Ilyna steps up to the apartment building along with Li, having double-checked that she had the right place on her omni-tool. She did send a message before she left home, so she is not showing up unannounced. Ilyna is dressed in her long black winter coat and has the hood pulled over her crests to keep them from freezing in the crisp winter air. She's carrying a small-ish cylindrical present in her left hand.
#Oxaris'Apartment – March 7, 2022
Li is dressed in her usual, puffy winter jacket and bulky boots ideal for trudging through snow - which she likes to do. Right now, she's walking quietly by Ilyna's side though, holding her hand as she looks around.
The pair are greeted by a rather depressing looking apartment building. Three floors in height, the building borders of the cusp of being run down, maybe even classified as derelict. Ilyna's message garnered a response with instructions to head to the top floor of the building; taking the staircase and heading to the furthest door on the right once up there.
Ilyna enters the building as instructed, and leads the way upstairs and through the hall. The asari is in a good mood from the days spent at home, but this trip has her quite thoughtful; perhaps a bit concerned as this is probably going to be a stark reminder to Li of what they went through. When they reach the last door on the right, she tries to ring the doorbell.
Li seems a bit tired of stairs by the time they reach the top floor, lagging behind Ilyna but never letting go of her hand.
Oxaris palms the interface of her door and it slides open. The turian offers her people's equivalent of a smile, little more than a flicker of her mandibles. She inclines her head to Ilyna and Li, eyes flicking between the two of them. "Miss T'rea, Li. Please, come in." She stands to the side, motioning them in.
The apartment is the very definition of spartan. The bare minimal of appliances for the joint living room/kitchen, a couch, two person dining table with only one chair and a small TV that looks broken. The only other door in the apartment is to the immediate left as the pair enter, probably leading to the bedroom and en-suite.
Ilyna gives a small nod, returning a smile of her own. "Thanks, Ortoratus," she says at being let in. "How are you holding up?" She steps inside the apartment. The state of the place makes her raise her brows briefly, but she does not mention anything right now, and instead turns around to face her once both she and Li are inside.
Li steps halfway behind Ilyna as the door opens, poking her head out to look up at Oxaris. She follows a little hesitantly into the apartment.
Oxaris closes the door as the two enter. She turns and spreads her hands in a broad gesture. The turian is dressed in simple, practical clothing. Warm, slightly baggy as not to irritate her wounds and stylised with green accents. The woman carries a theme, it seems. "Much better than before, thank you for asking. The doctor and her team did a wonderful job." She lowers her hands as she tilts her head in an inquisitive manner. "A
- "And you? How are the pair of you doing?" Her gaze falls to Li at the latter half, if only for a brief moment.
Ilyna gives a small smile and studies the turian while she speaks. "That's good, and you do look much better," she says. "I'm doing well, too. We celebrated the human holiday of Christmas a few days ago with Jason, Halisi, and Linda, which was nice." She casts a glance down at Li.
Li 's gaze darts up to Ilyna when she looks her way, then she down and offers a small, shy nod of confirmation that Christmas was, in fact, nice.
Oxaris lets out a small, cheerful chuckle. "Ah, I've heard of that holiday. Gift exchanges, correct? And some bird called a... turkey?" She taps her chin in thought, making sure her knowledge is correct. She turns her gaze back to Li. "Did you get some nice gifts, Li?"
Ilyna chuckles. "I don't know about the bird, but yes, gift-giving is the most important part of it... according to Jason," she says before looking down at Li with a reassuring smile.
Li nods again, a small smile breaking through her subdued mood. "I got dinnosaurs and a spaceship and Super Centurion and a Facemelter forty... forty eight hundred el-em-gee." she informs the turian with a satisfied nod.
Oxaris listens to the pair of them, Li's smile sending a small measure of warmth through the soldier. She was happy. Happy that the girl seemed alright, despite recent ordeals. "Ah, I wonder who those gifts were from?" It was rhetorical. She didn't know him very well, but for some reason, those gifts practically screamed 'Jason'. "It's good to see you enjoyed your gifts, Li." -
Ilyna can't help but grin as Li enumerates some of the gifts. "Let's not omit the big castle that the you, me and Halisi spent most of a day putting together," she says fondly before looking back up at the turian. "Yes, I have. I have taken as many days off as I can to check out all these gifts with her, and it has good. It's been my first real break after...," she trails off as she accidentally brings up the
mission. Thankfully, the distraction is right there, and so she gently extends the gift in her hand towards the turian. "I got you a gift too, even though I suspected you didn't celebrate it," she says. It's a bottle-sized cardboard cylinder with a lid depicting a snowed-down cabin, a Christmas tree next to it, and a starry sky with the classic Santa sled fly-by. A small glossy red star-shaped tie sits on the
Oxaris covers her mouth in a small chuckle, the depiction of the trio constructing a fort surprisingly funny. She clears her throat and then looks to Ilyna with the slightest look of surprise in her eyes. "For me?" She looks down to the gift and takes it gingerly, eyeing the rather unique design of the box for a moment. "Uh, well... thank you." She smiles, the mandibles twitching in a rare display of delight. "Thank you." -
looks back up to Ilyna, then to Li, suddenly looking a little sheepish. "But, I... I don't have anything to gift either of you. That is the tradition of Christmas, right? I have to gift you something in return now?"
Ilyna looks happy to see the turian take the gift, but her question garners a tiny shrug from the asari and a reassuring smile. "No, that isn't an obligation," she says, "and it's fine. I have received gifts from people I haven't given to as well."
Oxaris seems... a little caught off guard. She simply stares at the gift in her hands for a few moments before she looks back up to the pair (or down, given the height difference) and smiles brightly. Which may be a little off-putting given the sharp teeth, but the attempt is there. "Thank you," she repeats. "I... I don't often get gifts so this is... yeah."
Ilyna does not seem off-put as her smile persists. "You're welcome," she says and casts a glance to her side before she reaches out to lay a gentle hand on the side of the turian's arm. "I appreciate what you've done for us, Oxaris," she says, keeping it vague, though probably not vague enough, before letting go of her arm. She looks a bit awkward for a moment before she composes herself.
Li 's gaze falls as Ilyna talks, and she looks past the turian towering in front of them to glimpse the apartment behind her.
Oxaris understood the meaning behind Ilyna's words. It was hard not to. The turian inclines her head in respectful acknowledgement, not expanding further on the matter. No need to, not with Li present. Better not to submit the young girl to those memories again. Noticing Li's curious looks, Oxaris offers a somewhat awkward shrug. -
Oxaris - "Ah, I apologise for the state of the place. I haven't long been in. It was the cheapest place, but it needs some... refurbishment." Understatement of the century right there. It was livable and it was clear Oxaris has already done some fixing up, but there was little to look at. Spartan, drab, boring. "Are you two staying long? I don't have any food other than that suited for my biology," she says apologetically.
Ilyna casts a glance around as the apartment is described, and chuckles at the understatement. She shakes her head at the question, though. "That's quite okay, we should get going soon anyway," she says. "I just wanted to check in on you personally."
Li steps out further from behind Ilyna, still looking around the place. There's certainly no judgement in her eyes, just curiosity.
Oxaris inwardly sighs in relief. She's never been good at acting the host, even to her own family. Speaking of, Li's little glance around would be rewarded with a muted photoframe, tucked away amongst the kitchen apparatus. The light is dimmed on it, allowing it to blend in. But the single photo programmed into it is of Oxaris and four other Turians, all dressed in matching Havoc armour. -
Oxaris - It's a dated photo, to say the least. "I appreciate the check up," she says honestly, a hand resting tenderly over her wounded area. "I'm just following the Doctor's orders as best I can. Rather be on the sidelines for a few months than try and push myself before I'm ready."
Ilyna turns slightly to keep an eye on where Li is going, but she doesn't do anything to interfere with the girl's curiosity. "You're just saying that because you fear I'll tell on you to Halisi," she jokes, though there is some honest doubt hidden underneath since she has seen the turian's stubbornness when the spoke in The Jack's infirmary. Not that she would be any better in the same situation.
Li doesn't leave Ilyna's side, but her eyes continue to wander, the picture catching her attention for a moment, and then the TV. It doesn't seem like she's paying a whole lot of attention to the adults' conversation right now.
Oxaris laughs softly. "Well, can't deny that there is some truth in that," she muses. The TV looks like it could be operational again with a bit of TLC, but for the meantime, it simply sits there, defunct and unused. "But she and her team went through a lot to keep me ticking. I won't waste their efforts just because I'm bored." She shrugs her shoulder slightly at that, setting her gift down on the countertop.