A Father, Mentor, and Friend

[Kender Bard]

Harmony made a face. "I don't think I'd like that," she said. "How can that be at all pleasant? Everyone hides shit from everyone." Holy shit, what would have happened if she'd Joined with Libre before their parting? She shivered at the thought. "Talk about a fast way to ruin a good thing." Now she could understand her father's remark about inflicting himself on someone.

[Darastrix]

"Well, it's not like you get to see everything in their heads at once," Schuldig said. "Just what's at the forefront. Having sex only with someone you're in love with is bullshit, but Joining...yeah, it's best if you're in love with or just love the other person. Joining during sex with someone like that comes highly recommended."

[Kender Bard]

Harmony smiled faintly at that... and stored the suggestion away in her mind for future consideration. Maybe if she ever found someone she could love that way, and who could love her, she'd give it a shot. Until then...

"I think you and Mom are the only people I love and trust enough to try Joining with," she replied with a faint smile. "Although the timing would be tricky. It's a rare day when we're not fraying each others' nerves, and Mom manages to find some way to annoy or exasperate me on every day of the week. And all that aside, I'd still be hesitant. It sounds like too easy of a way to let something slip on accident." She leaned against his side, her head resting against his shoulder. "Not that I need to. You know I love you."

[Darastrix]

"Mm-hmm," Schuldig murmured, resting his chin on top of Harmony's head as a sense of love and contentment moved through the room. "Maybe we'll be in a good place one day to try it. Now, there's a couple more people I wouldn't mind Joining with. Dunno if we ever will, but it'd be nice."

[Kender Bard]

Harmony smiled and hugged him tightly. "I think I've seen all that I care to today. Seems only fair that I make the same offer, though. Anything you want to see or ask or just talk about?"

[Darastrix]

"Mm. I'm kind of curious as to how you ended up traveling around with Libre, of all people," he commented. He doubted he'd have been able to play nice with Efil again, fate of the world in the balance or no.

[Kender Bard]

Harmony's mouth twisted. "I'll show you," she said and invited him into her mindscape this time.

It had a lot more pictures in it, and the childish decor that had been in there just a few years ago was finally banished completely. Wrecked frames still adorned some of the walls in places, littering the floor with jagged splinters, but most of it had been swept off to the side to make room for an ever-expanding collection of new memories, most of them fresh from her travels. She also had the symbols of Soahc and Efil hanging near the ceiling above the central grand portrait of Schuldig, Filly, and herself. It looked a bit less 'poorly mended' than it had, starting regain some of the seamlessness of before. Two tiny new pictures adorned the wallspace just above Schuldig--her grandparents, now that she's seen them.

Harmony sat on the large, sumptuous bed that was her throne and focused on a picture near the floor. It was a portrait of Libre, somewhat torn up, as though someone had sliced a knife against the painting. As she focused, it grew to dominate the wall and the scene played out. Harmony had been relaxing in a tavern when Libre's mental call came. She let the conversation replay for him complete with their opening, sniping remarks at one another.

"He had a point," she remarked. "He really isn't the kind of person who would just come up with this shit for no reason. And I could tell he was unhappy to be contacting me."

She focused and the painting-memory blurred, shifted, moving to not long ago, when the pair were in Flux.

"You know, I still don't know why you bothered to invite me along," Harmony replied tiredly. There were deep shadows under her eyes from having gotten too little sleep over the past few days, working to ensure Flame wouldn't burn the temple down or do anything else that would just cause them all trouble. "Admit it, you must have missed me."

Libre shot her a dark look. "If I missed you at all, I would have contacted you before I was concerned about the world going to the demons."

There was an echo of the pain the comment caused, as well as an even stronger echo of the hate she felt that he could still wound her, even a little. But before she'd gotten a chance to comment back, Libre held up a hand.

"It's because I know that when you're dedicated to something, you'll stay with it to the... bitter end," Libre answered with an unhappy smile. "And... Saving the world runs in your blood, does it not? You're always going on about how you're your father's daughter. Despite the time you spent bitching at him to me, you'd sell your soul to make him proud of you."

Harmony's brows lifted. "Are you admitting to manipulating me to get what you want? Oh how high the Master of Sensatia perches on his moral loft."

"Go to hell, Harmony."

"I thought we were trying to prevent that."

"Fuck you."

"I know I'm the only girl who's laying with you, but I'm afraid I need to get some sleep tonight."

The ugly look he shot her didn't bring pain this time. It brought smug, perverse happiness.

"He was only half right," Harmony replied wryly. "I do want you to be proud of me. But what really makes me willing to put up with that asshole is this might be the only chance I get to irritate the fuck out of him every single day and get away with it. Payback's a bitch, and her name is Harmony."

[Darastrix]

Schuldig smirked at that and wrapped his arms around her, pulling them both to lie down on the bed. "That's my girl. You know, he really shouldn't make 'in your blood' comments. That blade swings both ways, and unless I'm misremembering my shit about leaders, Thelon adopted him."

[Kender Bard]

"Nope, you're right, and I'll do my best to remember that the next time he brings it up," Harmony remarked with a wide grin. "Though I don't know what I'm going to do when this is all done and over with. I'll need to actually think about it and find some gloriously good way to give him a final 'fuck you' farewell that I never got to do the first time." She turned her head and kissed his cheek. "You're welcome to help me think of something. I bow to your mastery in destroying people with a few well chosen words."

[Darastrix]

"I think Brad's got the corner on the 'few well-chosen words' market," Schuldig said with a light shrug. "I more ramble over a person's weak spots instead. Though if you want to take a non-verbal route, you could always get him hot and bothered and just leave him with his 'pride' making a tent in his pants."

[Kender Bard]

Harmony snorted in amusement. "That's not hard. But I'll think about it." She put her hands behind her head and smiled. "We need to do this more often. I don't think I've been this relaxed since the entire mess started." She turned her head to look at him. "And... I think that when it IS over, I might want to come home more often. And... Well I dunno. Never did figure out what my place here is. But I'll try not to stray so far for so long."

[Darastrix]

"Well, if you're gonna come home more often, you'll have time to figure that out," Schuldig told her. "And it'll be good to have you around more." He could enjoy it more, too, after the things he and Mikasi had worked out. He owed the man one, big-time.

[Kender Bard]

"All right," she agreed with a smile. "First I'll help save the world from demons and then I'll see about getting a job." She smirked, stuck out her tongue playfully.