#these are my hot fireteam members

[caramelcomics]

Oopsies I've been working on this one for almost a year. Hopefully I have the time to finish it up soon but we shall see. ._.;

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

R&R

Chili Cook-Off! This event will be held in Forward Mess Hall. To enter, contract Master Chef Jonathan Lowell. To attend as a taster, pick up your tickets any time before February 25! Miller just wanted to enjoy his morning off, but he's voluntold to attend the Chili Cook-off. There he runs into some familiar faces. Fernando bullies and gets bullied by his coworkers. Linda socializes and reports back to Blue Team.

Technically a sequel to Backup - the other Miller/Esparza fic that takes place during SpOps.

Also posted to ao3

-

February 25th, 2558. A perfectly normal Saturday.

4 days since the invasion. Not even two weeks since Castle was shot down on their way to Copernicus base. So much had gone wrong.

The hole in Miller's Fireteam roster yawned ever wider as the campaign pushed everyone to their limits. He had thought he'd lost Crimson too, but their luck had held out so far. But losses were common, regardless of what the propaganda said. It really was only a matter of time.

Get it together, Miller. He thinks to himself and huffs a sigh. At least he can be dramatic and morose in the privacy of his own bunk.

"Good morning, Spartan Miller!"

Never mind, he's not safe anywhere. Maybe he should be grateful that Roland has the decency to wait until he's awake.

"Roland." He sighs and rolls over, glaring at the ceiling. "It's my morning off."

"Was your morning off. Put some pants on so you don't scare my delivery boy. I hope you're hungry!"

Miller grumbles something about pushy AI and pulls on some sweatpants before there's a knock at his door. It's probably Dalton or someone from Crimson in on Roland's scheme. Miller scowls and opens the door.

It's not Dalton or Crimson. It's Linda. 058. Blue Team Linda. Sharp-green-eyes-that-see-into-your-soul Linda. Linda from the speed dating event, who-acted-like-she-wanted-to-win-it Linda. That Linda. At Miller's door. Where he's standing. Shirtless and half awake. Well, he's fully awake now. He stares at her, frozen as the white hot fear and panic turns him to stone. She stares at him, expression blank as usual, maintaining prolonged eye contact as Miller’s brain both empties and goes into overdrive. He goes for casual seconds too late and aborts a half-motion to cover his chest. Playing it off like he went to scratch his neck, he finally regains his grasp of the English language and manages human-like speech.

"Hi." The greeting creaks out his throat.

Linda nods in lieu of a greeting and opens her palm to reveal comically archaic paper tickets. They look small and childish in her hand - so out of place on a warship. Paper tickets, a novelty on their own, but on the Infinity they mean one thing; Morale boosting events. R&R, hand-delivered and Roland-enforced. Miller is doomed. He’s getting roped in. Roland somehow roped Linda (058, his brain supplies, as if leaving the numbers off is rude) to rope Miller into attending.

Miller blinks. Linda doesn't appear to need to. He holds his arm out robotically and receives them. He's unsure what's happening. Surely he’s still dreaming and this social fumble is just a nightmare.

"What are these for?" He asks.

"Chili cook-off. You're a taster." She says, voice cool and calm. Miller can't tell what she's thinking or feeling. Linda’s the most mysterious member of Blue Team because of her quiet and secretive nature. Beyond being the sniper, Miller isn’t really aware of any aspect of her personality. Even Chief emotes more than Linda. Miller thinks Linda lets people see exactly what she wants them to see, which is none of her, most of the time.

"What? This is what Roland was talking about?" He sighs, "I'm sorry you got dragged into this." He is genuinely apologetic. There was something of a Roland blast zone surrounding Miller and those who got too close were collateral for the AI’s whims. 

Her head tilts a fraction of a millimeter. "I'm going too." She reveals her own ticket. "See you there." And then she's gone.

Miller blinks and Linda is disappearing down the hall while he stands there like an idiot. He knows he only sees her leave because she wants him to. Why did the "see you there" sound so threatening? IIs were such different beasts from IVs, socially at least. He was fine being a handler and helping on Ops with IIs, but without Fred balancing them out, Blue Team was nigh indecipherable outside a combat setting.

Miller groans. He'd been looking forward to laying around in bed for his morning off. Now he's saddled with expectations. If he doesn't go, Roland won't allow him a moment of peace until he decides Miller's suffering has balanced the scales. He's at the mercy of a fickle AI. He knows Roland knows he knows this. He better get on with it, for his own sake.

Gunmetal gray walls and bright lights greet him as he leaves his room and exits S-Deck to the less Spartan-friendly areas of the ship. There’s a dull roar as he approaches the cafeterias and Miller sees more groups congregating than he had expected. The Forward Mess Hall is a hive of activity as Miller steps through the door. Voices drone together in a low buzz as bodies swarm different tables. Crew from every department and rank are rubbing elbows, some for the first time ever. Master Chef Lowell is conducting the competing cooks with a smile on his face. The overall mood is surprisingly light given that just a few days ago the Infinity had been boarded by Covenant and Promethean invaders.

The crew needed this. A small, lighthearted respite in the midst of a messy campaign. Miller needed this too, though he didn't sign up to be a taster for the Chili Cook-Off of his own free will. Roland signing him up looked like it would turn out to be a good thing, not that Miller could voice that where the AI could hear. Roland's ego needed no help.

Miller finds himself in a swarm of crew vying for the seats at the tables across from the cooks. He's a head taller than most of the people there, sticking out like a sore thumb. There's one Spartan competing which assuages some of his nerves - it's funny seeing Spartan Hedge in an apron that barely makes it to his upper thigh.

He's scouting for a spot to sit, one that will support his augmented weight, when someone calls his name.

"Spartan Miller?"

It's the civilian from the group that huddled in the Op Center during the invasion. The engineering contractor or something, Esparza. He waves at Miller and gestures to the empty seat next to him. Miller raises a hand to wave back and finds himself gravitating towards the table. It wasn't like anyone else was going to wave him down.

"Esparza, right? How have you been?" Miller asks as he takes a seat.

Esparza grins at the fact that Miller remembered his name. Fernando incorporates Miller into his small group near-seamlessly. “Good, good. Nice to see you again, you know, without the danger.”

“I guess that depends on the chili.” Miller laughs awkwardly. He regrets the joke immediately but it makes Esparza smile and his group mates groan goodnaturedly. 

Esparza is kind. He chuckles as Miller gingerly sits, testing to see if the seat will support him. The metal folding chair groans but holds. Esparza laughs outright at how Miller's eyes go wide at the sound and he throws his arms out to brace. It's a nice laugh. They make small talk and Miller learns he doesn’t flub every social interaction he’s a part of.

Esparza introduces him to the other people sitting around their table. Mostly civilian types, contractors and engineers. Egghead types, the commander would say, but they’re good people and Miller finds himself relaxing. He finds himself forgetting how much he sticks out and just enjoys the company. There's some words about him being the Spartan that protected the engineers during the invasion and Miller hates that he feels his face heat up. He knows the tips of his ears are red, but it feels nice to be remembered for something good for once. 

"Did you come here with anyone?" Esparza asks.

He shakes his head. "My 'friend' signed me up for this, even had someone else drop off the ticket. I thought I might see someone here but I'm not sure. She's...good at blending in."

Esparza looks curious. “Your friend made you come? They must have thought you needed a break. I’m glad you made it.” He says while gently nudging Miller’s side.

“Thanks.” Miller says,“Don’t let him hear you say that though. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Who?”

Miller looks around and lowers his voice before answering. There’s too many people and the noise should prevent him from hearing, but who knows? He’s probably watching and lip reading from some unseen camera angle. “Roland.”

Esparza looks confused for a moment. “The Ship AI?”

“Yes.” Miller says mournfully. Esparza laughs, probably at this tone and the look on his face. He knows he’s pouting.

“I have to know, why? Is it because he’s like your boss?” Esparza leans in.

“I think he just likes picking on me, specifically.”

“So he likes you.” Esparza says grinning and sitting back. He crosses his arms and the easy curve of his posture is relaxed and knowing. He looks smug.

Miller feels himself losing control of his expression. He’s affronted. “I wouldn’t say that. I think he just likes causing problems.”

“Does he pull stunts like this often?” One of the other engineers asks. Miller can’t recall her name.

“He’s always popping up on Ops. I think he thinks he’s helping. Or he gets bored.”

“He rarely talks to us. I think we saw him during onboarding, but he rarely talks to our department directly.”

“He must like you.” 

“He’s pulling your pigtails because he doesn’t know what else to do.” Esparza says with a thoughtful face before he cracks up and laughs at Miller’s bright red face.

“Thanks. A bald joke, never gotten one of those before.” He says snidely.

Esparza waves him off. “No, he likes you and he’s showing his feelings the only way he knows how. By being defensive.”

“Probably picked it up from Command.” Someone at the table whispers. Miller ignores the image of Commander Palmer that pops into his head.

“I don’t know about that.” Miller mutters. “And you guys sure know how to gang up on a guy. What happened to me being the cool Spartan?”

“We started talking to you.”

“Jeez, okay I walked into that one.” Miller sighs, crossing his arms on the table and dropping his head dramatically. Joking aside, he is having a good time. He’s used to jokes at his expense,  but this feels different. Esparza’s including him and the man’s presence is comforting. Still, he’ll play his part and act put out. Maybe he can guilt them into sharing their portions of the taste testing. 

Esparza takes pity on him and pats his arm. “There, there. Look, it’s time for the food.”

In the end, they do share food with Miller when his faster metabolism comes up in conversation. He doesn’t share too much about the augs, but it’s interesting to talk to civilian types with just enough clearance he can clear up some misconceptions. 

“I didn’t know Spartans could be nerds.”

“We’re not all meathead jocks!” Miller laughs and steals a bite of one of Esparza’s samples. “Oh, which one is that? That’s going to be my number 1.”

He tries to swat Miller’s hand and fails. Scowling, Esparza bides his time until Miller starts talking to someone else and goes for the kill. His spoon gets mere inches away from Miller’s plate before the Spartan traps his hand with his own.

“Gotta be faster than that.” He laughs.

It’s Esparza’s turn to be flustered. He wiggles his hand in Miller’s strong grip and can’t get free. Miller yields and releases him, his palm feeling cold now that it’s no longer wrapped around Esparza’s hand and wrist. He was gentle, but Esparza still cradles his hand with wide eyes before coughing and clearing his throat.

Whatever he plans to say is interrupted by an announcement of the winners. Master Chef Lowell beams and introduces the winners. Miller can see Spartan Hedge near the winner’s circle looking pleased. Miller’s favorites didn’t win but they got honorable mentions. 

Then Miller sees her. Linda materializes out of the crowd and goes over to the 4th place winners with a strange intensity. She offers them the most formal handshake Miller's ever observed and must congratulate them on their work. Bobrov beams with pride and Gomez looks a little starry-eyed as Linda 058 of Blue Team fame tells them she liked their chili the best. It honestly looks closer to a medal giving ceremony than something as low stakes as a chili cook-off.

With the event officially over and his shift starting soon, Miller excuses himself with a small smile. “Maybe we’ll run into each other soon!” He says and winces internally. 

Esparza and the others smile and say their goodbyes as well before heading towards their own parts of the ship.

Miller looks around for Linda, but doesn’t see her. He hopes she had fun. He also hopes he will get more warning before she pops up again. All the excitement is keeping him on his toes. The small break over, he still feels lighter than he has in weeks as he preps to send Crimson out into the field.

“So?” Roland asks once Miller’s seated at his station. Ask is too nice a word for it, it’s more of a demand from the AI.

“It was alright. I had fun.” Miller admits. He’s going to keep a closer eye on Roland now. Miller was considering previous conversations with Roland in a new light now. Maybe the AI was more than just bored and Miller was more than just the easiest target.

“So I was correct in making you go.”

“Maybe. If I let you set the waypoints for my Fireteams, will you stop bullying me on comms?”

“Maybe.”

It’s a start.

—

The civilians trail back towards their departments in groups, gossiping about the cook-off and who they thought should have won before the conversation turns around to focus on Fernando. He should have expected it, but honestly, he was too old for this.

"The Spartan's cute, and you guys have a great first meeting story. Why not ask him out?" One of his coworkers titters. His team had been insufferable about The Spartan That Saved Them and the moment Fernando and he had had during the crisis.

"Shhh!" Fernando waves her off and playfully scowls the others grinning at them. "He might hear you!" They were only just past the doorway to the Mess Hall.

He considers it slowly, rotating the image of the Spartan in his head and talking to Miller over the course of the last hour or so. Miller is more human and shy than he expected. Awkward. It was  funny seeing a Spartan off-kilter. He's less intimidating without the armor and he acts like he’s surprised when people like him.

"He is cute." Fernando acquiesces.

"And tall."

"And strong."

"Stop!"

“But he might be taken?”

“Yeah, you might have competition. The AI might pull your pigtails.”

“You guys are the worst. I feel like I’m back in school.”

He waves them off, but he finds his mind lingering on the Spartan as he finishes up his reports. Maybe they would see each other around. His contract on the Infinity was a longer one and there wasn’t any harm in seeing where this went.

—

Linda returns from her outing with a sense of satisfaction evident to the rest of her team. Her shoulders are relaxed and she’s talkative. Rather than return to rest from the strain of the social spotlight often aimed at the IIs, Linda seems satisfied.

Her team perks up when she returns, their body language shifting to welcome her back into their space. She has their attention and they read her posture and gestures like an open book. It went well.

“Have fun?” Kelly asks as her sister enters the room. 

Linda nods and signs the Spartan smile across her face.

John tilts his head and nods in acknowledgement. He doesn’t move off his bunk but he sits up to show he’s listening and starts mirroring her posture. 

“You know it’s not a date if both parties aren’t aware.” Fred points out from his bunk.

“Not a date. Observation.” Linda says.

“What was the speed-dating thing then?”

“Recon.”

Fred sighs. “I guess this counts as socializing. I’m glad you had fun.”

“I got some numbers.” 

“Of course you did.” Fred says and is promptly hit with a pillow. Headshot.

“Are you going to call any of them?” John asks. It’s a genuine question. Linda’s been observing and opening up to new experiences since they’ve been stationed here. If carving out time for socializing and resting in the middle of a campaign was something they did, then she would try it.

“Maybe.”

“No pillow for him? Come on.” Fred complains, but there’s mirth in his voice.

“She likes me better.” John says smugly and dodges the pillow Fred throws at him.

Maybe there was the time and space for them to branch out here. They might not have roots anywhere, not anymore, but they still had this.

Kelly makes eye contact with her and she signals “go.” The pillows fly.

[abidethetempest]

HRRMM.... director's commentary on Sigil and Niamh? >:]

(suffer.)

i am TRYING to work on my DRAFT, WOLVIE!!

When I first started drafting rise and fall, there was a version for many years where Fenris never went to the City or got a Fireteam. Only in last year or so did they really become characters of their own, driven partially by friends asking me about her future Fireteam and me going "UHHHHH ABT THAT".

Sigil started out as a more shallow character, and then eventually I decided I wanted the non-Fenris members of Fireteam Tempest to be similarly outcasted like her so they would be more ready to accept her... unorthodox existence. Sigil's came together more easily than Niamh (whose backstory I'm still not quite satisfied with): the only survivor of not one but TWO failed raids on the Vault of Glass, who is rumored to be at best cursed and at worst a murderer who killed all five of the other members of his teams. I have so many thoughts abt him at all times. He has barely processed the trauma of losing his two previous teams and is incredibly protective and anxious abt losing the people he loves as a result. He's the most functional adult of Tempest but at the same time is a hot mess.

Niamh: honestly? in her lane, unbothered, flourishing. She's the least traumatized of the group (altho that bar is INCREDIBLY low so...) and is just here to have fun, make things explode, and maybe save the world is it's not too much trouble. While she usually has the freedom to just float thru life and be silly with it, she does have a serious side. Niamh really steps up during later arcs when she needs to be temporary team leader for.... reasons :) I feel like she needs more depth but depth doesn't have to equal a tragic backstory so she might be fine where she is, tbh.

[fireteam-silent]

∞ - @rhulks-legs

If I Think They Are: Ugly || Plain || Alright || Cute || Freaking Adorable || Pretty || Beautiful || Hot || Stunning

All of Fireteam Silent has to begrudgingly admit that Rhulk looks amazing.

–

If I Would Go On A Date With Them: Not even if we were the last two one earth || No || Maybe || Eh….Sure || Yes || WILL YOU MARRY ME

Artemis is a hard no, but Notts and Khalom? If Rhulk agrees to behave and pay for dinner, then why not.

–

If I Trust Them: Not At All || Not Really || Kind of || Yes || With My Life

All three members burst into laughter.

–

If I Care About Them: Not At All || Not Really || Kind of || Yes || Deeply

Gotta spend more time with them first and prove Rhulk's worth caring about! :P

–

My Comfort Level With Your Muse: Keep a Distance || Okay You Can Stand There, But Don’t Touch Me || Let’s Get Coffee and Talk || Let’s Cuddle || I Can Change In Front of You || Let’s Take a Bath Together

Artemis is absolutely not comfortable around Rhulk at all, whereas Notts and Khalom are about the same. Notts is nervous, however, and Khalom is her gremlin self.

If I See You As: A Stranger || An Acquaintance || A Friend || A Close Friend || My Best Friend || A Crush || The Love of My Life

Clearly it's time for Rhulk to join the Fireteam Silent's girl night.

[i-do-trash-fanfictions]

Thera’s Journal Entry #30

My ship sat in the hangar of the Tower, the ramp down as I got ready for the Dawning. The celebration began today, and I always decorated my ship for the occasion. I started to open boxes that I kept in my closet. They were filled with ornaments, a mini christmas tree, and lights... lots and lots of lights. Christmas music from Pre-Golden Age played through my speakers.

Fellow Guardians waved as they passed my ship. They knew that every year I did this, a few stopped to have a short conversation. With everything that has happened this year, the Dawning still put a lot of people in good spirits.

Scout was floating around, enjoying his new shell that I had bought him. It was one called the Tangled Shell. It was light blue (one of his favorite colors), with a Dawning star on it, along with bright lights covering it. I had saw him eyeing it before, and bought it for him as a early Dawning gift.

I pulled out the mini tree, took a seat on the floor, and began to fix up the branches.

“Hey, Thera!” I heard, as I was working on the last branch.

I looked up to see Ann, a gun strapped to her back, and a hand gun in a holster at her hip. Her helmet was tucked under her arm but was soon transmatted away by Poppy.

I stood up. “Just got off the field, huh?”

“Yeah, had to do a strike for Zavala, and two patrols. But, now I’ve got the rest of the day off.”

“Good, help me out with the decorations.”

“You’re decorating the Queen of Hearts?” She asked as she walked up the ramp.

“The inside. I do it every year.”

She looked inside one of the boxes and pulled out a bunch of lights that I had used for at least five years, probably more. Might have been ten. I don’t know.

I went to place the small tree, which only reached up to my waist, in the corner of my ship, near the door to the cockpit. “Hey, plug those up and see if all the lights work.”

“You know,” Ann said as she moved over to a plug in. “I’m surprised to hear you listening to music like this.”

“It gets me in the holiday spirit. I don’t just like AC/DC and Aerosmith and all that.”

“Hey, I’m not hating on it. It’s pretty nice.”

She plugged the lights in then turned to me. “I think you need some new lights.” Poppy stated.

I turned to see that most of the lights were either dim, or not working at all.

“Hey, can you-”

“Thera!” Came a voice. I walked down the ramp to see an exo warlock, Myth-3 was her name, holding two boxes.

“What do ya need?” I asked.

She laid the boxes on the ground. “Hannah wanted me to bring these to ya. Dawning decorations from last year that were never sold.”

Hannah was a non light bearer who sold all sorts of things in a large shop down in the city, close to the Tower. She sold everything from furniture, to clothes, to books, and everything in between.

“Bring em up here.” 

Myth did so and I opened them up.

“Good, new christmas lights. Ooh, colorful ones.” I pulled them out.

“She said you’d like those.”

“You be sure to tell her I said thank you.”

“I will.” Myth said with a wave as her Ghost transmatted her away.

I turned back to Ann. “We’ll do these lights first. You check out the what’s in the rest of these boxes while I hang em.”

I hung the bright, colorful lights around the main room, then hung another smaller set in the small bedroom of the ship. I went back to Ann, who was going through the other box, which was filled entirely with ornaments except for a few tree toppers and a new garland.

I pulled out a star tree topper and the garland. Both of which were Nebula Rose, the same color as my armor. Hannah always knew just what you’d like.

“Sweet.” I heard Ann state.

“Alright, I’m going to get the garland and mini lights put on the tree, then you start handing my ornaments.” I said.

I finished up with the garland and lights, then Ann started to hand me ornaments after she put the hooks on them. I put them all around the tree, then handed the tree topper to Ann.

“Here. Put it right on top.”

And she did so.

I hooked up the tree to the nearby outlet and smiled at the pretty bright lights.

“It’s awesome,” Ann said, digging through a box. “But you’re missing something.”

She pulled something out and pulled over a chair. Then she reached up and hung a mistletoe from the ceiling.

“You’re gonna need this for your date with you-know-who.” She gave me a grin.

I rolled my eyes but smiled. “Speaking of which, I have to pick up a Dawning gift for him.” I said, heading off the ramp, closing up the ship, and heading to the main area of the Tower.

Ann followed behind. “What did you have in mind?”

“He’s got no casual clothes, only his armor. I was thinking about buying him some. Something to wear if he ever wants to relax in comfort.”

“That’s nice. What’s the plan for the date?”

“I’ll tell you after it happens.”

Ann shrugged.

“Oh, and I’m going to make him some cookies. He always enjoyed my baked snacks.”

“Your baked snacks are amazing!” She exclaimed. “I heard you made a whole bunch and then gave them to some people here in the Tower.”

“Yeah. Mostly those who’ve played a big impact in my life in one way or another. People who do a lot of work and deserve a baked snack. If I could, I’d give all the Guardians one, but that would be way to much work.”

Ann smiled as we exited the hangar. She looked around in awe of all the decorations. I smiled at her wonder filled eyes.

I remember my first Dawning. Walking into the Tower made me so happy, to see everyone having fun. The decor was always so beautiful, and there was cheer all around as gifts were exchanged. Zane and I had started a snow ball fight with some other hunters once, while Sora and a few other warlocks were sipping hot chocolate and talking nearby. Most of the other hunters had fireteam members and friends who were in the group of warlocks so we got an idea.

Everyone had grabbed a large snowball and we ran up to them. At the count of three we all threw the snowballs at the same time, covering every single warlock in snow.

We did not expect that they would grab their own snowballs and throw them back. And we certainly didn’t expect to lose a snowball fight to them either. But it was a great memory I had. Screaming and laughter as we ran around, dodging snowballs and sometimes slipping on the ice. I remember a few others that were around joining in as well. I think a snowball hit Shaxx, cutting him off from announcing in the Crucible. I was pretty sure that the snowball that knocked a hunter off his feet and made him slide across the floor was thrown by Shaxx.

Speaking of snowball fights....

Ann was ahead of me so I quickly grabbed some snow and made a ball out of it. I saw Tess Everis out of the corner of my eye smile then look down as I threw it, hitting Ann on the back of the head.

“What the-” She turned around the see me fixing up another one and ducked just as I threw it.

She grinned and soon a snowball fight between the two of us broke out. The two of us ran about the Tower, chasing one another with snowballs. Ann slipped on some ice once as she ran at me and fell to the ground. I couldn’t remember laughing so hard.

Ikora watched as the two of us ran past, smiling. I knew she hadn’t seen me act like this for years.

We ended up doing a circle around the Tower and ended back at the bazaar again. Ann threw a snowball at me and I ducked down. It whizzed past my head and hit Ikora square in the chest. She folded her arms and grinned, looking down at the snow on her robes. Ann and I froze, not knowing what to expect.

Ikora reached down and grabbed a handful of snow.

“Sh-”

She threw it at me and hit me square in the face. Ann started to laugh before another one soon hit her.

“Try to aim away from me, you two.” She stated.

“Yes, ma’am.” Ann answered.

The both of us calmed down.

“Oh, shoot, right. I’ve got to head down the Hannah’s to get Crow’s gift.” I said.

“Alright.” Ann said, still giggling as she brushed some snow off of her.

We headed down to the city and walked down the streets, which were filled with warmly dressed civilians, a lot of them holding presents. I entered a shop and a bell rung above me.

A women in her thirties looked up from the book she was reading at the desk by the door. She had curly blonde hair, white skin, and brown eyes and wore black framed glasses. That was Hannah. Her red lips smiled as she saw it was me.

“Thera!” She exclaimed, closing her book and standing up.

“Hey, Hannah.”

“What brings you here? A quick Dawning gift?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Really? Who for?”

“She’s got a date in a few days and needs a Dawning gift to surprise him.” Ann answered for me.

“Ooh, a date? What are you hoping to find?”

“Something warm. He doesn’t have many casual clothes. I think he’d like some.”

“I have just the thing. Come.” She gestured with her hand to another door which led to a room full of clothes of all sorts hung upon hangers.

She went over to a rack that only had sweaters and picked through it.

“What colors does he like?” She looked back and asked.

“Uh, black and dark blue. Maybe dark purple.” I answered.

She pulled out a sweater with black and blue stripes and handed it to me.

“Does this work?” She asked.

I checked the size to make sure it was right. Scout had asked Glint what size he thought Crow was. The sweater would fit perfectly. “Perfect. I’d like some regular trousers, preferably black if you have that color. And some boots. Oh, and some gloves.”

“He a hunter?” Hannah asked as she grabbed some black pants off of a shelf and then went over to the shoes section.

“Well, I guess so.”

“What do you mean, you guess so?”

“He hasn’t really chosen a class yet.”

Scout appeared beside me. “With the way he dresses, he’s a hunter.”

Hannah laughed as she grabbed some snow boots. She took a pair of dark blue gloves as we went to the desk. I stopped to look at some wrapping paper and grabbed a roll that was blue with gold Dawning designs on it. All the objects were laid out on the desk.

“50 glimmer, for all of it.” She stated.

“It looks more than that.” I said, pulling out some glimmer and handing her a hundred. “And thanks for the decorations. I needed some new ones.”

“You’re very welcome. Come back if you need more Dawning gifts.” She said with a wave as I walked out of the store. Ann had the box full of stuff in her hands.

“Alright,” I turned to Ann. “I’m heading to my room to work on wrapping this stuff. And I’ve got to get to work on making some snacks for Crow.”

“Okay. I’m heading into the Crucible to finish up some bounties.” She said.

The elevator took us up to the Tower and we parted ways. I headed up to my room and left the box on my unmade bed. I pulled out the wrapped paper, arranged all the items the way I wanted them to be, then sat it on the floor. I sat beside it and began to wrap up the gift with a smile on my face.

[fireteam-dauntless]

A Tale of Two Guardians II

Part 1 of the Destined Series. Chapter 2 : After the Fire masterlist

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About a year went by and I hardly ever saw Maverick-7. Occasionally we ran into each other while running strikes for the Vanguard, but I never really saw him in the Tower. Until today, that was.  I was in the small club in the Tower Hanger, sitting at the counter of the bar, sipping on a drink.  My silver hair had grown down to my shoulders and I was finally one of the more senior and experienced members of my class.  I was dressed casually (Zavala pretty much ordered me to take some time off, no missions or patrols), in a sweater and sweatpants, and barefoot.  

But I was depressed and troubled.  I lost both of my fireteam members on Phobos, everything had been going in a blur since.  We got separated, and I don’t know if they made it out because my Ghost brought me onto my ship and flew us back to the Tower.  I had to beg Zavala to let me go on a rescue mission, but he constantly refused.  For once, I wished I was just human again so I could get drunk and suffer with a hangover, so I could forget about my fireteam for a bit.  For some reason, Guardians can’t get drunk.  Some think it’s because of our connection to the Light.

So here I was, on drink number five, my body swimming in alcohol, but not mentally drunk.  When I finished my glass, I felt anger bubbling in me, and I threw the glass at the wall.  It shattered into tiny pieces, and a sweeper bot almost immediately started to sweep up the pieces.  The bartender stared at me.

“Another,” I said.  A few moments later another glass appeared in front of me.

“You look like you need some company.”  

I jumped and nearly spilled my drink.  “Merde!” I shouted.

Maverick-7 sat down at the bar beside me.  He wasn’t wearing any armour, just a t-shirt and sweats.  I just stared at him.

“You know,” I said bitterly.  “When you said ‘See you around the Tower’, I really didn’t imagine it would be when I’m on drink six, swimming in alcohol, and yet sober as all fuck.”

He held up his hands and chuckled.  “Wow, I seem to have come at a bad time.”

“Sorry,”  I sighed and shook my head.  “It’s just…”

“Rough day?”

“Worse than rough.”

He paused for a moment and ordered a drink for himself.  “I’ve heard your name floating around the Tower,” he said.  “You really have made a name for yourself.  Even Shaxx seems to like you, and I don’t think I’ve ever run into you in the Crucible.”

I swirled my drink in it’s glass and took a sip.  “Is that all you’ve heard?”  I knew most Guardians had heard about my fireteam.  I heard the rumors, too.  Anyone who hadn’t yet gone to Phobos were turning down their missions.  Taken had started popping up all over the system.

He took time before answering.  “I… I didn’t think you wanted to talk about them.”

My throat started to tighten up.  They were my two best friends and partners.  Adam and Gilly, an awoken Warlock and a human Titan. They were as close as I could get to family.

“I couldn’t find them.”  I whispered.  “I left them there.  My Ghost pulled me into the ship before I could run back and try to find them.”  I clutched tighter onto my glass.  “They told me to keep running.  We were a team!  Teams are supposed to stay together.”  I took a long drink and then put the empty glass down on the table, perhaps harder than I should have.  “And what’s even worse is that Zavala won’t let me go back to find them.”

Maverick tapped the rim of his glass.  “We could go find them.”

“What?”

“You and I.  We could team up and find them.  Zavala would probably suspend both of us, but who cares? If there’s any chance your fireteam is alive, someone should try to find them.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said.  “Zavala put Phobos off limits to all Guardians.  If our locations put us anywhere near it, our Ghosts are supposed to override our jump ships and send us back.”  He stared at me suspiciously.  “I’ve already tried going back.”

I shook my head.  “Thanks for the offer though.  Besides,”  I stood and patted him on the shoulder. “I don’t think your fireteam would approve.  They need you more than I do.”

I started to walk away, when his harsh voice cut through the club.  “Bullshit!”  He pulled on my arm and turned me around.  Angry, I pulled my arm back and punched his jaw.  He stumbled back against the counter and I shook my hand out.  Honestly, I’ve never punched an Exo before, and I didn’t realize until now what straight up punching a metal with bare hands hurt so much.  My knuckles were bleeding as I stumbled and struggled to keep my balance.  Even if I was sober, my body certainly was feeling the effect of the alcohol.  Everything was spinning.

“No!  It’s not bullshit!  Maverick, I had the mission to Phobos, with two other fireteams.  I saw what happened there.  Everyone else died!  My fireteam is dead!”  Hot tears were burning in my eyes and I could see the shock in his expression as he stared at me, rubbing his jaw.  “I don’t need your pity.  I need to find whatever the fuck started this war and end them.  For my fireteam.  For my family.”

I didn’t even realize I had started stumbling until Maverick was holding me up by my elbows.  He sighed and helped me walk out of the bar.  “You are right,” he said.  “But from my experience,  giving up on something doesn’t help.”

[thedistantstorm]

Phoenix Protocol 40

Zavala x Awoken Female Warlock | Mid/Post Forsaken | Slowburn | Gratuitous Descriptions of Light | Self-Confidence/Self-Worth Issues | Redemption

When the Traveler’s Light was returned to the Guardians after the defeat of the Cabal, it did not manifest itself the same in everyone. Miyu, an Awoken Warlock, finds herself struggling with her abilities, her Light feeling different and not her own. With her Vanguard preoccupied with grief and all eyes turned to the Reef, she finds herself turning to an unlikely source in an attempt to rediscover her connection to the Light and define what it means for her as a Dawnblade.

[This artwork was done for me a while ago by the lovely @dredgen-ding, and though it’s a repost where chapter bumpers are concerned, it’s one of my favorites!]

Previously

-/

The Commander paces in front of them. Lilith and Bertie share a glance while Morgana fidgets nervously. “Continue. The Knights weren't giving chase but coercing you into a specific location?”

“Yes,” Bertie answers immediately, always alert when his Vanguard and Commander asks anything of him. “We believe they intended to corral us to an unstable area of the Archology to better lure us through the portal.”

He hums, never stopping his rigid pacing. 

Lilith makes a sound, clearing her throat. “You keep looking at the door, Commander,” She observes casually.

The pacing stops. “Do I?” He asks coolly in response. Bertie stares at Lilith as if she’s a dead woman for questioning him.

“Nevermind, Sir,” She chirps, when Bertie reaches around Morgana with his left arm and flicks her, nostrils flaring. “I must be imagining things.”

He lets it go, but the Hunter nestled between the other two members of her Fireteam follows the Titan Vanguard’s motions nonchalantly from then on.

“You’re totally right,” She whispers, when Zavala is pondering over something Bertie reports. “He’s totally watching the door. What is he waiting for, y’think?”

“The Wizards and Knights surrounded us then and-”

“Miyu.”

“What?” Zavala’s head rockets her direction, his brilliant eyes flickering over to the petite Warlock. 

She flinches. “I said, what do you mean you don’t remember,” Lilith lies as smoothly as she can, kicking Morgana’s heel, to tip her off. 

“I thought I was being quieter. I’m sorry,” She plays along, with a deceivingly angelic look that would make her late Vanguard proud.

“Of course,” He relents. “It was a rather traumatic experience for you all.” His gaze softens. “What is it she doesn’t remember?” 

“Oh, uh-” Lilith looks pleadingly to Morgana to come up with something, to intervene...

...but it's Ikora who saves her, appearing in the doorway. “You three. Clear out. Get a meal and a good night’s sleep. We’ll debrief in the morning, unless there’s something you believe you need to share with the Commander that cannot wait.”

“I-”

“Not you, Lilith,” Her Vanguard tuts. Turning to the door, she shakes her head. The other person with her has yet to step through, but Lilith knows for sure it's her teacher. “You’re right,” Ikora chuckles. “She is too smart for her own good.”

“Told you,” A bell chime voice muses.

Miyu steps through the door beside Ikora, lingering at the overlook that stands level with the largest screen in the command center. Both Warlocks look poised and content. Then, Ikora smiles. “Come on, you three.”

“But what about-”

“Lilith, if you need something to do, you might consider revisiting your katas. I’ll ask Lord Shaxx to assist you if need be.” 

“Wait, wait, seriously?" She glares up at Miyu, offended. "Haven’t I been beaten up enough for one day?” She pouts. “I was asking about loot, honestly.”

“Loot. I see.” Ikora crosses her arms. “Well, I suppose you three have earned something.” She pats Miyu’s elbow in passing. “I’ll be in touch with you in the coming days. I’d like to catch up more, if you’d be agreeable.”

“Absolutely.”

That settled, she turns back to the recovered Fireteam. “To the armory, then. I’m sure we can find something that will satisfy you.”

They nod, the Titan saluting his Commander while the other two slink away. Lilith turns back to regard Miyu, lingering in the western doorway that leads to the Vanguard's extensive armory down the hall. “When do we start training?”

“Tamashii will ping your Ghost. Take a break, Lillie. You’ve earned it.”

“I hate it when you call me that,” Lilith pouts begrudgingly, and Miyu’s glad to see her back to normal, refusing terms of endearment.

So she laughs, warm and bright, like summer wind chimes. “I know.”

Ikora follows after them, pausing not far from her partner in arms. “Speaking of breaks,” She muses, “I had better not see you for at least thirty-six hours.”

He looks at her, baffled, but she takes a moment to regard Miyu. “At least,” She advises her, as if Miyu is the only reason he'll heed Ikora's advice.

“Understood,” She answers, softly. Gratefully. “Thank you.” 

“It is the least I can do,” She answers, taking her leave. “We’ll talk soon.”

Then, they’re alone.

Their eyes finally, finally meet and her voice catches in her throat.

It's been so long since she's seen him, she thinks. She strides purposely down the small staircase, working up her nerve. Instead of a timid stutter, she offers him a bashful smile. It's as though she can't believe this moment has come, she's truly seeing him, in person.

He returns it instantly, and reaches for her hands. Her palms are warm in his, the pads of his fingers almost electric when his fingertips curl over her skin. 

"Miyu," Her name leaves his lips in a whisper, so tender and reverent that any trace of bashfulness melts away. 

I've missed you so much, she thinks. More than anything. There is so very much she wants to say.

"I-" He pauses, momentarily silenced by the seriousness of her quicksilver gaze. It's as though she's seeing beyond the ethereal glow of his irises, her eyes drilling deep down into his soul. She squeezes their combined hands, licks her lips, and beams, finally saying the words. She'd promised him. She wanted to say it with everything that she is and was and hopes to be. Here, in this moment, she finds that she has never been more herself. 

"I love you."

-/

Urgency and longing do not make for lengthy relations, but Miyu is careful to only give the Commander her front and let him linger over the new mark on her back. She is certain his worry and concern - anger, perhaps, even, when she tells him how she allowed it to happen - will take away from this moment. And Miyu wants to savor this one, pack it up in a little box and hold onto it forever.

It's not what she imagined, not the tender, slow thing she'd conjured up in her mind on nights when she longed so desperately for his touch, to go home. He's gentle, but not terribly so. She burns hot under his palms, her fingers deftly working to remove layers of armor while he subtly backs her up against the nearest wall.

His Light pulses against hers, like an extension of his person. It gives away the questions he is desperate to ask, but wants to put off in lieu of reconnecting with her. She kisses him as she answers with her own, heady flames dancing along her fingertips, her Light positively radiant as it washes over his Void-tinged skin.

In a way, this is more intimate than what follows. It's a blend of who they are, the sort of Nirvana that exists at the crossroads of two souls.

She comes back to herself slowly, startling when she feels his fingers trail carefully over the new mark on her back. His lips find her temple and she relaxes, her face pressed into the crook of his neck. She can feel his heartbeat, strong against her chest, her body rising and falling with the cadence of his every breath.

He's relaxed, but concern lurks below the depths of his voice. "Does it hurt?"

"Mmm, no," She yawns, stretching but not moving from her position atop him. He takes the cue from her to shift, but she protests, humming, "You're warm," And trying to cling to him.

"Let me see you," He whispers against the shell of her ear. Something about that makes her breath catch and sets her heart racing. She rolls off him, curling in on herself in a defensive move, Tamashii instantly asserting himself into the space above them. His disruption of their privacy furthers the Commander's realization that something is wrong.

"Miyu?" He murmurs. "What-"

"The Taken-"

She uncurls, but her body is rigid. "I'll tell him, Tamashii." Her eyes are bright, glossy with unshed tears. "Thank you, though. I will not let them ruin things for me." Her partner bobs, phasing away. She can hear Adelaide's concerned chatter in the other room as he returns to her.

"You-" He sighs, torn between drawing her up against him, or letting her come to him. He sits up, careful to leave space between them. "You told Ikora that they showed you something you wanted."

"It was a moment of weakness," She agrees, swiping at her eyes as she scoots closer and rolls onto her belly. She's still so tense that he's worried that the slightest touch will make her fall to pieces, his eyes refusing to leave her face despite his worried curiosity. "I wanted to see you, more than anything, and they used that to take advantage of me."

He can feel the heat of her Light, simmering below the surface, ambiently as opposed to when she’s worked up, training, or frustrated. It's new, tantalizing, and yet so very familiar, no longer lurking just out of reach. Even so, he keeps his hands clasped over his knee.

She pulls a pillow up under her head, sighing. "It's okay," She finally says, her breaths slower now. "I'm not afraid. I just needed a second."

"Understandably," He murmurs. She looks exhausted, boneless and limp, stretched across the sheets. "Rest," He bids her.

"I don't want to, yet," She whines. "I haven't seen you in so long."

"I'll be here."

"I know," She agrees. "But-"

His fingertips press into her hair, rubbing her scalp. She sighs, but her eyes do not close like he's expecting. "If you insist."

She pushes up, body bowing seamlessly up and back to stretch her back. His eyes are drawn to the marbled black that stretches across the expanse of her starlit skin. It's almost completely flat, as if healed, the skin scarred and unbroken.

"Don't fret," She murmurs, as the pads of his fingers follow it from end to end. "It looks far worse than it is. It doesn’t hurt me.”

“I am more concerned about lasting impacts.”

“I all but bathed myself in fire, casting Dawnblade afterwards,” She says. “I’ve purged it with Light several times over. Besides, scars are just poetic reminders of our victories.” 

“And this victory? What did you stand to gain by visiting the Sov’s throne world?”

The pale Warlock tips onto her side, so it’s easier to look at him. “It forced me to confront myself. I’m better for it. I feel like myself again.”

“I am glad,” He ensures her. “But, to me, you have always been perfect, exactly how you were.”

She snatches the hand that trails across her spine by taking his wrist and pressing her lips to his fingers. “Yes, but I feel like there is so much more of me that I can share, now that I’ve found what I am looking for. My visions finally mean something.” He’s watching her intently. “Ikora wants to study it at length, but I insisted she wait until I show you first."

The smile in his voice is knowing. “You’ve learned something new.”

“The fruits of our training,” She informs him. “I call it the Well of Radiance. Ikora would like to adopt it as the Attunement of Grace. A third school of study for the Dawnblades.”

“You must have impressed her immensely, if she's already given it such thought.”

“I think she just liked the boost my Well gave her Nova,” Miyu hums, tugging him back down to her. He follows easily, pulling them hip to hip. “She said if she still played Crucible we’d be virtually unstoppable.”

“It empowers?”

“And heals,” She murmurs, forming a grenade in her palm. It dissipates into a nurturing, hazy aura that sends sparks of revitalizing Light across their skin. The feeling is like being swaddled with a blanket. She nuzzles against him when it fades, nestling against his muscular frame with a contented yawn. “It’s not a Ward of Dawn by any means, but I think you’ll find the idea somewhat similar.”

“Show me,” He whispers, lips brushing against her skin as she settles, blinking slow and heavy. Fading, she mumbles something sleepily into his chest, brows disturbed as she tries to fight the tides of impending slumber. His reply is a warm, rumbling laugh. “In the morning, Anata. For now, sleep.”

Miyu slots her left leg between both of his, their limbs tangling comfortably in a loose embrace. They sleep dreamlessly until morning.

-/

Just the epilogue to go - it will be up next week. But, this won’t be the last you’ll see of Miyu (or Lilith). Thanks so much for reading.

[changingourdestiny]

Changing Our Destiny Pilot: Part 2

Summary:

Rae meets her new Fireteam members; Blaze, a rebellious Awoken Hunter that lives by the motto 'My way or the highway'; and Adam, a human Titan who has taken a vow of silence and has his Ghost communicate for him. Will they learn to work together, or will they fall apart and be consumed by the Darkness?

Part 1: Here

“S’up?” Rae stared in awe at the Awoken that stood before her. “What? Never seen an Awoken before? I thought you would’ve met Zavala McGrumpy by now.” The Awoken laughed. Rae shook her head as she snapped out of her awestruck state, “Er, sorry! I didn’t mean to stare. I’m Rae.” “I’m Blaisel Kiria. But you can call me Blaze. All my friends do.” Blaze grinned before looking over her shoulder, “Oi, Adam! Hurry up, slow poke!!” Rae looked behind Blaze to see a man with messy blonde hair, green eyes and a metal arm, and was wearing white and blue armour, was casually walking towards the two women. He gave Rae an acknowledging nod. As he did so, a dark blue and silver ghost appeared beside him, “I am Stormbringer. Adam is pleased to meet you. He has taken a vow of silence since his revival so I will interpret anything he wishes to say.” “Nice to meet you!” Rae smiled. “Oi! Don’t forget about me!” An ice blue and orange Ghost appeared beside Blaze, “Hiya! I’m Firefly! Nice to meet ya!” “Hello!” Rae grinned, “Aren’t you the friendliest little thing?” “D’aww! I ain’t that cute!” Firefly bounced up and down happily. “What’s your Ghost’s name?” Blaze asked. “I just call him Ghost.” Rae shrugged as Ghost appeared beside her. “I prefer it as my name if I’m honest.” Ghost added. “Makes sense. Some Ghosts already have a name, but I gave Firefly hers.” Blaze replied, patting her Ghost on the head with her finger. “New friend!” Firefly cheered as she floated over to Ghost, “Hi new friend!” “She’s very excitable.” Stormbringer informed Ghost, “I’m Stormbringer. It is nice to meet you, Ghost.” “The pleasure is mine.” “So, newbie. We were told by the Ikora that you’re our newest member.” Blaze began, “Nice tattoos by the way!” “Oh, um…they’re not tattoos. They’re natural. It’s a long story.” Rae replied. “Eh? I didn’t know humans get markings like that naturally.” “I’m not human. I’m Paragonialan.” “Pair of what now?” “Paragonialan. I’m the last of my kind. I died while trying to get to the Last City via the Cosmodrome…apparently. It’s a long story.” “Well we don’t have time to unpack all that! We’re tasked with showing you around and getting you ready for the next mission! Let’s see if Banshee has any weapons you can use and then we’ll give you the tour, newbie!”

“And your dorm should be right arooooooouuuuund…ah! Here we go!” Blaze trotted down a corridor towards a door, “And I’m right across the way! So if you need anything, just let me know! Adam’s a few doors down.” Adam gave a thumbs up to Rae. Rae opened the door and looked inside. It was a basic room. A bed, a side table with a lamp, a desk and chair, a bookcase, a small box of tinkering tools on the desk, and a wardrobe. There was a door leading to a bathroom by the bed. “You should get some rest.” Ghost informed Rae, “We have to return to the Cosmodrome tomorrow.” “Wha?! We just escaped that hell!” Rae squeaked. “I’ll explain tomorrow. Try and get some rest.” Ghost replied. “I’m with the lil’ guy on this one!” Blaze yawned, “Imma head to bed. See ya, Rae!” Adam waved goodbye as he walked down the hallway. “Goodnight guys!” Rae waved as she went into her room. Rae set her journal and the gun she found in the Cosmodrome on her desk, flicked to a page in the journal, took out the tinkering tools, and began to take apart the gun. “What are you up to?” Ghost asked, curious of what Rae was doing. “There’s a page here saying that I used to tinker with machines back at the tribe. There were even some notes on how to tinker with guns and other machines.” Rae explained, “I saw some Guardians with helmets out in the plaza, so I’m gonna design my own.” “Well, don’t spend too long on it. You need your rest.” “Yes mom.” Rae smirked. “Very funny.” Ghost rolled his eye as he disappeared.

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“There’s Adam!” Rae strolled into the plaza where she was to meet up with Adam and Blaze. Adam was there but there was no sign of Blaze. “Morning Adam! Hey Stormbringer!” Rae waved to the two. Adam waved back with a friendly smile. “Good Morning, Rae.” Stormbringer greeted the Warlock. “Where’s Blaze and Firefly?” Rae asked. “Blaze has a habit of being late for meetups and training.” Stormbringer explained, “I swear she gets it from her Vanguard.” “You mean Cayde?” Rae asked. Stormbringer nods, “Cayde is known for being more laid-back and not as serious as the other Vanguards. One time, Adam and I spotted him being dragged into the meeting room by Commander Zavala by the cloak after sneaking out to Spicy Ramen, which is a restaurant in the City.” “The best restaurant may I add!” The Guardians and Ghosts turned around to see Blaze casually strolling into the plaza with Firefly. “Hi all!” Firefly chimed in a happy tone. “Blaze, you are late. Again.” Stormbringer scolded. “Geez, lighten up! What’s the big deal anyway?” Blaze sighed. “Dunno. Ghost? You there?” Rae called. Ghost popped up beside her, “Always. So about today’s mission. It will be your first mission as a full Fireteam. I was sent a message from Ikora’s Ghost, Ophiuchus. Ikora wants you to use this mission to learn how to work together as a team. As for the mission, we need to return to the Cosmodrome in Old Russia to retrieve some parts for the ship we found. I’ll explain more on the way there.” “Alright. Let’s go then!”

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“So, Ghostie. What’s the story?” Blaze asked. The three Guardians were crammed in the small spacecraft as it glided through the sky. “Don’t call me that.” Ghost glared at Blaze, “Anyway. We were lucky to find this ship. A Guardian can’t do much without one.” “That’s true.” Stormbringer agreed, “We used to have one…until two certain someones decided to show off and crashed our ship on the way back to the City and we had to walk the rest of the way back!” Blaze just whistled to herself as she glanced at the ceiling. “As I was saying,” Ghost continued, “We need a warp drive if we ever hope to fight beyond Earth, and that Cosmodrome is the only place I know where we can find one. We survived the Fallen once, we can do it again.” “Okay!” Blaze grinned, “Helmets on Fireteam…uh…I just realised we never chose a team name…sooo…anyone got any ideas?” The ship was silent for a moment as the Guardians and Ghosts just gave each other confused glances. “Well…” Rae spoke up, breaking the silence, “Paragon, the deity my tribe worshipped was usually associated with a dragon made from the Light. And since us Guardians are Lightbearers…how about Paralight?” “I mean…” Blaze began, “I would’ve gone with Blaze’s Hot-Shots. But that has a better ring to it!” Adam nodded in agreement. “Ok then!” Blaze grinned, “Fireteam Paralight, helmets on!” Blaze held a metal mouthpiece to her face as a silver spiked helmet with fire-coloured stripes, her facial markings, and dark red eyes materialised around her head and she pulled the hood of her cloak over it. Adam pressed what looked like a jade-green visor to his eyes as a simple, round, white and blue helmet formed around his head. “Time to try this out.” Rae muttered to herself. She had used the parts of her old gun, plus some spare parts she scavenged from around the tower, to make her own protective mask of sorts. She placed what looked a pair of dark, metal cuboid headphones on her head and a black and gold mask formed around her face. The mask had her cheek mark on it along with a dark pink diamond between her eyes and dark pink around the clear eyepieces. The gold part on the bottom had two silver fangs painted on with a silver diamond in the centre. “Hey, not bad!” Blaze stared at Rae’s mask, impressed, “When did you put that together?” “Last night. I’m sure I could make it look better if I had the proper supplies. But I only had some scraps, so it’ll do for now.” Rae replied. “Alright. We’re here!” Ghost announced, “Get ready to land.”

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“WHOOHOO!!!” Blaze cheered as she jumped behind a crate, landing beside Rae. “I told you not to run ahead of us! Why would you do that?!” Rae yelled over the gunfire as she briefly peeked out from behind the crate and fired a vortex grenade into the seemingly endless group of Fallen. Adam was behind another crate nearby, firing at the Fallen in an attempt to hold them back. “You guys were taking too long!” Blaze continued. “Because we were working out a strategy to get the warp drive from the Fallen!” “What strategy? We go in, shoot the baddies, get the warp drive, and leave!” “It’s not that-!”

*ROAR!!!*

The two Guardians’ argument was cut short by a loud roar coming from a hole in the wall across the room. “What is that thing?!” Rae exclaimed. “An Archon! Yes!!! I’ve always wanted to take down one of these guys!” Blaze cheered as she reloaded her hand cannon and leapt out of cover, “Time to be the hero!!!”

“BLAZE!!!” Rae called after the rowdy Awoken but to no avail. “It is no use.” Stormbringer called from beside Adam, “There are three things Blaze is known for among the other Guardians: being the main source of trouble, having the worst temper, and never listening to any sort of authority. The only authority figure that usually gets through to her is Cayde, but sometimes she even won’t listen to him. It’s her way or the highway, as the saying goes.” Rae cursed under her breath as she ran out from behind the crate, “Adam, cover me!” Adam nodded in response as he tried to distract the Archon from Blaze. But the fiery Hunter wasn’t having it. “

Hey!

I’m your opponent, you ugly son of a-!”

“BLAZE MOVE!!!” Rae lunged at Blaze, pushing her behind some rubble and pinning her to the ground. “Ack! What the heck was that for?! Get off!” Blaze growled. “No! Blaze I know you don’t like listening to others, and I’m sure you don’t want to listen to a ‘newbie’, but I’m not letting you get killed!”

“What’s he big deal?! Firefly can just revive me like she always does!”

“Have you noticed the giant monster of a Fallen?! What if Firefly gets damaged, what then?!”

Blaze suddenly stopped struggling as she turned her head to look at Firefly who was floating beside her. Blaze let out a sigh, “…what’s the plan?”

Rae looked over at Adam who was still trying to hold back the Archon, “Ok. Hunters are known to be stealthy, right? Adam and I will distract the Archon. While we do that, you sneak up behind it quietly. When we give the signal, you attack him from behind. That way we can beat the Archon without anyone getting killed…”

“And I can still get the winning blow!”

“Exactly!”

Blaze smirked, “Alright then. Let’s do it!!”

Rae got off Blaze and dashed to where Adam was and helped him distract the Archon while Blaze snuck by the Archon. “It’s almost low enough. Just a little longer!” Rae muttered, “Almost…almost…Blaze, now!!!”

Blaze whipped out her hand cannon and began firing at the Archon from behind. However…

*click!* *click, click, click!*

From behind her helmet, the colour drained from Blaze’s face as the Archon turned to glare down at the Hunter, “Uhh, guys? I’m out of ammo!” The Archon knocked Blaze off her feet with its free hands before pointing its gun right at her head. “Blaze!!” Rae cried out as she ran towards her teammate. Adam reached out his arm to try and stop the Warlock but to no avail. Rae leapt at the Archon; her left arm outstretched. Everything seemed to fall into slow motion. Rae felt a surge of arcane energy pulse through her arm as the dark pink markings on her arm began to glow purple as a sphere of energy appeared in her hand and began to grow bigger and bigger until…

*KA-BOOM!!!*

A bright purple light filled the room as a loud explosion sounded through the air. The light faded and Rae was lying face-first on the ground, the marks on her arm still glowing faintly. Blaze was on the ground staring at where the Archon, who seemed to have completely vanished, once was. Her helmet disappeared revealing an utterly shocked expression on her face, “Ok…I officially have a huge amount of respect for Warlocks…” “T-thank you…!” Rae groaned as she picked herself up off the ground, “I didn’t even know I could do that, to be honest.” “That, I believe, was a Nova Bomb.” Ghost explained, appearing beside Rae, “All classes of Guardians have a unique super ability depending on their subclass. Since you are a Voidwalker Warlock, you’re super is the Nova Bomb.” “He’s right.” Blaze agreed as she got to her feet, “Mine is called Golden Gun, which…wait for it…summons a FLAMING GUN!! Cool right?! Oh, and Adam’s is Ward of Dawn which makes a huge bubble shield.” Adam nodded in confirmation. “As interesting as everyone’s abilities are…” Stormbringer interrupted, “I believe we were looking for a warp drive. We should find it before more Fallen arrive.” “Stormbringer is right. Let’s see…” Ghost hovered around the room for a second before darting to a corner, “Aha! Here it is! Let’s get back to the ship.” “You got it!” Rae nodded. “Whoo! Fireteam Paralight, first mission complete!” Blaze cheered.

As the three Guardians approached their ship, Ghost appeared beside Rae, “Rae. I received a message from the Speaker. He wishes to see you when we return.” “I…I’m not in trouble, am I?” Rae asked, nervously. “He didn’t say.” Ghost replied. “#PrayForRae” Blaze laughed.

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

Early that evening, Rae walked into the observatory tower. “Whoa…” Rae gasped in awe at the sight of the Traveller. “There was a time…when we were much more powerful...” A calm voice spoke from behind Rae. The Warlock turned to face the Speaker, who was descending down a set of steps, “But that was long ago. Until it wakes and finds its voice, I am the one who speaks for the Traveller.” The Speaker motioned for Rae to follow him to the railing which overlooked the City and the Traveller, “You must have no end of questions, Guardian. In its dying breath, the Traveller created Ghosts, to seek out those who can wield its Light as a weapon – Guardians, to protect us, and do what the Traveller itself no longer can.” “I…hope you don’t mind me asking, but…what happened to it?” Rae asked. “I could tell you of the great battle, centuries ago…” The Speaker began, walking alongside the railing as he spoke, “How the Traveller was crippled. I could tell you of the power of the Darkness, its ancient enemy. There are many tales, told throughout the City to frighten children. Lately those stories have stopped. Now…the children are frightened anyway.” The Speaker turned to face Rae ad Ghost, “The Darkness is coming back. We will not survive it this time.” “Its armies surround us. The Fallen are just the beginning.” Ghost added. The look of curiosity and confusion on Rae’s face was replaced with a look of worry, but quickly changed to a determined one, “What can I do?” “You must push back the Darkness.” The Speaker replied, “Guardians are fighting on Earth and beyond…join them. Your Ghost will guide you. I only hope he chose wisely.” The Speaker turned and began to ascend back up the steps without another word. “I did…I’m sure of it.” Ghost reassured his Guardian as the two left the observatory, “We’re in this together now.”

As the two approached the Plaza, Ghost made a little beeping noise, “Incoming audio message from Blaisel Kiria.” Blaze’s voice started playing from Ghost, “Hey, newbie!” “Hey, Rae!” “Cayde, shh! Yo, meet us in the City! We’re eatin’ out at Spicy Ramen to celebrate our first ever mission success! Cayde’s buyin’!” “Wha?! Now hold on, I didn’t-!” “See ya soon, buddy!” The audio ended with a beep. “I guess we’re having ramen tonight.” Rae shrugged. “Well, you are. I can’t eat.”

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

“Yeah! Spicy Ramen time!” Blaze dug straight into her bowl as the group of Guardians sat at Spicy Ramen. “Ugh! Blaze, can you please not be so sloppy? You nearly got sauce on me!” Stormbringer scolded. “Oh relax! Ghosts are waterproof, right?” Blaze replied, swallowing a mouth full of noodles. “They aren’t sauce-proof! Plus, do you know how hard it is to get rid of the smell?” *Plop!* “Gah! Cayde!!” Cayde had plopped a few noodles on top of Stormbringer, who was clearly not amused. “Nice wig, Storm.” Cayde chuckled. “Lighten up a bit, Storm!” Sundance, Cayde’s Ghost, laughed. “Yeah! We’re celebrating, y’know!” Firefly agreed. “I love how Stormbringer is the only one of our Ghost’s that isn’t like his Guardian!” Blaze laughed, “Cayde and Sundance are mischievous and carefree, Firefly and I are awesome and fun, Rae and Ghost are huge stick-in-the-muds…” “HEY!” Rae and Ghost yelled in unison. “But Adam and Stormbringer…” Blaze continued, “Well Adam’s pretty much a big teddy bear and is friendly to everyone, while Stormbringer’s all serious and can’t take a joke to save his life.” “Blaisel. I appreciate you as a teammate, but you are incredibly annoying.” Stormbringer glared at Blaze. “Well, duh! I’ve had to spend the past few weeks with you, so of course I got it from you!” Blaze smirked. “Oh, shots are being fired at Spicy Ramen! Someone call the Vanguard!” Sundance laughed. “I don’t thing even Zavala could block those verbal bullets.” Cayde chuckled.

“By the way, been meaning to ask ya…” Blaze piped up as she finished her bowl, “How do you know so much of your past, Rae? Usually it’s pretty rare for Guardians to even have a few of their memories, let alone the amount you have.” “You don’t have any of yours?” Rae asked. “Nope. And I don’t really care that I don’t remember my past. Any regrets that may have held me down are out the window. So I have nothing holding me back. But this ain’t about me, back to how you remember your past.” Blaze shrugged as she took another mouthful of noodles. “Well, when Ghost revived me, I found a journal that had a symbol identical to the one on my clothes. And all of the stuff written in it felt familiar. So I was able to piece together some of my past through it. But it only goes up to a few years before I died. So anything past that is blank.” “Cuhd az uh juhnuh tu!” Rae said with her mouth full, “Uh, hod uhn…*gulp!* Cayde has a journal too!” “It’s a mystery why people call you the Gossip Machine.” Cayde rolled his optics. “What can I say? I get it from my Vanguard.” Blaze grinned. Cayde gasped dramatically, “Blaze, I’m hurt! I would never say something like Zavala likes knitting in his spare time.” “Wait, really?” Rae laughed. “Oh, oh! Do the voice!” Sundance bounced up and down in the air. Cayde let out a loud ahem and began speaking in a deep tone, identical to Zavala’s, “Guardian. I am Zavala. I am very strict, and I hate smiling. Hunters are way better than Titans. War. Poetry. Knitting.” Rae burst out laughing, “Oh my Paragon, that’s perfect!”

The rest of the evening was spent chatting, celebrating, and recounting the highlights of the last mission. Despite only being there for a little over a day, Rae was already feeling at home in the Last City. Little did she realise that her little mismatched team of Guardians would be the ones to save the universe…

…eventually.

End of Prologue.

[talyn-the-warlock]

(Finally putting this up! I wrote this greatly improved "about me" page ages ago, and only now am I actually posting it. Enjoy, Guardians!)

(Soren and Arden are my ocs. Hangman-17, as always, belongs to my friend. Info on Soren here!)

Talyn Maj

"You won't drown in sorrow. You'll find I'm a strong enough swimmer for us both."

Awoken - Warlock - Voidwalker

Resurrected - 2nd of October, mid City Age

Ghost - Dresden

Affiliation - Fireteam Exalted, Dead Orbit

Status - Active

Voiceclaim - Charlize Theron (actress)

Noteworthy Physical Traits - Jagged scar on her left side, tattoo of the solar system along her spine

Background - The first moments of Talyn's life were trial. Breath was given to her above Rhea, in the corpse of a shipwreck caught in the satellite's orbit for centuries. Confused and barely able to get her bearings, she was set upon by scavenging Fallen, and only defeated them by plunging the remains of the vessel into the Rhean surface. Her trespass in the domain of the Nine was, unwittingly to those involved, spared punishment by the rescue efforts of Soren, a daring Hunter she would later call friend. Upon her arrival in the Tower, Talyn was entrusted to the care of Fireteam Exalted's resident Warlock. Hangman-17 became her teacher in the ways of Lightwielding, and quickly found himself the new Guardian's closest friend and confidante.

Growing powerful in her own right over time, Talyn proved herself worthy to fill the void left by the death of one of the group's founding members. Her allegiance brought Fireteam Exalted back to it's full strength, and reinstated the group as an active Vanguard asset. With enough adventures under their collective belt, the Guardians of Exalted became Talyn's family. In addition to battling Darkness with her friends, an ethos of wanderlust brought Talyn to align herself with Dead Orbit. Eventually, one of her adventures would appoint her the captian of her very own vessel, the Fermi Paradox, and it's fifty-man crew.

Once she had truly shed her down and began working on her own, Talyn developed a secret professional relationship with the renegade Shin Malphur. Impressed by her battles thusfar, Shin recruited her as a kind of agent, entrusting her with the hunting of Dark Lightbearers with his oversight. As their respective kill counts increased, Talyn and Shin slowly became genuine friends in their shared pursuits. The pair were seperated for years following the Red War, with Talyn assuming him dead. After his reappearance with the rise of Gambit, they resumed their work by keeping tabs on the dark game. It was this history that informed Talyn's testy relationship with the Drifter, and what caused her so much strife when Shin revealed the true depth of his plans to her. In spite of this, he was as much a mentor to her as Hangman was- it was Shin who inspired most of Talyn's beliefs about the use of Darkness as a weapon, and Shin who later called them into question.

When Dominus Ghaul attacked the Last City, Hangman-17 disappeared on a personal mission. This left Talyn for the first time in four years without his guidance or her Light. Along with the crew of the Fermi Paradox, she linked up with the rest of Dead Orbit's fleet to wage hit-and-run campaigns on the Red Legion's vessels in the system. The experience was essential in forging her; it taught Talyn independence not only from others but even from her Light, and created a confidence she wasn't sure she was capable of. When the Guardian of the main story returned the Light, Talyn was able to re-establish contact with Exalted. She was relieved to see Hangman return, and in the aftermath of the Red War the pair became romantically involved.

Following another run of adventures together in the year following Ghaul's invasion, Talyn briefly struck out away from Fireteam Exalted to personally hunt down and kill Uldren Sov and his Barons. Single-minded and angry, she tore a bloody path through the Tangled Shore to find Cayde's murderer. Talyn shot the Prince mercilessly in hot-blooded revenge, and felt no remorse. It was only as the Taken curse started to grip the Dreaming City that she slowly began to realize the folly of what she'd done. Even though she doesn't let regret consume her heart, Talyn has taken to self-reflection as she fights the curse and seeks to understand her place as an Awoken.

Personality - Talyn is a creature most defined by her intense emotionality. Friendly and extroverted, she loves to interact with others and isn't shy about expressing herself to them, whether they be fellow Guardians or City-dwellers. Talyn tries to make herself as accessible as possible, willing to take others’ experiences and views into account and using them to learn more about them and the world around her. In truth, Talyn can sometimes be too friendly, and has some difficulty catching subtle social cues. Despite this, many find her easy to talk to and associate with. Not even Dead Orbit gets in the way of this; even if she isn't in concurrence with someone, she's more than willing to be peaceful to them. Her allegiance to the organization is borne purely of a belief that all that stays still becomes stagnant, and that in expanding its reach man will also expand its capability. It's one part logic and two parts free spirit, though- Talyn is an adventurous soul and delights in the prospect of navigating and mapping the stars. Even if she doesn't know it, this quirk of her personality is a hold-over from her past life.

Overwhelming compassion makes her quick to help others over herself, and she believes her purpose as a Guardian is to that exact aim. Instilled at her resurrection with an inexplicable feeling of maternity, Talyn connects easily with children and especially focuses her sense of purpose to their protection in her mind. Witty, curious, and intelligent as any Warlock should be, her cunning is one of her greatest strengths. She takes pleasure in honing it with puzzles, and speaks eloquently as a byproduct of her voracious consuming of books.

On the flipside, however, Talyn is prone to letting some of her more negative emotions control her if she isn't conscious enough. She suffers from anxieties she has difficulty dispelling, and when she allows them to take the reigns they can make her unsure of herself. If she isn't careful, Talyn can become consumed when frustrations arise. One such instance of her cold anger getting the better of her reason sent an etire civilization spiraling into chaos- Talyn holds incredible guilt over the Dreaming City's curse, and blames herself more than anything. These are shortcomings she tries to be aware of, and they're things she's working on with the help of Hangman and her friends.

Fun Fact(s) -

- Talyn is actually a big health nut, and pays close attention to what she eats and drinks.

- On that token, Talyn's all time favorite food is the rueben sandwich. It's almost to the point of obsession- she could eat it daily and not get sick of it.

- Exposed early to Thanatonautics, she's made the practice a bit of a hobby. She keeps a "death journal" to catalouge her visions.

- Talyn is on the autism spectrum (as is her Mun!)

[nightstalkerhunterguardian]

So I’ve had some writer’s/artist’s block lately and it’s been killing me but the Guardian Headcanons from @guardian-headcanons made me decide to write down headcanons for my Hunter, Kano, and its kinda helping me get outta my funk, so thank you for the help 👍🏼

-

Her nails bent inward in her gloves against the metal of Cayde’s head as she clinged desperately to his motionless body, heavy tears tapping against his face as they fell. She couldn’t hear her own screams. Couldn’t hear how hurt and blood curdling and pain filled they were bouncing off the metal walls of the prison or how KillShot could only whimper her name before becoming silent and disappearing into a gentle fizz of light.

The weight of his body didn’t even register to her as she pulled him up into her arms and sobbed into his hood, soaking the black fabric and turning it blacker, making the red stand out brighter. Her hand rested against his chest and the fray of the bullet wound caught her glove, making her cries heavier.

Petra clenched her eye shut and turned away, holstering her sidearm.

She should’ve seen it. She should’ve known not even this place would hold the Prince of the Reef, as cunning as he could be. He knew exactly what he was doing and he did it well. He succeeded.

The crackle of a comm link interrupted her thoughts and her teeth sank into her lip upon hearing Zavala’s voice come in.

“Cayde, Guardian. Report”.

Now was not the time.

-

The memories of that day played clearly through Kano’s head as if it only happened this morning, when in reality, months had passed.

Months had passed and it still made her heart sink to acknowledge that Cayde-6 was gone for good, that there was no way he was coming back, and that all she had of him was a cloak made in his memory and his most prized gun, Ace of Spades.

Perhaps it was the way her throat clenched any time she attempted to speak that made her resume her silence or how her eyes would water anytime she walked through the hangar to see the spot he once stood in taken up by Colonel’s water bowl.

On the other hand, maybe it was the frustration at herself that made her feel as though nothing she said mattered since it wouldn’t bring back their beloved Hunter Vanguard. The regret of not getting to him in time, of not staying by his side in the prison.

Regardless, her silence resumed. Her words were ever only heard by KillShot and even then, there were days she didn’t even speak to him, but then again, she didn’t need to. He knew what she was thinking and feeling, sometimes better than she herself did. The simple act of being there and sitting with her in the quiet as if fresh tears weren’t running down her cheeks and reflecting moon and starlight in the glimmering night was sometimes all she needed of him, aside from another hot cup of tea that didn’t hold the taste of bitter tears in it.

Not long after Cayde’s passing, a member of her own fireteam passed as well, only serving to feed into her despair and making her almost shut down completely were it not for her inability to die. The pages of her drawing book were almost completely barren save for a few pages that had been inevitably scribbled over in what looked like frustration and all attempts she made to try again ended with pages being torn out and tossed aside.

A small pile of crumpled papers sat beside the book at her side and KillShot sighed. He didn’t know what to do for her and he hated it. He could bring her back to life countless times over and over again but he couldn’t manage to heal her broken heart and it almost made him feel useless, so he did all he could do and curled up into the hood of her cloak, leaning against her cheek affectionately.

And maybe one day, she’d use her voice again.

-

I’m also dedicating this to a member of my fireteam that actually did pass away in October. Rest easy, Speedy. We miss you 💜

[therealdoctorsshadow]

Where are my Guardians on Crimson Day;

Atlas can be found hidden in the rafters of the hanger drinking hot chocolate while Drachen makes sure he doesn't go overboard even though he can be revived. Often he's joined with his only Fireteam member/leader Faire.

Attack and Defend usually are out with a group of singles so no one is lonely.

[destinysolartitan]

Where my Guardians are on Crimson Day;

Atlas can be found hidden in the rafters of the hanger drinking hot chocolate while Drachen chills next to him. Often he's joined with his only Fireteam member/leader Faire.

Attack and Defend usually are out with a group of singles so no one is lonely.

[deathsdeserters]

👻: Which is your most mischievous muse?

Oh, it’s got to be that boy Severin. A close second is Uldren, but I don’t really RP him, I write him in fic, but Severin...that kid, man. I love him to bits, I really do, but he’s such a Randy Boy™, I swear. He’s a very sensual and sexual person and a very romantic person when he feels a connection, but he’s also selfish and ruthless, which is not a good combination. Add to that a general laissez faire attitude, sarcasm? you’re soaking in it, a love for double entendre, being physically attractive (I have to get screen caps of my male Warlock without the helm finally) and a phobia of being alone, and he’s a hot mess going to hell at three miles an hour.

Also, once he’s decided he likes you? Kid is a fucking burr. You know the little green spikey things that get on your clothes after a walk and you’re like, what the hell, where did this come from? and you pull it off only to see another one (or you think it’s another one) appear someplace else? Yeah. That’s Severin. (Shoutout to @ycvng-gcns and their Zavala because that’s pretty much treating him like one of those burrs. 🤣)

I dunno why I call him a kid, outside of Guardian Uldren, Severin is the oldest member of the fireteam.

[furfluffanditsfurtrash]

Together Once Again

Another story for all of you here following me (I'm pretty sure there's not anyone following my trash but hey I can dream XD) This one involves two of the prominent members of my team that I enjoy on Halo called Fireteam Naja!~

Featuring the Spartan V known as Leigh Sullivan and the ODST Heavy support known as Liz Armel, these two are very close pups who love to fight together in everything they do! Now, without further ado, have the first chapter of the story known as Together Once Again!

Liz was never a fan of heights, aircraft, or anything high up in her life. An absolute irony that she was in a group such as the ODST. Then again, there’s a lot of things she didn’t expect. The biggest and deadliest war she’d ever been in is over. There should’ve been peace now, one that could’ve lasted for the rest of her days, that there was no longer a threat of annihilation. Of course, if that was the case then she’d be out of a job. She was knocked out of her musings when the vehicles suddenly veered to the right, causing her helmet to bounce off the side of the vehicle. The hyena groaned softly as she shook her head before sitting up.

    “Falling asleep over there ma’am?” the teasing tone in the voice caused her to turn and give the best scowl she could until she remembered that he wouldn’t be able to see her anger. Letting out as quiet of a sigh as possible, she paused for a moment before shaking her head.

    “I was fine until you decided to take the wheel. I swear you drive like you’re always drunk.” The driver, a large husky glanced at the helmeted hyena and gave a large grin before shrugging as he refocused on the road in front of him.

    “Good thing driving isn’t what we do then right? You’d crash the Warthog almost immediately.” Liz sighed before leaning her head back to relax into the seat, ignoring the jab.

    “Whatever, just keep us on the road.”

    “Yes, ma’am.”

    The rest of the ride was rather uneventful for the most part which allowed her a chance to catch a few minutes of quick rest before they finally came to a stop within the New Albany FOB. The base was located on the edge of the city within the suburban neighborhood. It was a flurry of activity as troops scurried from tent to tent with the most activity occurring from the largest tent that had quickly been pitched to act as a Command and Control Center. Once the Warthog had stopped, the hyena wasted no time in hopping out and heading inside to search for the commanding officer.

    An initial search of the crowded tent yielded nothing that could help her and every individual she talked with only added to her frustration before she ran into what she could only describe as a solid steel wall. After taking a moment to shake the mental cobwebs out of her mind, she found herself staring at armor that nearly everyone within the UNSC knew by heart before slowly trailing her gaze up to focus on the face of the massive Spartan in front of her.

    She knew that they were meant to be large walking tanks but this was a giant even by their standards. She seemed to be almost 10 feet tall by her estimates, easily dwarfing the ODST squad leader as she focused on the face. She was a pit bull with a soft smile on her face that juxtaposed the imposing frame she maintained. Her helmet was currently underneath her arm which allowed Liz to stare at her face for much longer than was necessary as strange little neurons were firing off in her mind. She suddenly felt very hot, a strange mix of emotions coming over her as the muzzle underneath the helmet grew red from the blush rushing to the surface. It lasted for several seconds until the little common sense monkey residing in her mind started smacking the mentally impaired portion of her brain until she could control herself enough to speak in a voice that unintentionally came out with a slight squeak.

    “S-sorry ma’am didn’t see you there..” She thanked whatever gods there were that she had her helmet on still, allowing Liz to hide the heavy blush on her cheeks while the Spartans muzzle shifted into a soft smile.

    “It’s no problem. Might wanna keep an eye out ya know, things have been getting more tense than usual. Don’t wanna be caught off guard.”

    “Of course ma’am.” She nodded before turning and quickly making her way back out of the tent, the hyena holding her breath until she felt she was free of her gaze. Despite the temperature control in the suit, she felt hot and very very embarrassed that she just acted like an awestruck teen. She sighed and grabbed the edges of her helmet, pulling it off to allow her a chance to breathe in the sea breeze that flowed through the town. Liz sighed before running her paw through her pink hair with her helmet stowed under her arm while she relaxed. After a few minutes, she decides to make her way back into the tent to finally find the co-

    “You two want any food for tonight?” The noise jerked the two out of their reverie as they refocused from the game screen to the pitbull mom beside the tv. The hyena stretched before falling back onto the bed with a yawn, feeling her back let out a few satisfying pops as she stretches.

    “Pizza would be great. Oh! And some Pepsi too~ We’re both feeling thirsty.” She nodded before slipping away again to allow for the two of them to relax before Leigh turned to face Liz.

    “Blah. I told ya we should’ve left the arcade earlier.”

    “We couldn’t leave! Somebody beat my high score on Time Crisis 4! I couldn’t let that stand, especially since I had already every other leaderboard on there.” She huffed as she crossed her arms, causing Leigh to smile and shake her head with a soft chuckle.

    “You’re obsessed with that arcade place ya know, gotta try out some other stuff rather than staying there every day.”

    “You mean like you’re obsessed with a gay toaster?” The smirk on Liz’s face only grew as the pitbull blushed heavily, glancing behind her at the massive and somewhat provocative poster of said character before quickly turning her gaze back to the Hyena as she shifted to the side so her large form could better hide the poster.

    “Don’t kink-shame me! There’s nothing wrong with that beautiful toaster!” Liz laughed at the flustered response before she shook her head.

    “Toooootttaaaalllyyyy. Nothing wrong at all with the metal boi with legs that I’m sure you drooled over more than once.” She smiled and shrugged before shifting so the hyena could lean against the wall the bed was resting against. She let out a loud yawn as she stretched her arms above her head, her form curving as she listened to the satisfying pops.

    “Ahhhh~...... so! I think it’s time for a snack break, don’t you agree?” The pitbull nodded and grinned before hopping off of the bed.

    “Food sounds amazing right now, let’s go!” Liz chuckled as she slid off of the bed before following the large pitbull to the small but cozy dining room. Dinner had already been put onto the table and had been filling the room with intoxicating scents of seafood that was making both of their mouths water as they couldn’t help but dash into 2 of the chairs and chow down on the meal in front of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    “Glad to see you finally join us, Staff Sergeant, now we can get this meeting started.” The hyena gave a quick nod before slipping into place beside the rest of the squad leaders, flashing a quick smile before refocusing her gaze on the large holographic map in front of them.

    “As I was saying, currently nearly every location in New Albany is currently under control of the United Rebel Front. They arrived several days ago and quickly swarmed over the city due to the extremely weak defenses after the decimation it received during the war with the Covenant, taking several hostages in the process. Now we’ve identified several areas where they’ve fortified their positions in order to maintain their hold as long as possible.” Several red dots lit up on the map, concentrated on bridges leading in and out of the city along with several choke points throughout the city. The largest of these dots were centered on the capitol building as the commander, a large lion with a silver mane that belied his age continued. “Thankfully we’ve got approval for several TCAU units and since they’re finally here, meaning we can begin Operation Red Wave. I’ll let Faith take over from here.” He stepped to the side before one of the machines connected to the holo map sprung to life, displaying the image of a lynx with a rather no-nonsense attitude about her.

    “Currently we’ve seen them using the few defenses the city has left against any UNSC or UEG personnel that travel within the effective range of the weaponry. However, they have rather limited resources due to the fact that the colony hasn’t been brought up to full strength yet. As such, a unified assault on all sides should allow for units to create a ring that’ll eventually crunch down their influence until they’re all concentrated within the capitol building. However, the hardest objective to accomplish will be entering the city and that’s where the Spartan IV’s come into play. We’ve received support from various squads and as such, they’ll be providing support during the city assault.” She turned to face the assembled Spartans to the right of the hyena and the other ODST squad leaders, facing the group of Spartans quietly waiting for orders.  “Leigh-223, you’re with Staff Sergeant Armel. You’ll be sniper support while they fight their way into the city.” The Spartan in question gave a quick salute and a smile before walking over to Liz, her smile faltering slightly as she noticed that it was the Spartan from earlier which she had already embarrassed herself in front of. The hyena didn’t know whether or not it was worse than she already knew her from before. The way her face split into a massive grin told her that it was probably a bad thing.

    “Little Lizzy? I should’ve known it was you when you ran into me earlier.” The AI ignored the interaction, continuing to list off Spartans and the squads that they were assigned to which quickly became background noise as another blush came over her face while she shook her head.

    “Come on Leigh, I’m not Little Lizzy anymore….”  The pitbull laughed loudly before giving a nod, looking down at her with a grin.

    “Of course ya are, you barely reach my chest right now. I don’t think you’re any taller. Actually… I think ya got shorter!” The blush only grew as the hyena sighed, face pawing before turning to face the map again as the AI was finished with her assignments.

    “The TCAU will be working in tandem with the Spartans and ODST squads to help spearhead the main assault over the 3 bridges into the city. The defenses of the city are limited but they’ve been working tirelessly to bring the defenses up to full strength. We cannot allow that. The assault will occur at 0400 hours tomorrow. We must secure the city, you’re all dismissed.” A quick salute and then the meeting was dispersed, allowing for the various soldiers to return to their designated barracks and their respective squads.

   The trip back to the barracks was rather quick but to Liz, it felt like an eternity. It had been forever since she'd seen the pit bull that had been her guardian angel during the time on Kive. It was honestly a miracle that she was even alive due to everything that had happened to her. The early years of the Covenant War were terrifying, to say the least, with countless deaths littering both sides by the end. It didn't help that after the fact, there was another rebellion right here on this planet which she now had to suppress with the help of the Spartan following in step beside her. Hopefully, it won't be too difficult to deal with. Liz has a squad to keep alive this time.

   The night passed rather quickly when they arrived at the barracks, most of the time being taken up by the squad crowding around the Spartan and fawning over her with the sort of awe that made the hyena roll her eyes with a small smile while she focused on their gear. They needed their fun before a mission like this, stress made it difficult to focus and Liz had to admit that Leigh was one Spartan worth acting like she'd been starstruck. Maybe she'll finally pay her back today with some heroics of her own. She needed to be at her best to impress someone like her. With that thought in mind, she hunkered down into her work with renewed determination as she picked up the next weapon that needed inspection before the mission. There was little room for error tomorrow if they wanted to get through without being killed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   The air was abuzz with a simmering tension that had blanketed their base of operations and left everyone apprehensive about the mission. Liberating the city was no easy feat and urban warfare was notorious for high casualties and destruction for both sides. However, these were jitters that everyone had gotten more than once during missions such as these and they trusted their individual squads enough to pull through the chaos together. After a quick synopsis of the mission briefing given yesterday, the various units separated into their designated groups and hopped into the M12 Force Application Vehicles otherwise known as the Warthog. The M12 Warthog was equipped with an M41 LAAG which was a rotary-barreled mounted machine gun. A devastating weapon attached to a very mobile vehicle which had the tendency to roll in the hands of inexperienced drivers. Being of a speedier variety, there were no doors for the driver or passenger.  A risk when facing a skilled marksman that can take out a driver with a well placed shot but one that was worth taking a reliable and durable vehicle for this job. A skilled driver is still needed. Which is why Liz hastened her pace and planted herself between the driver's seat and the pit bull.

   "Nope."

   "What are you talking about?"

   "You're not getting to drive." The helmet may have hidden her features but the hyena could easily feel her indignation ringing loud and clear in her voice as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

   "Why?"

   "Because I already nearly died twice when it came time for you to drive and I reaaaalllyyy still don't trust you right now. So no." A small huff was the only reply given by the Spartan as she maintained her pose, staring down the much smaller hyena with as stern of a look as she could muster. But... considering that her face was behind a helmet, it was just a blank stare which the helmeted soldier returned with gusto. After several seconds of silence between the two of them, soldiers hurrying into their positions to begin the mission, the super soldier decided to relent first and pull herself up onto the back to take control of the machine gun.

   "Fine but once this thing crashes, I get control of the next vehicle we see."

   "Pfffttt, you'd crash that one in less than 5 minutes considering your record with vehicles last time we were together." She chuckled before pulling herself into the driver's seat and wiggling into place.

   "With all due respect ma'am, please tell me this isn't gonna be something I'll have to listen to all day. I'd really prefer anything else right now." Liz felt her brow twitch slightly as she spun her head around to face the soldier currently in the passenger seat of the Warthog, one from her own unit named Dingo. He had quite the irony of being a cat named after a dog but he took the curveball given to him by his parents in stride and was often a great laugh. Nice thing to have when the soldiers needed a large morale boost. Horrible thing to have when you're attempting to be serious.

   "Dingo, don't make me kick you out of the Warthog."

   "What? It was just a simple question ma'am." She let out a loud huff of her own before firmly planting her foot paw on the gas pedal, causing the Warthog to rocket forward suddenly to the surprise of the soldier currently attempting to strap on a seatbelt while his commanding officer took corners at speeds that he felt would end in a premature debriefing before they even met up with the rest of their unit.

[fireteam-cherrybomb]

Destcember 2018: Living Without the Light

So this is over a year old, but I found it in my drafts and finished it up.

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

Nova knew that the others often looked at her as someone who needed to be protected. Never mind the fact that she could probably bench press a Walker and was known to punch entire platoons of enemies to death. To Kindle and Lyra, keeping her safe was a priority.

It made sense, in a way, when she looked back on it. Nova was the youngest member of their fireteam; she was first rezzed when the SIVA crisis was at its height. She wasn’t around for the threat of the Black Garden, for Crota and Oryx and the Taken War. She witnessed the scars left in their wake, saw it in the nightmares that her Fireteam, her family, suffered from. But she didn’t live through it.

Even during the SIVA crisis, she patrolled the Plaguelands with Kindle and Lyra, but she was never there alone and they made sure she was kept as far from the frontlines of the battles there as possible.

She knew many people around her saw her as naive, as an innocent. And sometimes she played into that assumption, played up that part of herself to get what she wanted or to annoy people or to make them laugh. But she spent her time crushing opponents in the Crucible and getting as close to the action as possible in any mission beyond the City. She was as much a warrior, as much a Guardian, as any of them. She just preferred to crush her enemies while wearing hot pink.

For a long time, she hated the way Kindle and Lyra would occasionally baby her or try to shield her from things in fights, in spite of both of them being far squishier than her heavily-armored self. It was a matter of pride more than anything. She took it as them thinking she couldn’t take all the same hits. While she and Molotov tended to come up with more...reckless and in-your-face tactics than the other two, they weren’t completely incapable of strategy. And besides, if it turned out she couldn’t handle something, Molotov could just rez her and they could go again.

Then, the Red Legion came. For the first time, she had to learn to fear death, if only for a little while. For the first time, she understood fearing for the lives of your comrades.

She and Molotov spent 3 days on their own. They’d been separated from the others when the Light was stolen. No way of contacting anyone, no way of knowing if they were even alive. She wondered if this was what Kindle and Lyra had felt, this breathless fear and hopelessness she felt rising every hour they spent alone, when they faced the threats she’d only ever heard about. 

When she found them both at the outskirts of the City, injured and shellshocked but both miraculously alive, she nearly wept. Kindle was openly teary-eyed, though she couldn’t fully voice her own relief. For once, Nova had been happy to fall under her protective wing, to let her Fireteam leader take the charge and guide them. It had never been so scary before, either. Watching Kindle take hits for them in skirmishes, wounds Match struggled to fully heal at the pace she needed him to. Watching Lyra openly seek reassurance, questioning whether they’d truly be able to survive like this. Watching Kindle quietly try and lock down her own panic, her own doubts, unable to voice them and unwilling to burden them with them even if she could...it all changed her. 

Before the Red War, she’d never been fully able to connect to the Void. No matter how much she tried she could never summon the patience, the resolve to defend a point or person Zavala and Shaxx described as necessary to be able to reliably summon it in her light. It never truly bothered her; she’d always preferred being up close and channeling Arc-light as a Striker anyway. Besides, Lyra and Kindle might have mastered their connection to the Void, but she knew Lyra struggled to find the fire and passion needed to harness Solar Light; and while Kindle was capable of using all 3 elements, no amount of time spent training with Cayde let her come close to mastering her Golden Gun. 

After the Shard of the Traveler was found and they made a journey out to it, while the other two moved back to their preferred elements rather quickly, Nova found herself able to connect to the Void for the first time.

For the remainder of the Red War and for some time afterward, she found herself running missions as a Sentinel more often than as a Striker or Sunbreaker. She refused to let Kindle and Nova throw themselves in front of danger for her, would pester them to bring her along on every mission they went on. Anytime things got dicey, she’d be there. A shield between her Fireteam and the world. 

And they still returned the favor.

The first night spent in the wild after the war, Kindle took first watch as she almost always had before. She patrolled around their little camp, never fully getting out of sight of the mouth of the little cave they’d bunked down in. When she’d returned briefly to check on them, Nova had jolted awake and dropped a Ward of Dawn on reflex. At first, Kindle had thought Nova had heard an enemy sneaking up that she had missed and immediately ducked into the Ward, searching for a foe that was not there in a panic. Lyra had been startled awake by the commotion. 

They stayed awake together for the rest of the night, quietly telling stories both happy and sad, sharing their nightmares and their dreams. By the time she finally drifted off again, it was with her head on Kindle’s shoulder and her legs sprawled out across Lyra’s lap. She hadn’t felt so safe in a long time. 

She still reveled in the fighting. No matter how much the war changed her, nothing ever felt quite as satisfying as crushing foes with Arc-energy humming through her veins. She would never prefer defense over offense. But to protect her friends had always been an instinct. In her own way, it’s what she’d been doing all along. 

[changingourdestiny]

Introducing Fireteam Paralight!

‘A clumsy Paragonialan Warlock with a heart of gold, an Awoken Hunter with a fiery temper, and a human Titan with a vow of silence. This is Fireteam Paralight. They are the three Guardians who will save the universe...eventually...’

Rae Drakyx

Name: Raegalianis Drakyx Alias: Rae           Raegalia           Guardian           Warlock Birthplace: Earth Species: Paragonialan Gender: Female Hair Colour: Brown Eye Colour: Silver Affiliation: Guardians                  Fireteam Paralight                  Paragoniala Tribe (Formerly) Rank: Warlock Guardian Class:  Sunsinger Warlock              Voidwalker Warlock (Formerly) Notable Info: 

Leader of Fireteam Paralight

Last living member of the Earthen tribe, Paragoniala 

Has a crush on Cayde-6 (which is obvious to everyone...well, except Cayde)

The first and only Paragonialan Guardian

Made her own mask

Themes: Descendant of Light: Rae (Squid Melody Blue)                 Paralight vs Riksis/Rae's First Nova Bomb (End of the Beginning)

“We’re a team...a weird, quirky, mismatched, yet strong as hell team.”

Blaze Kiria

Name: Blaisel Kiria Alias: Blaze           Blazer           Guardian           Hunter Birthplace: The Reef Species: Awoken Gender: Female Hair Colour: Red, orange and gold Eye Colour: Red and orange Ghost Name: Firefly Affiliation: Guardians                    Fireteam Paralight Rank: Hunter Guardian Class: Gunslinger Hunter Notable Info: 

Second-in-command of Fireteam Paralight

Doesn’t like taking orders

Quick to anger

Doesn’t care about her lack of memories

Despite looking innocent, she is mischievous and a bit of a prankster

Rae's BFF

Themes: Hot-headed Prankster: Blaze (Shark Bytes)                 Blaze vs Zydron/The Phoenix's Wrath (Mayday! Lancers!)

“I don’t really care that I don’t remember my past. Any regrets that may have held me down are out the window. So I have nothing holding me back.”

Adam Bergfalk

Name: Adam Bergfalk Alias: Mount Adam            Guardian            Titan Birthplace: Old Sweden, Earth Species: Human Gender: Male Hair Colour: Blonde Eye Colour: Green Ghost Name: Stormbringer Affiliation: Guardians                    Fireteam Paralight Rank: Titan Guardian Class: Defender Titan             Striker Titan (Formerly) Notable Info: 

Mute by choice

Appears cold and serious, but is actually very friendly

Has Stormbringer talk for him

Lost all memories upon becoming a Guardian, but had a Swedish pin on his clothing, so he assumes he's Swedish

Theme: Silent Mountain: Adam (Bad Luck Charm)               Enough is Enough!/A Titan’s Rage (Critical Role Theme)

“...”