December 24th. Christmas Eve. Evening has descended on Freedom Falls. It's dark outside, the glow of windows and streetlights illuminating the falling snow. All over town people are gathered to celebrate - not unexpected given the popularity of Christmas among humans, and the human majority population of Freedom Falls. The Miner's Respite is full and lively, and despite the ongoing holiday a sizable portion of the patrons are still human.
#Miner'sRespite – March 25, 2021
Those that do not celebrate, those that are far from their homes and their loved ones, and those that simply have no one with which to enjoy the festivities. The latter two groups are good customers, as it turns out, leaving things busy for the bartender on duty.
Ironheart, finding themselves amongst that demographic of those far from home, have occupied a booth for a large portion of the afternoon and evening. They've behaved for the most part, aside from the occasional roaring laughter, but that mostly fades into the background amongst the rest of the Respite. Their table is littered with snacks and a couple of pitchers of beer that they haven't allowed to run dry.
Steve is leaned against the counter, armored up for the evening sans helmet to deter any would-be troublemakers. Christmas tends to be a polarizing force. For some, it's a day of happiness. Excitement. Celebration. A day of being with the people closest to you. For others, it's a day of lonliness. Of frustration and the sharp pang of hindsight. More often than not, those are the sort that spend their Christmas drowning their
sorrows at the local watering hole. Judging by the bored look on his face, either the armor is doing its job or the Respite crowd is a little more upbeat than he had expected.
Enila stands behind the counter, tapping away on a terminal in the little time she has between orders. While her experience in bartending is more than a little dusty, she's done her part keeping up while giving Varisa the occasional pointer and deferring the easy orders to her. The kitchen is being manned by a company that Aylena had arranged before she left, so that's nothing they need to worry about. She's wearing
Nalota and Kirev Emosa are sat across from another at one of the booths with a pitcher of beer and a few glasses. The salarian is trying to instruct her in some kind of card game using common human playing cards.
Renala has been busy today despite her promises to the contrary. She has been down at the market, and up at Redrock HQ, and before she knew it the sun had long set and it was time to head down to the Miner's Respite. She kicks off some snow off her booth and steps into the Respite, letting out a sigh as the warm inside air greets her after the walk outside. Her eyes quickly finds Steve behind the bar, and she makes
Varisa has been doing her best to learn on the fly, but her lack of experience is pretty obvious. As is the fact that she seems a little overwhelmed by the crowded nature of the Respite tonight, but she's making an admirable effort. At least pouring beers and carrying the occasional tray isn't the most complicated of tasks.
Tank is seated at the bar. Given her size she looks almost comical perched on a barstool. She's been there for a while now, second beer in hand and a half-eaten bowl of drumsticks on the counter in front of her as she watches the TVs coverage of Christmas celebrations back on Earth. They're definitely not chicken, but she's not sure what exactly they are. Ah well, food is food. She's clad in a light winter jacket over sweatpants and a
Emma enters not long after Renala, wearing an outfit very similar to what she wore on her first day on Aite - a long, angular blue winter coat over black pants as well as sleek gloves. The black winter beret, however, has been replaced with the beanie that she sometimes wears when shooting in cold weather. Her long blond braid ruins down her back, the snowflakes stuck in it already starting to melt when greeted by the warmth
of the Respite. The other change in her look is a matter of accessories - she has a crutch under one arm that she leans on as she brushes the snow from her shoulders and stuffs the beanie in her pocket, checking her hair to make sure what little of it is not in the braid is in order. The crutch is a quality one, with a mass effect field emitter in the foot for enhanced stability. She's also only wearing one of her
ordinary tall winter boots, her other foot (and most of her lower leg) encased in a weather-shielded, mostly plastic walking brace, this too fitted with very light mass effect field emitters to ease the strain of walking.
Steve brings his gaze down from one of the screens showcasing something-or-other just in time to catch sight of Renala. The familiar face brings a smile to his lips. "Eh. There she is!" he calls out to her, his voice nearly lost amongst the crowd. He lifts a gauntleted hand in greeting before shifting his weight against the counter in order to look Enila's way. "Whatever she wants tonight?" he says, indicating Renala by patting
a gauntleted palm against the countertop in front of the seat she's laying claim to, "It's goin' on my tab."
Renala can't help but grin at Steve's instruction, raising a brow as she sees not just one, but two unfamliar bartenders behind the bar. "Here I am," she says, "and ready to bankrupt you because I haven't had anything to eat since morning." She keeps her jacket on for now, but she does remove her gloves and beanie and crams them into the jacket's pockets. "It looks like a busy night," she comments.
Emma 's hand grips the crutch once more, intense blue eyes sweeping the busy establishment before she gets moving. Her gaze lingers for a moment on Ironheart's booth, and then on Steve, Renala and Tank, making note of familiar faces before she starts towards the bar. The first step elicits a faint grimace, inevitably accompanied by pain, but she schools her expression into neutrality for the rest of the trip. A reckless
turian patron on his way back to his table bumps into her lightly as she nears the counter, and she staggers slightly, but she's quick to adjust her weight to stay steady, moving to take the spot the turian occupied at the bar and wait for Enila's attention.
Steve snickers, shifting back to face the asari and leaning both forearms against the counter. "Uh huh. Well, if I'm light on rent, you know why." he jokes. Her assessment of the Respite causes him to give the place a quick scan. His gaze briefly rests on Emma, taking note of their coworker. "Yeah, well... today tends to bring 'em out in droves." he muses. As almost an afterthought he gives a small tilt of his head, shifting his
Enila nods to Steve and taps the tab rule into the terminal so that the silent VI knows to put the charge on his tab. She notices Emma as she looks up from the terminal, and steps over to her. "Hey, you okay?" she asks, having caught glimpses of her entrance. "Anything I get for you, or help you with?"
Renala chuckles at his joke, but she doesn't respond to it beyond that. The words of merry christmas does cause her smile to fade for a moment before she forces it back up. "Merry Christmas to you too," she says. "Has these droves given you any trouble yet?" She glances towards the bartenders, trying to get either one's attention.
Steve catches the brief change in demeanor, but doesn't comment on it. Her question causes him to draw in a deep breath, once more looking out at the crowd packed in tonight. "Outside of bein' louder than usual?" he asks before giving a shake of his head, "Nah. Not yet, anyhow. But you know how it goes. The drunker they get, the dumber they get." His words seem to grab the attention of a patron a few stools down who looks up
from probably his tenth beer and pouts at Steve through glassy eyes, as if the security guard is referencing him directly. Steve shoots him a glance when he feels the man's eyes on him, causing the drunkard to immediately turn his gaze back to his glass. It draws a bit of a smile out of Steve who shakes his head in amusement and returns his focus to Renala. "The night's still young. Plenty of time for things to go tits
Emma looks a little confused by the question at first, before realizing what brought it on. Crutch. Right. "I'm fine." she's quick to assure, a thin smile accompanying the words. She was hesitant to go out in her current state, but staying cooped up in her apartment just wasn't working. Not today. The walk she'd gone on hadn't exactly done anything to help things either - not with the unexpected interruption she'd
experienced. So here she was. "But I would like to order." she clarifies as she leans her free arm against the counter, lest Enila hurry off to someone else. "Give me, uh..." she starts, frowning slightly as her eyes scan the menu. "One of those." she says, indicating a vodka-based cocktail. "...and... some cheese fries." she adds after a moment's thought, deciding to acknowledge the rumbling of her stomach.
Varisa , who is in the middle of putting away some dirty glasses, notices Renala, eyes widening as she hurries over with an eager smile despite what's definitely her most stressful day on the job so far. "Yes? Uh- What can I get you?"
Enila nods to Emma as she declines help, but she wasn't planning on leaving her without letting her order. She follows her indication at the menu while listening to her order, before looking back at a terminal to send the food order off to the kitchen. "Drink and cheese fries," she says. "It'll just take a minute, but I can bring it and your drink to a table if you don't want to stand while you wait."
Renala chuckles and tries to follow Steve's glance with one of her own, but she doesn't get a good look at him due to the occupied seats between them. "Yes, it is," she says at his last comment. "I'll be sure lend you a stasis field if I'm still sober." She then turns her attention at the bartender, studying her for a moment. Aylena sure has an odd preference for inconfidence in her hiring strategy, she thinks to
herself. "I'd like a...," she looks up at the menu, "pizza, 12, small," she says, and points at the line on the menu while she does so. She hasn't eaten since breakfast, and the pizza she points at is probably the most calories per unit of crust area this place has to offer. "And a tall glass of beer, any light one you have on tap would do."
Steve offers the asari a big smile as she voices her intent to get in on whatever bar brawl the night may descend into. "Just might have to hold ya to that, darlin'..." he snickers, shuffling ever so slightly to the side to accomidate Varisa. As Renala rattles off her order, he's quick to chime in on the tail end. "Make that pizza a large." he says, shooting a glance from Renala to Varisa, giving the latter a stern nod. As his
gaze shifts back to Renala, he shrugs against the counter. "Haven't had a bite since this mornin'. Whatever we don't eat we can just take home."
Emma looks a little surprised by the offer, taking a second to answer. "That would be great, actually. Thank you." she says, remembering to add a polite smile before producing a credit chit for Enila to swipe. While payment is processing her gaze sweeps out across the bar again, partly just out of habit and partly to look for somewhere to sit. The place is fuller than she had anticipated. Her attention lingers on the squad
of ex-Alliance soldiers chatting away, eyebrows furrowing as she hesitates. It'd be a stretch to say she knows them, but she can put names to faces, at least, which makes them more familiar than most here. Not to mention there's a shared background. Would it be too intrusive to head over?
Varisa is quick to nod. "Absolutely!" she chimes in response, reaching over to the terminal to input the order. Steve's addition gets a quick glance at him and then Renala before she exclaims "Large pizza, got it!" with another smile their way. "The pizza will be a minute. Do you-" Her eyebrows furrow as she pauses briefly. "Do you want it delivered to a table or are you staying here?"
Renala looks up at Steve, nodding in agreement as he changes the order. "I don't think Steve would appreocaite me having it all by myself over at a table," she says with a chuckle before looking Varisa's way again. "I'm staying here."
Enila takes the credit chit and charges it, returning her smile. "No problem," she says, handing the chit back to her before heading off to find the ingredients.
Steve gives a snort of his own. "Right here!" he chirps in overtop Renala, jabbing his index finger against the counter as if to get out ahead of the asari making off with the pizza all by herself. He shoots her a none-too-serious suspicious glance, pointing at his eyes with his index and middle fingers to indicate he's watching her.
The Ironheart folks are looking rather lively. Shane is nearly out of his seat, gesturing wildly with his hands as if telling some grand story, a big grin plastered across his face as Priya and Gage watch with barely-restrained laughter. Sam doesn't seem to share the same enthusiasm as the others. A forced, half-smile on her face as she nurses her beer.
Emma seems to come to a decision as she accepts her chit back, putting it away before she shifts her weight back onto the crutch and starts to limp her way over towards the Ironheart booth. It's a slow journey, weaving between tables and patrons, but soon enough she stops near them, opting to wait for them to notice her before saying anything, rather than interrupting.
Varisa nods again in confirmation of their words, yet another smile accompanying the gesture. "Sure thing!" she says as she pours Renala's beer and places it on the bar. "Enjoy!"
Renala wraps a hand around the beer and pulls it close to her with a nod. "Thank you," she says. While she is curious about the new faces around here, she doesn't want to keep her occupied any longer than necceesary on such a busy night. "I'm not going anywhere, Steve," she says with a scoff, but Steve's gesture does draw a smile out of her. She then looks down at her beer for a moment. "So, I'm pretty sure I've
Enila has staged all the ingredients for the mixed drink, but she decides to take another order to fill up a beer pitcher before getting to it.