Vergil hurried down the hallway towards the med bay. It was mid morning now but he had only just escaped his 'captor'. He glanced over his shoulder several times to make sure he wasn't being followed. He stopped in front of Veda's recovery room. After another look around, he quietly knocked before opening the door to peek inside. He saw Veda still asleep in bed and gave a sigh of relief. He pushed open the door and entered. Amicus appeared over Veda and Vergil gave him a nod. He quietly walked over to the bed and set up a chair beside the sleeping Awoken. Leaning forward Vergil looked at the sleeping form for a while. He didn't know why, but she reminded him of... He stopped himself. Why did he want to re-open that wound? It was so long ago now.
He pushed the thought out of his mind. Veda was her own warrior but he still couldn't help feeling impressed and proud of her tenacity. He reached over and stroked a strand of hair that had fallen over her face and she stirred.
"Good morning." He greeted her.
Veda's eyes did not flutter open immediately. Instead, a soft moan of a mumble escaped her lips, as though she was still dreaming. However, as the heaviness of her body returned to her senses, her silver eyes peeked open. Seeing the gentle touch, Veda had a slowed reaction. For a moment, she just blinked, trying to analyze the situation. But when the proximity of he and his hand was apparent, the girl flushed deep red and sat up, scooting back toward the head board. Flustered, she cleared her throat and tucked the stray hairs from her face, her eyelids aimed downward to indicate her trying to avoid eye contact. Beneath the soft lashes sat her cheeks, burning red at the moment. Amicus chuckled, and Veda reddened more so.
"Er... Good morning Vergil." The girl finally replied, her eyes lifting to look at him. He was leaning toward the bed, appearing rather casual. There was no reason for her to behave so irregularly, but she moved past it and carried a softer, more collected expression. "So what's going on?" The Awoken asked curiously, tilting her head. Those curious silver eyes glinted once more, attentively waiting for his reply. Amicus chuckled, and Veda reddened more so.
Vergil tried very hard not to laugh at Veda's expressive scrambling, but his smile betrayed him. Giving a hearty chuckle, he patted the girl's shoulder.
"Just checking up on you. The mission briefing isn't for another half hour but I wanted to make sure you were awake."
Veda blushed as he chuckled. "Thanks a lot. Jeez, scare the rest of my life out of me why don't you?" The girl retorted, returning the warm gesture of a smile. Vergil smiled and continued.
"Everyone will be here shortly. Now, let's get you something-" He was cut short as a sharp rapping knock came from the door and a man suddenly burst in.
"Vergil! There you are!" He was an older gentleman but his get up was odd to say the least. His gray hair stood up in all directions while his head was adorned with what appeared to be goggles with multiple magnifying lenses attached. He wore brown overalls over a plaid shirt and his belt held several tools of varying sizes. His french accent could do nothing to hide the annoyance and contempt from the man as he approached Vergil who merely facepalmed, leaned back on his chair and groaned.
"You disappeared before I could finish! Again! You know, if you wanted to have your back to break in the middle of a fight just say so!" Vergil made a gesture with his hand as he looked up at the ceiling in annoyance.
"Ugh, okay, no. You had everything fixed Jacques, now you're just fiddling at this point. Can't this wait?"
"NO! Mon Dieu, you are like a child sometimes!" The man now identified as Jacques then noticed Veda. "Who is this? Friend of yours?"
Vergil gestured between the two, too annoyed with the eccentric man to bother looking up. "Veda, this is Jacques Baston, he's... my mechanic. Jacques, this is Veda..." Vergil looked up with a confused expression. "I'm sorry I don't think I did learn your surname Veda?"
As Vegil was about to mention getting something, the girl was left to ponder what it was. For one thing, she prayed it was food. Regardless of all the pestering she got from Abellone, the girl had an appetite of an adolescent boy. However, her attention immediately shifted to the rather uncanny character who entered the room. His french accent, appearance and demeanor piqued her interest and curiosity immensely, and the girl sat up with a doe like expression of wonder. As they argued, Veda couldn't help but chuckle to herself.
"Pfft. And I'm being childish for not wanting to stay and get fixed?" Veda quietly mumbled beneath her breath, hearing Amicus' voice give out a snort of a laugh to her snide commentary. As they were being introduced, Veda had no hesitation in excitedly extending her hand.
"Nice to..." The girl paused, her face giving a surprised and discovery look back at Vergil. She hadn't even mentioned it once! It was a strange concept, not establishing one of the more common relation knowledge like surnames. Veda sighed guiltily, her cheeks flushing as she shook her head. "Haha, I guess that's kind of important. My last name is Lakshmi. Veda Lakshmi. It's nice to meet you Sir Baston." As according to her customs, and inhibited by her wounds, the girl gave a deep bow with her head and smiled up at this new stranger.
"No need to call me 'Sir' my dear, but it's very nice to meet you. You see Vergil? A little politeness can go a long way!" Jacques began taking tools out of his belt examining what he needed.
"If politeness is what it takes to put up with you, mine should have dried up years ago." Vergil muttered under his breath. He turned back to Veda.
"As I was saying, let's get you some food before the briefing. Spark, would you so kindly," His voice dripped with feigned sarcasm directed at Jacques. "let one of the nurses know their patient would like something to eat?"
"Already done." While he didn't show it, Spark was having fun listening to Vergil and Jacques bicker like an old married couple. The two had known each other for years, Vergil had been coming to the Baston family for repairs ever since his revival, and the banter went hand in hand with the service.
"Yes very good." Jacques had finally picked out his tool of choice and waved his hand for Vergil to stand up.
"Shirt. Off. Now. I need to get at your back to finish your repairs." Vergil gave a huff of defeat and stood up.
"Fine. You have five minutes to finish up. No more." He began removing his gauntlets and chest armour. His chest piece, the Voidfang Vestments, was a deep crimson cloak with gold accents while his armour was a desert camo brown. Underneath he wore a plain black t-shirt. He pulled the shirt off to reveal the yellow-gold body plate that covered and protected the delicate machinery beneath. What would've been his external obliques was a ultramarine blue mesh like structure mimicking muscle tissue. Other various pieces along his body and arms were blue as well, giving a simple contrast to his brightly coloured, athletic toned body structure. Vergil placed the articles of clothing at the foot of the gurney and sat back down on the chair backwards giving Jacques room to begin his work. Small clicks and taps were emitted as the mechanic started adjusting the mechanisms around Vergil's spine.
Veda was kindred in Spark's amusement in their banter. The girl couldn't help but put a hand up to her mouth to shield her widening smile, and her chest built up with laughs. The girl however felt rather accomplished, having been praised by the mechanic. When Vergil began to undress, Veda's natural instinct was to avert her gaze, which happened almost immediately. Though her logic didn't see any point in having to do so, her body reacted before her mind could. The girl kept herself busy by messing with the bandage tape on her antecubital region. Fiddling with the needle, she found that as it tugged, her hand would tense. A wondrous gaze filled her face as she was left in awe at the strange nerve phenomena. Amicus materialized and gave her a questioning look, chuckling quietly.
"Lakshmi hmm?" Jacques continued to work as he chatted with Veda. "I had an Exo named Lakshmi try to buy my services once. Terrible manners she had, thought herself more important than my other work."
"You say that about all your customers." Vergil quipped. The mechanic made a face behind the Exo's back mocking his complaints before continuing his work. Veda's marvel was cut short as her ears picked up on her last name. Snapping her head up, she caught on to the last part of his piece.
"Hmm? Oh." Veda placed her hands idly in her lap. "A lot of Guardians mistake me for being an associate of the Future War Cult faction. It's not uncommon." The Awoken gave a smile, and her glance up viewed the Exo's back. It intrigued her of all the components of his mechanical system. Though, she herself quickly caught on to her own staring and turned red once more, returning her attention back to Jacques. As he looked back with his mocking face, the girl giggled slightly. There were few times when she behaved all feminine like that, but she felt more comfortable doing so, especially with the old man. She too, rolled her eyes upward and gave a nod, sympathizing with Vergil's old friend.
A nurse walked in with a tray of hospital food and raised an eyebrow at the two squabblers before setting it in front of Veda with a smile and left. Veda mirrored the smile to the nurse.
"Thank you ma'am." The girl stated, before she turned to her food. Immediately the realization of how hungry she was hit her, and a small spot of drool came up to her lips. A large smile crept onto her face as she began digging into the meal.
Jacques paused a moment to watch Veda devour her meal before laughing.
"You eat like my grandson dear girl! Always hungry and there ends up being no food in the house! He's just around your age I think." He returned to his work going up and down various vertebrae. Finally he pulled away his tools and the plating around Vergil's spine returned into place, signalling he was done.
"There, how does that feel?"
The Exo stood up and stretched, his arms reaching over his head and back down again. The only sounds that emitted was a soft hum of Light.
"Haven't felt this good in years." Vergil complimented the mechanic. "Thanks my friend."
"Pfft. If you had waited back at the shop, you'd have felt like that earlier. Oh well." Jacques pulled out a notebook and flipped it open. "I'll schedule you in 18 months for next time, fair?" The Exo nodded
"Fair." Vergil reached for his clothes. As he tugged on his t-shirt a whistle came from the door.
"If I knew this was gonna be that kind of party, I would've brought friends." Two women, an Awoken Hunter and Human Titan stood in the doorway. The Awoken sported a orange-red mohawk and was eyeing Vergil while biting her lip. Her armour however was a stark contrast to her playful nature. It stood out as a monument of death, her left arm covered in bones and a hive skull hung from her right hip. The only thing that stood out was her hood bearing the colours of Future War Cult. The Titan was a dark skinned woman clad in silver white and gold armour, a Mark from the Iron Banner clinging to her flank. She stood with the posture of a veteran soldier with her brown dreadlock hair pulled back in a ponytail. She gave the room a questioning smile with a raised eyebrow.
"Having fun Warlock?"
Vergil finished with his shirt and slung his cloak over his shoulders.
"Just getting some maintenance done. Jacques, you'll send me the bill?" Jacques gave a huff. "It'll be more now because I had to chase you down, so don't cry to me about it later." He turned to Veda. "It was very nice to meet you Miss Lakshmi, keep an eye on this old bucket of bolts for me will you? Aur Revoir!" Jacques headed out the door before Vergil could reach over and throttle him. The two ladies stepped out of the doorway as Jacques past, giving them each a nod before leaving. Veda looked up to the old mechanic, giving him a warm smile and waving as he left. She assumed that his final words to her were some sort of farewell, so she too bowed her head in valediction. Vergil gave a loud sigh and finished buckling up his armour.
"Veda this is Lescha Amori," He gestured to the Hunter then to the Titan. "And Merigold Hartman. They'll be my fireteam on this mission."
Lescha gave a smile and a nod.
"How you doing kiddo?" Merigold walked up to the bedside opposite Vergil and offered a hand. "Vergil's a little too formal at times, just call me Merry." She gave a warm smile.
As elegantly as a cripple could, Veda bowed to both. Immediately Veda had recognized Miss Lescha. The Awoken was famous among their kind for her amazing feat in the Hellmouth. Turning to the human Titan, Veda too gave a bow, extending her hands in address.
"It's an honor and pleasure to meet both of you." Veda blushed in awe as her heart fled into elation. The entire situation was more than she could dream of, especially the presence of the Awoken that Veda had been educated about on many nights along the Terrestrial Complex where her fireteam used to camp. Their stories were that of bravery, and a rise from crippling detriment. The tray had been cleaned thoroughly, save a few smears of the food on the plate she dared not attempt to lick off within the presence of the deity akin, statuesque Guardians. But the child-like excitement was beginning to warp into poignant reminiscence. The group was all there, a room full of life, similar to the warmth of her fireteam family. Her brain was smarting as her face crumpled in pain, and she grabbed her head. Hissing at the heinous sensation, her mind went sort of blank for a moment, seeing darting images of a few moments she'd rather not remember. Suddenly, the pain dulled; as did the images that burned in the back of her mind. Before the residents of the room and Amicus had a chance to speak or question, the girl raised her hand, gesturing the most polite way that Veda could use to thwart their urge to catechize the sudden actions.
"I-I'll be in the restroom for a moment." The girl calmly said, before slipping out from under the sheets once more, and hobbling to the bathroom. As she walked, her moves were obviously showing her haste, yet the smooth and slender silver columns she took as legs were quivering. Making it to the separate room, she left her company.
Merry watched with a look of concern as Veda struggled to the restroom. As the door closed she quietly addressed her companions.
"Poor kid, having to go through that kind of hell at her age?" As she leaned against a wall, Lescha's upbeat nature was replaced with a sullen closed off expression as she rubbed her right arm. "In our line of work, we all go through it sooner or later Merry, doesn't matter how old you are." Vergil looked back and forth between the two Guardians.
"Don't gossip you two, it's impolite. Especially when your subject is right outside the room." He adjusted the straps of his gauntlets. "You're not wrong Lescha, but let's not forget that while we do go through hell on a day to day basis, how we let it affect us determines the outcome of our lives."
Merry smiled at Vergil's words.
"'All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.'" Vergil returned with a knowing smile.
"Correct, Master Gandalf." A small silence filled the gap before all three Guardians broke out into stifling fits of laughter.
"It's good to have you back tin-butt." Lescha's flirtatious nature returned as she began to reach over to Vergil's rear. He smacked her hand away.
"Oi! Keep to yourself." She crossed her arms and pouted as he gave her a 'not now' look. Merry just shook her head.
"So we're just waiting on the Vanguard then for details?" Vergil nodded.
"And the Speaker as well; once they're here we'll go over the full story" He looked back towards the restroom door. "Veda? Are you alright?"
Veda could hear the group outside. Why did these symptoms have to come up now? Why with the combination of them there? What triggered this? So many questions hovered in the ill girl's confusion. Amicus had materialized, closely floating nearby. The only support he could give was to ask others to fulfill his aims, like bringing a nurse, or fetching water. It absolutely infuriated him that he was rendered useless in the most simplest times of need.
"I'm sorry Veda." The Ghost finally spoke out. Veda had been kneeling by the toilet, her tresses falling into her face as she patiently waited for the next wave of nausea to come through. Sweat was gathering at her temple from the tremendous effort to stand, and saliva that had slihtered down her chin from heaving was dried up with a nearby towel sitting on a nearby rack. Veda took the chance to look up at her companion.
"It's alright Amicus. It isn't your fault. It isn't anyone's..." The reply was rather vague, telling him that it wasn't just about the sickness she was referring to. The Ghost gave a nod, and continually floated back and forth, urging her to comfortably sit. So far, he legs were bent beside her, bare feet smeared across the cold floor. Meanwhile, she kept on ear on their conversation outside. She appreciated the comforting sympathy, and of course the empathy their conversation embodied. However, a tight feeling in her chest arose, one that made her thoracic cavity feel hollow. Although Veda and Amicus would have loved to play it off as post-surgery/post-trauma symptoms, it was also the brutality of the fact that she no longer could live quietly, the same way she had before. Yes she had grieved, and she had survived, but what finally arose in her conscious was that nothing would remain the same. Everything would be different. It wasn't like she would wake up the next day, and have her team come pick her up from the hospital. Take her back to Earth to scour for Fallen and share epic stories, compete for Abellone's attention. Those simple, mundane, everyday things were no longer were within her capacity. Their sympathy was the nail in the coffin of that realization. Tears plopped along the rim and in the still water. teetering with struggle up to the handle, the girl flushed the remains of that delicious hospital meal, and lowered the seat cover. Taking it as a throne, Veda once again, found herself hanging her head between her knees and letting freely formed tears fall. The laughter from the other room comforted her a bit, knowing that regardless of what strife they had previously faced before her, they were strong enough to overcome it. Amicus dematerialized as she started crying, finding it bitter to watch while rendered incapable of interfering. All he could do was mumble a soft "shh" in her mind. That too consoled her, and the idle form simply let the warm sting roll down her cheeks. The calming moment was abruptly interrupted with Vergil's concern. Snapping her head up, the girl took another clean towel, watered it down, and vigorously rubbed her face with it. It was gently wrapped around her neck as she clicked open the door.
"Jeez! I can't even pee in peace!" The girl sighed, patting the wet face dry. As long as they didn't bring it up, she wouldn't bring it up. And that's how she liked it. The once feeble walk had strengthened a bit, as she stood in once place, looking at each Guardian. Her face softened, as she turned to each one. "So what do you suppose we do now?"
Lescha stretched her arms over her head.
"Probably just wait on the Vanguard now. Shouldn't be too long, but it was pretty busy up in the Hall today."
"Unfortunately Guardian, the Vanguard will not be joining us." The Speaker had entered the room, his voice betraying the masked man's solemn guilt. "For I am the one responsible for our current circumstance."
The Guardians attention became alert to their seniors presence, Merry even standing at attention in respect. The Speaker closed the door behind himself and gestured to Vergil to lower the window shade as he dimmed the lights.
"As you may already know Guardians, time is short. Perhaps long past now." The Speakers ghost glided to the centre of the room and produce a holographic image of what appeared to be a coded signal.
"Approximately two nights ago, the Tower received this coded transmission. The Cryptarch's spent many hours deciphering it but it was finally revealed to be an SOS sent by a Golden Age era A.I." He paused for a moment to allow the information to sink in. Vergil already knew, but he listened intently nonetheless while the others eyes widened and glanced at each other, questions filling their minds.
"We do not know the A.I.'s designation, but we do know it was not Rasputin. We learned little else other than that it was sent by an A.I. and the signal was transmitted from the Skywatch in Old Russia, already in Fallen hands." The Speaker looked directly at Veda, sorrow and regret filled his voice. "In desperation for such a prize, I made the choice to inform the nearest fireteam in the area to locate and secure the intelligence. It was a mistake, one that I cannot fix, for others paid for it with their lives." He stood at the foot of the bed and bowed his head low. "I am truly sorry for what transpired Veda Lakshmi, and I take full responsibility for the deaths of your family. Their loss is a great blow to us all and I will understand if you do not forgive me."
As Veda listened, her eyes light up as he mentioned the Golden Age. An AI? Really? A torrent of inquiries swept through her mind. Such a strange find, would it even be possible? What significance did this take? What would it mean for the Traveler? However, as the Speaker's voice continued explaining, she found herself having to look back up. Amicus had flown over toward the hologram, inspecting it carefully. The blue glow reflected on his small form as he hovered. Silver glinting eyes peered up when the Speaker approached. An apologetic noise could be heard, but Veda heard no words. Well, she had, but it seemed sort of... soft. Like rather than the words, she heard the sounds. It was sincere, and melancholic. These people were all so sincere. Her gaze finally landed on the bowing Speaker, and those same eyes flashed open. Suddenly taking in the stimuli of the room, her senses began awakening her conscious. Veda's soft pair of lips opened to speak, but was found to be rendered speechless. There were so many emotions, in such a tense and silent moment. The girl managed to slip out from the blankets, and scoot over toward her superior. She too, bent low, her abdomen then in turn throbbed in retort. However, in her bow, she gently knocked her forehead against the Speaker's in a gentle gesture of acknowledgement. Her voice almost didn't leave her throat, but with some effort, she spoke.
"Speaker... I may not be able to recover from this loss, but." A pause followed, as the young Awoken gathered her words. "I mustn't allow my own feelings to forsake others. You have shown sincerity, and in appreciation, I will forgive you. However," The girl lifted her head, and looked straight at the Speaker with a deeply serious and determined expression, then extended her pinky. "I expect nothing less than vengeance against the Fallen for their forced sacrifice." Amicus had turned back towards his Guardian, simply staring in adoration and shock.
Although they couldn't see it, everyone could tell the Speaker was smiling as he took Veda's pinky in his own.
"Of this you can be assured my dear guardian. They're destruction will be swift and terrible."
"Damn straight." Lescha chimed while Merry nodded in agreement. Vergil was silent. Like Amicus, he was taken away by Veda's conviction. Once again he felt pride for the young awoken. She held herself well, especially for one so young; her determination coupled with her strength was something to be admired, and wary, of. 'Depending on who you are.' The exo smiled to himself. 'But I think we are safe from her wrath for the most part.' He turned back to the Speaker's ghost.
"Indeed. But if we're going to have any hope of retrieving this AI we'll need to coordinate a route." The Speaker released Veda's hand and refocused his attention.
"Yes, let us not make the same mistake again and revenge is sure to be ours." The image of the transmission disappeared, replaced now with a map of the Cosmodrome.
"Veda's report indicated that the Fallen's numbers have at least tripled in the Skywatch." Vergil continued. "But we may have one very slight advantage. The Hive in the area will have noted the obvious threat and responded to it in force. If so, the Skywatch itself would be the most secure, but the lunar complex will be only lightly manned."
"But if that's the case, then the Fallen also have a chance of warning their hierarch's of our approach, which would give them time to escape with the AI if they haven't already." Merry interjected. "Shouldn't our best bet be to hit them where they're most occupied? If we go via the Shore through the terrestrial complex it would be a strike where they would least expect it." Vergil nodded.
"There's that too. But I was merely laying out our options. A hammer blow or a scalpel incision is what we're looking at here."
Lescha stepped forward. "I'm with Merry. They won't be expecting us to come at 'em swinging. Plus, the more Hive the better." She cracked her knuckles, eager to get out into the field. It was becoming clear she was more interested with killing Hive than Fallen. Vergil let out a soft sigh. He knew bringing Lescha was a trade off, her hatred of the Hive somehow still got the better of her, though thankfully it was only outside of combat. When it came to face to face encounters she would play it smart. He turned back to Veda.
"I know that it may not be the best time Veda, but is there anything you can remember about the battle that may help us? A target figure or some feature that could help?"
The quick trading of ideas and suggestions seemed all good to her. Veda could feel Lescha's fiery determination to fight the Hive, and she held some respect for her for that. To have such a strong reason and be able to fight for that reason must be a successful feeling. Though she had to wonder how this objective may impede on the larger picture. But that idea barely glimpsed Veda's thoughts as Amicus quickly reminded her of the warrior's famous tales of valiance. Once again, there was a question of action, which held a fine line between brutality or precision. The delicacy of the circumstances and the shrinking time gap was making all of this a bit overwhelming. Now being turned to for answers was a bit shocking. Clenching the bed sheets before her, she tried collecting her thoughts and memories. A very familiar pain rang through the back of her head, causing her to wince. Apparently, recalling that time was much more difficult than anticipated. With a deep breathe, the girl's lungs filled with air; as she hoped, it sent oxygen to her brain which allowed her to lax the pain. Sighing out the rest, she slowly began nodding her head, the soft white tresses bobbing.
"I remember there were a pair of Archons... Amicus got a good glimpse of them, but..." The young awoken shook her head, a silver dainty hand which had become callussed over the years was drawn to her forehead as she rubbed her temple.
"Neither of us recognized who they were." With that, Veda prayed that her information may become useful. Surely, there must have been a great significance to a PAIR of Archons. It didn't seem likely for two to be within the another House's presence without some notable reasoning. Logic began whirring through her head as she shifted back into her seat. Glancing up at Lescha and Merry, the female Hunter lingered on how they thought of her. Could they consider her as trustworthy for information, considering her handicapped position. Amicus too wondered slightly, seeing as how not even he could properly determine if her memory had been influenced by her trauma.
The room went quiet for a moment. Lescha and Merry glanced at each other with questioning looks while the Speaker remained fixated on the hologram before them. Vergil-11 merely leaned back into his chair and rested his hand on his chin.
"It's not uncommon for there to be more than one Archon in a House." He explained. "However, those are usually disciples or trainees under the main one. Two actual Archons out in the field? That's quite interesting."
Merry looked over to Vergil. "You know who these guys are?"
Vergil shook his head. "All I have are theories, could be anyone from any House." He stood and gestured at the hologram. "Until we get there, we don't know who we're up against. Devils, Kings, hell; maybe even the Wolves who broke away from the Reef. We must be cautious regardless of what we're up against."
Lescha looked up. "Didn't think you were that well informed of recent events Vergil.' She teased. "I thought you were living under a rock?" He gave a small huff, then chuckled.
"Even I have eyes and ears everywhere my dear. It all depends on who you listen too." He winked at Veda, as if cluing her into his private joke. "And I don't live under a rock. I am out helping those in the frontier. Excuse me if I'm too busy to collect every little bounty the Vanguard give out."
Lescha raised her arms in defeat.
"Sorry I asked." She giggled.
"Let's get back on track." Merry butted in. She strode over to the hologram and the Speaker's Ghost displayed the map of the Cosmodrome. "We'll head through the Terrestrial Complex into the Skywatch. With luck and speed we can intercept these Archon Priests before they have a chance to leave with the AI if they haven't already; in which case we find out where they're headed and take it from them then. Sound good?" The team nodded, though Vergil did so with some reluctance. He'd rather not take an enemy directly unless he had no choice, but he was willing to compromise with Merry. He didn't doubt his own skills, just his luck.
"Very well." He stood up and brushed off his cloak. "We leave in thirty, prepare yourselves." Both women gave him a nod before turning to Veda.
"Don't worry kid." Merry placed a hand on the bed-end. "We'll keep an eye out for your teams Ghosts. If anything it'll be something to lay to rest."
"Take care of yourself." Lescha chimed in before they both saluted the Speaker and left. The Speaker himself gave a nod to Vergil and bowed to Veda as he too exited the room, leaving the young awoken and the old exo alone. Vergil turned to Veda.
"Any questions before I go?"
All of this textbook was basically fresh and new information. Much like a sponge, Veda soaked up, her silver curiosity scanning from person to person, listening to the banter and what not as well. Though the young Awoken liked to think she had most things figured out, the way they simply came to conclusion with relative ease, rather than arguing, was quite impressive. Her fireteam couldn't even agree on when they wanted to head back to the tower. Due to her being the youngest, 8 out of 10 times, the choice ended with her opinion. It was much easier persuading a conclusion once she mentioned food and rest. Mostly the food though. A smile softly graced her lips before her attention returned to her. So they had made a resolve. The girl took in the women's comments, bowing her head and giving a confident smile. Not a single seed of doubt in their words could spring forth from Veda, as she had no reason to believe they wouldn't put their best efforts in. That's why they were so renown. With their exit, the room's hum of machinery and medical equipment became much more prominent, which emphasized the room's emptiness. The Hunter prayed that sleep would quickly overcome her after they left. Turning to Vergil, she searched his face. What should she ask? Who knows how much time it would take to ask all these questions and answer them as well. After a bit of silence, her lashes fluttered down, her gaze hazed with a milky gloss.
"No... Not now." She replied, her voice soft and a bit hesitant. However, she did look up with a soft smile, and a knitted brow. Her hand cautiously reached toward the Exo, taking hold of the fingers by his side.
"Do be careful Vergil." The young woman paused, and then continued. "You as well Spark."
Vergil smiled and took Veda's hand and placed both of his over hers.
"I will be fine my dear girl. You just focus on getting better."
"After all," Spark materialized. "He's got me to watch his back. Don't worry, we got this." If a Ghost could wink, Spark would have.
Vergil laid Veda's hand back onto the bed.
"I will send telemetry to Amicus as soon as we reach the Forgotten Shore. If you so wish you can watch as we proceed through the mission." He stood up straight and fixed his cloak.
"I must prepare for the fight. Farewell for now Veda Lakshmi. I wish you a quick recovery, but you may well be on your way already." He let out a short laugh and gave her a comforting squeeze on her shoulder before he went for the door and left, leaving the girl alone. Vergil marched to the hanger, a fire growing inside him as the anticipation of battle began to reveal itself.