#ie the meaning of ''things you said'' - does it imply needing actual written-out dialog? a particular POV?

[synnthamonsugar]

6, Eris & Ikora

In the liminal space between Savathûn's carefully manicured gardens and the fetid swamps of the Disciple, a hunter and a warlock tread carefully through overgrowth, coattail and cloak drenched in the pulp of mud and detritus underfoot. Despite the sticky, unstable footing, Eris moves with lightness that Ikora has not seen since before the Hellmouth.

She realizes part of it is lack of opportunity. In the years since Eris' return they've had precious little opportunity to do Hidden field work together, Ikora usually too busy with Vanguard duties and Eris preoccupied with territory she alone could tread. To say nothing of the ever-present threat to operational security having both spymaster and spy on a mission together.

There's no risk presently, Ikora supposes, with Savathûn's body locked away and Rhulk dead at the hands of the Guardians. Roiling unease threatens to creep into her chest as she considers the power vacuum they've all had a hand in opening, but right now there is calm. Thick, pungent air and flowers unseen by any human eyes and the din of wildlife never before heard. Somewhere there is a sword, but it does not point at them today, so it's no coincidence that Eris walks with ease and Ikora can allow herself a moment to envision a world where the gift of infinite life may be turned toward matters of scholarship, not survival.

They shelter from the unrelenting light of the Throne World's three suns under a gnarled tree, Ikora sitting cross-legged on the carpet of brilliant green moss while her companion kneels to study a bug. Eris has no official training in life sciences but is a biologist insofar as learning to live among the hive and with a part-hive body, and in this case Ikora finds her hands-on knowledge more valuable than any certification. She can read between lines and see between worlds and for that reason is the best equipped to determine whether the unnamed creatures who fly and slither and creep through the wetlands traveled with the Hive from distant star systems, were invented whole-cloth from the Witch's imagination, or any number of more far-fetched possibilities posed by Hidden scientists.

They talk about similar morphologies among the insects here and on the Dreadnaught, and passing comparisons between the gargantuan serpents who writhe in the murky depths and the leviathans of Titan. Argue about the likelihood that Savathûn could manage to create life (let alone in such intricate variety) from nothingness, and what implications that would have for the understanding of the Ascendant Plane and its interactions with the material universe. The debate is spirited enough to be exciting but has enough levity to offer a welcome respite from the high-pressure work they're both accustomed to. Ikora finds herself smiling and is pleased to see the corners of Eris' lips upturned ever so slightly as they toss ideas back-and-forth, refuting and defending and conceding points.

It isn't unusual for Ikora to not quite see eye-to-eye with Eris. It's never strained their relationship, at least not seriously, but there's always been a sense that her warlock meticulousness and role as theoretician puts her forever slightly out of sync with Eris and her hunter-restless need to experience firsthand, to try first and question later. In this moment, she feels they've found a shared frequency, and more than the hazy sunlight flitting through the canopy warms her.