We Stand Together

Chapter 9: Gun Cleaning and Personal Talks

In the days that follow, Eden avoids her fireteam and takes small bounties and missions to get out of the Tower. Nothing too dangerous but just enough to take her mind off the events that happened.

The bounty she'd taken recently had her in a Hive-ridden part of the Cosmodrome. A wizard experimenting on things it shouldn't and what not. It wasn't hard, except for the times she'd accidentally driven her sparrow into holes she hadn't seen. Besides that, it went fairly quickly. It allowed her a couple of days to herself.

As the ship sails back to Tower, Uriah floats beside her shoulder and glances at her for nearly the hundredth time.

"I'm fine Uriah," Eden sighs, sitting back and letting autopilot take over. The little silver and white Ghost twists his shell and comes to hover in front of her.

"I know, I know. I just....I feel what you feel. It's like you're avoiding the others. Ever since it happened, you've just shut yourself off. It's not like you. Just.." he pauses before looking her in the eye. "Just please, at least talk to them, I'm sure they'll understand."

Eden softens at the words and she reaches up to grab him gently. Her thumbs brush over the space between his core and optic.

"Alright. I'll talk to them."

He snuggles into her gloved palms further and blinks up at her.

"Thank you," He mutters.

She flashes a quick smile and pats at his shell before releasing him and piloting her ship into the Tower hanger correctly. Once the ship has settled and the bounty reward is collected, Eden begins the walk back to the apartment she shares with the others.

On the way there, a nervous pit swirls in her stomach. She hasn't exactly been the best teammate lately and she's avoided all of them completely. Sensing her discomfort and anxiety, Uriah bumps against her shoulder and gives her a hopeful glance. It brings a smile to her face and the feelings edge away, little by little, and manage to give her that extra push to walk in the apartment.

It's quiet as she walks down the hall into the open living room. Empty, but Eden knows better. Gun parts are spread out across the table that sits in front of the couch. Uriah floats closer to the glass surface to inspect them when a voice startles him, and Eden.

"You're back."

Eden spins around and sees Jaren leaning against the doorway into the kitchenette, his Ghost hovering over his shoulder. He's wearing a long, navy tunic and black pants, unusual of his normal armor and cloak.

His glowing turquoise eyes peer at her curiously as Eden shuffles before moving to sit in a chair next to the couch. She sets her auto rifle on the table among the gun parts and puts her helmet in the floor next to her.

"I know we don't know each other well, but I'd really like to talk about what happened," She mumbles, looking at the ground. Uriah settles himself in her hands and sends her an encouraging look. Eden holds in a breath as she listens to Jaren walk to the couch and sit.

Lux blinks at her, white optic eye full of distrust, before setting down on the table, next to the gun parts.

Jaren begins picking up pieces and cleaning them with a cloth or oiling them as needed. Eventually, without looking up, he says, "Come here and I'll show you how to clean your gun."

With confusion written all over her face, she gets up and takes a seat next to him and watches as he shows her how to dismantle the gun and clean it. After a while, they fall into a silent routine of cleaning their guns. It calms Eden considerably and makes it easier to think things through.

"Now, tell me what happened."

His voice in the stillness startles her but she recovers and begins to speak.

"When we landed, I was fine. I was actually coming to help you. But then....I heard this voice calling to me. It kept saying that I needed to come to the array." She pauses to wipe at a particularly stubborn stain before continuing.

"It was like I had no control over my body. If I try to tell you what I did from the moment I heard the voice till the time I actually arrived at the array, I couldn't. All I remember is the black figure at the edge of the railing. It felt as if I needed to touch it to understand," She whispers. Her hands stop what they're doing and go limp, barely clutching on to the cloth.

"Understand what?" Jaren asks, looking up at her.

Eden shakes her head and closes her eyes.

"I don't know. Before I could find the answer, Lance knocked me out of it."

She sits up and looks at him.

"Please tell me you saw it too. Please tell me I wasn't the only one."

Her tone is pleading. She wants to believe that she wasn't the only one either.

She knows that Uriah feels what she feels and she can feel sadness and sympathy radiate from him. He settles on her shoulder, cuddling her comfortingly. Eden rests a hand on Uriah's shell and watches the Awoken male on the couch.

His fingers swiftly and deftly work on the gun as he answers, "Eden, nothing was there with you when we followed you."

Her mouth opens and closes before she finally decides to snap it shut. The first thing that comes to mind is she's crazy. She must be. They must have thought she was insane too!

Her frenzied thoughts are interrupted by Jaren speaking again.

"But, just because I didn't see it, doesn't mean it wasn't there."

He looks up at her, a gentle look on his face.

"Whatever it was, we're here for you. As a fireteam, we're all here for you. Even Axel, though he may not say or act it."

Warmth swells in her chest as the tips of her lips quirk up in a smile.

"Thank you, Jaren."

Although barely noticeable, he nods his head and returns her smile with his one of his own. Jaren resumes his work on the guns and Eden decides to take a shower and relax.

As she walks down the hall, farther and farther away from Jaren, Uriah speaks up.

"Feel better?"

She reaches a hand out and ruffles his shell.

"Very much so. For the next few days, we'll take a break and relax," She says, smiling.

Uriah looks up with her with his one blue optic.

"Promise?"

"Promise."