the drinks are on us - if you're with it, then pull up a seat. (CLOSED)

[techburst]

who. york (neverknocks) and benji (techburst)
what. benji visiting york at her new bartending gig.
where. the quad
when. backdated to before the event, and following this thread.
warnings. ladies being hot benji actually loosening up just pure awesomeness going on up in here.

She'd waited the few hours it took before York's shift started, and even still, it was about half an hour before she actually showed up to the place. It was going to be a nice evening out, she thought - and she'd even dressed the part as much as she could with what she'd been able to find on the station since she and Zoe had first shown up here. Luckily, she'd had enough credits on her chit to allow her to buy a nice-looking dress that came down to about the middle of her thighs and a pair of heels to match - the former in a nice shade of red that almost matched the color of her armor perfectly. Her hair was down, loose around her shoulders, and if anyone cared to look close enough to notice, there was the lightest touch of eyeliner and mascara.

Because it didn't matter if she wasn't meeting anyone in particular. She never went out to a club or a bar without looking like she was doing this on purpose.

When she spotted York, she made her way over, sliding onto a barstool with an easy smile as she settled in. "So, where's that mojito?"

Comments

[neverknocks]

York was always pleased to see a familiar face at The Quad, if only to make her shift go by a little quicker. Working at a krogan bar wasn't really all that bad, but being the only human bartender got old, sometimes. So when she saw Benji sidle into the bar, her face just about lit up. Hey, her boss had been pretty plain about hoping to attract more human customers. She was sure he'd be pleased.

"Hey, Benji," she said, leaning against the bar, and she gave her a broad grin as she reached for a shaker. "It's comin' right up. You meeting somebody, or did you get all dressed up just for me?"

[techburst]

She's more than happy to keep the other woman company during her shift, especially if it makes it go a little more quickly for her. She settles on her barstool, balancing herself rather precariously just because one of the legs seems to be too short and makes the damn thing wobble, but she manages just fine, bracing her elbows on the top of the bar and setting the other woman with a grin.

"I'm sure Zo'll show up, sometime .. she's never very far from me, and I can't say I don't like it, especially here." She pauses, looking around. "But .. nah, I just figured I'd look out of place if I came here in armor. That, or some krogan would think of it as an excuse to start a fight. Not that I'd turn it down .."

She winks, just for the added effect.

[neverknocks]

That gets a laugh out of York, and she reaches for the rum, setting it down on the bar. "Hey, you might get one yet. I don't think they're used to seeing too many humans in this place yet. But hey, it's early yet."

She starts mixing a mojito for Benji, shaking her head to toss her hair over her shoulder. "Zo's your sister, right? I think you've mentioned her before." The name rings a bell for York, but she can't quite place why yet.

[techburst]

"Wouldn't surprise me .. I can still kick some ass in heels, so they'd better be careful."

While York is making her drink, she catches herself still watching everyone else in the place, because it's a hard habit to drop even if she's not on active patrol. (Which .. let's face it, might as well be all the time with the way she thinks about things.)

"Little sister, yeah .. you've met her - or with the way she's been talking about you, wondering if you can make something she likes, I assume you've talked." She tilts her head to the side, still smiling faintly. "She's really .. outgoing would be a good word for her, I think. I think you two would get along pretty well."

[neverknocks]

York snaps her fingers, recognition lighting up her face. "Oh! Shit, that's your Zoe? Yeah, we've met, briefly. Real friendly. She seems like a nice kid." She cracks a grin at Benji, giving her a knowing look. She knows what the deal is with siblings. "Bet she must drive you up the wall, huh?"

[techburst]

"Yep, that's her." She smiles right back, drumming her fingers on top of the bar. "She's something else, I can say that much .. been following me around like a lost puppy ever since she started walking."

She might sound flippant when she says it, but the look in her eyes changes. There's nothing else in the world that she cares about more than her sister, and it shows. "You have brothers or sisters? You sound like you're talking from experience."

[neverknocks]

York gives her a fond sort of smile, half because it's clear that Benji cares about her sister, half because she's thinking about her own family. God, she hasn't seen them in years, now. "Oh, yeah. I'm the youngest of three -- two older brothers. We drove each other crazy. They tried to scare off every last one of my high school boyfriends." She laughs, thinking about it now. Both of her brothers are married with kids by now, of course. But man, she remembers what it was like when she was a kid. "I guess you're probably better off talkin' to one of them, huh?"

[techburst]

To Benji, her sister is all she has. Neither of them have been able to see their parents since they'd joined the N7 program, and given the current state of Earth, she can't help but to worry for them. Which means she's going to take care of the one thing she (mostly) has control over, and that's Zoe.

"Youngest .. wow." She shakes her head, laughing. "Maybe I would be, but that might be why you and Zo end up getting along. I used to scare off her boyfriends, too. It doesn't work so well anymore."

jesus christ that icon is way too cute

[neverknocks]

"Yeah, unfortunately you start to grow out of it," York laughs, shaking her head. It's clear that Benji and Zoe are close, and honestly, it somehow brightens York's day a little to see this mixed in with the usual day to day bullshit on Omega. It's nice to see a few people just being a family, even in a place like this. "I'm kinda surprised you two are both in the service, though. You from a military family? I mean, my whole family's civilians. I'm the crazy one that signed up for war."

She laughs a little, mostly to herself. She's long since made up with her dad over that, and honestly, for all that's happened, she's never really regretted enlisting. And hey, according to Wash, they win the war one day. So maybe it all counts for something after all.

ISN'T IT ugh they make me so happy.

[techburst]

She can't think of a time when her sister wasn't the most important thing in her life. Ever since she was born, from the time she was a toddler, she'd wanted nothing but to take care of her, make sure she was safe. And very unfortunately for her, Zoe had sometimes made that difficult.

Like sending a text to her omni-tool at two in the morning telling her not to freak out, and then coming home bleeding because she'd somehow hurt herself doing something ridiculous.

She shakes her head, though, in response to her question. "Nah, I was the crazy one that decided to go into the military, and once she was old enough, she followed me. Can't even begin to tell you how worried I was from the get-go." Benji pauses, finally noticing that York has finished making her drink, and she sips from it. She's slipped into that thoughtful place that she always goes when she thinks about the war they're fighting - just give her a minute and she'll snap out of it.

"It's .. surreal, watching the most important thing in your life put herself right in the middle of something that might end up getting her killed. Rips my heart out every time, even though we've been doing this for a few years, now."

cutiieeesssss

[neverknocks]

"Yeah, well, I bet she worries about you, too." York leans against the bar, rubbing idly at a spot on its surface with a rage. "Maybe she wanted to keep an eye on you, too."

She can't imagine what it's like back home, now. She's been gone almost a year -- probably declared KIA by the UNSC at this point. Did her family have the news, by now? Her dad would be furious, probably.

"It's good you two have each other here," she adds, smiling at Benji. "I think you're both pretty lucky."

c:

[techburst]

"That's part of the reason she's a field medic," she says, again, more quietly than her usual tone. It's something that's always worried her, that Zoe keeps an eye on everyone else in their squad and doesn't seem to have much care for herself - but she always manages to stay just out of reach when she really needs to, so at least she can be thankful for that.

She sighs, looking up at York with a small half-smile. "I'd only worry about her if she wasn't here with me. I can take care of myself, naturally - it's her I worry about pretty much constantly."

[neverknocks]

"I bet you she'd say the same about you," York says with a small laugh, but she lets it drop there. She can tell Benji's fiercely protective of her sister, and that warms her heart a little. Well, okay, a lot. "So, hey, I've been meaning to ask you -- what is there to do for fun around here, anyway? Besides drinking, I mean."

[techburst]

".. Probably." She is fiercely protective of her sister, and there's nothing that will ever change that. More to the point, she knows that right now she's the only thing that Zoe has in this place, and much as she doesn't like to think about it, she needs to make sure she takes care of herself just so she can take care of her.

It's a dizzying loop, but she wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.

That question catches her off-guard, and she has to think about it for a second. "Well, there are always going to be plenty of asari dancers to watch, if you like that kind of thing. Plenty of fights to get into - which I'm sure you've noticed already, even before you started working here. Um .."

Is there really not a whole lot else to do on Omega? "Pretty sure you could find some gambling if you looked hard enough .. I'm almost positive there's a casino around here."

[neverknocks]

York makes a face, rolling her eyes. Asari dancers are all right, but that doesn't exactly make for weekly entertainment in her book. And she sees enough fights working in a bar. Man, this place kinda blows sometimes.

"Guess gambling's better than nothing," she sighs, scrubbing aimlessly at the bartop with a cloth. "Man, doesn't anybody here see movies or shit like that? You'd think even criminals would wanna chill out with some popcorn once in a while."

[techburst]

Yeah, she has to admit there isn't a whole lot going on around here unless there's some kind of crisis. (Which can be both a good and bad thing, depending on how you look at it.) There isn't much to go on unless you are okay with watching the dozens of barfights that she's sure York is used to seeing, especially with her new profession.

That comment makes her tilt her head to the side, contemplating. "You know, I've never even thought that there would be anything as simple as a theater around here .. there should be. I wonder if Aria would spring for that sort of thing."

[neverknocks]

"I'm sure she would if it'd make her a lot of money," York says with a little snort. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I respect the lady. Good on her, and all that. But she doesn't care much for shit that doesn't benefit her."

She rubs at her chin in thought, shrugging a little. "It'd be neat, though, having something like that around here. Make things feel a little more normal."