#SteveRenalaApartment – December 4, 2023

Steve gives another tilt of his head. "Hard to plan for things we don't know, darlin'." he says, casting a glance back towards the asari. It's clear he's not particularly happy about it either, but it is what it is. He lets out a sigh before his expression softens a bit. "But if the weather ain't goin' our way there's no reason why we can't try and outrun the storm." he offers. Not that running from his problems has been

Renala sighs before taking a bite of her pizza. "It's... not an awful plan," she says, "and I don't worry as much about Redrock tracking us down, because I'd be the one to help with such, but Cross could become a big problem."

Steve gives a few small nods and takes a long sip from his beer. He falls silent, gaze turning to the table for a few moments before letting out another sigh and shifting in his seat. "I haven't survived this long by bein' an idiot. If the shit hits the fan, we'll figure it out." he finally says, focus shifting back to Renala. "Besides..." he continues, "...No use losin' sleep over somethin' that might never come."

Renala snorts. "Losing sleep over things that might not happen is how I survived for as long as I did," she says, "this is the time I went in without a plan and look where it got me?" She takes a long sip of her beer.

Steve cocks an eyebrow, studying the asari for a moment before a smirk slips out and he gestures with his beer to the slice of pizza in her hand. "Good food and damn fine company is what it got you." he says, attempting to alleviate a bit of the weight that snuck over their conversation.

Renala chuckles a bit at that. "Well, you're not wrong on that," she says, taking another bite of her food. "Maybe...," she begins, though it takes a few seconds before she swallows her food and continues, "I need to start fixing things, so that if the time comes to fuck off, it'll be without the slightest friction."

Steve seems to relax a bit, snickering as he picks his own slice of pizza up once more and settles back against the couch. "What is it that you plan on fixin'?" he asks, shooting a look Renala's way before taking a bite of his food.

Renala tilts her head in thought. "First of all, this pizza," she says. "It's a lot to deal with, but if I start with being honest with Uvena, I might be left alone long enough to get it done... assuming I survive. Then I should let the higher-ups know it's time to find me an assistant so there's someone to take over... though that's probably easier said than done."

Steve snorts at the initial response. But as Renala continues, he takes another bite of his pizza while listening. "...You mean tellin' Uvena about the-... the car situation?" he asks. It's probably not hard to guess why that might make him uneasy. "You really think that's a good idea, Ren...?"

Renala studies Steve for a moment before realizing why. "No, definitely not," she says, "but I've done what I could to soften the blow, and it's a matter of time before it reaches her through someone else... like Wolfe or Twitches." She looks back down at her beer. "I'll leave you out of it, though."

Steve draws in a heavy breath through his nose. He's certainly not about to put his neck on the chopping block just to make amends with a co-worker he's barely even spoken to. But he's also undeniably the reason why Renala is in such a hole. "Shit, Ren... You really think there's a real chance that this gets back to her without you bringin' it up...?" he asks, assessing the risk. "I mean, Wolfe ain't the brightest star in

Renala sighs and takes a long sip of her beer before speaking. "It was her that told Jason about it first, and... she brought it up when I was fixing her omni-tool after the kidnapping," she says. "I didn't speak with her at the new years' party, but she's probably not happy that I kept a copy of the other spyware I found on it."

Steve draws in another deep breath, seeming to mull over their options before finally shaking his head. "I don't know, Ren... You know Twitches better than me. If you feel like you need to get out ahead of this thing?" he shrugs, "...Then do what you gotta do. Just-... be careful about what you say to Uvena. Keep it to what you think she needs to know and what she needs to hear." he advises, clearly none-too-sure about

Renala nods. "Of course," she says. "I'll tell her what I told Twitches, which shouldn't implicate you, but... there's a real chance she'll blame me for the kidnapping too." She takes a long sip of her beer. "Taro Avoren had his name on both, you know."

Steve tilts his head back, expelling a deep breath. "Yeah..." he mutters. "All the more reason to keep her in the dark." he reiterates, shooting a sharp glance her way before relenting. "...But it sounds like you've already made up your mind. So... The way I see it? You've got two options. Drop it on her at work when there's others in the office. Wolfe already knows so-..." he pauses, tilting his head back and forth for a

Renala raises her brows at the second option being laid out and shakes her head afterward. "There's no fucking way I'm bringing her here, Steve," she said. "Something happens to her, and they track that to us..., then we're fucked. It has to happen at HQ."

Steve furrows his brows. "I wasn't-..." he stammers, shaking his head. "That's not what I was sayin', Ren." he backpedals, "Just meant-... if it came to that...? If she took a shot at you? It wouldn't be a bad idea to have the home field advantage and some backup. That's all."

Renala sighs. "It'll be a real possibility if we bring her here and back her into a corner," she says. "She and Twitches aren't worlds apart, except for in training, so I don't like our odds with that... even doing nothing is better."

Steve defers to Renala's judgement with a dip of his head. "Fair enough... Still. Maybe I oughtta be at HQ when you drop the bomb. Just in case..." he offers.

Renala takes another sip of her beer before nodding. "That wouldn't be a bad idea," she says. "I'll make sure to let you know."