"There's too many men, too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go 'round
Can't you see this is a land of confusion?"
~ Genesis, "Land of Confusion."
They all ride down to the Market District together.
No one speaks which is fine with Wolf. He doesn't have the energy to hold a conversation right now, despite the fact that he can't get his leg to stop bouncing. He tries closing his eyes and meditating, but his racing mind refuses to quiet. He tries counting the ships outside but can't keep track of them all. Social etiquette is the only thing keeping him from the safety blanket resting around his neck.
"Relax," Ghost finally says, giving Wolf a gentle nudge.
Wolf simply smiles at Ghost. "I am relaxed." He tenses the muscles in his leg, forcing it into stillness. "See? Total Zen."
"Sure, you are. Hey, you heard Crow. There was nothing new to report. We've got a nice, quiet day at the lab ahead of us."
"Listen to your Ghost," Crow chides playfully from the cockpit. "He knows things."
"Don't tell him that," Glint jokes. "It'll inflate his ego." Then, he gasps, as if coming to a terrible realization. "Wait, did Ghost just use the Q-Word? Oh no... We're done for."
"The Q-Word is a myth, Glint," Ghost sighs.
"It is not either. Last time someone used the Q-Word, the Tower administration fell into complete and utter chaos. Remember that? So much paperwork..."
"Really? You too?" Crow groans. "It was taken out of context!"
Wolf chuckles at the banter. Ghost emotes a smile at him, and Wolf can't help but grin. "There's that smile I know and love," Ghost says through their link.
Wolf's smile turns softer. "Thanks, bud. I really needed that."
Crow glances behind him towards where he and Ghost are with a smile of his own, and Wolf realizes that his friends have done the impossible. He feels somewhat better now.
It's nice.
It doesn't last.
Misraaks is unwell, ranting, raving, and Eido is so not only in tears but exhausted she can hardly stand. The words leave Wolf like clockwork. "What can I do to help?"
"I … I took some notes. I think they make sense. I just … I need…" Eido stumbles over her words as she sways on her feet.
"I'm on it. Crow, can you take her?" Wolf doesn't even wait for an answer before he pulls up a chair at the alchemy table and starts going over Eido's notes. "Ghost?"
"On it," Ghost understands instantly and begins translating texts and scanning ingredients.
He can hear Crow ask Variks something before the two of them leave with Eido in tow. It is just Wolf, Ghost, and Misraaks now.
Misraaks seems to have fought back the effects of the curse for the time being, if the silence in the laboratory is of any indication, allowing for better focus. The sounds of the city provide a good ambience, but Wolf soon wonders if he'd come off as an ass if he were to put his headphones on for a while.
Misraaks speaks up, saving him the trouble of a decision. "I fear I'm running out of time."
Wolf glances behind him towards the Kell of Light just long enough to acknowledge his words before going back to Eido's notes.
"And you are wasting it, chasing fantasies when Fikrul is still out there." Misraaks's voice becomes harsher as Nezarec's curse once again begins to resurface.
Wolf swears he hears Rohan's voice in his mind. "Headlong and empty-handed."
Something tells him that that advice would not be well received at the moment.
"Crow's been keeping tabs on the situation," Ghost says calmly. "We have Fikrul handled."
Misraaks seemed to calm a bit, but the tension in the air remained thick enough to cut with a knife. "You swore an oath, Slayer-Baron."
Wolf shut his eyes tightly and slowly turned around. "And I intend on keeping it. Fikrul will be stopped."
"I do not mean just Fikrul. You know this."
Wolf feels his heart start to pound. His breath hitches in his throat, and he finds his grip on the alchemy table tightening. He can hear Ghost stop what he is doing, and his shell segments start to spin nervously.
Wolf takes a deep breath, holds it for a few seconds, then releases it. "It won't come to that," he tries to say, but the words die in his throat. I won't let it. I can't lose another friend. I can't fail Eido. I can't fail. I can't!
Ghost, bless him, speaks up on his behalf. "With all due respect, we haven't gotten to that point yet. If it comes down to it, Wolf will do what he has to in order to protect your people. You know he will, but please don't ask him — or Eido for that matter — to stand by and do nothing to try and help you."
Misraaks is silent. Wolf waits for him to say something, for the curse to lash out and force him to say something he'll regret later, but instead, the Light Kell simply sighs. "You and my daughter are too much alike."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Ghost replies, and the conversation finally ends there.
The newly found silence is suddenly too much to bear, and Wolf slides his headphones over his head, mentally instructing Ghost to let him know if anything is needed.
He does turn back to Misraaks one more time, and he foolishly hopes that when he smiles, the Kell feels somewhat reassured.
As Wolf gets back to work, he can faintly hear Ghost making conversation with Misraaks, but he doesn't pay attention. He directs his focus to the notes in front of him, channels his racing mind into one single purpose. He would save Misraaks. He would put Fikrul in the ground. He remembered how shattered he was when Cayde had died. He could not and would not put Eido through that same grief.