Jack Pine
Well-Known Member
- RP Date
- YE 40, 2 days after S6 departure.
- RP Location
- S6S-Anvil: Temp Labs
Kessler had found the service a very touching one, especially given a man he had called friend and almost brother, was among the dead. It had been a couple hours, most having gone to change, then back to work with heavy hearts. He had made the decision to stick around for a while, maybe even hopefully get to know Harmony a bit better.
Her behavior around him, was not without notice, granted he'd been oblivious to it at first. The man snuck into the lab with quiet footsteps as he kept low coming through the door. It would seem as if the door opened, but no one came through, a workstation blocking the lower view.
Kessler crept around and behind, before gently placing a small box of candies on the desk, "How are you holding up?" He asked quietly.
Harmony jumped a bit as Kessler spoke up, looking up wide-eyed with a candy bar already halfway stuffed in her mouth. She stared at him like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar, wrappers littering her workstation in front of her as she forced the bar down quickly.
A little too quickly sadly as she began to choke. She thumped her chest a few times and began to cough as she finally got it out and sat up.as she was bent over, Kessler would get a view of her white roots.
"K-Kessler! Hey!" She smoothed her outfit out a bit, tugging at her tank top somewhat as she smiled up at him.
"What are you doing here?"
The man shrugged, "Just hanging around. Figured I'd stay a while. Also seemed like the boss needed me here."
Kessler grabbed an empty chair before wheeling back up to the desk. He smiled back at her as leaned against the desk corner, "So how are you doing?"
"Good I guess... I felt out of place back there though." Harmony said, a small blush on her face as she recalled her part at the funeral.
"I didn't know them, but Spark asked me to say something. I hope I did a good job."
"You did great. I also want to thank you for doing that. One of those who died was a man named Rorik. He was from the same settlement as me, and he was kinda like a brother. So again, thank you, it meant a lot to me.", Kessler said giving a sympathetic smile, "I could also tell the grabs you wore meant a lot to you."
Harmony smiled and blushed as she stared at her lap while Kessler complimented her, fidgeting with her hands a little, but nodded none the less as she accepted his words. When he spoke about her clothing though, her shoulders seemed to droop a bit.
"We have a custom... Goddess we have so many... That we wear the pelt of our bonded during ceremonies if they have passed on. If you remember I told you a bit about my time on the Iroma worlds? Peace, he was my bonded and while dear Ifmir he could be dumb at times... He was my Peace. He was killed, and I couldn't leave him there. So I did what we always do."
Harmony seemed to get choked up for a moment before she continued. "Llamnel leave nothing to waste. We share our bonded with those that were there at the time of their death. We... We use as much as we can and the one who was bonded devours the heart. Then we make a headdress with what is left if we can." Harmony rubbed her head a bit and frowned.
"It was tough when it happened. I was still pretty hurt. There was a lot of shouting at me, a lot of angry people trying to force me to go lay back in bed, but I couldn't wait otherwise Peace wouldn't be able to go over to Voxphine."
Kessler wanted to offer her a hug, but felt it would be inappropriate. His smile converted to his own sad frown, "I'm so sorry that you had to do that, I'm sure peace at harmony in Voxphine. I don't know much about Lorath beliefs. But among my people, we believe those who are.dear to us that have passed on, watch over us from wherever they go after. I'd like to think Ceilia is."
He had a tear run from his eye, and he felt immensely for Harmony. He was all to familiar with losing someone close you. The worry of appropriateness of a hug vanished. Kessler leaned forward and gave the woman a hug, both for her and himself, as he didn't want to start crying.
Harmony blinked a bit and blushed as she was hug, but her arms found their way around his ribs to return the hug.
"Thank you Kessler. Peace watches over me because I remember him. We believe that so long as their memory remains, they do as well." She told him, smiling still as she eventually pulled back from the hug.
"Ceilia is the same. You remember her, so she is still here." Harmony told him as she rubbed his shoulder a bit.
"In more ways then one.", He said somberly.
"I would never dare to forget her, or anyone. I cherish the friends and family I have. My crew, anyone who was a part of it, and the people I care about."
Harmony nodded a bit as she took a deep breath and watched him. She fidgeted with her hands again as suddenly her eyes started to search her lap like something was starting to click.
"Wa-wait... Ceilia? Like Ceilia Ceilia? I just saw her earlier..."
"Ceilia was the name of my sister.....The AI....is...was my hope at bringing her back. My memories of her were used to make the AI......My DNA for the body.", Kessler answered, now his turn to fidget. He didn't like talking about it, or admitting the painful truth, but he had to at some point.
"Not really something I've ever been able to let go of. She was the only family I had left, and to watch her die like that.", he said fighting back tears, and to keep his voice level, "She didn't deserve to die in that hospital bed like she did."
Harmony frowned a little as she leaned forward and held his hand before she began to rub her thumb over the top of it. She had seen others lose family to sickness, she could remember the fear when there had been a worry of a reemergence of the Aspertyne virus but nothing had come of it thankfully.
"It's tough to have that happen I can understand... It's tough when family dies I know."
"The worst part was being crippled in a bed, unable to do anything. I made a promise I would find who did that to us, and make them pay. Jack gave me a new body, trained me, gave me a ship, and a second chance. For that, I owe him everything."
Kessler took a breath, finding comfort in the hand on his. His sadness replaced with determination. "I know she's not my sister, but I still love her like she is. I won't fail her a second time."
"Family isn't only blood... It's the bonds we make. Peace wasn't of my blood, but he was my brother in every other sense of the word." It was Harmony's turn to hug Kessler, drawing him into her chest.
"Jack has been wonderful to me this entire time, helpful and informative. I can see why so many tend to flock to him."
"Yeah he likes to act like a father figure. Nicer then most guys I've met with his kind of background.", Kessler said with a chuckle. He paused for a second after being hugged, and returning it at the same time. It had just become clear where his head was.
Harmony let Kessler go, her smile innocent as she sat back in her chair, a notification popping up on her console. A couple taps and she could only grumble at what she saw as she closed down the window.
If Kessler was nosy, he would see a number of chemical equations and chemical component breakdowns with large crossed out sections of both. She rubbed the bridge of her nose as she sat back again and smiled a bit to Kessler.
" So, how long you going to be around?"
Kessler thought about that for a moment before answering, "For however long the boss needs me. Nothing really going on our west, business is good. So I'm in no rush to head back or anything. Maybe the next few months?"
Mo-months?! Oh wow, that's great!" Harmony smiled a little too wide at the thought and did her best to hide her excitement.
"I mean it stinks stuff is so boring, but at least you get to stick around for a while. I think there was talk about a possible planet being found, I'm not sure. Frankly I've been cooped up in here a lot."
"Yeah, we'll arrive tomorrow. And if it checks out, it's our new home, then colonization starts. Not sure how I feel about that yet, been years I had a fixed home. Living on the move has become so normal. But I'd like to try.", He admitted.
"I just miss nature. Don't get me wrong, I love the parks on board... But my people, we commune with nature. We connect to it, feel closer to it. I feel trapped when I'm in space, I miss the smells and feelings of real air and grass and trees. I miss the feel of dirt between my toes."
Harmony seemed a little abashed at her comments like it was strange. She wasn't telling Kessler the whole story, not about what she used to do back home, but hopefully he never saw that.
"I've only known desert, and slums. Both having too many bad memories, so I'm hoping to change things around. Who knows, maybe nature is what I need. In a way my people were not so different. Technology was scarce growing up, so were little more then a tribe, living off the land.", He said with a smile, "Not saying Lorath are tribal, but in either case, both our people relied on natural elements we lived in."
"We used to be a very tribal people over fifty thousand years ago. It was supposedly very different back then, there were no castes. But yea, maybe the change in scenery will do us some good. I could take you hunting how I us-...well I can take you hunting at least kinda like I used to. Though I might try and take Koroleva hunting too..." Harmony tapped her chin, her mind suddenly off the topic at hand and onto the Neko.
Kessler took a more sympathetic expression. It wasn't hard to detect the hitch in her words, or why, He had remembered her mentioning Peace as well as the pelt from the funeral.
"I used to take my sister hunting, we would take a rifle and our buggy and bag small game. I haven't really had the heart to do so myself for a while. But I'd love to go hunting with you."
Harmony tilted her head a bit when he seemed to grow sympathetic, her face looking confused before she blinked. She seemed to catch on to her thought process when he mentioned his sister and waved her hands.
"Oh! No no no I never hunted with Peace. Well I mean I did a few times, but he usually hunted alone. I couldn't keep up with him. I uh...tend to hunt in the same condition you found me in that one...night..."
Harmony looked aside as a blush rose to her face. She seemed to hunch her shoulders a bit and screw her pointer fingers into one another as her knees rubbed together.
Kessler hid his surprise at the sudden memory of what she meant. It brought an image to his mind of what that might of looked like. "Seems like an interesting way of hunting, no tech, no artificial clothing. Just being involved in nature like the primal method of our ancestors. In way that's like going back to our roots, as most races at one point in time hunted in very much the same manner I imagine. I might have to try it sometime.", He said kindly and in a clear tone that he was not making fun of her, but completely serious.
"When we hunt, we like to be as close to nature as possible so we can show we appreciate it. I mean we have farms and stuff sure, but for special occasions, we hunt like that. It's a lot of fun and really tough actually." Harmony admitted as she looked toward him with a smile on her face, yet her eyes unfocused. She was gone, lost in memories for a moment of Lor. It wasn't long though as she blinked and her eyes refocused.
"It could be fun to hunt with someone like that who can't quite, well you know..." Harmony nodded to her hand which shifted after a few seconds before returning to normal.
"I'd love to if you don't mind a plus one sometime. And who knows, maybe we'll be first to bag some game on this this new planet. No telling what we'll find there, what nice sites, or discoveries.", He said enthusiastically, with a kind smile.
"Oh, we land and it's safe, I'm going out hunting. Traditional Llamnel meal, big game hunt, take on a new species." Harmony seemed to be getting excited at the idea, her one wing twitching.
"No matter what we find there, I believe it will make a good home for us. I for one though hope the only sand I see is on a nice beach."
"I've seen enough sand to last me a life time, though I don't think I've ever actually been to a beach..." Harmony tapped her lip as she thought on it, eyes cast to the side and darting back and forth as if she were searching her memories.
"The oceans in the optical scans were pure blue. The only beaches back on 604 were small oases, or those lining the scummy green ocean. No, these will be nice and tropical, like on the paradise worlds that yamatai advertises. To be able to kick back by the blue ocean, breeze in your hair, drink in hand, and swimsuits. It's practically a vacation."
"Well then I need to get a swimsuit, cause I do not have one..." Harmony laughed a little at her comment. She had never owned one before cause there was no need. She had always just swam in little lakes and rivers.
"I bet you'd look amazing in one, you're already very pretty." Kessler meant the comment as a sincere comment, but worried it may have been a bit forward. Truth be told, every conversation with her so far had been refreshing. Harmony was rather energetic, and always seemed optimistic.
Harmony turned scarlet as the compliment was paid. It wasn't that she hadn't been told she was pretty before, but for a guy she kinda had a crush on? That was a bit different. She looked down at her lap again and fiddled with her fingers a little with a smile on her face.
"Th-thanks, I mean I guess I would look ok in it, but I'm not sure, but if you think I would look good in one then I guess I would."
"I wish you had more confidence in yourself, to see yourself in the way i do. I see a strong beautiful woman, who has been through a lot, and grown from it. I see a woman who has the determination to accomplish and pass whatever challenge she takes on. I admire all those things about you. I can't really say I half of those traits.", He said wanting to return that hug, but he gave her his best smile. It was truly how he felt, and to see she didn't think she was as beautiful as she really was. Well it was a piece of confidence he thought she deserved, and that wasn't just because he liked her.
Harmony's ear tips turned red, all the way down to her neck as she clapped hands over her cheeks to try and hide her blush. "Thanks. I usually... I'm usually not such a compliment berog... But it's just been tough lately. I appreciate the compliments I really do, and I know I am a lot better then I'm putting on I swear. It's just sometimes I get down on myself. And Everything you said about me goes double for you Kessler. You're an amazing person! I mean come on you have your own ship and crew and you're a big part of Section Six. It's amazing some of the stuff I've heard you've done."
"I don't know about amazing, it's just me doing what i was hired to do. What you do here in the labs is what will be shaping the future for our people. Same goes for all the other lab personnel. I'm only one man, so anything i accomplish tends to be small scale stuff. To be honest i'm a over glorified spy,...or something.", He said nervously, not really seeing what he did as actually being all that important as she suggested.
"Yea but even then that work has value, it has need. Without spies to do the work, then the intel and info we need could go undiscovered! And besides I mean... You saved me didn't you? If you hadn't been out there, I might have died drifting in space out there." Harmony said with a shrug and a smile.
"You're right, and we would have never met if we hadn't. Spies don't have many people that are willing to even get close to them, and despite what the vids might make it out to be, non-existent love lives. Maybe this reassignment is a blessing in disguise, might find a girlfriend for once."
"Yo-You're looking for one?" Harmony said as her wing began to twitch and even her elongated ears began to twitch a bit, eyes wide a little as she looked at Kessler while she tried to suppress her smile.
"Well I'm certainly not looking for a boyfriend, not really how I roll heh.", He said with a small chuckle, "But yeah I am. Need to start thinking about a future, and not just doing a job anymore. guess seeing Ceilia happy with that young man was a sort of wake up call. I did what I hoped for and found her a happy life, so now it's my turn." It was a very surprisingly introspective thing for him to say, a very opposite to his usual gungho behavior.
"well I guess we should figure out what you're looking for in a girl then right? A-any qualities that are a must?" Like a cat with their ever-shifting emotions, Harmony was fidgeting in her seat with both her legs and hands as she tried to figure out how much she fit into his view.
"I-I mean maybe I got an idea of someone you might like! I'm pretty good with that sorta thing. I'll help you out if you want."
"Well....Someone who's nice and caring, can tolerate my stubborn ass....", He said the with a slight chuckle, "Someone I can trust and care for, who will be there for when I need a shoulder to lean on,.....has a passion for what they love, and who will love me. I can't really think of anything other then that. Never really been in relationships much, and the only have been in was years ago during a very different time. I was also a very different man back then."
"I've uh, never been in a relationship. I mean I've been in a relationship just no-... No, that's a lie. I've never had a boyfriend before. I've had crushes, but yea..."
Harmony fiddled with her fingers a bit before she shrugged.
"I mean you are pretty stubborn, but I think there are a few women around here that can put up with that, like Spark maybe? I doubt Koroleva is in any position to do much in terms of a relationship, though I do think she could handle your stubbornness. There are quite a few people here within S6 that could probably put up with you and your stubbornness."
Harmony shrugged again before she smiled.
"There are a lot of accomplished women in this group, plenty that are strong willed. I'm sure it wouldn't be tough to find someone that suited you."
"Koroleva is my boss's lover, so I don't think she would be a wise idea. As for Sparks,....she had eyes for someone who passed recently, and I wouldn't feel right with something so recent like that. To be honest, there is a girl I like though.", He said scratching his chin as he thought about those listed off, "She's had a rough past like me, is passionate about her work, and has a very caring personality."
"Oh yea? She sounds pretty cool. What does she do?" Harmony asked with a small smile. She had begun to pick up little things here and there, and while her heart beat more and more at the conversation she did her best to not get her hopes up.
"Any hint at maybe what she looked like? I could probably talk you up to them if you want."
"Well she works in medical mostly, she tends to dye her hair, and is generally quite bubbly around the work place.", Kessler said with a slight smile as he sat there with a hand on his chin as if in thought while listing off details.
"Bubbly? Ok I know a few girls like that, though don't know many that dye their hair unless they hide it well. What else?" Harmony asked as her pulse began to quicken even further and the smile stayed.
"Well she always brings a state of equilibrium to my mind when she's around...And you know the one thing I love most about her?", Kessler said fondly before leaning forward, saying the rest with a somewhat quieter tone.
"What's that?" Harmony asked as she leaned in. Partially because he did and partially cause of the lowered tone.
"She's you Harmony.....you are the girl I like."
While she stayed still in large, Harmony's ears and wing twitched as she seemed to keep her eyes locked on Kessler for a moment before she pounced like a cat. Arms that felt stronger than how they looked wrapped around Kessler's neck before she nearly crushed her face against the man's face as she gave him a far long overdue kiss she had wanted to for quite some time now.
Kessler had thought about leaning all the way in to steal a kiss when he told her the truth, but was pleasantly caught by surprise as she did so instead. Happily he returned the kiss as they tipped over in the chair to the floor. He'd be a little sore, but he could care less with girl he liked no in his arms.
Her behavior around him, was not without notice, granted he'd been oblivious to it at first. The man snuck into the lab with quiet footsteps as he kept low coming through the door. It would seem as if the door opened, but no one came through, a workstation blocking the lower view.
Kessler crept around and behind, before gently placing a small box of candies on the desk, "How are you holding up?" He asked quietly.
Harmony jumped a bit as Kessler spoke up, looking up wide-eyed with a candy bar already halfway stuffed in her mouth. She stared at him like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar, wrappers littering her workstation in front of her as she forced the bar down quickly.
A little too quickly sadly as she began to choke. She thumped her chest a few times and began to cough as she finally got it out and sat up.as she was bent over, Kessler would get a view of her white roots.
"K-Kessler! Hey!" She smoothed her outfit out a bit, tugging at her tank top somewhat as she smiled up at him.
"What are you doing here?"
The man shrugged, "Just hanging around. Figured I'd stay a while. Also seemed like the boss needed me here."
Kessler grabbed an empty chair before wheeling back up to the desk. He smiled back at her as leaned against the desk corner, "So how are you doing?"
"Good I guess... I felt out of place back there though." Harmony said, a small blush on her face as she recalled her part at the funeral.
"I didn't know them, but Spark asked me to say something. I hope I did a good job."
"You did great. I also want to thank you for doing that. One of those who died was a man named Rorik. He was from the same settlement as me, and he was kinda like a brother. So again, thank you, it meant a lot to me.", Kessler said giving a sympathetic smile, "I could also tell the grabs you wore meant a lot to you."
Harmony smiled and blushed as she stared at her lap while Kessler complimented her, fidgeting with her hands a little, but nodded none the less as she accepted his words. When he spoke about her clothing though, her shoulders seemed to droop a bit.
"We have a custom... Goddess we have so many... That we wear the pelt of our bonded during ceremonies if they have passed on. If you remember I told you a bit about my time on the Iroma worlds? Peace, he was my bonded and while dear Ifmir he could be dumb at times... He was my Peace. He was killed, and I couldn't leave him there. So I did what we always do."
Harmony seemed to get choked up for a moment before she continued. "Llamnel leave nothing to waste. We share our bonded with those that were there at the time of their death. We... We use as much as we can and the one who was bonded devours the heart. Then we make a headdress with what is left if we can." Harmony rubbed her head a bit and frowned.
"It was tough when it happened. I was still pretty hurt. There was a lot of shouting at me, a lot of angry people trying to force me to go lay back in bed, but I couldn't wait otherwise Peace wouldn't be able to go over to Voxphine."
Kessler wanted to offer her a hug, but felt it would be inappropriate. His smile converted to his own sad frown, "I'm so sorry that you had to do that, I'm sure peace at harmony in Voxphine. I don't know much about Lorath beliefs. But among my people, we believe those who are.dear to us that have passed on, watch over us from wherever they go after. I'd like to think Ceilia is."
He had a tear run from his eye, and he felt immensely for Harmony. He was all to familiar with losing someone close you. The worry of appropriateness of a hug vanished. Kessler leaned forward and gave the woman a hug, both for her and himself, as he didn't want to start crying.
Harmony blinked a bit and blushed as she was hug, but her arms found their way around his ribs to return the hug.
"Thank you Kessler. Peace watches over me because I remember him. We believe that so long as their memory remains, they do as well." She told him, smiling still as she eventually pulled back from the hug.
"Ceilia is the same. You remember her, so she is still here." Harmony told him as she rubbed his shoulder a bit.
"In more ways then one.", He said somberly.
"I would never dare to forget her, or anyone. I cherish the friends and family I have. My crew, anyone who was a part of it, and the people I care about."
Harmony nodded a bit as she took a deep breath and watched him. She fidgeted with her hands again as suddenly her eyes started to search her lap like something was starting to click.
"Wa-wait... Ceilia? Like Ceilia Ceilia? I just saw her earlier..."
"Ceilia was the name of my sister.....The AI....is...was my hope at bringing her back. My memories of her were used to make the AI......My DNA for the body.", Kessler answered, now his turn to fidget. He didn't like talking about it, or admitting the painful truth, but he had to at some point.
"Not really something I've ever been able to let go of. She was the only family I had left, and to watch her die like that.", he said fighting back tears, and to keep his voice level, "She didn't deserve to die in that hospital bed like she did."
Harmony frowned a little as she leaned forward and held his hand before she began to rub her thumb over the top of it. She had seen others lose family to sickness, she could remember the fear when there had been a worry of a reemergence of the Aspertyne virus but nothing had come of it thankfully.
"It's tough to have that happen I can understand... It's tough when family dies I know."
"The worst part was being crippled in a bed, unable to do anything. I made a promise I would find who did that to us, and make them pay. Jack gave me a new body, trained me, gave me a ship, and a second chance. For that, I owe him everything."
Kessler took a breath, finding comfort in the hand on his. His sadness replaced with determination. "I know she's not my sister, but I still love her like she is. I won't fail her a second time."
"Family isn't only blood... It's the bonds we make. Peace wasn't of my blood, but he was my brother in every other sense of the word." It was Harmony's turn to hug Kessler, drawing him into her chest.
"Jack has been wonderful to me this entire time, helpful and informative. I can see why so many tend to flock to him."
"Yeah he likes to act like a father figure. Nicer then most guys I've met with his kind of background.", Kessler said with a chuckle. He paused for a second after being hugged, and returning it at the same time. It had just become clear where his head was.
Harmony let Kessler go, her smile innocent as she sat back in her chair, a notification popping up on her console. A couple taps and she could only grumble at what she saw as she closed down the window.
If Kessler was nosy, he would see a number of chemical equations and chemical component breakdowns with large crossed out sections of both. She rubbed the bridge of her nose as she sat back again and smiled a bit to Kessler.
" So, how long you going to be around?"
Kessler thought about that for a moment before answering, "For however long the boss needs me. Nothing really going on our west, business is good. So I'm in no rush to head back or anything. Maybe the next few months?"
Mo-months?! Oh wow, that's great!" Harmony smiled a little too wide at the thought and did her best to hide her excitement.
"I mean it stinks stuff is so boring, but at least you get to stick around for a while. I think there was talk about a possible planet being found, I'm not sure. Frankly I've been cooped up in here a lot."
"Yeah, we'll arrive tomorrow. And if it checks out, it's our new home, then colonization starts. Not sure how I feel about that yet, been years I had a fixed home. Living on the move has become so normal. But I'd like to try.", He admitted.
"I just miss nature. Don't get me wrong, I love the parks on board... But my people, we commune with nature. We connect to it, feel closer to it. I feel trapped when I'm in space, I miss the smells and feelings of real air and grass and trees. I miss the feel of dirt between my toes."
Harmony seemed a little abashed at her comments like it was strange. She wasn't telling Kessler the whole story, not about what she used to do back home, but hopefully he never saw that.
"I've only known desert, and slums. Both having too many bad memories, so I'm hoping to change things around. Who knows, maybe nature is what I need. In a way my people were not so different. Technology was scarce growing up, so were little more then a tribe, living off the land.", He said with a smile, "Not saying Lorath are tribal, but in either case, both our people relied on natural elements we lived in."
"We used to be a very tribal people over fifty thousand years ago. It was supposedly very different back then, there were no castes. But yea, maybe the change in scenery will do us some good. I could take you hunting how I us-...well I can take you hunting at least kinda like I used to. Though I might try and take Koroleva hunting too..." Harmony tapped her chin, her mind suddenly off the topic at hand and onto the Neko.
Kessler took a more sympathetic expression. It wasn't hard to detect the hitch in her words, or why, He had remembered her mentioning Peace as well as the pelt from the funeral.
"I used to take my sister hunting, we would take a rifle and our buggy and bag small game. I haven't really had the heart to do so myself for a while. But I'd love to go hunting with you."
Harmony tilted her head a bit when he seemed to grow sympathetic, her face looking confused before she blinked. She seemed to catch on to her thought process when he mentioned his sister and waved her hands.
"Oh! No no no I never hunted with Peace. Well I mean I did a few times, but he usually hunted alone. I couldn't keep up with him. I uh...tend to hunt in the same condition you found me in that one...night..."
Harmony looked aside as a blush rose to her face. She seemed to hunch her shoulders a bit and screw her pointer fingers into one another as her knees rubbed together.
Kessler hid his surprise at the sudden memory of what she meant. It brought an image to his mind of what that might of looked like. "Seems like an interesting way of hunting, no tech, no artificial clothing. Just being involved in nature like the primal method of our ancestors. In way that's like going back to our roots, as most races at one point in time hunted in very much the same manner I imagine. I might have to try it sometime.", He said kindly and in a clear tone that he was not making fun of her, but completely serious.
"When we hunt, we like to be as close to nature as possible so we can show we appreciate it. I mean we have farms and stuff sure, but for special occasions, we hunt like that. It's a lot of fun and really tough actually." Harmony admitted as she looked toward him with a smile on her face, yet her eyes unfocused. She was gone, lost in memories for a moment of Lor. It wasn't long though as she blinked and her eyes refocused.
"It could be fun to hunt with someone like that who can't quite, well you know..." Harmony nodded to her hand which shifted after a few seconds before returning to normal.
"I'd love to if you don't mind a plus one sometime. And who knows, maybe we'll be first to bag some game on this this new planet. No telling what we'll find there, what nice sites, or discoveries.", He said enthusiastically, with a kind smile.
"Oh, we land and it's safe, I'm going out hunting. Traditional Llamnel meal, big game hunt, take on a new species." Harmony seemed to be getting excited at the idea, her one wing twitching.
"No matter what we find there, I believe it will make a good home for us. I for one though hope the only sand I see is on a nice beach."
"I've seen enough sand to last me a life time, though I don't think I've ever actually been to a beach..." Harmony tapped her lip as she thought on it, eyes cast to the side and darting back and forth as if she were searching her memories.
"The oceans in the optical scans were pure blue. The only beaches back on 604 were small oases, or those lining the scummy green ocean. No, these will be nice and tropical, like on the paradise worlds that yamatai advertises. To be able to kick back by the blue ocean, breeze in your hair, drink in hand, and swimsuits. It's practically a vacation."
"Well then I need to get a swimsuit, cause I do not have one..." Harmony laughed a little at her comment. She had never owned one before cause there was no need. She had always just swam in little lakes and rivers.
"I bet you'd look amazing in one, you're already very pretty." Kessler meant the comment as a sincere comment, but worried it may have been a bit forward. Truth be told, every conversation with her so far had been refreshing. Harmony was rather energetic, and always seemed optimistic.
Harmony turned scarlet as the compliment was paid. It wasn't that she hadn't been told she was pretty before, but for a guy she kinda had a crush on? That was a bit different. She looked down at her lap again and fiddled with her fingers a little with a smile on her face.
"Th-thanks, I mean I guess I would look ok in it, but I'm not sure, but if you think I would look good in one then I guess I would."
"I wish you had more confidence in yourself, to see yourself in the way i do. I see a strong beautiful woman, who has been through a lot, and grown from it. I see a woman who has the determination to accomplish and pass whatever challenge she takes on. I admire all those things about you. I can't really say I half of those traits.", He said wanting to return that hug, but he gave her his best smile. It was truly how he felt, and to see she didn't think she was as beautiful as she really was. Well it was a piece of confidence he thought she deserved, and that wasn't just because he liked her.
Harmony's ear tips turned red, all the way down to her neck as she clapped hands over her cheeks to try and hide her blush. "Thanks. I usually... I'm usually not such a compliment berog... But it's just been tough lately. I appreciate the compliments I really do, and I know I am a lot better then I'm putting on I swear. It's just sometimes I get down on myself. And Everything you said about me goes double for you Kessler. You're an amazing person! I mean come on you have your own ship and crew and you're a big part of Section Six. It's amazing some of the stuff I've heard you've done."
"I don't know about amazing, it's just me doing what i was hired to do. What you do here in the labs is what will be shaping the future for our people. Same goes for all the other lab personnel. I'm only one man, so anything i accomplish tends to be small scale stuff. To be honest i'm a over glorified spy,...or something.", He said nervously, not really seeing what he did as actually being all that important as she suggested.
"Yea but even then that work has value, it has need. Without spies to do the work, then the intel and info we need could go undiscovered! And besides I mean... You saved me didn't you? If you hadn't been out there, I might have died drifting in space out there." Harmony said with a shrug and a smile.
"You're right, and we would have never met if we hadn't. Spies don't have many people that are willing to even get close to them, and despite what the vids might make it out to be, non-existent love lives. Maybe this reassignment is a blessing in disguise, might find a girlfriend for once."
"Yo-You're looking for one?" Harmony said as her wing began to twitch and even her elongated ears began to twitch a bit, eyes wide a little as she looked at Kessler while she tried to suppress her smile.
"Well I'm certainly not looking for a boyfriend, not really how I roll heh.", He said with a small chuckle, "But yeah I am. Need to start thinking about a future, and not just doing a job anymore. guess seeing Ceilia happy with that young man was a sort of wake up call. I did what I hoped for and found her a happy life, so now it's my turn." It was a very surprisingly introspective thing for him to say, a very opposite to his usual gungho behavior.
"well I guess we should figure out what you're looking for in a girl then right? A-any qualities that are a must?" Like a cat with their ever-shifting emotions, Harmony was fidgeting in her seat with both her legs and hands as she tried to figure out how much she fit into his view.
"I-I mean maybe I got an idea of someone you might like! I'm pretty good with that sorta thing. I'll help you out if you want."
"Well....Someone who's nice and caring, can tolerate my stubborn ass....", He said the with a slight chuckle, "Someone I can trust and care for, who will be there for when I need a shoulder to lean on,.....has a passion for what they love, and who will love me. I can't really think of anything other then that. Never really been in relationships much, and the only have been in was years ago during a very different time. I was also a very different man back then."
"I've uh, never been in a relationship. I mean I've been in a relationship just no-... No, that's a lie. I've never had a boyfriend before. I've had crushes, but yea..."
Harmony fiddled with her fingers a bit before she shrugged.
"I mean you are pretty stubborn, but I think there are a few women around here that can put up with that, like Spark maybe? I doubt Koroleva is in any position to do much in terms of a relationship, though I do think she could handle your stubbornness. There are quite a few people here within S6 that could probably put up with you and your stubbornness."
Harmony shrugged again before she smiled.
"There are a lot of accomplished women in this group, plenty that are strong willed. I'm sure it wouldn't be tough to find someone that suited you."
"Koroleva is my boss's lover, so I don't think she would be a wise idea. As for Sparks,....she had eyes for someone who passed recently, and I wouldn't feel right with something so recent like that. To be honest, there is a girl I like though.", He said scratching his chin as he thought about those listed off, "She's had a rough past like me, is passionate about her work, and has a very caring personality."
"Oh yea? She sounds pretty cool. What does she do?" Harmony asked with a small smile. She had begun to pick up little things here and there, and while her heart beat more and more at the conversation she did her best to not get her hopes up.
"Any hint at maybe what she looked like? I could probably talk you up to them if you want."
"Well she works in medical mostly, she tends to dye her hair, and is generally quite bubbly around the work place.", Kessler said with a slight smile as he sat there with a hand on his chin as if in thought while listing off details.
"Bubbly? Ok I know a few girls like that, though don't know many that dye their hair unless they hide it well. What else?" Harmony asked as her pulse began to quicken even further and the smile stayed.
"Well she always brings a state of equilibrium to my mind when she's around...And you know the one thing I love most about her?", Kessler said fondly before leaning forward, saying the rest with a somewhat quieter tone.
"What's that?" Harmony asked as she leaned in. Partially because he did and partially cause of the lowered tone.
"She's you Harmony.....you are the girl I like."
While she stayed still in large, Harmony's ears and wing twitched as she seemed to keep her eyes locked on Kessler for a moment before she pounced like a cat. Arms that felt stronger than how they looked wrapped around Kessler's neck before she nearly crushed her face against the man's face as she gave him a far long overdue kiss she had wanted to for quite some time now.
Kessler had thought about leaning all the way in to steal a kiss when he told her the truth, but was pleasantly caught by surprise as she did so instead. Happily he returned the kiss as they tipped over in the chair to the floor. He'd be a little sore, but he could care less with girl he liked no in his arms.
