"This is Maria. She will act as your voice in the Vanguard as well as the Vanguard's voice here. She's studied much of your kind's history, language, and culture. Commander Zavala and I trust that she is the best fit for this job." Ikora explained to Mithraax, Kell of House of Light, whose House sat just beneath the Traveler.
Maria bowed, she hoped in the same way she had read of other Eliksni bowing to Barons. Mithraax's nod was, in turn almost like a bow. He stood hunched, as if he were trying to be at eye level with everyone else instead of someone proud and towering above the rest. "Then we are happy to have you here, Maria."
She smiled warmly and motioned to Ghost, "This is Ghost. I hope it's okay that I brought him along as well. We don't often separate."
Mithraax chuckled, "I imagine that ghosts and Lightbearers don't often separate."
"Oh…Oh no, no, Ghost just…sticks around me. I'm lightless, and a pretty bad ship driver so I don't get away from The Last City as often as other lightless Guardians, I'm afraid. That's why I'm here, I suspect." She gave Ikora a look from the corner of her eyes, but Ikora only smiled that the two were getting along. "I promised Ghost that I would help him find someone and he's kinda stuck around ever since."
Mithraax nodded along, "I see, then I am happy to have you both here." Around the broken and crumbling buildings, Eliksni poked out there heads from behind rubble, leaning in to listen, but as Maria's eyes fell upon each one, they quickly retreated in return. "Forgive their rudeness, they are…distrustful of Guardians."
"I understand."
Ikora put a hand on Maria's shoulder, and left shortly after.
Ghost stuck closer by than normal as Mithraax showed her around the small area that they were given, an older district she had heard being called the Botza District. Maria stopped by one of the many entrances to stare at a symbol painted on the wall. The symbol looked like the symbol from one of Ikora's books. The one that she had translated, actually.
"Can I help you with something?" A smaller Eliksni with a kind of tablet in her hands never looked up at her, but was sat close by. Maria doubted she ever would've noticed her had she not spoken.
"I…I was just looking at this symbol here. I've sort of read about it in books but I've never actually seen it drawn on the wall. Well, except in pictures."
The Eliksni hardly looked up before going back to her tablet. "It's a ward. We draw it on the walls of rooms the children sleep in. We tell them it's to ward off Guardians so they sleep better."
Maria looked back at the symbol. "It's kind of like warding away evil spirits."
The Eliksni finally looked up. "What?" There was a sort of laughter to her voice.
Maria turned back to her with a sheepish smile. "In ancient times, humans used to use different things believing it would ward away disease and famine, which were often attributed to being the work of demons or evil spirits. They used different things, not unlike your symbol here."
The Eliksni seemed to think on this further. "Maybe we are not so different after all, then." She muttered.
Ghost turned back to the symbol. "It looks a little like the symbol from that book Ikora had you translate."
Maria looked back over the symbol. "Yeah, it kinda does."
"Ah, this symbol?" Mithraax stood close by now, seeming to have tracked them down. "Yes, it is a representation of The Saint. I see you have met my daughter, Eido. She is the scribe for our House."
"I don't think I've ever heard of a House having a scribe."
"It is an ancient position," Eido interrupted, looking back at her tablet. "Scribes and many other positions vanished along with our history. I write down the history of our House as it unfolds, so that the future cannot forget."
Mithrax continued to show Maria around, though there wasn't much to show, and the others shied away from her view when her eyes passed over them. Being lightless apparently didn't gain the trust of the others so easily.
In a separate, mostly together structure in the middle of the area he showed her a room in which she would be allowed to stay should she decide to stay there at all. "It wouldn't be wise of you to stay here," Ghost complained after Mithrax left her, after she had agreed to his offer.
"Why not?" Maria folded her arms.
"Well…because…can we really trust them? They don't exactly trust us."
"Exactly. I want to show them…I'm different from everyone else, a neutral third-party. I never lived through what everyone else lived through. I have no personal bias."
"Except for Saint-14. You know Saint."
Maria nodded. "But I never lived through it. I want them to trust me, if no one else. The actions of a few shouldn't define an entire race. I'm staying here, Ghost, whether you do or not is your own choice."
Ghost seemed taken aback, almost hurt. Maria wanted to comfort her friend, but the reality was she wasn't following him back to the Tower. She wasn't going back to a desk job. This was her first real fieldwork, without a chaperone, without protection, without a safety net… even if it was within the walls of the City, she wasn't willing or ready to give any of it up. The reality was harsh, and it made her own chest hurt to think that he would leave her.
"I trust your decision…but someday you'll have to listen to me."
Maria laughed, her chest became lighter, "Like that'll ever happen."
"One more thing. Gheppetto contacted me not too long ago. Apparently Saint-14 isn't too happy about Ikora's choice. He's on his way here now."
She cursed under her breath. "I should've seen that coming."
"How could you let her talk you into this?" Saint-14 screamed, making the Fallen of House of Light both scared and curious. The two stood at the edge of the Botza district, Maria with her arms folded and Saint with his hands on his hips.
"Ikora didn't talk me into anything, Saint. I came here of my own volition. You know me. Ikora couldn't talk me out of a well if I didn't want to leave it."
"I…don't understand what that means."
Maria sighed. "The point is, if I really didn't want to, I wouldn't have come here. I would've told her 'no' and that would've been that, but I didn't. I wanted to come here, Saint."
"But why? You know what the Fallen have done to us! To your people!"
"To your people. My people are in a different time, remember?"
Saint swept his arm, gesturing to the city behind him. "They are still your people. Not these," he pointed accusingly at the Fallen, who scrambled to hide in the shadows.
Maria poked his chest, "You're my people, Saint. You, and Osiris, and Ikora, and I trust you with my life, but I feel no threat from House of Light."
Saint scoffed. "They will stab you in the back."
"No different from what I've seen other Guardians do to each other at the Tower. Do you even listen in just a little bit? They've seen no humanity from Guardians, so why can't I show them mine?" Maria shook her head. "They're just as scared of you as you are of them."
"I am not scared!" Saint's voice reverberated off the buildings, into the darkness, and continued to echo long after he had yelled.
"Yes, you are. After all you've seen who can blame you and the people of the City of being scared? I didn't live through that. I've only heard stories…You know, Crow has Eliksni friends too. You should ask him if they're as bad as you think. I've made my decision, Saint. If I feel unsafe, I promise you'll be the first one I call, but until then…I think you should go back to the Tower."
Saint hesitated. Ghost could see small twitches in his body like he was fighting his own thoughts. "No, if you are in trouble you contact Ikora."
Maria didn't flinch, but somehow Ghost could feel that she felt hurt. Something about her seemed off to him, but he couldn't tell what it was. When Saint left Maria finally breathed, but she looked lost on where to go. He'd never seen her so lost before. Her eyes shimmered in the dim light.
"He won't be mad for long, Maria, you'll see." Ghost comforted but it didn't seem like she heard him at first. After a long moment she finally nodded.
"Yeah, you're right." She finally took another shaky breath, and took the time to compose herself. "Come on, let's go."
