The Red War had orphaned many children. In the following years, the City worked hard to find adoptive families for these bereaved children, but some still fell through the cracks. Among these were teenagers who seemed too old to adopt, but struggled to make a living in the post-war economic slump.

The Vanguard quietly started a program to sponsor these older orphans. Guardians donated supplies and glimmer to help them with housing, food, and schooling. Guardians donated their time when they could, hanging out with their sponsored child.

When Jayesh and Kari had been working in the City medical system during the plague winter following the war, they had met a girl who called herself Panther. Mature beyond her twelve years, Panther had looked after the younger orphans in her neighborhood, but had trouble finding adults to take her in. Jayesh and Kari not only sponsored her, but set her up with a family to look after her. They sponsored the family, too. While they didn't have time to visit them often, visits were also welcome and cheerful.

Phoenix set up an appointment for Jayesh to meet with Panther. Panther was now twenty-two and working for New Monarchy, and her sponsorship had ended. Jayesh hadn't seen her in eight months, and was happy to reconnect.

"Mr. Khatri!" Panther exclaimed, hugging him in the snow outside the cafe where they were meeting for lunch. She was a pretty young woman with long black hair in braids, and medium brown skin from a mix of nationalities. She dressed in a stylish leather coat and fur-lined pants, with a scarlet stocking cap pulled over her ears.

"How're you doing?" Jayesh asked her, mentally comparing her with the urchin she had been when they met. "You look good!"

"I'm doing great," Panther laughed. "Where's Kari?"

"Acotango," Jayesh said.

Something in his voice caught Panther's attention. Her smile faded. "Oh. Oh, right, they sent away the families of the bigwigs, didn't they? I didn't know that included Guardians."

"Let's talk inside," Jayesh said, gesturing at the snowy street. "I think my nose is about to freeze off."

They entered the cafe, ordered hot tea and sandwiches, and took a seat by the window. There they exchanged news and caught up on events in each other's lives.

"What do you think about the pyramids?" Panther said in a low voice. "People in the City are freaking out. The Vanguard puts on a brave face, but nobody knows what really goes on in the Tower."

Jayesh leaned back and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, truth is, the Vanguard is scared, too. My team is slated to visit Europa and meet the Darkness head-on, but we haven't been sent, yet."

"Will the pyramids come to kill us?" Panther asked, her eyes wide and scared.

Jayesh couldn't tell her about the pyramid on the moon and the way it blacked out his mind whenever he looked at it. He fell back on Ikora's theories of Light and Dark. "The Darkness doesn't work like that. It tries to corrupt and convince from within. The Darkness won't show up and turn everybody into Taken, for instance. That's Hive magic. It will try to lure people away, though."

Panther relaxed a little. "That's what I've been most afraid of. Of just … waking up and finding everybody dead or Taken. Or the Traveler leaving us."

"I don't know what might happen," Jayesh said. "The pyramids aren't advancing on Earth, though. They haven't moved past Mars and Mercury. They're waiting for Guardians to respond. That'll be us. Me."

Panther gazed at him for a long moment. "Don't die, Mr. Khatri. You're the nicest Guardian I've ever met. And I meet quite a few at work."

"I don't plan on it," Jayesh said with a grin. "And by the way, happy Dawning." He reached into his coat and pulled out a card. He slid it across the table to Panther. She opened it and saw the glimmer chip inside. Her eyes filled with tears.

"That ought to get you a nice Dawning gift," Jayesh said. "Spend it with a friend or two."

"I am," said Panther, blushing. "I met this guy who … he's really nice. I'm going to his family's house for the Dawning."

"Good," said Jayesh, patting her hand. "I feel like you're my daughter who's all grown up."

Panther got up and hugged him, leaking tears on his coat.

When they parted a little later, Jayesh's heart felt lighter than it had in weeks.

"Thanks for setting that up," he said to Phoenix, who floated at his shoulder. "I'm glad Panther's finding her place."

"Me too," said Phoenix. He glanced along the street, which was alight with Dawning decorations. "Want to do some shopping? I have a list from Kari. I also have a special request from Connor. He wants the new Two of Spades dart gun that OMOLON has been advertising.

Jayesh laughed. "All right. Time to shop."

When Jayesh arrived back at the Tower, he was met by Nell, all bundled up in a parka with her Ghost snuggled into her collar. "Hey Jayesh! There you are! Drifter's holding a party tonight, want to come?"

"The Drifter?" Jayesh said doubtfully. He glanced toward the staircase that led down into the interior of the wall. Deep in the annex, several stories down, the Drifter made his lair and ran Gambit, a violent game the Vanguard officially knew nothing about. The Drifter was also known for his ability to eat anything.

Nell read his expression. "Oh, don't worry, he's not doing the food. Everybody's supposed to bring something. Like a potluck."

"I'm going to have to decline," Jayesh said. "I have to …" He wracked his brain for something vague and yet urgent. "I need to talk to Shaw Han about things."

"Oh." Nell's face fell. "Always business. Oh come on, it's the Dawning! The Drifter said he'd share this liquor that he got from the Nine!"

"Now I'm definitely not going," Jayesh said. "Just warning you, it will taste like dust."

Nell laughed. "Fine, be a party pooper. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow." She darted off, sliding on a patch of ice as she went.

"Guess I'm visiting with Shaw tonight," Jayesh muttered to Phoenix, at his shoulder. "Do you mind sending a message to ask if he can talk?"

"About what?" Phoenix asked. "His Ghost will want to know."

"Uh." Jayesh scratched a head. "Tell him I'll buy him a drink at Iva's."

"Right." Phoenix spun his shell. After a moment, he said, "Shaw accepts. He asks if two hours from now is all right."

"Tell him yes," Jayesh replied. He sighed and went to the Tower railing. Leaning his elbows on it, he gazed across the snowy City to the Traveler, its enigmatic white surface polished to a shine by the power emitted as it repaired itself.

The day it had healed stood out as a moment of sheer glory in his mind. He, Kari, Connor, and Stephanie had stood at the railing and watched the rainbows and auroras that looped out of the Traveler's wounds, encircling the broken fragments, drawing them in. The very air had sang with Light, hot and crackling. The Guardians had shimmered with Light, too, sparkles and ripples covering their bodies. It had lasted for hours, and yet they all stood there, enraptured, empowered, strengthened, healed, delighted.

Their Ghosts had said that the Traveler felt like another Ghost-a very big, powerful one. Jayesh had reached out with his mind to find the Traveler alert, active, joyful. Its Light caressed him, filling him like a supercharge.

Then the parts drew inward, connecting like puzzle pieces. In a final burst of Light, the symphony fell silent. People had clapped and cheered. But from that moment, Jayesh had been unable to speak to the Traveler.

That sublime Light still burned within him, strong and steady. It was what Navota had tried to rip out of him. Maybe it was what had drawn her attention in the first place. Or maybe-and the thought worried him- maybe she had torn apart Maeve and Cas to steal the extra Light from them.

Jayesh went back to his quiet, empty apartment, but he couldn't bear to stay. He picked up his tablet and went to Iva's.

Iva's was a small bar and grill owned and operated by a retired Titan. It stayed open all night, and was often the only place that tired Guardians, newly arrived planetside, could get a hot meal at 3 AM.

This evening it was fairly empty, owing to a number of Dawning parties happening elsewhere. Jayesh ordered a snack and tea and sat in one of the cushier chairs with his tablet. There he read a book, exchanged text messages with Kari, and enjoyed the atmosphere until Shaw arrived.

Shaw arrived, swathed in a heavy cloak and hood sprinkled with snowflakes. He scraped off his boots on the entry mat, nodded to Jayesh, and went to the counter to order dinner from the girl working that evening. A few minutes later, he arrived with a platter of hot wings and fries.

"I buy food, you buy drinks," Shaw said with a grin.

"Fair trade," said Jayesh, and ordered a pitcher of house beer. He had a small glass, to be sociable, but went back to tea afterward.

"Heard about the Drifter's party?" Shaw said without preamble. "Rumor has it he has a pet Taken performing tricks."

"In the Tower?" Jayesh said in horror.

Shaw grinned and took a bite. "Just a rumor. Want to go down and keep an eye peeled after this?"

"Might as well," Jayesh said. "I have a friend there tonight, and I wouldn't want her to get hurt."

Shaw laughed. "Oh, I doubt Drifter would let anything happen. They call him the rat man, but he's more sly than that. He's got a good deal here in the Tower, and he wouldn't want to lose that. You ever play Gambit?"

They fell to discussing the ins and outs of the game. Jayesh had played once or twice. Shaw had been against it at first, and even spied on the Drifter for the Praxic Order. But when they discovered that Gambit was mostly harmless, and acted as a honeypot to draw out Guardians who were turning full Darkness, Shaw relaxed. He'd played a few tournaments with his team and ranked fairly high.

"I don't know what I'll do without them," he said, the light in his eyes suddenly going out. He stared into his glass and seemed to age fifty years. After a moment, he looked at Jayesh with the echo of his usual smile. "Ever do that? Lose somebody, then you forget they're gone and everything seems normal … then you page their Ghost and remember?"

Jayesh nodded. "Cayde."

"Cayde." Shaw rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm not over him, either. He was our Vanguard. Treated us Hunters really well. Gave us a ton of freedom, favored us. I think he was better than Andal Brask, in his way. And now … no Hunter Vanguard at all. The freaking Dare scares everyone off. Work the job until it kills you. What an offer, right?"

"You're not interested, then?" Jayesh said with a smirk.

Shaw shook his head emphatically. "Hell no. I couldn't work a desk job. I've got to do field work or I'd lose my mind." He drained his glass and refilled it. "What about you? Warlock, right?"

"Yes, but I've only been a Guardian about ten years," Jayesh replied. "Nine and three quarters, anyway. Not much to say. I like books?"

Shaw laughed. "Typical warlock. Study the Traveler and argue about circles, right? Pioneer new Light uses?"

"Or I can do this," Jayesh said. He made a second glass out of Light, filled it from a pitcher made of Light, dropped in Light ice cubes, then pretended to drink it.

Shaw slapped his thigh and laughed. "I know you, now! Didn't you do stand-up comedy down in the City theaters?"

"I worked with a theater troupe for a few years," Jayesh said, grinning. "I didn't tell the jokes, I just made the constructs."

"I spent so much glimmer on those shows," Shaw said. "After the Red War, we all needed a laugh."

"That's why I did it," Jayesh replied. "I wanted to help in any way I could. Just about killed myself healing during the plague winter."

"Maeve helped a lot, too," said Shaw. "I barely saw her that year. Hey, did you know that I'm the one who rediscovered pineapple? I found some out in the Hawaiian archipelago. The historians went nuts, trying to identify it."

"No kidding?" said Jayesh. "Eris Morn obsessed over pineapple. I've tried some. It's all right, but too sweet for me."

There was a pause as they worked on their food. Then Jayesh said, "My fireteam thinks you and I are related."

"I had noticed the resemblance," Shaw said, wiping his hands on a napkin. "Where were you resurrected?"

"The Himalayas, somewhere."

"Hey, me too. Getting back to the City was a hike and a half. Had to beg a ride from a passing jumpship."

"I found a fireteam who brought me in," said Jayesh with a grin. "Boy, was I a blueberry. I pestered the Speaker constantly about the Traveler. I wanted to talk to it so bad, I climbed up into it the night the Red Legion attacked. Probably saved my life."

"That was you?" said Shaw. "The news said you lied."

"I'm not bright enough to make that up," Jayesh said. "If I had, I'd have been much more complimentary. The Traveler talked to me with an avatar, and he made me so mad, I wanted to punch him. Multiple times."

"He?" Shaw said. "I thought the Traveler was a she. The Gardener and so forth."

Jayesh shrugged. "The Traveler may exhibit feminine traits, but it communicated with me in a form I could most relate to. I think it does that with everyone. Kind of a mirror image of yourself, if that makes sense."

Shaw nodded. "It does. So you weren't some lunatic, then. That makes me feel better. It'd be awkward to be related to a nutcase."

"Can our Ghosts find out?" Jayesh asked. "Compare DNA or something?"

"Let's see." Shaw snapped his fingers and his Ghost appeared. "Hey Lance, can you do that?"

"I can try," Lance replied.

Phoenix appeared, and the two Ghosts began with exchanging data in brief pulses of Light.

"Do Guardians have DNA?" Shaw laughed. "After resurrecting so many times, does it matter anymore?"

"Well, I have two kids," Jayesh said. "So … yes?"

"Wait, really?" said Shaw. "You married?"

"To a Guardian from my first fireteam," Jayesh said. "She's off at Acotango with the kids. Light, I miss them."

"Tough break," said Shaw. "I've been married twice, non-Guardians both times. Outlived both of them. Tears your heart out and leaves you lesser. But I can't stand being alone. I'll probably start dating again after the Dawning, see if another girl wants to throw in her lot with a scoundrel like me."

"Scoundrel, eh?" said Jayesh, finishing his beer and switching to tea. "The rumors of street racing are true?"

"Hell yeah," said Shaw. He launched into the intricacies of sparrow modifications and how he only raced at 4 AM, when the roads were empty. "I'll show you some videos of my races once the Ghosts are done. Man, puts the Sparrow Racing League to absolute shame."

"Speaking of which," said Phoenix, as he and Lance flew back down to the table. "We've found that your genetic similarity averages out to fifty percent. That's the accepted range for siblings. If you were cousins, it would be less."

"No kidding?" Shaw exclaimed. He shook Jayesh's hand. "What do you know. What are the odds of brothers becoming Guardians?"

"Very long odds," said Lance quietly. "Phoenix and I noticed that both of you have powerful Light. Perhaps it ran in your family."

"That would be something," said Jayesh, studying Shaw with new eyes. "Do you remember anything about your past life?"

Shaw sat back in his chair, his face suddenly shadowed. After a moment, he said, "When I was a new Guardian, I obsessed about my past life. I almost remembered things. There were these dreams that just … haunted me. There was no Vanguard in those days, just a lot of lightbearers and ordinary people trying to build a city. Some Guardians went and asked for wishes from the Ahamkara. The dragons were all too happy to grant us whatever we wanted, because they knew we'd have to repay them later. We built the City with the strength they granted us. We wished some of the base architecture into being when we lacked the materials to build it. I watched all this, how the big dragons granted big wishes and the little ones could only manage lesser things. So I … I found a young Ahamkara-young and whippy and hungry. His name was Ata. I brought a mirror and wished to see my past in it, leading up to my death."

Jayesh leaned his chin on one hand and listened, intrigued.

"Ata grew bigger," Shaw continued. "That was my first clue that I'd done wrong. Second was my Ghost begging me not to look in that mirror, to smash it. But I looked anyway." He paused and took a long drink. "I smashed it afterward. And I killed Ata. I still wear his bones. He laughs at me."

"What did you see?" Jayesh asked.

"I saw myself," Shaw said slowly. "But I was wearing the furs and leather of people in that region thousands of years ago. I had a younger brother who looked a lot like you. I was playing politics. These priests supplanted our village's leadership. I don't know where they came from. They led me down the merry path, promised me power and riches. But my brother kept getting in the way, pointing out the corruption, making himself unpopular. When they said to kill him, I did." He looked away.

"Did you toss him off a cliff?" Jayesh asked.

Shaw nodded once. Then he looked up, startled. "How'd you know?"

"I remember a little," Jayesh replied. "Dreamed some of it. Falling and hitting the rocks. Everything you're saying makes so much sense."

"Well. I'm sorry, for what it's worth," Shaw said. "It was like watching a movie where the actor had my face. I'm not that man anymore. Neither are you."

"The Light is all about second chances," said Jayesh. "For some reason, it selected us both for this new life. And you know? I'm glad it's worked out this way."

Shaw studied him for a moment. "I wish it hadn't come at the cost of my team. But I gained a brother, so that's something."

"Definitely not nothing," Jayesh agreed. "I'd invite you to our fireteam, but we're waiting on orders to be dispatched to Europa. The inquiry may delay that."

"You're the chumps they picked?" Shaw said, raising his eyebrows. "What, Zavala throws the young teams at unknown threats now?"

Jayesh shrugged. "I don't know why. Maybe we're expendable."

"Or maybe he trusts you," Shaw said, leaning his elbows on the table. "He might think you're capable of meeting the Darkness without it destroying you."

"Maybe so," Jayesh said. "I hope that's the case. Anyway … we should get out there and check on the Drifter's party."

"Right." Shaw stood up and buttoned his coat. "It was starting to snow out there."

Jayesh lifted his own jacket from the back of the chair. It had once belonged to a Hunter. As he pulled it on over his casual pants and shirt, Shaw looked at him oddly. "Why aren't you in warlock robes?"

"I'm not on duty," Jayesh said. "And my good set had Hive muck on them. They're still at the cleaner's."

"You'd make a good Hunter," Shaw said, slapping him on the back.

Jayesh pulled on his hood. "Cayde always said he'd wished I'd been one. He kidded me about it all the time."

"Damn," Shaw said. "I miss Cayde."

They headed out into a vigorous snowstorm and plodded down to the annex. There they found a rowdy party in full swing. Music shook the walls and people were dancing around the Drifter's mote bank, which swirled with sinister Darkness energy. Several Ghosts were acting as lighting rigs, shining colored spotlights around the floor and walls. The Drifter manned a ten foot table covered in various food articles. He held an eclair in one hand and a slice of pie in the other, and was laughing with a group of Guardians in Gambit armor.

Before they could enter, a huge Titan with a red snake glowing across his armor stepped in their way. "Not you," he growled, blocking Shaw's way. "No snitches allowed." He turned to Jayesh. "You go on. Drifter likes you."

"It's fine, I'll stay out here," Jayesh said, taking a quick look inside. There were no Taken. It just looked like a normal, if loud, party. Nell and Grant were dancing by the mote bank, and seemed to be having a great time. The new Guardian, Winona, was cautiously chatting to a team of girls in Gambit armor, who seemed to be trying to talk her into joining a game.

"Looks secure to me," said Shaw. "Hey. Want to see what Hunters do for fun at the Dawning?"

"Do I want to know?" Jayesh asked.

"Sure!" Shaw said. "Look, if you're my brother, you need to get used to Hunter culture. Come on."

He led Jayesh to a supply closet, where he secured a five gallon bucket. He carried it to a bathroom, where he filled it with water. Then he lugged it out to the Tower walk.

"This isn't vandalism, is it?" Jayesh said, trailing behind him doubtfully.

"Nope," Shaw replied. "Just a very old tradition. We did this when the walls were only half built." He carried his bucket out past the buildings, onto the empty wall where there were no lights. He lifted the bucket onto the parapet, tipped it, and poured water down the face of the seventy-story edifice.

"What on Earth?" Jayesh asked, watching the water cascade into the night.

Shaw grinned at him and didn't answer. He carried the bucket back for more water.

After three trips, he stashed the bucket back in its closet. "Meet me out here tomorrow morning," Shaw said. "It's Dawning's Eve and we have a tradition."

"Will do," said Jayesh. He went home, amused and mystified. He also felt less lonely than he had in weeks.