Calibrate Vol. II

The moon shined through the cracks on the barn’s walls, glinting slightly over his gauntlet.
“Nalim.” Shaxx turned to glance over his shoulder.
She sat, body curved around her datapad. Neither foot touched the floor. A pretzel of limbs and white hair in the candlelight. “What?”
He tried to figure out how that was comfortable. She was a hunter, but…
“Shaxx. What.”
“Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Did you need today’s match data?”
“Soon, yeah. I’m filtering through yesterday’s right now.”
“You’re fast.”
She smiled barely. “Ash is doing most of it. I’m just her lackey. I do the human stuff.” Asha scanned the paper in her hand and a copy of it appeared on Nalim’s datapad.
Shaxx chuckled. “I know you are fast. Only makes sense that she would be too.”
“Stop bringing up my combat record, Shaxx.”
“Empty threat.”
She shot him a threatening glance, but the amusement was hard to hide. “Watch it.”
“Whatever you do will just prove my point.” He laughed again. “Go ahead. I’d be honored to fight you.”
“Ugh.” She waved him off. “I’ve got slow reading to do. Find some other old person to analyze your reports.”
“I prefer my current old person, Lady Nalim.”
“You are intolerable.” She got up, picking up her stuff with her. “I’m doing my work in the house.”
Shaxx suddenly turned, watching her go toward the door. The joking in his tone dissolved away. “Wait. Nalim. Are you upset?”
She raised an eyebrow, skepticism coloring her smile. “Are you worried about that?” She rolled her eyes. “No. I’m not. I’m not necessarily happy, mind you. But your insults could be worse.”
“Are you actually going to the house?”
Now confusion laced her expression. “Are you afraid I’m going to die there? Do you know something I don’t?”
“You know everything I do.” He turned his head away. The space between them seemed to stretch and tense .“I am afraid everyone alive may die.”
“Then I have some bad news for you, Shaxx.” Her eyes hardened. “Sooner or later it happens. Our job is to slow it down. I can do that from inside the house where you do not call me names.”

She turned to leave, but her figure in his peripheral froze. He turned to look at her, then followed her gaze into the rafters.
She genuinely smiled. “An owl.”
What? He searched for it in the shadows, only for a moment locking onto its unmoving stare. Of course she saw it so easily.
“Do you like owls?”
“Shh. You’re so loud.”
He mimed zipping his mouth shut.
Her eyes flicked to him for only a second, corners of her mouth turning sharp. “Didn’t know you could do that. Only took what, centuries?”
The helmet blocked any facial expressions, but the offended posture made her chuckle. “Can you see it?”
He unzipped his mouth. “The owl?”
“No, me, dummy. The one you’re making direct eye contact with. Yes, the owl.”
He shook his head.
She hooked one finger around his arm plate, guiding him forward, away from his corner and toward her. Her other arm guided his vision to the owl’s silhouette again.
“I can’t see it.”
She sighed in exasperation. “Get your vision checked, Shaxx.” The hand on his arm went to his chin, tilting his head toward the owl. “Now?”
He looked at her in his peripheral. “I see it now.”
“Finally. Old man.” She dropped her arms, taking her work out from under her arm. “Now. We’ve got work to do. Hurry up and go to bed.”
“Why do I have to go to bed, but you won’t?”
“I’m not your mother, I’m not going to make you.” She held up a paper from the collection. “But tomorrow’s match starts at 6 am. And I am not the Crucible handler.”
“As it should be.”
She raised a skeptical eyebrow.“It’s 2 am now.”
Shaxx’s shoulders sagged. “Ah. I see.”
“So.”
“I’ll go.” He sighed, clicking off his screens. “Goodnight, Nalim.”
“Goodnight, Shaxx.”
He turned toward the door, and stalked off toward the house in the night. The moonlight did not make him easy to miss.

“Asha. Change tomorrow’s match to 9 am. Send it out to everybody but Shaxx when you’re done.”
Asha chuckled. “Done. Want me to bribe Shaxx’s ghost not to wake him up until then?”
“Can you do that? With what?”
“Hmm.” Nalim’s data pad flashed several pages worth of reports. “I could withhold data.”
“Not really a bribe, then, is it? More of a threat.”
Asha rolled her eye. “And does that bother you?”
“Not at all. Get it done.”

“He’s accepted the uh. Bribe. It was a lot of data.”
Nalim evilly chuckled. “Good.”
“You’re such an idiot.”
“Ash. The threat was your idea.”
“True, but you approved it. Because you’re like an egg. Tough exterior, disgusting on the inside.”
“Thank you. How kind.” Nalim rolled her eyes. “Now can we finish?”
--
Europa jumped in her seat when the door closed. Alexi was asleep face down on the table, not awakened by the noise. How long had she been here? The metal in her hands shared no such knowledge.
“Europa.” Shaxx entered her peripheral. He looked different, but that observation was clouded by the fact it was Lord Shaxx talking.
“Uh, sir?” She wiped her face with her sleeve. “Is everything okay?” Suddenly her eyes shot open. “Is Nalim alright?” His posture faltered like something had happened, and they always sat together to do their work. Her mind had already started running with terrible considerations.
“Yes, she’s fine. Don’t worry.” He gave a low chuckle. “She’s just being a...night owl. I have some questions for you.”
She sighed in relief and straightened in her chair. “Uh, of course. Sure. What’d ya need?” Nalim’s scoldings echoed in her mind. “Sir.”
“Calm down. It’s 2 am.” He sat abruptly in the chair behind him. “I’ll forgive some missing niceties.”
The aura Shaxx gave off was like Nalim’s, before Europa truly knew her. Nalim was harsher, but she didn’t think getting to know Shaxx would mitigate his authority. Pay attention, Europa. Stop speculating.
“Would you mind if I asked you some hard questions?” His tone was low.
“That happens to be my area of expertise.” She grinned slightly, setting her project down. “Shoot. Questions, not a gun, please.”
He laughed. “Nalim was not lying when she described you.”
She flipped her hair theatrically, holding back the urge to ask. “So. What are your questions?”
Shaxx’s helmet obscured his expression, but the man was expressive enough with his body language alone. She knew his question before he spoke.
“Yes, I am curious what she said. However I know it includes the words ‘thorn in my side’ so I’ve learned to leave some things up to interpretation.”
He cackled.
“Was I wrong?”
“Well...there were other, nicer words as well.”
Now she laughed. “I’m sure there was. Now, what was your question? Mine are all used up.”
His amused posture shifted quickly into the withdrawn one he came in with. Almost guilty looking, he looked down as he spoke.
“Did you know Nalim’s neighbor? Well, I mean?”
Europa nodded. Why was this old and powerful legend of a Guardian asking her about River? Why not ask Nalim? Why ask at all? “River. Yes, I did. Basically was her neighbor as well for how much time I spent in Nalim’s apartment…..Why?”
“Could you...describe her to me? I understand she was a casualty of the assault.”
“She was.” Europa looked down at her hands. She’d started picking at her nails already, so she reached out for Alexi’s hand, tapping along his knuckles instead. He was asleep, but she wanted to think he’d be proud. “River was...lightless, of course, but as close to a force of nature as you could be without Light. The only person other than Zavala I have ever seen give Nalim orders. Wait, no. Forgot about Cayde. The only person other than Zavala that Nalim has obeyed orders from.” Europa laughed.
“She seems like a lovely woman.”
“She was. She was a City doctor. Always took care of Cal whenever her tongue got finicky. Managed to get Nalim to sleep occasionally. She was so determined. So caring. So….full of life.” Saying that out loud made her throat tighten. She looked away from Shaxx. “Sorry. I’ve been a little busy not thinking about my dead loved ones.”
“I’m sorry, Europa.”
“No, I-” She bit down to keep her composure. “Thank you. For asking. I don’t know why you did, but River deserved more. Better. Reminds me of why I’m up at 2am building grenade launchers. One more reason to fight back.”
“And Callisto, I assume.”
She tightened her grip on Alexi’s hand, unbeknownst to him. “She’s my reason number one.”
Shaxx stood from the chair, putting a weirdly fatherly hand on her shoulder. “For the sake of the living and the dead, we will fight for vengeance. I promise you.”
She nodded. “That’s a very Titan thing of you to say.”
He laughed sharply. “Yes, yes it is.”
As he began to walk off into the rest of the house she called out to him. “Shaxx?”
He glanced over his shoulder.
“Do I get to ask you questions later?”
“About what?”
“Things you know that I don’t.” She shrugged, playfully grinning. “That’s usually how questions go.”
He laughed quietly. “Later. You both need to get sleep now.”
“Me and…?”
He gestured to Alexi’s curled figure. “You and him. Nalim is, in your words, a force of nature. She will sleep when she decides.”
Europa nodded, yawning. “Fair enough.”

She watched him leave, stepping slowly down the shadowy hallway. Something about what he’d said didn’t seem normal to her. But it was late. And she was infinitely more afraid of Shaxx than Nalim was.
She gently shook Alexi’s hand until his eyes flickered on. “Hey, Lexi? C’mon. Let’s go.”
He groaned quietly.
“Sleepy time somewhere else. C’mon.”
“Why.” His voice when he was sleepy always sounded vaguely threatening. To other people, she guessed.
“Because if you sleep in a chair you are gonna complain in the morning.”
“Mm.”
“Up. Up. Let’s gooooo.” She started pulling at Alexi’s arm, but it was really only a fight till his stubbornness wore off. She wouldn’t budge him if he didn’t want to. “Nalim is gonna yell at us if we aren’t ready for training tomorrow.”
As he shuffled out of his chair, something clicked for her. “Lexi, say Nalim.”
“Why?”
Her smile told him something unsafe. He sighed. “Nalim.”
“One more time.”
“Nalim.”
She giggled. “Okay. Got it. Thanks, dude.”
“Should I be worried?”
She shrugged, leading the way out of the work room. “No matter what I say, you’re going to.”
“Correct.” He sighed again, slouching. “Do I get to know why?”
“Not yet. If I’m right, then I’ll tell you.” She abruptly turned, holding out her pinky. “But if and when I do, you’re sworn to secrecy.”
Alexi gently wrapped his pinky around hers, focusing hard on not pinching her. How long was he asleep? His eyes were dimmed.
“Perfect.” She grinned. “NOW we can sleep.”