"Ah hell," The Drifter replied. "The Witness must've broken Eramis out. No wonder House Salvation's scrambling."
"Who's Eramis?" Arizona asked.
"Ah, I keep forgetting," Argonaut rubbed the back of his neck. "Eramis is the Kell of House Salvation. She was the first to harness the powers of Stasis. I'll explain on the way back to the Tower." He pointed at a large Ketch that should've been hard to miss with its colors and length. "That's our ship."
"So, the ship stealer's back in play," The Spider's voice came over the comms. "The artifact she's after…"
"That's the price of her freedom, I bet." The Drifter responded coolly.
"Imagine the resale value!" The Spider cackled. "Do me a favor, Guardians, don't let this clown pilot my ship."
Arizona giggled.
"Come on, now, Spider, I'll treat her like she's my own."
"That's exactly what he's worried about," Arizona couldn't hide her giggle as she said it.
"Hmm…smart, that one."
"She's got a smart mouth too, Spider. Recommend not working with her."
"Hey, I could be much worse. Ghost, take us in."
At the Eliksni Quarters in the Last City, they dropped off Spider. By the time Argonaut and Arizona came back late into the night, the Spider had made himself quite the home. On the outside of one of the half broken buildings was a neon sign of the Spider's house symbol. Inside, music played somewhat loudly from one of the Golden Age radio's.
"The Spider loves his Golden Age crap." Argonaut had informed her before coming here.
The place reminded Arizona of the bar Argonaut and Fae often frequented: loud music, groups of Eliksni standing in corners with drinks in their hands. Arizona barely avoided an Eliksni carrying a large barrel. The Spider sat on what looked like a throne centered perfectly at the back of the large room.
"Be careful with that cargo, or I'll dock you myself!" He warned another Eliksni who struggled to carry a heavy box.
"He's…not always this violent, right?"
Argonaut shrugged and approached Mithrax, Kell of House Light, stationed at the bar counter.
"Not exactly an answer," she grumbled.
"Then it's true. Eramis has broken free. Her name still carried weight. The old crews now rally under her command." Mithrax was the biggest Eliksni around for miles, but somehow this surprised Arizona, despite his title. She had read about how big the Kells could get but this was the first time she ever saw one so close.
A slightly smaller, and much thinner Eliksni shook her head. "The old crews! I've read about them: the Ketchkillers and Skiffblades, the…" she turned to Arizona and Argonaut, "what is the human word?"
Argonaut shrugged.
Arizona tilted her head, "The human word for…?"
"Pirates." The Drifter came out from the darkness with a sly smile and stepped behind the counter. "Eramis thawing out is bad news for sure, and she's looking for something." He reached into hi shirt and pulled out a golden disk that wasn't intricately carved. "But luck's on our side for a change. This little trinket is exactly what we need."
"What is it?" Arizona asked, drawing closer to the object, just as the smaller Eliksni did the same, asking, "What's that?"
"That," the Drifter pulled the object away, "is access, little sisters." His wrist barely moved but the object seemed to release something that made it look like a setting sun. "You hold this key and any door they close we can open if you can find it." He threw the disk to Argonaut and reached underneath the counter, pulling out four glasses and a bottle.
"We must not take the old crews lightly." Mithrax began as the drifter poured a blue liquid in each glass. "The full Vanguard should be rallied to deal with these outlaws."
"Well that's a bad idea. Going after one person with the entirety of the Vanguard, I mean." Arizona leaned against the counter, looking down at the lightened wood. In it she could see The Witness's face. "Your pale heart holds the key." She could hear him say.
"What Arizona means is the Vanguard can't. Commander Zavala will be preparing for Calus's next move." Argonaut said quickly.
"Ikora's Hidden is tracking Eramis, but they stick to the shadows."
The Drifter passed around the drinks. "That leaves us." The liquid was an opaque sky-blue. Arizona watched as Argonaut picked up his drink and lifted it to his nose, and shrugged. She took her glass and swirled the liquid, creating a whirlpool.
The smaller Eliksni said, "Father, we should do whatever we can to help…and there's so much exhilarating knowledge to be gained from these…pirates. They may hold antiquities from the time of the Whirlwind."
Mithrax swirled around his drink as well, looking at the liquid as if it could somehow give him an answer. The drifter put a paper umbrella in a fourth glass and handed it to the small Eliksni.
"Eido, this is more serious than you realize." Mithrax was stern in his voice.
"You ain't wrong. We all know how dangerous Eramis can be." The Drifter leaned against the counter. Finally he looked at Argonaut and Arizona. "It's your call."
Arizona looked to Argonaut. His glowing eyes looked down at the light wood, his eyes searching. His hand clenched and unclenched. "Argonaut, this is your call. You've fought Eramis before. You should be the one to lead the charge."
His eyes finally broke away from the table. He looked up at Eido and Mithrax, and finally nodded. "We have to. We have to go after her."
Arizona smiled and lifted her glass, "Anchors aweigh, Captain. We're ready when you are."
"Took the words right outta my mouth, sister." The Drifter said raising his glass with Eido and Argonaut and the four glasses collided.