"Are we going to talk about what happened out there?" The Titan jogged behind the Hunter as she power walked out of the Hangar.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Nothing to talk about."
The Titan caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm, spinning her around to face him.
"You choked on the field. I'd say we need to talk about that if we're going to be working with each other."
She glared down at his hand on her arm.
"We won't be working together again. I signed up for this one recon mission. It's done, end of story." She tried to pull out of his grasp, but he held tight.
"Do you honestly believe that? We are the best of the best, Lucy. The City is gearing up to take on Oryx. They're going to want you and I on the front lines."
"Well they're shit out of luck, aren't they? I retired from fireteam work a year ago, and I'm not going back." This time, she succeeded in yanking her arm out of his grasp.
"When are you going to face what happened?" He called after her as she walked away. She stopped dead in her tracks, her fists clenching, and turned back towards him.
"You have NO idea what happened to me. So don't even pretend like you do, or that you even care." She was right up in his space now, her words sharp as knives.
The two were engaged in such a heated argument that they failed to realise the commotion they had caused in the tower. Even the Cryptarch was staring.
"You need to just..." her words were cut off by Zavala and Cayde, who had come out of the Halls to address the two.
"Hunter! Stand down." Zavala's words sliced between the two of them, and a hand grasped on to her fist, gently drawing her backwards.
"Not worth it, Lucy. Take a breath." Cayde kept a hold of her and stepped her backwards. Zavala stepped forward towards the Titan.
"What are you thinking, baiting her like that? You can't solve anything that way. Now come down to the Halls and tell me what happened." He turned to Cayde. "Escort Lucy to her apartment." The Exo nodded in response.

"She choked. We came around a corner and she just stared at the Phalanx like it wasn't about to blast her to kingdom come. She could have been killed. Hell, she could have killed the both of us."
"And this is why you were assigned with her. You managed to defuse the situation, and got the both of you out safely." Zavala countered the pacing Titan.
"I'm not cut out for this." He muttered, pacing a tighter circle than before, and Cayde half expected him to burn a circle into the floor.
"I understand she's a handful, Storm. I do. But with Oryx breathing down our necks, we need only the best ready to fight him. We cannot in good conscience send underprepared Guardians to their deaths. They're busy enough keeping the Taken at bay, and losing too many good people will just allow the Taken to push even harder." Zavala replied.
"Look. Go blow some steam off in the Crucible. We'll figure all of this out. Just give it time." Cayde rested a hand on the Titan in an attempt to get him to stop pacing.
The Titan nodded and left without a word.

"Are you sure the Crucible is a good idea in your...state of mind?" Dinkle inquired of his companion.
"Yes, Dinkle. Teaching a few wannabe guardians seems like the perfect way to get back into the swing of things."

After a couple of hours teaching a few fellow Hunters some tips and tricks, Lucy took a break, and sat down to clean her weapon. Lord Shaxx approached her after a moment.
"Impressive fighting out there, Hunter." she loved his thick accent.
"Thank you, Shaxx. I was taught by the best." She smiled at him. Though he was a Titan, he had a wealth of knowledge that not a lot of people knew about.
"There's a few spots open for 1v1, if you're up to it."
"I don't know, Shaxx. I've been off my game lately."
"The only way to improve is to practise." he patted her on the shoulder and walked away. "There's a session waiting for you on Shores of Time, when you're ready."
Lucy smiled and watched him walk away. She put the pieces of her Nirwen's Mercy back together, and stood up. No time like the present, she thought to herself. Wonder who Shaxx is putting me up against...

She wasn't wondering for long. The moment she heard the unmistakeable sound of a shoulder charge...
"No, no no..." she muttered to herself. She turned back towards the portal, and to her dismay, it was closed.
"Shaxx, you bastard..." she crouched down upon a structure that jutted out from the ground, and aimed down her sights. Sure enough, the Titan came sprinting through the doorway, and she popped him right between the eyeballs. She laughed to herself.

"Holy crap." Storm didn't even feel the bullet hit him, it happened so fast.
"Please be more careful." His Ghost, Otto, chirped in his ear.
"I know, I know. I just have to counter her ranged attacks."

After a half hour, it was safe to say that she was kicking his ass. He couldn't seem to close the gap between them, no matter how hard he tried. He'd shut her down with his super a few times, at least.

He'd gotten lucky with this spawn. Somehow he'd ended up to the left of her, and she was so intent on looking down her sights that she failed to notice his approach.

She heard his footsteps too late, and before she could react he was over the top of her, pinning her to the ground.
"Gotcha." that smirk was back and it plain made her mad this time. She tried to wriggle loose, but he had a strong grip. Damn Titans.
"Ugh. Fine. You got me. Make it quick so we can get this match finished."
"You're an expert at range, Lucy, I'll give you that. But your close quarters combat needs a lot of work." his tone was almost taunting, and she let out a growl. Without a word, she wrapped her legs around him and twisted hard, throwing him off balance. It was enough to make him lose his grip, and gave her enough time to get to her feet and start running. His reflexes were quick however, and he managed to grab onto her cloak, yanking her backwards. For the next minute they were a flurry of arms and legs as their fist fight became more intense. For every punch he threw, she seemed to be able to block, and for every attempt she made to make him lose balance, he was able to counter every time. The frustration built betwen the two until finally one punch connected with her shoulder, and she took a tumble right off the platform. She wasn't about to go down without him, yanking him down with her. She hit the ground hard, taking the full impact of the blow with her left shoulder. She yelped in pain, but kept struggling with the Titan.
"Will you... just... STOP!" she yelled, her shoulder in excruiciating pain.
"Stop what? You wanted a fight, didn't you? This is what you get." Storm felt like he was trying to fight with a bowl of jello, with how slippery she seemed to be.
"Stop trying to prove a point all the damn time!" She kicked out hard, and her boot connected with his shin. Despite his armour, it hurt. She used this moment to get back to her feet. She reached for her weapon, but the scuffle had sent it flying. Panting hard, she backed away from him slowly. For every step she retreated, he advanced two steps, until he had her back to the wall. He used his forearm to pin her across the chest. He could hear her panting hard through her helmet. He wasn't even sure how she could see, with how fogged up her visor must be.

With his free hand, he loosened the clasp on his Helm of Inmost Light and pulled it off his head. It dropped to the ground with a resounding thud. She watched as it rolled for a moment before coming to a stop.

His hand was under her chin now, tugging at the clasp. She winced. Sure enough, he pulled hers off too. For the first time, she dared to look him in the eye. He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her face. She held his gaze, trying to remain strong, though her body was crying out to stop.

After staring for what seemed like an eternity, he spoke.
"I am not... your enemy." his voice came out as barely more than a whisper.

His words startled her, and all too suddenly she felt tears pricking at her eyes. She broke his gaze and tried to turn away, but he hooked a finger under her chin and drew her face back.
"You have no idea what it's like." her voice came out jagged and hoarse.
"Dammit, Lucy. You aren't the only one to lose good people." he growled and pinned her harder against the wall. "I can't fix you. But dammit, I might just be able to make it easier if you'd let me."
His words surprised them both, and she stared up at him, her blue eyes churning like he'd never seen before.
"Let me." he was out of words at this point, but he knew she was about to break. Lord knows why she was fighting so hard.

Her body ached beyond belief. Her head was spinning. His arm against her chest hurt. Every emotion was threatening to break her apart, every fiber of her being screamed out for relief...

The tears came suddenly. He felt her body crumble underneath his grasp and he only just managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Her whole body shook as her emotions poured out of her in thick, hard sobs. Her arms grasped around him, her face buried into his neck. He wrapped one arm around her back, the other hand against her head, holding her tight. He rocked a little from side to side, in shock at what had just transpired. He hadn't expected her to break quite like this.

After what felt like a lifetime, her body stopped shaking as hard, her breath catching a lot slower than before. He looked down at her, and she barely even seemed conscious. He wasn't sure if the fighting had taken it out of her, or if it was the energy expended from crying so hard. Either way, he needed to get the both of them out of the arena.

"Let's get you out of here, hmm?" He murmured in her ear, as he picked her up and walked through the portal.