Symbiosis

Irso raised an eyebrow when he was left alone with no response. A window, out of the way and secluded, was the focus of her attention. It was a cute sight as she pressed against the glass and he took the opportunity to snap a picture of her as she did so. It must've been a lot to take in so the lack of immediate response didn't bother him at all. He enjoyed watching her imagination be filled with what he was sure was just dreams before. It was one thing to dream about space it was another to be within its clutches, detached from the physical rock called earth. Irso floated behind her and took a peek at earth from a slightly more elevated position. It was as gorgeous an image as the day he first saw it.

A slight tear came to his eye. It wasn't from sadness or some tragic story but just raw emotion at the wonder he was able to witness. Within that small speck of existence was the major locations for every great event on earth. A person born there had a story confined to its borders and yet even those small stories held so much information. Earth, better yet a planet, was such a beautiful form of condensed information and to believe it was so small only made him respect life more. It wasn't the scale of himself to the world but of the world to the great beyond that moved him so.

Thankfully that tear never fell, his eyes dried by the time Huliu looked at him again. Her words made him laugh as he patted his wallet "Seems we will have to work together." He spoke to his wallet in jest as his mind was already thinking of things he didn't grab last time that might still be here. There was a charm that was capable of making a person speak like different animals he wanted to grab. Testing it out at the zoo was his main reasoning for wanting it so as he thought of all the possible purchases that one was moved to the top.

The following hours with Huliu was a rollercoaster of fun and emotion between the both of them. Irso had found himself down the rabbit hole of purchasing tomes from other worlds about magic. It'd come to his attention that while he was on Earth he'd been subjecting with ample new abilities and ideas. With the integration of new magic, he'd hoped to improve his own. He'd followed along with Huliu in making trades of art for other pieces. The conversations they were able to spark stimulated him to no end and he found himself all smiles even when not conversing. It had been some time since a day like this was capable for him and the ability to return to such a happy state of mind was life staining. By the time they'd reach the spice booth Irso was carrying quite a bit of stuff, his and Huliu's, and was just as ready to purchase spices to cook with despite the lack of necessity.

He'd even thought of picking up a few things for Eein and Whisp seeing as they were soon to be chefs, but instead, he thought it best to let Huliu do that as gifts from a strange man was sure to make them wonder who he was and why he'd done so. Where usually his good nature would've forced him to buy them stuff anyway his mind and body was dealing with something far more peculiar, jealousy. Irso didn't know why but as they walked through the spices and vendors and customers alike gave Huliu flirtatious comment he became more bothered. Was it possessiveness? Huliu did indeed look beautiful today, his pictures could attest to that, and it wasn't like they were a couple... The thought made Irso pause while Huliu continued to look around. It wasn't his right to be possessive. Maybe he was feeling protective of a friend? No, the compliments toward her felt like slights against him.

Instead of letting distaste show he suppressed it and put on a happy face. Why was he acting like this? He was far too old to be so...emotional? However whenever he saw her face and the pure joy she had any doubt or anger was washed away. Watching Huliu dance, and even partaking in some dancing himself, made his soul..flutter... he even checked at one point to make sure he wasn't being attacked by something, a natural reflex. When the shopping spree slowed down and Huliu was tired enough to steady her pace Irso brought himself some food. An alien dish which he had received chopsticks to eat it with the tender meat and strange sauce gave it a fun flavor which he hoped to recreate with a little bit of research.

The setting was...strange. As Huliu spoke on her dreams of visiting other worlds he couldn't help but stare at her. Hearing people make remarks about her looks made him inspect everything about her. Her face, Her hair, the mixed color of her eyes, her nose, her ears, her lips...her lips? Irso stopped himself from staring as he saw Huliu had stopped talking and was looking at him. The two had stopped by a viewing area where a large window let the glow of space enter the station and mix with the internal lighting. Earth an immense backdrop to the scene around them. Irso's soul fluttered again, or was it his heart? He couldn't even think straight for a moment to tell. "Huliu I...." He stopped himself. Why? Who knows but him. He used his free hand to rub the back of his head.

He snapped out of it for a second and took a piece of meat from his food between his chopsticks and pointed it at her. "Uh..try this." Was it a save? Was he just putting off what his soul was screaming at him? As his body and mind waged war on each other Irso tried to deduct what magic was being played on him. He'd lost control of his mind and body for one moment and those two words had come out. Maybe it was a trick, or an aura of someone nearby?

Irso's face was still suppressing a hint of embarrassment as Huliu took the food. He took the few seconds Huliu used to bite the food to fix his face and demeanor somewhat. A swell of embarrassment was still bouncing around in his stomach. Huliu had to have noticed the awkwardness in his first two words and was now just indulging him for the sake of politeness. Even as she chewed the food he found himself looking at her intensely. His mind was still yelling at him and his soul was bouncing around with a mix of joy and pleasure. Having the two so out of sync was such a strange phenomenon for Irso that when Huliu offered him some of her food.

"Huh? Oh, sure I'd love some." He leaned down and took a bite of her food, a rather large one, the nervous hole in his stomach seemed to increase his appetite. The food was indeed delicious as Huliu's happy demeanor made him assume when she first bit it herself. However, it wasn't the taste of the food he was focused on. As he began to lean back up his eyes met Huliu and once again his mind was pushed off track.

"It really is good......" There was a slight pause before he felt his hand rub the back of his head again. "You know, this reminds me of symbiosis."

Why was he bringing up science at a time like this? Irso's hand remained at the back of his head as he let his thoughts flow out.

"We are two different organisms who are mutually benefitting from each others company, mutualism if you will." There was another slight pause. Irso hated the feeling of disorganization within him so with a quick breath he reunified everything and stared Huliu in her eyes.

He turned to face her directly, unlinking their arms "Anyway, I just wanted to say the time I've spent with you has been some of the greatest in a long time."

Unbeknownst to him, Irso's body had already moved his left hand toward her arm and his rigt was motioning to hold the left side of her head. "You've somehow grown on me rather quickly. To a point that if our symbiotic relationship was broken I'd suffer...I feel a connection, and whenever I see you I just want to meld closer with you. You are smart, funny, and pique ideas and curiosity in me on many subjects..."

By then Irso would body would already have begun leaning. Whatever force that attracted him growing stronger as he spoke. His words ending abruptly as all three motions reached their conclusion. His hands moved to hold her and his body steadily moved in for a kiss.

Deep in the back of his mind, Irso was panicking, he'd lost control once more, only now the action could not be taken back. In his world experimentation was everything, poking and prodding to see how things will work. This was far blinder then he was used to. It was a step he wasn't a master in or could be boiled down to an undisputable science. Love was too great a variable to ever have true confidence in. While he knew Huliu liked him he could not be undeniably positive that it moved deep enough to the point that she would reciprocate his gesture, or not take offense to it.

This kiss was a spiritual experience for Irso. Connection, bonds, the intertwining grand makeup of life between two people was something that Irso took deep joy in witnessing. The linking ability of the Prax was something brought about by his suggestion to his master. The ability to feel one's loved one on a deeper level was something of great profound meaning and he wished to inflict that onto the world through many forms. However, sharing this kiss with Huliu was a connection far fresher to him then all the other bonds he had made. Irso had loved many people in his life but the gaps in between were so far apart that reconnecting with the idea of love was always moving.

As the two separated Irso had a large smile on his face. Seeing the look on Huliu face made him laugh as it showed such a broad range of emotion that it made him physically laugh at her demeanor. A minute ago he was no better but seeing what Huliu must've seen from him made him realize how silly he was to have been nervous. Relief rushed through his body and once again his mind and soul were aligned in moving through life, only now the path was new and included many more thoughts and ideas.

Looking at Huliu's face all Irso could see was a plethora of opportunities once closed to him. Things he could say, things he could do, the conversations that could be had. It was Pandora's box housing a new form of relationship he hadn't shared with anyone since coming to the island. Combining that with Huliu words of confirmation he felt his hold on her tighten and the spiritual connection between them solidify. All he needed to do was ensure that the bond was not brittle

"I'm glad you feel the same....if you wanted." He let go of his hold on her face and fixed a part of her hair that been messed up in their kiss. " We could try and see where the connection goes. I imagine it won't feel too much different than before."

Irso chuckled a bit "I must've looked like such a fool a moment ago and now I can't help but laugh." Such a blind experiment had yielded the best results and now he was in a scenario he didn't imagine was possible given all the information and tools he had. Irso let go of Huliu, drawing upon her every following word as more so than ever everything that came out her mouth meant a great deal to him and was capable of affecting him more so than he usually let people.

Huliu reusing his symbiosis metaphor was amusing and helped him settle into the new frontier of this conversation even better than before. Spitting out science wasn't that out there for someone like him but Irso was especially grateful it was in a language she could understand. Dipping into foreign language when nervous or excited also came up on occasion, now that would've been weird. He can only imagine the confused face he would've got, and that followed by a kiss probably would create a whole new scenario then what he was living in now.

When her faced changed however to one of a more darker tone Irso in turn also grew a more serious face. He'd watched enough Terran television to know that either Huliu was gonna turn him away or she was going to admit to having some lover back home. Thankfully it was neither and instead it was just her worrying over his feelings. It was in her nature of course. Irso replaced his hand on her arm as she fawned over how she wouldn't be a great partner. It was a laughable statement, so much so that he actually did.

"Trust me Huliu I know that all people have histories predating me meeting them. If I wasn't sure that I would brave that history with you then I wouldn't have asked. Trust that I have done far worse than you so do not fear me doting on whatever skeletons you may hold."

It was the undeniable truth that he had done some rather gruesome acts in his time. Whenever he spoke about his past with Huliu he was never forthcoming with all the gore and death but he didn't consider it lying. Instead, he was just sparing her the parts of his life he had no intent on returning to. If Huliu asked he may tell her some of what he had done but for now, at this moment, it was menial.

"For now let's just worry about the journey ahead and not the road traveled. We have the time to return when we are ready. In this moment right now. The Huliu I see before me is the only one I care about."

Irso blinked at the last two words Huliu said. Long Conversation? Was she actually going to reveal some dark secret, or was she expecting him to bring up a secret from his past? Irso was not ready for that. It wasn't out of fear of the past but because he didn't see its relevance to what he was doing in his life now. He was a teacher, molder of minds, it was not his intention to murder the innocent and toy with life like he once did. What he did worry about is how Huliu would take it. Even now he held no regrets over his past deeds. In fact, he sometimes reflected on them with curiosity at the results of certain experiments wrought.

Taking in her words Irso too glanced around to see a few people staring at them. Was it so odd for people to kiss in space? Of course, he knew the answer but sometimes found people's curiosities fascinating. Instead of embarrassment, he was pleased to know that even from a distance the affection he held for Huliu was recognizable. It provided evidence that his love was not just mental but physical, as it manifested into the world around them. He returned a grip on Huliu cold hands, pushing away the question of was that a physiological response to love in the Akt'Anir dragons, and remained close to her.

" I look forward to it then. I presume we have a lot to discuss considering you have a whole community behind you and children at home."

By dating Huliu he'd be exposed to more of the Akt'Anir lifestyle then he initially thought he would. He'd yet to meet Eein but he knew Whisp would be quick to pick up on their change in demeanor. The girl was able to recognize his feelings before he was able to. Irso had no real family besides his master Vatar and little sister, wherever she was, there was no familial attachment for him to worry over.

"For now why don't we see if there are any tours around the system available. Saturn is rather radiant to witness."

Scooping up their bags in his free hand, and tossing the empty container of food he had unknowingly set down on a table, Irso would follow along with Huliu again only this time she would be able to obviously notice him staring at her on occasion and then looking away in slight embarrassment.