The Hunter celebration started early. Zavala and the rest of the City were to spend the next two days preparing for a feast and a festival in honor of the Guardians who had killed Oryx, but Hunters didn't have that kind of patience. Dens across the City celebrated the very night that Cerulean returned. The night sky was alive with fireworks before the fireteam could even reach the Hanger.

Wren was still tired when they arrived at the Tower, but a few hours of sleep in her ship on the journey, plus the relief of making it out alive, had her feeling better than before. Weight had lifted from her shoulders and for the first time in a long time, she felt things might go back to normal. Or as normal as it could go for a Guardian. Oh, what she'd give to go on a boring old collection bounty again.

"You ready for a drink?" Cayde asked as they left Zavala and Ikora for the debriefing.

"What? Now?"

"C'mere," he said, ushering her toward the overlook. "You see all those fireworks out there? Titan guards are gonna have fun with the rabble tonight. Those are Hunter dens, celebrating your victory."

"Cerulean's victory," Wren corrected.

"But you're their Hunter. Cerulean's Hunter. Tides are changin' kid. I feel it."

"Excuse me, Wren?"

She turned to see a stranger, a Hunter, with two others behind him. Something about him was familiar and it only took a moment for her to remember that he was the one who had dragged a bag of engrams in from some place in the Cosmodrone. He'd shut down Master Rahool's shop for nearly a week.

"Yeah?"

"I'm Knights," he said, red Exo eyes casting down in a sort of nod. "Leader of the Darktalon's. I wanted to be the first to invite you to join our den. Thought I might get to ya before some of the others did."

Wren cast a nervous glance at Cayde who returned it with two thumbs up. She'd wanted to be part of a den for a long time but… what would happen with her own den? Once upon a time Cayde had said it was theirs. Their den, a place for just the two of them, as outcasts.

And what about him? What about Cayde? The Vanguard, sure, but still not accepted in the same way. He had no den. He was over the Hunters, but oddly, not a part of them.

"I appreciate the offer, Knights, but I've gone this long without a den. I don't know if I'd be able to adjust."

Knights blinked, then smirked and nodded understandingly. "I respect that. If you ever change your mind about joining a den, keep us in mind first."

"I will."

"Perhaps you'll at least join us tonight for a few drinks? Maybe a little revelry?"

"I think we can do that. I mean, if it's okay that I bring Cayde?"

Knights laughed. "Of course. Cayde's good fun. Just keep him in line, yeah? Alright, I'll see you around Hunter." He motioned with his head and the other two Hunters followed him back toward the elevators.

"What was that about?" Cayde asked. "Darktalons is one of the biggest and oldest dens in the City. You set up with them and you'd bring in more loot than you could carry."

"Maybe so," Wren said as she leaned on her forearms against the Tower railing and looked out over the City. "But I kind of like my den. Or… our den."

She didn't look at him but she could tell he was still. Watching her. Then he chuckled and leaned against the rail beside her.

"So. You wanna get the Twins before we go into the City?"

"But they're Warlocks. I thought this was a Hunter thing."

"The Twins basically are Hunters," Cayde laughed. "They're two idiots who play volleyball with a single brain cell."

"Volleyball?"

"Never mind. You wanna get them or not?"

"I guess we could… hey, Kiran, can you reach out to them?"

"Sure thing," Kiran replied.

"Have them meet us at the bar below the Darktalon den," Cayde said. "Oh you're gonna love this place. It's wild."

Wild it was. The bar was several times bigger than a lot of the other places Cerulean hung out and celebrated, with a huge, raised dance floor and a band playing so loud Wren could hardly hear herself think so they'd gone to a balcony room with a wide window that looked over the bar below.

Members of the Darktalons were the only ones there at first, eager to buy Wren, Cayde, and the Twins drinks while they were told the tale of how they defeated the Taken King.

It felt strange celebrating without Sisre and Rorick but the pair of Titans were content to spend a quiet evening together. Wren was glad they weren't upset and understood their need for some time alone as they'd been stuck with the rest of Cerulean for a long time.

The drinks kept coming, until the point a bet was made. Cayde commented on how drunk Wren was going to get and when prompted, she bet she could drink far more than he said she could and she willingly took it. After all, the Hunters of the City were happy to buy her whatever she wanted and how could she refuse?

But the story was getting dull. After so many times telling it, she began to zone out, feeling the beat of the music and the warmth of the alcohol in her belly. It'd been a long time since she drank and for a completely different reason but when she thought about it, she wanted to run.

So she did.

Right down onto the dance floor, Cayde and the Twins in tow. The room swirled with colors and lights as she spun and danced with strangers, all of them mingling together in a haze. The Twins danced with anyone who got close enough but Cayde had his attention solely on her. In her drunken state he didn't seem like that bad of a dancer, a little silly, but they were all being a little silly. Until Wren spotted him.

Across the room by the bar. A Titan. A very familiar Titan.

Wren stumbled and blinked, grabbing Franz' arm to steady herself. He laughed and shouted and threw back another drink, oblivious to her sudden pause.

"That son of a bitch," she yelled, then pushed her way through the crowd until she got to the edge of the dancefloor where she shakily climbed the railing and jumped onto the Titan's back, locking her arms around his neck. "Wanna drown me again you piece of shit?" she yelled and Hunters around the bar stepped back, some laughing, some panicked or confused.

The Titan grasped at her arms and yanked but she held on as tight as she could until he started gagging, then all of a sudden, she was pried loose from him by Emelie and Cayde.

"Get a leash on your dog, Cayde," Emelie snarled, her arms tight around her Titan boyfriend who was rubbing his throat and staring daggers at Wren.

Cayde pulled Wren back, arms locked around her waist. "Back off—"

"I'll beat the shit out of you too, you coward bitch!" Wren yelled, grabbing a bottle of beer from a table and lobbing it at Emelie's head.

"Woah," Cayde said. "How about you two get the hell outta here?"

Emelie's eyes darted around to the other Hunters who had formed a circle around them. They knew what she'd done. Half the Guardians in the City knew.

"I think you should leave," Knights said, stepping out of the crowd. "I didn't extend the invitation to your den, Emelie. You and your meat slab aren't welcome here."

"Fine," Emelie scoffed. "We'll go. The rest of you can lick that rat's boots if you want, but I'm not going to praise the Vanguard's pet."

Wren fought against Cayde again, but he only held her tighter until Emelie and the Titan were gone.

"Calm down, kid," he said as other Hunters came to congratulate her and tell her how funny she'd been, but she hardly heard them. Cayde pulled her aside and she slumped against the bar. "You feelin' alright?"

"I'm fine," she growled, taking a drink offered to her and throwing it back.

"Look, you better cheer up. This is your party, remember? They're gone now and you've won the bet too. Congrats, now I owe you Glimmer."

"You can't count," Wren hiccupped. "I still have three more until I beat you."

"What? I don't think so but…" Cayde smirked. "Okay, fine. Three more. Think you can handle it?"

"Watch me."

Boy did he ever watch her. She downed the next three a little too quickly and suddenly he felt bad. She'd been wrong. He knew how much she'd had and had watched every single Hunter that had brought her something, just in case.

She danced and sang and drank for nearly another hour before she was down for the count. They'd found a quieter place in the back of the bar and let her sit down while he and the Twins had another drink.

"What's going on here?"

The voice behind Cayde was all too familiar but he didn't turn to face it. Instead, he took a deep breath and slowly set down his whiskey glass. Franz's eyes grew wide and he slid down a little in his seat, Beorn looked away like he hadn't heard her.

"Busted," Beorn said as he turned away.

"Traitor," Cayde mumbled before swirling around to greet Sisre with open arms. "Hey there Sisre. Come to have a few drinks with us?"

Sisre wasn't impressed. Her arms crossed tight over her chest, her pouty lips drawn into a hard line. There was no way in hell Cayde was going to win the fight against her as guilt had already begun to sneak up on him, but he was going to try anyway.

"I came because a friend told me Wren was in here causing a scene," she said, peering around the Hunter Vanguard to see Wren with her head on the table.

"She was but I totally handled it," Cayde assured her. "She isn't feeling so hot right now but you should have seen her on the dance floor. You Awoken, man. You guys can dance."

Sisre's chartreuse eyes flashed at him, her jaw set. Flattery wasn't going to get him anywhere with her. He looked back at Wren, her normally pale blue skin flushed, hands wrapped around her belly and the beast of guilt was set free in him.

Perhaps he'd made a mistake. The bet that had earned him a handful of Glimmer earlier that night now seemed so cruel as she lay there in misery. She'd overdone it for the sake of a bet and now she moaned about feeling sick and she couldn't even stand on her own. Still there were moments where she was having fun; dancing, singing, and giggling uncontrollably at something the Twins had said.

"C'mon, Wren. Let's get you to bed," Franz said, hooking an arm around her ribs to help her up. She reeled to the side and Cayde stepped in, feeling the disapproving gaze of Sisre on him.

"I'll take her home," he offered.

"You sure?" Franz asked.

"Yeah. I get the feeling karma's going to kick my ass if I don't"

"Here's her shoes."

"Thanks."

"You take care of her Cayde," Sisre warned.

"Of course! Have some faith in me."

"Well, I mean, you did trick her into getting drunk," Beorn said.

"Apapapap shush. Look, I got her okay? She'll be fine in the morning."

Deep down he knew there was no excuse for what he'd done and he had no quick quips to defend himself. He'd done wrong and he knew it. Worse still, everyone else knew it too and when Wren was sober again, she was going to be furious with him.

Cayde pulled Wren up onto his back, hooking his arms under her legs. He leaned forward, adjusting for her weight and although he was drunk she was still coherent enough to wrap her arms around his neck. She peered at him, squinting her eyes, then smiling wide.

"Hi Cayde. Hey… hey, when did you get here?"

"Aw man, she's tanked," Franz laughed.

"A tank? Shhh, you know Zavala'll be so mad if you give Cayde a tank," Wren shushed Franz, a little too loudly. "It's okay Cayde, tanks… tanks'r so overrated.

"You owe her big time," Franz said, clapping Cayde's shoulder.

"Yeah, I know."

Wren leaned her face into his neck as he walked out into the crisp night air. Goosebumps rose on the bare flesh of her legs but she didn't seem to mind. As much alcohol as she had in her system, she probably didn't feel it. She made a little noise into the folds of his cowl where she had hidden her face but he couldn't make out if she was speaking or not.

"I'm glad you're here," she mumbled a little louder.

"That so?"

"Yeah. For once I'm not even mad that you're saving me."

"Trust me, kid, I didn't save you." Man did she have a way to pump up the guilt without even trying.

"Uh huh. You did. And you do all the time. Save me like… all the time," she said, holding her arms out, shifting his balance.

"Woah there. Calm down or you're going to fall off," he said.

Wren leaned back into him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and clutching the strap that crossed his chest.

"Sorry," she said, nuzzling her face into his neck again, hiding in his cloak. "An' I'm sorry I'm so mean to you all the time. I don' wanna be so mean. I just wanna prove that I'm a good Hunter."

Wren was still trying to prove herself. Even with all she'd done for the City. His arms tightened around her thighs, guilt deepening. He hadn't meant to make her fight so hard. All he wanted was to protect her within the Walls the same way she protected him every time she left the Tower and put her life on the line while he stayed in safety.

"Don't be sorry," he said. "You're a great Hunter. I'm proud to call you one of my own."

She didn't reply in any other way but to grip her tighter. They made the rest of the trip in silence but he was sure there would be questions in the morning. It wasn't every day the citizens of the Tower saw a Vanguard carrying a drunk girl around.

Cayde passed Banshee who even in the dead of night was cleaning an auto rifle. Insomnia. It struck them all but poor Banshee seemed to have it worse than anyone Cayde knew. The Gunsmith lifted his head, gaze shifting between Wren and Cayde before he greeted them with a nod.

"Evenin' Banshee."

"Cayde," he said, then glanced at Wren. "About time."

"Wait, what?" Cayde asked, taking a step back.

"What?"

"What'd you just say?"

"Did I say something?"

The pair stared at one another for a moment before Cayde gave up.

"Never mind. C'ya Banshee."

"Oh Banshee's here?" Wren said, lifting her head and waving at the Gunsmith. She leaned her head against Cayde's and whispered too loudly in his ear. "Don't tell Banshee that I'm drunk, okay?"

"Take care of her," Banshee said.

"I will, I will. Jeeze. Why does everyone keep saying that?" Cayde grumbled, stalking off toward the Guardian's housing.

Wren handed her key over and he opened the door, letting them into the cool, dark apartment. The curtains on the windows opposite them were open wide, allowing light from the City below and the moon above to enter and cast silver and gold light across the room. It would be dawn within a few hours.

The moment the door was closed behind them she wriggled free and fell onto her back on the floor. She groaned in pain and rolled onto her side, Kiran materializing beside her. He didn't speak, only flashed his light at Cayde. He'd seen that gesture before from Sundance. Kiran was angry.

"Calm down, I got this. Sugarbird, you can't sleep here. You have to get in bed. Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling beside her.

"Think so." She sat up and rubbed her eyes with her palms before peering up at him. She reached up and slid her hand between the cowl of his cloak and rested her hand on his cheek.

"You have really pretty eyes," she said wistfully.

Cayde turned his face into her palm, closing his eyes. He relished her touch but he knew it wasn't right to enjoy her affection while she was drunk. "Alright, cut that out," he said, gently removing her hand. "Let's get you to bed."

Wren stood on wobbly legs and walked away from him. He stayed put for a moment, trying to clear his head. He placed her shoes by the door and turned around just as she pulled her dress over her head and tossed it to the floor. Her skin shimmered the way all Awoken's skin does, dancing in the moonlight and in a flash he imagined running his hands across the curve of her spine. She fell into bed and he looked away.

"Time to go," he said, flinging the door open.

"Wait," she called and against his better judgment, he paused.

Tentatively he peered over his shoulder at her. She'd rolled to face him, her blanket pulled up under her arm to cover herself and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"C'mere," she mumbled, patting the bed.

"I don't think-"

"Just for a minute. Please?"

The door clicked closed and he walked to the edge of her bed, sitting but keeping his distance, hands in his lap. She patted across the bed until she reached the tattered hem of his cloak. Carefully she gathered it up around her face.

"I'm sorry," she said again, her voice barely a whisper and this time he could swear he saw a tear in the corner of her closed eyes. "I didn't mean to make things so hard."

Cayde brushed her hair away from her face. "You don't have anything to be sorry about, Sugarbird."

"Can you stay?"

"I wish I could but…"

"Yeah. I know."

"I'll close the curtains for you. Get some rest and I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay," she yawned, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

After several minutes of watching her, he pulled his cloak from her grip and gathered items she might need. A trashcan by the bed, a glass of water on the nightstand, some medicine for the hangover that would surely make her wish she was dead by morning.

"That was low," Kiran grumbled, settling down on Wren's pillow.

"Trust me, you don't have to remind me. I shoulda known better." He turned to go but Kiran spoke again and he stopped.

"What you did was inexcusable. But… thanks for getting her home."

"Yeah. Least I could do. You uh, take care of her. I need to go beat the shit out of myself."