December 24th. Christmas Eve. The Respite is alive with patrons come to seek companionship, alcohol or just a refuge from the cold winter evening. It's been a few days since Jessica and Yan Sun's time on the road came to an end, and for the latter, those days have been busy indeed. Jessica saying her goodbyes has spurred the young Earther to action. This is really happening, they're leaving. She's going home. And there's preparations to
#YanSun'sRoom – January 18, 2022
make. Spots on a ship to Council space need to be negotiated, tickets from there to Earth need purchasing, paperwork needs preparing (from the sound of things 'preparing' doesn't just mean getting it ready to present, but she has yet to elaborate on that), supplies need buying, data needs securing, and the brick-sized brain of the tag-along she picked up on a certain snowball of a world needs concealing. The Alliance doesn't take kindly to
illegal AI, but abandoning it is out of the question. It put its life in her hands, she's not about to stab it in the back. Not to mention the chance to work on a real, live synthetic mind is a dream come true. It's for that reason that a bulky piece of obscure lab equipment sits on the room's desk with its innards ripped out - Yan Sun seems confident she can conceal the quantum blue box inside it. Speaking of Yan Sun, she went downstairs
to get something to eat from the bar a while ago, and her return is heralded by a muffled grunt of frustration that follows the sound of the door's 'access denied' buzzer.
Jessica has spent the couple of days since their return in recovery mode, huddled up in a cocoon of blankets in an attempt at fighting off the sniffle she seemed to have picked up during the last leg of their trip, only leaving the room for the few unfortunate hours needed the previous day to wash clothes. True to her word, she answered Kirill's call even though it wasn't the best timed, waking her from some much needed rest.
Jessica remained faceplanted in a pillow as she spoke with him, her omni-tool on speaker. The conversation was short, just a check in from Kirill to let them know he returned to the Gorge safely. But it somehow seemed... lighter. Unburdened by so much baggage that existed between them less than a week ago. She hasn't yet informed Redrock of her return, though it's unlikely that information hasn't made its way back in some
form given the guard posted downstairs most of the time. Still, she's not quite ready to formally hand in her resignation, so she'll keep her head low for a little longer. Maybe some small part of her is waiting for things to fall through. As the door buzzer sounds out, she shifts about beneath her mass of blankets, turning her gaze from the TV that she was only half paying attention to between naps. A small, fond smile tugs
at the corner of her mouth as she hears Yan Sun's struggle beyond the door and she gives a small roll of her eyes, slipping out from beneath the warmth of the blankets. Dressed in a white tanktop and her favorite pair of grey, baggy, pyjama pants, she swings her feet off the side of the bed, frowning briefly at the cold of the floor. "What? You forget how to open the door, kitty cat?" she calls out, voice still a little
Yan Sun 's voice sounds from the other side of the door: "My hands are... kinda full!" she complains, but the door unlocks and slides open before Jessica gets any chance to mess with her. It seems she decided to skip the whole 'passcode' thing, considering she's still got both hands occupied. One is holding onto a pair of big sandwiches wrapped in paper, and the other to some drinks - a can of warp cola for her, and a beer for Jessica.
"Those marines are back. I ducked out before that one 笨蛋 tried to flirt with me again." she comments with a grimace as she steps into the small room that they've once again claimed for the remainder of their time on Aite. The sandwiches are set down on the desk and she holds the beer out for Jessica.
Jessica is stood on the other side of the door when it slides open, leaning a shoulder against the wall and very much looking as if she was ready to give Yan Sun a hard time. She's unable to conceal the small frown that slips out as she's denied the opportunity by Yan Sun's incessant cheating. She lazily pushes away from the wall and follows the woman over towards the desk, a small snort slipping out at the mention of the marines.
"You are wanting me to go down and kick his ass?" she asks none-too-seriously. Well, it's probably not meant seriously, with Jessica it can be hard to tell. Either way she seems far more interested in the food and drink than any ass kickings at the moment and snatches the beer out of Yan Sun's hand. There's no better post-nap drink.
Yan Sun snickers quietly, grabbing her sandwich off the table once she's relieved of the beer and heading over to the bed. She plops down on the edge and cracks her cola open with a satisfying hiss. "Mno, I need you in here, actually." she informs with a cryptic little grin.
Jessica remains by the desk as Yan Sun steps away, turning to better face her. She lifts one leg to half-sit at the edge of the desk, gaze turning down to the sandwich beside her as she begins to unwrap it with one hand to see what tonight's dinner looks like. She seems to have benefitted from all of the napping, that persistent sniffle she's had for the last few days nowhere to be found, just a bit of lingering weariness in her
voice. Yan Sun's statement causes Jessica to glance her way, giving a slight lift of her left brow. "Mmm?" she hums, Yan Sun's grin drawing one out of her as well. She prods at her teeth with the tip of her tongue for a moment. "I am sure you do." she taunts, already assuming Yan Sun's mind is gutter-bound.
Yan Sun unwraps her own sandwich as well - they're both standard Respite fare, meat and cheese from spacecow both. She takes a bite, rolling her eyes at Jessica's response while she chews, although her grin widens. "I, uh... I got you something." she explains after swallowing. "For Christmas. I don't know if you celebrate, but, well... I do, sooo... you get a gift." she informs with a shrug, flashing a bright smile before taking another
Jessica's grin slips away as Yan Sun responds. That certainly wasn't where she thought this was going. She gives a small lift of her brow, studying Yan Sun suspiciously. Christmas didn't have a place in the household she grew up in, but living in a cultural melting pot like Adrasteia, it was impossible for it not to have some sort of presence in her life this time of year. But she doesn't comment on any of that. "I don't do
Yan Sun 's smile softens and she shrugs again, washing her bite down with some soda. "That's fine. But you're taking this one. I mean..." She blinks, and her left eye lights up in familiar, bright blue. "...it's already on your omni-tool. So..." A mischievous grin as a notification chimes from Jessica's battered old omni-tool.
Jessica's suspicion takes hold again, gaze narrowing on Yan Sun. The sudden beep draws her attention away, attention dropping down as she stands from the edge of the table and she tries to figure out which pocket she shoved her omni-tool into after some in-bed browsing. "If you hacked my omni-tool, I am going to kick your ass, kitty cat!" she warns as she sets aside her beer and quickly digs the device out. She casts one last
Jessica's screen reads: Installation Complete: Serrice Photo Studio 2186: Pro Edition. The barely released and outrageously expensive edition of the most well-regarded photo editing software on the market. Of course, it doesn't exactly look like Yan Sun paid for it, judging by the fact that the program icon has been replaced with a chibi version of Yan Sun winking and giving a thumbs up.
Yan Sun beams a bright smile Jessica's way as she watches her pull up the interface, waiting for her reaction.
Jessica blinks a few times as her good eye scans across the interface, brow furrowed in concentration as it seems to take her a moment to realize what she's looking at. When it sets in, it brings with it a bit of embarrassment, as she seems to realize that Yan Sun has obviously taken note of just how much this hobby of hers means to her but, as always, she's quick to tuck those feelings away, out of sight. Up until now, she's been
using the barely-functional software that came with her old, stolen omni-tool. It's certainly a timely gift. Something that's sure to get plenty of use on their upcoming trip. She pinches the tip of her tongue between her teeth as she continues to study the interface for a few moments, expression softening and even a small snort slipping out as she finally seems to notice what the icon actually is. "You... steal this for
me?" she asks as she peers overtop the interface at the woman seated on the bed across from her, her tone softer than intended and the word 'steal' carrying an almost comical fondness with it rather than any disparagement as one might expect.
Yan Sun 's smile is wide and maybe just a little smug as she shrugs in an entirely unconvincing approximation of innocence. "Merry Christmas."
Jessica looks back to the interface one last time before it dissipates with the press of a button. She studies the device in the palm of her hand for a few moments, collecting her thoughts before slipping it back into her pocket. Not only is she not much of a gift giver, but she's also not much of a graceful gift receiver, but it's not hard to see that somewhere, underneath her best attempt at hiding it, this hit its mark. And
when she looks back to Yan Sun, she lets out an almost frustrated deep breath and relents against her better judgement with a small roll of her eyes before taking those couple steps across the gap between them. She brings one hand down to the top of Yan Sun's thigh to keep her balance as she leans down. Her other hand moves to Yan Sun's chin, tilting her head upwards as she opts to press a quick kiss against her lips rather
Yan Sun 's smile softens and her eyes close as her lips meet Jessica's. She seems happy with how her gift was received - she's getting pretty good at reading Jessica. She doesn't say anything, just looking up at her face after the kiss ends, sandwich and soda in one hand each resting in her lap.
Jessica's hand lingers against Yan Sun's chin, the rough texture of her scarred fingertips a familiar feeling by now. As she meets Yan Sun's gaze, she gives an exaggerated smack of her lips and licks at them, the kiss seeming to have transferred a bit of that sugary cola. Jessica doesn't really do 'Thank you's either, so that part is left unspoken. But there's a softness in the smile that tugs at the corner of her mouth that
isn't usually there. One that broadcasts an understanding of the thought that's behind such a gift. It's an unfamiliar feeling for Jessica- to have opened herself up to someone enough that they even have the opportunity give such a thoughtful gift- and it's still not one that she's quite comfortable with yet. Maybe she never will be. "Now I can do soooo many things with all of these naked pictures I have of you before
I am posting them on the extranet." she muses, her soft smile contorting into something of a mischievous grin as she pulls back.
Yan Sun 's lips turn from smile to thin, unamused line, cheeks heating up just a little. "Those are private." she cautions in a flustered mutter, eyebrows furrowed.
Jessica's grin only seems to grow as she seems to get the desired response and returns to the desk, scooping her beer back up. "What is wrong, kitty cat?" she continues to tease as she swings back around and retakes her makeshift seat, amused gaze leveled back on Yan Sun. "You do not want to be famous?" she asks through furrowed brows with feigned confusion, bringing the bottle up to her teeth to deal with the cap in her usual,
Yan Sun bites back an embarrassed sputter and instead sticks her tongue out at Jessica. "Jerk." she says fondly before digging into her sandwich again.
Jessica lets out a snicker, shoulders bouncing in amusement as she spits the conquered cap out onto the desk. "Mmm." she hums as she takes a quick swig of her beer. For the moment, she turns her focus to her food. The TV's volume had been kept low as she slipped in and out of naps, so it's barely more than background noise, allowing the festivities downstairs to be heard.
Yan Sun grimaces a little at the teeth-aching display but keeps chewing none the less. Her gaze turns to the quietly playing TV as she eats, but after making some progress her attention returns to Jessica, looking a little hesitant. She briefly stalls what she has to say with a sip of cola. "So... I think I have it worked out. The trip. There's a freighter leaving for Council space just after the Alliance New Year. We'll hop off at a
Jessica has been quietly chewing away, attention focused on her sandwich up until Yan Sun speaks up, drawing her gaze. She swallows her current bite and brings a hand up to wipe at the corner of her mouth. "Oh." Just after New Year. Even sooner than she expected. She seems a little caught off guard by it. She gives a few small nods, almost moreso to herself than to Yan Sun. "Is good. The more soon we can leave, the more
sooner we can put this shit hole behind us, mmm?" she says, taking another quick bite from her sandwich as she tries to ignore that pit in her stomach that seems to clash with the spark of excitement she has to visit Earth with Yan Sun.
Yan Sun 's eyebrows furrow a little, hardly sold on Jessica's dismissive comment, but she doesn't press the matter. They've had that conversation. "There's... still something I need to take care of before we go." she says, rubbing the back of her neck, sandwich temporarily left in her lap. "Aside from..." she gestures in the direction of her work-in-progress on the desk. "And I thought I should ask your permission first..."
Jessica cocks an eyebrow, gaze briefly turning to the artificial-elephant in the room before settling back on Yan Sun. She gives a small, silent tilt of her head as she waits for Yan Sun to elaborate, the remainder of her sandwich temporarily forgotten, left to rest in her hand against her thigh.
Yan Sun sucks in her lips as she considers her words, gaze on Jessica. "...as far as the Alliance is concerned, you're dead." she starts with, uncertain if the woman in front of her is even aware of this.
Jessica blinks a few times. "Wha-... they think I am dead...?" she asks, less surprised and more confused. Both by why they would believe her to be dead and, honestly, why that even matters. "O...kay? So?" she continues with a shrug, seeming to suddenly believe this is far less important than she suspected given Yan Sun's initial reaction. "I do not give a fuck if they are thinking that I am dead. Let them." she continues, dipping
her head to take another bite of her sandwich as she obliviously fails to realize why this would be a problem. Interplanetary travel really isn't her area of expertise, so the sort of security checks they'll be subjected to is mostly lost on her.
Yan Sun winces a little. "Yeah, uhm... that's not really going to work. If a dead woman shows up at Arcturus customs, it's going to draw attention. They'll probably hold us for questioning. Run background checks. Pick through our stuff. Especially now. Between the geth and the... the Collectors, security is ramped up. A lot. If they find out about..." an apologetic grimace as she studies her. "...your past, or..." a glance in the
direction of the blue box. "...our synthetic friend..." she trails off, the implications nothing good judging by the look on her face.
Jessica shifts a bit at the mention of Collectors, that whole ordeal is still right there in her rearview mirror. But her mood seems to visibly darken when Yan Sun brings up her past, gaze remaining fixed to her sandwich for a few moments before she sets it back down on the desk beside her with a heavy sigh. They haven't even left and, without even trying, she's already finding ways to fuck things up for them. There's a brief
conflicted look on her face, but whatever thoughts bring it on are quickly pushed aside, denied a voice as she looks back to the woman across from her. "...What you are needing my permission for?" she finally asks quietly, assuming Yan Sun has some sort of plan.
Yan Sun 's gaze falls to her soda can, and she takes a small sip before looking back to Jessica. "Resurrecting you." she stays with a small shrug, watching her for a moment before elaborating. "I'll access your records and... make some modifications. Make it look like you left Earth a few months ago to work with Redrock, instead of being missing, presumed dead since you were a kid. It won't hold up under close scrutiny, but it won't need
to. It just needs to pass their automated checks, make sure they have no reason to take a closer look."