Guardians moved quickly out of Zavala's way as he strode towards the Vanguard's meeting chamber of the Tower.
He got waves and salutes from many of the Titans, nods of acknowledgement from the Hunters and Warlocks. Many of them had been present on the Moon, defending the Hydra's landing zone from the seemingly endless Hive, so while he didn't stop like usual, he made sure to return the salutes and nods of every Guardian he could.
He pushed the door to the meeting room open, and instantly, his eye twitched, drawn to the corner of the room to his right, where Izuku was sitting, watching as Cayde, Ikora, Eris, and the Mighty Hydras settled into their seats.
Even without him actively showing it, Zavala could tell that the boy had grown significantly in power because of Crota's death. He wasn't exactly sure how the Sword Logic worked as a whole, but he understood enough to know that this was a concerning pattern that was starting to form.
Pulling his eyes away from Izuku and to the rest of the group, he spoke. "Greetings, all. Thank you for coming, I know most of you wanted to rest for a few days but there is a party being hosted on the Tower tonight, so I want to get this debriefing done swiftly."
The Hydras seemed to be at differing levels of exhausted, nervous, and a few other emotions Zavala didn't know them well enough to understand. He only really knew Mikumo on a personal level.
It was Katsuki who spoke up first. "I don't plan on going to the party, but still I'd rather get this over and done with so I can go back to my patrols. "
Nodding, Zavala glanced over at Cayde and Ikora before sitting down between them. Katsuki sniffed, speaking. "Alright. So we know that the entry plan was successful, you dropped onto Luna and got into the Hellmouth. But after that, all comms went dark."
Pulling out the keyboard from the table in front of him, Zavala got ready to write down the report. "What happened next?"
Izuku sat in his study after the meeting was over, frowning as he sat and thought.
Now that he had gotten time to rest and decompress from Crota, his mind was full, buzzing with ideas. His human hand ran over the 'palm' of the claw he had created from Crota's finger, feeling the rough, almost stone-like exoskeleton.
Now that he was calmer, he was able to examine it with a clearer mind. He had created it out of pure desperation at the time, but after giving it a proper look, Izuku couldn't find anything about it that was really worth worrying about.
At least, not yet.
"Lift your head, O' chaperone Mine. We have a party to attend, one that is partially in your honour."
Izuku was shaken out of his worry as a regular looking human girl stepped out through the active portal. Or at least, to anyone lacking his mental shielding, she looked completely normal.
She was taller than he was, by about half a head, and her blonde hair hung down to her waist. Izuku was sure there was probably an illusion over her eyes as well, but to him, he could see the black sclera with the white dots plain as day.
An amused smile formed on his face. He was able to see the subtle stiffness in the girl's joints, as if she wasn't used to moving as she was. Izuku stood, grabbing a necklace he had prepared earlier in the day off his table, and bowed to her slightly.
"Riven."
The girl smirked, shaking out her shoulders, making the formal looking but practical robes she was wearing flutter about. She waggled a finger at him, the motion janky. "Ah ah ah, that is not my name for tonight. Please refer to me as Evelynn."
Izuku raised his eyebrow. "Ok, Evelynn. Any particular reason for that name?"
Ri-Evelynn laughed, trying to cover her mouth with her hand, but instead hitting her eyes. Izuku struggled to hold back a snort as Evelynn looked at the offending hand with frustration.
"My first proper visit to the Last City of Humanity has me feeling a bit nostalgic to the days before the Great Hunt. There was a Lightless human woman of all things, who once came to me with a wish, her name was Evelynn."
Izuku nodded. "I know it's not my place to ask the specifics of another person's wish, but why choose her name? Out of all the powerful people who came to see you, surely she couldn't have been the most memorable."
Rivelynn shook her head, and Izuku grimaced at how far her neck twisted when she did. Izuku interrupted her and shook his head normally, and the Ahamkara adapted. Nodding to herself, she huffed. "This damned form is so difficult to maneuver in properly."
Izuku laughed outright at that, running his hands through his hair. "I'm sure that it's incredibly different to what you're used to, but someone with your experience should have no issue figuring it out soon enough."
Rivelynn seemed to almost preen at that, before continuing. "Anyhow, you are incorrect, O' questioner Mine. It is because she was powerless that she is memorable. She wished for something that none other had before and even survived paying the price for it. She was so different, so unlike the warlords and conmen that sought my aid at the time."
Izuku hummed, bouncing the necklace he was holding in his hand a few times. "I see. Well, no matter the reason, it is a fine name. Now, I prepared this necklace for you earlier, when you requested my… aid."
He passed it over to her, and she quickly put it on, tucking it under the thick purple robes she was 'wearing'. He still wasn't sure if they were actual clothes or just an extension of her shapeshifting.
He had no intention of asking, either.
Izuku waved a hand at the portal to Riven's home, and it shut off immediately with a flex of his will. His hand stung a little from the magic, but he had gotten used to far worse pain many years ago.
"It is essentially a panic button for you to use. I know that you have been locked away in the Dreaming City for centuries now, and are most likely feeling restless now that I have given you a way to leave without detection.
Izuku sighed as she started shaking her arms and legs, trying to get a feel for the human form. "You will be stepping right into one of the most dangerous places for you right now. There will be Guardians everywhere tonight. You will most likely end up talking with some tonight if you come as my guest."
Pointing at the inscriptions on the necklace, Izuku touched his hand to it, and Rivelynn was sucked up into green and black smoke, appearing right in front of the shut-off portal, which activated instantly.
"When activated this charm will instantly teleport you here, and activate the portal to your home for exactly 10 seconds. I allowed it to be activated by yourself as well if you feel that you're in some sort of danger that I am not aware of."
As the portal turned off, Rivelynn just grinned, and Izuku couldn't help but liken it to the snarl a predator gave its prey before the kill. "Oh, this is excellent. It will please me greatly to know that I have fooled them completely, not even risking my life to do so, O' protector Mine."
Izuku could tell that she was attempting to be somewhat sarcastic about that, but both of them knew that she was taking a big risk for both of them by coming to this party.
Izuku would rather make up answers about why he teleported his guest away than answer questions about why he was consorting with an Ahamkara. "Well, as long as we stay safe and… try to have some fun, this night will be a success. One thing though, tone down the smile. People don't react well to feeling like prey."
Evelynn chuckled to herself as she and Izuku walked into The Tower's plaza, seeing people celebrating everywhere she turned.
It had been literal centuries since she had been in the presence of this many people at one time, and it was… oddly uncomfortable. Not only was she feeling a bit stiff from having to take the form of a human girl, but knowing that this many Guardians in one place had the capability of almost effortlessly slaughtering her was… disconcerting.
Her stupid, five-fingered hand reached up to hover over the necklace her little human had made for her. It had been quite a while since anyone had done anything purely for her own benefit.
The Guardians, before they had started hunting her, had used her to topple rival tribes or gain more power, or resources. The Awoken Queen protected her, but only because her wish-granting powers were a key part of Mara's plan.
And maybe her little human had some ulterior motive, but for once in her long, long life, she wasn't able to say with certainty what exactly it could be. She had entertained the theory that he was using her desperation to escape her cage (and the Dreaming City was a cage, just a gilded one), and hand her over to the Guardians to curry favour.
But as the night progressed and she and Izuku walked around the party, talking with the Guardians who had assisted in holding back the Hive during the assault, and listened to the one that looked like they could be his older brother give a speech, he never once even insinuated that she was anything but a girl he had met while staying in The Tower.
Even the conversation she was forced to have with the blue, horned robot that had comforted Izuku after she had healed him was… surprisingly pleasant, even amusing at times, as the Guardian teased Izuku for her mere presence by his side.
Eventually, as the sun rose up behind the Traveller, the party seemed to wind down. Not because they were too tired to continue, she was sure, but because they all had things they needed to do, missions to complete and targets to hunt.
Izuku had done most of the talking for them during the night, and she had played the part of the 'shy guest, way over her head' flawlessly, leaving her mostly to her people watching. It was the reason she had wanted to come in the first place.
Being locked in the Dreaming City had its benefits, ones that Riven had been enjoying for the last few centuries. But she had never been able to leave without Mara Sov knowing immediately before, which had essentially trapped her there if she didn't want Guardians all over her without hesitation.
But now? Now had gotten a taste of true, practically unadulterated freedom for the first time since the Guardians started hunting her. And she was hungry for more.
Izuku flopped onto his couch, mentally exhausted.
He had performed literal headache-inducing rituals fueled by literal dark magic that had drained his energy less than spending all night talking to hundreds of people. If Mikumo had insisted that he make a speech as well, he was fairly certain he would have just teleported away.
He was surprised when he felt Riven sit down next to him, putting her feet up on the table, her hands in her lap. Let her head hang over the back of the couch, and he could now see that her neck was just slightly longer than it should be.
It was an uncomfortable image, to begin with, but it was coupled with his curiosity about what she was doing. "So, did you get whatever it was that you wanted out of tonight?"
She glanced over his way, pulling her head back up to face him, before nodding slowly. "Yes, I believe I did. And you were correct, O' companion Mine, my control over this form has increased significantly."
Izuku smiled, nodding happily. "Well, I don't know if you should, but you are welcome to sleep here if you wish. The couch folds out into a bed. I've just never had a guest to use it before."
Riven shook her head. "No, I cannot. And even if I could, I do not sleep as you do, so it would be pointless. I will return to the Dreaming City, O' helper Mine.."
Izuku almost felt disappointed at that, but nodded, standing up and heading over to his study with her. With a wave of his hand, the portal opened. Riven's form shuddered, and Izuku watched, curious, as she morphed back into her dragon-like form.
Riven's robes and necklace dropped to the floor as she did. 'Huh, so the clothes were actually clothes… good to know?' He gave her a bow, picking up the necklace and throwing it after her through the portal.
"If you ever need my assistance with anything else, I would be glad to help out."
Her head dipped slightly, and Izuku took that as acknowledgment. He waved his hand, closing the portal again. He sighed, rubbing his eyes as he pulled his shirt off, heading to bed.
He was way more tired than he had expected, and he still had work to do tomorrow. Flopping down onto his bed, he wrapped himself in his covers and felt the pull of sleep quickly. As he closed his eyes for the last time of the night, he swore he heard something whisper in his ears.
"Sleep well, O' friend Mine. You have earned a debt this day."