January 7th, 2186. It's a quiet evening at the Respite. The usual crowd are nestled away in their booths or perched atop their barstools as a light sprinkling of snow comes down beyond the Respite windows and the light filtering out of nearby buildings are keeping the street outside lit up as the sun begins to set.
#Miner'sRespite – August 30, 2024
Jason is tucked into his usual booth as well. He's dressed in his usual attire. Black cargo pants, boots, and a white shirt that's hidden away beneath the brown winter jacket that he's still wearing to fight off the chill that set in. A pair of pitchers are sat on the table amidst a random helping of different appetizers. He idly rotates the glass in front of him while he watches out the window as people go about their lives
Tarkus makes his way into the Respite, he is wearing his armor mainly due to the suit's in-built heating. He looks around the bar for any signs of Jason.
Jason watches as Tarkus passes by outside, offering him a headnod through the window. When it's clear that the turian didn't notice, he gives another one, this one slightly more exaggerated. Finally, he furiously nods his head a few times, but still no acknowledgement, causing him to shoot a few embarrassed glances around to make sure nobody else noticed. Uh oh. Eyes on him from across the bar. Someone noticed. He reaches up,
gripping his jaw in one hand and moving it around with a feigned expression of pain. He tilts his head left, then right, acting as if he's just working out some neck and jaw muscle aches. Smooth. Smoooooooth! New plan. He merely waits for Tarkus to enter, one arm across the back of the booth as he cranes his neck to look towards the door and signal his old pal over with a small wave.
Tarkus upon seeing Jason's small wave, he gives a nod of acklodgement and makes his way over to his friend. He sits down across from Jason. "Heya Jason." He takes a quick glance at the appetizers and the pitchers on the table. "Plan on having a big night?"
Jason gives a nod of acknowledgement, this one finally hitting its mark. "Been too long since you and me had a night out. Linda's out of town this week, so I figured-..." he offers a small shrug. "Dextro." he says, giving one of the pitchers a tap and sliding it towards Tarkus along with an empty glass. "Dextro-... dextro-... not dextro-..." he continues, tapping a few of the appetizer trays as he calls them out before
furrowing his brow and just giving up. "Eh-... you can figure it out. If it looks delicious and not like a pile of sludge, you probably can't eat it. So, how you been?"
Tarkus just nods along to what Jason is saying. He pours some of the content of his pitcher into the empty glass Jason slide over. "I'm surprised you didn't just get nutrient paste for me." He jests. "I'm still able to walk. How about you, how are you?"
Jason snorts, before giving a small tilt of his head to answer the turian's question. "Oh man. You know how it is. A lot going on with Linda gone. A- LOT- going- on~ Been-... uhh-... work..." there's a long pause and he looks as if he's deeply focused, searching through the archives of his mind for everything that has occupied his time during the past few days since Vasquez left. "...Lots of work." he spits out, gaze
returning to Tarkus. "And-... the uhh-... Big asajura game this week!" he nods sharply. "Was-... was watching that. Also-.......................... bought food. Did that-...... uhh-... yesterday?" he trails off, gaze dropping as he mutters to himself: "Maybe that was the day before yesterday..." He blinks a few times, eyes dancing across the platter of food in front of him as he desperately tries to make his
week without Vasquez seem more interesting than it has been before finally giving up, the facade just falling away with a heavy sigh. "I have no idea what I'm doing without Linda around." he admits.
Tarkus takes a quick sip of his drink, listening to his friend's busy busy week. Then gives a little chuckle upon Jason's facade falling away. Seeing the opportunity to pick on Jason "You're just a lost little varren without your wife?" Another little chuckle escaping from him. "Come on, don't have any hobbies to keep yourself busy until she is back?"
Jason scoffs. "Go fuck yourself. It's not-..." he stammers, drawing in a heavy breath as he glances out to the bar. "...It's not that. Just-... a lot on my plate right now, ya know?" he continues, gaze turning back Tarkus' way. "Got the baby on the way. Started working on the layout of our house-..." he seems to realize he may not have brought Tarkus up to date on that and backpedals a bit. "Got a plot of land on the outskirts of
town that the Matriarch approved. If all goes well, construction should start once things warm up." The smirk that comes to his lips gives away just how excited he is about it all, but it falls away with a shrug, "Then we're still trying to figure out where to go with Redrock. Restructuring things. Just feels like-... Eh, I don't know..." he trails off, suddenly feeling a bit self conscious. He reaches up, rubbing at the
back of his neck before taking a quick sip of his drink and setting it down. "...Just hope things work out. With Linda gone, feels like someone just hit the pause button and now it's all-... all sinking in, I guess..."
Tarkus remains silent listening to all Jason has to say before saying anything. "Look, no one is ready for a kid. One thing my father told me is." He stops for a moment to think. "Raising a kid is much like a military operation, you can plan as much as you want but the plan doesn't survive first contact. So you just gotta adapt to the situation." He downs the rest of his drink, his
mind going back to his father for a moment before coming back to his current situation. "Well, that's the turian approach about having kids. Probably not very good advice for you."
Jason listens, offering a snicker and a small raise of his brows in agreement to the words of wisdom. "Nah, I get it. I do. But-... we live some fucked up lives, Tarkus." he says plainly, another snicker following. "People like you and me? What we do? How long do you think we can do this? Realistically?" he asks, his tone perhaps giving away how much this has occupied his thoughts lately. "Sooner or later we're gonna make a
mistake. Gonna duck when we should've dodged. Turn left when we should've turned right. Something. And that's it." He falls quiet, blue eyes falling to his drink. He studies it for a moment before lifting it to his lips and taking a long swig. "I don't want my kid to have to grow up without a father. Me and Linda have been talking about it. Really talking about it. About how-... maybe it's time we take a step back from
Tarkus listens and his gazes falls to his empty glass, he decides to refill his drink and take a sip. "Yeah, I understand that. I was close to leaving this work a little bit again." He leans further back into his seat and looks at the roof for a moment before moving his gaze back to Jason. "It is probably a good idea for the two of you to focus on the management side of things. Leave
Jason draws in a breath, Tarkus' choice of words seeming to hit that very nerve that's been bothering him. "Is it?" he asks. "Sign contracts to send my employees- my friends-" he's quick to correct, looking directly at the turian, one of said friends he'd be sending into the line of fire, "...into potentially dangerous situations while I sit safely behind a desk? I don't know, man. Doesn't sit right with me."
Tarkus stares at Jason for a moment. "People know the risks of doing this type of work. How many of your people are ex military?" He waits for a moment. "I know you care for your employees and friends that work for you. There are normally just two endings for people in this work, either you get out when you can." He takes another sip of his drink. "Or you die." A bit of his cold
turian cultural teaching taking over for a moment. "Brother, you sitting behind the desk will make you choice the jobs that are safer for everyone."
Jason draws in another heavy breath, nodding softly to his friend's words. It's a relief to hear that Tarkus is supportive of the choice, but that underlying guilt is just something he's going to have to figure out. That knowledge that being a parent means you just don't have the luxury of dying anymore. "Well... even if I am sidelined behind a desk, know that if shit ever goes sideways? You can bet your ass that I'm gonna be on
the next shuttle to drag your ass out of the fire." he assures, giving a small lift of his drink for emphasis before swigging the last of it down.
Tarkus reaches for one the dextro appetizers, giving it a quick sniff before eating it. "Nah, I'd just win and have my legs kicked up by the time you get there." He says in jest.
Jason snorts. "Right. Like on the Siren's Call? You looked real comfy there, huh?" he teases through a lopsided smirk, allowing the conversation to take on a lighter tone.
Tarkus gives a cough. "I had them where I wanted them. You just arrived before I could put my plan into action."
Jason nods a bunch of times. "Right! Yeah! Of course!" he agrees with no small amount of sarcasm as he refills his glass. "Anyway-..." he continues, attempting to distance himself a little more from the heaviness of the previous conversation. He came here to get out of his head for a few hours, after all, not drag his problems with him. "...how's that side hustle of yours going?" he asks, peering overtop of the pitcher. "Pest
Tarkus takes another sip from his glass. "It's going good, it keeps me busy and keeps me from getting too rusty." He taps on the table with a single talon. "Need something a little more challenging than still targets."
Jason offers a few nods. "Well, shit-..." he continues, setting the pitcher aside, "...my schedule is pretty open tomorrow if you need a hand. Can call up Nate and see if he wants to join us. Bring some drinks with us and make a day of it."
Leah just so happens to be at the next table over, chit-chatting with one of the regulars after dropping off the snacks and drink he ordered. Overhearing bits and pieces of the tailend Jason and Tarkus' conversation, she finally chimes in when Nathan is mentioned. "Do not get Nate mauled by wildlife!" she orders.
Tarkus gives a shrug at first then a laugh at Leah's comment. "Sure, but it will probably be a little boring." He turns his attention towards Leah for a moment. "He won't get mauled, if he doesn't walk up to one he will be fine."
Jason frowns as Leah interrupts, craning a bit in his seat to look her way. "Wha-... It's fine! He'll be fine!" he assures. Tarkus' addition causes him to gesture to the turian, as if to say, 'See?' To which the Respite's on-site security merely looks between the pair and rolls her eyes before returning her attention to the patron. Focus back on Tarkus, Jason gives a shrug. "Boring works for me." he says, and then something
seems to occur to him. "Oh! Jessica-... Kaya?" he clarifies. "She packed up. Heading to Earth with her girlfriend. Didn't think she'd be able to get her Falcon past security so she left it with me. This could be a good opportunity to test it out." he dangles, as if he believes that this should sound like a good time to Tarkus.
Leah is just wrapping up with the man at the next table over, passing by Jason and Tarkus' booth on her way back to the front counter. "You cannot take a grenade launcher with you on a hunting trip!" she huffs in some exhausted, drive-by commentary, already out of patience for the pair.
Jason throws his arms up, leaning partially out of the booth and calling after Leah. "It was a joke!" he assures. As he settles back into his seat, he gives a knowing nod to Tarkus and a small wink, bringing a finger up to his lips. A silent promise that they need to keep it hush-hush with the fun police out and about, but grenades will be launched.
Tarkus listens for a time, upon hearing that Jason wants to bring a Falcon with them, Tarkus gives Jason a blank stare. "You do know the point of hunting is normally to keep the animal in good condition right? Not turning it into a mess?" He takes a small sip of his drink. "I mean, you could use it to scare the pests away or out of hiding..." He starts to think if there is a way to