Jason snorts, offering a small nod in agreement. An acknowledgement that his pendulum swings back and forth between both extremes as well. "Guess we should probably put our foot on the gas in getting those blueprints finalized, huh?" he muses, smile widening slightly, "Would be nice to be settled in and everything by the time the little shit-stomper shows up."
#RedrockAgency – October 4, 2023
Vasquez smiles. "Definitely. We're not getting anything built until the ground thaws, but I want to make sure we're ready to start as-" She cuts herself off with a grimace, her hand lifting from Jason's to hold up her index finger in a 'Just a sec' gesture, gaze shifting to the table for a moment, eyebrows furrowed intensely. A moment later, she's up from her seat and stomping off towards the bathroom.
Jason looks briefly confused as he watches Vasquez storm off, beginning to rise from his seat before it quickly settles in what's transpiring and he settles back down. "Need me on hair duty?" he calls out after her, unbothered by the situation. All that time spent drowning his problems in bars have made him uniquely qualified as a puke wingman.
Vasquez dismisses the question with a wave of her hand as she disappears hastily. Fortunately, her ponytail is still in place. Muffled, less-than-appetizing noises fill the silence after Vasquez' departure. Eventually, silence follows, and then the sink running.
Jason remains where he is. "You good...?" he asks when the sink begins running. If there was any concern over the sound of a vomit symphony damaging his appetite, it should probably be dispelled by his words being muffled by a mouth full of kebab.
Vasquez ' only reply is something halfway between a groan and a sigh. It sounds vaguely affirmative. Probably? She eventually re-emerges with a glass of water in hand, looking drained. "I can practically hear Halisi's 'I told you so'..." she mutters as she retakes her seat, carefully sipping the water.
Jason smirks, far more familiar with Halisi's browbeating than he'd like. "What's she saying?" he asks, gaze bouncing from Vasquez to his food and back as he takes another bite. "Less work, more food?" he asks, leveling a smug look her way, his own 'I told you so' of sorts.
Vasquez fixes Jason with an unamused glare. "...more or less," she admits, a little reluctantly. "Easy for her to say. How am I supposed to get anything done if I keep taking snack breaks...?"
Jason furrows his brows. "What do you mean? I take snack breaks all day and get plenty done." he says without a hint of sarcasm.
Vasquez opens her mouth to respond, but reconsiders with a sigh, turning her attention back to her kebab. A bit of queasiness lingers in her expression, and she doesn't move her fork, just staring the food down.
Jason seems to take Vasquez' silence as victory and takes a moment to focus on his food. "So what's the status on security for the trip?" he asks, licking his lips before looking up from his food. "Is Redrock paperwork gonna be enough for you to get a sidearm onto Elysium with you?" he asks. An unfortunate but important question given their line of work.
Vasquez sets her fork down, not answering right away, but then the question registers and she looks up to Jason and nods. "It took some back-and-forth to get a straight answer, but yeah, should be sorted."
Jason gives a few nods, the answer bringing some ease-of-mind. "Well that's good..." he muses. One less thing to worry about. He goes in for another bite before Vasquez catches his eye. Or, more specifically, Vasquez' abandoned food. "...Food alright?"
Vasquez eyes fall to her meal again, staring at it for a moment before letting out a disheartened sigh. "Honestly? I don't think I could keep it down right now..."
Jason draws in a breath, offering a few small nods of understanding. He stabs his own fork into a piece of meat, leaving it there before nudging his meal aside and taking a drink from his soda. "Alright..." he says, closing up the lid of his styrofoam container before rising out of his seat. "How do you feel about getting out of the office for a bit? Some fresh air probably couldn't hurt." he offers, smile returning to his lips
before offering a small shrug, "Maybe swing by the-... uhh-... future build site. Look over a few things?" he continues. It's obvious busywork in an attempt at spending some time together before she sets off for her trip but, hey, he's trying.
Vasquez smiles a little at the idea, but it slips away as her shoulders slump. "I... think I'm just gonna lie down for a while," she mumbles while running a hand over her face. A bit of guilt over cutting the dinner short shines through her tired frown.
Jason gives a series of nods, doing best to hide his disappointment. "Uh-... yeah. Yeah, of course. Tomorrow is probably gonna be a long day." he says in an attempt at easing Vasquez' guilt. He rounds the table to close up her food, leaning down to press a quick kiss against the top of her head before setting her styrofoam container atop his own. "I should probably get a work out in anyway." he muses. "If you're feeling better
later maybe we can find a movie and finish these up." he says through a smirk, indicating the food with a couple of taps against the styrofoam with a cybernetic thumb.
Vasquez loops an arm around Jason when he comes in range, keeping him close as she leans her head against his side with a quiet sigh. There's a bit of hesitation, and then: "Or... you stay? Keep me company?" The request doesn't come easy, laced with a trace of awkwardness, but when she looks up at Jason it's obvious that she too wants to spend time together before she departs, even if the pregnancy is wreaking a bit of havoc.
Jason brings an arm around Vasquez in turn. The question that comes causes his smile to soften and he lingers in place, studying her face for a moment before offering a nod in response. The workout can wait. "Of course." he says through a smile, giving her a gentle squeeze.