Ardgal Raxis
More than a Man
"Who knew?" Ardgal said with a wry look, "I suppose it really is the littlest things in life that do make the biggest difference." She made a reference to the Hapes Cluster, and the warrior arched his back, trying to work out the soreness, with little real results. "Ah, well thank the gods for Godkillers being able to be broken, you never know what it leads to, I suppose."
He said the last few words with a twinkle in his eye. She was sciencing the crap out of him, and in all the best ways. Ardgal could feel her tech starting to bring more equilibrium back into his system. He was functioning at 75% efficiency, which was pretty damn good considering what he had spent the night doing, and how hard he had been doing it. He could still feel some of those lingering effects, but all in all, he was actually able to move around, and that was a miracle.
As his feet touched the ground the warrior realized how pleasant the cool feeling of the morning stone flooring felt on his feet. He wiggled his toes on the flooring, feeling the prickling sensation across the bottoms of his feet. He didn't remember it feeling that good--come to think of it, he didn't remember any feeling associated with it before, it was just floor. Ardgal cocked his head to the side. His sense of smell, enhanced by the augmentation he had been given, could detect half a dozen different meals being cooked in their area. He could smell the savory meats being fried in a pan, the aromatic crispness of the vegetables on the grill, and the sweetness of dozens of fruits being prepared as drinks and deserts. A feeling of hunger, more than the biological recognition for a need of calories, but a real hungering desire for something delicious gripped his stomach.
He tilted his head to the side, his ear caught the sound of children playing in the distance down the street. He could hear and understand their language, their jokes, their laughter and joy filled his ears with a pleasantness he didn't know existed. They were not threats, they were not some sort of attack. They were gentle, it was pleasant. The air that carried their sound brushed against his skin with a warmth that contrasted the cool of the floor. He felt his skin pucker, but the warrior didn't know why. The air carried the perfect balance of humidity. His hands wrapped around the bedsheets under him, it was silky it was smooth. He ran his hands over the fabric, like was experiencing the pleasantness of the sensation for the first time. His hands balled around the fabric in tight fists, getting to know how lovely it felt in his hands.
Had the world always been this wonderful?
He looked back at Rashae after he had taken this all in and smiled a warm, happy smile, devoid of all cynicism, programing, conditioning, and warriorness. He was just a man for now, instead of a machine or a killer. And he was a man who was happy to be alive. "What a beautiful morning."
He slipped on a pair of boxers and then some prodigiously civilian jeans. He looked like just a farmer or a rancher rather than a super soldier. It actually felt strangely good to make some distance from his work. He grabbed the duty cap, the last article remaining. It had his rank on the center, his last name, it was unforgettable and completely iconic. His fingers played with the durable fabric for a few seconds, looking at the title and his last name. Was this all that he had become? Or was he so much more than that? And when this jaunt was all over, wouldn't the job be waiting for him once more with all the pain involved? Was it better to just stay there, instead of trying to break free and enjoy this wave?
The playful look vanished from his eyes like mist in the midday sun as he studied the article of clothing. His dark brown eyes glanced up, looking at Rashae's beautiful face. Yes. It was better. He took his cap and firmly placed it on her head with a laugh, "Its not my responsibility to make the choices, your the general today."
He said the last few words with a twinkle in his eye. She was sciencing the crap out of him, and in all the best ways. Ardgal could feel her tech starting to bring more equilibrium back into his system. He was functioning at 75% efficiency, which was pretty damn good considering what he had spent the night doing, and how hard he had been doing it. He could still feel some of those lingering effects, but all in all, he was actually able to move around, and that was a miracle.
As his feet touched the ground the warrior realized how pleasant the cool feeling of the morning stone flooring felt on his feet. He wiggled his toes on the flooring, feeling the prickling sensation across the bottoms of his feet. He didn't remember it feeling that good--come to think of it, he didn't remember any feeling associated with it before, it was just floor. Ardgal cocked his head to the side. His sense of smell, enhanced by the augmentation he had been given, could detect half a dozen different meals being cooked in their area. He could smell the savory meats being fried in a pan, the aromatic crispness of the vegetables on the grill, and the sweetness of dozens of fruits being prepared as drinks and deserts. A feeling of hunger, more than the biological recognition for a need of calories, but a real hungering desire for something delicious gripped his stomach.
He tilted his head to the side, his ear caught the sound of children playing in the distance down the street. He could hear and understand their language, their jokes, their laughter and joy filled his ears with a pleasantness he didn't know existed. They were not threats, they were not some sort of attack. They were gentle, it was pleasant. The air that carried their sound brushed against his skin with a warmth that contrasted the cool of the floor. He felt his skin pucker, but the warrior didn't know why. The air carried the perfect balance of humidity. His hands wrapped around the bedsheets under him, it was silky it was smooth. He ran his hands over the fabric, like was experiencing the pleasantness of the sensation for the first time. His hands balled around the fabric in tight fists, getting to know how lovely it felt in his hands.
Had the world always been this wonderful?
He looked back at Rashae after he had taken this all in and smiled a warm, happy smile, devoid of all cynicism, programing, conditioning, and warriorness. He was just a man for now, instead of a machine or a killer. And he was a man who was happy to be alive. "What a beautiful morning."
Ardgal gripped the ice pack in his hand and gave a tragic look of epic proportions. He was in a good mood, and that meant he was a little satirical, "Ah, and there goes all hopes I had of wearing a toga or trying on those new Jedi Robes today," he rose his other hand to the sky, "You hear that up there? She's killing my fashion choices down here! Look at what you," he turned back to her and gave her bare body the once over. He glanced back at the ceiling, "On second thought, scratch everything. No complaints."Rashae said:
She took the bra from him and Ardgal cocked his head to the side, his freed hands grabbing a sandy brown tunic from the pile of clothes, "Really? You think so? I always thought I was more of a sunshine yellow more than a coral pink kinda guy. I mean, if I'm gonna go lingerie, I might as go all out with a matching thong too, huh?"Rashae said:
He slipped on a pair of boxers and then some prodigiously civilian jeans. He looked like just a farmer or a rancher rather than a super soldier. It actually felt strangely good to make some distance from his work. He grabbed the duty cap, the last article remaining. It had his rank on the center, his last name, it was unforgettable and completely iconic. His fingers played with the durable fabric for a few seconds, looking at the title and his last name. Was this all that he had become? Or was he so much more than that? And when this jaunt was all over, wouldn't the job be waiting for him once more with all the pain involved? Was it better to just stay there, instead of trying to break free and enjoy this wave?
The playful look vanished from his eyes like mist in the midday sun as he studied the article of clothing. His dark brown eyes glanced up, looking at Rashae's beautiful face. Yes. It was better. He took his cap and firmly placed it on her head with a laugh, "Its not my responsibility to make the choices, your the general today."