Vasquez posture relaxes a little after Ilyna escorts the last of the Jack's crew out of the conference room, and she leans back against the table, hands gripping the edge. She lets her head hang for a moment as she expels a long breath, a loose strand of hair escaping her ponytail. At the sound of the door closing her gaze lifts from the floor to Jason, smile once again creeping across her lips. The deal's been sealed. Redrock has
#RedrockAgency – November 25, 2022
Jason watches as everyone files out of the room, offering a small dip of his head to anyone who glances his way. His gaze remains on the door for a few moments longer once it has slid shut. His posture has relaxed considerably since negotiations began to go their way. He's settled back into his seat comfortably, chair turned a bit to face the door, one arm on the table beside him. As he feels his wife's eyes on him, a small smirk
creeps up at the corner of his mouth and his eyes flick her way. He gives a small, smugly dismissive shrug of his shoulders. "I guess we should just go ahead and add 'negotiation expert' onto my resume." he muses oh-so-humbly, letting out a pleased sigh as he settles a little heavier against his backrest, chair leaning back ever-so-slightly.
Vasquez rolls her eyes, but her smile just grows wider. She studies him for a moment before pushing off from the table and rounding the back of Jason's chair, hand brushing up his shoulder as she does. "You did good." she concedes, her other hand finding its way to the opposite shoulder as her thumbs start to rub his neck. "It was a good idea, and you brought it home."
Jason gives another shrug of his shoulders, "Eh, it was no big deal. All in a day's work." he continues to tease boastfully. He leans back a bit more, enough so he can tilt his head back to peer up at Vasquez, grin still plastered across his face. After a moment, it tapers back into something more sincere. "But-... I appreciate you backing this. Really. I know it's a bit of a gamble, but I think it's the right move."
Vasquez ' smile softens as she looks down at Jason. She studies him for a moment with a thoughtful look, then her gaze goes off to the side to a random, empty chair. "It is a gamble..." she agrees. "But you fought alongside this crew. And they helped get you and the rest of our people back home safe. I trust your judgement on them." she says, and she means it despite her reservations, that much is clear as her eyes return to his
face. "This is exactly the kind of deal that Redrock needs to keep growing. Expanding our secondary income streams, shoring up the logistics and equipment situation. And some fresh expertise to boot? Yeah... I think this is gonna be good." she concludes, smile returning as she studies Jason.
Jason gives a few idle nods as Vasquez speaks. "One step closer to not having to get shot at anymore to make a few credits." he adds. It's said in jest, but there's undeniable truth behind it. Something neither of them have been able to ignore since an unforseen pregnancy blindsided them. It was easy to push those concerns to the back of their mind when it was just the two of them. And promises of less field work only go so far
when the bank account starts to get light. More revenue streams is exactly what they need if they're hoping to play it safe moving forward. His hands move to the arms of his chair and he pushes himself to his feet, letting out a heavy sigh as he rises and turns to face Vasquez. "Besides, Li gave her blessing on the deal, so I'm pretty sure it can't fail." he continues, lopsided grin resurfacing.
Vasquez ' smile grows a little, taking on a different tone at that same truth colors it. This is the kind of work that needs to be put in to build a stable and safe future for their family. Her hands fall away as Jason rises, although her left skims down his arm as he turns, giving his synthetic hand a firm squeeze before shifting to his side as she moves closer. "That what had you disappearing in the middle of introductions?"
Jason snickers in turn, giving a nod to Vasquez' question as his gaze lowers to their hands. He takes a moment to intertwine his fingers with hers before meeting her gaze once more. "Yeah, she-... uhh-..." he nods back towards the door, "...heard Lucy and her crew arriving. I caught her doing a bit of recon." The image of Li's attempt at stealth causes his smile to grow and he gives a shake of his head. "Considering everything
that happened-..." he continues, deciding against using details, lest it darken the mood, "...I figured she deserved to know why they were here. I don't want her feeling like she's not safe whenever they're around, you know?"
Vasquez snickers again, but then her smile falters, gaze falling to their hands as she nods. "Makes sense." she agrees, falling silent for a moment, but she speaks again as her attention returns to Jason. "And she's okay with it?"
Jason gives a nod. "Kid must be made of rubber, because I swear she could bounce back from anything." he assures.
Vasquez sighs quietly." She's a tough kid. A good kid. And she trusts you." she says, smile starting to return as she studies Jason's face.
Jason gives a few more small nods. "Speaking of..." he says, stepping up close to Vasquez, his free hand moving to her side, "...we've got plans for a late ice cream lunch that I can't miss in about-..." he furrows his brow, craning his neck to look at the clock at the edge of the screen of his datapad that's still sitting on the table, "...one hour. Pretty sure Li won't mind if I bring a plus-one." His smirk widens and he gives
her hand a little squeeze. "Eh? Eh?" he hums, as if the call of ice cream should be a great temptation. "Whaddya say?"
Vasquez lets out a quiet laugh, head angling away for a moment before she nods and her gaze meets Jason's again. "I should get started on the paperwork for our new employees." she says with the slightest hint of regret, free hand seeking out Jason's neck as leans a little against him, eyes moving from feature to feature on his face. Her eyebrows furrow and she pulls back just slightly as she adds: "...and I don't think Ilyna lets
Jason's hand slips a bit further around Vasquez as she leans against him. His mouth opens to protest her first statement when he's interrupted by her dietary musings. "Oh-... uhh-... Did I say ice cream?" he asks, raising his voice conspicuously and quickly glancing back towards the door, aware that Ilyna's eyes and ears are everywhere. "I meant a totally healthy-... nutritious-... uhh-... you know-..... Vegetables
and shit-... lunch." he stammers, watching the door briefly, seemingly having interpreted Vasquez' words as a silent warning that Ilyna could be listening. Once he's confident that the asari won't burst through the door, he returns his attention to Vasquez and offers a wink and a little appreciative dip of his head.
Vasquez leans her forehead against Jason's shoulder, letting out a snort that's somewhere halfway between amused and exasperated. She turns her head to plant a kiss on his throat, and then jaw before lifting to capture his lips in yet another, quick and firm. "I love you, Jason. And I'm glad you're getting more involved in running the company."
Jason releases Vasquez' hand, both arms slipping around the woman in his embrace as he tilts his head a little to catch her kiss. "Well, if I'm gonna try and be a little more hands-off when it comes to field work, then I've only got two options: I can just sit around and collect a paycheck for looking pretty. Or figure out what in the hell it is you do on the backend and do my part to help. Figured-... why not both, right?" he
Vasquez snorts quietly, a grin crossing her lips and her left hand dropping to give Jason's ass a squeeze while the hand on his neck pulls him in for another kiss. "Sounds like a plan." she muses, withdrawing out of his arms to go pick up her datapad from the table. "So why don't you get started on planning the hangar move before your, uh... lunch appointment?" she suggests.
Jason's left hand runs across the small of Vasquez' back as he presses into the kiss. The hand on his backside catches him off guard, causing his smirk to spill over, interrupting the kiss. "Yeah, yeah. I'll get on it." he says as he shifts to collect his own datapad. "Thinking of picking up some takeout for dinner tonight. Figure out what you want and swing by my office when you get a chance?" he offers idly, shooting a glance