To say that Kelly was having trouble relaxing would have been an understatement. Perched on the tallest, rocky outcrop she could find, the waves crashing against the smooth stone far below her, she was throwing stones across the water almost absently. The way her eyes refused to remain still however, attested to the fact that she was alert and wary as ever. Unlike the other members of the crew, who seemed to have taken the shore leave well enough, the Spartan had never been comfortable with inaction. Zokez II may have been a rest stop, a play-planet as it were, but to be on a strange planet, disallowed weapons and worst of all, her armor put her slightly on edge. Of course, a Spartan didn't need weapons to be deadly, but they sure as hell helped when it came down to it. In stark contrast to other members of the crew who had happily shed the majority of their clothing in favour of beachwear, Kelly's attire had hardly changed.

Dressed in cargo pants, combat boots, and a tight singlet with 'U.N.S.C.' stamped across the chest (something she had undoubtedly done herself sometime) she was the picture of discomfort. Her too-pale skin seemed to gleam in the sunlight as she sat, ignoring the gleeful cries of the people surrounding her. She kept a watchful eye on any member of Stacy's crew who was within sight, all the while lobbing rock after rock into the sea. At the rate she was going, it was surprising that she hadn't run out of them yet.

R&R simply wasn't her thing. She could appreciate rack time as much as the next person. A good soldier knew when their body needed rest. But this, relaxing, not doing anything. Unarmed and completely open to enemy attack. She didn't like it. The Ohm were out there. Who was to say they wouldn't hit this planet next? And without weapons, completely unprepared for such an attack, how would a single member survive. Her entire life had been a battlefield. Honestly, she couldn't remember a time when she hadn't been fighting, recuperating from a fight, or preparing to fight. This sort of relaxation simply wasn't for her. At the moment however, all she could do was keep a watchful eye out for anything that may have signaled trouble. Leave the others to enjoy the water and the sun. She would make sure they were safe.

Kelly was in her armor. The olive drab plates were polished to a glossy sheen, something that wasn't exactly practical if a soldier was trying to infiltrate...anything. But here on the ship, it hardly mattered. She could always dull the shine if the mission called for it. Behind her visor, her eyes were red and she knew her movements were sluggish. Or at least, what counted as sluggish for her. But she couldn't bring herself to sleep. The things she saw weren't things she would have willingly exposed herself to at any time. Chief Mendez had always said that a soldier's greatest weapon was their mind and that the most effective way to attack any enemy was to screw with that first. Apparently the Nightmare King agreed with that hypothesis, and she wasn't about to let him have the satisfaction of breaking her.

Still, even in wakefulness, she didn't feel safe. She's wandered in those 'waking dreams' that had been spreading, and it was beginning to get to the point where she didn't want to leave her armor. Here, inside the suit, she felt safe. She'd spent more than half her life behind the armor plate, and though she'd been trying to integrate with the crew outside it, for now she needed it. She felt at home. Still, her mind was foggy as she wandered aimlessly through the city. Her weapons were with her, loaded and ready, not that there was anything that would attack her here, but it was her routine. It was habit. She felt safer with then close by.

She couldn't tell how long she'd wandered here, among the buildings. It could have been hours, it could have been days, she simply kept walking, not caring where her feet brought her. Simply needing to stay awake. So it was that she found herself walking up toward the peak of a hill, the ruins of a familiar temple looming up ahead. Behind her visor, her lips curled in a wry smile as she ascended the cracked, weather-beaten marble steps and stepped onto the floor. She simply stood there for a long while, staring up at the broken statue of Athena that still stood on its pedestal. There was a sort of peace here. She didn't believe in gods, or fate, or destiny or any of that other crap, but in this place, she couldn't deny that there was...something that seemed to soothe her soul, a sort of calm that cut right through the exhaustion. She'd wondered of course. Magic existed, this Nightmare King was powerful beyond anything she'd faced yet. She'd seen things on the ship that she'd never believed existed. Who knew. Maybe in some far corner of some universe, the gods really did exist.

Shaking her head slowly at the thought, she reached up to pull off her helmet, leaning back against a wall and slowly lowering herself to the floor to sit. The armor plates clinked quietly against the floor as she set her helmet down, looking up at the statue of the goddess. Wisdom and war. Leaning back comfortably, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Maybe...just a few minutes. Maybe...

"Thank you." She whispered to the air.

Kelly was in the sensoriums again. This time, not to train or run battle simulations, but to let her frustrations out. The room had morphed into what would, under normal circumstances, have been a peaceful panorama. A large lake took up the center of a clearing in a forest. A stream fed it at one end, with others flowing out from all around the vaguely oval shaped body of water. Kelly remembered coming here as a child on Reach. They hadn't had much time to simply enjoy themselves back then, but she'd always wanted to go back. It had looked like such a serene spot. That was, before the Covenant had glassed the planet. This room was probably the only place the lake even existed anymore.

At the edge of the lake, was an old, tin sign that warned any potential swimmers of the dangerous undercurrents that had swept several unwary soldiers on rec time to their deaths. Kelly wasn't here to swim though. Standing on the pebbly shore, the water lapping at her bare feet, she had a handful of stones and was skipping them (with far more force than necessary) across the water. She'd always been a dead shot with a weapon, but then, that could have been said of any of her brothers and sisters. Brothers and sisters who were all dead now. Those who the Covenant hadn't gotten to, wiped out by those bastards the Ohm. All except John. But it wasn't as if the Chief was around, even when Stacy wasn't sending him on secret missions. She didn't mind it, he had to do what he had to do. She understood. Lately though, the dreams, no, the nightmares she'd been having. They made her want...someone around. John had been one of the pillars of her life for as long as she could remember.

Now though, she had found new comrades on the ship. People she cared about, people she would have laid down her life to protect. Sherry, Brenda, Katara, Sokka, Lafiel. Lafiel. The little Abh was one of the first she'd met on the ship, one of the ones she would admit that she cared about probably more than was advisable. But she hadn't been able to protect her, had she? The Empress had been hit in the face, and what had the big strong Spartan done? Nothing except sputter. She didn't even know who the culprit was. She hated feeling useless, redundant, helpless. And the whole situation with the Nightmare King made her feel so. How could she fight what she couldn't even touch. Someone who could hurt her in her dreams. How could she protect anyone? Spartans never failed, but hadn't she failed?

Hefting another rock, she threw it again, drowning out the thoughts with action. Gritting her teeth, she hefted another rock and this time, turned and threw it at the sign. The pebble hit the metal with a loud crash, breaking into a million tiny fragments. Dropping the pebbles that remained in her hand, she stepped back and sat down on the shore, curling her legs up in front of her and wrapping her arms around them as the weather shifted. It seemed to reflect her mood, the sky turned dark, and a cold wind swept across the water. She stared out moodily over the vaguely shimmering liquid.

Kelly had finally made it back to her room. What with being trapped under that mistletoe, and helping that belligerent teenager, and all this after her daily workout. Well, she was about ready for some relaxation time. That being said, she stepped into the shower, turning the setting up to as hot as she could take and stepped into the stall, shutting the door. Mmm... that felt like heaven. Sure, it wasn't quite as good as feeling real water on her skin, but it was a reasonable facsimile.

With the shower feeling as good as it was on her skin, it was a good hour before she stepped out again. Pushing her limp hair away from her eyes, she grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around herself, too lazy to bother dressing, it wasn't as if she was going anywhere. Now with some semblance of modesty returned, she slid onto her bunk, leaning her back against the wall and pulling a book over. The Art of War. Déjà had taught them about it of course. And she'd read it before. But she liked it.

So when John came back, whenever that would be. That was how he would find her.