Summary: Morganite tells Hematite a story.

Finally, after weeks and weeks of work, Hematite finally had the next few days to do whatever he wanted. There was a strange lull in missions soon after his Spinel hunt, and White allowed him two whole days to do whatever he wanted. He hadn't had a full day off in months, and he was glad to spend it with some friends.

More specifically, Blue.

Ever since the 'incident' at the Sky Arena, Hematite had rarely seen the chipper Diamond, and he was starting to miss talking with her. Sure, dropping into Morgan's bar now and then was fun, but it wasn't nearly as nice without his drinking buddy.

Hands folded behind his back, Hematite looked around as he headed down a staircase that lead to a lower part of the Blue district. He was heading for Morganite's bar, where Blue Diamond was supposed to meet him. Looking up at the reddening sky, a content smile crossed Hematite's face. It was a nice evening.

The service gem passed a few civilians and gave them a polite nod as he passed, which one returned, and one did not. People in the Blue district were slowly easing up on the dirty looks and avoidant paths, and Hematite was glad for it. It made walking about a lot less stressful. Though it helped when he stayed at his normal, smaller height like he was now.

Turning a corner, Hematite perked up as Morganite's bar came into view.

The bar was quiet this evening, at least for now. Morganite's Club just opened about half an hour ago, so not many people were hanging about outside. Normally, one could hear the music from the front door, but such was not the case at the moment. A familiar blue gem sat upon the bench outside the club, looking up to the sky. She didn't even notice at first that anyone was coming near her. She looked mesmerized, dazed even. Stars were already starting to come out, despite the early hour. Man, she really loved the sky in this area...

With an almost devious smile, Hematite noted that Blue didn't seem to see him yet. He stopped and tapped his chin, quietly hiding behind a wall for a moment. Looking around, he checked to see if there was anyone on the street. There were a few gems out past Blue, but nobody nearby.

I wonder...

Keeping hidden, Hematite glowed for a moment before the light quickly went out. A now tiny service gem snickered to himself as he scurried down the street, keeping to the red shadows of the darkening city block.

Don't look over here.

To his delight, Blue was too busy watching the stars to notice his near silent approach. Tiny feet patting along the sidewalk, Hematite slowed to a stop behind the bench.

He stifled a snerk before stepping back and suddenly size-shifting back up behind the bench.

"AHA!" He laughed, playfully grabbing Blue around the shoulders. "I gotcha!"

Jolted quickly from her peace and quiet, Blue's instincts kicked in lightning fast and she grabbed the mystery gem's wrists. With a powerful swing, she yanked him over her head and slammed him into the ground in front of her.

"HYYYAH!" She placed a hand to her gem, baring her teeth fiercely, but soon her expression was one of confusion. Then realization. Then joy!

She burst out into laughter, swinging her arms up into the air and cackling heartily. She regained her composure quickly, looking down at the gem laying on the ground.

Regret. He had much regret.

Hematite let out a surprised yelp as Blue tossed him over her head and into the ground. He laid there in a daze, a weak, pained groan escaping him.

"N-nice to see you too Blue..."

"Oh stars, sorry about that Hema! I didn't know it was you! Ya really had me goin' there!" she said, pointing her fingers at him in a joking manner.

Without warning, she leaned over and picked him up, hugging him tightly. Yep, there she was. Hadn't changed a bit. "OOooooh I missed ya bud! How have you been, ay? We've got a lot to catch up on!" She squeezed him excitedly.

The service gem grunted in surprise as the diamond picked him up and squeezed him tight. His cheeks puffed out, and he winced slightly, despite there being a smile on his face. Breathlessly, he chuckled.

"I missed you too. Y-yeah we do, uh. Can yo-U PUT ME DOWN," he wheezed as the diamond hugged him tighter. His legs kicked in the air. "Blue I can't breathe."

She continued hugging him, still shaking off the laughter.

"You silly thing, gems don't have to breathe!" she said with a wide grin. Her grip loosened and she dropped the service gem back onto his feet, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm messin' with ya!" She waved her hand, turning to the door. She gestured for him to follow behind her.

The smaller gem sighed thankfully as he was put back down, and he adjusted his suit as Blue ushered him into the bar. He smiled brightly and strolled in behind her.

"Remind me never to sneak up on you again," he joked good-naturedly, snickering. He looked around the bar with a content smile. He always liked when it was calmer this time of night. Morgan's lounge had become a sort of comfort to him, and it was far more relaxing when there were fewer people.

The door chimed as it was opened, the softer music was the only sound filling the air. The club in the back had yet to be opened, and a few people were sitting in the lounge asleep. They were probably waiting for the later hours when it would open. Morganite waved to the both of them, a towel in his hands.

"Evenin'!" he said charmingly, raising a brow.

Blue waved back cheekily and hopped up into her usual seat. Morganite turned to grab something from the shelf. "Haven't seen you in a few weeks, Blue! You been busy?" He asked idly. She propped her elbows up on the counter top and crossed her fingers.

"Yeeeaah, just catching up on some work! Man, I needed this!" she said endearingly. She sighed with content. She, too, was comfortable here.

Hematite hopped up in his own seat next to Blue and smiled brightly at the pink-haired gem behind the counter.

"Hey Morgan. How've things been? I haven't seen you in a while..."

The service gem swung his legs quietly, his hands holding the sides of his seat.

Morganite was pouring drinks behind the counter, smiling warmly. He was glad to see them both again. "I've been alright! I'm certainly better now that you two are here!~" he cooed, turning to them with two drinks in hand. That was fast! He slid them both the glasses. One of them was Blue's usual, and the other was a familiar, bright drink. It looked a lot like the one that Hematite had the last time he was here. Blue smiled and immediately took a drink, smacking her lips.

"AAaawww yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!" She eyed the cup deviously.

At the sight of the brightly colored drink, Hematite's eyes lit up, and he pulled it over, taking a sip.

"Thanks, Morgan!"

After a few quiet moments, Hematite put down his glass. He reached up to his face, removing his eyepiece. Placing it down on the counter, he smiled and picked up his drink again, idly resting his mouth on the glass. Listening to the soft lounge music, the service gem sighed and swung his feet lazily below his chair.

Blue swirled her drink in her hand before taking another sip. It was peaceful here. She was among friends. She had her favorite drink in hand. How much better could it get? Morgan turned his back to them and started rinsing a few dishes, humming too quietly for anyone to hear. Blue turned to the smaller gem and raised her glass up.

"So? You gonna tell me what's been going on? I haven't really seen ya since the whole... um... Ordeal, with Sparky." She looked away with an awkward grin, still swirling her drink.

Drawn from his peaceful quiet by Blue's question, Hematite raised his brows and looked at the gem to his right. It was true, he'd barely seen her since, well, that little 'incident'. Putting his cup back on the counter, Hematite idly twisted the glass between his hands.

"Well, I've mostly been doing stuff around the districts... Construction, deconstruction, clean-up." He sipped his drink. "A little recon, lots of patrolling. Though, before all that, I was being bossed around by a bunch of Peridots." A soft chuckle escaped the service gem, but it faded prematurely as he looked up at Morganite. Something akin to anxiety flared up in his expression, and Hematite had to look back at Blue to ignore it. Right, something else had happened.

"And, well... recently. Morganite and I had a spar."

Morganite felt a twinge of surprise rise up at Hematite's mention of the spar. Though, he didn't show any signs of hearing it. He gave a quick glance to Blue and turned to look at something else on the shelf behind him. Placing his hands on his hips, he stood with his back to them, looking up and down the shelves. Blue caught herself frowning, abruptly looking back at the Service gem with shock.

"WHAAAAT? You two had a spar AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"

Hematite flinched with a bashful smile and shook his head.

"No no, it wasn't that. You were busy, I think you were out of the city that week." The service gem fidgeted with his glass. "... You wouldn't have wanted to be there anyways. It wasn't pretty." One of the gem's hands slowly reached to the back of his neck, and he rubbed at it in remembrance.

Blue's eyes narrowed for a moment, and she propped her elbow onto the counter top She looked as though she were about to say something serious, but she smirked.

"Alright, who do I gotta beat up?" she said, her grin widening. It would seem that was more of a joke. Well, half of a joke, anyway. Morganite still stood in the same place, eyeing the shelves. With a sigh too quiet to hear, he started to hum the same eerily familiar tune he had many times before, including back during his spar with Hematite.

At Blue's question, Hema let out the weakest laugh he could have managed. His fingers grasped at the cloth on his neck. The service gem's voice dropped just slightly.

"You don't have to worry about it." He looked at her with a strangely haunted look in his eyes. "They're gone now. White took care of them."

As Morgan began to hum, Hematite tensed up ever so slightly, sparing the warrior gem a glance.

Blue's eyes widened, looking back at her drink for a second. She seemed concerned, but, didn't say anything. White took care of them. They're gone. Something really bad must have happened. She gave Hema a nod and took a sip of her drink.

"Hah, well... uh, I mean..." she paused awkwardly, trying to change the subject. "Ah, how did Morgan fare then?"

Graceful, Blue. That wasn't much of a subject change.

The pink haired gem kept humming and closed his eyes upon the mention of his name again. His hands moved up to his hair, brushing through it for a moment. They soon found themselves rested on his shoulders.

The service gem dropped his gaze back to his own drink. He stared for a long moment before giving Morganite another glance. If Hematite wasn't mistaken, the warrior seemed... off. He couldn't tell exactly how, but something was up with him.

"Honestly, he probably would have handed my gem to me if the fight hadn't gotten sour." The service gem sipped his drink. A nervous chuckle escaped him, and he looked fully to the pink-haired gem.

"H-huh Morganite?"

Blue gave a grin, glancing from Hema to Morgan. Morganite's gaze drifted to the floor as he continued smiling and humming softly. He stopped for a second, lowering his hands and placing them close to each other. He ran his thumb over his gem slowly.

He let out a soft, quiet chuckle that broke the silence.

"No."

Hematite's brows raised after a few seconds, as if it'd taken the gem a moment to process what Morgan said. His nervous smile faded, only to be replaced with a look of genuine confusion.

Mixed with... apprehension?

"What do you mean? I-I was clearly going to lose once you got back on your feet, before Diaspore interrupted." His tone was faintly insistent, as if something about Morgan's answer was troubling him.

Morganite started to sway side to side on his heels, holding his hand close to his chest. He was still clutching at his gem gently. He started to him a little louder, opening his mouth now to let the sound carry melodiously throughout the bar.

He didn't hear anything that Hematite said.

Blue placed a finger to her lip. Diaspore, huh? I'll have to ask White about that. She glanced over at the bartender and frowned. She quickly looked away, as if...disheartened.

Morganite moved as charmingly as he did sing, and waved his hands away. He still wasn't facing either of them.

Blue took a long, drawn out sip of her drink and muttered something under her breath.

"Ah, this one again..."

Hematite's heart sank, and he felt the same eerie chill that he did back during his match with the pink haired gem. Blue's quiet mumbling didn't help matters. What's going on. Why are you ignoring me? Morgan... answer me. The service gem's eyes didn't leave Morgan, and Hematite felt his expression slowly harden into a frown. With a sudden 'thud', Hematite put his drink back on the counter.

"Morganite," he said firmly, the nervousness completely gone from his tone. There was the faintest hint of irritation there. It wasn't often he sounded like this.

Blue placed a palm on Hematite's shoulder and shook her head quickly, eyes widened. She mouthed don't. Morganite, however, seemed completely unphased by his sudden change of demeanor. No, he continued... but now, he started to move along with the tune, as if he had entered a slow dance with himself. Chillingly, he stopped humming, and started to sing.

"Come to me, Oh Dearest one! Together we shall see the sun!"

Blue bit her lip, her palm still on Hema's shoulder. She avoided eye contact with him.

"You and me, let's sail away, live to see another day!"

The service gem looked at Blue in slightly indignant surprise, but then glanced at Morgan again. Something was wrong.

Slowly, he reached for his eyepiece that still laid on the counter. He returned it to his face silently. Hematite's shoulders were tense, and he glanced between Blue and Morgan. What on Homeworld was going on... and why this song again?

He started to move quicker, his movements more erratic and fight-like. However, he remained graceful, not bumping into or hitting anything behind the counters.

"So take my hand, be not afraid! The beast before you shall be slayed!"

He turned, his bangs falling over his eyes, smile twisted into a confident sneer.

"And when we're through, I'll say to you..."

His movements slowed down, placing his arms out as if he were about to take someone's hands, and his smile eased up into a much more soft grin. His gem began to glow faintly.

"Do not look so dismayed..."

Hematite looked visibly uncomfortable, and his hand moved to hold Blue's arm. He glanced at her, still unable to meet her eyes, as she wasn't looking at him.

The service gem forced himself to look back at Morganite, and he glanced at his now glowing gem. Hematite's lips parted, and though no sound came out at first, he eventually managed a soft, "Morgan?"

Morgan stopped suddenly, shaken for some reason. It looked as though he had been stabbed in the heart. His eyes widened under his bangs, smile cringing into a small frown. His gemstone stopped glowing. He cleared his throat and stood up straight again, placing his hand over his gem and covering it completely. For a few long, agonizing moments, he continued to stay silent.

Blue sighed quietly and took her hand off Hematite, looking away.

"You still miss her, don't you?" she said quietly. Morgan didn't look at her, parting his bangs away from his face. There were tears in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away.

"Every day."

He quickly regained his composure and turned away again, awkwardly shifting on his heel.

"Ah, forgive me... I can get carried away, sometimes!" He laughed weakly, though it was obviously fake. There was another pause. He turned his head, staring at the door to the other room where a few gems were dancing. "Thinking back to that fight... No, I got a little too into that. I was overzealous, far too eager to defeat you. I felt something, that day... during that fight. Like an old fire had reignited in me for some reason." A small grin returned to him. He finally turned to face the two. "It reminded me of how she and I used to spar."

Hematite stared at the warrior gem, his shoulders now relaxed, his face an expression of undisguised concern and confusion. He looked between Morgan and Blue, utterly lost. The service gem crossed his arms, his right hand grasping at his sleeve.

"Who?"

Morganite looked away, placing a palm to his cheek. A distant, bereft look befell him.

"Her name was Cinnabar..."

Blue felt a small chill go up her spine. She made a small noise, clutching her drink and putting it to her lips. She didn't like this story...

Hematite slowly sat back in his seat. He clutched his drink close to his face, his lips hid behind the glass.

Alright, Morgan. Let's hear it.

"Long ago before the thousand year gem war, Cinnabar and I were both of the Pink District, under the rule of Pink Diamond. I used to sit out in the gardens and watch the days go by. It was peaceful, then..." He looked envious, remembering better days. Crossing his arms, he continued. "But one day, I overheard a commotion near one of the fountains. Curiously, I went and checked it out. There was a small, red and white gem that was bickering with a much larger gem. A Clinohumite, I believe. Just as I had snuck around to hear what they were saying, the Clinohumite struck the smaller gem with their fist and stormed off. I rushed over to see if the smaller gem was alright, but she was pretty shaken." He stopped, frowning.

Blue took a look down at her drink uncomfortably as he continued.

"I told her that I knew a place she could stay if she didn't feel safe. She seemed a little reluctant, but she followed me back to the outer cities. I took her back to my home and gave her tea... Then asked her what happened. Understandably, she didn't want to give me too many details, but basically told me that she had just had a relationship end badly." He sighed, tapping his fingers on his arms.

"I told her she could stay as long as she needed... so she did. We became far more acquainted in those few short weeks, and eventually she told me that she had to leave. I asked her if I'd ever see her again." He paused, smiling again faintly. "She said yes."

Sparing Blue a quick glance, Hematite fidgeted with his glass and listened to Morganite's story. Though he didn't show it, he was silently taking notes. As much as he felt like he didn't want to hear the rest of this tale, he knew it was his duty to himself to take heed of whatever the warrior said.

"We really hit it off, after that! And, well... to make a long story short... we ended up together, practically inseparable. Turns out, we were both a lot alike in more ways than we could ever have imagined! I taught her how to fight and stand up for herself, so sparring was a common thing that we did together. She was small, and many would think that she wasn't very strong..." He closed his eyes, grinning.

"But they were so wrong. Through thick and thin, she persevered, Pushed through. She gave it her all. She had such passion, such spirit! No matter what, she'd do what it would take to win!" He looked over at Hematite, opening his eyes. "A lot like you, honestly."

Blue shot a small smile to Hema, even if it was half-hearted. Morganite chuckled, lifting his hand to his face.

"She was a dreamer, alright. So fierce, determined, and eager to face her future. She wanted to go places, see places..." He looked around the bar, lowering his hand slowly. "We even wanted to open our own shop! Much like this place here, but... bigger! Better! And together." His solemn look quickly returned. "… And then the war happened."

Blue noticeably tensed up, her brows furrowing. She gripped her glass and set it down, glancing away without a word. Morgan continued.

"It split apart the districts. It threw Homeworld into chaos. It created anarchy and mayhem among it's people... including us. We were forced to choose sides..."

The faintest smile crossed Hematite's face, but it faded as Morgan continued.

Right... the war. Pink Diamond caused so much suffering with her choice. Every time Hematite found out more about the effects the ex-diamond's betrayal caused, the more he hated her, the more he felt justified tearing down the Pink District, or harvesting those still wanting to cause trouble in her name.

The service gem sipped his drink. He was getting close to the last of it.

"... What happened?"

"We chose to fight for Homeworld... we didn't... really want to fight, but with me being a warrior, and both of us being loyal to Homeworld, we didn't have much of a choice," he stated, placing his palm to the center of his chest. Blue gave a curt nod, frowning.

"And they both chose to follow me, more specifically," the Diamond butted in, swirling her almost empty glass. Morganite nodded and turned back to the shelf for a moment.

"Yes, so we fought... we fought for Homeworld, mostly here on our own planet against the rebels that rose up in the name of Pink Diamond. We fought for our own lives together, we fought for our future! Together, we came through... there were many rough spots, often times accepting the fact that we might be killed... but we always pulled through. Heh... she was so hopeful, so optimistic. We were a force to be reckoned with, she and I..." He stopped, his face becoming cold and blank.

"We were going to spend our lives together. We were going to go places, see places... But one day..."

He looked up at nothing, a thousand yard stare taking over his gaze.

"Something terrible happened."

Hematite's body went cold, and he felt a shiver go up his spine. Looking away, he braced himself for whatever was coming. He remained silent, not wanting to interrupt.

Blue put her glass on the counter and crossed her arms. She hated this part of the story.

"One night, I went to go scope out a rebel base. I told Cin not to follow me... but she didn't listen." He cringed, clutching the fabric of his shirt where the diamond insignia was. There was an awful, pained look in his eyes. He bared his teeth and fought back tears, but forced himself to smile.

"Someone snuck up on me... So I acted quickly."

Another pause followed, his palms trembling slightly.

"But by the time I reacted..."

Looking at Blue for a moment, Hematite frowned and turned his gaze to the pink haired warrior. He wanted to say something, but he could tell Morgan was still talking, and he bit his tongue.

It took him a moment to regain his composure enough to say the next words. It was ominous, seeing such a normally calm and collected gem so rattled by something.

"It was too late to notice who had snuck up on me."

He pulled his hand away from his shirt, his arms going limp beside him. He sighed heavily, staring at the floor. "I always had such... precise accuracy." He scowled, as if disgusted with himself. "Before either of us could do anything... before we could say a word... My own careless, rash decisions and reactions got the best of me... And I shattered her."

At Morgan's last words, Hematite felt the lounge around him go silent. He couldn't tell if it had actually gone quiet, or if it was inside his own head, but it unnerved him all the same. His breathing stopped, and he stared wide-eyed at the warrior.

Hematite suddenly felt something pricking at the inside of his mouth, a strange phantom feeling that made his skin crawl. It felt as though his tongue was covered in glass. He closed his eyes tightly, willing the feeling to go away.

There was an agonizingly long pause.

"... You didn't mean to."

He looked up, eyes wide. Turning to Hematite at last, Morgan stared at him, the tears flowing from his eyes freely. He parted his lips, shocked by his statement somehow. However, he quickly shook himself back. No, the story wasn't quite over...

"Distraught... I took her shards and bubbled them away. I still know where they are, in hopes that one day, one day far in the future, I could bring her back..." He felt the last words hard to get out, emitting a shuddering breath. "Even if that may never happen... Even if..."

Blue gave Morganite an understanding nod, meeting his gaze.

"Even if she can't forgive me if or when she returns... If I could just see her, one last time. Tell her I'm sorry." He took one of the cloths from the shelf and wiped his eyes, reaching for a bottle that sat nearby.

"I cherished her dearly. Of all of my mistakes, that one to this day still haunts me." He poured the drink into a glass and slid it over to Blue, finally. "The song that I sing was the song I sang to her during the war... a song that kept our spirits up. A song that inspired us. It was... our song. Heh... I wrote it myself." He seemed as though he was slowly coming back, having gotten over the worst of the story.

Sighing, he looked down again at his gem.

"It's still my favorite song..."

Slowly, Hematite put his empty glass down and fidgeted with it, turning it in his hands. He was quiet as he listened to Morganite finish his story. After a long, silent pause, he looked up. The prickling in his mouth had thankfully ceased. An unreadable expression crossed the service gem's face, and he took a long, steadying breath.

"I'm so sorry, Morgan." His tone was genuine, and there was a heaviness to it. "Neither of you deserved that. Terrible things happen to people that don't deserve it." Looking at his glass, Hematite blinked thoughtfully. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. "I think you'll be together again some day. Maybe not some time soon. But... Nothing's unfixable."

Hematite's fingers twitched a moment.

"There's a way out there, somewhere." A small, sad smile crossed his face. Hematite suddenly looked up to the pink haired warrior, a bright grin on his face.

"And when we find it, you can sing that lovely song to her again."

Morgan's eyes widened, tears welling up in them once more. He shook his head, forcing them away. A genuine smile found its way back to him.

"Hematite, thank you..." he said simply, shrugging his shoulders. Blue blinked a few times, sipping her drink between Hematite's words. Wise... truly wise. That was a nice thing to see from him. Morganite looked at his hand and clenched his fist. Warmth and calm had returned back to him. He began humming again, a longing look in his distant eyes.

"Do not fear the war my dear... I promise I shall be right here. And when the battle's said and done..." he turned away from the two again and held his hand close to his chest.

"You will be my only one.~"

Hours later, Hematite was the only one left at the bar as closing time approached. Blue left some time ago. The service gem retired to one of the lounges for the night, quietly enjoying the club's calmer hours. Eventually the revelry and loud music faded, and dawn light began to filter through the front windows of the bar.

Hematite noticed that Morgan was beginning to wrap things up, and he wondered if the pink haired gem noticed he was still around. Getting up, he walked out of the lounge he'd rested in and made his way to the front. Seemed Morgan was getting ready to head out and lock up.

Morganite was wiping down the bar with a cloth, humming a different tune than from earlier. He sighed softly, thinking back to earlier in the night. That was a bit of an unprofessional outburst, but he had work to do nonetheless, after the fact. At least there weren't that many people around, that time. Business was business. And now, business was over for the night. Walking out from behind the counter, the pink haired gem stretched and yawned. Time to head out.

He started for the door, but didn't get very far before he noticed Hematite. Blinking curiously, he spared him a grin.

"Oh, you're still here? I thought you would have headed out long before now!" he said, placing a hand on his hip. Everyone else had left already, so it was a good thing Hematite showed up when he did, or he would have probably been locked in all day. "What, did you decide to go dancing or something?" he joked.

Hematite smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, looking away as he approached the warrior gem.

"Hah, no. I'd rather not get punched out by another angry club patron. And I'm not that great at dancing." Stopping a few feet away, Hematite took to messing with his hair. He finally looked directly at Morganite. "And I... wanted to say thank you."

Morganite raised a brow, tapping his fingers on his hips. He motioned his head to the side a little bit, his hair falling over his shoulder.

"For what?..."

The service gem looked to the side, shrugging his shoulders and pursing his lips.

"For, you know. Saving me back at the coliseum. I never did properly tell you thanks." He scuffed the ground with his foot, his gaze returning to Morgan's face.

The taller gem blinked a few times, looking a little surprised.

"Hah, well... you know... they ruined our match, and all!... And she tried to kill you. For no reason... I couldn't stand by and just watch her do that to you." He frowned, biting at his lip from the inside. He looked away and smiled. "Anytime, though..."

Hematite watched the taller gem intently. He stopped fidgeting with the hair on the back of his head and let his arms drop to his sides. His thumb and index finger brushed together.

The smaller gem suddenly stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Morganite's waist, giving him a tight hug.

Morganite was jumped from his calm for a split second, looking down at the service gem. That was a little unexpected, to say the least! He took a deep breath, lifting his hand and placing it on Hematite's shoulder softly. While Morganite felt like he didn't really need to be thanked, the gesture wasn't unwelcome

And thank you, 'harvester'.