Small things about characters I wish to bring up again.
Zavala had/has a knitting club, I don't know if he continued it after the Red War.
Ikora had a book club that most likely went wrong because Sloane had a line to ask about the book club but to get ready to duck.
Cayde and Shaxx played (Shaxx still does) dodgeball with the City's kids.
Saint most likely teaches people on how to hold a bird, I'm going off his dialog where he says that you and him will practice later with a sack of grain.
This is brought up multiple times but Uldren would tell the story of the two siblings and he would go all out on the theatrics.
When The Last City was still in the beginning era Ghosts liked to carry plates of food on them to Guardians and most likely civilians too, and Saint has known to do the cooking or at least when we learn of this he was the one cooking.
I'm still very sick. I offer you another Ikora-prominent story written during Season of the Witch.
Link to Ao3 if you prefer to read it there.
“Rayray!? All the stars in heaven! A miracle has occurred. To what do I owe the honour of someone so high and mighty as yourself here in my dingy hallway? Does Eris need something? I'm assuming not, since I just talked to her, but stranger things have happened. What's up?”
Ikora Rey’s boots crunched on the brown and red leaves scattered across the rubber mat at the threshold to the Annex. She held her hands behind her back in what she hoped was non-aggressive body language as she entered the Drifter’s notorious lair.
“Drifter, I was… just in the area and thought I'd stop by.”
The Drifter grasped the railing he was leaning against and laughed out loud as though she had told him the funniest joke he’d heard in a while. Perhaps she had.
The giant rusting metal hook in the winch over his work bench creaked and clanked as it shifted in the slight breeze.
“Ha! You have never stopped by here, Ikora, and your spot is just up those stairs so you're always in the area, but sure, take a load off. Want to watch some gambit? Or, better yet, play?”
Ikora eyed the metal bench near him next to the railing and then sat down gingerly on it, making a mental note to check her robes for grime after she left. She folded her hands politely in her lap, keeping her back straight to avoid brushing against the railing behind the bench.
“Perhaps another time.”
“Wait, what? Really?”
“Perhaps.”
“Oh, well, now I am interested. What can I do ya for?”
Ikora was surprised to see how many books there were in amongst the Drifter’s many… objects. Many of them looked downright ancient. Older than several in the Vanguard libraries. Or perhaps they were obtained from the Vanguard libraries. Had he always had so many books down here? Did he trade them for other oddities? Sell them? Or was this an attempt to impress someone? No. They’d been there a while judging from the amount of dust on several of them.
“You've been bringing food to Eris,” she began.
“I have.” His infamous coin flipped and plinked off of the floor, the table, the railing, and back to his hand. “That's not a problem is it? Cuz if it is, I ain't gonna stop.” He leaned back on the rail, crossing one leg over the other, and winked at her.
“No, it's not a problem at all. It's helping.” Ikora smoothed out her robe on her knees. “She's stronger because of it. And happier. I… wanted to thank you.”
“For bringing Moondust food? You don't need to thank me, I'd a done it regardless, but you're welcome. Even hive gods gotta eat… Actually, I don't know that. Maybe they don't… But Eris does. Eat, I mean… Although, she probably knows about hive gods eating too. She's a sharp one, that one.”
The coin flipped up into the air, tumbling end over end far above their heads. He caught it and began tumbling it across his knuckles.
“Yes she is.”
He waited, his eyes shining with amusement at her discomfort. A serpent in his lair, curious, waiting to hear her out before deciding whether or not to swallow her alive. Best to begin boldly, then.
“I have a question for you.”
“Yeah?”
“Are you… in love with Eris?”
The coin paused between two knuckles, balanced on its edge. His mouth opened in amused surprise. He wasn’t expecting that.
“Well…” He twisted his wrist and the coin vanished. He folded his hands across his waist, still leaning one elbow against the rail. “That's normally a question that'd fall under what you might call a need to know basis, but..” He looked her up and down. “...considering the history between you two and how close you are working together now, perhaps you do need to know.” He nodded. “If so, I'm fine with it, long as she is, and you ain't hurting her. I ain't the jealous type.”
Ikora blinked. “What? That's not at all what I was asking.”
His eyes were laughing. “Isn't it, though? Don’t see how it would be your business otherwise.” He winked.
Ikora stiffened. “I- Eris is right, you are insufferable, inappropriate, and crude.”
“I am nothing if not consistent. And yes, Eris is usually right. It's one of the things I like about her so damn much.”
The coin reappeared and he flipped it up into the air and caught it. “She's been sayin 'what needs bein said the entire time. It just ain't what people want to hear. And she don't back down. She is intense, that one.”
The coin bounced off of the grating an equal distance between their feet with a loud “Ding!” and ricocheted back into his hand.
Ikora nodded. “She always has been, even before…”
“Takes my breath away.” The affection in his voice sounded… genuine. Sideways answers, slanted, glancing off of the truth without actually uttering it. Layered.
The coin began its journey back and forth across his knuckles again.
“You trust her.” Ikora pushed further.
He met her eyes with his own. “Completely.”
Unexpectedly direct. A brief glimpse of the draconic underbelly. Proudly showing her the weak spot. Daring her to try something. Unafraid.
“And if she fails?”
“She won't.” He said it with the same matter-of-fact assertion that someone might say it was Tuesday.
“How do you know?”
“Look, Ikora.” The coin disappeared again. “I'm old. I've lived many many lives, lost way too much, been hurt way too bad, killed way, way too many people, and I've seen through every belief there is. If there is an expert in believing in nothing, it's me. And yet, here I am now, in this Annex, leaning on this here railing, telling you to your face, that I believe in Eris Morn.” He shrugged. “I don't know what else to tell ya.”
This was it. This was what she had come to determine with her own eyes. His speech was without artifice. His eyes held her gaze without looking away. If he was lying, she couldn’t tell.
The wind, the tiny clinks and creaks of various mechanisms in different stages of disrepair, echos down the hall from the Ada’s Synthweave loom, all became loud as they stared at each other.
“I believe in her too.” Ikora felt strangely humbled by what he had just told her, as though she needed to assert to him that her faith in Eris was just as strong as his.
“I know, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation.”
The coin reappeared as he smiled a disarming smile. This time he pinged it off of the winch, the pot on his desk and the railing before catching it again.
“She trusts you.” Ikora continued her interrogation of the wyrm in its lair.
“She does. Ain't that a peach for the Vanguard spymaster having her best agent trust the sketchiest guy in the tower? Although, I should point out, not that it needs to be, but she don't tell me nothin’ of your business, but I'm sure you already know that.”
“I do. My understanding is that any information from the Hidden that you have… obtained… has been on your own reconnaissance. And I’m only just recently discovering how extensive that reconnaissance has been.” Ikora willed herself not to grind her teeth at the thought of what her most recent security audits had revealed, or, rather what they had not revealed: the gaps which should not have existed, the missing logs, the bursts of static in both audio and video surveillance, the files which had no reason to have access date stamps this recent with no account affiliated with that access request…
“I ain't sayin' nothin' 'bout that, sister. But what I will say is that, if I did do such things, I’d try to avoid hurting anyone too much. Last city's people have lives that are hard enough as it is. Don't need anyone making things worse for them. A lot of people have bit the dust cuz of me. Been trying, lately, to avoid making that number any higher than it needs to be.”
“How long have you been infiltrating my Hidden, Drifter?”
He looked away and chuckled. “The thing about spies is they're always thinkin’ they're the only ones doin’ the spying.” The coin started to tumble across the knuckles of his right hand, followed by a second, and a third, and a fourth, only for all four of them to disappear.
“Then they find out someone's been keepin’ an eye on them and it gets their panties in a twist.” His left hand reached out and four more coins tumbled across the knuckles there, disappearing again.
“And that's not even starting on the paperwork. Now that's gotta be a nightmare and a half.” He raised both hands, palms out, fingers splayed and wiggling, twisting them to show her they were completely empty while grinning an absolutely infuriating shit-eating grin.
The display of legerdemain was nothing short of impressive. Ikora was grateful she had made the decision earlier to remove anything of value from her person before coming here.
“Your activities have indeed caused extensive reports. And now auditing, and more reports.” Ikora did not keep the annoyance out of her voice.
“Heh. I hope you make that trigger happy Praxic zealot Aunor do a bunch of ‘em. Keep her behind a desk where she can’t get any more regular people killed in collateral damage.”
Ikora sighed, questioning the words that were about to come out of her mouth. “I don't suppose there's any way you'd be willing to do some of it yourself.”
“Nope. I already told Eris no. Answer's still no.“
“She advised me you find the concept of following orders… problematic.”
“I don't do that shit, Rayray. I just don't. Favours though, that I can do. And like I told Moondust, if she's working for you and I'm helping her, what's the difference really? We can be friends. I help my friends. Doesn't have to be all formal-like. Friendship don't need a chain of command.”
“I will keep that in mind. And, because of Eris,” She nearly bit her tongue but forced out the words. “You are right, we should be…” Ikora swallowed. “Friends.”
He gave an exaggerated theatrical gasp, leaning back, his mouth open in mock surprise, both hands over his heart.
“Two miracles in one day. Damn! Can you believe that?”
Ikora closed her eyes in frustration. How did Eris put up with this?
“Awww Ikora, that was real hard for you to say and you still said it. Thank you for that. Want a drink?”
After almost a year, you're telling me that Ikora's last name is "Ray"... not "Rey" or did I messed up? Okay brain, stop fooling me because you already messed up Cayde's name as Clyde!
That's why I made a poll for you guys, which name's the right one for ya'll?
