No Gods, Nor Masters

Love And Jungle Work

"You do know they've been following us around for the better part of our little date, right?" Tyuule inquired calmly as they strolled through Manhattan's more popular touristy areas. Namely, they were currently in Central Park... With about half of their common platoon trailing them in the middle of the park, trying to behave inconspicuously, despite some of the smiles they wore.

"I'm acutely aware, heh," Richard replied awkwardly, noting Itami and Torres being the leaders of this surveillance operation. Not to mention the ONI spooks and the possible CIA, NSA and other agents around keeping tabs on what was probably the most watched, yet least-televised meeting in the world. Thankfully, it wasn't televised at all, but the eyes all watching them felt... Off.

"Should we tell them to stop it?" Tyuule inquired, a bit awkward at so many eyes, both civilian and not, being on them. She was never one for the limelights or cameras, even when she'd managed to set up their accession to the UNSC as both a protected member state and citizens of the Unified Earth Government. They'd kept that on the quiet side thanks to her and Richard begging Halsey for it.

"Nah," Richard surprised her with his response. He smiled and asked her, "Who cares, right?" as he grasped her hand in his, causing her to blush heavily. The usually pale bunny warrior suddenly turned a bright shade of pink right up to her drooping ears as she tugged at her shirt's collar. The man, though he was slightly red in the face, smiled at the sight of the woman he'd spent the past three to four years helping.

The girl managed to let out a weak, "Y-Yeah..." despite her embarrassment. Richard did find it sort of cute, but she had teased him beforehand, too, so it was just a little bit of payback, he thought to himself as he looked ahead at the couples walking through the place with kids. Some stopped to stare, others took pictures of Tyuule with her actual bunny ears drooping, but most stayed a surprisingly respectful distance away.

"You started and can't take it?" Richard teased, a grin on his face as he held her slightly closer, "Heh, how the mighty queen has fallen," and he looked her in her beautiful ruby eyes. The girl pouted and averted her gaze, face glowing ever-closer to the color of her eyes due to the embarrassment. Heh, he was nailing it, but it still made his own face feel slightly warm. And the distant, whispered cheers of Itami, Torres and the Princess and her Posse didn't help.

"Shuddup..." Tyuule whined, completely and utterly embarrassed, next, which caused him to pause.

"Heheh... Sorry..." He apologized, finding that incredibly adorable. Honestly, he really shouldn't have double down on it, he thought as his own face now glowed deep red. He'd really goofed it a bit here, hadn't he, getting the Queen of the mighty Warrior Bunnies to blush like that? Weren't they usually doing the whole 'community raises the kids thing' anyway, so why would-he stopped thinking about kids before he'd say something stupid.

"It's okay. Just never thought I'd..." She replied in a mumble, "Turn into this when together with you."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," He replied awkwardly, too, mumbling, "There's something strange about all of this..." And he decided to switch subjects as he realized the degree of bullshit they were dealing with... "I mean, look at us. We're in the middle of 21st century Manhattan Island, on what's basically a date that just so happened to coincide with a statement by Doctor Halsey in the precursor to the UEG... Holy hell, this is so fucking weird. And we're supposed to be a Video Game, too, of all goddamn things..."

"Hey. It's alright," She told him as she put her other hand on his arm, causing him to blush. Smiling at that, she reassured him, "Before that, you landed on an alien planet, helped defend my people from an Empire that wanted us either subjugated or exterminated and are now helping stop that Empire's spread, not to mention their allied Insurrectionists, those the UNSC has fought long before they ever faced the Covenant in battle. Our world owes you a great deal..." And she blushed again, though in the light of the street lamps, she looked even more beautiful. She spoke, her voice soft, barely carrying over to him, "I owe you much, myself."