Merry Christmas, Readers!
Lanna is the first to break away from the group, quickly making for the exit, but Mehki is hot on her heels with Jericho trotting slightly to catch up before trailing behind them. The trio quickly moves through the hall that housed Shaxx, and up the stairs to the plaza. It wasn't until they were out in the open that Lanna finally began to slow and eventually stop.
The blonde whips around to face her newest apprentice, flat lips curling slightly at their corners. Mehki clearly isn't expecting that after her previous posture and offers her a sheepish smile in return just as Jericho reaches the group. They all let their gazes meet at least once or twice before the silence is too much for the woman.
"Sorry for rushing out of there so fast. Andal gives me the creeps, staring at me like he wishes I was one of his Hunters or something." She huffs with a small laugh, her gaze shifting to Jericho for a moment before landing back to Mehki. "Nice to finally get a word out to you. You'll find that Osiris likes to hear the sound of his own voice if you haven't already noticed that. I'm eager to begin your training, but Osiris was right when he said it's a tad too late to head out today. You aren't equipped enough to spend a night out in the hot zone."
"I noticed that fairly quick," Mehki replies with a small chuckle, pleasantly surprised that his mentor would be so easy to get along with. " and I'm excited to begin training in the morning. If what Osiris said was true, it appears that you've offered your place to me for the night, Jericho?"
"That's right. I've got a pull out bed couch that should do you just fine. The shower is open as well. We can talk about dinner once we get settled, plus you're probably going to need something a bit more comfortable than your armor to sleep in." Jericho's voice was a bit higher pitched than Mehki had anticipated, something very different hidden in the tone, but the Warlock pushes past his curiosity.
"It's nice to come across such great hospitality. Not a lot of people would do such a thing from my time, or at least the pieces that I can remember. So, Lanna, I guess Jericho and I will see you in the Hall of Guardians tomorrow?" He watches her give a short nod before turning his gaze to Jericho. "I can just follow you, or tag along or whatever you want to do."
"I live here on the tower, we just need to take an elevator down and we'll be there in no time. So, where did Osiris find you at? If you don't mind me asking that is." Jericho begins to lead the way to his home, the first few steps were slow as he waits for Mehki to fall into step with him.
"The middle of a desert. If I had to guess, from my memories, it was somewhere in Egypt. I haven't heard my last story from my Ghost yet, but I was going to wait until I was a bit more educated in this new world beforehand. Khepri mentioned that it was not a pleasant memory."
"Middle of a desert, huh? That's gotta be rough, good thing Osiris was there, or you'd have had a shit time getting to the Tower on your own." Jericho passes a glance to Mehki briefly before stopping in front of a set of metal doors. His left-hand moves to the wall beside the doors to press the only button available to take them down. "I remember my last story, wasn't pretty either. Most Guardians choose not to even hear it at all. It can really fuck someone up."
The pair slips into the elevator as the doors slide open, practically standing on either side of the room, but facing each other, with their backs to the walls. Jericho presses the next button on a long list of numbers, which Mehki could only assume would bring them to the floor they needed. Mehki lets his gaze shift to the floor indicator, noting that it was very slowly moving from highest to lowest, meaning they had a short while to sit here and awkwardly stare at each other until someone spoke.
"Sooooo," Jericho finally gives in, breaking the awkward silence as his arms folded over his chest casually. "What subclass did you fit?"
"Subclass? You mean the powers from the light?" Jericho nods to answer the question, and Mehki continues. "Fire. That is all I know of it."
"Ah, a Sunsinger! I chose solar as well, but my subclass is named differently than yours. I'm a Sunbreaker. It's pretty fuckin' sweet. I get to swing around a flaming hammer, and throw it at people who piss me off." The Titan gives a grin, followed by a laugh that practically melts the Sunsinger where he stands.
Mehki cant help but notice how odd he found it that this man was so attractive in his eyes. While he acknowledges that it's perfectly acceptable, it's just strange that the sudden urge to flirt presented itself. While he did remember that he was quite the flirt in his past life, he didn't exactly remember any relations with men. Was this something new? Quite honestly, it didn't seem to bother him, but he hardly knew this man, and he was kind enough to offer Mehki a place to stay. No need to make potentially unwanted advances and ruin his chance at a good nights rest.
"That's actually pretty neat, and I'm sure not a lot of people try to stir the pot around you. When I first saw you in the Hall of Guardians, I won't lie, I made a mental note not to get on your bad side. I'm now coming to realize that it was a very good mental note to make." Mehki adds his own laugh, eyes shifting to the side as the elevator slows to a stop.
"Haha oh, that's great, but give yourself some credit. Warlocks are a force to be reckoned with. Those fucking fusion grenades you guys carry are brutal in the crucible. One of those will even eat through my armor in an instant and put me down for the count." He pauses, moving to step out of the elevator and into the long hall of doors that awaited them. "Warlocks are fucking brilliant too. You guys have mastered the ability to self-revive without the assistance of your Ghost. There is no other Guardian class that can achieve that. You'll find all this out soon enough."
As Jericho suddenly stops, Mehki damn near runs into him. He had been attempting to process all of what Jericho was stating about his class, and not paying attention to where he was walking. Thankfully he had stopped in time, and instead stood uncomfortably close to the Titan while he fished through his keys to find the correct one and unlock the door. Thankfully he didn't have to stay like that for long, as the Sunbreaker easily plucked the correct key from the ring and shoved it into the door, which swung open just seconds later.
"Alright, you'll be camping out in here for the night. Quite honestly, you can stay as long as you need to. From what I hear, Tower housing is pretty tight at the moment, and anything in the city requires you to buy it. Save up your glimmer, pay a small bit for rent, food, and whatnot and we'll call it even." Are the first words out of Jericho's mouth as he ushers Mehki in and closes the door behind them. "I'm gonna get you some sweats and a tank top, but you're not getting any undies from me. Sorry."
There was that laugh again, the cocky grin that followed the words from his lips. Mehki has to bite his lip to prevent himself from being too friendly. Instead, he turns his gaze to the different objects around the home before looking back to the Titan.
"I appreciate the offer, I may take you up on that if you're sure it won't be an issue." Is his first response, still hiding the sudden flush in his heated cheeks as he eyes the couch. "I'd feel a little uncomfortable giving my undies to a strange man too, so I don't blame you there. However, the sweats and tanktop sound like a dream. Thank you."
Hazel gaze follows Jericho down the hall, the Titan's chuckle bouncing off the walls as he wanders into a room for a brief moment. He emerges a few minutes later with a bundle in his hands. A towel, some sweats, and that tank-top.
"Bathroom is down here, go ahead and wash up first. Your Ghost and I will get to know each other a little bit and get you some food ordered. Chinese sound alright with you?"
"Uh, yeah. That'll be fine. I'm not picky." Mehki responds, turning to head down the hall where Jericho stood. As the tower of goods is offered, Mehki holds his hands out so that they can be placed in his custody. "I'll be out shortly. Thank you again."
"No problem, we'll be in the kitchen when you're done."
The bathroom door closes behind him quietly, his hand carefully clicking it shut so that it did not make its typical sound. New environments often did this to some, making them nervous about using any items unlike they would their own. With the door secured behind him, he lets his gaze trail around the bathroom. It was standard, a shower, a toilet, and a sink. Good enough for anyone really. After a once over, he places his items on the counter and begins the process of trying to undress.
These robes were fucking impossible, to be honest. They had a thousand different buttons, with just as many zippers. He spends a solid five minutes trying to figure it out before he cracks the bathroom door enough to poke his head through.
"Khepri? Might I borrow you for a moment?" His gaze darts to Jericho, who is giving him a curious look and all Mehki can do is offer a nervous smile before disappearing back into the room.
"Oh! That's right. I apologize, I forgot that you were still outfitted in your armor." Khepri chirps, suddenly appearing in the room even when Mehki had closed the door.
"You are so lucky I don't have to pee because you literally would have scared the piss out of me!" Mehki huffs out, eyes flickering to the Ghost. "Anyways, yeah. I can't figure out how to get it off, is there some kind of trick to it?"
"Indeed there is!" Is the Ghost's chipper response.
Just as the words leave the Ghost's metaphorical mouth, the weight of the armor lifts away, leaving only small specks of glowing matter to hover his form for a moment. Thankfully there was such a thing as under-armor, and he was not left standing stark naked in front of a machine who probably knew more about him that he did at that moment in time. Yeah, that would have still been pretty embarrassing.
"Thanks, Khepri, I can manage from here. I'll also remember that for next time so that I'm not struggling to take something off that is literally impossible to do." He huffs, using his hands to shoo the ghost away.
With the Ghost finally gone, he's finally able to turn to the shower and run the water at a perfect temperature. After stripping the under armor away, he finally feels the rush of water over his back for the first time in a very long time. To be honest, it was one of the best feelings in his opinion. After standing under the water for a solid five minutes, he turns his attention to the nearest bottle of shampoo. He didn't exactly have his own toiletries, and so would use as little of Jericho's as possible in hopes that the man didn't mind. The scent of Jericho's items were strong, but at least they weren't flowery or anything. That would be just what he needed, smelling like a fucking rose. No, thank you.
He quickly washes himself up, watching the little specks of the Egyptian sand spiral down the drain as the water and soap cleans him up. Not wanting to take too much longer, or potentially use all of the hot water, he shuts the water down. Being careful not to drip too much water on the tile floor, his hand reaches out to snag the towel and he gets to work drying himself off. After ruffling the towel through his hair a few times, he lays it on the floor to soak up some of the water while he dresses. Awkwardly, he pulls the sweatpants up around his waist, quickly tieing it off as tight as he could. That would be just what he needed, the pants coming loose and him showing off his manhood to Jericho.
A mental note to pick up boxers as soon as possible is made as he leans forward to cast a glance up to the mirror. A young man with dirty blonde hair stares back at him, hazel gaze shifting over his features with careful precision. If memory served correct, he didn't look much different than he had before. Aside from being slightly more well built, he looked exactly the way he remembered. He can't help but wonder if he had a significant other in his earlier life because damn did he think he should have.
After annoyingly admiring himself for a moment longer, he turns away from the mirror to tug the tank top over his head and shove his arms into their according slots. A brief pick up of his mess in the bathroom leaves it practically as he found it before he dares to push open the door and wander into the initial room he had arrived in.
Khepri is keeping himself busy by wandering the home and inspecting literally everything his eye could find, but Jericho is nowhere to be found. There's a furrow of his brow as he wanders a bit further, craning his neck around to try and peer into the kitchen.
The scuff of a foot on the carpet just behind him has him wheeling around, eyes immediately falling upon the hulking man standing just feet away with a towel ruffling through his own hair. Mehki's throat tightened, but he refrains from letting out the yelp of surprise. The look in his eyes is enough to cause the Titan to pause, glancing around as if there was some form of threat around the corner.
"What, somethin' wrong?" Is asked.
"Jesus Christ you scared the shit out of me." Mehki sighs in exasperation, his hand falling over his chest as if that movement alone will slow his hammering heart.
"Oh, whoops. Guess I forgot to mention that I would probably jump in the shower too after ordering food. I've got another bathroom in my room, the one you're using used to be my... uhm ex-roommates." He stumbles over the word, which is Mehki's first warning sign that the man was lying to him. "I also turned his old room into a kind of storage, but I'll get that cleaned up and you can bunk in there after a few nights. The couch is the only option for right now."
Mehki could see by the way that Jericho refused to meet his gaze, and how he had stumbled over those words that Jericho was lying, or at the very least, not speaking the full truth. Ex-roommate his ass, wait, that could be taken literally. Let's not go there Mehki.
"I, uh yeah. It's all good though." Holy fuck he was ripped, even without that armor on, those arms could easily lift a fucking car with no problem. "As for the room situation, I don't mind. Really. It's much better than being left where I was found." Mehki is attempting to keep a calm conversation going, but it was getting hard to focus with so many things running through his head. Luckily, Khepri comes to the rescue.
"Sorry to interrupt, but the food has arrived. I took the liberty of depositing it on the table, Eve was a doll and brought out some beers for you two while also setting the table."
"Eve?" Mehki asks curiously, eyes shifting to Khepri before toward the kitchen in search of this Eve chick. "And I'm not twenty-one. I cant drink, I don't think."
"Eve is my Ghost," Jericho responds with a small laugh, "and you don't have to be twenty-one to drink if you're a Guardian. You must drink within reason on your off-time, but you're not going to have any issues with the authorities for drinking."
"Oh..." Mehki replies, feeling slightly stupid. It would take him some time before he remembered that Guardians all had Ghosts and that his was not the only one. His gaze follows Jericho as the Titan shifts into the kitchen. With the offset of the airflow, a waft of something delicious meets his nose seconds later. That would be dinner, and it was making his stomach sing sweet melodies as if to win over some broad in a tower. Without hesitation, he trails behind the Titan and takes the only other seat available.
"If you require anything throughout the night, simply have Khepri reach out to me and I will ensure you're taken care of." An unfamiliar and very feminine voice calls out, pulling Mehki's attention up to a light teal colored Ghost.
"Right, I will. Thank you, Eve." Is the Warlock's response, offering the AI a slight smile before turning toward the sound of a rustling bag.
"I got you orange chicken over rice with a side of steamed veggies," Jericho mumbles with a yawn, scooting the boxes across the table so that Mehki could reach them. "Your Ghost mentioned you had a thing for citrus, I just went with what he said."
"Not sure how he knows that, but yeah I do." Is the Warlock's reply, his hands clasping over the boxes and pulling them over so that he could begin loading his plate with the meal. "I really appreciate you putting in the order. You'll have to tell me which places are good to order takeout from. I'm not much of a cook and seeing as I'm kinda new in town, I don't really know any of the good places to eat."
"Ghost's know many things that you may not remember at first. They're intelligent little things, and as they're piecing you back together they can kinda sift through your memories. Find out different stuff like that." The Titan removes his own boxes of food and begins to pile it onto his plate, only glancing up to ensure that Mehki was doing the same. "As for ordering takeout, don't worry. I got you covered man."
The two eat in silence together, unknowingly stealing glances at each other every so often as they clear away their plates and sip on their beers. While Mehki isn't one for alcohol, something about this type of beer was actually sitting quite well with him. As it is with all who do not drink religiously, intoxication seemed to set in quite quickly after he had finished half of his second beer that Eve had been so kind to drop by. He instantly began to regret it when his mind began to feel fuzzy, but he didn't want to waste anything that Jericho had offered him. The man had literally paid his own hard-earned glimmer for each thing, and Mehki would not be one to waste something that was not his to waste. Liquid courage, as they call it, began to seep into his mind to bring forth the questions he had been begging to ask.
"So, when you said ex-roommate. Did you mean like an ex-ex or just some guy who was bunkin' with ya?" Mehki mumbles from his relaxed position in the kitchen chair.
"I'm not sure what spurred this conversation," Jericho began, brows lifting curiously as he watches Mehki from across the table, "But I see no harm in answering. Ex-partner, ex-roommate. To me, as it stands, it is all the same. They found something, and someone better, and that's that."
"So you're into dudes?" Mehki lifts a brow, leaning into the table now. By this time, Khepri is eying his Guardian with mild amusement while also offering an apologetic stare to Jericho.
"Uhm, yeah? Is that going to become a problem?" The Titan asks, before realizing that those words could be taken as a threat and quickly correcting the mistake. "Because I can probably find you somewhere else to crash, if you're uncomfortable or whatever." The brute rolls his shoulders slightly.
"Oh, no. Don't worry about that, I'm just naturally curious. I was an archaeologist in my last life, I like to ask too many questions sometimes, and this beer makes my lips a bit looser than normal. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable at all if I did." Mehki offers a slight smile, "I'm not made uncomfortable by knowing, you don't need to worry about it. I will not belittle you for your choice in lover. I'm sorry things didn't work out for you two. I also apologize for using some of his soaps in the shower, I can leave those be. I thought they were yours."
"You're free to use them as you wish. I have no use for them." The Titan mumbles slightly, lifting his beer to his lips to take a sip. "You won't have to worry about me bringing anyone home either, I tend to just focus on work for now. I'll keep you in the loop if that changes though. I don't want to have some random individual spook you. Just out of curiosity, since you've popped the question first, what's your preference?"
"Bring whoever you want home, but yeah just let me know so I don't accidentally beat the shit out of someone you're banging." Mehki offers with a small chuckle, draining away the rest of the beer and politely refusing another as Eve swings by to take care of their dishes. When Jericho asks Mehki's preference in a relationship, the man actually has to sit and think for a moment. "Well I mean, I guess I don't really have a preference? Not trying to answer your question with a question. There's just a lot about myself that I don't remember, but I do remember never having been with another man before. Not that I would be opposed to it in any way. I think love is based on how you feel for someone, not stuck to one single gender."
"I do believe that is considered pansexual." Khepri chimes in lightly.
"Sure, that sounds right." Mehki agrees.
"Interesting." Jericho offers, lifting a brow slightly. "Anyways, I think we should probably get the bed pulled out for you. We've got an early morning and a long day ahead of us. Lanna is cool and all, but she's an over-achiever. You're going to wish you had a different mentor by the time tomorrow is through."
"Sounds good to me. I'm honestly pretty exhausted, the alcohol doesn't help." Mehki replies, moving to stand as Jericho does.
They both wander into the living room, Mehki trailing after the hulking man like a lost puppy and standing idle when Jericho stoops to scoop up the blankets that were resting on the couch. With a grunt, the load of items is dropped in Mehki's hands so that the Titan can remove the cushions and pull the bed out from the inside of the couch. Using a mild form of teamwork, they two easily set the bed up for a comfortable sleep.
"Alright. I'll have Eve notify Khepri when to wake you up in the morning. Do the same if you need me for anything. Please don't try and wake me yourself, I'm likely not going to remember that you're here being half asleep, and you might get laid out." The Titan offers a shrug but adds a light laugh to lighten the mood of his words.
"I'll keep that in mind. Also, I feel the need to mention this. Whoever your ex is-is really missing out. You're an attractive guy, and you carry yourself well. I don't know you very well, but I can tell that you didn't deserve whatever happened." Mehki offers, passing Jericho a glance before moving to seat himself on the newly made bed. "You'll find someone better. I'm sure of it."
"Thanks, I guess." Is the Titan's response, shifting himself around the couch and leaning against it slightly for a moment. "You're not bad looking yourself, but let's keep things professional around here. If you know what I mean. Not to say that you were implying anything, but just a fair warning. Plus, I'm not entirely over the whole thing with the ex."
"Oh, I understand and respect your boundaries, but I wasn't meaning to insinuate anything between us. Not to mention I've only known you for a solid three hours at best. I know exactly where you're coming from." Is Mehki's quick reply, smoothing over his words with a little harmless lie, and easily hiding the sudden disappointment from his tone with a mild yawn. "I'm going to go ahead and turn in for the night, so I'll see you in the morning. Thanks again for letting me crash here, and for offering to let me stay longer."
"Sure thing. Sleep well." Jericho begins, pausing for a moment while he processes Mehki's gratitude. "It's no problem at all. I'll have Eve work on clearing out the spare room tonight. She works quietly, you won't hear a thing. Night Mehki."
"Night, Jericho."
The Warlock slides beneath the covers, shivering slightly as they adjusted to his body heat. It felt nice to lay down, relieving the stress of the day from his back and feet. Now finally laying down, the room spins just slightly, the effects of the alcohol still very present. He lays there for a moment, eyes boring into the ceiling before nearly bolting straight up when Khepri appears directly in his eyesight.
"Fucks sake, you're lucky I hesitate before swinging." He whispers furiously, slowly easing himself back into the bedding. "Did you need something?"
"Is there anything you want to be done while you rest? As an artificial intelligence, we do not need sleep."
"Uhm, well you can see if Eve needs help clearing out that room? Tag team it, as well as keep yourself occupied. She may have some tasks for you to help with as well. I'm not really sure what I would need to have done anyways since I'm not exactly as experienced as anyone else nor do I own this home." Is the tired Warlock's response. "Can I sleep now?"
"Yes, of course. I'll see you in the morning."
"Sure thing bud."
Hazel eyes disappear behind closed lids, forcing himself to not watch the room spin around him. To be honest, it was making him nauseous, and he didn't want to vomit all over Jericho's living room. A deep breath is taken and released slowly with a sigh as he gets settled into the bed. New settings were never easy to sleep in, but everything about today had been new and all he did was grin and bear it. Sleep would come so much easier than anticipated, however. Soon enough, his mind wandered into his dreams and would not emerge until morning.