[center][h1][color=8dc73f]Charles “Chuck” Simmons - Callsign: Boomer[/color][/h1] [h2]Camp Hannula, Pöyrisjärvi National Park, Finland[/h2] [h2] Who said men can’t multitask?[/h2][/center] [hr] [center][h2]In the Heavy Gym with Athena[/h2][/center] Chuck had finished cleaning his armor and had it on the rack charging. It would need some maintenance. He wasn’t sure if techs from Blue Sword would work on it or Samantha. But it was ready and where he was told to put it. It had taken a while to get it all moved over. The inner suit lining he had cleaned as best he could in the shower in his room. He had hung it to dry from the rack suspended from the ceiling for that purpose next to the hard outer shell that went over it. He was inspecting Duke’s armor and making note of wear spots and spots that might potentially fail. He wanted to show them to Samantha. Maybe she could adapt those or modify them into something better. She had told him that this was her first set of armor for a canine. He had been impressed with it so far. Duke did not lose much agility and was better protected which made Chuck happy. He had been so absorbed in his task, he had not noticed when the music started. It had been in the background to the sound of heavy weights being slammed around. Now that the weights had stopped he could hear the music better. He frowned and tilted his head to the side. He liked the heavy bass beat but he made a face when the guy started rapping. He couldn’t decide if he liked it or hated it. The music stopped and Chuck had returned his attention to Duke’s Armor. Chuck looked up as Athena approached. He had stepped between her and Tahlia last night when they had left the plane. Tensions and emotions had been high on both sides. His body tensed up not quite sure what to expect. Chuck could not have been more surprised when Athena straight hit on him with a beaming smile as she walked towards him in a tight workout outfit. [color=00aeef]"Hey there....so, what piece of marble did they cut you out of? You're Chuck, Chuck Simmons, right? Boomer by name, Boomer by nature."[/color] Athena was holding her hand out to shake. He felt like Freya had gobsmacked him with her hammer. His neutral expression turned to one of surprise. Chuck was not used to women hitting on him. Most women were intimidated by his size. Chuck couldn’t suppress his embarrassment if he tried as his face colored red. Chuck knew that Athena was Freya’s little sister, she looked very young to him. Freya was the woman he was currently interested in. He had already tried to get to her to go out with him. Not to mention that her brother Jamie was joining the team and her parents were around as well. Chuck knew that was trouble waiting to happen. It took Chuck a moment or so to get his surprise under control so he could respond. He shook her hand gently. [color=8dc73f]“Yes I am Chuck, callsign Boomer. Nice to meet you Athena.” [/color] Athena had managed to get Chuck’s attention. She had shaken his hand briefly before inspecting his armor. She continued to talk, not really letting him say much before she continued. [color=00aeef]"Athena Kaantario, Valkyrie. Freya's sis. She's probably told you all about me. All sorts of shit, I bet....trust me, it's all true. #AthenaAwesome and everything, at your service."[/color] Chuck noticed that Duke, who had been curled up peacefully, had gotten to his feet and moved to his side. Duke seemed nervous around Athena. Then Athena squealed and moved in to love on Duke who was startled and let out a nervous woof. [color=00aeef]"Heyyyy! Oh, and who are you!" [/color]Before he could intervene Athena had bent over and was getting down on Duke’s level. She had put her hand out and was rubbing his ears. Duke’s body language told Chuck that he was nervous and unsure as he stood tense and motionless waiting for a cue from Chuck. Chuck gave Duke the hand sign for hold, friendly. He was never more grateful that he had worked to teach Duke how to hold those instincts in situations like this. Otherwise he would have probably mauled a few of Chuck’s former commanders. Chuck sighed as he realized that he would need to teach Athena that Duke was a working dog. He couldn’t help but smile at how ridiculous it was though. She was baby-talking to him in no time. [color=00aeef]"It's okay, baby. Aww, you're so, so cute. And handsome, yes, you are!"[/color] It was obvious to Chuck that Duke had won over yet another admirer. [color=00aeef]"You two. Jesus, my hearts are melting. You gotta stop this, 'cos you are doing something to me. Somethin....gooooood!" [/color] He took a moment to intervene. He ran a calming hand down Duke’s back. [color=8dc73f]“Athena, this is Duke. He is a working military dog. You need to wait and ask permission before approaching him. He could have just as easily attacked you if he had been on a guard command. Next time please ask me first. Then slowly offer your hand for him to sniff. Wait for him to sniff it and lick it or push his hand into yours before petting okay? This is for your safety and his.”[/color] Chuck tried to show her the right way to approach Duke. Chuck could tell that Duke was just picking up on Athena’s natural outgoing energy and personality. He didn’t necessarily dislike her but it could be overwhelming and he was still recovering from the base fight and two very long plane rides and adjusting to a new location. It was a lot for a dog. Chuck shook his head laughing as he barely got a word in before she was back over inspecting his armor once more. She launched into an invitation to work out with her. He tried to follow the conversation but got lost on the way. She went from working out with her to tearing shit up, to talking about him working with her brother. His head was spinning trying to keep up with the tornado that was Athena. Chuck’s expression grew serious once more as she apologized about being angry when they landed. He couldn’t help showing some sympathy for her. His expression softened as he thought about it. If that had been one of his family members he would have been emotional too. [color=8dc73f]“Apology accepted, Athena. I meant no disrespect by my actions. There was tension on both sides when we landed. The team had been through the blender and on the go for almost 48 hours. I understand. My family is important to me too.”[/color] He paused and gave her a saucy wink and grin. [color=8dc73f]“You should know that Freya is important to us too.”[/color] And in true Athena fashion the conversation passed to a new topic, armor and weapons. Chuck tried to follow the conversation about weapons and comparisons between the sisters. He almost felt like he was talking to the guys back home about souping up American Muscle cars and what would work best. He tried to resolve that with the almost young teenage girl energy and vibe she had as she giggled. He just laughed and shook his head. [color=8dc73f]“My suit just went through some upgrades. Samantha will need to take a look at it. It got damaged in that last push to get everyone off the island. Honestly she will probably be the one to decide if any weapons get added. I will be sure to let her know you offered.”[/color] He motioned to his armor to indicate exactly what he was talking about. Chuck wondered if Athena ever stopped moving and bouncing. Her energy was making him almost dizzy. About that time Chuck got a ping on his personal cell phone. He look up at Athena with a polite smile. [color=8dc73f]“I need to take this.”[/color] He answered the call [color=8dc73f]“This is Chuck.”[/color] He listened as Tahlia rambled quickly into the phone. [color=f7976a]Tahlia: “Hey, Chuck. You alright lugging some fat reindeer and fighting bears, just in case? Thought you may want a workout that might keep you off Athena for a bit. Wait. Don't reply if she's there, she just went in. I think." Tahlia commented, a sly chuckle… [/color] Before he could say anything he heard Tahlia greeting someone else and the phone was set down. The conversation was muted somewhat. Which was probably for the best since Chuck would have found out he was meeting Tahlia’s father and that she thought he was cute. He waited a few more minutes and then the phone went silent and hung up. He looked at it like it was broken. He sighed and texted the Kiwi. [color=8dc73f][i]“I would love to go hunting and fight polar bears with you. Where do I meet you? Just gotta grab my jacket and hunting knife.” [/i][/color] He smiled in excitement. He would love to explore outside the base. It was beautiful here and Chuck’s kind of place. He looked up at Athena. [color=8dc73f]“Thank you for the kind offer, Athena. I will let Sam know about the upgrades. I need to run. I have something I need to do for a team member. Pleasure meeting you.”[/color] His southern drawl was warm and sweet as honey as he said his good bye. [color=8dc73f]“Duke come.”[/color] Duke bounded after his master with a happy lope. He tipped his head like he had on hat as he left Athena in the gym.