#Miner'sRespite – April 18, 2021

Renala takes a sip of her beer, turning back towards the counter as the conversation quiets down, not wanting to rush Tank into answering. It wasn't her place to tell Tank what to do, but she could sympathize with her problem; perhaps projecting too much how Aeyna would feel about the silence onto Tank's children. She looks towards the door to the back for any signs of her food, but no pizza appears to interrupt

Lema steps in through the doors of the Miner's Respite, panting from exhaustion. She kicks the snow off her boots and scans the room. After a moment, she pulls down her jacket hood and starts walking up to the bar. She keeps her mittens on for now, however. The asari does not look to be in a good mood. She has been here twice since the incident with Aylena, but not without the company of her father.

Tank studies the stripped-clean drumstick bone in her hand idly, turning it a little before letting out a sigh and letting it drop onto her plate. "I do call. I do. But it is... poor substitute." she says to Renala, the words half-mumbled.

Varisa 's attention soon turns to Lema as the girl approaches the bar, eyebrows furrowing as she looks around for any sign that she's with someone. "Uh... hi?"

Sam doesn't disappoint, a look of faux confusion entering her expression, forehead wrinkling as she furrows her brow. "...You-... uhh-... sure you chose the right field?" she asks, unable to keep the grin from slipping across her lips, "I thought that was two-thirds of the job for you recon boys." The playful jab gets a snicker out of the others, even Priya who is quick to cover her smile up with a sip of her drink.

Steve remains quiet, even as Tank breaks the silence, a slight frown lingering in his features that only hardens as he spots Lema at the door. "Well, if it ain't our favorite troublemaker." he offers sarcastically. He shoots a glance Varisa's way to grab her attention before nodding to the young asari, "Careful. This one's a killer." he warns flatly.

Emma smiles a little and lets out a beleaguered snort, the familiarity of the teasing oddly comforting. The unamused look she shoots Sam and the others as her gaze leaves the window is at odds with the still lingering hints of a smile on her lips. "Give me something to focus on, a job - sure, I'll sit around as long as I need to. But just waiting, trying to pass the time?" She shakes her head a little. "I feel... useless."

Lema briefly holds her mittens up so he can see them before picking the vacant nearest the asari bartender; not looking very happy at being called out. Not that she was a ray of sunshine before that point, either. "I'm not here to cause trouble," she assures in a flat tone as she climbs onto the seat, forgetting to return the bartender's greeting. She removes her right mitten and digs through a few jacket pockets

Renala nods to Tank. "It's better than nothing," she says, "and it probably won't be long before the gossipers start seeing diminishing returns and move on." Steve calling out to the asari at the door does cause her to follow his eyes, raising an eyebrow.

Enila is busy serving a turian patron at the far end of the bar, and doesn't catch much of the commotion around the most recent arrival

Varisa looks a little baffled by Steve and Lema's interaction, not quite sure if she should be taking it seriously or not. Her gaze darts to Steve and then back to the girl as she takes a seat. "Can-... can I... get you something?" she tries.

Tank hums quietly, raising her beer for a sip, but her attention to is drawn to the new arrival, arm against the bar as she studies the young asari with a faint frown.

Gage's smile slips away, his snicker trailing off as Emma speaks up again. "I know the feeling." he agrees, mirroring her action with a sip of his own drink.

Shane gives his omni-tool's interface a few more pokes before the glow dissipates. He gives the corner of the device a flick from his middle finger, causing it to weakly spin on the table in front of him as he settles against the backrest once more. "Don't we all..." he chimes in, having at least paid attention to the conversation. Judging by his tone, it seems he might still be a little bitter over being benched by the Alliance.

Sam shifts in place, leaning a bit heavier against the wall. "...Don't think that I didn't catch that." she offers matter-of-factly amidst the rest of the conversation in something of a mutter, shooting a sidelong glance past Gage towards Shane. "I know what you were-..."

Shane shrugs, not even bothering to look Sam's way as he cuts her off mid-sentence. "Not a bootycall." he says non-chalantly as he lifts his beer to his lips, which just gets a scoff from Sam.

Steve gives an unconvinced, "Uh huh." to the young asari, though it seems likely that he's just giving her a hard time moreso than any real concerns.

Emma lets out a quiet sigh after putting her glass down, reaching over to grab a fry and pop it into her mouth. Her attention starts to shift out towards the bar again, focusing on Lema briefly, trying to place her, until Sam and Shane's exchange makes her look their way, raising an eyebrow as she realizes they're back to the same argument again. She hazards turning to Priya and quietly asking: "Are... they always like

Lema scoffs at Steve's comments, especially when the new bartender appears to be taking it seriously. "A big cup of hot chocolate, please," she says to her, putting the credit chit on the counter. Seeing Renala and Tank looking her way, she lets out another scoff. "Just let me have my miserable Christmas Eve in peace, okay?"

Renala chuckles and returns her attention to the bar and Steve, sipping her beer again.

Enila heads towards the door to the back after seeing a ping on one of the terminals.

Varisa still doesn't seem quite sure how to react, but the order gets a quiet snicker. "Coming right up." she assures, swiping the chit before turning around to grab a mug.

Tank blinks. "Przepraszam- eh, a-... apologies, little girl." she offers, obviously a little puzzled - and concerned. "Are you here without your parents?" she asks, aware of, but for from accustomed to the fact that there's a lot of kids that have to make their own way in the Terminus. She's had a bit too much to drink to worry about the potential tactlessness of the question, or to try to get more information from Steve

Priya studies the pair in question for the briefest of moments before looking back to Emma with a grave nod. "Unfortunately." she admits with a deep sigh, though she's unable to hide the fond smile that lingers beneath.

Sam rolls her eyes at Shane, entirely tuned out to Emma and Priya. "Uh huh. Whateeever you say~" she slurs in a sarcastic, sing-songy tone.

Shane dips his head to one side in a shrug. "Glad we agree." he continues to stonewall.

Gage draws in another exasperated breath as the pair return to their bickering. "Gotta admit..." he speaks up, seemingly trying to both ignore, and interrupt Sam and Shane with a change of conversation as he casts a quick glance about the room for emphasis, "...I didn't expect this place to be quite so lively tonight." he muses.

Steve is unable to hold back a small smirk at Renala's chuckle. Lema's comment causes him to gesture her way as he looks to Renala, offering a knowing tilt of his head as if to say, 'Told ya so'. Miserable assholes as far as the eye can see. Tank's question causes him to glance her way. Maybe it's just a testament to him having spent far too much time out in the Terminus that it didn't even set off red flags when a child came

Enila emerges shortly after with a large round plate of pizza and she heads over to place it wordlessly on the counter in front of Renala. It's a very colorful pizza with a lot of cheese, densely populated with three different kinds of meat, some sliced mushrooms, and something blue-green resembling peppers sprinkled on top. The pizza has been cut into square pieces already with the edge-most slices being quite

Renala grins as she notices Steve's knowing look being passed her way, giving a smirk in return. She would have reacted if the asari kid was about Aeyna's age, but she has spent enough time in the Terminus to not worry too much about an asari in her thirties and up. She could have picked far worse places than the Respite, as she doubts the staff here would serve her anything alcoholic. When Enila appears with

Lema looks more closely at the tall human, raising her brows. "Uh, yeah," she says. "Dad's stuck at work like usual, even after he promised me that he was not going to let them keep him after four today. It's been one delay after the other since." She looks back at the counter, putting the chit back on the counter. "I spent so much time on the dinner we saved for weeks for," she says, "and now it's sitting on the

Emma gains a small, subdued smile of her own, a bit of amusement shining through. As Gage speaks her attention shifts to him, eating another fry as she listens, washing it down with her drink. She nods in agreement, looking out across the bar. "Me neither." she admits. "But it makes sense, I suppose. There's no shortage of people out here on their own." A bit of unintended weight slips into the words, and the glass still in

Tank frowns. "I-... I am sorry to hear this. But you should be careful leaving home on your own in town like this." she advises, sounding quite serious despite her inebriation.

Varisa starts to pour the hot chocolate from the machine once she's got her hands on a mug, catching bits of the conversation behind her as she waits.

Steve steps out of the way of Enila, dragging his glas of water aside as well to make room. He offers an appreciative glance Enila's way and gets to work on removing his gauntlets so he can dig in, stowing them under the counter. The conversation between Lema and Tank causes the smirk to slip from his face. For a moment, he merely studies the young asari. But, eventually, he gives a small roll of his eyes, almost as if to

Shane goes to reach for his omni-tool but instantly seems to rethink it, instead shooting a look across Gage to Sam and giving a raise of his brow, as if to see if she has something to say.

Sam throws both hands up, palms out towards Shane, though the smug look on her face says more than words ever could. She keeps her eyes on him as she leans down and loudly slurps from her straw.

Shane snorts, that ear-to-ear grin slipping back out as he shakes his head and activates his omni-tool. As he scans across the message, his smile tempers a bit and, soon enough, the glow disappears and he sits back in his seat with a sigh, laying one arm across the top of the backrest behind Gage.

Gage gives a few small nods as he turns his focus back to Emma. The small change in tone doesn't go unnoticed. "Suppose so. How about you?" he asks, leaning forward to reach for one of the trays of snacks and grabbing a chip that's smothered in cheese and numerous other toppings. "Don't get me wrong, we're happy to have you. The more the merrier." he's quick to clarify through a friendly smile, bringing a second hand up to shield

Emma 's blue eyes go back to Gage at the question, observing him silently until he's done. A faint nod follows. "Yes. It's... just me." she confirms, reaching for another fry and letting it occupy her attention in an attempt to mask the discomfort that surfaces.

Lema scoffs a bit at the advice. "I was born on this planet, and has lived in worse places," she says. "I know how to take care of myself." She casts a glance Steve's way as a slice of pizza slides her way. "Mostly," she adds to pre-empt his correction as it's clear his attention is directed towards her. She reaches for it for a moment, but then hesitates and looks up to him for confirmation. Maybe he was going to

Renala is already most of the way through the first slice when Steve sends a few slices Lema's way. It draws a smirk out of her and she studies him for a moment in silence. She takes a sip of her beer, gripping the glass carefully to not have it slip out of her slightly greasy hands.

Tank lets out a laugh, seeming appeased by this answer. "Ha! Very well." She had been about to offer to buy Lema something, but Steve's pizza-slice offering pre-empts her, and makes her smile a little as she relaxes in her seat. She casts an assessing glance the armored man's way as she sips her beer.

Varisa turns back to the bar, placing a full mug of steaming hot chocolate on the counter in front of Lema. "Here you are." she says with a smile.