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Do you ever have someone that you look up to? Someone you admire as an idol? Someone who just burns all your problems away with a single bad dad joke? Someone who was like family to you? To everyone?
Have you ever lost someone like that? Have you ever had them taken away from you? Having your very heart ripped out so violently, so selfishly?
Do you ever feel so helpless? Like you couldn’t… you can’t do anything?
Tower Courtyard, The Last City
Sep. 4th, Time: 9:22 AM
A gloomy, solemn afternoon covered the Last City on Earth. A dark gray overcast of clouds put the entire valley in a shroud, hiding itself from the rest of the galaxy. The Traveler, still awake and quiet, being the only positive light in the aura of negativity that ran through the Tower.
The Guardians lost someone. Not just any someone though. They lost a member of their family, someone that everyone loved, admired, and looked up to. They lost a member of their Vanguard. The Hunter Vanguard, Cayde-6. He was murdered along with his Ghost by the former prince of the Reef and the Awoken hierarchy, Prince Uldren.
The Guardians of the Tower, all of them present, were present, or that’s what they’d thought they were. Just like before they were resurrected by their respective Ghosts, they looked like dead statues. Hunters, Warlocks, Titans. All were quiet, in respect, most kept their helmets on, because of one reason, they knew Cayde wouldn’t want to see their sadness and he’d try to cheer them up. That thought alone tore the Guardians to pieces.
As the covered corpse was brought into a private chamber near the Commander’s office, a Hunter was staring in disbelief, and everyone could see it since her helmet was off. Her short, messy black hair with red highlights were blowing slightly in the dead autumn wind as Cayde’s body was being carried past where she was standing. A stream of water began to build up in her chrome eyes and before she let them fall, a hand pulled her away suddenly, and she gave a quiet gasp which no one gave no mind to.
Once she was pulled through the crowd, she came face to face with an Exo Titan, one she knew all too well. Said Titan pulled her into a sisterly embrace and put her back to the crowd so they wouldn’t see her if they looked. The Hunter began to silently weep into the Titan’s chest.
“X-Xia…” the Hunter said sadly. The Titan just rubbed small circles on the Hunter’s back slowly, consoling her away from the crowd. Her small sobs gripped at the Exo’s deep stone-like heart, and her hold on the Hunter slightly tightened to show her care. “Just let it out, Jasper.” Xia said to her kindly.
As the two embraced, Xia heard footsteps coming towards them, ones she and Jasper knew, but the Titan was the one who looked up to see an Awoken Warlock stopping and standing next to them, looking off at the crowd. The Awoken was female, pale blue skin, pure white eyes, black hair with it down in front and styled in the back, her robes a black and a little navy blue. Xia glanced at the Warlock then at the crowd, still holding Jasper with care. It was a long, dead silence, which was a poor choice of words to describe the moment. Finally, the ice was broken between the three-
“It was Uldren Sov.” the Warlock said. You think she said it with conviction, but Xia was surprised that she was able to say it with a straight face, without breaking down like the Hunter in her arms. “I saw him,” the Warlock’s voice was shaky now, her teeth gritting. “With Cayde’s gun in his hand. And he just smirked like the sadistic bastard that I remember him as.” The Warlock’s hands clenched so tightly, small snippets of void energy emanating from her enclosed fists. She was struggling to keep her cool in public, she was beginning to break down. Many thoughts were running through her head, like how she should’ve just shot Uldren before the door closed instead of standing there like a deer in headlights, or that she should’ve been faster in getting to Cayde. Guilt swarmed her. The dam was starting to break.
Then she stopped when she felt a tug on her robes’ sleeve, and she turned her head to see Jasper’s hand lightly holding onto her sleeve in a form of support for her. She was still hiding her face behind Xia’s frame, but slightly tilted her face to peek at the Warlock, red bloodshot eyes filled with tears were all she saw. “ ‘s not y-your fault, Rhea…” Jasper said through her quiet sobs. The Warlock looked at Jasper with a longing look, eventually calming down and sighing in sadness. Of all days, this had to have been their worst since being resurrected. Though what they didn’t notice was while the three were out of the way of everyone else, it didn’t stop those from looking in their direction and noticing them suffering in silence together. Specifically, a male Warlock with short, messy brown hair, with a gloomy look on his face, a mask covering his mouth.
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Bazaar, The Last City
Sep. 4th, Time: 9:50 AM
The Bazaar wasn’t as busy and lively, which was a poor choice of words. Their favorite ramen shop was open as always, serving to those on this gloomy, unfortunate day. The chef propped three bowls on the counter top, ringing a bell to signify an order was ready in which Xia had picked up those three bowls and carefully carried them over to a table where Rhea and Jasper were already sitting.
Jasper having her face buried in her arms on the table, deep in thought of Cayde and not being able to calm down. Light sniffling and quiet sobs could still be heard from the young Hunter. Rhea had been staring at her intertwined hands on the table, those hands that could’ve done something in the moment when she saw that rat, Uldren. How she could’ve fired her weapon on him before the door closed shut, or maybe launched a hurling, cataclysmic Nova Bomb at him that would’ve taken half the corridor with him. That smirk he gave Rhea was intoxicatingly sadistic, knowing that he enjoyed killing Cayde, with his own gun as well. Rhea knew how powerful her hands could produce void energy, she was very exceptional at that.
A bowl landed right in front of her, startling her from her thoughts as the Exo Titan placed her and Jasper’s bowl down. “Eat up, you two! We have escaped convicts to hunt down.” Xia’s robotic voice stated in a proper, mature tone. The Titan took her seat and gave a silent prayer then began eating. Rhea hesitantly grabbed a pair of chopsticks and began to eat her ramen bowl, even if she wasn’t that hungry.
As both the Warlock and Titan dug into their warm bowls, they noticed their third, usually energetic member still hadn’t moved. Jasper’s head didn’t leave her arms, even with the bowl of ramen in front of her. “Jasper, come on, you should eat up before we leave. We’re gonna be out for a while.” Xia said in a motherly tone. Jasper only groaned softly in response to that. The sound brought a sad look to the Exo’s face and you couldn’t see it on Rhea’s face, but she was surely devastated.
“Spicy ramen was his favorite.” Jasper mumbled in her arms, lifting her head up slightly to look at the bowl. “Why did it have to be him?” She asked quietly, the tears returning. The sad look on her face ignited something in Rhea as she slammed her bowl down and stood up suddenly, loud enough to draw attention from other people in the Bazaar. “Rhea, calm yourself! This is a public setting.” Xia scolded her, still sitting down. Rhea did not care if people noticed her sudden action, but took a deep breath as she turned her back to the table. “I’ll be back.” she said quietly. Xia now stood up suddenly, contradicting what she told Rhea. “And where are you going?!” Rhea didn’t even answer as she walked out of the Bazaar and down the corridor leading to the main Tower plaza.
Xia gave a frustrated sigh and looked to Jasper, who still had most of her face covered by her arms. It broke Xia’s cold, Exo heart to see her Human friend like this. “Come on, Jasper. Let’s go.” she said softly as she helped the Hunter to her feet and walked close with her to make sure she was comforted.
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Down the corridor she walked until she reached the bridge that connected the Plaza and Bazaar together, staring down the seemingly endless vast expanse of space before the ground below with a few more bridges here and there, connecting the entire structure together. The fact that they moved from the old Tower, standing above all and looking down from where they were, to now where the new Tower was a part of the City’s wall itself.
Rhea took a deep breath as she ran her gloved hands through her jet black hair, her front combed over, but the rest tied into a mess behind her head. She was losing her cool over Uldren and how Jasper’s sadness was the same thing. How it hurt her to see Jasper cry, so sad, so helpless. Uldren’s sadistic smirk filled Rhea with rage. She grit her teeth as her hands now gripped the railing tightly. “I’m gonna kill him!” she grumbled to herself as the railing began to give from her tight grip.
“You grip any harder and that might cause the bridge you’re standing on to fall beneath your feet.” a voice from behind her said.
Rhea quickly turned around, her back covering the dented railing as she calmly stood across from the owner of the voice, keeping her guard up, but not showing any worry or fear. “Well, that we’re BOTH standing on now.” the stranger said calmly, yet with a sort of tired tone. The stranger was a Warlock with dark colors, a black mask covering the lower half of his face and dark almond brown hair, short, but long enough to show that the wind had an effect on moving it around. His light blue eyes were what stood out the most, almost like he was robotic, even though he was Human.
Rhea noticed him at the gathering earlier, watching them with a blank, expressionless gaze. She didn’t say anything, but that didn’t mean she appreciated it. “Mind your own business, who are you anyway?” Rhea asked strongly, in which the Warlock didn’t blame her for it.
The Warlock had a half lidded, tired look on his face, but you could only see it through his eyes. “Everyone’s business IS my business.” the Warlock stated firmly, but in a calm, tired manner. Rhea didn’t know how that could work if he was basically involved in everything. This was the first time meeting, seeing, and even talking to him today. “Don’t worry about who I am. As for now, I overheard you encountered the former prince of the Reef Uldren Sov in the Prison of Elders.” he said again.
Not worried about who he is? A dude in a mask was basically following her, Jasper, and Xia around. Plus he looked tired, almost like he was dead inside, along with a mask covering the lower half of his face. She refocused on the current conversation. “So what if I did? Why do you care if I saw him or not?” Rhea asked a bit defensively. The Warlock didn’t seem put off by it, he accepted and understood her position in all this.
“The look on your face tells me all I need to know. You and your fireteam are in grief. Some more than others,” he explained to her simply. The look on Rhea’s face changed from one of defense to vulnerability, he read her like a damn book. Well he was a Warlock after all. He noticed the look in her eyes and the body language and sighed, “Relax, I’m not exposing you like this is some high school relationship drama.” he said calmly, yet tired. Rhea just looked at him, wondering what his motives were then. “You want revenge. I know someone who can help with that.”
The look in Rhea’s eyes, almost like the silver in them, jumped with anticipation. The Warlock chuckled at the look she gave, “I figured that’s how you’d react.”
“Where is he?!” she asked rather quickly, almost desperately. The Warlock didn’t say another word before turning to his left and beginning to walk towards the direction of the Bazaar, taking a few steps before Rhea was forced to reveal her desperation. “W-Wait! Aren’t you going to tell me where he is?!” she yelled at him, before the Warlock stopped. He chose to stop, her desperation didn’t influence his actions whatsoever. “Annex, landing pad, 5:00 p.m.” he stated without looking at her, his back facing her. Rhea’s eyebrow rose in confusion. “You want justice? Be there, not a second later. Though whether you want to do this alone or with your fireteam is up to you.” he said lastly before walking away and almost disappearing like the wind.
Rhea just continued to stare in the direction he left in. The look of desperation and anger on her face. She was being given a chance at Uldren and she was going to take it. The only issue was what he finished with, her fireteam. Should she involve them? She didn’t want to endanger them. She wanted to protect them. She had to make a decision, but the look on Jasper’s face made the decision all too easy.