Once she had sobered up, Amon quickly realized that her idea had been decidedly puerile. Initially, the plan was to make him track her back to the apartment, but a discussion she overheard reminded her of one of her favorite spots in the forest outside of the City. It was a sacred place for her, one of familiarity and poignance- only recently had she discovered why, but that was something she would have to keep to herself. When Amon was newly risen she would often go there to practice with her light, testing her abilities and aim out on a large and impenetrable cliffside. Occasionally, she would test them out on stray Fallen as well.

Amon clutched her cloak tightly around her as she walked, an effort to keep out the cold that was already gnawing at her bones. She was careful to avoid deep snow, so as not to give Shiro too easy of a time, and when that was no longer possible she took to the trees. Ever the climber, she lept expertly and from tree to tree, silent save for the soft plunk of snow as it shook from the smaller branches. As she bounded towards her spot, she began to pick up a faint chittering coming from the direction of the cliff. It was almost drowned out by the sound of a nearby stream, but not quite. Ghost stayed silent within her head- he knew there was no point in trying to reason with the Guardian.

Approaching the area cautiously, the hunter stopped and squatted on a large branch that gave her vantage point a good view of the clearing below while still providing moderate cover. Her mask was dark-colored as well and should have blended in with the forest so long as the moonlight didn't catch on the metal. Amon peered into the clearing and immediately found the source of the chatter. A Fallen Captain paced in the center of the clearing while several Dregs- ten, she counted- kept watch by the bank of the stream. Two Vandals were speaking at the Captain who seemed not to care what either had to say.

Damn Fallen, tainting my space with their filth. I knew I should have set up a hunting camera.

Dying internally, Amon tried to ignore her frustration and formulate a course of action. She simply could not allow those Fallen to stay there. Without realizing it, she had leaned forward slightly out of the cover of the tree. The moon had in fact reflected off of the smooth metal alloy comprising her mask, catching the eye of a Dreg who proceeded to screech and wave its gun like an incompetent hellspawn.

The Captain activated his arc-shield as he turned to look at her, jeering and lifting his gun overhead. The Vandals took aim from either side of him, peppering the treeline with arc bolts. One of them struck and broke the branch she had perched on, and she dropped into the snow barely managing to land on her feet. The Dregs- who were slow to action- finally took up arms to shoot at the guardian, using one another as cover in their cowardice.

She flung a grenade in their general direction before flinging a knife at each of the Vandals. Both blades hit their marks, and the Captain bellowed in rage as he began to shoot at her. Amon dodged behind a tree, cursing herself for not bringing a gun. Live rounds would have made this much easier. Cloaking herself, she snuck over to the Captain and retrieved her knives before darting back out of the clearing. The Dregs ran around like headless chickens in search of her, while the Captain paced around his dead Vandals and yelled at them all.

His apparent battle cry must have worked because just as she was preparing to make her next move, a second Captain emerged from beyond the stream with ten to twenty more Dregs in tow. Now she would really have to strategize and try to group them all together. Amon continued to watch silently from the safety of her cloaking tech, knowing that as soon as she moved again it would deactivate. The second Captain approached the first and they began conversing in Eliksni, ordering the Dregs to rally around them. Amon struggled to suppress a laugh.

Idiots, you just dug your own grave.

Breaking free from cover, the Fallen only had a moment to register her reappearance before an arc staff began ripping through their small crowd. She sliced through the combatants with ease, instantly taking down the Captains' shields and cutting them to shreds. Ether flew out and trailed behind her as she decimated the group. A lone Dreg escaped and was getting the hell out of dodge, but she chased it to the treeline and silenced the poor creature right before her super ran out.

Someone began clapping, and Amon twirled around to find Shiro admiring her wake of carnage. "How long have you been watching?" she asked.

The Exo shrugged, chuckling. "Long enough to see you fall out of that tree."

If looks could kill, Shiro-4 would have died his final death. "And you didn't think to help an unarmed ally?"

"If I thought you were in any real danger, I would have helped. Clearly, that wasn't necessary."

"Asshole."

"What can I say, Wolf- you put on a good show." Shiro had seen her in action plenty of times but was still awestruck every time he saw her let loose. Something about an unhinged woman was incredibly hot. Amon stomped over to the cliffside, sighing as she slid down to sit against it. Shiro followed her over, crunching through the snow and settling down beside her. "So what exactly was your reasoning behind all this?"

"Well, I was just gonna make you chase me back to the apartment...but I got distracted and came here instead."

"...a random clearing in the forest, swarming with Fallen?"

Amon shook her head and reached above her head to pat the rock. "Not just any clearing. It's my old practice spot. I still come here to get away from time to time."

Shiro examined the stone, trailing his eyes over the smattering of scratches, indentations, and burn marks that covered its surface. Countless supers, grenades, and weapons had been tested against the worn edifice. "I see," he said, glancing over at her. "Sometimes I forget how young you are."

"Ok, geezer," she scoffed. "That an issue?"

"No, it isn't. Just adds to your mystery."

She cocked her head to the side, peering at him quizzically. "My 'mystery'?"

"You do realize that in all our time at the Iron Temple, you only spoke to me once? Pretty damn mysterious, if you ask me."

Amon hadn't thought about that. She had still communicated with people then, albeit not with words, so she often forgot to consider how odd it must have been for everyone except herself. "Right, forgot that detail."

"Do you remember what you said?" She shook her head at him. "It was after you got back from one of the first few missions. We rendezvoused at the temple, and you were pissed as hell. 'Thanks for the cover, asshole.' That was the first and last time you ever spoke to me."

The pair shared a laugh, and Amon apologized. "You probably deserved it, though, if I was actually driven to speak up."

"Yeah. I promised you air support and never delivered. My bad."

She stared up at the sky, smiling as she spotted her favorite constellation, Cetus, and tracing it with her finger. Shiro asked her why she liked that one, and she told him that it was because it looked funny. He was not impressed by her lack of intellectual application. They sat there pointing out different constellations to one another, debating about what they really looked like and arguing over whether or not Aquarius looked more like a headless corpse or a poorly constructed tent.

When the conversation faded away, Amon turned to look at Shiro. "Have you ever been in love?"

Shiro stared ahead, deadpan. "No. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious. Have you ever been...in like with someone? If you know what I mean."

"If you wanted to play truth or dare as school kids do, you could have just asked."

Amon frowned. She hadn't actually wanted to play. At least, not that kind of game. But now that Shiro had lit the spark of indignation simmering in her chest, she had to indulge for the sake of it. In her mind the game was appropriate and fun for all ages, and nothing to be ashamed of enjoying. "Fine. Do you want to?"

"Not particularly, but I can tell that you do. Ask away."

"First, that isn't how this works. Second, I already asked!"

"Fine, fine," the Exo sighed and uncrossed his ankles to sit up a little straighter. He decided not to bring up the fact that he hadn't received a choice between truth or dare, as it would have been petty. "I have, but I'm not getting into details." He made sure to cut her off before she could pester him for more information.

Shiro didn't even understand his own feelings, and he certainly wasn't about to admit to her that they existed. He still could hardly believe it himself, with him being known as a non committal loner and all. Ever since they had started working together several years ago, something about the Guardian had drawn him in. At first he hadn't understood what Cayde saw in Amon- sure, she was physically attractive, but the girl was even more closed off than Commander Zavala, as far as he had seen at the time. However, he found himself feeling genuinely worried for her during their missions, and after that one time she had spoken to him, Shiro knew he would never be able to look at her the same way again.

"Your turn," he said, breaking free from his thoughts. It was never going to happen, so he best not become further attached.

"Truth."

Shiro thought for a moment, trying to formulate a question that would both glean him pertinent information and irritate her. The Young Wolf was adorable when she was pissed. "Why are you working with the Drifter?" He knew he was treading on thin ice with that one, what with the Drifter being investigated and all, but wasn't interested in snitching and legitimately wanted to know her motives.

She stiffened beside him, confirming his assumption. "How do you know about that?" Amon glared at him through her helmet but he remained silent, waiting for her answer. "I changed my mind, I want a dare. I mean shit, dude, you're the Hunter Vanguard. I've already got Aunor up my ass."

"No can do, Lord Guardian. But your secret is safe with me, so long as I find no pressing moral obligations to report you."

She thought for a moment, debating whether or not he could be trusted. Shiro was an assassin, after all- if he had any intention of taking her down it would have happened the moment she stepped foot in the Tower. "Fine, I'll answer on one condition: never call me Lord Guardian again." Shiro laughed and agreed not to, prompting her to continue. "There are several reasons. For one, he's a kit-basher and a collector on par with myself. Naturally, I went easy on him."

"So that's why you tried so hard to buy Trespasser off of me. Should have kissed my ass more."

Amon rolled her eyes at the Exo, even though he couldn't see. He noticed an edge to her voice that made her seem slightly impatient, but couldn't guess why. "Anyways. We hit it off. He's cunning, he's creative, and he understands the Darkness better than anyone I've met. Even Eris. Eli is an invaluable ally because of that. I'm doing whatever it takes to win, even if it means mixing up my light. If I'm stronger because of it, then that's a move I'm willing to make. And that, my friend, is all I will discuss regarding the matter."

A deluge of questions accosted Shiro's mind, but she had respected his boundaries and he would have to do the same. Besides, he did understand her fears about discussing matters that weren't exactly straight-edge with her senior officer. Another time, perhaps. "Truth."

"Are you really going to commit to being the Hunter Vanguard?"

Shiro let out a deep sigh and rested his head against the wall to look up at the stars. "Somebody has to do it. And who else is there, anyways. Crow?" he laughed sarcastically. "No chance in hell I'm letting that peacock fill Cayde's shoes."

Amon bristled defensively. "Don't talk about him like that. There's no reason to be a douche."

"Don't talk about him like what- like he murdered Cayde?"

"Uldren murdered Cayde. Crow isn't him." She tried to keep her voice level. A brawl was not exactly what she'd had in mind for the night.

"Right," he said, rolling his eyes in mock agreement. "What do you see in the guy anyways?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Do you actually like him, or is he just a shiny, taboo, collectible...thing, for you to entertain yourself with?" Shiro knew he needed to stop, but his emotions were flying out like a ship without a pilot at that point.

Her eyes were burning with anger, fury hardly hidden by her mask. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" she growled.

"Oh, come on. Hivebane, Hero of the Red War, Savior of the Reef- when you can kill a God, you're bound to get bored. Surprised you've only just now found a new pet, after the last two. What were their names-"

Amon cut him off with a hard slap. She ripped off her mask and straddled the Exo, pinning him down beneath her. Shiro knew he had seriously fucked up; arc-light was pulsed and crackled over her skin, literally igniting her with stinging blue rage.

"How dare you." Her voice came out as a strained whisper.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." Shiro rushed out an apology, trying to assess ways to de-escalate the situation he had put himself in.

"Is that really what you think of me? That I'm just some arrogant, perpetually bored demi-god who sees people as toys?" Amon was on the verge of tears as an electrical storm of emotions ransacked her body.

"No, it isn't. I said that because I was angry at you, not because I think that it's true. I know you're not like that."

"And what did I do to deserve your anger? I haven't even done anything abnormal." Her fury was reaching a crescendo, and Shiro was seriously concerned. Apparently his combat skills did not translate to backing out of metaphorical corners.

"That's just it, Wolf. You aren't normal. You have this...this fucking affect on things." Shiro cursed himself internally. He shouldn't have been saying any of that shit. "It just sucks to see you with him."

She let out a shrill laugh. "So, what. You're jealous now? You seemed perfectly fine sharing me the last time."

"I was just thankful I got to have you at all!"

"'Have' me? I'm not a fucking object, Shiro." Amon tried not to show the hurt she was feeling.

"Shit, I know that. You're far fucking from it, that's my whole point."

Confusion dampened her fury and the bolts of electricity arcing across her body began to recede. "What are you saying-"

"I care about you, Amon! Fuck. I really do." Shiro wanted desperately to weld his mouth shut before things went any further, and wondered if he had drank more than he originally thought. Amon sat back and stared at him, brows furrowed in a mixture of shock and bemusement. "Look, I'm not- I'm not trying to make you the bad guy, ok? I don't expect anything from you. Don't worry about hurting my feelings or anything." Part of him hoped that she would disagree, that she would tell him to stop, that she felt the same way. He made sure to obliterate that thought as soon as it popped up.

"I...don't know what to say." She started crying when she finally spoke.

"Shit, please don't cry." Shiro resisted the urge to reach out and wipe her tears, afraid that he might set her off again.

"I'm a horrible person. I've been leading you on and now I'm just going to disappoint you. I'm so sorry."

"Woah, back up. This isn't your fault, you didn't ask me to care, and-"

He was cut off by a loud sob. "I hate myself. I'm supposed to be this protector, but all I do is hurt the people around me." Amon slumped forwards and buried her face in his shoulder, and he reached an arm around to rub her back and try to soothe her. The floodgates were opened once more- this time without the help of her recurring nightmare- and she could feel herself beginning to shut down.

"That's not true. Not true at all." Shiro spoke softly. In a weird way, her breakdown was comforting. To him it was confirmation that underneath it all she really was just a human being, like everyone else. Holding her like this while she cried- Shiro hadn't felt this connected to someone in a very long time. Suddenly as if reading his thoughts, she went stiff and silent, pulling herself up and staring blankly at his chest. "Wolf?" He waited for her to move, but even here eyes were catatonic. "Hey, stop. None of that silent shit. I may have put up with it back then but I'm not going to again."

Still no response. He panicked and shook her lightly, scrambling to think of a way to bring her back to reality. "Ask me another question." Shiro knew it was a stupid idea, but felt compelled to try. Color slowly crept back to her cheeks and she began to blink. He sighed in relief, relaxing his arms and letting him fall to his sides. An ache was spreading through his back- he would need to move soon, or at least adjust his posture. "There she is. You're safe, Wolf. Ask me anything."

Amon's head was still fuzzy as she returned from her dissociative state, and she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Do Exos poop after they eat?"

"What?" Shiro was not expecting that to be the first thing on her mind after such an intense ten minutes.

Her energy was quickly coming back to her and she doubled-down on her statement. "Come on, it's a valid question. Where does the food go? I have to know." Amon was dead serious and refused to let the opportunity to get an answer to such an important question go to waste.

"There's an incinerator. In our body cavity. Did you seriously think…?"

"Oh. Never considered that. Clever." She blushed, feeling stupid for asking such a thing. Amon awkwardly looked away from the amused Exo, recognizing that she was still angry with him for derailing her plans. "If we're still going then, uh, truth." The edge had involuntarily returned to her voice.

May as well pick up where they left off, Shiro concluded, failing to take not of her renewed irritation. "Do Awoken poop?" Amon punched his leg and Shiro burst out laughing. "Sorry, sorry." He watched as she shivered and yanked her cloak around her body, realizing that she must have been freezing. "We should head back before you-"

"No, that won't be necessary," she snapped at him.

"Relax, I was just concerned." A sense of impending doom swelled in his chest upon the return of her anger.

"Well don't be."

Shiro looked at her incredulously, failing to control his own reaction. "Wonderful, just wonderful. What's the problem this time, Wolf?"

"You said it yourself earlier, I can look after myself." Amon refused to meet his eyes.

"I don't want to argue," she pouted. Why was she pouting?

"Then what do you want?"

"Fuck, Shiro, why can't you just be predictable!" She yelled at him, causing him to bristle defensively.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Shiro was about to short-circuit from confusion, his vents working double-time to keep him from literally boiling over.

"Men are so obtuse," Amon muttered to herself. While the Exo silently seethed, she angrily poked holes in the snow next to his thigh with her finger. After a minute she grew impatient once again, tightening the hold her legs had on his waist and shooting daggers into him with her gaze. His eyes flashed with realization, and he started to laugh in disbelief.

"Holy shit, seriously? You're all bent up now because I haven't made a move?"

"You said you wanted to! And I thought it would be more exciting if-"

"If I chased you around while you acted like a child and then fought until we wanted to kill each other?"

Amon dug her nails into the leather covering is biceps. "Fighting wasn't on my agenda. You crossed the line first. And Truth or Dare isn't childish, people of all ages can enjoy it!"

"Great. I'm so glad you've invited me to argue about party games in the middle of the night in the freezing cold, outside of the city where Fallen could ambush us at any time."

"Fuck you, Shiro," she spat.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" he taunted and her eyes flashed with a fresh wave of anger. They sat there and fumed at each other, their rage practically melting the snow around them. Shiro was burning up in his armor from the toxic mixture of indignation and desire. He wanted so badly to lash out at her but couldn't stop thinking about the fact that the Amon was close enough to smell, to taste. She was right in front of him, directly within his reach. Literally sitting in his lap. The sweet scent of her warm breath and damp skin flooded his olfactory sensors, and despite the events of the past half-hour Shiro found her to be devastatingly irresistible in that moment.

They both moved at the same time, faces meeting in the middle as they press their mouths together. Amon had never actually kissed an Exo before. It was definitely a weird sensation, seeing as they had no lips, but not entirely unpleasant. He shifted his leg so that he could sit forward and properly brace his back against the wall, causing her to pull her own leg in between his hips so that she was straddling his other thigh. Eventually, and thanks to his guidance, she figured out the mechanics of it all and they settled into a semi-normal rhythm. She wagered Shiro had experience when it came to the logistics of kissing without having actual lips, and she was right.

Shiro's hands roamed up and down her body, gripping her ass through the fabric of her greaves before sliding back up to her waist, sparking a tingle of excitement between her legs with every touch. He lifted the leg underneath her slightly to press into her, and she gasped from the sudden slight pressure. Gripping his arms tightly, she began to gently grind herself against the armor plate covering his thigh. Their mouths continued to dance in a biosynthetic melody, the Exo even going so far as to bite down on her lip. Amon squealed when she felt something like a tongue nudge its way into her mouth, and she pulled away slightly to look at him.

"I didn't think you had one of those," she remarked.

"Didn't think to ask how I tasted or swallowed the food I was eating, either?" He responded in a teasing manner.

Instead of dwelling on her own lack of insight, Amon reconnected her lips with his mouth plates, and Shiro offered no protest. They kissed each other with renewed vigor, and she resumed her movements against his leg. Attempting to run a hand through her hair, Shiro found his fingers caught near the back of her head by a band of fabric. He pulled it off, careful not to hurt her, and was shocked to feel her hair cascading down to her chin.

"When did this happen," he murmured between kisses.

"My hair grows fast," she rasped against his mouth and began to grind herself down a little bit faster. They continued this way until her breathing picked up and she pulled away, pressing her forehead against his while soft noises spilled from her parted lips. Her hands dug into his arms with such force that if he had been human he surely would have bruised- perhaps she may have even broken the skin- but his Exo body allowed her to squeeze with as tightly as she needed in order to steady herself. Shiro shifted his leg up ever so slightly and she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut and then re-opening them to stare into his. He grabbed her hips to push her down against him even harder, and her breath hitched in her throat before devolving into labored exhales as she climaxed against him.

Shiro twitched as he listened to her, painfully aroused. He had refrained from indulging himself, opting instead to let her enjoy herself so that he could admire the sounds and expressions of pleasure she made, knowing that there was a possibility he might never witness them in person again. Shiro had never understood the concept of open relationships and knew better than to get his hopes up. She and Crow seemed to have a connection that went beyond usual fireteam bonds, let alone romantic ones. Kissing her softly, he lingered in the moment as long as he could to memorize the feel of her lips, the curve of her spine, the unique and terrifyingly strong frequency of light that radiated from her and all but consumed his own.

"Fuck, its cold," she said between still shaky breaths.

"You don't say." Shiro removed a glove and pressed the back of is hand to her forehead. Her skin felt colder than ice, and if they didn't leave soon she could start to get frostbite. "We should head back." He wrapped an arm around her back to hold her still while he stood up, placing her upright onto her feet in front of him.

"But you-"

"Don't worry about me," he said, cutting her off. "Besides, we're just relocating." He tossed her a wink and she grinned back at him before bending over to pick up her helmet and securing it to her head.

Soon after they started the trek back through the forest, Amon stopped in her tracks without notice, and Shiro narrowly avoided running into the smaller hunter. "Are you mad at me?" When Shiro didn't answer, she elaborated. "For being a bitch, I mean. Because I'm sorry. I was acting like a foolish child- I don't know what came over me."

Shiro placed a comforting hand on her shoulder-plate, nudging her to keep moving along. "No, I'm not mad. But I appreciate your apology. I was a major asshole to you, too. Although, you totally owe me for using a super on my door."

"Oh, right...sorry," she muttered. When they made it back to the hidden entrance to the tunnel Shiro sent her along first, instructing Amon to grab a welding torch out of a storage box in the maintenance shaft and bring it back to him. He kept it there for emergencies, and also for situations like the current one that he couldn't have even guessed at. She handed off the tool and he made quick work sealing then exit shut, almost forgetting to tell her to turn around and close her eyes. If she went blind her ghost could just heal her, but it would have been a rather painful ordeal.

As they exited the tunnel and re-entered the City, Amon's ghost appeared with an incoming message.

"Guardian, Crow is requesting to open a communication channel." She gave him the go-ahead and Crow's voice flowed out of the tiny AI.

"You back at the Tower yet?" He asked.

"Headed there now. Why, what's up?" Amon was perplexed as to why he was calling her at three in the morning.

"I may or may not be in the Courtyard. Shaxx is giving me the stink eye, could use some back up."

"Alright. Babysitter'll be there asap," she responded, laughing. She could practically hear him pouting on the other end of the line.

"Just hurry. Its seriously awkward." Crow closed the line, and Amon turned to Shiro who was lingering awkwardly and cleaning off his hand cannon.

"So, um, duty calls…" she trailed off, starting to feel guilty. Shiro holstered the weapon and looked up at her.

"Yeah, of course. I actually have to run an errand in the City, I trust you can get back on your own?" Shiro wanted to be anywhere in the solar system other than right there, having that conversation. She nodded and he began to leave, but stopped to say one more thing. "About earlier...I think it will be best if we keep things platonic from here on out." He hated that things had to be that way but didn't trust himself to keep cool if they kept hooking up. After all, he couldn't afford to be caught up in such feelings now that he was taking on Vanguard duties.

"Yeah, I think so too." They stared at each other for a moment before he finally turned to leave. Shiro only made it a few steps before Amon grabbed his arm to halt his departure. "Thanks for putting up with me, by the way. You're a good friend, Shiro."

Looking over his shoulder, he did his best to smile. He appreciated her words, and was relieved that she still considered them friends. "You too, Wolf."

Amon entered the courtyard and saw Crow leaning against the railing in front of the Obelisk. She ran up to him and jumped onto his side, sending them both tumbling to the ground while Crow yelped in surprise. She rolled off of him, giggling as he rubbed the shoulder that had taken the brunt of the fall.

"Nice greeting. You sure you're not a titan?"

"Now that you mention it, I did learn how to shoulder charge once upon a time." She grinned devilishly at him, and he put his hands up protectively.

"Pipe down, smalls. No need for a demonstration."

They both jumped when a booming voice called out across the courtyard. "I wanna see that back in the Crucible!" Shaxx bellowed. Uldren cast a nervous glance at her, probably regretting removing his helmet in front of the titan. Amon stood up and grabbed his hand, dragging him over in the direction of the Crucible handler once he got to his feet. Shaxx studied Crow as the pair approached. "Hey," he laughed, "you look like you need training, Guardian."

"Now that you mention it, I don't think he's ever been in the Crucible."

Shaxx clapped his hands together. "Superb! No better time to gear up."

"It's three in the morning, Shaxx." She raised an eyebrow at him. Crow cowered behind her, straining to put on a poker face despite being much closer in height with Lord Shaxx than she was.

"The Crucible never sleeps. I trust you're prepared, Hive slayer." He stood with his hands on his hips, and Amon was half tempted to take up the offer and throw them into a match for the hell of it. However, it was late, she was physically exhausted and emotionally drained, and Crow certainly wasn't jumping at the notion either.

"Soon, I promise. For now, I've got some business to attend to in the morning."

Shaxx sighed, the force of his disappointment nearly rattling their armor. "You'll know where to find me. See you, Hivebane. And you," he said, turning to face Crow. "You think you're good enough?"

Crow gulped nervously. The poor guy was shaking in his boots. "Yeah…?" he choked out.

"Solid. Honor is earned. The Crucible awaits you, Guardian."

Amon bit her tongue as they walked away, before breaking out into a fit of giggles. "Oh my god, the look on your face. I thought you were going to wet yourself."

Crow frowned and picked up the pace, desperate to escape. "He's intimidating, ok?"

"You'll get used to it. Or you won't. Who knows," she laughed, linking her arm through his and intertwining their fingers. He paused to let her, and she took the opportunity to reach up on her toes and plant a kiss on the side of his cheek. "Come on grumpy, I need to sleep." As they walked back, their ghosts chattered with one another as if they didn't have the ability to communicate virtually whenever they wanted, and Amon was reminded of when they made that same journey several months ago.

Oh, how things have changed, she thought, and felt content with the present for the first time in weeks.