RDS I-IV
As far as I'm aware there has been no earth based society that accepts all those that live within it. Would the case be the same for The Last City? Perhaps, perhaps not.
With this chapter I hope to explore both sides of the argument, but more critically the why not.
And yes I know this chapter is a mess, but I wanted to get out a lot of information. Which is of course a lame excuse for "I wanted every crappy thing possible to happen all at once."
It's obvious the relationship depicted here would not be accepted in modern day, so more than the plausibility of it's current state in the Destiny universe, I'm interested to know would you the individual accept the choice made here by man and machine.
Glory won through the fires of the Crucible, a phrase and sentiment that reared the flames of competition in some and pain of discontent in others. For the guardians not currently deployed about the solar system battling the Darkness, at least half of their remaining free time had to be dedicated to conditioning and training.
And of course everyone loves that.
Fortunately the current sport being held within Bastion was rather low risk to say the least. A group guardians lounged atop the rectangular ruins of Vex architecture while taking in the view presented by the Martian terrain.
They should have been down in the arena, combating the team matched against them for the day, but it soon became obvious that the opposing team was severely out matched. They were a younger group of guardians randomly assembled by Shaxx in order to receive a bit more combat experience before the Vanguard sent them out into the field for the first time.
Unfortunately Shaxx hadn't paid close enough attention to their opposition, namely the elite fire team member that was on the roster.
The sole Titan of fire team Oxford bounded about the crimson sands of the Bastion like, much her team's disdain, a kid in a candy shop. The Titan didn't even bother to don her rifle as she hunted the younger guardians.
"Should we help?" asked their always optimistic Warlock.
"Who? Tsubaki? I think she's got it covered." one of the Huntresses answered, adjusting herself for more comfortable spot on the terrace.
"I sort of meant the other guardians, Dia." he replied, a slight look of worry now on his face. As if to emphasis his point, the scratchy cackle from the Titan flew across the team's comms.
"They're fine, they knew what they were getting into." Dia added.
"Pretty sure they didn't." said the other Huntress, a splitting image of her twin sister.
"I just feel like we need to give them a fighting chance. Besides they're not going to learn anything like this." the Warlock explained.
"Then by all means Raj, go stop her." Dia replied, her somewhat monotonousness tone making it hard to differentiate between seriousness and sarcasm.
An explosive plume of lighting flashed brightly on the other side of the arena, its force toppling a spire, and its power no doubt obliterated more guardians within its wake.
He could still feel the structure crumbling to the ground as he peered back the Hunter, who was more than likely giving him an amusing expression.
"Raj...Raj? Wait are you that guy?" the other Huntress asked, trying to rack her brain for ways to elaborate.
"Because that's not incredibly vague Ria." the twin sneered.
"Shut up Dia...You're...yeah that's it, you're totally doin' it with an exo, right?" Ria continued.
Even behind his helmet, the accusation had clearly taken the Warlock off guard.
"And incredibly immature." Dia added, receiving a not so heart felt punch from her sister.
"If you mean to say that I am seeing one, you would be correct." Raj answered with confidence.
"So how has that been going for you?" Dia asked, scooting closer to the Warlock and away from her rambunctious twin.
"It has been well." he said simply, wondering whether or not she knew he could hear the slight challenge in her voice.
"And you're content with all of it?" she asked, drawing critical glance from the male.
"Them me rephrase that: you're okay with this? Because I get the odd, and rather confusing feeling that you're settling." she explained.
"What!? I'm not settling for anything, and I find the very thought insulting." Raj fired back.
"Okay, okay...I'm just saying what others have been thinking."
"Others?"
"You may not know it Raj, but a lot of people have seen you with that helmet off, and whether you realize it or not, you are very good looking." Dia purred.
"Uh, thank you?" he replied, honestly unsure of how to take the compliment.
"Well you know how fast information spreads around the Tower...normally I don't think anyone would have paid this any mind, but you're, well you." she said, gesturing at all of him.
"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked.
"You're an extremely attractive, well versed, respected, principled, loyal, considerate, and obviously the least shallow guardian to ever wall the halls." she listed, extending her fingers at each point.
"Do people actually see me like that?"
"Yes, but what bothers quite a few ladies and gentlemen is the fact that you chose an exo, over them." she explained.
"Why? It's not like I was holding some sort of contest. I have no obligation to those you just mentioned." Raj replied as he crossed his arms.
"No, I'm not saying you do, it's just when others get to talking, a ridiculous number of theories can pop up."
"I suppose that's true." The Warlock nodded slowly.
"Granted, I do have an interest in these sorts of anomalous things-"
"Why is it anomalous?" Raj interrupted her immediately.
"You mean besides you turning out to be robo-sexual? "
"Well, I'll have you know that I'm not."
"But to certain degree you are." Dia argued but without too much emphasis on the claim.
"Okay, let's say, hypothetically I am. What then?" Raj asked.
"Don't know…nothing I guess. It's just that some will be a little disappointed." she shrugged.
"Would you be disappointed if I was?" he said very solemnly, grasping the Huntress's full attention.
Even through his Warlock helmet, she could tell his eyes transfixed on hers. Would she be disappointed? That this man found comfort with a machine rather than another human or awoken?
"No...I can't say that I would be." she replied, slowly. "I guess I just found it odd is all."
The Warlock gave her another sideways glance before turning back to field of combat.
"I'm sorry if I offended you, but you can't blame me for being curious." she muttered.
"I'm not mad, I'm just a little upset that Nilanna and I won't always be perceived as normal." he replied with slight slump in his shoulders.
"She has a beautiful name." the Dia reassured him.
"She's a beautiful woman." Raj replied.
"It's just, your whole outlook on this seems so-" the Huntress paused mid-sentence as she watched a lone ghost float past them.
It stopped to look at the duo before reconstructing Ria beside them.
"When did you die?" Raj asked, shocked at what he had just seen.
"When did you leave?" Dia asked, conveying no such emotion.
"Your talking was getting on my nerves, so I split. I killed a couple of scrubs before the bitch RAN ME OVER WITH A TANK!" Ria said, screaming the last part out towards the crucible arena.
"God damn, I said I was sorry." came the voice of their Titan over the comms, before being muffled by gunfire.
"Yeah, I bet." the Huntress grumbled as she upholstered the sniper rifle from her back.
"Uh-" Raj began before Dia stopped him, she gave him small shake of her head before turning back to her sister.
"You know you could have just muted your radio." she spoke.
Her twin froze for a moment, half way to laying prone beside her weapon.
"Shut up." was the only reply she uttered before continuing about her plan for vengeance.
"Right." Dia replied sarcastically. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted." she said as she turned to Raj.
"Technically you weren't." he smiled.
"Whatever. I was saying your situation seems kind of surreal."
"I think its pretty average." He replied.
"Of course you do." she said, almost sneering. "But look at it from a logical third party perspective. What exactly can she provide that...let's say, I can't" she asked, suddenly leaning closer to the Warlock.
"That's a hard question to answer seeing as I don't know you."
"Assume you did, for just as long as she." Dia challenged.
"How am I supposed to simulate that? Knowing you doesn't necessarily mean I'll like you."
"Assume it does." the Huntress replied immediately.
"If you're trying to construct a sequence of events that puts you over Nilanna, then obviously I would like you more. But that's not how it happened; everything you've asked me is more or less irrelevant." Raj explained.
"It feels more like you're dodging the question." Dia said.
"No, I'm not. You just want me say I lust after organic woman." Raj fired back.
"Well do you?"
"Of course I do, but under no circumstance will I give in to it." Raj answered, "Besides I'm far more attracted to Nilanna anyway."
"Are you a virgin, Raj?" Dia suddenly asked.
The Warlock next to her locked up instantly. He slowly turned toward the female guardian, her even tone was making it extremely difficult to get a read on what she was thinking. Although her next line of questioning wouldn't be too hard to figure out based on the answer he gave.
Based on the tid-bits of memories Gato sorted through as he slept, he knew in his past life he did in fact have a child with someone, the who, when, and where were still lost to the decay of time. He knew with that minuscule amount of admittedly circumstantial evidence, that at least his pre-reconstructed body had done the deed.
"Yes." he sighed, as he glanced back at the Huntress.
Taken aback, Dia stared back at the young human. A part of her expected this answer but not with kinds of emotions that where swimming around it. And the reason began to don on her as she began to change out the series of biting comments she had ready for his initial answer.
"Have you not...hold on." she said as she summoned her ghost.
The Warlock couldn't help but notice it looked exactly like Ria's ghost. He heard a small pop of static suggesting Dia had just modified something between they're communication.
"We can hear them, but they can't hear us." she explained, Raj nodded. Thanking her for respecting his privacy.
"So, you haven't tried anything with her yet?" Dia asked.
"No I...it wouldn't matter right now anyway." he said as he looked away from her.
"Well it's no use not telling me, you've pretty much already opened up to a complete stranger." Dia scoffed.
"Thanks for reminding me." Raj deadpanned.
"Don't think about it too hard. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone, anyone." she said, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Even if they're trying to get a rise out of me?" he replied sarcastically.
"Details, details." Dia smirked.
"I know, It's just..."
"Just what?"
"I...you want to help someone close to you achieve something, but at the same time you're not sure if they should." Raj spoke as he looked down, preoccupied with his fingers.
"Well worrying is normal, I'm worried about Ria all the time, but that's mostly because she's an idiot."
"I want to support her, but I want to make sure I'm doing it for the right reasons." Raj continued.
"Well that all depends on whether she's doing this for her, or doing this for you." Dia stated.
"I..." the young Warlock stopped for a moment.
She said she wanted to feel as he does, to want him like he did, to somehow legitimize their relationship. Raj didn't know how much of a change she would have to go through in order to achieve this, but it seemed as if it would be enough. But shouldn't he trust her? Nilanna is a very level headed person; she wouldn't do something that would somehow compromise a core part of her...would she?
But he had to consider that this is unfamiliar ground for her, even if she goes about it as rationally as possible. But is her need for a new level of sensation truly necessary? She certainly thought so.
"She's doing it for us." Raj answered.
"You don't sound too convinced of that yourself."
"I don't? I should, I have the utmost faith in her."
"Maybe you do, but that doesn't change the fact that you believe you have no idea what you're doing."
"What?"
"I'll explain on the trip back to the Tower, because right now Shaxx is probably pissed that my sister just shot our mvp."
No sooner had she said that did the rumble of the Titan's voice roll across their comms, destroying Dia's override in the process. And as she predicted, he was not happy. Partially due to the friendly fire but mostly because of the team's willingness to let a single guardian do all of the work.
Unfortunately the warp back to the Tower was even more stressful as Dia laid out what she knew of he and Nilanna. Which was quite a bit as it turned out.
Despite Ria's interruptions she told him what others had said about them. About what she saw as an abnormal sexuality, and why even Raj couldn't rationalize his attraction to the exo.
Granted he did pose his side of the argument quite often, and the Huntress did commend the young human about have such a selfless love. But she would also point out it was just that, and as such reasoned that the relationship was slightly one sided.
Raj of course disagreed, claiming all the proof she would need would be presented when she saw the exo in question.
And that certainly wasn't too far from the truth as they made landfall, teleporting into the Tower's main court yard as their jump ships flew an automated path into the hanger.
Their search did not last long as they found Nilanna already engaged in conversation with another guardian near the vaults.
And he was a tall one at that, the exo stood nearly a head over Nilanna. Not only that there was something familiar about him, but the young Warlock couldn't immediately place what.
"Raj." the crimson Huntress greeted as the duo approached, she flashed a static yet anxious glance at the awoken next to Raj, prompting him to speak.
"This is Dia Topaz, she was one of my teammates in the Crucible today." the Warlock spoke.
"It's a pleasure, I've heard quite a bit about you." Dia said as she extended her hand.
"Well, knowing Raj, hopefully not too much of it was an exaggeration." Nilanna replied, returning the hand shake.
"Interesting, who's your friend" Dia asked.
"III-00." the low and slightly mechanical voice of the exo bellowed, it tone was as even as Dia's.
"Wait, you're-" Raj realized before he was loudly interrupted.
"TRIPLE I!" Tsubaki squealed as she bounded up to the group, sweeping the larger exo off his feet in fierce bear hug.
"Greetings, I take it you were successful in the Crucible today." the male exo said, completely unfazed by the Titan's actions.
"Forget that, how was Venus? You were gone for like a month." she said as she put him down.
"How did she do that? He weighs more than me." Nila whispered to the other two guardians, to which they both shrugged.
"I hope my best friend hasn't been too boring." Tsubaki beamed, giving him another hug.
"No, uh not at all." Nilanna chuckled uneasily.
"We are not best friends." III corrected.
"Sure we are." the Titan replied, obvious to his repulsion.
"Reins had something for us to do upon your return, we need to report to him soon." the male exo informed her.
"What? But I just got back." Tsubaki complained.
"Yes, can you imagine my disappointment." III grumbled as he began to tread away.
"Hey! I heard that." Tsubaki laughed as she followed him, giving the remaining guardians a wave goodbye.
"So that was kinda weird, right?" Dia asked as the couple nodded in response.
"Weirder than us?" Raj added, giving the awoken a critical glance.
"Not quite, you guys want to hit the bar? I need a drink." Dia replied, seeming to have ignored him.
"Uhhh..." the couple said in unison as they gave each other a skeptical look.
The functioning freight ship turned lounge acted as one of the tower's neutral meeting grounds for not just Hunters but all guardians despite their traffic coming in larger numbers. It sported comfortable atmosphere allowing guardians to rest and unwind after time spent in the field. No one is sure exactly when an unknown city patron began to serve food and drinks, and not many cared since it was served 24/7. So just like that one of Holiday's abandoned projects became a highly recommend place of relaxation and cheap beer.
What wasn't so obvious was why the couple decided to follow the awoken Huntress into the dim lights of the lounge. He didn't feel up to a drink and she couldn't drink even if she wanted to. Then again something must have nagged the Warlock enough to want a conclusion to their argument.
"So how long have you to known each other?" Dia asked as they sat in one of the newer booths.
"Why are we here exactly?" the exo asked ignoring the initial question, instead directing her query at the human who only shrugged. The exo couldn't help but respond with an apprehensive glare.
"Because I figured out something you've been trying to keep quiet, and because your boyfriend basically told me your biggest short coming." Dia smirked.
"And that would be?" Nilanna challenged as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"You're under the impression you two can't have sex." Dia replied with a confident look.
"I didn't say that at all." Raj defended, when Nila shot him a glare.
"You didn't have to; it was written all over your face." Dia said, "You know he's terrible liar, right?"
"I am painfully aware of that fact." Nilanna replied with a sarcastic nod.
"Then I guess you know that not too many people like you." Dia said as the bar tender placed a drink in front of her.
"I haven't sensed too much of a change in those around me, but I figured as much." the exo replied.
"Wait, would do you mean people have changed?" Raj asked.
"You know exactly what she means Raj, we were discussing earlier." Dia spoke before taking a sip at the froth in her glass.
"What? That you think there are people jealous of Nilanna?"
"You can't tell me you haven't noticed Raj." Nilanna said.
"I...well now that you mention it we have been a bit more open about our relationship." Raj said sheepishly.
"Don't worry, I already explained it to him since he seemed to be oblivious to his own attractiveness." Dia said with a roll of her eyes. "So he's already told me why he likes you, but I'm curious to know if the feeling is mutual."
Nilanna paused for a moment, debating how to answer the question which drew a rather concerned expression from the Warlock.
Its true Nilanna said she liked him, but the term love was still foreign to her at best.
Beneath the table, Raj slip his hand into hers, bringing the luminous eyes of the exo to look at his. She knew she liked the human before her, but defining why was still a self-appointed challenge for her. But at this point such answers where becoming much more trivial.
Raj was hers, mind, body, and soul simply because he said he was, and the longer they were together the more she began to believe that perhaps she was his as well.
The exo was quick to notice the anxious look on his face, even now he was worried that she might not accept all of him.
"Well that's preposterous." Nila thought as her free hand made its way around the back of his neck.
She could easily sense the slight tremble of excitement Raj emitted when they intimate, a joyous vibe that never seemed to subside or dull when they were close.
Nilanna didn't have to lean in much since Raj was more that eager to meet her half way as flesh and metal meet in harmonic caress between two souls.
The kiss only a lasted brief moment much to Raj's disappointment, as Nilanna turned to address the awoken.
"Yes it is mutual."
While the Warlock bathed in the moment, the exo paused to gauge the reaction of the other Huntress. If her still somewhat rudimentary understanding of psychology within human and awoken relationships was correct, she should have both answered the woman's question and broadcast a clear message that Raj was off limits.
A thought she didn't even have to be organic to know had crossed Dia's mind more the once already.
The exo was never one for being possessive in the context of such superficial matters, but seeing the direction the events of day pointed her, she began to get the feeling she couldn't avoid complete apathy on the subject for too much longer.
But Dia only chuckled as she took another sip of her drink.
"I'm glad you two are getting along, I'm just intrigued by how you to are getting along." Dia spoke.
Raj was quick to narrow his eyes at that comment, he knew what was coming next.
"Objectively you two are...quaint I should say." Dia continued.
"That's certainly not how you put it when we discussed it earlier." Raj grumbled.
"You think we shouldn't be together don't you?" Nilanna said, her voice beginning to fill with dread.
"What? No, not at all." Dia backpedaled when she noticed the exo's change in demeanor and the fact that Raj was currently giving her a rather venomous glare.
"Look I'll admit you two are odd, but I'm absolutely fine with it. I mean love is blind right?" Dia said offering the couple a smile.
"I suppose that's fair, I can't expect everyone to 100 percent okay with us." Nila nodded.
"Although you should probably keep your guard up for another reason." Dia said with a chuckle. The exo's only reply was a curious look.
"Not only are you human and exo," Dia explained, "You've got one of the...how should i say..."
"Apparently I'm still 'hot' right?." Raj said sarcastically, complete with air quotes.
"Damn right, you are tasty." Dia purred.
Both Nilanna and Raj stared at her like she'd grown a second head before the Huntress noticed she had already finished her glass and was working on another. As to when that happened, she had no idea but it was also painfully obvious that Dia couldn't hold her liquor.
"Dia, are you gonna be okay if we leave?" the Warlock slowly asked.
"Yeah yeah, Ria will probably come get me." Dia shrugged.
"But never mind that, serious question: how do you guys plan on doin' it?" the awoken smirked as she make an "o" with her left hand and proceeded to thrust a finger from her right into it repeatedly.
"Wow, this is how you are when you're buzzed." Raj said giving her lop sided yet still shocked look.
"Yep." she replied as if it was obvious, while taking sip from her second glass.
"Look I've got nothing against the whole interspecies thing, but somewhere along the line I would need something inside me, preferably a dude." Dia slurred slightly.
"Fascinating." Nilanna said, her eyes wavered as she scanned the awoken's biometrics. "I've never seen another guardian be affected by alcohol so fast."
"This shouldn't really surprise me at this point; my entire day has been this irregular." Raj commented.
"I does certainly seem that way." Nila agreed.
"Maybe we shou-" Raj began before they heard a soft thud in front of them. The awoken in question had fallen unconscious, drink still in hand.
"I'm going to assume she shouldn't have had any alcohol to begin with." Nilanna concluded.
Raj only nodded in agreement.
"You know, I don't like to think about it, but maybe we should prepare to receive criticism from other guardians." Nilanna spoke softly.
"What? No, I don't think we should take what she said too seriously." Raj replied.
"I don't think she was exaggerating Raj, maybe we sh-"
"No, I'm not going to let one person's opinion change what's between us." Raj interrupted.
"I know, I know, it's just..."
"Besides, we haven't been discriminated against yet." Raj continued, "I mean I haven't..." He looked at the exo with concern.
"No...I haven't...at least not yet." Nila offered him a smile.
"Then what are we worried about?" Raj chuckled.
"Maybe somethin' and maybe nothin'." Ria sneered as she approached the table.
The exo looked startled for a moment as she glanced at the awoken, she looked like perfect clone of the Huntress before them.
"Annnnd this is what happen when you give my stupid sister beer." the awoken added as she lifted Ria, draping her arm over her shoulder, stabilizing her.
"Hey Ria what's up?" Dia laughed using her free hand to poke her sister's cheek.
"You're an idiot." Ria frowned as she began to walk her sibling out of the lounge. The couple followed her out, and although nether would admit it, both were now a little apprehensive of doing so hand in hand.
"Sorry about this Raj, I probably should told you that under no circumstances should she be given alcohol." Ria explained.
"It's fine, she wasn't too much trouble." The Warlock replied with a weak smile.
There was a brief pause before the awoken spoke again.
"My sister probably told you I'm not one for clever ideas, but I like to think I'm just as observant." Ria began as they entered the hangar.
"Every society has had something, that at the time, is considered not normal, or weird. Even this community of soldiers we live among has them. The trick isn't learning to deal with it, it's how to go about doing it. Because if you want to continue on with your head held high, you don't have a choice."
Both Nilanna and Raj were struck speechless by the brutal relevancy of her words, full of emotion, but still true.
"If you're curious as to why Dia was so interested in you two, it's because we're a pair a strange ones as well." Ria said as she summoned her ghost.
Raj began to speak before seeing the fainted traces of a transmat.
"We both share the same ghost." she revealed before she and sister disappeared in small puff of blue dust.
"That was...cryptic." Nilanna said after a few moments, giving the Warlock a skeptical glance. He couldn't help but laugh a little as spoke.
"Good lord it has been a day and a half, you want to just turn in for the night?" Raj asked as they made their way back toward the courtyard.
She wanted to laugh along with him, but after what was just discussed she had to be sure. She had to know, if not for her sake but Raj's.
So she listened.
...hey look it's those two, the one like Carol and...
...bitch, one of the few decent guys around here and she just...
Nilanna didn't want to believe it, but as she began to reallocate more power and processing to her auditory panels, the ridicule came in strong and clear.
...shut up, she got her man fair and square, your just mad cause you ain't her...
...that guy must be desperate...
...like how does that even work-OW, what? I'm just asking...
These whispered couldn't have just started today, how could she have not noticed? What about Raj, even with her enhanced hearing, he too should have at least heard a few.
His hand brushed across hers and she recoiled instantly.
"Nila?" the human asked with a worried expression evident upon his face.
"I'm sorry Raj, sorry..." she sighed as they stopped atop the first set of steps to the North Tower.
"I wasn't trying to push you way, I was just thinking about what Dia said." she explained as she sat down, Raj quickly followed suit.
"Really? I'm more hung up on what Ria told us." he shrugged.
But before the Huntress could respond, she was bumped by a passerby.
"Sorry." the Titan quickly apologized as he turned to face the couple, but is face fell moments after he gazed upon them.
This did not go unnoticed by either of the offended party, nor did the look the Titan's partner was giving them.
"Watch where you're sitting." he sneered, but before he could spit at them again the Warlock beside him stepped forward with an accusing finger.
"Normally I'm not one to judge, but why the hell are you with an exo?" she asked.
"Why the hell do you care!?" Nilanna snapped first, surprising both Raj and herself. Despite her insecurities, it seemed gynoid could tolerate insults aimed at her back. But seemed curiously unable to put up with them when aimed towards her and the one she cared for the most.
Odd, the very topics that haunted her nightmares now turned into fuel for her fire. Her code never implied a quick temper, occasional moodiness yes, but not anger that flared this fast.
"Because it's kind of pathetic really." the Titan answered, his voice betraying not a single emotion.
"I get that when you are revived you may have lost some of the minds social skills and etiquette. But it's those sorts of things that can be relearned instead of clinging to the artificial personality of a machine." he continued.
"And how do you know that's the case? You've never even met me." Raj frowned as he stood to face the opposing guardian.
"I don't need to know you, the sight of it is enough, and what I see disgusts me. You are a betrayal to not just those of organic origin but to your own species. You squander your ability to reproduce among a people that have literally been pushed to extinction." the Titan explained.
"Don't even try that, we are soldiers resurrected to protect the city, not repopulate it." the exo snapped.
"Of course you wouldn't understand it's not an option for you." the female Warlock cut in.
"You make it seem like a requirement." Raj said as he crossed his arms, prompting Nilanna to stand as well.
"Shut up kid, you know full well you've stepped within an ethical gray area." the Titan replied.
"And those are your grounds to criticize him?" Nilanna growled
"Of course it is, even as an exo you should be in agreement with me. I respect your race as equals but not when you ignore reality. What reason do you have to be with someone as incompatible as a human? How is it even possible for you to have cognitive capability to be attracted to him?" the Titan sneered as he bore down on the Huntress.
"And a better question, why are you attracted to machine? What, were none of the Frames available?" the female Warlock scoffed.
"Is that what everyone truly thinks..." Raj spoke quietly, throwing everyone expect his fellow Warlock off guard. Clearly the other Warlock's words where one jab too many for the young human.
"You're not the first person to claim that I'm only attracted to her because she's a machine." his voice trembled as he looked down.
"That's sure as hell what it looks like, and such a waste to." the woman said as she bumped her elbow against the Titan next to her, looking for some sort of agreement.
Instead she got a shake of his head.
"Look man, you've got to think a bit about what this looks like from another point of view." the Titan offered.
"Maybe he doesn't care about what others think, have you ever thought of that?" Nilanna spoke as she placed a comforting hand on Raj's shoulder.
"No." the female Warlock said sternly before turning to scowl at the Titan. "And what's with you Botell? You went from bashing them to agreeing with them?"
"I'm not agreeing with them, it's just been a rough day, and feel as though I snapped at them unjustly." the Titan explained.
"Well I don't." the female Warlock huffed.
"Why not? It's not as if we purposely tried to offend you." Nilanna growled.
"But you're still wrong." replied Botell.
That slapped a very uneasy look upon Raj's face as his gaze snapped back up to the Titan.
"I can tell you're young guardian, so I'll say this once: relearn how to interact properly with those closer to your own species before you forsake those specifically evolved to be compatible with you." Botell commanded before turning to the exo.
"Stop leading the kid on, I have it on good authority that exo possess no form of coding, sub-routine, or any kind of autonomous self-editing program that involves the physical attraction of humanoids. You possess nothing that simulates hormones, not even in the special edition or modified models." the Titan explained.
"And in the extremely unlike event you did somehow install it, lay off, you're stifling the kid." Botell finished, giving the couple a dissatisfied look. He motioned for his compatriot to leave with him, but she held up a single finger, beckoning him to wait a moment.
"When you come to your senses, no girl is going to take you seriously because you're with it." the Warlock snarled. "Which I image will be soon because I can only assume the sex you two are having is divine." she jeered.
The Titan snorted at her comment before she followed him past the Special Orders booth and out of sight.
"Well, that hurt." Nilanna sighed as she fell back upon the steps with a light clank. She glanced at Raj as he sat beside her.
Before a another word could even exit her mouth, his was against hers. He grasped the small of her back as he leaned into her.
At first the exo was caught off guard, but it soon dawned on her what he wanted: security, care, and confirmation that he wasn't alone.
That she wasn't alone.
He had truly been rattled by the words that were thrown at him today. And an even greater concern was that fact that is was Raj who seemed to affected the most by this and not her.
"Raj." she whispered as she gently pushed him back. It was odd to see him, the always happy-go-lucky Raj, cling to her like that. In fact it scared her a bit.
"Are you okay?" she asked, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"You know I love you, right?" the almost pathetic look on his face moved something within her. What it was she couldn't quite say, but something did move.
"If only I had 3 glimmer for every time you've told me that." she chuckled.
"And yet I feel as though I don't say it enough." he offered a weak smile.
"Well you do Raj, enough for you to come parts shopping with me." she said as she gave him a small peck on the forehead.
He light up immediately, and she rolled her eyes in amusement. It still took very little effort to cheer him up.
"Really!? I can go with you this time?" he beamed.
"Yep." she nodded as they stood. "I'm thinking of trying to shed a little weight."
"Wait, why?" he peered at her inquisitively, not even noticing how easily her hand slipped into his.
"Not because of you." she teased. "I wanted to replace some of my upper body with the carbon fiber plasteel hybrid some Titans have been using recently.
"I can't believe I don't know this already, but what are you made of again?" Raj asked abashedly.
"I lot of different things, but the majority of my armor, er I guess my skin? That's made of a titanium alloy that's combined with some Golden Age metal." she explained as they stepped on the freight elevator that lead to the dorms.
"Should you really replace that?" the Warlock asked.
"I can, we have materials that can replace it now, plus it's heavy as hell. With my gear I weigh at least 250 kilos."
"Really, I've never noticed." Raj smirked.
"Your shielding usually mitigates some of it." the Huntress said, sounding a little ashamed.
But the Warlock only shrugged. "I'm not sure why, then again my Light is a little finicky sometimes."
That comment only rewarded him with a roll of her eyes as the elevator stopped on Nilanna's floor.
"C'mon Raj I need a little help anyway, we to check over the parts I maybe replacing." as she spoke she couldn't help but notice the bounce that was now in his step.
"This isn't cuddle time Raj, actual work needs to be done." the exo grumbled.
The human slumped immediately. And given the day's events, that was something Nila couldn't bear to see at this moment.
"Ah, one of the motor controllers in my hips has been bothering me." she lied, "maybe you can take a closer look at when we're done."
She knew it wouldn't take long for a smile to creep across his face again, since he discovered his new found talent for handy work, it always perked him up when he got to tinker with something mechanical, especially if it was her.
She wouldn't readily admit it but the words of Botell and his friend still wore one her mind. So right now, in this moment: a happy Raj was the best kind of Raj, and it was certainly the Raj that she needed.
Edit v1.1 Special Thanks to CurrySmuggler