As promised, the Super Centurion Christmas Special is a truly bizarre interpretation of human holiday traditions that makes one wonder whether anyone involved in the production had ever even met a human. Part of the oddities may be attributed to the attempt to shoehorn in a standard Super Centurion plot, with E.V.I.L attempting to sabotage the cross-species holiday celebration, but that doesn't explain the magical gift-growing shrub, the
#RedrockAgency – March 11, 2021
fact that Santa Claus is a ghost, or every human character using scissors to open their presents. After the lengthy, slow-paced 'Christmas on Europa', the colorful, action-packed one and a half hour vid is a nice change of pace, albeit not, perhaps, to everbody's taste. It's 11PM by the time the credits roll to the sound of Cynthia's drunken snickering.
Li is firmly asleep, head in Ilyna's lap. It's been a busy day and it's way past her bed time. Under such conditions not even Super Centurion is enough to keep her awake.
Halisi has been watching with a morbid fascination, a baffled expression fixed on her face for the duration of the vid, only interrupted by the occasional chuckle or sip of wine. As it comes to a close she furrows her eyebrows. "Well... that was certainly... something."
Cynthia has just sunk deeper in her armchair while laughing and occasionally bugging Vasquez. Halisi's words make her grin. "Told ya..." she mutters.
Jason took a few minutes to clean up their battlefield and pack away Li's gifts for easy transport before returning to the group. Thankfully, he had only missed a few minutes of the truly captivating flick. Given the fact that keeping up with Super Centurion's weekly adventures with Li has become something of a tradition, he may have more of a vested interest in the holiday special than he's willing to let on. Enough so that
he's managed to stay awake enough to see it through to the end. As the credits roll, he watches from his spot on the couch, comfortably huddled up with Vasquez, boots propped up on the coffee table where a few more empty bottles have joined the celebrations. He prods at the inside of his cheek with his tongue, brows furrowed in deep contemplation. "Huh..." he whispers, his tone equal parts confusion and fascination. A moment
passes, and then another before he seems confident enough in his assessment of the film to speak on it: "That Santa Claus is a real sonovabitch, isn't he...?" he comments in something of a mutter.
Ilyna is barely awake at this point, but the occasional snort and chuckle out of her is enough to give away that even she knows enough about the holiday to question some of the oddities. It's entirely possible she would have taken a lot more -- if not most -- of it as genuine Christmas lore were it not for Cynthia setting expectations ahead of time. On the other hand, she may also have discerned as much from the
bafflement on display around the couch. She has had half a glass of wine during the vid, but that is about it. "We... could use some of these shrubs around here," she comments. She looks down at Li with a warm smile and a chuckle, but she doesn't want to be cruel enough to wake her up just yet.
Halisi nods a little distantly, eyes still on the screen. "It would seem so..." she muses quietly in response to Jason. Ilyna's comment makes her glance her way, and smile as her gaze falls to Li. "She looks down for the count."
Vasquez might be a little more than almost asleep, judging by the half-mutter, half-snore that slips out as she cuddles closer to Jason, oblivious to her surroundings.
Cynthia nods solemnly at Jason and Ilyna's assessments, a residual snicker slipping out as she watches the credits roll to the tune of a military orchestra's cover of Jingle Bell Rock. Vasquez making noise causes her to glance over to the couch briefly, a snort slipping out and a big, goofy grin crossing her lips when she spots her.
Jason gives a quiet chuckle at Ilyna's comment. "I'll bring it up to Jasper. See what he can do." he jokes through a smirk, keeping his voice down to avoid waking Li- or Vasquez for that matter, who draws his attention her way as the snore slips out. "She's not the only one..." he muses quietly to himself in response to Halisi's observation. It causes his smile to widen and he shoots a glance Cynthia's way, as if to draw her
attention to Vasquez before realizing she's already looking their way. He does his best not to disturb her, having made peace with the fact that his arm was no longer his the moment her head hit his shoulder. So it remains draped around Vasquez' shoulder for now.
Ilyna nods to Halisi and Jason both. "It is past her bedtime," she says. "And mine," she adds just before a yawn escapes her. She looks over at Vasquez after Jason's comment, letting out a chuckle. Had the movie lasted another half hour, Ilyna would likely have been down for the count too. "So, how are we handling the logistics?" she asks, keeping her voice low. "Are we moving all of our gifts home tonight, or... can
we come back for them first thing tomorrow." She better ask that question now that Li's asleep as that's when the tired asari is most likely to get away with it.
Cynthia 's grin lingers, expression almost one of wonder, before being interrupted by a long yawn. She reaches up to rub at her face. "I'm just gonna... crash here if that's okay..." she mumbles.
Jason opens his mouth to answer Ilyna when Cynthia speaks up, interrupting his attention. He merely gives her a dip of his head in affirmation. He's not about to toss her out on Christmas. "Up to you." he finally responds to the asari . "I boxed up everything that we used and it's not like it's going anywhere, so-..." he offers what currently passes for a shrug given his predicament and unwillingness to disturb Vasquez, "...if you
wanna leave your office unlocked I can toss it all in there and lock up before I head to bed. Then you can just swing by whenever you've got time want tomorrow."
Ilyna looks at Jason while he speaks, and a small smile shows up. "Thanks, that would be great," she says. She then looks down at Li to see if the conversation has roused her from her slumber. "If we can get to the shuttle before Li gets a say on the matter," Ilyna adds quietly followed by a small chuckle.
Halisi echoes Ilyna's chuckle, leaning a little to the side to study Li. "Doesn't look like that's much of a concern." she muses before taking out her omni-tool. "I'll go ahead and see if Jasper is ready to pick us up." she offers, typing out a message while stifling a yawn.
Cynthia nods several times before leaning her head back, closing her eyes. It's unclear if she's intending to sleep right there in the armchair, or if she's just trying to find the motivation to get up.
Jason snickers softly at the exchange between Halisi and Ilyna before offering a nod at the former's suggestion. He shifts his focus to Vasquez, studying her for a moment as he tries to decide how best to handle his predicament. A part of him feels bad over disturbing her when she's this peaceful, but he kinda needs his arm back. Not to mention she probably wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to say goodbye to the others.
"Hey..." he whispers softly as he carefully shifts his boots off of the coffee table, narrowly avoiding one of his empty bottles. Tilting his head, he lazily presses a kiss against Vasquez' hair, attempting to gently rouse her with a soft jostle.
Ilyna gives a small affirmative hum to Halisi's comment about Li. Though, while she knows Li can be a heavy sleeper, she also knows just how suddenly that can change. "Yeah, thank you," she says, barely above a murmur as she leans further back in the couch, closing her eyes as another yawn escapes her. "Let me know if there's anything I can help with before we go, Jason. Or... tomorrow when we're here to pick up the
Halisi looks up after a little while. "Jasper is on his way." she informs Ilyna quietly before getting out of her seat to stretch. She nods in agreement with the asari's offer to Jason.
Vasquez grumbles quietly and starts to stir. The back of her hand lifts to her mouth as a drawn out yawn slips out and it takes her a moment to get her bearings, squinting a little as she lifts her head and looks around. "Mm... hey." she mumbles quietly, sitting up as she tries to shake off the fog of sleep. Spending the whole day preparing - and worrying about how it's going to go - has taken it's toll on her. "Think I dozed
Cynthia lets out a loud snort, as she overhears Vasquez, much to the latters confusion. Despite the noise she remains immobile, eyes closed.
Jason's smirk only widens as Vasquez awakens. "Oh yeah? Ya think?" he teases. He takes advantage of her stirring to reclaim his arm, slipping it free. One of the perks of cybernetics. They don't go numb. The pair's offer is idly dismissed with a shake of his head. He's more than capable of chucking a few boxes into Ilyna's office and forgetting to lock the door on his own. The rest of the mess? That's a problem for 'tomorrow
Jason'. The problem, of course, being 'Can I get Jasper to clean this up?' Jasper likes menial tasks. LOVES them. It's practically a favor. "Jasper is on his way." he whispers to Vasquez, indicating their guests with a nod of his head in their direction as he sits up a bit straighter, "They're getting ready to head out."
Ilyna lets out a weak affirmative hum at Halisi informing her, but Vasquez speaking makes her open her eyes and sit up a little (trying not to disturb Li) to make at least some effort at staying awake. She didn't catch Jason's answer to her offer, but she is too tired to push for an answer.
Vasquez shoots Jason a half-hearted glare, undermined by the fact that she's clearly still waking up. She runs a hand through her hair to reign it in a bit and straightens in her seat, looking over towards Ilyna and Halisi. "We'll take care of it." she assures, adding on to Jason's response. She lets out a quiet grunt and rolls her shoulders before getting out of her seat.
Halisi looks on the verge of carrying some dishes over to the sink regardless of the response, but she restrains herself, instead looking to Ilyna. "Looks like you have your hands full, so if there's anything you want to bring now I can take it." she offers.
Jason responds to the glare with a smug wink before shooting a glance to Halisi and Ilyna, nodding along with Vasquez' assurance. "Yeah..." he chimes in on Halisi's offer, lending his own assistance as well. "Just say the word."
Ilyna considers their offer for a moment as she looks around the room. "Just our jackets, I think," she says, keeping her voice low. "The rest can wait." She tries to gently move her hands into position to get up, but she'll likely remain seated until she can hear the shuttle.
Soon enough the group (minus one marine that seems to have fused with her armchair despite Vasquez trying to get her to at least move to the couch) finds themselves in front of the shuttle in the hangar.
Halisi has put on her own winter clothes, Ilyna and Li's coats folded over one arm and a bag full of opened presents in the other.
Vasquez is, thankfully, a bit more awake by now, and as they stop outside the shuttle she turns towards Ilyna and Halisi. "I, uh... thank you for coming." she says with a slightly too sharp nod. "It was nice to... do something like this. I hope..." she trails off with a slightly frustrated noise as she fails to find the right words, scratching her neck.
Halisi is quick to shake her head. "Thank you. Both of you. I had a wonderful time." she says, smiling brightly and stepping forward to give Vasquez a slightly cumbersome hug, given that her arms are a bit full.
Jasper steps out of the shuttle's open doors, offering a silent dip of his head in greeting to the group, not wanting to interrupt Vasquez. Instead, he takes a position beside Jason, waiting to take Halisi's bag for her. "Ya'll have a nice evenin'?" he asks.
Jason brushes off Halisi's appreciation with a furrowed brow and a shake of his head, as if to say 'Don't mention it.' When the old engineer joins them, that telltale smile of Jason's answers the man's question before he even opens his mouth. "Yeah..." he says softly, gaze briefly turning towards the ground before he offers a few nods. "Yeah, we did." A nice evening. It's almost weird how... normal that sounds.
Ilyna gives a smile to Vasquez, but a hug is out of the question right now lest she will test the durability of Li's sleep more than she already have. She has woken up more too due to carrying Li downstairs, but the cold air the shuttle brought with it has also done its part. Vasquez trailing off makes her raise a brow for a moment, but she thinks little of it after Halisi speaks. "Thank you again for inviting us,"
she says as well, keeping her voice low. When Jasper steps out, she nods to him. "Yeah, it was a lovely evening," she says. Ilyna then looks towards the shuttle, quietly planning her next steps in order to get Li buckled up without waking her.
Halisi looks Jasper's way and nods in agreement with the others. She hands over her bag with a "Thank you, Jasper." before going to hug Jason as well.
Vasquez crosses her arms in response to the chilly air, her sweater not quite enough to ward off the cold. The words from Halisi and Ilyna bring a genuine, if slightly embarrassed smile to her lips.
Jasper takes Halisi's bag off her hands, casting a quick, amused glance Li's way. "Out like a light." he muses to nobody in particular, snickering to himself as he steps back into the shuttle to stow away the bag of gifts.
Jason seems a little caught off guard as Halisi steps in for a hug, but he returns it with a smile all the same, giving her a few awkward pats on the back as one often does when they're ambushed by a hug. The slight chill in the air of the hangar doesn't seem to be bothering him all that much. No doubt thanks in part to a little alcoholic assistance. "Now that things have-... uhh-... calmed down..." he begins as he steps back,
looking from Halisi to Ilyna, then finally settling on Vasquez with a shrug, as if trying to gauge her opinion on the subject as well. "...Maybe we'll get the chance to do stuff like this more often."
Ilyna chuckles at Jasper's comment, casting a glance down at Li. She looks Jason's way as he starts talking, nodding slightly along with what he's saying. It's still hard to believe that this is the new normal, but at this point she is going to cling to it for as long as it'll last. "Of course," she says. "I'm not sure I'll let you get away with doing all the work next time, though." Her words were meant to be
Halisi steps back, smiling a little at Jason's words. "I think I could be convinced." she agrees with a nod before glancing towards Ilyna to see if she's ready to go.
Vasquez nods softly, a quiet "Yeah..." all she manages as she meets Jason's gaze. She uncrosses her arms, one shifting to run her hand up Jason's back as she turns her attention back towards Ilyna and Halisi.
Jason's gaze lingers fondly on Vasquez for a bit longer than intended, big, dumb smile plastered across his face. After a moment he seems to realize he's staring and turns his attention back to Ilyna. "I mean, if you're offering..." he teases before shooting a glance Halisi's way. "You heard her. Next time? Dinner is at her place." he says, as if the doctor's role as an eyewitness makes it legally binding.
Ilyna tilts her head as Jason begins, but the rest of the words is met with a sharp nod. "That can be arranged," she says with a small smile. In part to deflect Jason's teasing, but it would only be fair after today's excellent food. "Me... and my assistant will make sure of that," she says fondly with a glance down at said assistant sleeping in her arms. She takes a small step towards the shuttle as the cold air is
Halisi chuckles quietly. "I look forward to it." she says with a brief, amused glance towards Ilyna, before heading over to the shuttle to put away the winter clothes she's carrying. Once that's done she turns around to face Jason and Vasquez once more. "Goodnight Linda, Jason. Merry Christmas." she offers with a nod, standing with one foot in the shuttle.
Vasquez lets out a quiet sigh at Jason's teasing, an exasperated smile on her face as she shakes her head to herself. "Merry Christmas." she replies to Halisi, attention turning to the shuttle as their guests start to board.
Jason snickers to himself. "Sounds like a plan." he agrees. He steps up behind Vasquez as she turns towards the shuttle, bringing his arms around her and folding them across her chest as he lazily leans against her from behind. "Merry Christmas!" he calls back as he watches the pair climb into the shuttle.
Ilyna nods. "Good night," she says with a smile before offering a "Merry Christmas" of her own. She then steps into the shuttle and begins to gently set Li down into a seat to buckle her in. Despite Li having slept through being carried down stairs, and the cold breeze and sounds of the shuttle, she still tries as best she can to be careful when buckling her in.
Halisi takes a seat on one side of Li, shooting Ilyna an amused smile at how heavily she's sleeping.
Vasquez leans back a little against Jason in turn, fighting the urge to close her eyes as she keeps watching the shuttle.
Jasper waits for the others to get in. Li's impressive ability to sleep through seemingly anything garners an amused shake of his head. Turning his attention out towards Jason and Vasquez, he gives a small lift of his hand to bid them farewell. He chimes in with a, "Merry Christmas." as well, dipping his head towards the pair outside before closing the shuttle door.
Jason draws a breath of cold air into his lungs and presses a quick kiss against the side of Vasquez' head before briefly lifting one arm to mirror Jasper's gesture.
Ilyna raises a brow as Li stirs a little, but a smile shows up when her eyes remain closed. She returns Halisi's smile with a chuckle. She takes the free seat next to Li, and buckles herself in. Ilyna considers winding an arm over Li's shoulders in case the lack of contact wakes her up, but she refrains for now as doing so might disturb her sleep more. She'll keep an eye on her instead.