We Stand Together

Chapter 19: Back To Venus

Eden plops down on her bed, the meeting with the Vanguard playing through her head.

It was short, thankfully.

Eden briefed them on her mission on the moon, making sure to include her first sighting of the stranger. Once she finished, Ikora hummed and clasped her hands behind her back. A curious glint alighted her wise eyes and she began to tell Eden who she'd seen.

The Exo Stranger. Practically a myth, only a few had ever seen them and none had ever been approached like Eden had. The surprise on the other two Vanguard's face was more than enough to tell Eden she had been a special case. Which was exactly why they told her to go to Venus as the stranger said, only reporting back when she found them. With that, they dismissed her. From there, Eden had returned to the empty apartment and collapsed on her bed.

The free moment had given her time to think about the whole embarrassing thing with Jaren.

Her heart beats faster just thinking about the ordeal. Heat rushes back to her cheeks and embarrassment wells up in her chest. Eden is not going to live this down, she's sure. She's hoping maybe one day soon that everybody will forget it like it never happened. But... for some reason, that brings her sadness. A small, tiny part of her doesn't exactly want to forget the warm feeling Jaren gives her. It's nice and comforting......and a low groan fills the air as Eden covers her eyes with one arm and sinks further into the mattress.

A beep sounds and Eden peeks from under her arm to see Uriah give her a knowing look.

"Still thinking about it?" He asks, hovering by her shoulders.

"Yeah," She drawls, shifting to cover her face again.

"Well, you know it's perfectly okay to like someone, right?"

Eden snorts and raises up to look at him.

"He's a friend. Nothing more."

The look Uriah sends her says enough but he decides to drop it. Instead, he spins his shell once before landing on her pillow with a soft thud. Eden shakes her head faintly before standing and heading to the closet tucked into one corner of her room. It slips open with a quiet whoosh and Eden reaches in to grab an extra bodysuit.

"What are you doing?" Uriah asks, watching closely.

"Well, I'm gonna shower and go see Banshee. Then, it's back to Venus with us," She answers, taking off pieces of her armor and tossing them to the floor.

"Already?" He inquires, hovering off the bed and peering at her curiously.

"Yes. I need to know what's more dangerous than any hive or fallen we've seen. Besides, it's something to keep us busy while Jaren and the others do their Vanguard appointed thing."

A sly look falls into his optic and Uriah shifts closer to Eden.

"Is this a way to avoid Jaren?"

A nervous chuckle leaves her lips and Eden rolls her eyes.

"Of course not!"

Uriah becomes gleeful, whirling through the air.

"You are. You are! Awwww!" Uriah gushes, twirling around her head and nudging her cheek.

Eden pouts and ignores him, choosing to walk to the bathroom with a blush spreading across her face. He's right but she won't ever admit it. With her head tilted up, Eden marches into the bathroom, shutting the door on Uriah. A couple of deep breaths later, she's running cold water for a shower and then stepping in.

Icy drops run rivers down her hair and back as it washes the heat and dirt away from her. Within a handful of minutes, Eden's clean and relaxed, embarrassment long gone from her mind. Once it gets too cold to handle, Eden shuts off the water and steps out, reaching for a towel. As she dries herself off, she looks in the mirror, staring at her face, and find her thoughts turning to the black figure that keeps reappearing everywhere she goes.

Did she know it? Was it possible it was something from her past? Someone she used to know? But as she stares at her reflection, nothing comes to mind except that she's just glowering at herself weirdly. Eden sighs and shakes her head. The towel is dropped and the bodysuit tugged on and zipped up. Slender fingers run through her choppy midnight locks, flicking water droplets out of it.

Once she's finished, Eden leaves the bathroom, bumping right into Uriah as she does so.

She backs up a little bit and sees him looking at her with guilt.

"I'm sorry Eden. I didn't mean to annoy you," He mutters, a pitiful look to his optic.

Eden smiles at him and holds her hand out to him. Immediately, he nuzzles into the skin of her palm, relaxed, and stares up at her.

"It's okay. Promise. Now, are you ready to go to Venus?"

A delighted nod answers her question.

Eden laughs and releases Uriah.

"Alright. Let me put my armor on and drop by Banshee."

Her Ghost chirps excitedly and flies to the door, waiting on her.

As the armor is clicked into place, Eden realizes that it's beginning to look more and more like real armor. There are still a few mismatched pieces but it's starting to come together. She's starting to look like a real Titan.

A smile comes to her face and she clicks in the last piece before grabbing her helmet and guns.

With that, the duo is off to see Banshee-44.

As always, the Tower is bustling with noise, commotion, and busy Guardians. She even catches a glimpse of her fireteam walking down to the Vanguard Hall. A wave is sent their way, which is returned, and Eden makes her way up to Banshee.

The old gunsmith has never talked much, never offered Eden much of anything at all. But she enjoys seeing him all the same. He's short but not rude. Quiet but observant. It's those traits exactly that Eden respects.

But this time as she approaches, he seems to be working on something intently. Banshee gives a surprised grunt when Eden leans against the stall with a cheerful hello.

"Hm, I usually see you at the range."

It's all he says but it's stated more like a fact than a question.

"Yeah, I had some spare glimmer around though. Thought I'd drop by to order a few new guns." Eden smiles brightly.

He stares at her a moment but straightens up, attentive.

"Alright, whatcha looking for?"

Eden straightens, a thoughtful look to her eye.

"Well, I want an auto rifle, with some perks in there. As for the shotgun replacement, I'm thinking more along the lines of a sniper. Something simple please."

He hums and picks up a database from behind him. The sound of tapping and clicking fills the air along with mumbling and muttering. After a moment, he places the datapad down among gun parts and papers, turning back to Eden.

"Give me a few days. Your guns will be ready by then," He grumbles out.

"Thanks, Banshee!" Eden chirps, walking away.

Banshee doesn't say anything but his gruff demeanor softens. He moves to start working on whatever he was before Eden interrupted him. A smile spreads across her face and she makes her way down to the shipwright.

In minutes, she's there and in her ship, zooming into space before kicking into hyperdrive.

Within another couple of minutes, Eden slips on her helmet and checks her guns, stashing away extra ammo. Then, she and Uriah are on Venus, watching the ship circle back to orbit.

"Well," Eden starts. "Let's go find the Exo Stranger."

Uriah nods and disappears into her armor.

The sight of a jade colored sky greets the visor of her helmet. All around her is lush green grass that slowly turns into ferns and vines and trees that entangle with tall, glimmering buildings.

It's beautiful in an odd sort of way, like nature reclaiming what was taken from it. But as amazing as it is, she's here on a mission.

Eden shifts the auto rifle in her hand and surges forward, making her way through the jungles of Venus.