Ailene officially put Lak in charge of the Keep once he returned the next day. After further discussion with Sasan and the elder female tending to her health, it was clear Ailene could not put further stress on herself without risking a miscarriage or death, so most of her duties were delegated to others that could carry them out. She trusted her husband's uncle to look after the Keep and make decisions for the benefit of the clan.
"S'Tar," Ailene said to her mentor, the elder who taught her Sangheili medicine, "how is a bond dampening done?"
The two were organizing the medicine stores, tossing out expired herbs and hanging up freshly cut herbs to dry out. It was a simple task Ailene was still able to do under her mentor's supervision after a week of bed rest.
"It is a conscious decision between bond mates," the elderly female said. "You two have accessed the mental-scape, correct?"
"Yes, we have."
"Then it is simple as closing a door. You noticed Thel had closed your door there; you can do it yourself and your mate can do the same with his door."
"So, there's nothing more to it? Just close the door for a bit?"
"Yes, it is that simple. Had you two not have access to the mental place, then it would be a different situation entirely."
If that was the case, then Ailene had to wonder what else she could do with the bond.
Thel had joined up with the humans and the other Elites angered by the betrayal of the Prophets a week ago. The battle had moved back to Earth and he was determined to wreck havoc on the Covenant on his wife's behalf.
"So, you, Chief, and Shamrock?" the dark skinned male -Sargant Johnson, he remembered- asked with a glint of mischief. They were in a human base on the continent of Africa, trying to sabotage the Covenant's efforts in locating the Ark, something none of the Elites knew of before now. "That's one hell of a bond!"
"What do you mean?" Thel asked, glad the human brought this up away from the rest of the humans.
"All three members of your bond are powerhouses! Shamrock's got her Quirk, the Chief's an augmented human, and you're oozing charisma and have the trust of nearly every single Elite that's come to fight!"
Thel was about to say something when he felt a tug on the bond.
"Excuse me. My wife is calling for a meeting."
John had to wonder why Ailene called for a meeting. He'd quickly found a safe place to hide before entering the mental home; he couldn't be here for long.
"I want to try something," his shared soulmate immediately said, grabbing both himself and Thel's hand.
"Try what?" he asked and felt a pulse of energy rattle his bones. He looked over to the Sangheili and figured the massive alien felt something similar.
The energy intensified, every molecule in his body burned and his back felt like it was going to burst from something. John gasped, waking up back on the Dreadnaught on his hands and knees. Everything felt different; he could feel pulses under his hands. Pulses of energy.
Thel panted from the intense pain he felt. He had a an idea of how different the world looked to Ailene, but now he knew just how she experienced the world. He could feel every little pulse of energy around him and his body absorbing some of that energy to hasten the healing of small wounds he didn't notice before.
"Arbiter!" Johnson busted down the door to the room Thel used to communicate with his mates. The human had brought several more Marines with him and all of them looked shocked by the state of the room. "What the hell happened here?!"
Thel then realized that the room was dark and covered with bits of glass from shattered light bulbs. So that's where those small cuts came from.
"My wife gave me a portion of her Quirk," he struggled to say, he was still in pain, but was now regaining his footing.