♤ Desperado

[deal_me_in]

WHO: Cayde-6 and you mental intruders you. Guardian gear optional.
WHERE: The Tower In the mind of Cayde-6. Run.
WHAT: Exploring the Exo's memories and then some
WHEN: Through the Calibrations Event
WARNINGS: Nothing I can think of? Potential violence? That's an FPS for you


"It's funny, the things you find yourself missing."

The room is large and tall with its vaulted walls and the giant window that makes up an entire wall, overlooking the vast expanse of Earth's Last City. There are roughly two levels to the room, stairs immediately leading down to the central, sunken area, with no shortage of computer terminals and screens along either side. Smack in the center of the sunken area is a large table with a sizable map laid out towards the middle of it, among other things.

"Like that. I kind of miss that table."

The Exo steps down alongside of you and then past, holding a chicken in the crook of one arm, stroking her under the beak. And no, that's not your imagination- she really is wearing a tiny cloak and a paper horn reminiscent of her caretaker. He steps over to the table, shoving stacks of paperwork off the edge with relish that plainly says he's doing something he normally shouldn't, before he sets Colonel down to wander about as she pleases.

The other things on the table are as follows: a small scattering of playing cards, although all save an Ace of Spades and Queen of Hearts are flipped face-up. A glass of some glowing blue-green liquor sits atop a few sheets of paper, which upon closer inspection look to be the yellowed, torn pages from books, hints of handwriting in the blank spaces. A worn pistol sits there at the edge of the table, and stacked nearby, a few poker chips. On the floor, sitting unobtrusively by one of the table legs is a dusty, hand-stitched ball.

Draped over a chair by one of the side terminals is a banner in black, orange and white, the symbol of the Vanguard.

Cayde himself takes up a spot by the map, setting his hands on the table to lean over it as he nods thoughtfully to himself.

Comments

[deal_me_in]

Oh, everything Cayde says is honest, because he believes it to be at the time. And while he may not indulge everything, the parts he does tend to have some truth. Now when the lines have blurred and exaggerations became truth and simple fact false, he has no idea.

"Having no plan is kind of a plan," he counters. Winging it? Definitely a plan. One of his favorites.

His eyes fix on the pistol, and he settles against the table again, folding his arms over his chest once more.

The Moon. At times, too quiet, an expanse of craggy surfaces where sometimes you couldn't tell a shadow for a chasm. And at other times...

There are unearthly screams and hisses, screeching that promises pain and death. And there's Cayde, running. For good reason too. Behind him swarm masses of Thrall, scrambling like misshapen, angry skeletons with teeth and claws, and between that flow, the stockier, more solid forms of Knights. And beyond them floated the Wizards, all raggedy robes and dark magic wisping around them.

Unfortunately there are Thrall just about everywhere he looks for an exit, so the Exo clears as much of a pathway as he can as he goes for higher ground. Diving for cover behind a crashed ship, he reloads his machine gun and pauses as he sees he's not alone.

At the other end of their makeshift cover, a Fallen Baron also fights for her life. She's armored, the colors that mark her an Exile clawed and faded from clashing with the Hive.

They're both aware of each other, Guardian and Fallen. But they've got enough problems at the moment than to try shooting at each other. Back they go, trying to thin out the Hive numbers. The Knights force Cayde away from the ship and up the range, and the Fallen follows, figuring it a better place than the Phaeton's shadow.

The numbers seem endless. The Wizards finally come within range and Cayde goes up onto the ruins of the old array behind him for a better shot. Below, he watches as the Fallen Baron takes down a Knight with both her blades, cheering as it falls. It's strange how circumstances work, when you can cheer for someone who'd normally be an enemy.

It's not long before the Exo is scrambling back down, ammo spent. The Baron doesn't look too good. Wisps of smoke-like ether drains from her as she turns her head towards him. She still clutches her broken blades in her hands, and he can't help but wonder how many human lives have ended on those very swords. Yet, she pulls a shock pistol from her bandolier then, tosses it between them. Cayde goes for it, and she tries to stab him. He breaks her arms and slices open her throat with his knife, but there's no surprise in those beady eyes. Maybe she wanted to make the decision easier for him. Maybe she just wanted to die.

There's no time to really think about it. Cayde picks up the pistol. More Thrall are incoming. But he's got a fresh gun, and not about to waste those shots as he rises and fires his way on out.

[backoff]

Cloud puts the pistol back down on the table while trying to figure out what played out. The thrall had been really creepy swarming in packs. Cayde seemed to constantly be in trouble and he smirks about that tiny fact.

"When are you never in trouble Cayde? You really need a bodyguard for your own safety." He's not even joking, he's being serious right now. Cloud looks at him with that serious stare of his because he means it. He's done it before and he did fulfill that role.

"What was that creature that you killed at the end? The one with the blades." He doesn't know anything about the enemies at all. "You can start with that one first and then fill me in on the others."

[deal_me_in]

"Hey!" He almost sounds hurt at that. Almost. "I used to be a bodyguard. So I've seen my share of trouble." More than that, even. "I always get out of it." Usually. "That one was just a doozy. You never know what you'll find creepering on the Moon. Well okay, so the Hive ain't a big secret there..."

Cayde tosses his hands as he steps away from the table, if only to walk closer to where Cloud is so he can pick up the pistol, looking it over.

"Eliksni. The Fallen. You saw one in the other memory, the one I tackled? Most of them tend to wear armor like that Baron with the blades. They revere machinery, replace their own limbs with mechanical ones and all this weird stuff. The other Barons like Araskes? They're something else. Complete opposite of the usual Fallen, and they all don't play well together."

He spins the pistol around, back and forth the way he would a fancy quickdraw. "The skinny creepy ones? The Thrall. Think they're bad out on the surface, just imagine gettin' swarmed by 'em in dark tunnels. There's some that explode too, they do not play nice. Well, none of the Hive do. The big guys were Knights. The Thrall's main strength is in numbers and speed. Knights? They're tough. Takes some doin' to take one down. That's why that Fallen didn't get out of that fight unscathed. And the creepy background singers? Those were the Wizards."

[backoff]

"Take it as always having a buddy to watch your back." Cloud keeps his eyes on Cayde not wanting to miss something. "Don't take offense. I was a bodyguard myself for someone who constantly found herself in trouble. Maybe you need the same thing." Idiot.

He listens to the tell of the Fallen and the Hive trying to picture how they look different from each other. Cloud would be able to tell the difference if he were to fight them. Cayde describe them exactly how they looked during the memory and that made it easier to keep them in his mind.

Cloud wondered how many times Cayde went up against threats. How many time had he died? How many times was he brought back? He could take so many risks without worrying too much. Cloud had to make sure he stayed alive and kept his friends protected along with the people he cared about. It was a lot to take on but he could do it. If he needed the help of his friends he would take it up in a heart beat.

"Are there any other threats that you go up against?"

[deal_me_in]

Cayde just gives a full-bodied sigh, the over-exaggerated kind that that starts at the shoulders and then practically leaves you a deflated balloon, although not for long. He sets the pistol back down, sauntering back along the space between the table and the consoles flanking the sunken floor area.

True, he used to do a lot of dumb things before he got saddled with the Vanguard gig. ...and true, he might still do some dumb things sneaking off from doing the Vanguard gig. But successes and adventures don't come without risks, and the life of a Guardian in general isn't labeled non-hazardous to one's health.

"The Vex and the Cabal are the other two groups. The Cabal are the ones that actually attacked our city. Big ol' space rhinos. ...which probably means nothing if you don't know what rhinos are." He waves a hand. "They're big. Bulky. Fully armored. The Vex, they're these roboty things, they vary from spindly Hobgoblins to these flying triangular things. At least they all hate each other's guts, but unfortunately they seem to all hate us even more."

[backoff]

Cloud watches the Exo not continuing the subject any further. Did Cayde truthfully do things alone all the time? He had no room to judge, because Cayde would notice that Cloud was the same way. But he was going to at least try to help his friends or people that he may be building a friendship with that he would be there if they needed him.

There was a lot shared between them already but he wasn't going to keep pushing knowing people have their own limits. Cloud doesn't move from his spot right away but he does slowly walk after Cayde.

"What happened with that attack?" Cloud knew all about things attacking cities, attacking the planet, that was something he could manage doing. "It may not mean anything to me, Cayde, but I am interested in knowing." He frowns while reaching out to put a hand on one of Cayde's shoulders.

"If I upset you that wasn't my intention."

[deal_me_in]

The Exo glances over his shoulder at the hand that's been placed there, following it towards its owner to meet Cloud's gaze. He snorts lightly, his jaw quirking in that lopsided grin of his.

"Upset? Nah. Honestly, you're probably not wrong. But we don't have the luxury for bodyguards. We're meant to be the weapons. We go where other people can't. Sometimes we go in groups, but Hunters have always been the lone wolves of the lot. It's easier to scout, to sneak around in singles too."

He jerks his head towards the window, inviting Cloud to join him. "The attack wasn't pretty. Invasions never are. We lost a lot that day..." he says, and if the blond looks out the window, the edges begin to blur as the memory triggers with it.

[backoff]

"You may need one here. Maybe not back in your own world. That's what friends are for." Cloud had been lost on that for a while and was slowly regaining that determination of life. He shakes his head a little while looking up at the Exo. "My friends and I do the same things are you do. Sometimes we do them separate or together or as a small team. A lot of the time it could be alone. I've done plenty of missions in that matter to keep everyone else safe."

Cloud walked up to join Cayde. He looks over to the Exo first curiously wondering if he'll continue the tale. The window had been something that drew him in earlier. Cloud turns his full attention on it, looking out of the window with Cayde.

[deal_me_in]

"...couldn't hurt to have a Fireteam on standby," Cayde muses, not that he hasn't idly been working out in his head here and there what people might best be classified if they were Guardians. He gives Cloud a brief grin, and for now it's as much of an acknowledgment of what the man says as anything else.

The skies beyond the window have gone darker, thick with storm clouds, an ominous setting. There are warships beyond them and fast approaching, only revealed by the flashes of lightning. An echoing, faraway shout for people to go to their battle stations, just as missiles are loosed and streak straight for the window, where the memory finally comes to focus.

"Everyone with me, NOW!"

His hands upraised, the blue-skinned Titan brings them down at either side of him as he creates a large spherical shield around himself and those who rush to his provided cover. The missiles are already tearing through, ripping apart structures, sending the unfortunate flying.

Cayde-6 boldly steps forth, calm and collected as he draws his gun despite the growing chaos. His entire body engulfs in golden flames, and he levels his fiery gun, taking careful aim as he squeezes off a few blazing shots to intercept the incoming missiles, not noticing his own peril. One of the support beams breaks off and falls towards him until the magenta-robed Warlock Vanguard has leaped over the rail to take hold of him. She teleports them to the safety of Zavala's shield.

"Hang on!" she shouts, and by then that's all anyone can do as the room rocks and shudders precariously under the repeated impact. Zavala continues to struggle as Ikora and Cayde pull in the other staff that manage to stagger their way to his shield.

And then all look up as fresh explosions bloom across the shield and what's left of the Tower. Evacuations are made, but as the Vanguards of the Last City, the three quickly make their way to repel the invaders. They come rocketing down like meteors, big armored brutes with heavy weaponry. Over the comms, he hears Zavala shouting pointless orders, hears Ikora's rage- the Speaker? It sounds like a dream, a nightmare, and the only thing he can focus on is firing.

Cayde runs through crumbling and burning structures, dispatching of those Cabal he can, seeking out a way to get to the main ship. After all, if you cut off the head, the rest will scatter. Unfortunately things get busy down below, and he soon has his hands fool just trying to clear out invaders as people flee for their lives.

His ammo's running short. It looks like the whole city's on fire, and it just seems like more and more Cabal appear for each one he shoots down. And then something happens, a feeling that leaves him stunned like he's just lost a part of himself, and Sundance only confirms what they both never thought possible as they look towards the Traveler.

Huge bands have been set around it like some sort of snare. It almost seems laughable. But there's nothing to laugh at. The Light has been cut off. He sees Guardians fall, and their Ghosts cannot bring them back. He sees the city burn around them. And yet he's not about to accept this fate. Things have just become ninety percent more complicated, but he still believes his original plan can succeed. It has to.

[backoff]

“You were invaded. Extremely badly.” Cloud looked upon the Traveler being caged in a matter that made him think of high made technology. What were those bands around it? His teeth gritted together as he saw what Cayde is witnessing in this memory. Guardians dying but not coming back up, their ghosts even laid dormant next to them. The entire memory of that moment of their lives had been terribly flipped. Cloud went silent as he pressed his lips together.

He looks back over at Cayde taking in his overall feelings on this. “What happened after that invasion?” Cloud had been curious about those two things. He couldn't help but want a bit more information to fill out what he had been seeing. The blond’s focus remained on Cayde since he was interested in his story.

“What did that machine around the giant ball really do? How did you take care of that?” These are follow up questions because Cloud wanted to be sure he had seen something right. It’s a lot to take in, the Cabal seemed to be an elite military waiting for the right moment to come in. The Vanguard did not seem prepared for that and were taken by surprise. The Guardians did their best fighting as they normally would without realizing the danger they ultimately faced. Another important follow up question.

“How did you feel after that?” He gives a small smile knowing it’s a lot of questions. But he would like most if not all answered.

[deal_me_in]

A bark of a laugh escapes him. Perhaps Cloud hadn't meant to sound so blunt, and really, the matter was hardly funny, but the situation as described seems both adequate and ridiculous. "Oh yeah. That was extremely bad."

His optics remain towards the window, even as the memory that had drawn them in has faded out. "We fled. Escaped, retreated, got the hell out. Transports carried survivors. What Guardians were still standing had to abandon the city. The Vanguard split up too, maybe not on purpose, but we kinda lost track of things with all that going on. Zavala immediately tried getting Guardians to rally on Titan so they could plan how to take the city back. Ikora, she went to Io, seeking answers, as Warlocks do. We lost the city, the Speaker, and the Light all in one fell swoop. You stop too long, despair'll just swallow you up."

Arms folded across his chest, the Exo frowns as his gaze narrows, looking at the Traveler as though those bands still imprisoned it. "Somehow they formed some kind of barrier. It effectively severed us from the Light. We never thought something like that could ever be possible. The leader of the Red Legion wanted it for himself. He didn't understand how the Traveler worked. Not that we completely understood it either." He snorts. "We found a way around it. Or one of us did. One of our Guardians was able to find the Light again. Our ace in the hole. Really don't know how far we would've gotten if that hadn't happened. Hate that we had to rely a whole lot on one Guardian for all the dirty work but we all knew what was at stake if we failed."

That last question gets another laugh. "Pissed! Who wouldn't be? Someone comes in and blows up your home an' all your stuff, your favorite ramen shop..." He shakes his head. "Seeing it again like that is strange though. Letting it sink in. You know it was bad then, but you realize it could have been a whole lot worse if things hadn't played out like they did in the end."

[backoff]

Cloud said exactly what he wanted or needed to. He can be pretty blunt without meaning it. Words weren't always easy for him to speak about. He is appreciative of Cayde answering all of his questions. He listens intently while putting up a hand to cover his mouth in thought. Words didn't need to be spoken right away but he wanted to wait to say anything until the Exo had been finished. The emotions the other provided were warranted. Anyone should be pissed about their home being invaded but why didn't they stand together immediately after that?? Cloud moves his hand to the back of his neck rubbing it as he tilts his head to the side.

Hearing about the one Guardian that ended up being determined enough to help them come together makes him smile. A true hero among heroes who didn't seem to give up. There’s always that one friend who will keep going when everyone else may be lost. “One friend can be enough to stop something from happening. Coming together is the best option for anyone. You don't need to tell me about stopping. I know all about that too.” He wouldn't be stopping himself and keeping busy is helpful to him.

“As you should be, but you all came together to rebuild that shop later, right?” Cloud wondered about that. He looks back out towards the city. “You rebuild and continue on living.” It’s always hard for him to say his own true feelings but talking like this is easy. Bringing up his own emotions or feelings not so much. Cayde has gone through an actual war invasion. Cloud had his own nightmares to deal with. Death is always a constant fear and he could end up that way any time of the day. Not because of his own recklessness as some would think.

This isn't the time or place to bring that up. He takes a look around the room again. “I can see why you would want to leave from here to go out venturing.”

[deal_me_in]

"Before all that, the Vanguard wasn't as tight as it is now. Guess it takes a disaster of epic proportions to realize how much you need each other after all." And it was nice to hear that Zavala had actually needed him. And Ikora, but that was to be expected.

"A lot's been rebuilt since then. Ramen shop included," Cayde grins. That hasn't stopped him from stocking up in the case of another near apocalypse. He only wishes some of those boxes had come along with him. "Can't replace everything. Can't replace the people we've lost. Things have changed, and there are meaner things than the Cabal out there."

The Hunter takes a sweeping look around the room again as Cloud does, nodding. "We didn't rebuild this one. Tower's more open. The Vanguard's chosen their own little haunts, so we're not always all cooped up with each other in one spot." He smirks a bit. "Not that that's enough to keep me from wanderin' off."

Around them, the walls seem to fade out, the boundaries seeming to stretch beyond, although the details go blurry past a certain point. They're standing in a hangar, or at least a small section of something larger. Cayde's quick to take up a leaning position at the edge of a makeshift space beneath some heavy scaffolding. "Ah, there we go." He looks around appreciatively, tilting his head as he looks past Cloud towards where the hangar's exit is, so brightly backlit that it almost looks ominous. "I'm guessing that won't actually take you out to the rest of the Tower."

[backoff]

“When you share a specific goal with others you realize that being together can stop it.” Cloud smiles at that knowing his group of friends needed to do the same thing. They came together to fight against a common enemy. One that didn't make themselves completely known, one that didn't really go into detail that they were sending Meteor down upon them. The plan was slowly revealing itself as they journeyed. Cloud knew that they could have easily broken up depending on situations going to darker areas.

The scenery changes which takes him a moment to get used to. He breathes a little through his nose before looking towards the exit and then back at Cayde. The hanger seems to be the best place for him. He looks more relaxed and it’s completely open. Not a smaller area where he could constantly be watched. Cayde could easily slip away with the ships in the hanger. Cloud wouldn't put it passed him if he did do exactly that to get out of the Tower. He would constantly keep himself busy, going out to what he needed to do or wanted to do.

“Do you say anything as you send Guardians on their way out?”

[deal_me_in]

Cayde's done just that, plenty of times. Holliday certainly wasn't going to tell on him if she ever caught him in the act of sneaking off, either. Ever since they'd defeated the Red Legion, the clear need to be out there doing something has just been more evident to him, and the Hunter felt that he could do so much more elsewhere before things came and caught up with their home again.

It feels like it's been a while, waving off freshly minted Guardians, giving veterans errands. He laughs as he thinks about some of the things he's told them. "Eh, a lot of the time it'd be some variation of 'take me with you'."

He grins again, giving Cloud a nod. "Stay alert out there."

[backoff]

Cloud dips his head down a bit while smirking wide while giving a two finger salute at Cayde. It's not very often that he does this kind of gesture. The movement seems cocky, confidant that he's going to kick something or someone's ass.

He turns around and stays to walk towards the exit. "Catch you on the other side, Cayde." And then he goes on up the stairs with a giant leap.