-DROH
Sundance Entry Log 198 -The room is dark, yet the sky is somehow darker. From where the camera sits one can see The Last City and the mountains beyond, a crackling storm of pitch-black clouds and dancing lightning descending upon them. Rain hasn't started yet, but a boom of thunder rumbles in the distance, warning everyone of what was to come. Another crack of storm born electricity lights up the room briefly, drawing one's eye to the other person watching the storm.
Skylar stands in front of the sliding door window that leads out onto a balcony, her arms crossed lazily over her chest as amber-orange eyes gazed distractedly at the storm. Her mind is elsewhere in the later hours of the afternoon. She seems completely at ease standing there almost completely bare to the world except for an awfully familiar sweatshirt zipped lazily over her torso.
"You know, the view is much better over here." At the electronic voice, the screen flickers once as Sundance blinks and follows Skylar's movement to look behind her, back towards the bed that takes up half the space of the room. The hunter smirks slightly at the scene before her and the camera focuses on the sight of one very satisfied looking exo. He's lounging on his side, the covers barely hiding his legs as he props his head on a fist, glowing eyes moving in a downward motion over his girlfriend. "I take it back, I have the best view, not you." He gets an exaggerated snort in reply to the comment and smirks. "Have I told you how good you look in my hoodie before? Especially when it's only my hoodie?"
The feed widens, capturing both hunters now as Skylar seems to make an effort not to roll her eyes or crack up at the overly dramatic words.
"Oh, once or twice today," she assures him, looking him over in much the same way he had looked at her, before suddenly glancing over her shoulder at the window once more as the thunder rumbles closer. Her brows pull together with concern over something she's thinking about and Cayde seems to know that too.
"They're fine, you know," he assures her, drawing her eyes back to him. "Corvan's leading the team and it's not like they're the only fireteam out there." Whatever they're speaking about seems to be a revisited topic as Skylar blows out a breath and runs a hand through messy amber hair. She's heard these words before, but doesn't seem annoyed by it.
"None of us have gone to Africa before, I don't think even Winter had…" she trails off suddenly as if knowing she sounds like a broken record and closes her eyes for a moment, completing the blue stripe across them once again. "I guess I feel like they'll disappear too if I don't keep an eye on them. Then again, that didn't help last time so maybe I should-"
"We've been over this," Cayde cuts in before she can start spiraling. "What happened with Winter and Tristan wasn't your fault, don't let Zavala's emotional wedgie get to you." The vanguard leader pauses long enough to push himself up into a sitting position, metal legs hanging over the bed and covers pooling at his waist. "We're going to find them, Skylar." There's a promise in his voice that's so believable that it in turn softens the human's frustrated features, her brow relaxing as she looks at him. After another moment, her hand drops to her side, and she nods her head, finding reason once again. She's too tired to fight on the matter and maybe she knows he's right. Cayde's eyes brighten at that, brow plate hitching up. "… now come here."
Another flash of lightning spreads across the room, catching the smile on her face more clearly for an instant before she saunters over and into the space between spread legs. An ungloved hand brushes across her cheek, tracing her guardian marking with a thumb while the other rests over her hip, gripping onto his own shirt.
"I'm just glad you're home," Cayde admits, the hand on her face brushing into her hair and moving it out of her eyes. A smirk twitches on her face at the comment and one of her own hands lifts her pointer finger out to poke him right on the tip of his horn like one might do with someone's forehead.
"You've already said that today too," she muses, unable to hold back a grin as he huffs and tugs her even closer till her knees hit the bed. She lets her finger run down the front of his horn slowly and the exo responds by closing his eyes halfway, a low sigh vibrating through him. Skylar tilts her head, watching him in an almost content way before simply stating: "I missed you too." It's the last thing she gets to say before her mouth gets caught in a sudden, but expected kiss, the exo having drawn her head forward with a hand and biting lightly at her lips with mouth plates.
It's a quick mess of arms and hands and mouths then as Skylar cambers onto his lap and Cayde uses a hand to pull the zipper down on the hoodie and slip it inside. There's a tension there, something bare and vulnerable about how they move. Long absences from each other leave one starved and needier than either really wants to admit. A bite on her exposed shoulder has Skylar rearing back, arc energy flicking across her hand that she presses to a bare metal chest to get the upper hand before pushing him down on the bed. He grunts, chuckling in surrender as she moves her way up to straddle him, leaning forward to rest her forearms on his chest.
"Guess you really missed me," she teases, stroking a light charged knuckle down his corded neck. The exo curses and the hand still on his hip tightens as she presses a kiss to the side of his jaw, the flickering golden glow in his throat bathing her hair into firelight. Then, in one quick motion, she ducks her head and bites into the junction of his neck and shoulder, where the metal plating gives way to soft silicon and wires, and Cayde jerks, nearly bucking her off.
"F-fuck, Skyla," his vocals sputter, his nickname for her nearly pleading. Lacing a hand into her hair and tugging her back, he meets her gaze. "I love you," his admission is breathless, blue eyes brightening and Skylar smiles, her hand losing its glow as she presses it to the side of his face.
"I love you too."
Thunders booms, much closer this time, and Cayde takes that as a signal to move, flipping them on the bed so fast all the redhead can do is squeak. The hinges of his jaw tilt up in a cocky smile as he looms over her, but Skylar seems perfectly at ease, her rumpled hair and lazy eyes displayed before him, completely exposed. With a simple flick of his wrist, the zipper is all the way down, the fabric falling to the sides to show an expanse of pale skin, marred only by the jagged purple lines below her ribs. He traces one with a gentleness one doesn't associate metal with before returning his gaze to hers.
"I think we're about ready for round three," he quips, and Skylar just laughs slightly, shaking her head at him, but not stopping him either as he kisses her again, deeper and slower this time. His hands shift on the bed in a familiar position, ready to hold more weight -
A sharp beep rings louder through the feed's speakers than even the thunder from moments ago, and Sundance blinks in surprise, making the image flicker. A red light blinks off to the corner of the screen showing an incoming transmission message. Both hunters look at the ghost for a moment and then Cayde shrugs it off, moving towards Skylar's neck before another sharp beep has him pausing again.
"Sun…" The exo spoke out flatly, annoyed while the redhead simply lets out a long tired sigh. "Whatever and whoever that is, tell them to shove it," he grumbles, a hand brushing Skylar's side and making her twitch and bite back a giggle. Another sharp beep interrupts him from pulling the open hoody off Skylar completely and he sighs to himself, head dropping down to bury his face in her shoulder in both defeat and exasperation.
"It's from Zavala," Sundance's voice is soft, calming towards her partner.
"Of course it is." Cayde's muffled voice is clearly unimpressed and seemingly unsurprised by her answer. The huntress under him, runs a hand over his head, biting her lip to stop from smiling at his dramatic actions. "If I had a strange coin for every time Big Blue cock blocked me Xur would be buried alive." This time, Skylar did snort a laugh because obviously he was exaggerating. Sundance on the other hand, doesn't seem very amused at all.
"He's called a stage three alert. He is ordering all leaders down to the vanguard room immediately." Lightning flashes across the windows of the room, painting the surprised and startled faces of both hunters in sharp shadows as they stare back into the feed frozen in place.
"Isn't that…" Skylar begins, worry highlighting her voice and Cayde nods his head slightly.
"One stage below red alert? Yeah. Shit." He pushes himself up into a sitting position, still straddling the mostly naked human and giving her a look that's clearly an apology. Skylar simply shakes her head, sitting up as well and gently bumping her forehead against his horn as if to say 'it's fine'.
"Time to get back to work," she murmurs, pulling away after a moment and Cayde grumbles something low before pressing his mouth to her cheek and getting off the bed. He looks at her a moment before sighing again.
"I'll need that back…" he gestures to the hoodie half on her and Skylar glances down then back up at him and wiggles her eyebrows at him playfully, scooting across the bed and out of the camera's sight. He huffs, hands on his hips. "Sky…" A laugh, and then a moment later the cloth in question comes flying back onto the screen and Cayde catches it right before it smacks him in the face. Shaking his head, a smile etchs his face as he looks at the camera and slips the garment on. "Okay Sundance, give me the usual."
The feed bobs as the ghost nods and then a bright light wipes the screen clean for a second as she transmats armor into place on her partner. When the image comes back the Vanguard leader is dressed and adjusting a strap on his shoulder armor. Nodding his thanks to the ghost he turns and picks up the Ace of Spades from where it lays next to another hand cannon on the nightstand. He double checks the ammo with a quick hand then spins it once and stows it at his side before picking up the other one.
The feed zooms in on the familiar piece of silver, copper, and black with the stylized heart printed on the handle. The Fated Hearts hand cannon, built from the damaged parts of The Fate Bringer and extra parts set aside of his own gun. Cayde gives it the same treatment as his own gun, checking it over as he turns back around, looking off screen.
"Ready to go?"
"As ready as I can be," Skylar replies, walking back into the frame. She's fully dressed and armed as well, her blue and silver get up all tied together by the glowing pulsing eyes of her chest plate and orange accented lines. She's not wearing a helmet much like Cayde at the moment, but that could change quickly as her iridescent blue ghost floats on up to her and rests at her shoulder. Cayde looks her over for a moment before nodding his head and stepping closer, handing her the gun. She takes it with one hand, stowing it at her thigh and uses her other hand to brush it against the exo's skull. Cayde leans into the touch, eyes closing slightly for just a few moments as her hand tracks behind him and then quickly pulls the hood of his cloak over his head moments later. He sighs once more, opening his eyes and giving her a look that can only be longing.
"Whatever is causing this alert is on my shit list," he grumbles and Skylar smiles crookedly before gesturing for him to lead the way. His hand brushes her shoulder as he does just that and the camera feed swings around to follow the two hunters out of the room, their cloaks fluttering behind them as if the wind from the storm has drifted through the walls.