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The tower was, well, approximately where it was when she left it. The Red War had done a number on The City, Ancyn knew this, but she hadn’t expected to feel gut-wrenched upon returning, well, to a home she’d had.
The feeling was mixed with apprehension, fear, worry, anxiety. The all knotted together in the pit of her stomach, like snakes fighting for which one was going to surface first and fuck everything all up.
Thankfully, she wasn’t going to The Tower first. First, she was going to see an old friend.
Said “old friend” is making their way around the City, in a new but still decrepit part of it, that’s full of… Fallen? Many Fallen. Tons of Fallen. Families and solo ones, some lingering at the ramshackle stalls that form their market, others working on construction, some eating food from the human side of the City, and some just taking in the area with awe.
The Exo seems to at least be known amongst the aliens; he greets those he passes by with a friendly wave, some he stops to briefly chat with, but otherwise he’s moving to and fro and not sticking around any one group for too long. It’s like he’s here on a business trip.
Ancyn didn't even remember this district from before she left, but cities grow and the official 'last city' is no exception.
She'd also been briefed on the…. changes. The Fallen, and the Cabal. Though the latter of which she'd heard were a small contingent only in The Tower. So, she was prepared. But preparation cannot always account for the reality of a situation.
It's not as though she only had antagonistic past interactions with the insect-like aliens. There were many across the continents who were more willing to keep their distance, and vice versa. There’s some she had helped, and also vice versa. She'd picked up some basics of the language over the years, as well. But it was still…. shocking to see them inside the walls. Something she’d need to get used to, she supposed.
And, barring anything else, she trusted her friend and his judgement. So she kept her hood up and her eyes open for the Exo she was meeting. She figured it probably wouldn't be hard to spot him amidst the Fallen - and it wasn't. She whistled, a distinct noise cutting over the crowds, and raised a hand in a wave.
The “old friend” knows that whistle but… nah, couldn’t be.
“Okay little “smallen”, he chirps, calling them by the human name for Eliksni children in the Tower, as they rush forward while his mouth lights up in a happy purple glow.
“Ey, ey, easy now y’all, it’s time for a break,” he drawls to them, “Go home please,” then repeats the same in his fluent Eliksni, followed by him adding on, <<Snacks later. I’ll bring honey sticks!>>
The hatchlings all squeal when he speaks their language and promises snacks before skittering off in the closest direction of an adult member of their kind.
Once he’s free he makes a gesture, far too fast for it to be random, to a couple of Eliksni around him. They all nod and step back before he moves in the strange Guardian’s direction.
“What do you want?” His tone is guarded, polite, and oddly enough, worried. “Please, this is a sanctuary now, so other business needs to be done elsewhere. A ship, mine or yours.”
She keeps her distance, letting the Exo finish up his greetings and interactions. The Fallen children are, admittedly, pretty cute, she can’t deny that, and she watches their interactions with the Exo closely. She also watches the silent exchange of gesture he makes.
“It’s nice to see you, as well. After…,” she starts to count on fingers with her thumb on one hand, “Well. A long time. It’s your turf, I’ll follow your lead.”
Keeper-13 simply nods. “A very long time, yes.” He looks around the area before motioning towards a ship that looks like a miniature replica of a Fallen Skiff, but one that’s painted in what some might call “garish” colors.
“Over here. Please. I’ll leave the door open so if you don’t feel safe, you can depart whenever.”
With that said the Exo turns his back, an odd sign of trust for a Hunter, and heads for said Skiff. True to his word the stairs drop down and the door on the side opens with a hiss, then stays open.
Ancyn follows after, pulling her hood down as she ascends the stairs. “Not half bad digs you’ve got here,” she says as she reaches the inside, “You ambassador to the Fallen now?” It’s not spoken derisively, but curiously as she looks around.
“I guess after the last decade or so, that shouldn’t be all too surprising, given……well, a number of occurrences,” she says. “You look good though. It’s nice to see you’re still in one piece.”
Keeper-13 smiles, mouth glowing faintly. “Thank you. It’s my home away from home when I have to travel, so I’ve made it as comfortable as possible. Feel free to take a seat.”
The cockpit of the Skiff is set up like most; there’s a captain’s chair set in front of the controls and main window, a spot for his Ghost to nestle in near the chair, and a few datapads scattered about by the console. The rest of the ship is set up to look like a flat; there’s, of all things, a beanbag chair with a tall back, stands, a bookcase with Golden Age trinkets on it, a futon/couch looking piece of furniture, and a small galley area.
He steps over to the console to check up on messages, making sure to keep it brief, noting what needs to be replied to asap and what can wait until this impromptu meeting is over.
“Ah, I suppose I’m an unofficial one, of sorts, and I’m just as shocked about it as anyone else. They’re used to seeing me around as opposed to Saint-14 though. They are growing used to him, however, and I’m happy that the children only know of a monster, and not him as /the/ monster. It gives a sense of hope during these not so easy times.”
He chuckles at her last comment, dipping his head in a brief nod while making his way towards the kitchenette area.
“I’ll have to tell my partner that. They insist I need to go in for a tune-up but… well, I’d rather not bother the Bray sisters. They’ve got enough on their plates as is. Would you care for a drink? Tea? Coffee? Something else? I need to restock but I might have some snacks around.”
Still polite, but still guarded, his tone is at least honestly hospitable as he waits for her answer. “...so what brings you back after all of this time?” he asks after his pause.
“Coffee sounds good, actually,” she replies as she looks around, just kind of observing her surroundings as she grabs a seat on the futon. “Gotta keep those gears greased, old man,” she teases. “I’m sure there’s someone other than the Bray’s doing Exo work these days.”
It’d be nice to keep doing this catch up small talk. But Ancyn knows there’s a metaphorical elephant in the room.
“Figured I needed to reconnect with civilization.” A lie. “And shit just hasn’t been the same since I lost Sivan during the Red War.” A….partial lie. Seventy-five percent lie.
Sure, she’d like to tell her friend the truth, but even she doesn’t know the whole truth yet. So it’s better to keep her cards close to her chest.
“Coffee you shall have then. It’s nothing fancy, just the pre-ground stuff, but it keeps forever even in space. Do you want any cream or sugar to go with it?” He asks, fetching a couple mugs and turning on the small coffee maker that resides on a nearby countertop.
“They tell me the same thing, you know. You might actually like Zax. Well, that is, if you’re not adverse to Eliksni. I know some people, Guardians very much included, who still resent the House Light refugees even though they truly mean no one any harm.”
Small talk indeed, and while the Exo is still polite and treating her like any other guest, there’s still a hesitant infliction to his voice. As he waits for the coffee to brew he finally turns to face her, optics slightly glowing.
“Ah, yes. The Red War was… mmm. So many lost during it and now look at the City. Cabal, Eliksni, humans, Awoken, Exos all in one place without wanton slaughter happening. I suppose needing to band together to fight Light-wielding Hive does that sort of thing. But even though they’re aliens to us they’re very much like us in a lot of ways. Not so much the Hive. I think what passes as a heart in me would stop dead if Hive became friendly.”
He turns back to the bubbling coffee and pours it into the mugs, adds a bit of sugar to his, and whatever Ancyn wants to hers, then heads for the futon. He carefully hands her one mug and sits down next to her, with some space between them.
“I must admit I’m shocked to even see you here. Something must be up if you hunted me down after this long but I won’t pry. We all have our secrets and reasons.”
"Cream and sugar, please," she replies. "I think that I'll get used to them quickly enough. It was a surprise when I heard about it initially, but going through what led up to them coming to The City, it kinda makes sense," she says, "We ran across a lot of Fallen-- Eliksni out in the Americas. Most of the time, both parties just kept their distance and everyone was happy."
"I heard about the mess with the Cabal, too."
She takes her coffee with a 'thanks' and hmms. "I'm shocked to see me here. I've already wanted to flee back into the wilderness twice," she laughs a little, "but you were the only person I thought of who I could trust who was still in The City. Think everyone else I know is still scattered to the four winds."
Keeper raises his mug to what would be lips on a non-Exo and sips, just listening to her for now. Once she’s done speaking he takes another sip, cradles the cup in his hands, and stares at her.
“Why are you -really- here.”
His voice is calm, soft, but stern.
“I won’t judge you but if it’s something important you should talk to the Vanguard.” He pauses, then adds, “I won’t force you to go to them but I cannot house anyone who is a threat to what I have. I’m sorry.”
His fingers tighten around his cup and he looks very sad.
“I will give you a chance. The current Vanguard members, they’re kind. You won’t be… it isn’t like in the old days.”
After a few more seconds pass he sighs.
“I am still trustworthy. I hope.”
There’s a half second where she glances at the exit. Where she thinks she could just stand up, bid her old friend goodbye, and leave. To not have to explain anything. To not have to try and explain what she can’t explain. To not have to lie.
Instead, she tenses, takes a sip of her coffee, and looks back at him.
“You’ve probably already seen through the claim that Sivan died during the Red War. But I’m not ready to talk about what happened yet. I don’t even fully understand what happened, either.”
A sigh.
“I trust you. Do you trust me?”
Keeper-13 knows that body language quite well, which is why he left the skiff’s door open just in case. He’s also very good at not letting emotions show but having an Exo face does help with that. His glowing areas stay the same dimmed, soothing shades as he waits for her to finish speaking.
“Mmm.” He sips from his own mug again while he gathers his thoughts and words together.
“Many people died during that time. There were a lot of claims. It’s not my place to judge any of them.”
Her question causes the Exo to lift a brow and he follows it up with a soft sigh.
“I trust the you I knew, same as I do anyone who comes tracking me down. We aren’t what we used to be and we won’t be us tomorrow either.” He leans over to one side and sets his mug down on a stand.
“If it’s something important enough that the Vanguard should be called in, well, my hands are tied. I’m not a priest so this isn’t a confessional.” He chuckles in a tinny sort of manner, voice rattling like an old car trying to start up.
“But I won’t tell on or for you. That is something you will have to do yourself but I’ll help you do it. That I can promise.”
Ancyn considers his words as she sips at her coffee. Stalling. Thinking.
“I figure I need to find a place to stay,” she says. An unspoken ‘noted’ to his words. A ‘we’ll cross that bridge if we need to, but I’m thankful for your offer’. “If I’m going to be sticking around.”
“How have you been, though? Like, you-you. Your life. Get me up to date.”
Keeper-13 doesn’t push for answers just yet, instead he simply nods in response to her words and takes a drink before speaking again.
“There are quite a few apartments for rent in the City, not to mention old homesteads and abandoned places outside of the walls one could just… take over and fix up if they needed to. I, ah, know how you are about the City,” he adds, voice inflection softening.
“Me? Oh, same Guardian stuff. It hasn’t changed much even with… with Cayde gone. It is sad to see so many new Hunters wander around, leaderless. If you could even call Cayde a leader. He was many things but Zavala he wasn’t. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself after… the incident, so I took some time off and, well, I guess I got wrangled back into stuff by having a friendship with the Eliksni that aren’t trying to kill us.”
He pauses again, a faint glow simulating the Exo version of a wry smile coming from his mouth.
“It’s been nice to help others. Feels like I can almost forgive myself for what went down with Uldren. I’m not quite there yet but maybe, maybe one day I will be.”
Ancyn hmmms, “I feel like I should try to adapt to city life. Maybe not have to worry so much about defending my territory, at the least. But we’ll see how long it lasts,” she laughs a bit, “before I run back off into the wilderness.”
“To be fair, none of the Hunter Vanguards were exactly leaders like Zavala. Pretty antithetical to our world vision, y’know? But I am surprised the station’s been empty for this long, but I can see why no one would want to take up the mantle.”
She feels like the Uldren subject may be….sensitive, and she can understand why. So maybe a conversation for another day.
“You mentioned, earlier, a partner?” She leans forward, grinning.
Keeper-13 finishes his drink and gestures to Ancyn’s cup, “Need a refill? And Hunters do tend to act like friendly yet undomesticated dogs. We’ll come in for a moment but as soon as it’s too much we bolt off again.”
He stands up, though it takes him a moment, a few servos audibly whirring in protest but he ignores the sound.
“Ah, yes. Partner. Believe it or not, they’re Eliksni. I know it seems… improper, but I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else. I’ll have to introduce you to them one day.”
Offers her empty cup over, “Please,” she says. “I’d say barely domesticated. Like, on the path to domestication with some of us being moreso than others. Some completely feral.”
His answer about the partner does cause her to raise both eyebrows. “Really?”
“Well, I suppose that’s another reason to be involved in the everything with the Eliksni here, gotta be on the in-laws’ good side,” she grins.
Taking the cup from the other Guardian Keeper smiles in response, chuckling a little before going to refresh both of their drinks.
“Really. And I don’t know if they have any, as you so nicely put it, no pressure on me at all with that term, “in-laws”.”
He tries to keep his tone neutral but there’s some shy yet content vibes to his words. Once both cups are full again he returns and carefully offers Ancyn hers before he sits down with his own.
“After the stuff I saw on Europa, after hearing more about the Eliksni’s’ plight, I understood it. Exos aren’t so different. Slaves to a machine god that left us to rot, be it Clovis or the forever watching Traveler.”
He pauses and stares down at his drink.
“Apologies. That was a bit much, wasn’t it? I suspect some Guardians now have forgotten about the Speaker and all that happened before the Red War. It’s… hmm. It’s similar to the words Lakshmi-2 used to incite her horrible attack on the poor Eliksni refugees.”
His optics dim and he continues staring at the liquid in his mug as his shoulders rise in a halfhearted shrug.
“That was when I decided to help out those who were once our enemies. If someone so closely tied to Guardians could be so hateful and threaten the City, then someone has to balance that out and do good. That someone starts with me. If I’m going to talk the talk I need to walk the walk as well.”
“I’d be happy to help plan the wedding,” she teases as she takes her cup back, “just let me know the date.”
“Well, the Dark Ages showed us that a lot of our own are always willing to turn on each other, just given that little push, and that hasn’t changed over the centuries. But it sounds like you’re doing something good here, and just a few people on the ground starting to do the right thing is sometimes all that’s needed for others to change their tune.”
Something in the Exo’s optics flickers before the light in them dims, but he smiles all the same.
“No wedding. Please,” he adds, and his tone makes it clear that he doesn’t want to discuss it, but as soon as that stern tone is vocalised his voice fades back to his normal cautious but friendly one.
“I’m not the only one doing good. As I mentioned, Saint-14 has been amazing, even with his own struggle. But, back to /you/. You are putting something off.”
“ I am putting off reintegrating into society like a feral child, is what I’m doing,” she says, swirling her drink in the mug. As though other places outside The Last City don’t have society or rules or something.
“I suppose it’s nice to see things orderly in the Tower, if nothing else I can go through the motions until it sticks.”
The Exo doesn’t look convinced but neither does he want to pry. Yet. Instead he just nods his head, takes a drink, and gestures towards the front of his ship.
“Feel welcome to use my system to look up places you might want to live, if you need to. Or ask me questions about anything you’re still not clear on. I’ll do my best to help.”
She laughs a little, “I’m probably gonna hole up in my ship for a couple weeks before I settle on anything. If I settle on anything. You know I’ve never been good at sticking to one place for long. But I appreciate you putting up with it,” she grins.
The Exo smiles back, tilting his head in her direction and patting her gently on one shoulder.
“Out of all of the things I’ve been “putting up with” as of late, you are nowhere near the top of the list in terms of making me want to grow hair so that I can rip it out due to frustration.”
“We can get you a wig and you can rip it off dramatically? I’d pay good glimmer to see that!” she grins, teasing as she stands. “I think I’m gonna do some exploring, get my bearings with The City. If you need help with anything, I’m willing to lend a hand.”
Keeper nods with a slight chuckle. Before he can stop himself he makes the sign for the Light with his left hand, then pauses, looking even more amused.
“New old habits die hard, I suppose. And hey, if you find me a wig that accents my horns I’ll consider it. May the Light keep you safe wherever you may travel and I’ll be sure to have a coffee waiting for you the next time we meet.”