Eyes Up, Guardian

Chapter 5

"Relic of Hope."

When we got back to the Tower, it was late at night, few Guardians milled around around, those who did looked fairly tired.

     My eyelids felt heavy, and I yawned just about every five seconds. My shoulders drooped and I checked multiple times that the safety was on my gun, as I felt ready to drop it. Cayde glanced at me, raising one of his brow plates. On our flight back, I'd spent the whole time in silence, Cayde had talked. He talked all about my parents and how close he'd been with them, and how they'd inspired everyone around them. He described each of them in detail, their personalities and their appearances.

     My mother was gentle and fierce at the same time. She was always the person to go for comfort, but if anyone wronged any of her friends, they'd better run. Far, and fast. She was almost always giving warm smiles, saving Guardians from enemies they might not have been ready for yet. She wore her hair a little below her shoulders, usually tucked in a bun or a braid. She was a sunsinger, though Cayde said she should have been a Bladedancer, with how agile she was.

     Her best friend, Roxie, the Guardian we'd found, had also been a sunsinger, but she hadn't been as agile as my mother, a better shot though. But they both were good shots. Roxie and my mother were always side by side, Roxie was quite similar to my mother, though she was stronger in physical strength. She was a bit less of a people person, but she was the person people went to for comfort after my mother was gone. She'd been hit hard by my parents death, harder than almost anyone else, Cayde told me she'd wanted to meet me.

     Cayde's description of my father was what really surprised me, simply because of how little I'd known about him. My father had been a cheerful person, I remembered it in my earliest memories, he was always playing with me, he loved children. But, like my mother, you didn't want to mess with him. Cayde said when he'd first seen him he'd thought he was a Titan in warlock clothes, because of his strong build. He was strong and he could use the light as a deadly weapon, as a Guardian was supposed to. He always reassured anyone frightened, always loving widely, though he didn't deeply love very many people. When I was eight his best friend died, right in front of him, no less. It messed him up. He got depressed, Cayde said he'd told him once that sometimes my mother and I were the only things he really fought for. If he had survived and she hadn't, I wasn't sure he would have made it past that.

     Cayde had talked about them for nearly two hours, after that, we'd sat in a comfortable silence, he'd made me miss my parents even more. Now, standing in the hanger, swaying on my feet, Cayde told the bots manning the ship to put it away and he'd be back to deal with the warp drive later. He took my arm gently, steadying me before leading me out of the hanger, down into the Hall of the Guardians, down the stairs to the left, past the dining hall to the elevators, then down to my room.

     "Tessa?" He said, once we'd made it to my room.

     I looked up, tired, but paying attention, "Yeah?" I asked.

     "You did good today, get some rest, you can sleep in tomorrow. Take some time to digest what happened. I'm sorry you had to see Roxie like that, it was too soon." He said, offering a soft smile.

     "Thanks, Cayde." I turned, my hand on the doorknob, "Do you think they'd be proud of me? Choosing to be a Guardian? Fighting for the city?"

     "No doubt about it." He said, grinning at me, I smiled back, having a feeling he wasn't just saying it to make me feel better.

     "Thanks." I said, then slipped inside, my Ghost following me. Once inside, I slid out of my gear, taking a shower before dressing in the clothes my Ghost had remade for me, soft, fuzzy pajamas. Then, I collapsed on my bed, holding up my hand for my Ghost to come over. He did and I rolled over on my back, running my fingers over his shell as one would a bird's feathers. He landed gently in my hand, watching me.