There was a hilarious irony in this whole situation, but Cayde-6 didn't feel much like laughing at the moment. His first time out of the Tower in longer than he cared to admit and he had been saddled with Master Rahool, the wettest blanket of them all. He knew Ikora could see all his hopes and dreams squashed the moment she had announced that he wouldn't be going to the City alone. She had taken pleasure in it. Zavala too, that double-crossing Awoken jerk! What had he ever done to deserve such treatment?
Cayde sighed and toggled the jumpseat settings for the Tower shuttlecraft he'd been assigned. Speaking of grievous treatment, this ship looked like it belonged in a museum and approximately zero percent fun to fly.
"Hey, Holliday!" Cayde called over his shoulder.
"Yeah?" Amanda answered. The shipwright was kneeling on the cabin floor with her arm stuck through an access panel into the transport's guts.
"You sure my own ship ain't ready?"
"Depends," she grunted. "Did you want to spiral to your death outta the Hangar?"
Cayde spun the seat around and shrugged.
"At this point, that don't sound too bad."
Amanda gave him a look. It was not Ikora's 'The Look', but it said remarkably the same things. Not nice things.
"You don't got somethin' a little more sleek?" he asked hopefully.
Amanda reached further into the hatch, bracing herself as she began pulling on components.
"Well, sure I do, Cayde!" She grinned sweetly through her exertion. "But they ain't for you."
"Oh, that hurts!" Cayde held up his hands in innocence. "My first jaunt outta the Tower in an Age, and Amanda Holliday is gonna make me drive a tugboat! I thought you knew me better than that."
"I do know you better than that," Amanda sighed, wrenching even harder. It looked like she was having trouble with some sticky components. If she were anyone else, Cayde would have offered to help. Amanda would just laugh at him for asking and swat him something fierce. The shipwright had a mean arm.
"I know better than to give my best ships to a Hunter with cabin fever, that's for sure. 'Specially if that Hunter is you — augh! Dadgum piece of Dreg dung is stuck!" She braced herself again and gave one more savage pull, nearly flying back into the wall. She grinned and held up a bundle of wiring.
"There we go."
She stood up and flipped the access panel closed with her prosthetic foot, stomping on it to seal it flush to the floor.
"Uh, isn't that important?" Cayde glanced dubiously at the wiring in Amanda's hand.
"Yup," she said nonchalantly, walking over to the jumpseat and leaning over the pilot console. The glow from the vidscreens and nav panels lit up her eyes and tousled blonde hair.
"So why'd you rip it out?"
"This here's the override for tracking," she answered him, still working at the console. "It's useful for shuttling City dignitaries around in secret."
"That does sound important."
"Yup. Important for me to have it, and not you."
"Dang."
Amanda finished her programming and stood, crossing her arms over her grease-stained work vest. Cayde swore she knew that when she smiled at him like that he couldn't be mad at her.
"Oh, what are you so sore about, Cayde? Isn't it good enough Ikora and Zavala let you out on your field trip in the first place? They could'a easily sent somebody else."
"I'm beginning to wish they had!" Cayde grumbled. "Amanda, I gotta travel with Master Rahool. Rahool!"
She laughed.
"He's not so bad, is he? I kinda like the Cryptarch."
"Not so bad? Not so bad?" Cayde spluttered. "Let me ask you somethin'. Who willingly stays in the Tower year in and year out? Who hides in those Archives all hours of the day? Rahool, that's who! The man is all business. There's not a ghost of a chance that he's gonna agree to a little bit of R and R while we're in the City. He'll just administer his little test and then want to go straight back to the Tower."
"Sounds like you could learn some of his work ethic." Amanda grinned, toying with the wires in her hand.
Cayde shook his head sadly.
"And here I thought we were friends."
"Keep working on that sulk." Amanda winked at him. "It's almost convincing."
"It is pretty good, isn't it?"
"Be nice, Cayde!" Amanda warned. "Go easy on the poor Cryptarch. Remember: I can override pilot controls so that only he can get you back to the Tower."
"Ha!" Cayde snorted. "Rahool? Fly this thing? That'd be the day. We wouldn't even get off the ground!"
Amanda shrugged.
"Then I guess you'd be hoofin' it back to the Tower."
"You wouldn't dare." Cayde narrowed his eyes at the shipwright.
"Wouldn't I?" She answered cryptically. She moved to the back of the cockpit toward the passenger cabin and the exit.
"You're an evil, evil woman, Amanda Holliday!" He called after her.
"Bon voyage!" She laughed.
Cayde spun the seat around again and sighed. Why couldn't it be Amanda going with him? There was a straight-shootin' gal if he'd ever met one. She would be up for some sightseeing. Maybe he could still convince Ikora to change her mind…
He turned around at the sound of footsteps, hoping it was Holliday returning. The Cryptarch bundled into the cockpit, a leather satchel stuffed to the brim slung on his shoulder and a datapad clutched in his hand. He wore official Cryptarchy garb, a long, light coat over earth-toned trousers. And, despite the day's heat, his ever-present cowl. Yep, Rahool was here to work. They exchanged cool glances.
"Settle in, Cryptarch," Cayde gestured to the cabin. "We've got a spell before we're cleared for takeoff."
"You're piloting?" Rahool asked.
"Of course! Who else?"
From Rahool's expression, he looked like he could name any number of people he'd rather see at the helm besides Cayde. No doubt Rahool thought he was going to make sure the ride was as bumpy as possible. Well, maybe he would if the man kept glowering at him like that! He wondered if Rahool practiced that stare down his big nose in the mirror every morning.
Without further ado, the Cryptarch retreated to the cabin. Cayde put his chin in his hands and stared disconsolately out the cockpit window into the Hangar. This was going to be a long trip.