Steve snickers, resting his weight against the countertop as he gives a quick glance out towards the rest of the bar. His smile slowly slips away as Renala speaks again and his attention shifts back to the asari. "...You talk to her yet today?" he asks.
#Miner'sRespite – April 1, 2021
Priya is the first to take note of Emma- her and Shane being on the side of the booth facing Emma's approach. She's dressed in a pair of simple black cargo pants, boots, and a white t-shirt, her long, dark hair pulled over her shoulder. She offers a polite smile and a dip of her head in greeting to the familiar face. Her reaction garners the attention of the others, pulling their attention to the source.
Gage is quick to glance towards the source of Priya's attention, craning his neck Emma's way. He's wearing a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and a pair of black winter boots with an old ballcap perched atop his head.
Sam follows suit as Gage shifts, bringing one leg up onto the seat in order to better turn Emma's way, slinging one arm over the backrest of the booth. She's in a pair of well worn jeans, black t-shirt, and a pair of scuffed up old sneakers. She offers a small smile of acknowledgement that doesn't quite reach her eyes that are looking a bit glassy from the lead she has on the others in the drink department.
Shane furrows his brow as his story is cut off mid-sentence by the others turning away, causing him to settle back into his seat as he loses his momentum. But as he spots Emma, that familiar, ear-to-ear smile of his spreads across his face. "Emma!" he calls out, not one to forget a name. He has to raise his voice a little to be heard over the irregular crowd. He's in a pair of basic black slacks and a dark blue button up shirt to
go with a pair of nice black boots that are far too clean for the current weather. The crutch is quick to garner his attention. That's new. "What happened? You have a disagreement with a patch of ice?" he asks, his tone light hearted.
Tank casts a curious glance towards Steve and Renala when the latter mentions Christmas, but doesn't inject herself into their conversation, instead returning her attention to her food. She's one stool down from Renala, the one between them left empty despite the busy bar - maybe not anyone's first choice since she takes up a good bit of space. Not to mention she might not look the friendliest - she's not exactly a regular
Emma offers a half-hearted smile of her own, relieved to at least be recognized. "Hunting accident." comes the reply, entirely deadpan. She shifts her weight - and her grip on the crutch - to stand more comfortably now that she's stopped moving, gaze shifting from person to person before settling back on Shane since he was the one that addressed her.
Renala briefly meets Tank's glance as she looks off to ponder what to say. She recognizes her, but she decides against speaking to her for now as Aeyna is the main thing on her mind. "Yeah, that's how I know," she says, returning her attention his way. "I mean, I expected as much after the other calls we've had lately, but today she's in a terrible mood and taking it out on people that don't deserve it." Renala
Shane gives a shake of his head, studying the crutch for a moment before turning his focus back to her face. "Ah, shit. Gotta be careful out there, huh?"
Gage is quick to interject. "You on your way out, or-...?" he asks, rather than outright extending an invitation. People have been in and out all evening so he must've been too preoccupied to notice she only recently arrived.
Steve draws in a deep breath, leaning a bit heavier against the counter. "Not sure there's a whole lot you can do, Ren." he offers quietly. His gaze briefly turns a bit further down the bar, mulling his response over in his head. "Look, I know this prolly isn't the sorta thing you wanna hear right now, but she's a kid." he says, turning his focus back to Renala and seeking out her gaze. "She'll get over it."
Emma shakes her head. "I just got here, actually." she replies, casting a glance around the packed bar. "It's a bit more... crowded than I expected." she admits.
Tank frowns a little into her beer before taking a sip, the nearby conversation inevitably bringing her back to thoughts she came here trying to drown out.
Renala lets out a weak snort at his words, her first instinct being to reject it. She takes a long sip of the beer in her hand rather than saying the first things that come to mind. "It's just... that it's my fault," she says, "and I hate not being able to do more to fix it. Her friend has become adept at being the lightning rod, but I fear Aeyna will push her away if that keeps up."
Gage snorts loudly, following suit in scanning about the room. "Yeah. Think you might have missed your chance if you were looking to get a table to yourself." he snickers. "There's more than enough room if you'd like to join us, though." he offers, shooting a brief glance about the table as if to ensure the others are in agreement.
Shane who is seated beside Priya, nods along with the others. After a moment's consideration he rises from his seat. "Oh, shit. Let me-..." he mutters, placing one hand on the backrest of the booth and extending his other arm out to his side as an offer of assistance to usher her into his vacated seat. The sort of awkward offer one does when they're not quite sure the other party wants help, or what they should even be doing.
Steve gives a few shallow nods, a small sigh escaping him. "I get it. But I think you're bein' too hard on yourself, Ren." he says.
Emma looks a little relieved by the offer, but a bit of hesitation remains, perhaps wary of intruding. The agreement of the others - and Shane getting out of his seat - does a good job of cutting through that, and she nods, a brief hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I-... Thank you." she settles for, pressing her free hand against the table to steady herself as she crosses to the other side. She hands Shane
the crutch and then uses her newly freed hand to brace against the backrest as she awkwardly drops into the seat with a wince of pain that she fails to hide despite her best efforts. She doesn't immediately scoot in to make room for Shane, one hand going to her side with a slight grimace, her ribs no happier than her leg about that manuver.
Renala puts the beer glass on the counter, but her hands are still wrapped around it. "No harder than necessary," she sighs. "It would have been a pretty easy problem to solve were it not for everything I've gotten myself tangled up in here on Aite."
Shane accepts the crutch and does that awkward 'hover hand' thing where his free hand merely hovers around Emma, as if waiting for her to topple over as she hops into the seat.
Priya scoots in a bit further to afford Emma a little extra room. "Careful!" she urges as the woman drops into the seat beside her, also taking a little bit of that 'hover hand' approach.
Shane winces as Emma does. "You good...?" he asks, leaning her crutch against the outside of the booth so that it's within arm's reach should she need to get up. He backs up towards the opposite side of the booth, seemingly intending on taking a seat with them so Emma can have the outside seat. Given the fact that Ironhearts' jackets are all piled up on the inside-most seat on Emma's side, it would probably be a bit cramped if
Steve gives a humorless snicker, bringing one gauntleted hand up to run through his hair. "Maybe..." he admits, well aware that some of that which she finds herself 'tangled up in' is due to him. A small sigh escapes him as well and, for a few moments, he finds himself simply glancing about the Respite. "Thing is..." he eventually continues, shifting his weight against the counter, "...you're out here workin' your ass off, Ren.
It's not like you're-..." he stammers, shaking his head as he tries to come up with an example, "...on vacation on some tropical island, havin' the time of your life. You're stuck in this miserable shithole." he gestures about with his hand, "With the rest of us miserable assholes." he gives a small sweep of his hand to indicate the other patrons at the bar. That same patron from before looks up from his beer with a scowl.
It's not so much that he's eavesdropping as it being impossible not to eavesdrop with everyone so tightly packed. "Hey!" he chimes in, sounding a bit offended. "Am I wrong?" Steve asks, leveling a glare at the man whose opinion he didn't ask for. The man relents with a small, dejected shrug and an equally dejected sigh and resumes staring into his half-empty beer. The only thing that brings him any fulfillment on this
lonely Christmas Eve. With a shake of his head, he turns his focus back to Renala. A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth and he reaches out, giving the back of Renala's hand a friendly pat. "Folks split up. Now I ain't sayin' it's always easy when there's a kid involved, but-..." he shrugs, "...it happens. Lil' Aeyna's gonna get through this. And so are you." he assures her, seeming quite confident that it's
probably the root of the problem. Parents split up. One moves away. Child acts out. Not exactly a foreign concept.
Emma waves off Shane's question, forcing her grimace into something vaguely resembling a smile. "I'm fine." she says, unbuttoning her coat, and, with another wince, slipping it over her shoulders. She's not about to get up to move it so she settles for sitting on it for now. Underneath there's a gray turtleneck sweater. She's also wearing an underarm holster in which she places her Phalanx after retrieving it from her coat,
careful to keep it pointed away from the others at the table as she does. When she realizes that Shane is taking a seat on the other side she shifts to sit a bit more comfortably, gaze travelling across the others with a hint of awkwardness, well aware that she's probably disrupting their evening.
Tank can't quite help the sigh that slips out, emptying her beer before signalling Varisa for another. The young asari is quick to deliver with a smile - it's a hard order to mess up. "Thank you, słoneczko." Zofia says in reply, flashing her a small smile before slumping a little deeper in her seat.
Renala nods a few times as she listens to him. All of this is her fault. She always had the option to not escape off-world after the separation, and every explanation to the contrary are just excuses. His comment about the clientelle does draw a chuckle out of her, especially when it hits close to home for the drunk from earlier. She returns her attention on him when he pats her hand. "Well, she has to," she says,
adding a quiet correction, "We have to." She looks down at her beer. "Sorry," she says, "for being another miserable asshole."
Shane offers a simple nod to Emma's response as he slips into the seat opposite of her, bumping Gage aside with his large frame as he does who, in turn, nudges Sam further into the booth. He flashes Gage an exaggerated smile as he invades his personal space, tossing an arm along the backrest behind him as he does. Once he's all settled in, he reaches out with his free hand to pull his beer across the table with him.
Gage merely gives a fond roll of his eyes at Shane's antics, seeming unbothered by being cramped in between him and Sam. As Shane takes a sip from his beer, however, he seems to realize something and looks Emma's way once she has settled into her seat. "Do you have a drink on the way or should Shane go get you a mug...?" he asks, cocking a thumb over his shoulder towards the bar.
Shane gives a small lift of his brows and a dip of his head to Emma, drawing in an exaggerated breath as Gage volunteers him. A silent acknowledgement that this is just his role. Errand boy. The smile still present across as he brings his own mug to his lips seems to imply it doesn't bother him, though.
Sam shifts her weight against the wall as Gage is forced further into the booth. Upon closer inspection, Emma might notice that there's a few empty shot glasses lined up in front of her and she's got a second drink- some sort of mixed drink judging by the straw poking out of it- beside her beer. Shane's sigh causes a small, smug grin to cross her lips. "Don't let him fool you. He craves the attention. Needs to feel useful.
Steve brings his hand back to the edge of the counter, offering a quiet, somber, "...Yeah. Yeah, I guess ya do..." to her correction, his smile slipping away, perhaps drawn to his own thoughts. Concerns too personal to voice aloud. Her apology draws a snort out of him and he gives a dismissive shrug. "Eh. At least you're in good company." he jokes.
Emma always was the observant sort - a good trait to have in her line of work - and the fact that Sam seems to be going quite a bit harder on the drinks than the others certainly doesn't go unnoticed. She's about to respond to Gage's question when Sam's addition makes her pause, a short-lived hint of amusement flashing across her face. "I have something coming." she assures.
Tank takes a long swig of her new beer before leaning closer to Renala and Steve, arm on the counter. "Excuses. I..." She gestures slightly with her hand as she searches for the right word. "...overhear. I do not know you have daughter, Tivey." she says, seeming like she's probably had a bit more to drink than just the beers she's ordered since sitting down, judging by the sudden, unexplained butting in.
Renala looks back up at Steve as he answers her. She notices his smile slipping, but she did not feel like prying if he's not broadcasting it like she just did. "I guess I have that," she says to his less serious coment. She is aware Tank was sitting near her, but she is still surprised when she speaks to her. She turns in her seat, beer still in hand, to look between her and Steve. "Oh, it's no secret," she says,
"but there's just no chance the kid's mother is letting her cross the galaxy to see me. So you won't see her running around the office."
Shane scoffs at Sam's addition and is about to respond, "Hey now-..." when Emma informs them that she's not about to die of thirst if he doesn't run up to grab a mug for her. "...She already has a drink coming!" he says, the words sounding defensive as he glances Emma's way appreciatively, as if she just stood up for him. Despite the bickering, the smile on his face is a pleasant one. "Look. I don't have to be here taking your
shit. There's plenty of people that would looove to have my company." he threatens, leveling a none-too-serious glare on his teammates.
Sam furrows her brow, offering a number of nods in mock agreement with Shane, as if she's far from convinced. "Oh yeah? Like who? Who else on this rock could possibly want to spend their Christmas Eve putting up with your shit? The-... uhh-..." she glances Priya's way, snapping her fingers a few times and pointing at her, as if trying to recall something and hoping she might jog her memory. But before Priya has the chance
to chime in, the words seem to come back to her. "The engineer chick? Is that who you're-..." she begins before changing the target of her question from Shane to Gage with a tilt of her head, "That who he's talking about...?"
Gage chooses the diplomatic route, leaning back a bit further in his seat as if not to block line of sight between the bickering pair and lifts both of his hands, palms outward, unwilling to chime in.
Shane's big grin only widens and he gives a couple of heavy nods. "For starters? Sure. Yeah. Why not?" he asks, sounding almost offended, as if Sam's words have some underlying implication, "She'd be a hell of a lot nicer to me than you unappreciative dirtbags."
Priya's addition to the conversation comes in the form of a sweet smile. "I liked her..." she offers softly, almost as if to herself, a quiet voice lost amongst the bickering. Being lumped in with the other 'dirtbags' causes a small pout to enter her features.
Sam cackles as she gets a reaction out of Shane. "Oh yeah? Why haven't I seen her around, then? Face it. Yoooou-..." she continues, her words ever-so-slightly slurred as she thrusts an index finger towards Shane, leaning across Gage a bit to do so, "...thought you were bootycallin' her and it turned out that sheeee was bootycallin' you." she explains, giving a shrug of her shoulders as she settles back into her seat,
her smug grin only growing. "Twice." she corrects pointedly, raising two fingers and wiggling them enthusiastically.
Shane's big ear-to-ear smile pulls back into a thin line, his brows hardening in an unamused glare. "You're drunk." he declares, as if that makes her point moot. Sam merely cackles victoriously, leaning over to sip from her straw.
Steve gives a snicker, mouth opening to respond to Renala when Tank chimes in, pulling his attention her way. He, too, took notice of her presence. But, let's face it. She's here alone. On Christmas Eve. Putting down drinks like they're water. That's enough of a sign for him to assume that she wasn't here looking for pleasant conversation. Not to mention he's not exactly the 'polite small talk' sort. He looks between the pair,
taking the opportunity to step back and collect a glass from beneath the counter and pour himself a glass of water as he listens.
Emma 's eyebrows rise a little as Sam and Shane start to chatter, quite content to sit back and listen, one hand on the table, thumb tapping idly against it. The fact that it seems her presence is far from deterring their banter lifts a bit of her unease, and some of the previous amusement even returns as she watches them trade verbal blows. While Sam celebrates her victory she hazards turning to Priya to ask: "Are they...
Tank flashes a drunken smile and nods a couple of times. "I understand. I do. It is hard, yes? I-... I have two boys, back on Earth. Great boys. Their father, he have full, uh... custody. I do not see them. Not anymore." Her gaze gradually wanders off as she speaks, and she soon takes another swig of her beer before her attention finds its way back to Renala.
Emma 's eyebrows rise a little as Sam and Shane start to chatter, quite content to sit back and listen, one hand on the table, thumb tapping idly against it. The fact that it seems her presence is far from deterring their banter lifts a bit of her unease, and some of the previous amusement even returns as she watches them trade verbal blows. Sam's 'final strike' makes her squint a little in confusion, but the victory-cackle
that follows draws a quiet snort from her, attention shifting from her to Shane with a bit of curiosity, but she doesn't comment. She's not the chattiest on the best of days, and today is definitely not that. The group's liveliness is already helping take her mind off things, though. Maybe coming here was a good call after all.