December 31st. Alliance Standard New Year’s Eve. 2185 is in its last hours. A human holiday with roots in the Gregorian Earth calendar, Alliance New Year’s is mostly celebrated on Earth and in Systems Alliance colonies, but Freedom Fall’s has a significant enough Earthborn population to ensure observation. All of Redrock (and guests) have been invited to participate in a celebration at HQ. It’s a cold but still night, the air crisp and th
#RedrockAgency – January 20, 2023
skies clear. WIth Litae on the far side of the planet, stars shine bright in a sea of black that’s split in two by the bright band of Aite’s rings. In the rec room the counters have been filled with a variety of drink options (most of them alcoholic) as well as a buffet of specially ordered food from one of the nicer restaurants near the falls. Given the lack of seating, it’s all finger food. The TV is playing the not-quite-live broadcast (
of of the New Year’s Eve celebration on the Citadel, which technically happened hours ago. Speakers across the base are playing music - the playlist for the night has been left in Jason’s hands. The virtual shooting range in the gym has been set up in competition mode. Nathan has been directed to the roof to set up the pyrotechnics display that he was asked to prepare when invited.
Vasquez is wearing a pair of black jeans, sleek black boots and her green coat slipped on over a thin gray sweater. Her hair is down from the usual ponytail, and she’s standing on the roof monitoring Nathan’s progress.
Halisi is by the buffet, chatting with Holly, whom she invited to come along. She’s wearing knee-length, sparkling silver dress and her hair is immaculately styled. Her eyeshadow is a glittering green and her lips are a dark red which matches her nails. A glass of wine is already in hand, bracelets shifting on her wrist as she lifts it to her lips.
Holly is sticking close to Dr. Halisi, looking a little shy as her eyes dart around the rec room. She’s wearing a layered robe of silky green fabric embroidered with silvery quarian patterns. With some encouragement from Halisi she tries a canapé, letting out a pleased hum as her eyes flit closed.
Cynthia is wearing the same short black dress and heels she wore to the wedding, and her mohawk is freshly styled. She’s standing by the pool table, sipping her beer and drumming black fingernails against the surgical scars that cover much of her right leg as she waits for setup to finish. Somehow, somewhere she’s managed to get a hold of a pair of plastic blue ‘2186’ glasses. The numbers, distorted to accommodate eyeholes in
Emma has made it to the party despite her injuries, and is sitting on the couch, recovering from the pain and exertion of moving around. The leg in the brace is extended out, and her crutch is leaned against the armrest. She’s wearing slim blue pants and a black turtleneck, and the small purse she brought sits next to her on the couch. For once, her braid is absent, long, silky blonde hair framing her face. She’s got makeup
on, including a metallic blue eyeshadow that gives her a more dramatic look than usual, and her nails are painted to match.
Lucy is in the rec room, eyeing the drink selection. She’s clad in blue jeans, polished boots and an embroidered silver button up shirt. The worn, off-white hat she usually wears has been replaced with a pristine black one.
Elena grabs a bottle of batarian ale from the counter while Lucy is still pondering, using the thumb of her mechanical hand to open it. She’s wearing a black halter top that shows off the tattoos on her arms, as well a good portion of the wings across her back. Golden holographic text spells out ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR’ on the front of her top. The top is accompanied by form-fitting jeans and heeled black boots. She’s cleaned and
Senya looks quite different from her usual self, clad in gray pants and a navy-blue top that leaves her cybernetic left arm - and the scars on her right arm - exposed. She’s foregone her eyepatch for the occasion. Scarring surrounds her eye, much like the crests on the left side of her head, and what’s visible of the eye itself is a murky white. She stands behind the couch in the rec room, arms crossed as she watches the
Uvena has gathered a few pieces of food on a plate and walks up to the back of the couch to watch the celebrations. She wears a green strapless top underneath a gray shawl, and form-fitting black pants.
Renala walks past just outside the rec room, her eyes on the omni-tool. She hasn't dressed up for the occasion, wearing a white fleece jacket over a blue shirt.
Ilyna enters the rec room along with Li, having spent some time downstairs getting ready after arriving at the base about half an hour ago. Her eyes find Halisi almost immediately, but she doesn't want to make it too obvious and thus looks down at Li. "Hungry?" Ilyna is dressed in the same dark red modest dress she wore at the wedding. It has some brighter patterns and trims of the same color. She has used some
Jason has ditched his usual military garb for the special occasion, instead leaning into what seems to be a, 'Hey, at least I tried' look. A nice, if simple, pair of jeans which cover the tops of a pair of black boots that are at least somewhat more fashionable than his work pair. A simple dark grey pullover sweater tops his look off, sleeves rolled up as he leans down to line up a shot on the pool table. "Nine ball, corner
pocket." he declares before letting loose. As has been the case throughout the night, he makes contact with the cue ball a bit too hard, causing it to leap before settling back down and smashing into the declared ball. It seems he hasn't spent much time at the pool table since his... upgrades. The nine ball careens towards the corner pocket with such a velocity that when it barely knicks the side of the corner pocket
it rattles back and forth a few times before shooting right back the way it came. "Uhh-... other corner pocket!" he quickly corrects, glancing to Shane as if that had been his intention the whole time. It misses its mark, banking off the rail and losing momentum until it neatly drops into a side pocket. "....Side pocket? Side pocket." he confirms with a nod, shooting a lopsided grin Shane's way as if the shot went exactly
Shane is stood at the opposite end of the pool table. Dressed in a pair of black slacks, a dark purple button-up shirt, and a pair of black shoes. He gives a shake of his head to Jason, letting out a loud sigh as he reaches for his beer perched on the edge of the table. "Uh huh..." he agrees in amusement.
The rest of Ironheart hasn't put nearly as much thought into their attire. Or, perhaps, they simply didn't pack much. Sam is in a pair of white sneakers and blue jeans, the knees intentionally ripped, and a simple band t-shirt beneath her open jacket. Gage is dressed in a pair of cargo pants, boots, and a grey t-shirt, cap topping his head.
Priya is wearing jeans and boots that nearly reach to her knees with a simple, pale pink sweater. Her long hair is pulled over her shoulders and she has a shiny, cheap plastic crown atop her head that she undoubtedly picked up in a hurry down at the market. Numbers denoting the new year decorate the front of it with sparkly glitter and shiny rhinestones. She's with the others, watching the game of pool in amusement. With a glance
Steve is sat at the kitchen table nursing a beer. He doesn't seem to have put nearly as much effort into his attire as some people tonight. Dressed in jeans, scuffed up old work boots, and a simple black t-shirt, he watches the TV from his position. Catching a glimpse of the asari out in the hall, he gives a call from his seat. "Uh uh, Ren!" he shouts, "Get your butt in here! You ain't avoidin' us that easily!" If he has to put
Mendez has taken up residence on what appears to have become the Triage Couch, sitting on the end opposite of Emma. As usual, his mohawk is immaculately styled and he's dressed in a nice, long sleeved grey thermal sweater and a pair of simple black pants with some black, steel-toed snow boots. His thick black winter jacket has been draped over the back of the couch. His arm remains in a cast, sling holding it close to his chest.
Leah is stood by the buffet, sampling some of the many finger foods. Not one to pass up a chance to get festive, she's wearing a green dress that sits just above her knees and has a shine to the material. Her black heels give her a couple more inches but do little to get her out of the running as one of the shortest people here, much to her dismay. Her hair is pulled back into a neat French braid with colorful streamers tied
Leah into it that match the hair ties that always decorate her wrists and her rainbow painted nails. Her makeup matches the occasion. Green and yellow glittery eyeshadow that wings out past her eyes. "These are delicious!" she offers enthusiastically through a mouthful of food, one hand covering her mouth for politeness' sake as she looks over those by the buffet. In her other hand is some breaded... thing that she's using
Jasper is, unsurprisingly perhaps, wearing his grey coveralls and cap. On TOP of the coveralls, however, he has a gaudy sweater with the numbers '2186' ablaze across it in holographic text that fades in and out. A true pioneer of fashion. He's stood behind Nathan, arms across his chest, face contorted into a look of concentration as he tries to backseat the pyrotechnics.
Nathan was having a blast. Figuratively and, soon, literally. He had arrived alongside his sister, dressed in his usual attire of his worn, brown leather jacket, belted jeans and boots with the little additions of a hefty scarf and gloves. His eyes had set quickly upon the array of drinks, a joyful twinkle in his eyes. However, before he could get there, he was intercepted and directed towards the roof to manage the
pyrotechnics for the night that he totally did not forget about. The sparkle intensified. Now he was finishing up the last touches to the display, tapping away at his omni-tool to set the trigger to the stroke of midnight. "Annnnnnnnnnnnnd we are... almost done!" He grinned broadly over his shoulder to Jasper, not minding the backseating from him.
Sofia had decided to dress a little more... fancy than her sibling. Black knee-high dress, matched with thick, stylish leggings, heels and appropriate winter attire to ward off the cold. The latter is hung to the side at the first opportunity and she helps herself to a glass of wine. Her hair has been curled, falling just over her shoulders as stifles a giggle at Leah's antics. "Clearly," she muses, waving a delicate
hand in the air as if to ward off the gesturing bread. "Judging by the way you're using that bread like a conductor."
Oxaris had arrived bearing... almost exactly the same outfit as the wedding. Emerald green formal dress, trimed lined with an almost dulled gold and black boots that rise to cover her spurs. She looks almost uncomfortable in the dress, but seems to just do what good soldiers do. Shut up and carry on. So, she chose an appropriate drink, food and took a position off to the side to stand, observe and try to make herself as
Zaylus arrives surprisingly close to on-time, his outfit confirming a lack of understanding or appreciation for formal attire. Human holidays require human clothes, after all, but the mangled grey pullover has given way to a smarter, navy blue zip-up hoodie thats only one size too big. He stuffs his hand into one of the oversized pockets, the other arm still dutifully held in a sling
partially obscured by the jacket. He stops shortly into the room, taking in the scenery for a moment, all the painfully familiar faces. Elena catches his eye as his head tilts with recollection, and he takes one step forward before glancing at the turian woman hiding from the crowd. He hesitates, eventually giving a greeting nod of his head, curious but uncertain. Two steps in
Tarkus is on the roof watching the duo of Nathan and Jasper set up the pyrotechincs from a safe distance by the door. He is wearing his soft armor to provide warmth in this cold weather, however over the soft armor he is wearing a dark grey traditional turian robes with red patterns that matches his face markings, the red patterns are contained with a thin gold lining. Most of the
Tara is sticking close to Leah, watching her eat before grabbing one of the indicated breaded something's for herself, eyeing it curiously for a moment before popping it into her mouth and chewing with furrowed eyebrows. She appears to have gotten some help with her makeup, aside from the green being replaced with a blue that matches the gradient of her sparkling blue dress, which looks not entirely unlike something a princess in a
children's movie would wear. Her hair is still much too short to do much with, much to Tara's disappointment after seeing Leah's decorated braid. She's braved the heels for the first time since the wedding, moving carefully to avoid a repeat of her slip.
Li is wearing the same dress she wore to the wedding, with the addition of the blue Christmas sweater to keep her warm. She's holding onto Ilyna's hand as her eyes dart around the room. For now, most of her toys have been left behind in the office, but she still clutching the drawing tablet in her free hand. The asari's question garners an enthusiastic nod.
Holly 's gaze follows Oxaris, and for a moment she considers heading over to her, but the turian's stoic expression doesn't exactly look inviting, and she quickly reconsiders, attention instead turning back to the buffet when Leah speaks. "Ooh, I haven't tried those..." she says, joining Tara in trying one.
Halisi doesn't notice Ilyna's arrival with her back to the door. Sofia's comment garners a quiet snicker, a small smile lingering as she sips her wine.
Elena glances around just in time to notice Zaylus looking lost, and waves him over before showing off the bottle in her hand to Lucy along with a verbal endorsement.
Lucy relents and grabs a bottle of her own. Elena opens it before she has a chance to reach for the opener.
Senya casts a slightly dismayed glance on Lucy and Elena's direction, but then her attention returns to the TV, where the broadcast is reporting on C-SEC's search for the thieves of the 'Times Square Ball', a human artifact that had been relocated to the Citadel for this year's celebration. She lets out a snort, a faint hint of amusement tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Quite the achievement, getting something that size off
Cynthia snickers as she watches Jason shoot, looking unimpressed. At her comment she shoots Priya a wide grin and adjusts the glasses with a flourish and a slight bow. "Finally someone appreciates them!" she exclaims before gesturing to the crown. "I can see you too are a woman of taste." she acknowledges with a firm nod. "Your Highness." She takes a swig of her beer as her eyes return to the game. "C'mon guys, hurry up, I
Vasquez crosses her arms, studying Nathan's work. "We appreciate you putting this together on short notice, Tennhausen."
Renala does not show any signs of having received Steve's summon, and she continues to the hangar catwalk. She shuts off her omni-tool's hologram, zips up her jacket, and climbs the ladder up to the roof. It's no winter jacket, so she shudders at the cold once outside, but she doesn't have plans to stay up there very long. "I hope it's pyrotechnics you're rigging up!" she calls out.
Uvena glances at the door a few moments after Steve calls out for Renala, giving an amused snort when that asari doesn't materialize. She looks Senya's way right as she comments to her, perhaps having planned to introduce herself. The scarred eye does pique her curiosity, but she manages to hide it after a brief moment. "It really is," she says, "but why?"
Ilyna glances towards the pool table before heading over to the buffet just across from Halisi. Vasquez' current absence and Jason being busy does undo some of the tension she had going in, but not all. "Hey," she greets softly, looking Halisi's way for a moment. She loosens her grip on Li's hand so she can grab something to eat. "I can hold on to your drawing pad while you eat, if you'd like," she offers.
Jasper passes a critical eye over the demolition expert's handy work and gives his scraggly chin a scratch. "Reckon that wirin'll hold up once things get ta shakin'?" he asks. Jasper knows a little bit about everything, but explosives are most certainly out of his wheel house.
Leah opens her mouth to speak, pauses, swallows her current bite, then tries again. "Try one!" she insists, poking at the air in front of Sofia with the breaded thingamajig. She encourages Holly with an enthusiastic nod before her green eyes dart to Tara. "They're good, right?!"
Priya stands up a bit straighter and reaches up to straighten her crown, smile spreading across her face. "At least some of us know how to have fun." she says, shooting Gage and Sam sideways glances.
Gage snorts, offering a small shake of his head. "I'm having plenty of fun, thank you very much." he says before taking a swig of his drink.
Sam gives a roll of her eyes before snatching the crown off of Priya's head and plopping it on her own.
Priya's hand shoots up but it's slightly too slow to snatch back her crown. "Hey-... That's-..." she stammers, taking a few swipes at it.
Sam holds Priya back with one hand, leaning her head back and just outside of Priya's reach each time her she tries to reclaim it. "Know what? You're right! This is more fun!" she cackles.
Jason continues to wear a big grin as he circles the table to set up his next shot. "Twelve ball. Side pocket." he declares before his attention is drawn to the rec room door and the few funneling in, distracting him from the game. He lifts a hand in a brief greeting to the new arrivals. "Hey!" he calls out, prodding one end of his cue into the ground. "Plenty of food and drink, just take what you want!" he explains before his
Shane cocks an eyebrow before nodding along with Cynthia. "Stop the stalling and get back to losing." he taunts.
Mendez furrows his brow as he watches the broadcast, Emma's question causing him to only briefly glance her way before drawing in a breath. "Been better." he grunts and, for a moment, it seems as though he might leave it at that. "Getting there, though." he finally adds. Seemingly realizing he should reciprocate, he passes a glance towards Emma's leg, gesturing to her crutch with a lift of his chin, "How much longer are they
Steve scoffs as Renala continues down the hall, shaking his head to himself before returning his attention to the television.
Nathan beams brightly to Vasquez, adjusting the wooly hat on his head. "Ah, it's my pleasure. It's nice to use my skills for something more recreational," he says, standing up as he looks towards said wiring once Jasper asks. "Course it will. It's me you're talking about! This will be -perfect-." And then he's answering to Renala, shooting her a double thumbs up. "Mostly! I only added one artillery shell in there."
Sofia goes cross-eyed for a moment as the bread is presented in front of her face. She takes it and takes a tentative bite before her mismatched eyes widen in delight. Before she knows it, she's already taking a few more hearty bites from it before she realises what she's doing. Her cheeks darken a smidge and she clears her throat as she slows her consumption. "Y-yeah, they're good." She then looks across to Tara,
Oxaris offers Zaylus a smile as he clocks her, mandibles flicking with the greeting. However, she remains rooted to her spot, content as she simply observes. A moment is given before she notices Holly glancing at her before turning away. A curious tilt of her head follows, then a mental shrug.
Zaylus leans into a casual stroll, giving Oxaris another sidelong look as he heads over toward the drinks. He snags the first thing he can identify as dextro, holding the bottle loosely with the tips of his fingers. "Hello again." He greets Elena, offering glances to the Jack crew milling about.
Tarkus gives a Renala a welcoming nod when she arrives to the rooftop, and gives a light chuckle at Nathan's comment. "Guess you can never have too much of a boom for a celebration."
Victoria walks into the lobby of the building. Wearing boots, long black pants and a dark grey winter coat. She turns to Va'ynna upon entering the building. "See, I told you we were still on time."
Senya considers the question for a moment before shaking her head. "No idea..." she mutters, and then she turns her good eye on Uvena. "Senya T'Mari." she offers, looking at her expectantly.
Li gives the others by the buffet a wave and a smile before looking up at Ilyna and nodding. "Ok!" she says, holding up the drawing pad for her.
Halisi 's silver eyes find Ilyna's the moment the asari joins them by the buffet, a warm smile spreading across her lips. "Hello, Ilyna." Her gaze sweeps quickly across her form. "You look lovely." she adds, a faint hint of heat in her voice that wasn't there a moment ago.
Tara nods in agreement as she swallows, flashing Leah and Sofia a small smile. Ilyna and Li's arrival draws her attention, and she returns the latter's wave, her smile widening.
Holly nods as well. "I might spend the whole evening here." she suggests with a slightly awkward chuckle. "Thank you again for inviting me, doctor." she says while her attention shifts from Leah to Halisi.
Halisi blinks and glances to her side at the young nurse. "Hm? Oh! Of course. You deserve it after all your help with my Redrock-related work." she says with a smile.
Holly shoots Halisi a curious look, glancing in Ilyna's direction, but she doesn't say anything, just nodding before the doctor's attention leaves her.
Emma looks down at her leg. "I still have a couple of weeks left of my sentence." she says with a sigh, but then her gaze lifts to Tara over by the buffet and a faint, sad smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. "...but it was well worth it, of course."
Elena nods to herself as she receives confirmation that Zaylus is indeed who she thought. "Hey." she greets, looking him over with a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Never seen a turian in a hoodie before."
Lucy sniffs the batarian ale before taking a sip. She scrunches up her nose, shrugs, and takes a longer one. Her gaze wanders the room for a moment, and then she gives Zaylus a tip of her hat before leaving him and Elena in order to join the group by the pool table.
Cynthia catches Sam's theft out of the corner of her eye, snickering before returning her focus to the game. As Lucy joins them she opens her mouth to greet her, then closes it again and looks her over, eyebrows furrowed as if it's taking her moment to process her outfit. "...howdy pardner." she greets through an uneven grin.
Lucy looks less than thrilled with the comment, shooting Cynthia a frosty look. Granted, her style is a little on the eccentric side, but she pulls it off.
Vasquez raises an eyebrow. "I'd prefer it if my base remained intact." she warns dryly. "I've already had to rebuild it once."
Renala sighs, both relieved and annoyed at the same time. Tarkus' comment does defuse things, though. "And that's what we love about the new guys," she says to him with a chuckle before stepping close to them. "Would be great if you let me know in advance so I can make sure it won't make our automated defenses turn on the 'climate controls'." She might be exaggerating, as bringing the AA gun online would require
Uvena gives a small smile. "Uvena Atana," she says. "It's nice to meet you, Senya. You're with the Jack of Diamonds, right?"
Ilyna gently takes the drawing pad and holds onto it. One free hand is enough for the finger food ahead of her, and she takes a breaded piece that she noticed Leah advertise on her way over, but she doesn't try it right away. The compliment from Halisi does make her blush, and she couldn't hide the smile on her face. "Thank you," she says, too cautious -- or flustered -- to mirror her gesture, "You're looking great,
as well." Hopefully, Jason is too preoccupied with the game to notice this absolute failure of subtlety.
Va'ynna hangs up her coat in the lobby. "We don't know that," she murmurs. She knows midnight is a while off, but Va'ynna has explained earlier that she had forgotten to let Enila know about it until it was too late to arrange something. It's only due to the recently reduced kitchen opening hours that she could show up at all. She is wearing a modest dark green dress that hasn't been much use since she stopped
Jasper draws in a deep breath, exhaling in a plume of steam. "Oh, believe me. I know dang well who I'm talkin' 'bout. S'what worries me." Though, if there were any concern of tension in his words that lingered from their previous disagreement, it's dispelled with a small smirk that tugs at the edge of his mouth. The sound of Renala's voice causes him to cast a glance back towards the hatch.
Mendez follows Emma's gaze, a rare smile escaping him, if only briefly before giving a small nod of his head and returning his attention to the TV. "It was..." he agrees.
Jason scoffs. "Losing?! Behind? Maybe. But losing?! Hardly. Now shut up and let me run the table." he taunts, leaning back down to line up a shot. He cranes his neck to look up at Shane before once more declaring his shot, "Twelve ball. Side pocket." Slowly. Slowwwwly. With a flick of his wrist he makes contact with the cue ball. The ball pops right off the table, sailing over the twelve ball and bouncing off the railing
before coming right back his way and clacking off the 6 ball, sinking it in the opposite pocket. "Six ball, corn-...!" he tries to spit out before stammering over his words.
Shane shakes his head more firmly, "That's my ball! You can't just switch sides on the fly. That was your only chance, brother, so you might as well just sit back and-..."
Jason prods his cue into the ground in frustration, muttering an annoyed, "Fuck!" as his attempts at talking his way into a victory fail. He lets out a deep sigh and offers a disheartened, "Hey, Lucy." to the new arrival, pre-emptively tuning Shane's bragging out and reaching for his beer as Priya and Sam continue to struggle over the crown of 2186 off to the side.
Shane continues as he calls out his shot by pointing to the ball and the pocket with his cue before he begins to line up his own shot, "...give your stick to Cynthia, because this is about to be over." He passes Cynthia a smirk, "You got next?" he asks as he effortlessly sinks a ball.
Leah snickers as Sofia chows down, "Told you!" As she takes note of Ilyna and Li she gives the latter a big, bright smile and returns the wave enthusiastically, green eyes flicking from the young girl to the asari beside her. "Heyyy~" she offers the pair in a sing songy tone before scooping up another breaded thingamajig and wordlessly extending it towards Ilyna. But seeing as the asari is already reaching for one, she takes the
delicious thingamajig on a ride towards her own mouth. In the process she bounces in place a little, seemingly enjoying the song that's currently playing. She's certainly in higher spirits tonight than she has been recently.
Zaylus strokes the front of his hoodie, simultaneously flattered by the perceived compliment and puzzled by the cowboy gesture of departure. "This part doesn't work, obviously." He admits, demonstrating the hood's inability to get over his head properly. His hand re-enters the big pocket with a curious clacking noise and he reflexively clears his throat.