#thera-gun is next

[lostinmirkwood]

Nothing like taking a bath in the middle of an August heat wave. Both my quads charlie horsed in the middle of a set of lunges at this gym this evening and if I want any hope of using them tomorrow I need all the magic epsom salts, cbd, and mustard seed can offer.

[moronic-validity]

First Date (Kinda)- Billy Lenz

Note: Okay so like I patterned Billy’s speech after my own when I’m manic. I know it isn’t perfect to the character, but I wasn’t sure how else to do it...

There are also a lot of time jumps...

Warnings: uhhh interesting parenting choices, interesting life choices, threats of murder....accidental nearly 2k fic. 

The sorority moved out in a hurry after the murders and the school would not allow any students live there. The chances it would happen again were low, but not zero. Putting students back in that house would look bad.

The house went on the market fully furnished and your family got it for a steal, for cheaper than international tuition and four years of on campus housing. Their only rule for the house was that you paid the utilities and for any repairs, other than that, good luck in Canada.

Everything was fine for the first few months, classes went well enough. November came and went, and suddenly it was December. You knew the history of the house so you were a bit gun-shy to put up decorations.

Then the phone calls started.

Pretty piggy this, Billy that, something about your cunt mixed in. You rolled your eyes.

“Hey dude, I know the transcripts are like public info now or whatever, but please get some original content,” and with that, you hung up on him.

The next call was heavy breathing. Your eyes hit the back of your skull and you decided to pant into the phone as a reply before hanging up.

Call three was the one that got your attention. The caller was silent and you were near certain the line went dead.

“I’m going to kill you.”

You blinked a few times, processing the information. It wasn’t the fact he told you he was going to kill you with a level of certainty reserved for phrases like ‘2+2=4’. It was the fact that despite the phone damn near back on the receiver, you heard him loud and clear.

He was in the house.

You cursed yourself up and down for moving into the stupid house. You cursed yourself twice over for not checking all the locks.

You could’ve run, but you had drawn the conclusion that he was close enough to nix that. You also knew he was close enough to hear it if you tried calling the police, and you knew they wouldn’t make it in time anyway.  Instead you calmly picked up the phone and clicked redial then call.

A phone rang upstairs.

Billy wasn’t expecting his phone to ring. He stared at the Nokia in his hand. He called people; people didn’t call him.

Then it stopped ringing.

“Billy?” You asked cautiously, remembering his name from the earlier, expletive filled rant. You took his silence as confirmation, “Billy, I know you’re upstairs.”

Billy shuffled in place. He wasn’t used to this, not at all.

“Hey,” you said, snapping him back to the one-sided confirmation, “it’s colder than a witch’s tit in a brass bra, I have plenty of blankets down here. I’m going to put some of them on the stairs, then I’m going to make myself some adult hot chocolate. If you’re going to kill me, could you wait until I’m drunk?” You hung up the phone and, as you told Billy you would, placed a few thicker blankets on the stairs. You walked into the kitchen and filled a mug with water and popped it in the microwave.

You pulled out your phone and sent a few texts to your parents, wishing them a merry Christmas and letting them know that you regret not spending the money for a plane ticket home. You felt the tears well up. God, these were going to be your final words. Nothing overly profound, just a wish to be back in your childhood home.

The microwave beeped and you wiped the tears out of your eyes. You added the powdered hot chocolate mix and turned around to grab your bottle of vanilla vodka. You were met with a fairly lanky man standing a bit too close for comfort.

The only thing in the situation that brought you peace was that he couldn’t hurt you while his hands were occupied, focused on keeping your grey blanket wrapped around his shoulders.  

You two stared at each other for a moment or two before he broke the silence.

“Want some,” he nodded at the hot chocolate in your hands.

You stared at him a second longer before nodding.

“Want vodka in yours?” You asked. He shook his head no, like a dog trying to dry itself.

You filled a second mug with water and heated it up the same way you did yours. The second you had it in the microwave, you turned back to face the stranger at your table.

“So..” you started, watching him tap his foot, twiddle his thumbs, and periodically twitch, “are you still planning on killing me?”

“No no no, Bibibilly,” he took a deep breath and started over, “No, Billy isn’t goigoing to kill you.” He went back to paying attention to his thumbs.

You nodded slowly, unsure if you believed him or not. The microwave beeped and you took his mug out, quickly mixing him a normal hot chocolate. You pulled some whipped cream from the fridge and sprayed a generous amount onto his drink then placed it on the counter in front of him. You thought about it, decided to forgo the alcohol, and grant yourself a generous amount of whipped cream as well.

You turned back to him after fixing your drink, only to find him gone with your mug.

You knew you probably wouldn’t be sleeping, but for some reason, you also couldn’t bring yourself to call the cops. Your therapist was going to be thera-pissed when/if you told her.

Billy was perched at the top of the stairs, sipping the drink you made him. He wasn’t sure when he decided he wouldn’t kill you, but he wasn’t going to. He adjusted the blanket, your blanket, around his shoulders. He flipped open his phone and called you.

“Yes Billy?” you answered the phone.

He was breathing heavily into the phone, then mumbled a single word. Stairs. Then he hung up the phone.

You walked to the bottom of the stairs and saw where he had set down the now empty mug. You smiled to yourself.

Billy lived in your house for weeks. You only knew he was there when he would call you with single word requests. They ranged from requests for blankets to trying to bargain with you for hot chocolate.

Late January, you decided to set up a bedroom for your ‘roommate’. There were plenty of rooms and you didn’t want him getting sick in the attic and then giving it to you when you two did see each other.

Billy’s phone rang once before he picked it up.

“Come on downstairs,” you told him, not waiting for a response before hanging up.

He padded down the stairs, wearing one of your sweatshirts that you thought went missing out of the wash. He rounded the corner, down one of the hallways filled with rooms. That’s where he saw you, shifting foot to foot, clearly excited about something.

He looked into the room and saw the bed was made, a mug on the dresser, and a pillow -one he recognized from your own bed- laying at the head of this other one.

“It’s for you,” you explained, doing another grand sweeping motion. “I don’t want you sleeping in the attic anymore, it’s too cold up there, you’ll catch your death and give it to me.”  

Billy was frozen in place. He wasn’t sure how to process this one. He looked from the bed to you, then back to the bed, then locked his eyes on you again, trying to read your mind.

You tried to read the look on Billy’s face. He was squinting at you like he was trying to work all of this out. Then he latched onto you, hugging you tighter than was comfortable. You accepted his affection and wrapped your arms around him.

Once he let go, he started rambling through different expletives and went to explore his new room. You leaned against his door frame and watched.  

The rest of January went, Billy proved to actually be a solid roommate, often doing the dishes or sweeping when you were in class.

You came home in a horrible mood February 13th, it wasn’t like you had a partner to celebrate Valentine’s Day with, but it didn’t stop you from being pissed that you would be spending it alone with Netflix.

Whatever, it’s some commercial bullshit holiday to convince people to spend money for no good fucking reason.

As pissed as you were, you were careful not to slam and doors, well aware that it had a tendency to throw Billy into a spiral.

Billy watched you come in and he could feel the frustration radiating off of you.

You flashed him an unconvincing smile, then walked into your room and shut the door.

Billy did not like that one bit. He went into the kitchen and mirrored your motions from the night you two met, making hot chocolate with plenty of whipped cream. He carried the two mugs to your room and knocked on the door with his foot.

You opened the door and the first thing he noticed was that your eyes were red. You had been crying. Billy was always more used to loud and violent anger, but yours was quiet and you did your best to keep it to yourself. You turned around and sat cross-legged at the head of your bed, clutching a pillow.

He set the drinks down on the dresser and sat across from you on your bed, mirroring your position.

“is [y/n] okay?” he asked, probably louder than he meant to.

You sat silently before bursting into tears and rambling all of your problems to him. He sat and listened, fidgeting every few seconds, but that was more than normal for him.

He did his best to pay attention and he understood that it was less about being lonely and more about feeling alone.

He got up off the bed and brought you the drink he made and put the mug into your hands. You stopped talking and took a long drink of the now lukewarm hot chocolate.

He watched you drink intently, tapping the sides of his own mug.

“Thank you” you set the drink down on the cluttered table next to your bed and you leaned against him, resting your head on his hunched shoulder.

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

The Wolf's Howl Ch.4

Sure enough, the next morning there came a knock on her door, causing Thera to get up and see who it was. A hunter was standing there, two boxes in his arms.

"My armor?" Thera asked.

"Yep."

"Here, come in."

He came in and dropped the two boxes on the floor. She saw he was an exo. His plating was jet black except for a dark green slash of paint across his face, and other small dark green accents. His optics glowed a chartreuse green.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Cayde'll wanna see ya after ya get done." He told her as Thera dug through the boxes and laid out her armor on her unmade bed.

"Alright."

"See ya around." And he left.

It was simple armor, no flashy colors like that of the other hunters Thera had seen the other day. The colors remained silver metal and grey fabric, with a black cloak. She wished it didn't look so bland.

"You can get the metal painted, since you don't have enough glimmer to buy a new set of armor." Ghost told her. "Though, we'll have to do it later. Let's go see Cayde!"

Ten minutes later Cayde and Thera were in a training room together. He instructed her on her chosen subclass, solar, a subclass he did very well in. In no time, she was summoning blades of firey light, and turning the hand cannon on her hip into a gun full of flame.

"You're a fast learner," Cayde commented. "Now, how's your aim? Shoot the targets over there."

Thera removed her hand cannon from its hilt and fired at the targets on the wall before her. Not one bullet strayed too far from the bullseye.

"Impressive." Cayde nodded. "Think you could do that good in the Crucible?"

"I don't know Cayde, she is still a new light-" Her Ghost objected.

"What? Don't have enough faith in your own Guardian?" He then addressed Thera. "I think you could do it."

"I'm not so sure-"

"Come on! The Crucible's the best way to train your light."

"I guess so but . . ."

"Great, let's go!" He ran out of the room and Thera, without seeing much reason for staying here, ran out with him.

After a quick meeting with Shaxx at his spot, Thera was put into a Crucible match with fairly new Guardians, that way it wouldn't be too hard on her.

She was transmitted to an area alone with only her Ghost and her weapons. Then, after a three-second countdown, the match began. Thera took off running, intending to find another Guardian to begin a kill streak. She was quite unsure about the Crucible. She didn't really understand why Guardians would go up and fight and kill each other, and why they would find it fun. But Cayde was watching, and she found herself wanting to impress the Hunter Vanguard. She wouldn't disappoint.

There, upon a high ledge, a sniper's glare. Thera dodged out of the way at the perfect time, just missing the shot that fired. She aimed her auto rifle in their direction and fired off a few shots. One landed, but it wouldn't do much good. They scampered off. Thera followed pursuit.

Suddenly, a shot hit her back and she let out a yell. She swiveled around as her GHost began healing, switched out her rifle for a hand cannon, and fired at the Guardian behind her. Three shots, right in their chest, and they crumpled to the ground. Their Ghost appeared over their body, and in seconds, they were gone, transmitted back to a starting point. Thera ran on.

Two more Guardians fell to her hand cannon, and one more to her auto rifle. She was in the lead. However, it wasn't until two minutes later that another Guardian took the lead.

"Go for the leader." Said Cayde over the coms.

"What's their name again?" Thera asked.

She heard him ask Lord Shaxx for the name.

"Z- Zane-2? Zane-2! He's one of my hunters! What the hell? He's no newbie, I thought you only put in the newbies?"

"None of these Guardians have been new lights! This new hunter of yours has been doing amazingly well so far. A great surprise considering she was born yesterday!" She heard Shaxx say in his booming voice.

A shot just barely missed her head. Thera spun around to face a fellow hunter, his armor colored in dark blues and greens. He held a black hand cannon in his hand. Thera was holding hers. They were about two feet away from each other.

"You're good kiddo." He said. "I'll tell you what, lets have some fun with this. Ever heard of a pistol duel? We stand back to back, walk ten paces, and then we fire at each other."

"I'll count out the paces!" Came a feminine voice from above. The sniper Thera had killed at the beginning of the game, a Titan.

Thera shrugged and lowered her gun. "I don't see why not."

"NOW THIS IS INTERESTING!" Lord Shaxx commentated.

"Hunters being hunters." Stated Cayde.

The two stood back to back, and the Titan counted out the ten paces.

"FIRE!"

Thera removed her hand cannon from her hilt, spun around, and fired. The hunter fell back, a bullet wound in his chest.

"Shit," He coughed out with a laugh. His Ghost appeared and transmitted him away.

"THAT WAS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN!" Shaxx yelled.

"That was great Thera!" Cayde exclaimed.

The Titan from above took off running. It wasn't long before the match ended, Thera triumph.

--------

"WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!" Came from Cayde as he ran up to her after she returned from the match.

"I won! I can't believe I won!"

"That was the most outstanding match I've ever witnessed!" Shaxx said.

"Hey, kiddo!"

Thera turned her head to see the hunter from before, only his helmet was removed, revealing him to be the one who had brought her armor that morning.

"Good game." He raised a fist and she returned the fist bump. "Hey, you ever up for another Crucible match or something, you get ahold of me."

"I'll do that."

[therapardalis]

[Random Thing from @bountyman​ that I’m still laughing about.]

"Uh-ooh. She was invited?" Josh knocks back the rest of his drink and an odd, sheepish sort of look passes over his face. "I might have to make a quick getaway... That would be my old girlfriend!" ------------

“I’m sorry, what?”

There’s not many things that get the Josh Randall ‘uh-ooh’; at least not within the relatively civil borders of the town, where there’s a little less chance of being caught in the weather or by someone pointing a gun. So that’s Thera’s first clue something’s up. The next is a question asnwered before she has time to ask, and she can’t help her eyes going wide and the small tingle of a pit that almost forms under her ribs.

Fortunately, that last thing could be worse. She’s always imagined ... well, she’s been pretty certain there are other girls, and that Josh applies the same ‘no strings’ condition with them that he has with her. She’s just very deliberately not asked about them, or even wanted to know.

“Which one?” A whisper, eyes darting around the crowd. It’s got to be someone she doesn’t yet know - if it were one of the regular townsfolk this would have happened well before now. Which still leaves a couple of candidates and no relief from a potentially awkward situation. Especially if ... “Uh, Josh ...?” Just how awkward needs some rapid calculation, “What exactly does ‘old girlfriend’ mean, and does she know?”

[hadeschan]

item # G10992674N

RARE Pra Somdej Pratarnporn, Nua Pong Pasom Chaan-maak. A Buddha Amulet with figure of a Blessing Buddha made from mainly holy powder blended with left-over paste of betel nuts of Pra Archan Chah, made by Looksits (followers / worshippers) of Wat Nong Pah Pong, blessed by Pra Archan Chah of Wat Nong Pah Pong, Ubon Ratchathani Province around BE 2522 (CE 1979)

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*Chaan-maak is a left-over paste of betel nuts, betel leaf and lime after chewing by monks. Chaan-maak is considered as holy object because most of Guru Monks are chewing betel nuts in their mouths while praying, chanting and blessing.

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Blessing Buddha (Abhaya Mudra) Meaning

The abhaya gesture shows the Buddha with the right hand raised, the palm facing outwards and the fingers upwards, while the left arm is next to the body. This mudra depicts Buddha bestowing fearlessness (upper hand gesture) and compassion (lower hand) whilst the second meaning is Overcoming Fear, which is closely related to the first, as one who receives protection would be less fearful. This Buddha Gesture is good for person who suffers from weak or afflicted energy.

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BEST FOR: This amulet was intentionally made for helping person who suffers from weak or afflicted energy, Kongkraphan (makes you invulnerable to all weapon attack), Klawklad Plodpai (brings safety, and pushes you away from all danger), Maha-ut (stops gun from shooting at you), Metta Maha Niyom (helps bring loving, caring, and kindness, and compassion from people all around you to you), Maha Sanay (helps turn you to a Prince Charming through the eyes of women),  wealth Fetching, Maha Larp (brings Lucky Wealth), and Kaa Kaai Dee (helps tempt your customers to buy whatever you are selling, and it helps attract new customers and then keep them coming back.

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DIMENSION: 3.20 cm long / 2.20 cm widest / 0.50 cm thick

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Pra Archan Chah

Chah Subhaddo (Thai: ชา สุภัทโท, alternatively Achaan Chah, occasionally with honorific titles Luang Por and Phra) or in honorific name "Phra Bodhiñāṇathera" (Thai: พระโพธิญาณเถร, Chao Khun Bodhinyana Thera; 17 June 1918 – 16 January 1992) was a Thai Buddhist monk. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition.

Respected and loved in his own country as a man of great wisdom, he was also instrumental in establishing Theravada Buddhism in the West. Beginning in 1979 with the founding of Cittaviveka (commonly known as Chithurst Buddhist Monastery) in the United Kingdom, the Forest Tradition of Pra Archan Chah has spread throughout Europe, the United States and the British Commonwealth. The dhamma talks of Pra Archan Chah have been recorded, transcribed and translated into several languages.

More than one million people, including the Thai royal family, attended Pra Archan Chah's funeral in January 1993[5] held a year after his death due to the "hundreds of thousands of people expected to attend". He left behind a legacy of dhamma talks, students, and monasteries.

Early life

Pra Archan Chah was born on 17 June 1918 near Ubon Ratchathani in the Isan region of northeast Thailand. His family was subsistence farmers. As is traditional, Pra Archan Chah entered the monastery as a novice at the age of nine, where, during a three-year stay, he learned to read and write. The definitive 2017 biography of Pra Archan Chah Stillness Flowing [6] states that Pra Archan Chah took his novice vows in March 1931 and that his first teacher as a novice was Pra Archan Lang. He left the monastery to help his family on the farm, but later returned to monastic life on 16 April 1939, seeking ordination as a Theravadan monk (or bhikkhu). According to the book Food for the Heart: The Collected Writings of Pra Archan Chah, he chose to leave the settled monastic life in 1946 and became a wandering ascetic after the death of his father. He walked across Thailand, taking teachings at various monasteries. Among his teachers at this time was Pra Archan Mun, a renowned meditation master in the Forest Tradition. Pra Archan Chah lived in caves and forests while learning from the meditation monks of the Forest Tradition. A website devoted to Pra Archan Chah describes this period of his life:

For the next seven years Pra Archan Chah practiced in the style of an ascetic monk in the austere Forest Tradition, spending his time in forests, caves and cremation grounds. He wandered through the countryside in quest of quiet and secluded places for developing meditation. He lived in tiger and cobra infested jungles, using reflections on death to penetrate to the true meaning of life.

Thai forest tradition

During the early part of the twentieth century Theravada Buddhism underwent a revival in Thailand under the leadership of outstanding teachers whose intentions were to raise the standards of Buddhist practise throughout the country. One of these teachers was the Venerable Pra Archan Mun Bhuridatta. Pra Archan Chah continued Pra Archan Mun's high standards of practise when he became a teacher.

The monks of this tradition keep very strictly to the original monastic rule laid down by the Buddha known as the vinaya. The early major schisms in the Buddhist sangha were largely due to disagreements over how strictly the training rules should be applied. Some opted for a degree of flexibility (some would argue liberality) whereas others took a conservative view believing that the rules should be kept just as the Buddha had framed them. The Theravada tradition is the heir to the latter view. An example of the strictness of the discipline might be the rule regarding eating: they uphold the rule to only eat between dawn and noon. In the Thai Forest Tradition monks and nuns go further and observe the 'one eaters practice', whereby they only eat one meal during the morning. This special practice is one of the thirteen dhutanga, optional ascetic practices permitted by the Buddha that are used on an occasional or regular basis to deepen meditation practice and promote contentment with subsistence. Other examples of these practices are sleeping outside under a tree, or dwelling in secluded forests or graveyards.

Monasteries founded

After years of wandering, Pra Archan Chah decided to plant roots in an uninhabited grove near his birthplace. In 1954, Wat Nong Pah Pong monastery was established, where Pra Archan Chah could teach his simple, practice-based form of meditation. He attracted a wide variety of disciples, which included in 1966, the first Westerner, Venerable Pra Archan Sumedho. Wat Nong Pah Pong [9] includes over 250 branches throughout Thailand, as well as over 15 associated monasteries and ten lay practice centers around the world.

In 1975, Wat Pah Nanachat (International Forest Monastery) was founded with Pra Archan Sumedho as the abbot. Wat Pah Nanachat was the first monastery in Thailand specifically geared towards training English-speaking Westerners in the monastic Vinaya, as well as the first run by a Westerner.

In 1977, Pra Archan Chah and Pra Archan Sumedho were invited to visit the United Kingdom by the English Sangha Trust who wanted to form a residential sangha.[10] 1979 saw the founding of Cittaviveka (commonly known as Chithurst Buddhist Monastery due to its location in the small hamlet of Chithurst) with Pra Archan Sumedho as its head. Several of Pra Archan Chah's Western students have since established monasteries throughout the world.

Later life

By the early 1980s, Pra Archan Chah's health was in decline due to diabetes. He was taken to Bangkok for surgery to relieve paralysis caused by the diabetes, but it was to little effect. Pra Archan Chah used his ill health as a teaching point, emphasizing that it was "a living example of the impermanence of all things...(and) reminded people to endeavor to find a true refuge within themselves, since he would not be able to teach for very much longer". Pra Archan Chah would remain bedridden and ultimately unable to speak for ten years, until his death on January 16, 1992, at the age of 73.

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Wat Nong Pah Pong

Wat Nong Pah Pong  (Short: Wat Pah Pong, Thai: วัดหนองป่าพง) is the main monastery of the late Thai Forest Tradition meditation master, the Venerable Pra Archan Chah. The monastery sits in Ubon Ratchathani Province, in the district of (Amphoe) Warin Chamrap.

International Branch Monasteries

In 1975, one of Pra Archan Chah 's first Western disciples, the Venerable Pra Archan Sumedho, opened what was to be the first in a long line of branch monasteries (currently around 240 branches) of Wat Pah Pong specifically geared for the growing interests in traditional Buddhist practices among Westerners. Thai monastery, Wat Pah Nanachat, along with a growing list of monasteries opened in recent years around the world, are introducing the heart of the Buddhist teachings to what was previously something of an inaccessible audience to the Thai Forest masters.

Following is an incomplete list of International branch monasteries of Wat Nong Pah Pong, sorted alphabetically by country:

Australia, Bodhivana Monastery in Victoria

Brazil, Suddhavāri Monastery in São Lourenço, MG

Canada, Arrow River Forest Hermitage in Thunder Bay, Ontario (Associated Monastery). Birken Forest Buddhist Monastery in Knutsford, BC (Associated Monastery). And Tisarana Buddhist Monastery in Perth, Ontario

Italy, Santacittarama in Rieti

New Zealand, Bodhinyanarama Forest Monastery in Wellington. And Vimutti Forest Monastery in Bombay (Associated Monastery)

Switzerland, Kloster Dhammapala in Kandersteg

Thailand, Wat Pah Nanachat in Ubon Rachathani

United Kingdom, Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire. Aruna Ratanagiri Buddhist Monastery in Northumberland. Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in Hampshire. And The Forest Hermitage in Warwickshire, and Hartridge Buddhist Monastery in Devon.

United States of America, Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in Redwood Valley, California.

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item # G10992674N

Price: price upon request, pls PM and/or email us hadeschan@gmx.us

100% GENUINE WITH 365 DAYS FULL REFUND WARRANTY

Item location: Bangkok, Thailand

Ships to: Worldwide

Delivery: Estimated 7 days handling time after receipt of cleared payment. Please allow additional time if international delivery is subject to customs processing.

Shipping: FREE Thailandpost International registered mail. International items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges.

Payments: PayPal / Western Union / MoneyGram /maybank2u.com / DBS iBanking / Wechat Pay / Alipay

***********************************

[fallsekings]

@therapardalis || from here

“Who died and left you in charge?” Thera questioned, then hesitated a beat, looking down. “Oh. Yeah. Him.”

She scooped down to grab up the rifle, the previous owner’s limp arm wobbling heavily aside. The weapon was badly kept, as outdated as the Old Republic and it smelled like the power unit was leaking, but better it was in their hands than waiting for somebody else.

If only just. She slung the strap across her shoulders, ignoring the sticky patch, and readied her own blaster once again. Better to have it than leave it, but she wasn’t about to use the damn thing except as a doorstop or a club.

“Which way from here?”

Beckett’s eyes flickered downwards towards the gun just laying there in the previous owner’s arm and then back up at Thera. He knew that she didn’t take too well to being bossed around--- but neither did he--- but this was a matter of teamwork and if that meant pointing out something that could potentially save both of their lives, then he’d do it. Before Beckett could protest, Thera’s next comment caught him off guard and he couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Good one.” He gave a cynical chuckle as he looked down at the dead guard that he had just shot. “We should hide this guy. Then maybe take his armor. It could be our ticket out of here.” He glanced around the halls and tried to judge the distance between where the two stood and the hanger. “I’ll be your prisoner, unless you have any other ideas.” It was one of the oldest tricks in the book and one that he had used many times before now, but it was all that they had to work with for the time being.

[bertievi]

@therapardalis continued from XX

“A - are you certain?” Thera put a small tremor into her voice, a hint of shrillness that might suggest she wasn’t as calm as she was trying to appear. Or so she wanted these men to think. The fact that there were two of them watching Albert and only one toward her suggested they were already counting her a lesser problem thanks to her sex - something she was well prepared to play up to.

Timorously she let her gaze flick to one side then the other, darting glances that would seem to come from nerves. Personally she would have put one man by the door where he could see the whole room, but the positions they had taken up were keeping the hostages nicely bracketed all the same.

She made a small sniffling sound and fanned herself with an open hand, before suddenly reaching for some papers on the edge of the desk to use instead - a deliberate move to see just how jumpy their captors were.

Her put on shrillness had even Albert convinced as he observed her, not knowing her to have ever been intimidated by any situation, he supposed in his head, everyone was different with a barrel of a gun pointed at them. He did tilt his head a little though, curious to see such a side to the other. Perhaps it was for the best that Albert had fallen for it too. “Yes, regardless, you are an innocent --party in all this and there is no -reason -to have harm -come to you.” The King tried to reassure her.

The hand fanning seemed to tug at Albert’s heartstrings and his look towards her softened immensely as he tried to settle her apparent upset. With the sudden movement though, the man to Albert’s left shifted behind the King and pulled his hair back to keep his head still, the barrel of the gun flat against the other’s temple. The man next to Thera pressed his gun to the back of her head and the third man pointed his towards Thera’s face.

“Gentlemen!” Albert exclaimed, “The lady only wishes -to -compose herself.” His hands were raised off the desk, not at all happy with the gun pressed to his head, but the men did not relent and would not until Thera sat back. They were anticipating an attack, they would be fools not to while in the house where a man with ten battalions were in the city in order to protect him.

“Sit back. Sit still.” Ordered the man to Albert’s right. “Or you will be restrained.”

[kellexplainsitall]

This week was much better in terms of everything.

Running recap:

Monday: 9 with Jenny

Tuesday: 9 with Allison, Bob and Jenny

Wednesday: 10 with Jenny

Thursday: 65 minutes spin

Friday: 9 easy with Allison

Saturday 2 mile w/u + 8 miles at MP +5 mile cooldown

Sunday: 5 easy solo + 5 solo with Tim

Saturday's run went really well! I was running in the 7:30s for most of my marathon-paced miles. The humidity backed off a teeny bit, so that definitely helped. Unfortunately, I faceplanted around mile 8. I went down HARD and really banged up my elbow and knee, but I didn't cry, so that's a win. The rest of the week was uneventful, which I like. The right shin/calf is still a little cranky, but I have been working on it with the Thera Gun at night.

Five days a week at daycare went well for Keegan. I miss him terribly, but he enjoys it and I get updates throughout the day. It makes our time together more special. I love getting art projects and seeing what he is doing all day. He still isn't talking much but he walks really well and babbles a ton. This kid also LOVES bananas. He has a meltdown if he sees a banana and cannot eat it.

Adjusting to being back at work has been much more challenging than I had anticipated. I actually had to talk about it in therapy this week. I just feel frustrated that I have to sit at a desk all day long. At home, I can do a bunch of work then throw laundry in or stretch or unload the dishwasher but at work if I need a break, I walk around or go on reddit... not super productive. I am really struggling with it.



We were away again this weekend for my MIL's birthday. We got into town Friday evening and had pizza on the back deck of my parents'. My mom kept encouraging us to go somewhere or do something but I was beat from the week and relaxing was really perfect. I was in bed early and then out the door by 6:10 for my run. Post-shower, we went to my MIL's for brunch with Tim's family. Everyone just kept saying how much Keegan looked like my family.



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I was so tired from everything, I accidentally took a longer nap while Keegan slept and then we went to my friend Alexis' to see her family. They hadn't yet met Keegan and we hadn't met Jordan, so it was fun to see them play together.

Then, we picked up more pizza, but we stopped by my uncle's to see some family first. I will never not love seeing Patrick and Keegan together.

After running on Sunday, Tim went golfing and I went to see my friend Bill and his family. I feel like I just have so much catching up to do with old friends since having a baby at the beginning of a global pandemic. Keegan is still shy around strangers, so he seems super well-behaved. As long as they don't have bananas.

I am so relieved to not be traveling this weekend. I am going to a concert Thursday with Amy in Bethlehem but we are carpooling with one of her friends and not staying overnight. We are actually home for the next few weekends, as busy as they are, I happy to just be in my house. 

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

A Wolf's Howl Ch. 5

It was over four months later when the two hunters met again, this time when they got matched on the same team in a Crucible match of Elimination. She noticed him first, still wearing the same armor he had that time ago. He noticed her staring.

"I know you?" He asked with a tilt of his head.

"Thera. I beat your ass at a pistol duel a day after my rez."

"Shoot, yeah I remember you! Shaxx should just call the match right now with us as the winners if we've got you on our team."

"This is that new light who beat you in the Crucible?" Asked the other team member, a warlock in black and pink robes.

"That's her. Sh-"

A shot fired from the enemy team, all three swarming at them. During the conversation, they had totally forgotten where they were at.

Thera aimed her newly made submachine gun and fired, with the help of Zane's hand cannon, an enemy went down. The warlock took one down on her own using her shotgun and then used her void light on the other. Zane cut him down quickly after that.

"Amazing teamwork!" Came Shaxx's booming voice.

The next round started, and it wasn't long before they were four to nothing.

The three bolted as the final round began. The warlock knew where the other team would start, so they split up. Zane would take middle, Thera would take right, and the warlock would take left. They covered their ground quickly, and Zane jumped from the high ledge he was on, right into the center of the three on the opposite team just as Thera and the warlock came in. A hunter fired at the warlock, but she slid and fired with her shotgun. The hunter was down. Zane stabbed into one's chest, then shot them with his handcanon, while Thera threw a flaming dagger at one and shot them with her own handcanon. They had won the match.

"We won five to nothin!" Exclaimed Zane-2 as he raised a hand to Thera.

She returned the high-five.

He pointed to the warlock. "Alright Sora, you said you'd pay for drinks if we ever won 5 to nothin! And she's included in that." Zane threw his arm around Thera's shoulders casually.

She sighed, though there was a bit of a chuckle in there, as if she would have brought her along even if Zane didn't offer. "Fine."

It was ten minutes later that Thera was in her small room, preparing for her trip to a restaurant and bar down in the City. She had never had an alcoholic drink before, well, not that she could remember, so she honestly hoped they didn't expect her to drink anything too strong. They had decided on a place and a time, that time being thirty minutes from now so the three could get ready.

With the help of her Ghost, she decided to wear a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt with the hunter sigil on the left breast pocket, and a leather jacket. Also a pair of combat boots. She took one look into the full length mirror on the wall, then decided she looked good enough. A quick brush of her hair, and then another look, this time at her face. She had visited nearly all the stores in the City, yet never thought to buy makeup. Why would she? She didn't expect to go to a bar with two old-lights that were impressed with her prowess in a Crucible match.

Thera now wished she had. No, wait, or would makeup like eyeshadow or eyeliner be too fancy? What would Sora and Zane even be wearing? Would they show up in something fancy? Thera took another look at her clothes.

"Thera, it's the fighting and thinking skills that make a Guardian. Not their clothes, and not their looks. Come on. You stand in the mirror any longer and we'll be late, and we wouldn't want that." Her Ghost said.

Avoiding another glance at the mirror, Thera left her room and began her walk to the city below.

Zane-2 and Sora were already there. She was quite surprised to find that they did not stick to a certain style, the two of them. Zane wore grey sweatpants and a hoodie with the hunter sigil square in the middle of it, while Sora on the other hand had on a tight, sparkly, dark purple skirt with slits down the thigh, black tights, black heels, and a dark purple (minus the glitter on this one) v-neck shirt with cold-shoulder sleeves. She even had on earrings, a necklace, and Thera saw the glare of a bracelet.

Zane waved her over, and Thera sat at the rounded table with them. She took a moment to look around and examine the place. The bar wasn't empty, but it wasn't full either. There were a few groups, all gathered around their own tables. A few people were sitting at the bar nearby. The lights were dimly lit, and music played from the speakers in the ceiling.

"Ever been to a bar before, kid?" Zane-2 asked.

Thera shook her head.

"Then I suppose you haven't had a drink yet." He said.

"You don't have to get an alcoholic drink if you don't want to." Sora assured her, lowering her menu. "And I'll get any food you want from the menu too."

"Okay." Thera smiled.

She picked up the menu in front of her and perused through it for a second before Zane said, "Can I make a suggestion?"

Thera lowered her menu to the table.

"What about just an appetizer? Like cheese sticks or fries or somethin?" He said.

"That's alright with me. Thera?" Sora asked, turning to the young guardian.

"Cheesticks sound good." She nodded.

"Alright. And hey, I heard Pimm's is a great drink to order for someone who's new to drinking. You want that?" Zane asked her.

"Sure."

He called a waiter over and placed an order. Soon the appetizer and drinks arrived. Sora got a cocktail, while Zane ordered simple whiskey. It didn't take long for Sora and Zane to start conversing. They began talking about their separate patrols, then their two missions, one of which scouting, in which they worked together on. Then they began on the subject of Zane's sparrow, still in repairs after his last race.

It was then Sora realized Thera hadn't said a word, and had only taken sips of her drink and helped herself to the cheese sticks in front of her.

"You don't seem to talk too much. How about you tell us about your day?" She attempted to get the three-month-old guardian to talk.

"I only went on three patrols, went for a fly in my ship for a bit, then completed a few bounties for the Crucible." Thera shrugged.

"Man, you haven't been going on many interesting missions huh?" Zane commented.

"Zavala explained that I'm still too young of a Guardian to go on any big missions, unless I can get a few older Guardians to go with me."

"Do you want to go on bigger missions?" Sora asked.

Thera nodded, then said, "I've been sneaking out some to go check out some of the areas where Cayde's told me some enemies have been causing trouble. Places the Ikora and Zavala aren't too worried about."

"Good old Cayde. Always directing his hunters to where the action is." Zane said.

"Which he shouldn't do." Sora pointed out. "One of these days those new lights are going to get hurt, going out on their own in places crawling with enemies like the hive and the fallen."

"They haven't been too hard for me. I can fight well and I'm a good shot. Cayde said so."

"You know," Sora said after she and Zane shared a look. "We've been hoping to make our fireteam of two into a fireteam of three. You'd make a great addition to our team."

"Really?!"

She nodded. "Yes. Zane told me about your fighting skills in the Crucible, and has been asking Cayde about you. You seem like the perfect fit. We were looking for a titan, but I believe another hunter will do, especially one with your skillset."

Thera grinned ear to ear.

"So kid, what do ya say?" Zane asked her as he raised his glass to her.

"I'll join!"

"Woo! To a new fireteam member!" Exclaimed Zane as the three clinked glasses.

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

Thera’s Journal Entry #32

I decided to write out everyone’s reactions to Thera’s treats. I also added in a few extras who we weren’t able to give anything this year.

I approached Zavala with a tin box full of Gjallardoodles in my hands. He heard my boots crunching in the snow and turned away from his railing to face me.

“Happy Dawning.” I said, hands held out so he could receive his gift.

He took the sweets gratefully, and nodded. “Thank you, Thera.” He stated, turning back around to the railing. Right before I turned I saw him open the box, put a piece into his mouth, and then close it again. I smiled.

--------------------------------------------------

I went over to Ikora’s area next. She smiled when she saw me coming, a tin box in my hand.

“Making your way around the Tower?” She asked as she accepted the donut holes, then turned to leave them on a table nearby.

“Yep. Then I’ve got to take care of a few others who are off world.”

She nodded. “Thank you for the treats. And happy Dawning.”

“Happy Dawning!” I called out.

-----------------------------------------------------

I went over to where Osiris stood, fiddling with an object in his hands. I wasn’t sure what it was.

“Hello, Young Wolf.” He said, putting the object down on the table beside him. “It’s good to see you.”

“Happy Dawning.” I said, handing him a tin that had Peanut Butter cookies.

“For me?” He asked.

“Yeah. I go around every year at the Dawning, handing out sweet treats. I thought you might like some.”

“Thank you.” He said, taking the tin with a smile.

--------------------------------------------------------

I headed up the stairs nearby where Hawthorne stood, her hawk, Louis, beside her on his perch.

“Happy Dawning.” I said, handing her the tin box which was full of birdseed for Louis.

“Do you want to feed him?” Hawthorne asked, opening the box. Louis tipped his head to the side.

“Yeah I do.” I grabbed a small handful and held it out to Louis, who quickly pecked it up. If he could smile, I knew he would be.

“Thanks Thera.”

------------------------------------------------------------------

I went down to the Annex, where I knew Drifter would be.

“For me?” Drifter asked with a fake gasp and a grin as I gave him the dark chocolate motes.

I smiled. “Happy Dawning, Drifter.”

“Hey, you’ve still got that bounty you need to finish.” He stated.

“I’ve got work to do Drifter.”

“Just don’t forget,”

-----------------------------------------------------

I headed back up to the main are of the Tower.

“Thera!” Lord Shaxx boomed upon seeing me approach, his tin box full of vanilla blades in my hand. “Happy Dawning!”

“Happy Dawning.” I said with a smile.

He clapped my on the back as I gave him his treat. “Much thanks. I will be sure to enjoy these later.”

---------------------------------------------

Banshee was next. 

He looked up from his gun as I stopped at his counter.

“Huh? Oh, hey Thera. Whatcha got?”

“Happy Dawning.” I said, leaving his tin on the counter for him.

“Oh, Happy Dawning.”

--------------------------------------------

As I headed to the Hangar, I gave Eva her butter cookies.

“Happy Dawning!”

“And happy Dawning to you too, Thera.”

I quickly went over to Tess as well.

“Thank you, Thera.” She said as I turned to go to the Hangar.

“You’re welcome!”

----------------------------------------------

Amanda stood and brushed grease off on her pants as she saw me come over.

“What’d you make this year?” She asked, taking the tin and pulling off the top.

“Chocolate ‘ship’ cookies.”

She took one and took a bite. “They’re good! I won’t keep you long. I know you’ve got a lot of other gifts to give out. Happy Dawning.”

“Happy Dawning.”

-----------------------------------------------

I went over to Saint-14, who stood tossing bread crumbs to the pigeons.

“Ah, hello Thera. Happy Dawning.” He greeted in his kind russian accent.

“Happy Dawning.” I said back, giving him his Lavender Ribbon cookies.

“Thank you. I will put these in my ship, and I look forward to enjoying them later.”

I nodded.

------------------------------------------------

I quickly transmatted onto my ship and began to set course for the Cosmodrone.

Upon arriving, I found that Shaw Han wasn’t there, so I left the tin on the table and moved on.

Devrim would be next.

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“Hello, Thera. Lovely to see you.”

“Happy Dawning.”

“Thank you,” He said as he took the cookies. “You always do make the best biscuits.”

---------------------------------------------

Europa was next.

Variks was glad to receive cookies. I explained that I did it every year.

“Variks thanks you, Young Wolf.”

--------------------------------------------

I exited his building and had Scout quickly transmatt me to the Exo Stranger.

“Hello, Thera.” She greeted.

“I hope you like blueberry.” I said, handing her the tin box.

“I don’t eat much, since I don’t have to, but blueberry just happens to be my favorite.”

“That’s good. I wasn’t sure what to make.”

“Happy Dawning, Guardian.”

“Happy Dawning.”

-----------------------------------------

The Dreaming City was next on the list.

Petra turned after hearing me transmatt.

“Happy Dawning, cousin.” She said as she accepted the tin can.

“Happy Dawning, Petra. I would stop to chat, but I’ve got one more gift to hand out, and then I’ve got to hang out with my friend, Ann.”

“Of course. See you later, Thera.”

-------------------------------------------

I transmatted back to my ship to head to the moon, my final destination, to give Eris Morn her cookies. Then I would be heading back to the Tower.

I would usually spend one night during the Dawning watching pre golden age Christmas movies with Scout. This year, Ann wanted to join me. Once I got back to the Tower, we would meet in my room and watch Home Alone, along with another movie of her choice.

Scout transmatted me to the ground, and I walked up the small ramp to where Eris stood.

“Hello, Young Wolf. It has been quite a while.” She greeted.

“Yeah, it has. Happy Dawning.”

She took the cookies, and there was a hint of a smile on her face as she did so.

“Thank you, Thera. And a Happy Dawning to you as well.”

I waved, then turned as Scout transmatted me back to the Queen of Hearts.

“So,” Scout asked when I took my seat in the cockpit. “What movie do you think Ann’s going to pick. We have a pretty good selection of pre golden age Christmas movies.”

“I’m going to try to convince her to watch a Christmas Carol. If that doesn’t work, I don’t know, she’ll probably end up picking Home Alone 2.”

“Probably.”

The ship flew off.

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

Thera’s Journal Entry #47

“Where are we going Thera?” Ann questioned as we walked far from the Cosmodrome.

“There’s something I need to retrieve that’s out here.” I answered. I remembered it being under the broken bridge. It was marked with white spray paint with the number 4 on a pillar. “There!” I pointed and Ann followed my finger. It was a good distance away so we both had our Ghosts transmatt Sparrows and we took off.

“But where are we going next? You said this was a two stop trip. What’s stop two if this is stop one?”

“We are going to see someone who travels on Earth.”

“Guardian?”

“Yes, but she doesn’t work with the Vanguard like we do. And she doesn’t live in the Tower or the City. Everything she does, she does on her own accord.”

Ann nodded as we got off our Sparrows. “So she’s a rouge lightbearer?”

“Yeah.”

“What are we going to her for?”

“I want her to keep an eye on Caitl’s Cabal for me. That way if they do anything, I’ll know, and I can tell the Vanguard.” I answered, used to Ann’s never ending array of questions.

“Do you think we’re going to get into another war?”

I saw Poppy and Scout look at each other. They had been scanning around under the bridge.

I sighed. “I hope not. But if they do, I want to know before an attack on the city happens. That way we can prepare and not be caught by surprise like with the Red Legion. That’s why we’re going to see the Rouge.”

Ann didn’t ask anymore questions.

I knew she was worried about a war breaking out. If it could be prevented, I wanted to be able to do so. The Red War hurt us a lot. And it still hurts the survivors today. They aren’t the same. They’ve seen friends, family, die. They’ve seen the city get destroyed. It gave them trauma that they can never recover from. I’m no exception.

I was worried not only about a second war, but about Ann. She was sweet, optimistic, open to becoming friends with everyone, and I was afraid that if a war did break out, she would change. She would change like I did.

I used to be like her. I would talk to everyone all the time. I sometimes wouldn’t shut up. I was optimistic, always looking at the bright side of everything. And I was always cracking jokes to lighten the mood. But not after the Red War. Even after the deaths of Sora and Zane, I wasn’t too bad. I hadn’t entirely stopped talking. I still cracked jokes here and there. But after the war, I stopped talking entirely. I barely joked around anymore. I wasn’t as optimistic, my mind was filled of gloomy thoughts. It took me years to break out of that and even become a fraction like myself again.

It was Ann who made me myself again. After meeting her, I was only showing her around to be nice to Poppy and because Scout would scold me later if I didn’t. But it was as if her happiness and optimism rubbed off on me almost immediately. I had talked to her more than I had talked to anyone after the Red War, besides Scout. I realized I needed a friend like her, and before I knew it, it was as if I was back to my old self again. Or as close as I could get.

I was afraid that if Ann became a part of another war, she would lose her optimism, her happiness, that made her who she is.

“Thera! Found it.”

I got down and began to dig with my hands where Scout instructed. It wasn’t very deep, only a half-inch, and there was a chip. I picked it up and held it between my thumb and forefinger.

“What’s that?” Ann asked, looking down over my shoulder at it.

“This will tell us where the Rouge is. She changes her location every once in a while, and she’ll go back and put her new coordinates on this chip, that way I can find it and know where she’s at. Only I know where the chip is. And now you do too, and you better not tell a soul. She wouldn’t be very happy if you did.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Alright Scout. Let’s take this back to the ship and go find her.”

-----------------------------------

“Whoa, that’s a pretty uncharted area.” Came Ann’s voice over the coms.

“She likes uncharted areas. Makes it harder for people to find her.”

“Why doesn’t she want to be found? Did she do something wrong? Is she like, wanted by Spider or something?”

I laughed. “No. She just doesn’t want to go on missions for the Vanguard anymore, day after day, night after night. She wants to go out in those uncharted territories and gain information about them. She knows of many areas that aren’t inhabited by the Fallen, or any other creature. And if the Vanguard ever need a spot for a new base, she’s probably got the place. The Vanguard know her, and they know she’s out here. She’s helped out a few times before. And because they know she’s not causing any harm and that she can take care of herself, they leave her be.”

“Have you ever thought of being like them?”

“Like who?”

“The Rouge, and Cal? Who just go and do what they want? Like going on adventures, or maybe settling down somewhere?”

“I have thought about it before. But I want to stay at the Tower more. It’s been my home for over twenty years, I don’t think I could ever leave. And I want to stay to protect the city. I would never forgive myself if something happened and I wasn’t there to fight.”

“That makes sense.”

“Thera, Ann, we’re getting close to the area. There’s a clearing in the trees up ahead, lets land there.” Said Scout.

I landed my ship first, then Ann landed hers. Then we both transmatted outside.

“Why is it always forest?” I asked myself.

“Wouldn’t you rather it be a forest than a hot desert or a cold tundra?” Poppy asked, looking around.

“I’m a solar guardian, I’m used to the heat. And I’ve been on Europa. I don’t think Earth’s different climates can compare.”

“Good point.”

We started onward, getting on our Sparrows and riding off, with me in the lead since Scout had the coordinates.

Nearly ten minutes later, we reached a small shack.

“Homey.” Said Ann sarcastically.

We got off our Sparrows.

“Let me do the talking, alright? She doesn’t know who you are, so she doesn’t trust you.”

I knocked on the door once, twice, five times. Nothing.

I hummed. “Probably out on one of her adventures. She’ll come back eventually.”

Leaves suddenly began to rustle above us and I spun around, Hawkmoon out of my holster and in my hand in under a second. I stared back at a lone figure in all black with a cloak. Their auto rifle was out and in their hands, pointed at Ann who had her handcanon out as well. Ann looked at me curiously, to see what my move would be before she made hers.

“Rouge.” I stated.

The Rouge straightened. She lowered her gun but didn’t put it away. I tucked mine into my holster. Ann watched me and did so too.

“Who is this?” She asked while staring at Ann. Her helmet modulated her voice.

“A close friend of mine. Her name is Angelica. I refer to her as Ann. She’s trustworthy.”

Her gun dissipated and she walked forward. “It’s been a long time. Come in and we can debate about what you need. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t need something.”

I followed her into the house, Ann trailing behind. “What, I can’t come visit a friend?” I asked with a grin as my helmet dissipated. She didn’t take hers off, but instead moved over to a countertop burner. 

“Tea?” Rouge asked, going through her pack that lay in the floor and pulling out two tea bags.

“Sure. Why not? Ann?” I asked.

“I guess so.” Came her quite answer. I could tell that Rouge intimidated her.

Rouge began boiling water.

“Yeah, I do need something actually.” I began.

“I knew it.”

“You heard of Caitl?”

“Yes, I have, and I don’t like it. The last thing we need is for a second Red War.”

“I agree.” I sat down on a single wooden chair. There weren’t any others, probably because Rouge wasn’t expecting visitors. “For now, we aren’t on a full out war. Really, the true war is between the Cabal and the Hive. But, I kept help but worry that Caitl will still order her army to attack the Last City.”

“I doubt she can. She does not have the numbers for an attack. The Guardians will surely crush her.”

“But you can’t help but worry. Do you think you can keep an eye out around the Last City area?”

“I know I can, but will I is a different question. I highly doubt that Caitl will preform an attack, at least not this early into the disagreement.”

“I would pay you, but glimmer doesn’t mean that much to you.” Since Rouge traveled all the time, she didn’t have much use for the currency. The most she spent it on was supplies when she finally did come to the Tower. She handed Ann and I a cup of tea. “So what do you want?”

“I don’t want anything. I’ll do it, but only because I do not want there to be a surprise attack on the city, and for me to know that perhaps I could have prevented it.”

I took a sip. “Knew you would.”

Rouge held out her hand. “I want the chip back.” I pulled it out of my pocket and gave it to her. She turned and gestured to Ann, who stood beside me. “You do not speak much.”

“Thera told me to let her do the talking.” Ann answered.

“Very smart of her. You seem young, but your eyes show that you have seen fights and battles.”

“A year old.”

“Hm. You are lucky to have someone like Thera on your fireteam.”

“She’s helped me out of tough spots before.”

“She will do anything for her friends. Sit, Angelica.” Rouge sat on the ground, with Ann across from her. I stayed in my chair, sipping my tea. “Any noteable achievements that you’ve made?”

“I killed a hive witch named Navota at the Cosmodrome soon after I was rezzed. She was responsible of the deaths of two Guardians.”

Rouge nodded. “Anything else?”

“Not really. Or not yet, anyway.”

“Tell me, can you keep secrets?”

“Of course.” Ann was uncomfortable.

“How can I believe you?”

Ann looked at me. I shrugged.

“I- I don’t know. Ask Thera I guess. She’s my friend, she knows that I can keep secrets.”

“You can still tell someone one of Thera’s secrets, and yet, Thera will never know. She is not a good source. How will you get me to believe?”

Ann was silent for a moment. “The Traveler knows my deeds. Is it a good source?” She finally said.

A Ghost appeared at Rouge’s side and nodded to her. Suddenly, Scout and Poppy appeared too. They looked at each other.

“Your Ghosts feel it too. A small burst of light through them. The Travelers way of saying that what you say is true. You’ve passed. You are a very smart Guardian. Very smart for one so recently resurrected.”

“Um, passed what exactly?” Ann asked, confused.

“I like to know who I can and can not trust.” Rouge explained. “The Traveler directs me on this. For when you say something, and then say something along the lines of “The Traveler knows what I have done, and knows that what I say is true.” it will vouch for you if you are telling the truth. A burst of light will be given to the Ghosts around you, it’s way of saying that you speak the truth. That is how I know that you are one I can trust.”

Rouge was not one to easily trust others. She had been betrayed three times in her lifetime as a Guardian. Once by a close friend. She pulls this test on anyone who she wishes to do more business with. She learned it after the Traveler awoke when it happened to our Ghosts after I had said something. That way she can know with the Traveler as her guide, who she should and shouldn’t trust.

Rouge stood and brushed off dirt. “I suppose you will not be staying much longer then?”

Ann stood as well. I answered, “We can drop you off near the Last City now if you want. It will be a long walk from here.”

“You don’t have a ship?” Ann asked.

“No, I do not. I prefer to walk or ride a Sparrow.”

“Why?”

“Ann, don’t plague her with questions right now. You can do that later.” I waited for Rouge’s response.

“That will be welcome.”

 The blue Ghost at Rouge’s side disappeared. Scout and Poppy did so too as we readied to leave. Rouge prepared her things and we began the trek back to the ships.

“What do I call you?” Ann asked.

“You will refer to me as the Rouge, young one.”

Ann nodded then looked ahead. “That’s not your real name is it.”

“Not it is not. You will learn my real name when I am ready to give it to you.”

“Can I at least know your Ghosts name?”

“His name is Blitz.” Rouge answered.

“Blitz is a cool name. Is that his real name?”

“Yes, that is his real name.”

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

Thera’s Journal Entry #27

Crow and I have been talking again. It was more than two weeks ago when he had saved me. Now, we’ve been talking even more.

Today, I got a message from Spider, telling him to come see him. I hoped it had nothing to do with the amount of time I had been spending with Crow. Luckily, it wasn’t. Instead, it was about a feeling he had, that someone or something was in or near his lair. He wanted me to look around, to try and find out what it was. So I did.

A quick minute of searching, and I came upon a feather, golden and glowing with light. A disembodied voice came from the feather, speaking to me in my mind as though the thoughts were my own. Though I knew they were not.

They said, “I’m... soaring over trees, storm clouds at my back. There’s... there’s buildings crumbling into rust and ruin. I stop, briefly, on a vantage point overlooking... something. A grove perhaps? It’s hard to remember.”

I knew where buildings were that looked like that. The European Dead Zone. I went there, and on a high point on a broken building, lay another feather.

This one said, “I’m... somewhere. I know that’s not helpful. It’s a ruin, on Earth, I think. I’m flying and there’s these... towers and... ships? I land on a broken concrete pillar and I see... myself? But it’s not me. I don’t think it ever was. I’m saying words I’ve never said and... Thera is there.”

“The Cosmodrone,” Scout said. “But who is this? It must be someone we’ve met.”

I headed to the Cosmodrone then. I saw the faint glow, right on top of a pillar, right where I transmatted. I jumped to it.

“No, not Earth this time. I was home. It was those gates. I had-I don’t know, a sense of dread? Vertigo set in, and I plummeted from the sky like I lost control of my wings. My heart hurt-ached-and I felt so much guilt and... and shame. Regret. No, I don’t remember anything else.” Was the next message.

“The Dreaming City,” I whispered to myself. Gates, home. Was this Crow? It had to be.

I went there next. Headed to one of the gates, and found the fourth feather, sitting there.

“Yes, again. It was like coming full circle, flying through these claustrophobic corridors. I could hear their horrible howling in the distance, in the dark. It was just like when we were there. Except... I was alone. No one to save. I know, Glint. I know.”

I knew for certain now, that it was Crow.

I went to the Moon, in Archer’s Line. I didn’t like being on the Moon, but I went anyway, through the dark tunnels. I found the fifth one.

Scout looked at me. “Thera, I don’t know what to make of any of this. We need to be careful. If Crow is somehow experiencing memories of his life as Uldren... I don’t need to tell you how bad that can be. For all of us.”

I didn’t want Crow to know about his past. I was too afraid that once he learned, it would tear him apart. Not only because he had killed Cayde, the hunter vanguard whom everyone loved, but because he would know that his best friend, me, killed him.

I transmatted to the Queen of Hearts and headed to the Reef to talk with him.

He looked distracted when I approached him, but when he noticed me, his eyes lit up. 

“Do you have a minute?” He asked. “Something’s been going on, and I’m... I’ve been having these strange dreams lately.”

I grab a small chair close by and sit down.

Crow waits for me to get settled, then continued. “They were vivid. Real. Glint... Glint thinks there might be something to them. I’m flying. There’s a green forest. Mountains. European Dead Zone, I think. Sometimes the clouds part, and where there should be a bright blue sky, there’s just... darkness.” He does hand motions while he speaks. “I’m free, soaring toward a distant pilliar of light. But the dream always ends the same way. That light... flickers like a candle flame and goes out. And then there’s... nothing. I can’t shake it,” He says. “It’s all I think about.” He meets my eyes. “Would you come with me? See if anything’s there?”

I nod. “Of course.” I say silently.

I transmatt to the Queen of Hearts again. Scout appears at my shoulder.

“I’m worried about Crow.” He says. “If these are more than just dreams, it could be the harbinger of something terrible.”

I reach the Hallowed Grove. Crow talks to me over the coms.

“This is it,” He tells me as I go through the tunnels. “The geography matches my dream exactly. There was a bird? Or... I was a bird? Sometimes it’s hard to remember.”

I hear the sound of Taken appearing. I hated those things.

“I’ll scout the high route. Can you take the lower path?”

“Yeah.” I answered.

“Watch out for Taken up there.” Scout adds in. “Savathun might be hiding, but her minions are active as ever. Do you remember anything else about your dream?”

There was silence for a moment before he answered. “Someone was calling for me, but I couldn’t understand. It sounded like they were... underwater or down a long tunnel. Then... nothing.”

I kept going through the caves and tunnels, fighting off Taken as I went. Then, I heard a sound.

“Did you hear that?” Scout asked me.

“Affirmative!” Said Glint over the coms. “Did you notice the way the sound scatters in spectral analysis?”

“What? No, I- but that’s... it resonated on the same frequency as the Traveler!”

I saw a flash of golden color, and went over to it. It was a hawk, sitting in front of a tunnel.

“That hawk. It was made of light.” Scout stated.

“It was real.” Crow said. “The dream, the bird. I’ve got coverage on you from up here. I’ll watch your back when you go in. Be careful.”

I was about to say that I was always careful, but I knew with what happened two weeks ago, he would probably have a comeback for it. 

I continued again through the tunnels. I followed the hawk of light. I jumped over large gaps.

“Scout,” Crow said after a while. “Can you patch Glint in to your feed? I need to see what’s in there.”

“Of course,” Answered Scout.

“I don’t understand how any of this is possible.” I heard Crow whisper.

“Guardians don’t experience visions of their past lives.” Said Glint. “But there are historic records from the Dark Age detailing visions experienced by survivors of the Collapse.”

“What were the nature of these visions?”

“They varied. But the most widely held belief is they came from the dormant Traveler. Like the survivors were experiencing its dreams. If it dreams.”

I kept jumping over gaps and killing the taken. I heard another squawk from overhead again. I got reminded of when I had followed Hawthorne’s hawk, Louis.

“What ever is calling you in your dreams, Crow... it’s in there.” Scout told him.

I went in to a large cave area, with many ledges. Moss grew on the rocks and on the walls. A shallow pool of water sat in the center, and in the middle of that, sat a piece of the Traveler.

“A piece of the Traveler.” Said Scout, astonished.

“I don’t think its a coincidence that the taken are active here.” Crow said.

“Savathun?”

“She knows about this. Has to.”

“Taken!” Scout exclaimed as many appeared.

“Out here too! We’ll cover the entrance!” Said Crow.

I took care of the Taken. I had a few close calls during the fight, but was able to get behind cover just in time. I pulled out my Golden Gun to take care of the two stronger taken, and then used my grenade launcher to finish them off.

When I finished, the hawk of light sat near the Traveler’s peice. An old gun sat beside it.

“I know this gun.” Scout said. “It looks like Hawkmoon. Or at least... part of it. I thought it was gone forever when the Red Legion destroyed the Tower.” A quick moment of silence as he looked at it. “No. It’s... an effigy of Hawkmoon. Made from the same material as the outer shell of the Traveler. This reminds me of the gift the Pyramid left us on Io. The one Eris transformed into a weapon, but it’s undeniably of the light.”

I took it carefully and picked it up.

“The dream. The bird. The voice calling to me as the Darkness closes in. It’s not a coincidence; it’s a message.” Crow said.

“Are you suggesting that the Traveler spoke to you?” Scout asked with a hint of surprise. I couldn’t help but be surprised to.

“This may be the only way a paracasual entity like the Traveler can communicate with us.” Glint said.

“Why me?” Crow asked.

“I’ve always believed in my purpose as a Ghost. We are all part of a broader design. Now that the Traveler is awake and whole again... that plan is set in motion.”

“I don’t know if I want to be somebody’s cosmic plaything.”

And that was it. 

By the time I made it back to my ship, it was night time, and I was tired. I had been helping Crow with his what he needed almost all day, plus the few missions I had done before I got Spider’s message. I told Scout to take me to orbit and informed Crow that I would talk to him in the morning. 

I headed to the small room in my ship and sat on the small bed after placing my weapons on the table. I changed into comfortable clothes, a t-shirt and sweatpants (the ship got cold a lot). Scout came in a minute later after the ship entered orbit and sat on top of the pillow on the small side table near the bed.

I laid my armor carefully to the side and went to the desk where I grabbed this journal. I sat on the bed and began to write today’s events. And now that that’s finished, I need my sleep. I’m sure there are going to be more adventures tomorrow.

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

Thera’s Journal Entry #25

(I was going to post this tomorrow but I just couldn’t wait! Please enjoy!)

When I set off to do a Wrathborn hunt, this wasn’t what I planned to happen. I never thought that the large hive knight would outwit me, or be so strong.

Long story short, I was trying to move and get to more cover. I had no idea how close the knight actually was. The next thing I know, I get slapped and I’m flying. The next second, it was dark.

When I awoke again, the first thing I did was call for Scout. But he wasn’t there. I panicked. Where was he? Was he dead? Captured? Trapped? I forced myself to stop thinking of the what ifs and to calm down.

The next thing I did, after I got my breathing even again, was inspect my surroundings. I was in a cage in a dark, musty room. I’ve seen cages like this one before, only servitors were being held in them.

I guessed that I was back on the Reef. This didn’t seem like the Dreaming City, which was where I had been before. I was surprised the hive knight hadn’t just killed me. He must have simply knocked me unconscious and then handed me off to some fallen. Perhaps they plan to use me as bait. I knew that Crow would show up eventually. He wouldn’t just let me die, I knew that.

I was worried for when he arrived though. He would be greatly outnumbered, and he wasn’t entirely the best at wielding his light. Not yet.

I sat down. There was nothing to do but wait.

I wrote this all after I had returned safely to my room in the Tower. As for the pieces that are not from my point of view, I asked Crow and Scout about them, so I could get both sides of the story, and not just my own.

Scout couldn’t wake me up earlier, not without getting hurt or killed. So he snuck away. He wished he could do something as the knight picked me up and took me away, but he couldn’t help me if he was dead. 

He followed the knight from the shadows, and watched him take me to a fallen ship. He handed me off to some fallen then walked away. The fallen chattered and nodded at him. Then he left. 

Scout left the area and called for the Queen of Hearts. He transmatted himself onto the ship and prepared to follow behind the fallen ship, to see where they were taking me. He followed them back to the Reef, and watched as the ship landed at an old abandoned building, where fallen were everywhere.

He knew that there was no way for him to sneak in. So he turned the ship around and headed to get help. He could have left and gone to the Tower to get Zavala and Ikora, but then he would have to explain the Wrathborn hunts, which would probably lead to him having to tell them about Crow.

Scout landed the ship nearby Spider’s location, and headed in as fast as he could to Crow’s area. Glint appeared and Crow turned, both seemed suprised and worried when they saw that I wasn’t there.

“Where is Thera?” Crow asked, placing the tool he had in his hand onto the worktable.

“She was captured by a hive wrathborn on the Dreaming City. She’s back on the Reef, I followed her here. I need your help to get her back. 

“Are you sure she’s still alive?” Glint asked. “I hate to ask that question, but if she’s dead, it may be too late. You know what can happen if a Ghost waits far to long to revive their Guardian.”

“She’s alive.” Scout answered.

“Then we must go. I will get clearance from Spider.” Crow stated.

“How do you know he will let you?” Asked Glint.

“He will. I’ll convince him. Thera’s done enough jobs for him to prove herself useful to him.”

And Crow did convince him. Spider almost didn’t allow it, until Crow reminded him of what I had helped with in the past. So, he agreed.

“I brought her ship here. We’ll take it to her location.” Said Scout.

Crow, Glint, and Scout headed to the Queen of Hearts and entered the ship. Scout headed to the cockpit.

“I am guessing you know her location?” Crow said.

“I saw the building where they took her, but I don’t know her exact location in there.”

The ship started up and rose into the air. It then sped forward as Scout set the navigator in the right direction. He returned to the main room where Crow and Glint were.

“I’ll land us a way off from their base, that way they won’t see us coming.” Scout told him.

Crow nodded.

Meanwhile, I thought about what had happened.

This wasn’t the first time an enemy was stronger than me, but this time it was different. The other times I had gotten away, then returned to the fight when I had got stronger. But this time, I couldn’t escape. There were too many hive surrounding me. And I didn't want to break cover unless I had to. The knight was getting to close, and I had to move to a different cover. I thought I would have time to move, but I didn’t. And now here I was.

I convinced myself that Scout was still alive, and that he was going to get help. I was hoping he wouldn’t try to get in by himself. It would be to dangerous to come alone without a weapon.

The Fallen that were in the room with me would mock me. If I was out of that cage, they wouldn’t have been laughing. Some even took turns taking an electric staff, poking it in between the gaps of the bars, giving me a shock that would leave a mark where it had hit me. They would laugh as they did it, enjoying the look of me in pain.

I didn’t say anything. It wouldn’t do me any good. So I just took it in silence, hoping that Scout got there with help sometime soon.

Back to Crow and my Ghost, the ship landed.

Scout stayed on the ship as Crow and Glint made his way down the ramp.

“I can’t go.” Scout said. “I can’t hide like Glint can. I’ll stay at the ship and alert you if anyone finds it. I’ll be ready to heal Thera when you both get back. Traveler knows she’s going to get. Please, hurry.”

“I will get back as quick as I can, with Thera right alongside me.” Crow answered.

The ramp closed and Crow went to the edge of the small cliff they had landed on. The building was in view right in front of them. It was rusted, the paint peeling off, and the windows broken. Foliage seemed to grow in every crevice. 

Crow started downward, gun at the ready. He would try to do stealth for as long as he could. He snuck behind cover and moved carefully and quietly. The long, untrimmed grass helped tremendously. 

Crow killed a Dreg that stood in front of a glassless window with his knife, then jumped into the building. 

He walked along the hallways, trying his best to be light with his footsteps so they wouldn’t echo.

Crow told me he roamed for at least fifteen minutes before he spotted a large hole in the ground, leading to a tunnel. He followed it, the stench of earth and ether being very stong. Any fallen he came across he killed quickly and silently. He kept his pulse rifle on his back.

I saw him before the fallen surrounding me did. They were messing with me again. I watched as Crow killed a fallen that stood in the doorway and then laid the Dreg quietly to the ground.

We locked eyes.

He motioned with his hand and I ducked.

Crow pulled out his gun and quickly took care of the seven fallen that surrounded the cage. However, the gunshots echoed down the tunnels. Reinforcements would be on us in minutes. 

“Wondered when you’d show up,” I said.

He aimed his gun at the locked latch and fired. The door swung open. I came out and stood. The cage was far to small for me to have stood in it, so I had been in a sitting position the entire time.

I stretched as Crow looked around.

“Do you know where your weapons are?” He asked me.

I went to the table in the small room and reached under it, pulling out Riskrunner.

“Alright Scout. We’ve got Thera, but we’ve just alerted all the fallen.” Crow said into the coms.

“Hurry and get out.” I heard Scout’s voice before the com clicked off.

Words could not describe the relief I had to have proof he was alive.

“We need to run. We’re far too outnumbered.” Said Crow.

“Yeah, I know. Let’s go.”

We rushed down the tunnel, with Crow in the lead since I had been unconscious while being brought down here. A few fallen ran at us, but we shot them as quick as we could. We never stopped running until we came into a room where there were many fallen blocking the exit. More fallen blocked the way we came.

I dodged and shot, being careful, not wanting to get badly hurt since Scout wasn’t there to heal me right away. Four surrounded me and I took them out with Riskrunner, but I didn’t see the fifth one.

Crow yelled but it was too late. I turned and the shot hit me in the side. I fell back and Crow shot the fallen who had harmed me. Other Fallen moved to finish me off but Crow pushed them back. I fought to get my sight back to normal, it was getting blurry. I moved my hand to my side, where blood pooled out. I looked over to Crow, who was fighting the fallen. I had never seen him fight like that. He stood beside me, firing his pulse rifle. He threw a knife at one of the Dregs, killing it instantly. Another got to close and he stabbed it’s throat. He fired some more and that was it. He turned and crouched next to me. Things were still blurry. He looked over at my wound, which I knew was still bleeding.

“Shit.” I heard him mutter, and then I was out.

Crow recounted his side of the story with Scout, and then Scout later told it to me so I could write it.

Crow ripped a piece of fabric from his cloak. He then pulled it around me to soak up the blood and apply pressure to the wound. He then lifted me up, one arm under me knees, and the other under my back.

“She’s breathing but we have to hurry.” Glint told him. “She’s losing blood fast.”

The extra weight slowed him down but he still ran. He climbed out the window he had used to get in. My breathing was starting to get shallow. He was far from the cliff. With him carrying me, they would only be halfway there by the time I died. Crow looked down at me.

“Scout! You have to bring to ship closer and transmatt Thera on it.” Fallen screeched nearby. “She’s about to die! Hurry!” Crow shouted.

The ship rose immediately and flew close. At the same time that I disappeared from Crow’s arms, Glint transmatted him into the Queen of Hearts as well.

Glint rushed into the cockpit to take the controls and set their destination while Scout rushed out to me.

I was laying on the small couch on the main room, blood already soaking through the fabric. Just before it was too late, Scout healed me. My breathing returned to normal, and the bleeding stopped as the wound closed.

Scout sighed and turned to Crow. “I can’t do anything about her being unconscious. She has to wake up on her own.”

“What will we do with her in the meantime?”

Scout knew that he couldn’t take me to the Tower. He would have to get help to get me to my room, and then he would have to explain everything to Ikora and Zavala.

“I think she should stay on the Reef with you. That way you can keep her safe. The ship’s running out of fuel,” Scout lied. The ship was actually at half a tank. “We won’t make it to the Tower. I’ll land the ship near Spider’s hideout.”

Crow nodded as Scout laid on my chest. Crow then went over to the cockpit where Glint directed the ship. “Land near Spider’s hideout. They don’t have enough fuel to make it to the Tower.”

Glint knew it was a lie so that they wouldn’t have to reveal Crow so soon so he went along with it. While Crow waited for the ship to land, he removed the bloody piece of his cloak and left it in the mini trash can. The ship soon landed just as night fell.

“I think it would be better if Thera came with me. I have to return to the hideout, and I don’t want to leave you here without someone to protect the both of you.” Crow told Scout.

“Sure. I’ll transmatt her to your spot.” I disappeared with Scout.

Crow headed to Spider.

“Well, did you get her out?” Spider asked in his rough voice. 

“Yes, Spider. She is now safe.”

“Good. No more adventures for today, little bird. You are going to stay in here where you belong.”

Crow nodded and headed to his room. I was laying on the small cot there. Crow sighed.

“She will be alright, won’t she?” Crow asked Scout.

“She’ll be fine. She’ll either wake up sometime in the night or in the morning.” Scout answered, laying on my hand that was stretched upward.

“She can stay on my bed until she wakes up.”

“But where will you sleep?”

“I think I’ll survive if I stay up for the night. I have a gun to work on anyway.” Crow pulled out his gun and laid it on the worktable.

There was silence as Crow pulled over a chair, grabbed a tool and began to tinker with his pulse rifle.

“Thank you.” Scout finally said. “For saving Thera.”

“You’re welcome, Scout.”

---------------------------------------------------------------

I opened my eyes slowly. The first thing I became aware of was Scout, sitting in the palm of my hand. The next thing I noticed was Crow, head down on the worktable, asleep.

I sat up and Scout stirred. He looked up at me.

“It’s about time you woke up.” He stated.

I looked around and learned that I was in Spider’s hideout.

“How long have I been here?” I asked.

“It’s early morning. You’ve been here for at least ten hours.”

I rubbed my eyes. “What happened?” I asked, but as soon as I said that I remembered what had happened. I had been shot. I had been dying.

“Crow got you to the Queen of Hearts just in time. I was able to heal you once you got there, but I couldn’t get you conscious.”

I moved over and got up from the cot I was laying on and stretched. “Oh shoot, does Ikora and Zavala know where I’m at?”

“I told them you decided to stay out for the day and stay the night in your ship. They don’t know about any of this.”

“Good.”

Crow grumbled and sat up. He turned around and his eyes widened as he saw me.

“You’re awake.” He stated.

“Yeah. I better get going. I’m sure I’ve got missions to do.”

“Of course.” He stood from his chair.

“Thank you.” I said. “For coming to get me. It must have been a lot of trouble to carry me to the ship.”

“I’m glad you are alright.” 

I turned, about to have Scout transmatt me to my ship, before I turned back around and gave Crow a quick hug. He seemed confused by the gesture at first, before he returned the embrace. I backed up, saw a small smile on his face, then Scout transmatted me to the Queen of Hearts.

I headed to the cockpit, started up the ship, then set course for the Tower.

“You better plan to tell me everything I missed.” I told Scout.

“I’ll be sure not to leave anything out.”

I looked down at my torso where a bullet hole had ripped through the fabric, and where blood had stained the white.

“Yeah, I should probably fix this up before we get back.”

“Yeah, you probably should.” Scout agreed.

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

Thera’s Journal Entry #10

The next day after a bunch of Crucible matches, where the wins outnumbered the losses, Angelica and I headed to my room for a bit of a break. She had a few patrols later that day and wanted to waste an hour before she had to go. She asked many questions, and here were a few of them.

“Do Guardians date other guardians?”

“Sometimes.”

“Do guardians ever date anyone without the light?”

“Why?” I asked from my spot on one of my chairs as I cleaned one of my knives. “You interested in one of them?”

“No just wondering. For future reference.”

“Ah.” I nodded.

I took a knife and pointed it at her lap. She was sitting on the corner of my bed and had a sketch book in her lap and a pencil in her hand. 

“What are you drawing?” I asked.

“Scout and Poppy.” She lifted up the book and turned it to me. Sure enough, it was a pencil sketch of the two Ghosts, who were both floating above the desk on the other side of the room, talking to each other.

“That’s really good.” I went back to cleaning my knives. 

“You have a lot of journals. Do you draw?” She asked as she looked towards a small shelf that hung on the wall, where a lot of my journals sat. I had gone through many over the years.

“No, I just write about things of importance that happen.”

She hummed and went back to drawing.

“I found out you’re the hero of the city. Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“Because you’d turn out like the last few kinderguardians who had heard about me. You’d have just wanted to hang out with me to have something to tell your friends and clan mates.”

“Maybe. Or I’d have been to chicken to talk to you.”

I laughed.

“Anyway, did you see how badly I scared that guy during crucible?”

I laughed harder. In between laughs I said, “Yeah, but he scared you just as bad. And I saw the entire thing. You were standing there on one side of the corner, he was on the other, and you both decided to walk out at the same time thinking the coast was clear. You both double jumped into the air and started to just fire randomly. It was the funniest sight.”

Ann laughed too. “Yeah. Poppy was laughing so hard.”

“So was Scout.”

“Have Scout and Poppy always been friends?”

“Since before Scout found me.”

“Wow, that must be a really long time.”

“Only like fifty years.... I honestly don’t know. Could be more, could be less.” I looked at the time. “Hey you better head out.”

“I still have twenty minutes.”

“I may be reckless, but its still good to be on time. And early is better than late. You still need to get the weapons you want ready, and then you have to travel there on your ship, which will take a little bit.”

“Fine. Poppy, let’s go!”

Poppy said a quick goodbye to Scout and me, then headed off with Ann. Scout went over to me.

“So what did you two talk about?” I asked him after they had left.

“Stuff.” I folded my arms. 

“About you and Ann.” He said.

“What about me and Ann?”

“How you’ve been so nice to her. Stuff like that.”

I went over to my desk and picked up one of my guns and put it in my holster. The other I slung across my back.

“Let’s go see if Zavala needs anything done.” I suggested. “I need something to do.”

We both headed out of my room and down the hall.

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

Thera’s Journal Entry #20

I shot up immediately after waking up. Scout was beside me in a heartbeat, checking to make sure I was okay.

“What happened?” He asked.

I explained the entire dream the best I could.

“Then we need to go. It’s six in the morning so I’m sure Ikora is at her spot.” Scout answered.

I got up and rushed around to throw my armor on, load up my guns, and everything else. I then headed out of my room and down to where Ikora was. 

“Ikora, I need to find Ann.” I said. “She hasn’t returned from her mission on the moon yet and, this part is going to sound crazy, but I just had a dream that told me where she’s at.”

“Explain,” Said Ikora. “As quick as you can.”

“She’s in a cave underground in Archer’s Line. She was captured by a hive lord named Nuvar who is going to get put into an arena to fight hive. Her and Poppy have been split up. If she dies-”

“Okay, okay. Go.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Thera. I know how much you care about that young Hunter. And I know how much you have lost. I refuse to sit by and let you loose someone else.”

“Thank you, Ikora. But what about Zavala and my missions on Europa?”

“The missions can wait, but if something pops up, I’ll send a fireteam to take care of it. As for Zavala, I will inform him after you have left so he won’t be able to stop you.”

“Thank you!” I took off running to the Hangar.

“We can’t just rush into this for once.” Scout said as I ran. “We need a plan.”

“I have a plan. Run in, kill some hive.”

“We need a more detailed plan.” He stated.

“We’ll figure it out on the ship.”

I made it to the Hangar and headed to the Queen of Hearts.

“Hey, what are you in such a rush for?” I heard Amanda asked as I passed her.

“Rescue mission,” Was all I answered.

She nodded.

I jumped into the pilots seat and started up the jumpship. As soon as I was out of the Hangar I headed into orbit and set course for the moon.

“Okay, it should take us there on it’s own. Now, we need to set up that plan.”

I headed out of the cockpit and fired up the holo-table that was in the middle of the main room. I pulled up the moon’s map and zoomed in on Archer’s Line. 

“It’s too bad we don’t have a 3D version of the map.”

“Are we going stealth or guns blazing?” Scout asked, hovering over my shoulder.

“I think we’ll try stealth until we can’t. It’s likely that Ann’s getting held in a cell of some sort.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to break the cell?”

“Depends on what it’s made out of. I think we should find Poppy first though. Maybe if we get down there we’ll be close enough to contact her and figure out where she is. Once we get her she might know where Ann is.”

“What if we run into Nuvar?”

“We either run, or I fire up my Golden Gun and let him have it.”

“Seems like a good enough plan. Better than no plan at all.”

I felt the Queen of Hearts leave orbit and a few minutes later Scout transmatted me to the moon. I wasted no time getting on my Sparrow and speeding down to Archer’s Line. I slowed down once I reached it, to make sure I didn’t pass the cave. 

And then I found it, tucked away and hidden behind a bunch of rocks. I squeezed past and entered the cave. Scout stayed hidden and I pulled out the Old Fashioned hand canon. I walked slowly, trying to keep as quite as possible. I was sure that not many hive would be here in the start but I wanted to stay safe. 

I went through a lot of narrow tunnels for a long time. Until finally, I reached a large opening. There were many hive there. Some thralls, some acolytes, some knights.

“I think if you’re careful you can stay in the shadows. Just stay alongside the walls.” Scout whispered to me.

I went carefully and slowly until I reached the left wall of the open area. There were three separate narrow tunnels.

“We’re going to get lost in this place.” I stated.

“Stay optimistic.”

“I suppose it won’t hurt to try again,” I suddenly heard over my inner coms. “Hello? Hello? This is Poppy, the Ghost of Angelica. We’re in trouble, we need your help.” 

The message had a lot of static but we could still make out every word.

“Poppy, this is Scout. I’m here in the caves with Thera. We’re here to rescue you and Ann.”

“Oh thank goodness! I’m sending my location to you now. Be careful in the tunnels. It’s easy to get turned around in there.”

I turned down the tunnel closest to me and kept moving. 

“I’m so glad you’re here! Ann’s been captured by this hive lord! From what I’ve heard he wants to put her in some arena and have her fight. She won’t survive without me!”

“We won’t let that happen.” I promised. “Do you know where Ann is?”

“Yes. Once you get to me, I’ll lead you there.”

I took care of a lone thrall with my knife quickly and was then on the move again.

“I wish I could do more. But I don’t want to leave without Ann. And I don’t want to accidentally run into some hive. I have no one to protect me and if I die, then there’s barely any hope for Ann at all.”

“Does she know you’re still alive?”

“No. I saw where they took her, but there were too many hive surrounding her. I couldn’t get too close.”

I could see the light of a Ghost optic shining down the cave.

“I see you! Come quickly! I don’t think there are any hive around here.”

I ran over to her. Poppy flew around my head.

“We have to hurry. Follow me.”

I stayed down and let Poppy take the lead.

“She’s down that hall. They’ve made cages of some sort that you’ll have to break through, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

I sneaked down the hall. Poppy had tucked herself away in a crevice in the wall. Finally I saw a small room with Ann in it. Bars of stone kept her from getting out. How they got her in was a question I could not answer. A wizard blocked the door, along with two knights.

I pulled out Riskrunner and stepped out of the shadows.

“Hey, I think you’ve got my friend in there.” 

I jumped into action and started to blast them. It didn’t take long for Riskrunner to break through the wizard’s shields. In the next minute, the wizard was gone, disintegrated into ash. Another few minutes and the same happened to the knights.

Ann pressed herself up against the bars as I had Scout remove my helmet. “You came!”

“You seem surprised. Of course I came.” I took a look at the bars and backed away. “You might want to move back. I’m going to have to shoot these things to break them.”

“Just try not to shoot me, alright. In case you don’t know, Poppy, she’s-” Ann froze when Poppy rushed up beside me. “She’s alive?” Ann exclaimed. “You’re alive!”

“Yes. I’d say I’m a very good actress when it comes to playing dead.”

Ann laughed.

“Alright, move back.” I took Riskrunner and aimed at the bars and began to shoot. The bars soon became tiny pieces and Ann came running out. She nearly tackled me with a hug.

“Thank you.” Was all she said. She moved back and let Poppy heal the small scratches and bruises and then looked to me. “So, are we going to stay and fight or-”

“We’re leaving. Right now while we still can.”

“Fine with me.”

Scout and Poppy both dissipated again and we ran down the tunnels.

“They took my guns.”

I threw her my Old Fashioned hand canon. “Here, use this. I’ll give you some new ones when we get back to the Tower.”

When we turned a corner we were both greeted by many hive. Ann and I both nodded and our helmets appeared on. Scout started up my playlist. The hive already knew we were here. Might as well make some fun with it.

To the sound of ‘Blue Monday’ we fought off the hive that was in our way but kept running when we could. I threw a grenade behind us at one point which took out a good few.

After running through narrow hall after narrow hall, I saw things get brighter. We were about to reach the surface. And out of all times for Ann to trip.

I stopped in my tracks and rushed to help her up with one hand while shooting blindly with my other. She got up and we kept running again. The hive were now getting closer. A sudden thought rang through my head. If all these hive got out, it would cause chaos. No one would be ready for a fight like that! I looked around for a solution until I found it. 

“Keep running! We need to stay ahead.” I said to Ann.

“I think that’s common sense.”

We jumped out of the cave and I turned around at the last second, pulled out my grenade launcher. Instead of aiming at the hive, I aimed at the top of the cave. I fired all five grenades and caused an avalanche of rocks to go sliding down, trapping the hive all inside.

Ann and I waited a few seconds. A few more. And then we caught our breath and started to laugh.

“I- I am never going to the moon again. At least not anytime soon.”

“You better not.” I said in between breaths of small laughter, glad to be alive. Glad that both of us were alive. “Scout, call over my ship. We’re going home.”

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

Thera’s Journal Entry #24

(Wasn’t sure what to do for this one. Finally I decided on a ship race)

I was relaxing, reading one of my books, when Ann busted through the door.

“We’re in a race.” She stated, as if I had no say in the matter.

“Sparrow or ship?”

“Ship. You can’t back out, I already signed up you and the Queen of Hearts.”

“Ann, you’ve really got to start asking me before you do stuff like this.” I said, standing up and shaking my head. I left my book on my nightstand. Scout got up and floated above my shoulder.

“But you’re in, right?”

“I haven’t got a choice.”

She pumped a fist in the air. “Awesome! The race starts in fourty-five minutes, but Guardians have already headed to the EDZ to place bets and get their ships ready. Let’s go.”

I sighed and left the room, locking the sliding metal door behind me with a finger scan.

“Are you placing any bets?” Scout asked me as we walked. Ann was practically skipping beside me.

“Maybe one or two. The Queen of Hearts has never let me down before, I doubt it will this time. Probably will just be, I don’t know, a thousand glimmer bet?”

Scout sighed. “You sure you want to put that much on a race?”

“First of all, I won’t lose. Second of all, even if I do lose, with as many missions I go on, I’ll make double that in a day.”

“If you say so.”

We reached the hangar. Ann headed to her ship, a model called the unsecured/OUTCRY. She had changed it’s name to Trailblazer. I headed to the Queen of Hearts.

I sat in the pilot’s seat and opened up coms on the console in front of me. Then I started up the ship.

“Coordinates?” I asked Ann.

She sent them to me, I typed them in, and we left the hangar and headed into orbit.

“So, how big’s this race?” I asked, leaning back in my seat.

“They hold it once a month. Guardians put a lot of money on it. The ones that are in the race, and the ones who watch.”

“Is it filmed or something?”

“Yeah, it is. After they upload it, all the Guardians in the Tower can see it.”

“I’ll try to give them a show.” I said as we exited orbit and neared the ground. Ann showed me where to go, and we landed near a lot of other ships.

Guardians were all over the place. Some stood around talking. Some bought food (there were a few small stands spread around the place, I guessed it was a few mortals who wanted to watch the race).

There were a few screen consoles standing in places. I asked Ann, and she said it was directed live to those that showed up. Anyone who didn’t show up would have to wait till later that night.

We exited the ship and I bought a corndog as Ann disappeared to sign us in, that way they had known that we showed up.

I finished off my food and went around the place to see who the competition was, while also taking a look at the other ships. A lot of the color schemes were colorful, some were normal. But it wasn’t how flashy they were that mattered. It was how fast they were.

“Didn’t think you’d be racing.” A male voice stated behind me.

I turned around to see an exo sporting a hunter cape.

“Well, I had a friend who already signed me in. But I could use some old fashioned action like this. I remember that way back when, I’d get my ship and me and my old fireteam would do stuff like this.”

“Now you’re all tied down by the Vanguard, huh?”

“That isn’t true. If I wanna leave, I can leave, they can’t do a thing about it. I stay for the good of the city.”

“Spoken like a true hero.” He put his hand out. “Name’s Issac-3.”

“Thera. But you already knew that.”

“Yep. You doing bets?”

“Maybe. Betcha five hundred glimmer I’ll make it first.”

“I’ll betcha one thousand five hundred, that I’ll make it first.” He said, in a challenging tone.

“Three thousand. I win, you owe me three thousand glimmer, if you win, I owe you.”

“Deal.” We shook on it just as Ann walked up.

“You’re already doing bets?”

“I’ve got confidence.”

“Come on. There’s this drink I want you to try.” Ann led me away by the hand, eager to show me what was there and have me try some of the food.

For the next half-hour we talked to the other Guardians there (most were hunters, which didn’t surprise me), and tried new foods (note to self: figure out how to make deep fried oreos). For the last five minutes I headed back to my ship and opened up coms to the leader of the race. He would tell us when to head to the starting point, which was above a long valley, and when we had ended. We would do a circle around the area, and would end up back and the valley. He would also tell us if we were doing something that was considered cheating. 

I set up my playlist until there was a blinking light on my console. Issac was requesting for us to open up a comlink. I did so.

“You here to back down on that bet?” I asked him.

“Not a chance. Just wanted to make sure there would be no hard feelings when I win.”

“Who said you were gonna win?”

“Hey, now how do we know that neither of you are going to win?” Ann said. “What if I win?”

“If you win, I’ll give you five thousand. But there is no way you’re going to win against the Queen of Hearts.” I said.

“Sure, sure.”

“Alright, everybody needs to head to the starting point of the race.” Came the announcers voice.

Ann muted herself and Issac did the same.

Ships took off and we stayed floating far above the valley. Trailblazer was right beside me. I couldn’t see through the tinted windows, but I was sure that Ann was grinning.

“Everybody get ready. And... go!”

Thrusters started up and engines roared as the ships all took off.

“Scout, you know what to do.”

Welcome to the Jungle started to play on the speakers. I turned it down a little bit, just so that I could still hear the announcer.

Ahead of me was a narrow crevice. Two small mountains stood next to each other, leaving a small gap between them, big enough for three ships to fit in a row, as long as they were tilted to the side.

I moved through it with ease, with Ann right on my tail. I laughed and gave the Queen of Hearts a burst of speed before slowing down again. I remembered a time where Zane and I had gone racing and I had overloaded my engine. A little bit later I saw Issac’s ship pass me. I growled and sped up again. I refused to lose to him.

I couldn’t help but be a bit competitive.

I was right on his tail, but every time I tired to pass him, he moved so I couldn’t. I growled again and gave another quick burst of speed. I angled my ship up, and moved up and over him before he had a chance to stop me.

“Racers, turn left here. You’ll turn left again when you reach a thin, rocky mountain. You can’t miss it.”

I turned left as the announcer said. Issac tried to speed up to pass me, but I sped up as well. I laughed again. I wasn’t sure what place Ann was in, I only knew that I was first, and that Issac was second. He tried to pass me every chance he could, but I stopped him every time.

A mountain stood in front of the path we were all taking and I split to the left while Issac took the right. We nearly collided when we both met on the other side. Issac was in the lead once more. I sped up and didn’t stop it. 

“Thera, if you overheat the engine-” Scout warned.

“I’m not going to overheat the engine.” 

“Yes you are,” I heard Scout mumble.

I turned left again, as the announcer had said and only slowed when Issac was far enough behind me for my liking.

“What place are you in?” I turned on the coms with Ann.

“Like, sixth? I don’t know. I know you’ve taken first place though. HEY!” There was silence for a minute. “Sorry, this guy tried to ram me. Oh, I think I’m in fourth now. I see you and Issac up ahead. He looks like he’s about to speed up, you might want to handle that.”

“My plan is to stay in first, and then once the valley comes into view again, I gun it.”

“Good plan. What happens if Issac passes you?”

“I won’t let him.”

We got off coms again and I watched to make sure that Issac wasn’t trying to pass. Then he did something unexpected. He flew forward, faster than I had expected.

“How did he go that fast?” Scout exclaimed. “No ship goes that fast.”

“That cheat’s probably got some upgrades on it. No way can he keep going like that for long, otherwise he’ll overheat his engine. I have to beat him.”

I gunned it, determined to reach first before he did.

“Thera, if you keep this up, you’ll overheat your engine!”

“I only need to do this long enough for Issac to overheat his.” I never stopped and Issac didn’t either. Until he tilted to the side with smoke coming out of the rear of his ship. He slowed down and I saw him try to straighten out. The valley was just in view. I sped past him, and saw him angle the ship towards the ground.

A warning blared but soon stopped when I slowed down. The Guardian who was now in second place was far behind me, and in another quick minute, I had reached the valley. I swiveled around and landed on the ground. The other ships followed. As I exited the Queen of Hearts I heard cheers around the crowd. People passed around glimmer.

Ann came in third, with an awoken coming in second. The announcer approached me. 

“Here we have the winner of the race. Pretty close call right there. We checked the ships before the race to make sure there was no added modifications. His didn’t appear on the scanners.”

“Speaking of the cheat, I have money to collect.”

Ann ran up beside me.

“Let’s go collect it.”

I walked over to where his ship was. It was smoking badly and he stood outside of his ship, looking at it. His Ghost was at his side, scolding him. She saw me approach.

“And you better plan to hand over that three thousand glimmer.” She told him in a stern voice. “I told you cheating wouldn’t work, but you didn’t listen to me.”

He sighed. “Alright, alright. You were right, I was wrong, are ya happy?” A pouch appeared in his hand and he handed it to me. “Three thousand. There.” He growled.

“Oh, and from what I’ve heard, when you’re caught cheating, you’re not allowed to get in another race for six months.” I said as I pocketed the glimmer.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m already getting an earful from my Ghost. I don’t need you to lecture me too.”

“I won’t give you a lecture,” I turned to see the announcer coming forward. “But I think he will. See ya.”

I walked off, glad that I had won the race and the bet.

“I can’t wait to watch that when they upload it.” Ann said. “From what I saw, it was crazy! It was a fight for first and you won!”

I laughed. “Yep.”

“Did you doubt?”

“What, that I was going to win? No, I didn’t doubt.” I was lying.

“Come on, we’ll head back to the city and get some ramen to celebrate this win.” We both walked back to our ships.

Whew! Glad I finally got this done!

With school just coming back from virtual, I’m going to be busy most of the day, and won’t have as much time to write journal entries. I’ll try to publish at least two or three times a week, but there is no way I’ll be able to post everyday like I was before.