Chapter 10
I wake up to the usual sound of birds chirping from outside the window. Light shines into my room, illuminating the entire space with a warm glow. I walk into the living room and notice Leslie is still asleep on the couch. Poor thing, can't handle her alcohol. I laugh to myself at that thought, and continue to the kitchen to make breakfast. In the middle of making breakfast, Leslie wakes up and stands at the kitchen door, obviously fatigued from the hangover. "What are doing so early in the morning?" I look at the stove's clock, "Its 11:30 in the morning." She just sighs and rubs her eyes. "Oh and by the way, I left you painkillers and some water on the table next to the couch." She nods her head, "Yeah, I saw them. Thank you by the way." I smile and reply, "Finish the glass of water at least. I'll let you know when breakfast is done." She nods slowly and shuffles back to the living room.
"Food's done!" I announce into the living room. She gets up and slowly walks to the kitchen table. I put the two omelets down on the table, along with a small plate of bacon. I set down two glasses and bring out a container of apple juice. She sits at the table and looks at the food before her. The morning light must be blinding her, because it looks like she doesn't have her eyes open. She inhales and whispers, "This all smells so good. I could cry right now." I chuckle as I pour her a glass of apple juice, "Bon appétit." Upon taking a bite of the omelet, she seemingly begins to radiate like a Sunsinger, all while still keeping the sleepy expression on her face.
Over the course of the meal, she begins to slowly wake up. Yet throughout the meal, she looks uncomfortable. Like something is itching to reveal itself inside her. Once we finish eating, I clean up the plates, but leave the glasses if either one of us wanted more juice. I sat back down at the table to see her looking down at the glass of juice in her hands. I swallow my nervousness and ask, "Hey Leslie, you okay? You don't seem…you… today." She continues to stare at the glass, then responds, "I was just trying to find a way to say this without inflicting pain." My nervousness comes back and I wonder what she could be thinking. After a long silence, she finally answers my question. "I want to go on my own for a while." A short silence fills the room, yet it seemed like eternity. Her face is filled with concern and passion. I have little to say.
"What made you decide on that verdict?" She looks back down at the glass, "Because I'm tired of you putting your life on the line for my sake. I don't want to be known as the damsel in distress. I may have gotten stronger since becoming a guardian, but I'm not strong enough to accompany you on your missions. I know we have been through so much during our little time together, but I'd figure if I asked you to let me fly solo, maybe I can convince you to let me do so. I'm not sure how stern you are, but I hope-" I down some juice and reply, "Sure, go ahead. You don't need my permission." I was expecting a sigh of relief from her, or maybe a look of security. Instead I was hit with a face filled with surprised confusion, "What? Are you serious? That's it? No argument for my safety or whatnot?" I Shake my head, "I'm your roommate, not your parent, Vanguard, superior, or anything of the sorts." The look still hasn't wiped from her face, "But-but-but you're supposed be my mentor! You're supposed to be out for my best interest and safety." I laugh, "That's why I'm okay with you going solo. The best teachings happen in the field, not a training room. And also, I'm the last person you should talk to about safety." She slumps back in her chair, sighing from a relieving defeat.
"Did almost dying knock a few screws loose Jason?" said holographic Cayde, projected by Pyro. "Are you serious about letting her go on solo missions after the shenanigans you two have been involved in?"
I sigh, "Yes I know that, but how do you expect her to become a better guardian when she's not getting any fighting experience. In fact, she hasn't unlocked Bladedancer or Nightstalker. She hasn't mastered golden gun to its entirety. I say give her this chance. Send another hunter with her at least then, since you feel nervous." He looks at me with concern. I can tell he's thinking about it critically, since this is one of his hunters we're talking about. "Alright, I got an idea. I'll assign a mentor hunter with her. She's going to do a training camp out in the wild." I smile, "That sounds good. Just make sure you set someone good in case the going gets rough." He nods then ends the live feed. I lay back on the couch and breathe a sigh of relief. There are still parts of me that don't want to do this. I don't want her out somewhere where I can't protect her. At the same time, she can't become better by just being saved by me. This is for the better. I hope.
A day later…
We both stand at the shipyard, awaiting her partner for this camp. I turn to her, "Nervous?" She looks at me and gives me a worried smile, "Of course I am. I have no clue what's in store for me." She exhales, but I can tell she's a lot more nervous than I am. Eventually, her mentor arrived. A Crucible-class ship approaches us and lands. The walkway hisses open and out walks a female hunter. She was slightly taller than average, probably almost 6 feet. She was obviously built, judging by her walk style. Both masculine traits didn't overshadow her femininity. She was hourglass shaped, with strong-looking legs and a thin, muscular core. She was armored in odd-looking gear. This gear looked like it was earned through strikes and raids beaten. Her cloak was white and had gold in its fabric. Her armor was colored black with gold accents. Her boots were covered in bones, signifying that she was wearing the Bones of Eao. She pulled back her hood and took off her helmet. Her dark brown hair flowed past her shoulders. Her eyes were also a dark shade of brown. They were soft but sharp at the same time, like she could give you a tender kiss one second then strangle you the next. She had a slender head, contrasting her build body. Freckles spotted her cheeks, her lips were average sized. Her face was the face of a model, while she looked like she competed in weightlifting competitions. As she walked toward us, her feminine sway slashed with her strong build, but in a good way. She looks like a strong titan and a beautiful hunter had a child with the best genes from both parents. Her eyes pierced mine as she got closer. I have never been more intimidated by a hunter in my life. Leslie saw that I was petrified by her appearance and pouted. She finally reached us and opened her mouth to speak, "My name is Carol Springer, female Hunter. And you are Titan Jason, I presume?" She held out her hand. Her voice was rich but deeper than an average woman's voice. It was strong but delicate. It resembled a good drink after a long, hard day out in the field. I snap out of my hypnosis and reply, "Y-Yes, good to meet you, Carol." I reach out and shake her hand. Her grip was strong and firm.
Suddenly her grip loosened, but refused to let go. I notice that she's looking down. Leslie and I look at each other confused. "Um, Carol?" She snaps up and has a big smile on her face, with tears forming up at her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm just so happy." Our confused thoughts grow more. She lets go of my hand and speaks more, "Can-can you please sign my cloak?" Still confused, I take the permanent marker and sign my name on her cloak, near the left shoulder. She pulls off the cloak and hugs it tight, "I'm never going to wear this cloak again. Everyone will be so jealous." I hand her back the marker and pipe up, "Excuse me, but what is going on?" She finishes changing into a different cloak and explains. "Jason, you don't know?" My look of confusion was sufficient. "You're a famous guardian Jason. You're one of the most famous guardians. It all started on your rise in the crucible, then your mastery of your subclasses, following next your achievements with the Iron Banner, then your conquests against the darkness. You have gained so many fans that idolize you – me included – and you also gained the respect of many fellow guardians as well. You don't realize how many people wanted to be your roommate, but no one got accepted. Then to add fire to the flame, you gained a roommate and everyone heard how you protected her with your life." I whisper to Leslie, "She's bonkers." She nods back and replies, "Yup, totally nuts." She then steps in front of Leslie and stares at her with stars in her eyes. "So how is he as a roommate? Caring, funny, how?" Leslie nervously laughs, "Well, he's nice and tidy. He cooks, cleans, and makes sure everything is organized." Carol smiles wide and exclaims, "Oh what homey qualities. You are so lucky." I clear my throat, "Well then I'd like to introduce you to your trainee, Leslie." Leslie waves, probably because she's scared of Carol.
Suddenly she calms down and swaps from fangirl to commander. "Yes, I am already aware of you Leslie. I'm glad to say that I'm excited to train you." She shakes Leslie's hand, and then turns to me. "As for the mission, we will be out in the wild for an undetermined amount of time. Is that okay with you?" I nod, "As long as both of you return safely and in one piece." Carol smiles, "I will see to that being the only outcome of this mission." We shake hands and Leslie follows Carol back to the ship. I grab Leslie's shoulder before she steps on the walkway, "Hey, don't worry. Carol will bring you back safe. Just focus on training, okay?" She smiles and nods, then walks up the ramp. I take a few steps back and watch as the crucible jumpship leaves the yard.
Sometime later, about two weeks…
My ship pulls into the port after another patrol mission. I gather whatever artifacts and treasure I found and do my routines. I hand whatever golden age tech or weird contraptions to the cryptarch for him to study. I trade useful items and supplies for glimmer and strange coins to the Vanguard. I give Banshee some weapons for him to upgrade my equipment or turn into new weapons all together. I take my payments to Xur, who happen to be there that day, and trade my coins for gear and consumables. After getting all my shopping done, I head home.
I open my door to an empty dorm, again. Every day I expect to see some sign of life in the dorm. Leslie's room is still empty and dark. I check the time and notice it's pretty late. I didn't realize how long I was adventuring through Fallen territory, gathering intel and putting down major figures in the hierarchy. I hadn't realized how tired I was until I took off my armor and sat on my couch. I whip up a quick dinner and go to shower. It's been almost two weeks since I'd seen Leslie. I have no idea of her whereabouts or condition. I never realized that being alone again would be this unsettling. But, it was for her own good. I didn't want to go with her because I would get myself killed. This is my first step at being unselfish. I step out of the shower and put on some sleepwear. I look outside the window and see the Traveler illuminated by the city lights, "How's that for a change big guy?"
The morning was equally as quiet, of course until I got the call. I was eating my breakfast when Pyro hovered up to me in a hurry, "Good Morning Jason, you have an urgent call incoming." I swallow a bit of my food and reply, "Alright, answer." Pyro projects Cayde's image on the table. "Morning Jason, sleep well?" I swallow some more food. "Get to the point Cayde, what is it? Fallen battalion assaulting somewhere they shouldn't be? Or maybe you got some pointers saying the Hive are gathering somewhere?" he shakes his head, "Neither, I have a search mission for you." "Interesting, what exactly am I looking for? Secret bases? Enemy intelligence?" He shakes his head once again, "A missing person." I stop eating. "Missing persons? That's not something I hear every day. Is it someone from the last city?" He shakes his head again, "No, you're looking for a guardian." I listen more intensively as he goes on. "You will be looking for a guardian on Venus, we have lost communications with them and we can't reestablish connections." I put down my utensils, and my breathing gets a bit faster, "How long have they been silent?" "As of now, for about a few hours." I feel nervous from within, " What gave you the idea that they're in trouble?" He reads off a few papers, "There was a distress signal transmitted from the frequency before disconnection." My heart starts to beat faster, "What is the ship designation and pilot name?" He turns to the next paper and continues, "Crucible-class arcadia Jumpship No. BH-7642." My breathing suddenly becomes panicked. My heart pounds against my chest. A feeling of horror envelops my mind. "Distress beacon did not come from the ship, but a ghost. Nicknamed June. Message reads, 'Injured to incapacitation. Mission compromised. Require aid immediately.' Guardian name:…" my entire being is pulled into fear "…Carol Springer."