#RedrockAgency – March 5, 2023

Nathan stifles a snort that then turns into a flat out suppressed chortle. He wags his free finger at Leah, muttering back to her, "You should see your face though. Going almost as red as my armour." He knew what he was in for. Both barrels will be turned on him soon enough, but for now he was going to enjoy this.

Sofia nods to Tara's words as if she just dispensed the most wizend words to ever be spoken. "Strange is certainly a way to put it. But! I find that, most of the time, people who are strange with each other are at their most comfortable." She motions towards the aforementioned weirdos as an example. "I bet Leah is strange with you too, right?"

Gage snorts, recent business calls certainly confirming Vasquez' claim. "Yeah, trying to line things up back home is like trying to hit a moving target." he snickers before relenting with a shrug as he picks through his plate of snacks. "Still, better than what I'm used to, I guess." he continues before glancing Vasquez' way and clarifying, "Spend a good chunk of your life on a ship and things like 'time of day' start to lose

Jason doesn't seem to mind the silence that settles in. He takes a good long swig from his drink and continues to scan across the memorial. Names in rows and columns like makeshift headstones.

Leah's head snaps Nathan's way, her braid- adorned in colorful streamers- dramatically trailing behind her and levels a flat look on him. She opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out, only serving to leave her more flustered. Ultimately, she scrunches up her nose and flips him off. "Whose side are you on?!" she scoffs playfully.

Elena snickers at Zaylus' concession, her shrug full of false modesty. The warning that follows drawing out a snort. "You're real bad at takin' a compliment, know that?" she asks, taking a swig of her ale and casting a glance in the direction of the pool table at the sound of laughter.

Renala picks up her drink while Li speaks, her attention still on the human girl. "Yeah," she says. "She was so sad I couldn't spend Christmas with her, so I'll need to do something great to make up for that."

Va'ynna puts her plate on the table next to Li and takes a seat, trying not to interrupt her conversation with Renala.

Ilyna manages to collect herself, though an amused smile sneaks up at Sam's answer to Holly. "Sorry," she says, looking Shane's way. "I'd still like instruction afterward if that's not rescinded."

Zaylus opens his jaws to quip back, but releases it with a thin sigh. "Yeah, I know." He concedes. He follows her gaze across the room, a fond expression forming, doused quickly by a sting of insecurity. "Well, I won't keep you." He mutters quickly, giving Elena an out as he hovers back over to pick up another bottle.

Steve shoots a quick look Renala's way, well aware how much she wanted to be home for Christmas, though he keeps his thoughts to himself, gaze soon back on the festivities on the screen.

Shane snorts, offering a half-hearted, "Uh huh..." to Ilyna's apology as he chalks his cue.

Sam chirps up through Priya's laughter before Shane can fully respond to the asari. "I think the only thing he's capable of teaching you is how to do this-..." she says, clasping her right hand open and closed to pantomime running his mouth. "...Loooots of this..." she continues, flapping her hand open and closed quicker, which only seems to reignite Priya's laughter as it was starting to die down.

Shane's cue chalking intensifies.

Cynthia 's grin is back in place as she surveys the table and starts to relocate. "Bold move, Ilyna," she comments with a snicker. "You sure you want him teaching you, anyway?"

Holly smiles a little to herself as Priya breaks into laughter, but she suppresses the urge to laugh herself in order to offer a somber nod to Sam. "I understand," she says, watching as Cynthia makes her way around the pool table, but then her attention turns to the women next to her. There's a moment of uncertainty, but then she lifts a hand in greeting, the loose sleeve of her robe slipping back. "I'm Holly."

Tara fiddles with her empty glass as she considers Sofia's words. "Sometimes," she acknowledges, a small smile crossing her lips.

Vasquez nods in acknowledgement, gaze going a little distant as she looks out across the roomful of people. "Yeah... I've had some experience with spacer life. It does, doesn't it? Think I prefer solid ground under my feet."

Nathan now can't help but laugh as her dramatic fwip of streamers sails around her in a colourful trail. He waits patiently for her to spout her retort, a shit-eating grin plastered firmly on his face. When her retort turns to the flipping of the bird, he goes to entrap her in a hug, peering down to her with bemused eyes. "Could've asked you that five minutes ago," he points out, referring to her earlier... banter.

Sofia snaps her fingers and points to Tara to punctuate her words. "And that shows how comfortable she is with you. Same with my brother. It's a way of showing affection that looks odd from the outside, but makes sense to the pair of them. So if you seem them being weirdos, you know that they're having a good time." She giggles lightly as she sips at her glass. Noting how Tara plays with her empty one, she tilts her

Shane snorts, offering a half-hearted, "Uh huh..." to Ilyna's apology as he chalks his cue. He opens his mouth to continue, but Cynthia cuts him off and he shoots an unamused look her way.

Sam nods enthusiastically to Cynthia, indicating her with a point her way. She chirps up through Priya's laughter before Shane can fully respond to the asari, cutting him off once more. "I think the only thing he's capable of teaching you is how to do this-..." she says, clasping her right hand open and closed to pantomime running his mouth. "...Loooots of this..." she continues, flapping her hand open and closed quicker,

Shane's cue chalking intensifies.

Priya does her best to get her case of the giggles under control as she's addressed by Holly, big ear-to-ear smile remaining. "Pree." she replies before giving a sheepish shrug and correcting herself, "Priya. But everyone calls me Pree. And this-..." she indicates the woman beside her, far too busy tearing down Shane at the moment, "...is Sam."

Sam seems encouraged by Shane's reaction, smug smile spreading across her face. She goes to take a swig of her drink when she hears her name, attention darting towards Priya. "Huh?" she hums before looking between her and Holly and seeming to read the situation. "Sam." she confirms, extending a hand towards the woman as she shoots Priya a quick glance, having missed who exactly she's introducing herself to.

Priya is well versed in Sam and, as such, gestures to the nurse. "Holly." she says, catching the woman up to speed.

Gage nods in agreement to Vasquez' initial statement, though merely shrugs to her second. "Hopefully I won't have too long to get used to it. With any luck I'm hoping to be back out there by the end of the year." he admits. Injury-be-damned, it seems as if he's expecting to do more than just filing paperwork in this joint venture with his team.

Leah is unable to fight back the smile that slips out when she's pulled into a hug and attempts to undermine it with a playful roll of her eyes. Her hands move to Nathan's sides as she peers up at him, eyebrow lifting in amusement. "I know..." she offers a bit softer than intended and, despite the playfulness of their banter, there's a sincerity beneath that admission. Rising onto her tippy toes, she gives him a quick peck on

Lucy 's slightly unfocused gaze turns to Jason, watching him drink just after having a long swig of her own. Her eyes linger on his cybernetic hand, looking on the verge of asking before thinking better of it and turning her attention back to the plaques. "Got a notion yet as to who's likely to be comin' along on the Jack?" she asks instead.

Ilyna sighs after Cynthia and Sam question her judgment. "He was playing well before the unsuccessful trickshot," she says as if she was in any position to really judge that.

Jason draws in a breath as he considers the question, sitting up a bit straighter. After pondering it for a moment he offers a small shake of his head, glancing Lucy's way. "Still figuring all of that out. But your input is more than welcome." he says, hoping to let it be known that she has a say in the matter. That joining Redrock doesn't mean she's been benched.

Li nods, listening attentively. "Did you get her lots of presents?"

Halisi sets Li's drink down in front of her, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder and offering her a small smile before looking to the asari next to her. "Va'ynna, would you keep an eye on Li while she eats?"

Elena looks back to the turian, furrowing her eyebrows. "Tryin' to get rid of me?" she asks, not sounding particularly offended.

Tara frowns in thought at Sofia's words, gaze a little distant as she looks down at the glass in her hands. The question makes her look up and nod in agreement, but she waits for Sofia to lead the way.

Nathan returns the peck with one of his own, a playful smugness to his expression that ultimately softens to an affectionate gaze. He gives her a little squeeze before he leans back and shrugs a shoulder. "You know it." There's a pause as he contemplates something, the faintest furrowing of his brows before he mentally shakes it off. "Can't believe how quickly the New Year has come around on Aite. Was thinking earlier

Sofia gives Tara a return nod, a determined look on her face as she merrily leads the way towards the drinks. There might a slight redder tint to her cheeks as she begins to slowly work her way through her glass of wine. Maybe. "You know," she says as they approach the drinks, eyes peering across the selection as she hunts for the cider. "I've only ever seen you drink cider. Have you tried any other drinks yet? Uh, it's

Holly muffles a giggle of her own, smile lingering as introductions are made. "Nice to meet you. Are you-... do you work for Redrock, or...?"

Cynthia flashes Shane a big grin, his aggravated state fuelling her as she takes her time lining up her next shot, taking it with a bit of extra flair. Another success, it seems she's recovered nicely from her fumble.

Zaylus spins the bottle absently before plucking it, "Nope." He shakes his head innocently. "Don't think I could if I wanted to." He replies breezily, distracted from immediate follow-up by Sofia and Tara coming by for imbibement. "Evenin'." He greets, somewhat strained by accompanied by a warm nod.

Vasquez furrows her eyebrows, letting out a quiet, thoughtful hum. "It's not so bad," she muses after a moment's silence. Her gaze sweeps across the room yet again, and then her frown deepens, puzzled. "...have you seen my husband?" she asks, leaving the subject.

Leah reaches up to brush her bangs aside. "I-... guess not, huh?" she hums, eyebrows furrowing part way through the revelation. A lot has happened since Nathan's arrival. A lot happened before his arrival. Too much. 2185 hasn't exactly been an easy year on most of the people in this building, and she's certainly seen her share of hard times. "Suppose it's easy to lose track of time when you have as much-... excitement as we

Lucy scoffs loudly. "I should damn well hope so! I ain't lettin' nobody on my ship that don't seem suited for it."

Va'ynna looks up at Halisi and nods. "Yeah," she says with a smile. "I'll find you or Ilyna... if we need anything."

Renala hums affirmatively. "Of course," she says. "A lot of technical things with small parts, too, that Aeyna loves to bring with her outside." She chuckles and takes a sip of her drink. "Not that I blame her. Why have a dogfight in the living room when you can have a great battle over an actual lake?"

Priya gives a shake of her head. "We're just visiting." she begins.

Sam finishes her friend's thought, "Old friends with Jason-..." she begins, passing a quick glance about the room. A small frown crosses her lips when she's unable to pick him out of the crowd. "...uhh-... we served together."

Shane sets down the chalk and reaches for his drink once more. He returns Cynthia's grin with a big, fake smile of his own that doesn't quite reach his eyes. Ilyna's half-heared defense causes him to dip his head in appreciation. At this point, he'll take whatever backup he can get. "Crucified for trying to make the game interesting." he sighs.

David brows furrow and he draws in a breath, glancing back over to the pool table where he last saw Jason. After a moment's consideration, he turns back to Vasquez. "Oh! Uhh-... yeah. He was talking to-..." he plucks at the bill of his cap for a moment to indicate a hat, "...Lucy?" He tries to recall the name, not having had much interaction with the woman. "Think they stepped out." he adds, gesturing to the door with a dip of his

Jason snickers, offering a few small nods. "Course not. We'll put together a list of candidates and have their files sent over to you so you can go over them with your crew." he explains. "Just might take us a few days with everything going on right now."

Tara follows after Sofia, the question bringing out a frown. "Beer is bad."

Elena brow rises at Zaylus' words, but before she can shoot back they're interrupted by Sofia and Tara. What she overhears makes her frown. "You think that, you haven't had the right beer..." she chimes in, taking a sip from her bottle before stepping over to join them in looking over the selection.

Tara blinks, looking unsure how to react to the unfamiliar woman butting into their little expedition to the drinks.

Elena does a double take when she catches sight of Tara. "...you even old enough to drink?"

Tara 's eyes widen, unease on her face as she looks to Sofia for help, unsure how to answer, or what the question even means.

Nathan gives a chuckle that isn't quite all there, bobbing his head in agreement to her statemen. "Heh, you're not far wrong. Plenty of excitement." Deadly, traumatising excitment. Maybe it might be an idea to invest in a therapist? Eh, a problem for future Nate. He raises his glass to hers and clinks them together as he says, "A better 2186." With that toast, he raises the glass to his lips and takes a healthy (and

Sofia nods in agreement with Tara, but then raises her glass to present the wine that was rapidly running out inside. "Wine, however, is much better." The greeting causes her to pivot and look to the Turian, mismatched eyes scrunching up in a bright smile of greeting. "Guten Abend!" At the question to Tara, Sofia interjects by sliding herself into position between Elena and Tara, same bright smile never once leaving her

Halisi flashes Va'ynna an appreciative smile. "Thank you. I won't be gone for long," she says before departing the table. She heads over to the couch, giving the two asari a nod each. "Uvena. Doctor."

Senya returns the nod. "Doctor."

Li 's attention is quite clearly caught by this, her food forgotten on the table as she listens to Renala. "She gets to have lake battles...?"

Zaylus cocks his head at the energenic Sofia, watching the interaction with a curious gaze. "Just not this stuff." He says, seemingly to Tara, as he gently pushes some dextro cidar bottles away from her reach. "That's poison." He adds helpfully, breifly flashing a thumbs up before reclaiming his bottle and attempting to open the cap with his teeth.

Cynthia snickers, twirling her cue as she looks over to Shane and Ilyna. "That's why you don't make a trickshot unless you know you've got what it takes to make it."

Holly nods slowly, looking a little puzzled. "Served...? As in... oh! The... Systems Alliance? You're Earth soldiers?" The notion seems to leave her a little apprehensive, turning her drink in her hands.

Lucy nods a few times. "Ain't no rush," she assures with a dismissive lift of her hand, eyes wandering the wall. "Just curious, is all. Needs figurin' out. Who's gonna be stayin' in our home, sharin' our table..." She sounds tired, voice a little distant, and as she trails off she lifts her bottle for another sip.

Leah clinks her beer lightly against Nathan's, bright smile ever-present before she takes a large swig of her own and shifts to lean back against the counter. The dull ache in her side from her recent injury causes her to reach out and give his shoulder that was wounded during their battle with House Bar'adon a poke. "How has it healed...?" she asks, green eyes snapping up to his.

Sam furrows her brows at the odd wording. "Uhh-... yeah-.... we are... Earth soldiers. Guilty as charged."

Priya quickly corrects her friend. "Were." Semantics are important.

Sam gives a firm nod, repeating Priya's assertion. "Were. Now I guess we're Earth retired." she snorts, taking a sip from her drink.

Priya chimes in once more. "Just... temporarily." she corrects, shooting a glance Sam's way before bringing her attention back to Holly. "We're trying to move into the private sector, like Jason and Linda did. Just waiting on the paperwork right now."

Vasquez looks a little surprised, but nods. "Hmh, I'm gonna see if I can find him," she says, shifting and looking Gage's way as she gets ready to walk away.

Jason gives a few nods of understanding, smile slipping away as it settles in just how much of a shakeup all of this has been- and will continue to be- for the crew of the Jack. "Yeah..." More silence settles in. More than once it looks like he's going to say something but decides against it.

Gage dismisses Vasquez with a dip of his head. "Good luck. Think I'll stay right here and continue stuffing my face." he jokes, passing a smile her way before stuffing it with another bite of finger foods.

Renala chuckles again. "No, but she did it anyway," she says, sipping again as she recalls the story with a fond smile. "It was a pretty good battle I'm told, and they were flying over that lake for a long time, but when Aeyna went in for a risky maneuver just over the waterline, a wing got caught by the surface, and it was gone in the blink of an eye. Even I couldn't fix that when we got it back, and I'm very good

Va'ynna nods to Halisi before looking back at Li, noticing she's not even picking at her food. "Hey, you shouldn't forget to eat," she says, patting her shoulder, but is polite enough to wait for Renala to finish speaking first. She picks up a mini-pizza and takes a bite of it.

Tara blinks, eyes following the bottle Zaylus scoots out of reach. "Dextro," she says quietly, more to herself than anything.

Elena frowns at Sofia. "W-... no mames, q-" She grimaces at Zaylus' efforts as the sound draws her attention, and reaches out to snatch his bottle. "Gimme that."

Steve glances Va'ynna's way, amused smile on his face. "They decide to start givin' you days off or you just sneakin' out now that Aylena is outta the picture?"

Nathan contemplates really hamming it on with the poke, going into a dramatic triade about how greviously he was injured. But the wound was a little deeper than that. A little more... jarring than he was willing to admit. His gaze dropped to it as he reached up and gave it a little rub, humming softly before offering a dismissive smug and a disarming smile. "It's healing up nicely. Wonders of modern medicine. And you?

Sofia perks her brows up curiously as she watches Elena, head canting to the side like a curious puppy.

Zaylus obediently hands it over, grinning noticably. "Check it out." He mutters, gesturing to Tara to watch Elena.

Lucy shifts the bottle in her hands around as silence takes hold once more. First she examines how much of its contents remain, and then her thumb brushes over the label as she studies it absently. After a while, a sigh sounds. "I, ah... I don't mean to keep ya. Guessin' you wanna be gettin' back to the party."

Vasquez snorts quietly. "Solid plan," she comments before heading off towards the door.

Ilyna glances down at the table in thought. "Then why don't you demonstrate what such a trick looks be?" she asks.

Li frowns. "She crashed a ship?" she asks, but at Va'ynna's reminder she starts to eat, attention back on her plate.

Leah's green eyes turn to the wound on his shoulder as he rubs it, hidden away beneath layers of clothing. When he turns the question back on her, she gives a small shrug of her shoulders. "Could be worse. Probably need to stop getting injured before I can really heal injuries, though." she snorts, though it lacks the levity that was intended, causing her to quickly prop her smile up in an attempt at alleviating his worries.

Jason furrows his brows, offering the woman a shake of his head. "Only thing you're keeping me from is getting my ass kicked in pool." he snickers. Drawing in a breath, he shoots a quick glance towards the door before settling his attention back on Lucy. "We probably should get back, though. Won't be too long before it's time for the pyrotechnics."

Shane's shit-eating grin crops right back up at Ilyna's challenge to Cynthia. "Yeah. Ya know what? I think that's a hell of an idea. I mean, you're clearly an expert." he says, his words dripping with sarcasm before offering a small shrug, "...So how about you show us how it's done?" The gauntlet has been thrown down. Eat your pride, or risk your game. He picks up some chalk and wordlessly extends it across the table towards

Elena flashes a smug smile, and meets Sofia's curious look with a wink before tightening her grip on the neck of the bottle and using her mechanical thumb to send the cap flying with ease, catching it with a swipe of her other hand.

Tara looks to Elena at Zaylus' urging, head jerking back a little as the bottlecap goes flying.

Elena holds the bottle out for the turian with a flourish. "Your drink, Spikes."

Nathan cants his head with a small sigh of relief. Her assurances had their intended effect, especially with the emphasis given by the rotation of her ankle. He wasn't kidding about modern medicine though. That shit did some serious work. "Good. Good. But, uh, showing me your ankle? In public? How risque." The same shit-eating grin returns, a much more earnest attempt of levity.

Sofia follows the soring of the bottlecap with wide eyes, a little gasp of joy escaping her at the simple trick. She places her glass down and affords Elena a dainty series of claps for her trick. "Wunderbar!"

Lucy offers a half-hearted snicker of her own alongside his, but the words that follow make her frown, looking down and shaking her head, hat once more obscuring her face. "You go on ahead. I... I reckon I'm gonna stay here for a spell."

Leah lets out an overly dramatic gasp as she jerks her leg back, quickly shooting a glance around the room. "Oh no~ What will people think?!"

Jason looks as if he's about to protest, but he stops himself. If time to herself is what she wants, it's the least he can offer. "Alright..." he agrees quietly, rising to his feet with a soft grunt. Shuffing his bottle to his other hand, he gives Lucy a quick pat on the shoulder as he passes behind her on his way towards the door. "...But-..." he begins, casting a glance back her way. "...if you're not back in time for the

Cynthia narrows her eyes at Shane, reaching out to take the chalk. "You know when I land my trickshot you're not gonna have any excuse for losing?" she asks with mock concern for him.

Holly 's gaze shifts back and forth between the two as they speak, Priya's final elaboration drawing out a nod. "Oh... right."

Uvena turns her attention away from the screen to Halisi when she's addressed. "Doctor," she says. She catches herself glancing in the pool table's general direction. "No medical incidents so far tonight, I hope?" The question is light-hearted.

Renala nods and continues even if Li's attention is back on the plate. "Yeah, she did," she says. "The mode yours is set to won't let you crash that way because I helped your mom set it up that way, but once you're flying with full control, all it takes is a single bad move, and bam," she taps her glass with the flat of her hand as she says it, "you've smashed it into a wall or an unsuspecting Redrock employee." She

Va'ynna looks surprised at being addressed by Steve and takes her attention off of Li for a moment, looking a bit taken aback by the question. "D'Inea... gave me days off when I... needed them," she says, "but... I didn't need that tonight, because... Enila reduced the kitchen opening hours."

Sam gives a shrug. "Until then? We're just vacationing." she explains, taking a long pull from her drink. It's not hard to tell that she's already a few drinks deep. "What about you? Nurse you said, right? But-... not a Redrock employee, I take it?" she asks, something obviously deduced from the woman's question.

Steve nods idly. "Just figured they'd have all hands on deck tonight. Big night for the bars. Every human in Freedom Falls is prolly out lookin' to get hammered."

Ilyna laughs softly when Cynthia accepts the challenge, even if she really had no choice but to do so. Hopefully, a lesson in overconfidence is about to be learned, but she doesn't voice those thoughts for fear of accusations like those Shane leveled at his friends.