F-... screw you, Chief." she replies, although she still looks to them for confirmation as her finger hovers over the play button.
Halisi treads carefully as she follows Jason into the gym, avoiding the darts that litter the floor. A small smile crosses her lips as she observes the slightly absurd setup, shaking her head a little to herself. Jason's words soon makes her smile slip away, lip thinning to a line as her attention shifts towards the wall of names for just a moment before continuing out across the room. "I... sincerely wish I had more to tell you." she
says, sounding a little uncomfortable. "I have done my best to look into it, but... well, it's hardly my area of expertise, and... I must admit I have been reluctant to share the extracted code with anyone else. It is... difficult to know who to trust with something like this. After the news about the Collectors' defeat I thought, given the danger, that it was perhaps best to let it lie." she says, almost apologetically, as her
attention turns back to Jason. She's crossed her arms, eyebrows furrowed faintly as she looks at him.
Jason folds his arms across his chest. His gaze falls back to the floor as Halisi speaks, a disappointed sigh slipping out. Not exactly unexpected, but it's obviously not the answer he was hoping for. Still, he gives an understanding nod. "Yeah-... Yeah, I get that." he says. "I just-... umm-..." he shrugs, brows pinching together as he looks to her again, "...If there's any chance that-..." his words taper off, obviously not
wanting to entertain the thought that this might not be over. That the 'monsters might come again' as Li so eloquently put it. So he doesn't. He blinks the thought away, gaze dancing around Halisi rather than looking at her for a moment. "We don't know for sure if there's any way for someone else to-... you know-... take advantage of this." There. The warm embrace of a comforting lie. It's better for both of them. "Guess I'd
Ilyna leans back in her seat once Li is secured in her lap, and nods to Cynthia. "Language," she says softly. She looks quite drowsy herself, but hopefully the vid won't be as long as the previous.
Halisi 's frown deepens a little, and she steps closer, placing a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Jason... your arms are fine. Safe." she emphasizes, silver eyes focused on his face. "I might not have a grasp on how the Collector code works but I can tell you it's not there anymore."
Jason's brows furrow even deeper despite the nod he offers. "Yeah." he agrees softly. Seemingly realizing he doesn't sound particularly confident, he gives a sharper nod. "Yeah-... no, I know, doc..." he repeats, sounding only slightly more sure of her words. Whether or not he truly believes that is unclear. But what is clear is that she has no answers for him. And why would she? This isn't her field. Not her area of expertise. He
attempts to sweep his obvious discomfort aside, expelling a small puff of air out through his nose. "Sorry..." he says, slightly embarrassed smile crossing his lips.
Halisi is quick to offer a firm shake of her head as she lets her hand drop. "Nothing to be sorry for." she assures with a faint, sympathetic smile. "It is... quite understandable. Being wary, after such an experience." she adds, gaze falling to the floor.
Jason gives a few more soft nods, avoiding Halisi's eyes. A short, uncomfortable silence settles in. One that he's quick to interrupt before it becomes too obvious where his thoughts have gone. They're his problems. She certainly doesn't need them dumped on her. "Yeah, well-... we're still here. Still kicking. That's more than they can say, right?" he offers, propping his smile up a bit in an attempt at downplaying said