Soft white breathes pushed harshly through Veda's lips as she went sprinting toward a slope edge. As she reached the end of it, the enemy's fire behind her aided in her deciding to slide down it, her boots knocking up dirt as she tumbled down the cliff face. Coughing as her clumsy form came to a rest, she stumbled up and ran toward the nearest cover she could see: A decrepit building which was crumbling to the point it didn't look safe at all. From what she knew, there had been previous amplifiers that gave off distorting signals. Now it was rather quiet. Amicus, her Ghost, had been giving attempting to send a call for reinforcement, but as the AI had previously informed her, it wasn't getting through.

She ran toward the ruined structure, it was better than nothing to hole up in for a while until reinforcements did arrive, if the Tower did get her distress call. It was a fool's hope, but it was a hope that kept her moving; that told her to keep fighting to live another day. She slowed down as she reached the entrance and pulled out her knife. If the Fallen were occupying the place she wanted to be prepared. She crept into the building to find that it was occupied, or rather had been. Two or three Dreg corpses were piled into a corner, their weapons lined up on the wall nearby. She began to take a closer look when she heard a faint sound coming from the stairway. It sounded like...someone singing?

The female Awoken tightened her grip along the blade's hilt. It whined in a shaking protest, a slight 'SHING' entering the silence. The dreg had been killed, so it appeared that it could have just been a Guardian. In fact, her preservation instinct which was her initial response died as common sense began weighing on her mind. It was a melodic voice, rather than some stupid Fallen grunting. It sounded... metallic almost. The silver orbs glinted as she passed beneath a peeking light that seeped through the open ceiling, and cautiously rounded the corner. Raising her weapon, she swiftly turned the corner and prepping her blade to melee whatever enemies may lay behind the crumbling walls.

But there was no enemy lying in wait. Instead, sitting on the steps leading down was the unmistakable form of a Warlock. Illuminated by a dim red flare of a fire, his back was turned facing away from the stairwell's entrance leaving him a dark silhouette, but it was easy to make out that he was an Exo as he bore no helmet. He was clad in a deep red cloak with desert shaded armour. A hand cannon holstered on his back was barely visible, but it showed a gleam of metallic gold as the Warlock shifted into a new song;

Welcome to your life,

There's no turning back,

Even while we sleep

We will find you acting on your best behaviour

Turn you back on Mother Nature

Everybody wants to rule the world.

The Exo went humming the rest of the tune, focused on something in his hands. Then he spoke.

"Come my friend, there's no danger here, and plenty of room by the fire."

Veda slackened her tense stance, the grip slipping as she sheathed it back against her hip. The Exo male seemed idle, strangely just resting. Glancing behind her at the Fallen corpses, her expression filled with intrigue rather than confusion. Had the Guardian not been aware of the other Guardians' plight not too far away? Perhaps his ghost had not informed him or known... It was curious indeed. Regardless of her inquiries, the girl unlocked her helmet with a click, and set it down on the cold floor beside her as she sat to his left. Her boots scraped against the floor, including her auto rifle which tapped a rather ungracefully onto the stone. It was pale, with 2 black horizontal stripes across it, and a splurge of color on it's trigger and rear-sight. It was apparent that it had done by the owner itself, seeing as the bright colored paint was beginning to chip. Silence followed for a moment. "... What were you singing?" Her voice finally arose, and contrasted the male's; it sounded rather young and feminine in comparison to the girl's solemn and stoic expression.

"Everybody wants to rule the world by the Tears for Fears." His answer was short and crisp. His yellow gold faceplate complimented his blue head features and his eyes glowed bright white light while his voice box sparked to life in light blue tones as he spoke. He tossed the item he was fiddling with in the air, it was a Strange Coin. The girl's eyes trailed the object like a cat with a laser pointer as he caught it and placed it in a pouch before reaching into a rucksack at his feet and rummaged around in it. "Are you hungry? I have some provisions if you are."

The thought of food made her mouth water a bit, and she reached up her pale ashen skin of her hand to smear the saliva from her lips. However, as she did, she discovered some blood near the crevices of her lips. It was drying, but it became rather apparent that she had not left the field unscathed. Not too concerned considering that she was in no terrible pain, she wiped the liquid onto her pant leg and nodded up at the Exo. "Thank you Guardian... I'm Veda." The girl introduced, offering her slender hand. "May I ask your name?"

The Exo pulled out a small container and a flask of water. "I'm Vergil-11, although everyone just calls me Vergil." He opened the container, inside was a bun with a strip of meat and butter and offered both to Veda. He looked over the Awoken, eyes darting up and down examining her. "You look like you've just crawled out of scuff with Lord Shaxx, are you injured?" His jibe was harmless, but his concern was obvious.

The girl gently and gratefully took the two objects, and eagerly began eating. With the manner in which she ate, she might convince someone she had been starved for days. It wasn't necessarily wrong either. As her mouth was being stuffed, the girl glanced up. With his jest, Veda's lips gently split into a smile for a moment; and if one was listening intently, might have heard her soft chuckle. But her amused mood quickly faded remembering her trainer Guardians and company. Her face fell the the floor, her arm with the flask went limp, letting it hang gently over her knees as well as the container which rested idly. "My company and I were ambushed by a large swarm of Fallen... We weren't ready." She quietly replied, a glossy layer filming her eyes. Feeling that moistness, she angrily rubbed the back of her hand against her eyes, refusing to allow herself to do such a thing. After replying, she quietly returned to eating the food. The silence was broken shortly however. "Oh... Thank you for the food and water by the way, Sir Vergil."

Vergil reached into his cloak and pulled out a hankerchief. "You're welcome, but there is nothing to be ashamed of in feeling loss and grief." He shifted closer to her and offered the cloth. "Tell me what happened and you may feel better." He looked over her again. She was young, a child in most Guardians eyes. But Vergil knew at age had nothing to do with experience. He had learned that the hard way ages ago.

The girl stared at the offering intently. Their anterior forms were dancing with the reflections of the red flames. The gesture was one of the best she had seen in days, and a flood of sudden relief rushed over her. In the heat of battle, one was not given the chance to feel grief or remorse, but simply the will to keep surviving. Quivering slightly, the Awoken pulled it from his hands and held it against her face, before she nested her head between her knees. The use of the handkerchief was unorthodox, but all she wanted was to conceal her expression, which contorted in pain and sorrow; a portrait of anguish and guilt. As tears freely began to bleed through her jaded veil, her shoulders began shaking with sobs which were constrained in her voice. It became apparent she was holding back harshly as blood seeped between her fingers which dug into her palm.

"... I... couldn't get to their Ghosts before they..." She took in a sharp breathe, and sighed out before continuing. "... It was so fast... I... I just kept shooting and shooting but they just kept coming..." Veda began narrating as she placed her slender hands over the back of her neck, and blood rubbed into her skin as she did. While she was trying to collect her voice which cracked, she rubbed the nape of her neck shakily. "... Abellone... Hector... Raziel... They all died because I couldn't listen to one simple order to wait..."

Vergil wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an warm embrace. He knew that pain, he had lived it and seen it happen so many times; it never got any easier. But he knew that keeping that pain locked away was a worse torment on one's soul, so he hugged her while he spoke softly. "It's alright, let it all out. It's alright..."

Yanked toward the Exo, was much softer and warmer than Veda expected. Her body was tense and the handkerchief fluttered to the floor to reveal her tear streaked shock. Though she knew she could rely on Amicus and fellow Guardians, it had been only the second time that she remembered being hugged after her revival. Sure, the other Hunters babied her, but it wasn't the same. Nonetheless, the touch rendered Veda speechless. When her body relaxed in his arms, she found herself curling her fingers into his cloak as well as planting her face into it. Her entire form racked with sobs she finally let go.

They sat there for a time, until finally he felt her sobs die away. "There we are," He whispered "it's alright now." He reached down for the handkerchief and wiped the dirt off on his pant leg. He pulled Veda away to see her face; still it was tear-stained, the blood from her hands had dripped down her neck. He lifted the cloth and gently began to wipe the tears away on her cheeks, then the blood on her neck. Once he finished he gave a satisfied nod. "There we go, all better." His eyes turned a half circle shape, giving the impression that he was smiling. He knew he looked comical given the aggressive look to his faceplate, but that was the intent. They returned to their natural form as he reached down for the canteen and set it between them.

"Now, take your time Guardian, the night is still young; tell me what happened, from beginning to end."

Veda's face lightened as she saw the irony of his soft expression contrasting his rigid features. A small smile played on her features for a bit before it sank. Blinking a bit, she turned her attention to the fire. The lights it emitted were playfully leapt along the dark grey cemented walls, intriguing and distracting her, as she had hoped. There was no doubt that Veda was hesitating, but this distraction was short lived as she kind of went into a trance like state, her gaze fogged up with deep thought. "... I was assigned to my trainers a couple years ago, around the time of my revival." She began, her hands subconsciously grasping it's other mirrored half. "They basically raised me like I was one of their own. Basically the baby mascot of their large group... Abellone was similar to what I would expect an older sister to be like. Hector and Raziel too were like older brothers, and the older three would constantly bicker. It was no different when we started our patrol a few days ago. Simple missions, easy glimmer. Overall, we were having fun and the boys were trying to flaunt their Sparrow prowess..." She looked over at the Exo with a sad smile. "The boys had a thing for Abellone..." Veda chuckled, her silver eyes glinting with reflecting light. A short pause shifted into her next uncomfortable moments. "... We picked up a very basic patrol mission from Tess, asking if we could investigate an intriguing lead to an unidentified artifact."

"Of course, we jumped at the chance, and sped off toward the Skywatch. Before we entered the Terrestrial Complex, Abellone warned us to stay back and wait. Apparently Sivik," She paused to explain, "her ghost, had picked up on some suspicious activity within the building..." The girl hung her head with a tired and sorrowful smile. "I of course, didn't heed that warning and ran headlong into the building, stubborn and eager to get going. I was prideful... And it ended up killing everyone except me. Ironic, huh?" She asked, less of a question and more like a statement. Eventually, the girl leaned back up against the wall, clutching the flask in both her hands and taking a sip. "I triggered a catalyst surge of Fallen, hundreds of them all pent up in the depths of that building, brimming near the entrance... They didn't back down even when I screamed at them for us to flee." The girl's eyes fogged over again, reminiscing in adoration of her companion's bravery. "There's not much else to say that you could guess. I only got away because Hector saw that other than him and me, the others had fallen. Their Ghosts were struggling to keep them alive, including Hector's. Amicus too was having troubles keeping me on my feet and still trying to summon my Sparrow. Hector made the final call..." Veda trailed off, her stare further going into some unknown place. "... He got me out of the radius and set off a chain of nova bombs and grenades to eliminate everything close enough. It shot me back from the main of the fight, but the sacrifice could only hold the Fallen for so long, before they began swarming again... Amicus couldn't summon my Sparrow, so I've been on foot up until this point."

Vergil nodded as he listened intently as Veda spoke, shifting his position so his elbows were on his knees and folded his hands in front of his face. When she finished her tale he didn't move or make any sign of attention as he was deep in thought. Suddenly he raised index fingers together and tapped his "nose", releasing a sigh. "What happened was not your fault Veda." He closed his eyes as he spoke. "Death is always a risk when going out into the field, even for a seasoned Guardian like myself. Even if you didn't rush ahead, your team may have decided the mission was worth the risk and proceeded to walk through that trap. And then you all would've been killed in the resulting ambush. If anything, you gave your brothers and sisters a fighting chance, a chance that some of you might survive." He opened his eyes again and turned his head, looking into Veda's own silver orbs with an intense gaze, as if an old fire deep in his memories were suddenly rekindled. "Your friends fought defiantly to the end and Hector made the noble sacrifice to see you live. Their memory will live on, in you. Do not let it be in vain by blaming and doubting yourself."

Veda glanced up, locking their strong gazes was intimidating. The Exo had an excellent point in his wisdom. With how short of a time she had been alive, or revived one might say, his vast life was most likely exceeding hers in greater amounts. He probably had experienced much worse in the world. The fact that she had not even taken that thought into consideration bewildered her with awe and respect for her senior Guardian. As well, the girl's skin flushed with embarrassment, for having been so childish, as well as given such a lengthy story the Exo had probably experienced a hundred times over. The Awoken, still fairly red, gave a soft nodding motion. "Thank you Sir Vergil. I hadn't... stopped to think of it like that." Veda wasn't sure what to say, so she gratefully allowed silence to befall the crumbled building; save the cracking fire which whipped to and fro with the gentle gusts of occasional wind.

"Of course you didn't, you were running for your life. You didn't have time to think." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder to comfort her and reinforce his words. "But that was then; this is now. Now you have time to think; time to rest and time to mourn. It's how you decide from here on what to do next, and it's okay if takes a long time to figure out what you feel is right."

Vergil turned his head back towards the fire staring deeply into the flickering flames. His right hand dropped to his side and subconsciously grasped a round object that hung there. It was the pommel of his hand-and-a-half sword; shaped as a ram's head, it attached to the grip at the neck. The hilt was half as wide as the grip was long and two horse heads faced away from each other in the center. The scabbard appeared plain, but truthfully it had been worn away from time. Any trained eye could see that it was once a finely crafted work of art, inlaid with now faded gold and silver runes. Vergil's hand gripped tighter on the pommel. "I've had such a long time to think, and many opportunities to turn back; to hide away from the troubles of the world and accept my fate." He lifted his head to gaze out into the night sky. "But do you know what keeps me fighting? What keeps me from falling into the Darkness?" He glanced back at Veda, his glowing white eyes playing about with a smile.

As the Guardian felt her shoulder tugged against the Exo's chest, her face swirled with hot temperatures and matching colors. It wasn't too often that Guardians were so... comfortable with such close quarters. Or perhaps it was just her who was prudish? Whatever the reason, it made the young Awoken turn bright colors, and she simply paralleled her face to his to ensure that whatever was going on, it wouldn't be noticed. Or at least the stubborn girl hoped.

The man's poetic explanations truly relieved her afflicted soul, which had refused to allow itself to fully suffer. Seeing now that she had a choice for her future, Veda wondered how time would toil on her as a person, now having experienced her first true loss. With torrents of 'if's' and 'how's, the silver orbs stared out into thoughtful plains, full of ominous imagination and fears. Veda's mind could only be called back as her senior Guardian mentioned the questions she too, had been mulling over. Eagerly, still flushed quite a bit, the girl turned her head slightly toward the Exo. "What is this driving force...?"

"It's the people I get to meet every day and knowing that I can help ease their troubles in any way I can. There's so many beyond the wall of the City that I feel obligated to aid, to give hope to that one day their pains and sorrows can be put to rest, and that they will no longer have to cower in fear every night of a nameless evil and its pawns, to just live in peace." Vergil looked back into the fire before tossing the used handkerchief into the flames. "We're a long way from that peace, I'll admit. But if by my power I can help those who need it, just for a while, then I will gladly live for a thousand years doing so until perhaps one day, humanity begins a new Golden Age."

Veda quietly listened, her eyes slightly widening, her pupils dilating as her heart raced. The words were compelling, true, and quite heroic. Elegant words played on her mind for quite some time, absorbing the lyrical information. However, her own thoughts began chipping away at such a bright ideal. She, unlike him, would NOT get to live for a thousand years…. Her time was limited. Yes, working toward a bright future in itself was fulfilling as he said. The joy or relief or both, just to see it in those she aided, ultimately sustained her. However… the simple thought that she will either not see the vibrant future, or fail the world, and witness its demise to the Darkness. Shivers rose on her arms, thoughts of the masses' death lingering like tar on her skin. Not wanting to disturb her newfound companion, she closed her eyes with a smile. The soft touch of her skin illuminated with the reflecting fire which had sparked up as he had thrown in the handkerchief. 'Everything must burn….', Veda thought to herself, glancing at the fire. "But if burning means I strengthen the light and feed the fire of the fight, so be it…" The girl mumbled, opening her eyes. The near white iris' flashed up at him, an animated enthusiasm rekindled. The girl's aura seemed to return to her usual self, collected and calculated looking, but internally enthusiastic.

Vergil continued staring into the flames. He barely heard the words of the young Awoken but he understood what she meant. She had found purpose again and it put his mind at ease. 'Good. Another soul saved.' He smiled to himself. 'It's always easier to face the reality of the universe once you've accepted mortality. It's still difficult to face, but every little bit helps, especially when you have someone to help bear the burden.' He suddenly wished he still had his old friends to help with his burdens, at least the group meetings would be more cheerful. But he was alone, and alone decided to walk this path to help the people who needed it. Well, he wasn't entirely alone, he still had...
A third voice suddenly pulled him from his thoughts. "Well sorry if I'm intruding, but I got a question for you Miss Veda."
Spark, Vergil's Ghost appeared; his companion and affectionately named 'glorified door-opener'. He had a deep authoritative voice with a hint of attitude which completely contrasted his small robotic frame.
"Your mission, you said Tess Everis gave that one out to you right?"

The young girl's attentiveness flicked up to the small structure that appeared, her eyes filling with wonder and surprise. The child-like reaction was quickly covered up as she straightened her back and nodded. "Ah, yes. Well, at least that's what Amicus decrypted from the beacon..." Veda replied, blinking a bit as she examined the floating bot. It was amazing to see that this Ghost had much more... spunk and attitude than some of the autopilot Guardians she had encountered with her experience at the Tower. Imitating the fellow Ghost, Amicus' soft blue glow emitting as he summoned himself. The Ghost floated beside Veda's legs, similar to how a defensive or protective dog might. "I retrieved the encryption request from Tess Everis. The specifics lacked... specification, but the report said the Skywatch held an important artifact..." The voice sounded like it was being sarcastically polite. While Amicus was the logic of the pair, Veda balanced his crabby behavior with kindness. That fact was only furthered as Veda gently patted her hand over the Ghost, her fingers running softly over the crevices of the Ghost. That shut it up. "Sorry, he's a bit..." Veda sighed slightly, glancing apologetically up to Vergil and Spark

"It's fine." Spark dismissed the other Ghost's snark and spun his frame to face Vergil. "Since when does Tess send Guardians looking for treasure on patrol? She handles special requisitions for the Tower." Vergil's eyes narrowed. Spark was right, Tess Everis was a messenger, not a faction or Gunsmith looking for resources. She looked after things the Vanguard needed for Guardians, which meant...

"The Vanguard may have found something in the Skywatch, or a rumour of something maybe. Something big with not enough time to assemble a proper strike team. They needed whatever was in there now, but it had to be kept on quiet. But asking Tess...?"
"Should've been a red flag to anyone else in the Tower." Spark butted in to Vergil's outward thoughts. "Maybe they thought that having Tess put in the request would've been easier to throw off the Consensus rather than having to file a report. Too bad it cost them a fireteam."
Vergil flicked the little Ghost, who garbled an apology to the younger Guardian for his flippancy. Vergil leaned back, hand on his chin. He spoke as he turned back to Veda. "No idea what the artifact actually was huh?"

As the Guardian listened in on the circulating explanation, it sounded very much like a thought process between two consciousness. Or rather, more like between two expressions. Their content really created friction on her attention, making her question what had happened. Could it have been avoided? Was this something meant for higher ranked Guardians?

'Why?' was a fan favorite question in Veda's realm of the mind that day. Amicus too felt ashamed he hadn't questioned something rather explicitly suspicious. Really, none of the Guardians in the fireteam questioned their mission objective, other than how to get it done. Regardless, it was entertaining to give attention to their conversation... up to a point. Veda completely understood the error was harmless and in respect to simple logic. In fact, the fact the Ghost regarded it as a 'shame' was a bit comforting. Still, the raw wound was prodded, which made her form visibly flinch for a moment. An instinctive smile softly graced her features as she dismissively waved. The girl wasn't going to lie and say that it was 'ok', but she wasn't one to hold it against the Ghost. As the subject turned Veda let the smile remain very subtly, but with sympathy and slight guilt. "Yeah... sorry."
The two sat silent for a moment. Vergil and Spark had been together for a long time and with that brought an ease of reading off each other and could easily formulate plans without so much as a word. Vergil spoke. "We have two options."
"We could infiltrate the Skywatch, grab the artifact and then grill the Vanguard for information later." Spark continued.

"Or head back to the Tower now, grill the Vanguard before grabbing supplies and head back to grab the artifact later." Vergil finished. "But that gives the Fallen time to move the artifact and/or gather reinforcements. If we go now we have the element of suprise. They wouldn't expect a second attack after such a short amount of time, let alone from a different angle."
"But we'll be running blind, we don't know what we're looking for. And if there are already hundreds of Fallen as Veda mentioned, we'll have enough trouble getting in as we would getting out." Spark countered.
"We've faced worse odds."
"We were in a fortress built into a mountain using the enemies weapons against them, I don't think we'll be so protected here."
"You know we've been through more than that."
"But this time it may not be just us." Spark directed those words to Veda. "Regardless of how we do it, we're going to claim that artifact, it's too valuable to let the Fallen keep. You could help us Veda, but we won't make you go back there if you don't want to."
Vergil blinked. He didn't really want Veda to get involved, not this soon anyway. "Perhaps you're right Spark. It's late and we don't have the firepower. And you've had enough battle for one day." He gestured to the Awoken. "We should return to the Tower and get some answers and more importantly, rest."

Veda's gaze was going back and forth between the two, simply listening to their conjoining sentences. Two voices that seemed to battle ideals but think exactly alike. Similar to how a person battles with a decision. As the debate continued on, Veda turned to look down at Amicus. Would they too, have a strong relationship like that one day? As she thought, Amicus seemed to hear, and huffed. "You better believe it." The voice grumbled quietly. Veda's lips puckered in surprise. Smiling a bit wider than before, she chuckled and pet her small companion. As the conversation seemed to take a turn between the two, Veda snapped her attention back. Her mind seemed to wrap around and try to recover the muffled conversation she had been listening in on. The Awoken's smile quickly diminished as she thought. They both held a compelling stance on the controversy. Silent, she held the pause to think. Despite her role, the fact that they wanted to return to the Tower angered her. Amicus could feel this as his singular eye turned to glance at her. Her hand clenched as she held her face sternly. How could she just... pick up and leave? Yes, they were low on ammunition, she was wounded... they didn't have the numbers or probability of success on their side. But... Vergil had explained how he had gotten out of worse... Would she really drag him down? The simple thought was like a hammer on her ribs as her heart throbbed in pain. Was she really so pitiable at this point? However, a breathe racked up in her chest. Veda felt the awareness that she couldn't let her lust for vengeance cloud her judgement. The likelihood they would be able to make it. It was more likely that they survive and eventually find the artifact if it was to be moved. Amicus seemed to approve of her logic, as he turned toward them. "Shall we head to our ships then?" He asked, Veda glancing at the group, gesturing that she agreed with her Ghost's suggestion.

Vergil nodded, taking back and packing away the food container and water flask as Spark dematerialized. "Very well, let's head out then. But first, let me see your hands." Vergil removed his gauntlets and gloves, revealing his mechanical digits and took Veda's hands into his own. Blue and red light began swirling around his fingertips, dancing in wisps of ethereal patterns. He took her right hand first, his index and middle finger tracing the cuts in her palm. While the cuts had begun to close, under the light they had healed completely without even a scar remaining. He did the same with her left and once finished he gave another satisfied nod.

Without a sting to worry about, other than a strange, almost velcrow like sensation along her pale skin, Veda was mesmerized. The astounded Guardian could only give an awestruck gaze at the strange phenomena. There had been few Exos that she had personally interacted with, so she knew little to nothing about their capacities. "Can all Exo do this?" The girl asked rather distractedly. As he finished up both hands, she stuck her arms out in front of her, flipping her hands back to front a few times, examining them. With a few clenches and squeezing, she smiled, obviously satisfied with the work.

Vergil scoffed. "If Guardians actually interpreted the Light as something to use other than killing things, we might not be in the state of decay we are now. Granted it did take me ten years of meditation and studying my own Light to achieve Healing, but as far as I'm aware I'm the only Warlock capable of such a thing." He thought for a moment. "Maybe if I didn't spend so much time outside the City...Ah who knows. Ikora was pretty powerful herself when I first met her, she may have figured it out. Then again she is a bit more...aggressive than most." He contined.

Veda's face lit up with intrigue, raising an eyebrow at the scoff. Oh ho... She supposed that the weaponizing of Light was a trigger topic. The girl pursed her lips as she felt slight guilt. She had known no other use, and felt rather... uncultured, in a way.

Realizing that this gift was subjective, the girl became even more fascinated. How did it work? Curiosity illuminated the silver wiliness on her eyes, and she asked to examine his hands. Just as he had placed her hands over his, she too did so. Her fingers traced where she had seen the light come from, her brow furrowing as she imagined her own fingers doing such a thing. "Hmm." The girl simply exhaled, and gently released his hand. Vergil smiled as she did. She had a curiosity he had only seen in a select few other Warlocks, those who were naturally curious of the world around them rather than burying their heads in the Archives or 'horsing around in the Crucible' as he called it.

He stopped himself, he knew better than to think that. He had been traveling alone between settlements for so long he realized his vision was becoming skewed. Perhaps Veda was the kick in the arse needed to remind him. 'Our meeting might not be mere coincidence.' He thought. 'But more on that later, right now there's a mission to be had and the Vanguard to question.' He stretched, his arms reaching above his head. "We should have done this as soon as you had shown up, but let me tend to your wounds before we go. Just something quick, the medics at the Tower can do the rest."

The girl blinked, and shook her head. "I'll be fine until we get back... the rest of my wounds are either internal or substantial..." The girl replied. Amicus had had a hard time keeping her up and running, but Veda had so far pushed the thought of physical pain from her mind. As far as she knew, there were some lesions on her back. Probably because there had been a large group of stealth vandals that had gotten away from her attention during one of the last waves of Fallen that had come from the Skywatch.

Vergil finished packing up camp and stood up. "Are you sure? Even internal bleeding can be dangerous if left unattended for too long."

Standing, the girl leaned on her rifle for a stronger stance. The heavy, sick feeling in her stomach lurched a bit, and she stopped herself from excessive movement. After she let the feeling settle she straightened up a bit and placed a hand over her abdomen. "Nothing I can't wait for..." "The bleeding isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be..." Veda honestly retorted, sounding slightly defensive. She was a big girl. It kind of felt like she had become tiny Veda again, pampered by Mama Abellone. However her experience as a Guardian, her relatively young age shone through in times like these. The girl's major flaw was her stubborn desire to support herself, by herself. The philosophy had been imbedded into her when she was smaller. Since she was never given the chance to be a kid, that teenage independence complex lingered slightly on certain subjects.

She gripped her shoulder, jutting her elbow out so she could distinctly check her shoulder. Just as she had suspected from the throbbing, it had been dislocated. Clenching her fist, a quick motion from her other arm and a sickening pop could be heard. Her face went poker, her eyes widened a bit and her lips pursed. "... Ouch." She finally let out, chuckling. It had been a bit more painful than she had expected. With that fixed, her arm lessened it's sore throbbing, and she picked up the weapon, slinging across her back. Vergil blinked back in surprise and amusement at the act. She was cut from a different cloth that was sure.

"If you think it best, then let's be off. He relaxed. "It's been a while since I've been in the City, but I was on my way there anyhow."

"Sounds good." Veda replied to the Guardian, now seeing just how much taller he was than she. Her eyes narrowed with frustration. It wasn't fair: quite a multitude of Guardians were taller than she was. However, it did help with hiding behind cover.

Vergil fiddled with the straps of his gauntlets as he finished pulling them back on. "Now for my next trick..." He gestured at the fire with pointed fingers and it went out with a puff, leaving the only light being the pale moon outside shining in. As the fire went out, shadows resumed on Veda's features, and the cold bristled on her skin. It was beautiful. The moon. A dangerous place at that; but still just so gorgeous. The girl gave herself a moment to admire it, then glanced back. Amicus materialized, and she turned to him.

"Take a girl for a ride?" With a nodding motion, both the Hunter and her Ghost dissipated, reappearing in the ship which hung along the planet's orbit.

Vergil smiled after she disappeared, looking around the empty stairway in case he missed anything. 'She's tough, reminds me of more than a few people.' He called up Spark again.
"Right, how long has it been since we last flew the ship?"
"Fifteen years." The Ghost deadpanned. Vergil's shoulders slumped. "Bloody hell, that long? I hope I remember how to fly the darn contraption."
"You've never forgotten. Shall we?" Vergil nodded and returned to his long lost vessel.