AN/Hello again, folks! Sorry for the wait, I certainly didn't intend to wait a month before continuing this, but life happens, I suppose. Luckily, with the new season of Destiny out I got inspired again, and am now desperate to get this story to Beyond Light quickly so I can dive into some of the more recent lore. Don't worry, we'll get to Crow wholesome goodness soon enough. Anyway, with all that being said, enjoy this chapter, and let me know what you think!

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The Annex, Tower, Earth, Sol System

Ikora Rey didn't often venture into the grimy depths of the Annex, or at least, not personally. Normally if she needed something from the area, she would send a frame, and if she needed to know about something in the Annex, she'd send one of her Hidden. For this task, however, she only trusted herself.

She needed to speak to the Drifter.

She knew if she sent one of her Hidden to speak with him, he'd never tell them anything, let alone willingly. And so, she decided to ask him her questions face to face. With the recent revelations regarding the Darkness found on the Moon by the Young Wolf and Eris Morn, she had some… pointed questions for the Drifter.

As she descended the stairs through the empty part of the Tower leading to the Annex, she pondered the recent developments on the Moon. Finding Eris was of course a welcome one, but when combined with the discovery of the Pyramid, and the ever present weight of the Nightmares throughout the system, it was definitely a mixed bag.

I should check up on Eris before too much longer. Based on the report given by the Young Wolf, I can't imagine having the brunt of all her past traumas taking form just to haunt her is doing her any favors. Perhaps I can send the Young Wolf to aid her in dealing with these accursed Nightmares?

Reaching the end of the stairs, she glanced to where Ada-1 and her Armory were, before taking a moment to compose herself, and heading down the hallway to the Drifter's den. Almost as if summoned by her earlier thoughts, she saw the Young Wolf himself exiting the dark room the Drifter had laid claim to.

He was dressed as she had come to expect, with his worn armor, his beloved hand cannon at his side, and around his shoulders, Cayde's cloak. Seeing it filled her with a torrent of emotions, as any reminder of her dear friend always did. The one thing unusual about his current appearance was his missing helmet. She hadn't personally seen him without it for nearly a year now, not since… Well, it had been a while. And without it she could see his face, and to be frank…

"You look terrible." she stated, startling him out of wherever his mind had been. And he did look terrible. His hair was matted and greasy, looking like he hadn't washed it in days, his cheeks were sunken in, and his eyes held a pain she hadn't seen since… since he personally informed her of Cayde's death. Flitting nervously around his head was his Ghost, and even it looked miserable, its flaps drooping.

Hearing her words, he glanced up at her, seemingly at a loss for how to reply for a moment.

"Ikora! Uh, good…" he trailed off, glancing around for some indicator of what time it was, but being in the depths of the Annex, wasn't able to find one.

Realizing what he was doing, Ikora spared him the trouble.

"Morning, Guardian, it's morning," she gently reminded him. At this he grew a bit flustered, clearly embarrassed by his current state, especially when speaking with one of his superiors, even if her position as such didn't mean much in practice. While normally she'd find flustering the Hero of the Tower amusing, she couldn't help but be concerned by his appearance.

Thinking quickly, she came to a conclusion on what the likely cause was, and decided to test her theory.

"It's good to see you again, Guardian. I imagine you've been quite busy as of late. Speaking of, how goes your work with Eris Morn on the Lunar surface?" And just like that she knew she was right, the immediate tensing of his shoulders and firmness in his jaw would have given it away on their own, but add to that his Ghost freezing in place, and it was quite apparent her conclusion had been accurate.

"My work with Eris? It- uh, It's going fine," he straightened up, clearly switching to a more formal mindset. "Having entered the Pyramid under the surface of the Moon, I recovered a spherical artifact, seemingly given to me by the…" He paused, grimacing even more, "By the Darkness, which led me to a similarly Darkness influenced area in the Black Garden. Since then, I have been aiding Eris in… disposing of the Nightmares of her old fireteam haunting her by recovering lost relics of theirs."

Thinking for a moment on the report, Ikora continued to peer into his eyes, causing him to shuffle a bit, seemingly uncomfortable with his lack of helmet and the safety it would normally provide in situations like this one.

"And how have you been recovering these relics?" she asked, testing a new theory.

The Guardian glanced aside, before replying, "Well, the only way I could think of, by venturing into the Hellmouth and slaying Nightmares until I find remnants of them."

Though she had been somewhat expecting that answer, she still had to raise an eyebrow at him in incredulity.

"Alone?" He nodded. "You've been venturing into the Hellmouth, one of the most dangerous places in the system, now made even more dangerous by the presence of these Nightmares, and you've been doing so completely alone?" No wonder he looked like he hadn't slept in days, he probably hadn't.

If he had been flustered before, he looked completely embarrassed now.

"Well, I- Eris needed help and... " he sighed. "Look, I know what she's been through, and if there's anyone who deserves to be at peace with their demons, it's her. And after everything she's done for us all, even if it means coming face to face with… the Darkness again, I'm going to do it."

Where before his eyes had been filled with pain and sorrow, all she could see in his gaze was the firm glint of resolve. At his side, his Ghost, which had remained silent thus far, bobbed up and down in agreement, its flaps whirring around, a bit more lively than before.

Glancing between them, Ikora smiled softly.

"Well alright then. I should probably be discouraging you from continuing, both for your wellbeing, and to prevent humanity from possibly losing one of its greatest defenders, but... " she trailed off, her smile fading a bit. "Eris is a close friend, and I agree with your sentiment. So, good luck, Guardian."

With a rough nod, and an approximation of a smile, he began to walk past her, heading to the Bazaar. Before he could however, Ikora called out one final thing.

"And Guardian?"

He turned back around with a questioning look, as she continued, "Do be careful? After all, I consider you to be a close friend as well, and I don't want to lose any more of those."

His eyes widened a bit, before he gave a steely nod and replied, "Of course, I'll do my best."

With a smile on her face she continued to her original destination, lost in thought once more, before being rudely broken out of it by a gruff voice.

"Well ain't you two just sweet, woulda been a proper show if I had myself a drink," the Drifter quipped, leaning against a railing, a cross between a grin and a sneer on his rough face.

Ikora sighed, her smile fading. Back to work.