Nathan hums a laugh and nods, looking across to his sister with a proud look adorned on his face. One he will only give her when she isn't looking at him. "She is. She's the smartest of all of us at home. Most talented too. Couldn't be prouder of her." He glances over to Tara and inclines his head to the young woman. "Same way Leah is proud of you."
#RedrockAgency – February 19, 2023
Sofia laughs softly, shaking her head in amusement as she turns back towards where her brother and Tara are stood. "Tara seems to bring out the best in people, doesn't she?" She said with an affectionate smile. "Surrounded by people who care about her. It's lovely to see."
Lucy listens silently as Jason talks, a small smile slowly taking shape, subdued but sincere. "Sounds like a fine plan." she comments, before her eyebrows furrow slightly. "Didn't know architecture was part of your wife's skillset."
Li takes a seat at the table, her hold on the plate a little precarious, but it makes it until she's set it down.
Vasquez snorts quietly, but as Gage continues she nods, gaze wandering across the people gathered in the rec room. "I know we will." she acknowledges, how honest the words are a surprise even to her. "...but relaxing has never been my strong suit." she admits with a small smirk, taking another bite of her sandwich. Her eyebrows furrow as she continues to idly look around while chewing. She's been waiting to spot Jason, but without
Steve seems to realize the obvious sore spot he inadvertantly walked the conversation into and takes a few moments to nurse his beer before setting it back on the tabke. "You uhh-... you know when you're headin' back out that way...?" he asks.
Leah follows Sofia's gaze back towards the pair, smile tempering back into something more sincere. "...She does." she agrees quietly as she watches Tara and Nathan for a moment. She snickers to herself before turning her attention back to Sofia. "She continues to find new ways to impress me each and every day." By how resilient she is. By how kind she is despite the horrors she's endured. By how
Zaylus clicks his tongue and points affirmingly. "You got it." He snorts, shaking his head in recollection. "And that's a tough one to explain. You don't think you move much at night until you obliterate someones bedspread." He quips with an undertone of amusement. It disappears quickly with a harsh sniff, and a hurried gulp of his drink.
Jason nods along to Lucy's initial comment, her second garnering a quiet snort. "Me neither." he admits through a lopsided smirk. "Woman of many skills." he adds. "Honestly I-... uhh-..." he stammers, smile tapering back slightly as a hint of discomfort sneaks into his expression given the weight of the loss that's still so fresh in Lucy's life. Talking about how well his own life is going almost feels like salting a wound.
Ilyna still has an amused look on her face as she observes the trick shot going the expected way, and blame is being passed. "I'm getting a feeling this has played out many times before," she says light-heartedly, glancing Samantha's way.
Gage nods, assessing his plate of food quietly for a moment before returning his attention to the game of pool playing out across the room. "I get that. Sounds like it's been a rough few years." He shoots a quick glance Vasquez' way and gives her a friendly nudge with his elbow. "Still. Can't let the last few years ruin the next few. Right?" From his tone, it seems to be advice he's trying to implement himself.
Cynthia snickers at Priya's 'encouragement' of her friend. Shane's taunting goes unacknowledged, she's not about to let herself be distracted. She came into this far too cocky to screw up now. She rolls her shoulders, cracks her neck, and... lines up the shot. It's beautiful. It's perfect. She's back on track.
Halisi smiles a little to herself as she overhears Leah and Sofia's conversation upon approaching to fetch Li's soda. She doesn't want to interrupt them, but she casts a brief glance in Tara's direction as well.
Tara blinks, looking up at Nathan, and then quickly down again, looking a little flustered as she tilts her head to the left.
Steve seems to realize the obvious sore spot he inadvertantly walked the conversation into and takes a few moments to nurse his beer before setting it back on the tabke. "You uhh-... you know when you're headin' back out that way...?" he asks. Li's arrival briefly draws his attention her way, amused expression crossing his face as he watches her try to balance her plate.
Sofia glances across to Leah at around the same time as she did, spreading a smile across her own face. "And may she keep on doing that for a very long time." The young woman practically shines with the smile she offered, now gesturing back towards the duo. "Shall we head back?"
Nathan offers Tara a small smile as she spared him but a fleeting glance. It was enough for him to actually be able to talk to her like this after she spent so long just avoiding him entirely. "Thanks for listening, Tara. It was a nice conversation."
Sam takes a long pull from her beer, nodding to Ilyna's question. "Ohhhh yeah. See, Shane here-..." she lifts her beer, extending her index finger to indicate him as if they're outside observers, isolated from their subject, "...has a pretty big case of what I would diagnose as 'Big Fucking Mouth Syndrome'. And-... well, with as severe of a case of BFMS as he has, it lends itself well to a comorbidity of his. 'Foot
in mouth disease'. Easy to get his foot lodged in there-..." she indicates Shane's mouth by tracing a circle from afar with her index finger, "...on account of it being so big."
Priya does her best to suppress her smile, sucking her lips in, but a small snort slips out regardless, causing Sam to shrug non-chalantly as if Priya's reaction only lends further credence to her medical assessment.
Shane blinks, glancing between the crowd at the pool table. Priya's reaction causes him to roll his eyes. "When did this become a dogpile?!" he exclaims.
Elena lets out a loud snort of laughter, grinning. "Yeah? You 'obliterate' a lotta people's bedspreads, Spikes?" she asks, before taking a long swig from her bottle.
Leah sucks in her lips, dimples hinting at the smile beneath. The question causes her to offer a few nods of her head. "Let's." she agrees, lifting both beers from the counter and leading the way back over. She passes Halisi a playful bump with her hip as she passes by. "Here ya go, fuckface~" she greets Nathan cheerfully.
Renala frowns at first, but it fades as she notices Li arrive at the table, replaced by momentary concern at the way she's carrying the plate. "Hey, Li," she says before looking back at Steve. "No," she sighs, addressing his question. "I'm waiting a few more weeks to see if things stay quiet; unplanned return trips aren't cheap."
Zaylus realizes the error quickly, and drains the bottle to buy himself a moment. He weakly laughs along, walking the bottle to a nearby trash can. "Ah hah, laugh it up. For all your human gaze knows this is what we consider incredibly attractive." He drawls sarcastically, gesturing vaguely to himself.
Lucy 's smile grows briefly, before tempering into something heavier, but it doesn't fade entirely. She seems to realize where Jason's mind is, and offers a nod. "I'm happy for ya. It's... good, ya know?" A questioning look. There's hints of somber sadness in her eyes, but the smile twitches a little wider. "To hear about somethin' goin' right. S'why I asked. It's what I wanted." she assures, giving his shoulder a nudge to
Va'ynna heads over to the kitchen counter to pour herself a glass of some dark-blue soda after considering the options for some time.
Jason swallows at the lump in his throat, the woman's assurances doing little to dispel his discomfort. Still, he hides it behind the smile he props back up as he's nudged, nodding a few times. "I appreciate it." he offers quietly. His gaze dips to his beer and he takes a quick swig to fill the gap in conversation.
Vasquez snorts quietly. "No we can't..." she agrees quietly, turning to look at Gage after a moment. "How's your team? Don't take this the wrong way, but... I'm a little surprised you're still out here."
Tara looks to Leah and Sofia as they return, furrowing her eybrows at the former's choice of greeting to Nathan, looking his way to determine his reaction.
Halisi chuckles quietly, flashing Leah a smile before looking to Va'ynna, waiting for the asari to join her before making her way over towards the table.
Li looks to Renala and Steve, offering them both a smile and a wave. "Hi." she says, before looking to the asari. "Where are you going?"
Sofia nods and follows alongside Leah. Even when she walks, she seems to step with a pep of energy that is unrivaled across the galaxy. She sips at her wine before approaching, a gentle scoff slipping from her lips as Leah greets Nathan with such an affectionate petname. She raises her fingers to offer Tara a little wave.
Nathan looks up just in time to get smacked in the face with such a horrific insult that truly shattered every fibre of his being. Oh the humanity! 0.01 seconds later, he was over it and offered Leah a dopey grin as he reached over to snatch the bottle from her hands. "Thanks muchly, shit-for-brains."
Tara glances Nathan's way again, looking a little surprised, but she nods, the faintest hint of a smile crossing her lips. She looks to Leah and Sofia as they return, furrowing her eybrows at the former's choice of greeting to Nathan, looking his way to determine his reaction.
Ilyna takes a long sip of her wine as listening to Samantha begin her explanation of the cause of Shane's missed trick shot, and it takes a great effort to hold off on laughing just long enough not to lose it. "Goddess," she says. "It's that bad?" She looks a bit sheepish as Shane calls them out, but the best she can do is a light-hearted "Sorry" while she tries to compose herself.
Gage widens as watches the team in question from across the room, nodding quietly to himself as if Vasquez' question isn't exactly unexpected. "Still waiting on paperwork. Permits-..." he lists, gesturing idly with a shake of his head, "...You know they like taking their sweet time in Council space." he snickers, gaze settling back on his plate as he tries to decide what to pick at next. "Besides, the place we're renting doesn't
exactly have any-..." he pauses partway through, eyes briefly closing as his smile widens when he realizes what he's doing. A knee-jerk downplaying of a situation that's almost certainly painfully obvious to Vasquez given their previous conversations. Can wait anywhere in the galaxy for paperwork to be processed, after all. "...Felt like Trish deserved a bit of space given-..." he shakes his head again, "...everything." he
Leah places a hand over her chest in mock offense, scoffing loudly. "Rude~" she exclaims before that bright smile of hers re-emerges.
Elena tilts her head at the reaction, watching Zaylus curiously. Her smile grows, and she follows along as he goes to toss the bottle in the trash, taking another sip from her own. His words make her smile slip away, replaced by a puzzled frown. She stops, taking a moment to look the turian over head-to-toe with a bit of exaggerated theatricality. "Hm, I bet you clean up nice." she comments with a wink, grin returning as she
Lucy sighs quietly as silence fills the gym, joining Jason in having a drink. A long one. Her gaze falls in the names on the wall once more afterwards, staring at it thoughtfully. "How many of the names up there were them?" she suddenly asks, gesturing with the bottle in her hand.
Tara 's confusion just grows as she listens, but she opts to turn her focus on Sofia instead rather than trying to decipher the exchange. The wave is met with a small smile before she sips her cider.
Nathan rolls his eyes at her as he proceeds to down a large portion of his beer in one fell swig. "I'm sure you'll get over it," he chimes, stepping over to wrap his arm over her shoulders with an affectionate squeeze.
Sofia breathes a laugh at the two as she glances over to Tara, giving her a look of 'Can you believe these two?'Tara's look of confusion draws an amused look from Sofia and she says, "Confused about them insulting each other despite all of-" She waggles her fingers at the shoulder holding and dopey smiles, "-that?"
Jason turns his focus back to the wall of plaques indicated by Lucy, drawing a heavy breath into his lungs. It doesn't take long for him to figure out which 'them' she's referring to. A fact that's reflected a bit more obviously than he'd like by the distant look he seems to get in his eyes as he scans over the plaques. A number of moments pass before he seems to realize he hasn't answered her yet and he instinctively takes a
drink from his bottle, reminding himself that there's no point in letting them take up residence in his thoughts any more than is necessary. They're gone, after all. Right? That's what the news keeps telling him. "...Too many." he admits, forcing himself to meet Lucy's gaze as he does.
Zaylus retracts briefly as Elena sizes him up, clearly not expecting to have his bluff called. But with her words this discomfort quickly fades, and he turns slightly to look at her through wryly squinted eyes. "Ah, I'm not that soft-headed. That whole "I'm hot for my species" line never actually works." He says in a low voice saturated with mirth. "But you might've had me going, for
Leah sucks in her lips and gives a playful roll of her eyes at Nathan's teasing, dimples betraying her attempt at looking annoyed. As the arm comes across her shoulder, she finds herself leaning against Nate, smile finally escaping with a snicker as Sofia addresses Tara.
Vasquez follows Gage's gaze towards Ironheart and finishes the last of her sandwich as she listens, grunting in commiseration over the sluggish nature of Council bureaucracy, but she's obviously waiting for something else. Once it comes she looks back his way, folding her arms over her chest. "Entire galaxy's a whole lot of space." she comments, eyebrows furrowing. "What about your kids? Bet they miss you."
Renala hums. "I'm going to Thessia to see Aeyna," she says. "I just need to make sure nothing here breaks down while I'm away." Of course, other reasons might delay her, but that's probably not a good idea to bring up.
Va'ynna picks up her plate and glass and begins making her way over to the table. She looks towards Ilyna over at the pool table for a moment, but she does not voice her thoughts.
Tara shoots a glance Leah and Nathan's way before looking back to Sofia. Whatever she's thinking, she's not saying it, perhaps because they're in earshot, but the guess seems likely.
Nathan simply makes himself comfortable besides Leah, a fond look crossing his expression as he looks to Tara and Sofia nearby. He lowers his voice to a murmur and says, "She and I actually chatted. It was nice. Dunno if she's starting to warm up to me or not but... yeah."
Sofia follows her glance to the pair besides them then back to Tara. She gives the young woman a conspiratorial wink and asks, "Wanna chat a little more?" She motions to a spot that is still within eye sight of Leah and Nathan, but far enough away that evesdropping on each other is that much harder.
Cynthia has to take a moment to pause in the middle of setting up her next shot as Ilyna's response to Sam's regretful explanation makes her crack up. She casts an amused look Shane's way after his indignant exclamation, and then swallows her grin to focus on the game again. Another clean shot, and she ends up pumping a fist with a "Woo!"
Holly furrows her eyebrows as she joins the group at the pool table just in time to over hear Sam and Ilyna's exchange. She hesitates for a brief moment before chmiing in with a deadpan offer of: "...I'm a nurse, if you need help with devising a treatment."
Gage nods a few times, smile finally beginning to slip, hinting at the real weight behind the soldier's circumstances. "Yeah..." he admits quietly, "...Feeling is mutual. But this isn't the first holiday I've been away from home for. Pretty sure they're-... uhh-... probably used to dad not being around as much as they'd like by now." It's not an excuse. More of an open admission of his shortcomings as a father and how much of his
life he has sacrificed to his career if anything. "Besides-..." he continues, straightening up a bit as he attempts to keep from bringing the mood down. Tonight is supposed to be a celebration after all. He picks at his plate, choosing a snack from it, "...I call them every day to tell them goodnight. Which, might I add, has been one hell of a scheduling puzzle at times given Aite's 25 hour days." he snickers, popping the
Steve greets the new arrivals with a small lift of his drink and takes another swig, remaining otherwise quiet as Renala speaks to Li, attention once more turning to the festivities on the screen.
Lucy waits silently for the answer, gaze growing distant. She looks Jason's way when she feels his eyes on her, his words met with a handful of faint nods. She doesn't say anything. It's unclear where she was going with the question, if anywhere, instead she just looks down at the bottle in her lap, gripping it a little tighter and lifting it to empty more of the contents.
Leah nuzzles a bit closer to Nathan, his discreet words causing her to briefly glance up towards him. She doesn't say anything, not wanting to make Tara uncomfortable, but her free arm slips around Nathan's waist and her smile soon slips out. "Ohhhh, are we too boring for you two? I see how it is." she teases Sofia and Tara, keeping her tone light to make sure Tara knows she's only joking. The young girl still hasn't quite
gotten down all the subtle nuances of conversation, a fact that Leah made sure to keep in mind long ago.
Elena furrows her eyebrows, looking on the verge of correcting Zaylus for a moment before dismissing the notion and taking a swig from her batarian ale. "For the record?" she says after lowering the bottle. "'case you can't tell,I am very hot for a human." she quips with a cocky grin and wide-armed gesture at herself as she takes a step back to show off. "Like... look at this. Smokin'."
Jason lets out a heavy sigh, offering a quiet, "...Yeah." in response to Lucy's silence, seeming to agree with the sentiment she's chosen not to express. His gaze soon turns back to the wall, taking the time to look over each name etched into a plaques. Something he makes sure to do every day. He allows his bottle to dangle loosely in his grip between his legs, forearms resting against his knees.
Tara looks Leah's way in a reflexive search for permission, the teasing words bringing out a slightly embarrassed smile, but it does give her the confidence to give Sofia a nod, ready to follow her.
Nathan stifles a snicker as she speaks to the sneaky duo. However, with Tara seemingly happy to go with his sister, his smile brightens and he merely waits for them to disappear to their own little corner.
Sofia's smile brightens (somehow) and turns to lead Tara a short distance away. "There's only so much lovey-dovey we can all take, Leah," she responds over her shoulder, a cheeky waggle of her wine glass towards the woman. As they move out of earshot, Sofia looks towards Tara and says; "Now, you can tell me. What is it you wanted to say? Although, I thiiiink I can already guess given by your expression earlier." Her
Shane flashes a disingenuous smile to Cynthia as she begins to laugh. He gives a few snaps of his fingers and points to the table, "How about you focus less on these assholes and more about the ass whipping you're about to get?" he says, though his words are punctuated by her sinking another shot, causing him to add an equally disingenuous, reluctant, "...Nice shot."
Sam confirms Ilyna's suspicions with a low hum, paying no mind to Shane's frustrations. "Afraid so."
Shane passes an unamused glance between Sam and Ilyna as they continue. "Glad you're having fun." he sighs.
Sam ignores Shane, adding, "Chronic." sharply to the diagnosis. Holly's addition to the conversation causes her own deadpan delivery to nearly crack, snort slipping out which she's quick to lock down. "Honestly, we'd appreciate all the help we can get but I'm afraid he might be a lost cause."
Shane tosses his arms into the air when Holly joins them, allowing his pool cue to clatter to the ground. "Hilarious! You're all hilarious! Comedians, every one of you!" He glances around for backup, but when he spots Gage across the room with Vasquez and Elena locked in conversation with Zaylus, he seems to realize he's behind enemy lines with no help to call on.
Zaylus holds his wry gaze, but noticably lingers while taking in the display Elena puts on. "Alright," He grumbles reluctantly, "maybe that line works for you." He sneers, shoving his good hand into the hoodie's deep pocket. "And also for the record? This is as clean as I get, so sorry to disappoint."
Leah's cheeks turn a shade of red and she scoffs loudly. "Lovey-dovey?! I-... that's-..." she stammers, scrunching up her nose as Sofia moves out of earshot. "We're not lovey-dovey!" she mutters in disbelief to Nathan, green eyes fixed to Sofia.
Li picks at her food as Renala speaks, the familiar name making her perk up. "I bet she's going to be really happy."
Vasquez lets out a quiet sigh, frown deepening as she listens, but it's not her place to comment. Instead, she meets the final addition with a small smirk. "Yeah, I know a thing or two about that. No one in Council space knows shit about Aitian time."
Lucy joins Jason in sitting - and drinking - in silence for a while, her own gaze turning distant and reflective as she studies the names on the wall. The strangers. Nadia. James. Her James.
Tara lets out a muffled giggle at Sofia and Leah's exchange. The question aimed her way once they're on their own makes her look to Sofia. "They are... strange." she says quietly, but the statement is more fond than confused. She goes to sip her cider again, and ends up downing the last of it, frowning at the glass when she realizes its empty.