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Entry Log 64 - 00:18:42
Cayde is sitting at the table in Skylar's room once again, only this time some of the gifts have been moved, and both guns are gone from sight. There's a book in front of the Exo and he's flipping through the pages in a half-assed manner that states he's not really reading it. After a few more pages the Exo sighs and shakes his head. This get's his Ghost's attention and she must have moved closer, for the screen zooms in.
"Are you alright Cayde?" Sundance asks in her steady voice. The hunter looks at her for a moment before grimacing and shutting the book. With it closed you can see that the book is very old, the cover worn, spine nearly broken, but somehow the title is still visible. Tale of Two Cities.
"Traveler if I know. This isn't even my book, I think Winter must be reading this to her." he glances over in the direction of the sleeping woman in the bed and frowns. He's quiet for a minute before he shakes his head again. "I think maybe I'm malfunctioning or something. Sitting here in this room isn't going to help her or me, but I keep doing it either way because I can't think about anything else when I'm not here."
"You haven't been sleeping well," Sundance replies as if to agree with him. "You're worried, concerned for her. The doctors are starting to say she might not wake up and you're fearful of that."
"I'm not scared," Cayde grumbles defensively but his Ghost didn't reply and the video flickers once as Sundance blinks. After two minutes pass on the clock the Exo seems to fold under his partners knowing gaze and looks away. "She'll wake up. She has to." He taps his finger twice more before he stands, stretching his arms over his head. "I guess I should get going..." The camera zooms back out as Cayde makes his way over to the bed and after a moment gingerly sits on the edge of it. Sundance moves closer again, the scene still large enough to encompass her partner and the hunter laying in the bed from a side view.
The woman's hair is getting shagger than normal and once again it has tumbled into her closed eyes, the amber color of it stark against the dark blue stripe on her skin. Sterling, who had been resting near her shoulder blinks his eye and then hovers a few feet up as if to get out of the vanguard leader's way. Carefully, Cayde reaches out and brushes the hair out of her face, his fingers lingering on her skin, just barely touching the edge of her marking. Slowly, he moves his fingers to trace the edge, moving down to her temple and then breaking away to stroke the curve of her jaw. Her lips are chapped and dry, skin peeling on them as the Exo darts his eyes over her face.
After a few more seconds he pulls his hand away and lays it on the upturned, IV stabbed one on the bed. "Come on Rookie," Cayde grumbles. "We need you to get back here. Everyone is worried about you Sky. I'm worried… I miss seeing your smile." He snorted slightly shaking his head as if he can't believe he's saying it out loud. "I miss you coming up with excuses to get me out of the tower during meetings." He shifts slightly brushing a gloved thumb over the blue veins on her wrist.
"Cayde," Sundance says after a moment. "We should go, visiting hours are almost over."
"Right," he sounds tired then and indeed the clock in the corner of the screen notes that it is rather late at night. Slowly, as if it takes all his effort, Cayde pulls his hand away and stands up, tugging on the lip of his hood habitually. He makes his way to the door, only pausing to reach out and flick off the light, one hand on the door.
"C-cayde?" The voice is scratchy, quiet, and anything but pretty, but it's also not electronic like everything in the room that can talk. Everything that's awake anyway. The Exo whips around on his heels and the camera blurs as Sundance does the same. Focusing on the bed's upper half, the hunter hasn't moved an inch, but her eyelids have cracked open like two suns slowly rising. Cayde mutters his version of a curse and flickers into view as he quickly retakes his spot on her bed. The camera pans, showing them both again like before and the Exo replaces his hand on hers which twitches at the contact.
"Skylar? Shit. Sky can you hear me?" he asks in a hurried tone, subconsciously curling his fingers around her hand. She slowly blinks her half lidded gaze, looking just about as dazed and out of it as one would expect.
"Cayde?" she croaks out again and swallows dryly. He nods his head eagerly.
"The one and only. I'm right here Rookie," he assures her and in the bottom of the screen her own fingers slowly curled around his in response, if a bit weakly. She blinks again, lids drawing up further this time and pupils dilating at the light in the room, focusing on her mentor's face. Her heart rate had picked up slightly on the monitor due to no longer being asleep but as seconds pass it continues to tick up.
"What… what happened… I-" she cuts off, blinking more and then her hand clenches around Cayde's and he flinches at the suddenly pressure. The tempo of the beeping skyrockets and suddenly the redhead bolts upright. "Crota! The others-" Pain slams across her face from her still mending wounds and she gasps, upper body shivering and going off balance. Thankfully, the gunslinger quickly uses his free hand to snap out and grab her shoulder.
"Hey, hey! Woah there Rookie, calm down," he nearly orders with a half nervous, half relieved chuckle, and meets her frantic gaze, ignoring the just as frantic beeping in the room. "You're fine Sky, Crota is dead. Everyone is fine," he soothes, squeezing her hand. "You're safe."
She keeps her gaze locked to his, though she still breaths through her mouth, she slowly nods her head and swallows again. Six minutes tick by on the timer before her heart rate declines enough that Cayde relaxes slightly. He gently pushes her back down on the bed and she winces at the movement. "What happened?" she whispers again and there is fear in her bright eyes. Cayde shifts on the bed,one leg bent, anckle over a knee, the bottom of his boot visible. He uses a thumb to brush her knuckles in a calming motion.
"That's not a simple question to answer," he replies softly. "To put it short your team took out Crota but you got hurt pretty bad. You've been out for a long time."
"How long?" Anxiety is tightening her face again as her mind remembers events disjointedly and emotions run rampant on her unguarded face. Cayde strokes her knuckles again with his thumb.
"A little over three weeks. People were starting to get worried."
"I know," she murmured, her voice still raw but not as foreign. "I heard you before… when you got up I just… my eyes opened." She explains the best she could and Cayde blinks twice before giving a slightly nervous laugh.
"You did, did you? Well that's...hm..." He clears his throat, eyes shifting around for a moment and a long stretch of silence filling the air. It wasn't till the video picks up that she was visibly shaking, the heart monitor protesting again. Skylar's face has gone pale, it's as if she never calmed down the first time. Cayde hesitates for a moment that is too long and she ends up talking first.
"I almost died… didn't I?" she whispers, her voice suddenly hoarse again. "The Thrawl were tearing me apart. There was so much pain." Her lips tremble and she shuts her eyes tight against the memories. "I couldn't stop screaming."
The monitor had kicked up speed again, but not as high as the first time. It still worries Cayde and without thinking he puts his hand on the side of her face, fingers threaded part way in her hair and leans closer. "Shh, I know, I know..." He pauses, eyes flickering up to the screen as if trying to get help and then to Sterling who has been hovering near by looking concerned in the way only Ghosts can. Neither of them say a thing and so the Exo tries again. "You're safe Sky, I won't let anything happen to you okay?"
Something like a dry sob is his only answer and while she isn't crying, there is pain and fear etched deep into her face as she gives another weak nod of her head but the tremors don't stop. He glances back at the screen again and shakes his head. "Cut the feed," he orders, knowing she wouldn't want this on record. His Ghost blinks a few times but complies, the images fading and the sound of the Exo murmuring to his charge going out with it.
Are you ready for some angst? Cause things are about to get super angsty for a bit :P.
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