"Hey Amigo, I thought you said you could match my skills! I'm doing fine! Have another one."
James poured another shot of Tequila for Jack and himself, and slid a shot glass across the bar to her.
"Oi, I don't lie, okay?! was taking a dancing break, jeez. One, two, three, go!" They downed the shot together and slammed the shot glasses upside down on the bar. Jack winced but James just clapped his hands and laughed.
"Ha! Impressive, but you're no match for me. Another one?"
Jack shot him a look like poison and slammed her hand down on the table in frustration. "Screw you, Vega! You oversized turd."
Sliding off the bar stool she made her way uneasily over to the living room and slumped down on the sofa, grabbing a random drink off the coffee table and taking a swig.
James chuckled and poured himself a normal alcoholic drink. It was bright blue and tasted like bubblegum, but damn did it pack a punch. He would probably regret it in the morning when he is spewing blue vomit in to the toilet. He looked round the room as he sipped, and smiled to himself.
These were his people, his family, and he was glad to see them having fun. Joker and Edi were on the sofa deep in conversation, whilst Cortez, Liara and Garrus danced on the makeshift dance floor. He didn't even know what this music was but it was good.
He was trying really hard not to let the weight of the mission distract him tonight and alcohol was a great factor in allowing that to happen. He was also pretty good at pushing aside things he didn't want to think about – burying them in the back of his mind and leaving them there to rot. He was never in denial about anything, he could just switch it all off and focus on the present. In part it's what makes him a good solider, the ability to block out all distractions and focus on only what needs to be done.
N7. He wondered if he would ever be able to start that training. If he survives this war, he might as well just skip the training and get the status straight away – How else could he improve his skills after defeating the Reapers? It might not even be a thing after this war. Guess you can't get a bigger enemy than this.
Setting his empty glass on the bar in front of him he walked round it and went in to the kitchen in search of food. Damn he was hungry. Cracking his knuckles as he went he saw Liara walk up the stairs towards Shepard's room and smiled. It would be good for them to spend some quality time together. Part of him wished that he had someone special that he could talk to right now, but there wasn't. He wasn't interested in Shepard and he would never jeopardise her relationship with Liara anyway. The last thing she needed right now was more drama, so he let her have the chance for a bit of peace for now.
Opening the fridge he scanned the contents and spotted a big bowl of potato salad. Grabbing it he didn't even bother putting a portion on to a plate but grabbed a fork and began shovelling it in to his mouth. He needed to keep up his calorie intake if he wanted to keep these amazing muscles.
He looked up as someone entered the kitchen to see Javik standing before him in his usual quiet manner.
"Hey Prothean, want some potato salad?"
Javik walked over and peered over at the food before making a face of disgust and pulling away.
"No thank you. I do not eat such a combination of food. I do not know how you humans digest such rubbish." He replied in his usual matter-of-fact tone.
James just shrugged as he swallowed another large mouthful. "Suit yourself, but you're missing out amigo."
Leaning back against the counter he really looked at Javik for a moment. This guy was, well... ancient. Technically 50,000 years old, give or take. Imagine waking up to find yourself a lone survivor in a completely different time, but also repeating history by still fighting the same enemy now as you were back then. James had quite an imagination but it didn't stretch that far.
"So Javik, what do you think of how far all these races have come? 50,000 is quite a while, right."
Javik had been examining a vase on the bar and didn't look up as he replied "50,000 years is no time at all, Vega. For example, in my time Salarians were still eating flies. Who knew that they would evolve to accomplish so much in the field of science. Fascinating."
"From eating flies to the Genophage. Yep, that's quite a leap in evolution," James raised his eyebrows as he ate another spoonful.
"Of course, the humans were less advanced too. They were barely able to walk upright, were savage. They were quite a nuisance to our kind." Javik spoke to matter-of-fact, rarely showing any emotion, it was hard to tell the tone of his voice.
James opened the fridge and shoved the bowl back on to the shelf.
"Glad to know we've always been a pain in the arse, my friend. Now, how much can you drink?" As long as this party was going he would be drinking, and trying to pull anyone down with him he could.
"More than you, Vega, more than you."
James chuckled and patted Javik on the shoulder, jolting him forward. "That's what I like to hear!"