“Does the Speaker ever take his mask off?” Sarah turns to her ghost, her hands locked behind her head as they move through the tower.
“I’ve been around a long time but I’ve never seen his face.”
“Ah,” she pauses to look at the small machine floating beside her, “do you have a name? Am I supposed to call you ‘Ghost’?”
“I’ve never been given a name.” He sounded excited at the mention of one so Sarah sighed and brought a hand to her chin.
“What should I call you?” She speaks to no one in particular before stopping; her eyes lighting up. “How about I call you Nikolai? You resurrected me in Old Russia after all.” Her smile causes the small machine to slow and stop.
“I would like that.” If he had a face, Sarah would see his smile. The emotion from his voice is enough for her to picture it in her head and she placed a hand on top of her new friend. His shell is warm to the touch and she can feel the whirring like a pulse against her hand.
“Do you make a habit of petting me?” The words come out more like a question than aggravation but Sarah removes her hand none the less and tries to hide the red that seeps into her cheeks.
“Sorry, I didn’t know it bothered you.” She looks to the ground but his shell comes to block everything else from view.
“No, no. I have no problem with it,” he’s in her face as he speaks, “I actually liked it. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a guardian. You make me feel alive, like I have a purpose again.”
Sarah can’t hide the blush this time, and her eyes settle on the small machine. It’s a moment before either speak but she smiles and returns her hand to his shell.
“I think you have it backwards Nikolai. You resurrected me. I should be saying that to you.” Her laugh echoes in the corridor, light and amused.
“I’m an Awoken. I have a heart and blood that pumps through my veins. Of course I would be warm.” She speaks matter of fact but understands his words. There are guardians out there who are entirely machines, Exo’s they’re called. Convenient considering they don’t need to eat or sleep but Sarah likes the idea of having a body all her own, not one put together by spare parts. Nikolai seems to like her as well.
“We’re gonna make a great team Sarah.”
