3 weeks, 5 days
This time the metal in her hands looked a little shinier, a little more familiar. She smiled fondly at her reflection in the silver. Alexi was outside the house, helping with various tasks for Guardians whose intentions he hadn't caught yet. She snickered when he passed by the window and rolled his eyes at her. Why could they possibly want him to chop more wood? She laughed with her prototype when he wasn’t looking.
The door suddenly slammed, and she jumped in place. “God, who was- Shaxx? Lord Shaxx, sorry.”
He nodded at her in greeting. “I’m sorry. The door was lighter than I anticipated.”
She was truly surrounded by titans.
“Is it too early to start asking you questions?” He tilted his head, sitting down in the same chair he had last night.
“No, I’ll be doing the same thing either way.” She shrugged. “Did you finish early?”
His posture turned irritated. “Yes.”
“Is it about the match time?”
“Yes.” He made a noise between grumbling and groaning. “Your...mentor’s decision threw off my timing. Now I have to wait. I HATE waiting.”
In the most respectful voice she could muster, she spoke. “I think that was her intention, sir.”
He folded his arms. “I’m sure it was.”
“And she’s harder to argue with when she’s not here.” Europa shrugged. “Smart move, very Nalim of her.”
The irritated look in his posture loosened as he cackled. “Yes, it is very Nalim of her.” His tone was fond, if not a little sarcastic. “Ever the strategist. I will tell her what I think of her transgression when she returns.”
She sat criss-crossed on the table, cleaning out the barrel of her prototype. Greasy. “So. Questions? What’s for today?”
Shaxx leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. “Tell me about Callisto.”
She set down the prototype.
“Cali. Hmm. She was...the oldest. I was 2 months when she turned 1...so...she was risen 10 months before me.” Alton getting threatened with the Ace of Spades briefly flashed through her mind. Europa laughed quietly. “I pulled a prank on her first birthday. Turned off the power of the club we were in.”
His tone sounded like he was smiling. “I am not surprised.”
“Yeah yeah, Nalim told you I was a brat. Well, I live up to the title.” She grinned. “Cali was the second person I met ever. Nalim being the first. She drove me all the way to the City on her shiny new sparrow and barely knew how to drive it. She tried to explain the Light to me by sending Arc energy through my hand.” She laughed. “She did that a lot of other times, but for less benevolent reasons.”
“She was a hunter, right? Arcstrider?”
“Bingo.”
“I think I remember you two in a Crucible match.”
Europa dragged her hands across her face. “Noooooo.”
“What? Did you not have fun? Did you not learn anything?”
“Lord Shaxx, if you bring that match up around Nalim or Alexi, I will be reminded of it until the end of my days.”
“So it is an effective punishment.” He laughed a little evilly. “Noted.”
“Aaaaaanyways.” She tried hard not to roll her eyes. Some internal parental voice chided her that was disrespectful. Fine. “Cali was kind, brave, stubborn as-” She stopped herself. “She was stubborn. That’s my point. When we went on our first strike, she got her prosthetic shot off by a sniper. Couldn’t put it back on by herself. Too much blood. Instead of going back to the ship or telling anybody, she instructed her Ghost to shut his mouth and kept going on her merry way.”
“Reminds me of someone.” Irritated again.
“She ended up killing our objective right when she was needed, and then collapsed in the hallway. Alexi carried her back as I tried to pilot the ship home. Then Argo revived her and she did that for me too. Hellion.”
“Was Argo her Ghost?”
“Oh, yeah. Very cautious little dude.”
Shaxx laughed lightly.
“God, I remember Cayde losing his mind over the comms that day. She really liked him.”
“Cayde?”
“Yeah. Head over heels. It was so fun to mess with her about it. But they were cute.” Her easy expression had turned sour. “I miss her. I wonder if Cayde knows. Or if he's even alive either."
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not like you did it. Unless you’re the one that threw my sister off the Cabal command ship and launched her into the City.”
“Is that-?”
“Yeah. That’s how it happened. Right after they took our Light.” She slammed her fist on the table. He nodded in understanding. “I remember watching her fall. Thinking about how just hours before I was asking to borrow one of her coats for the rain. I really felt something break inside me. But I guess you know that feeling, don’t you?”
Shaxx seemed so unknown to her at that moment. All the things that he had seen that she had not. She found herself wanting to be near Nalim. To know what they knew. “I do know that feeling, but it is as you said. It is a reason to fight. To be better. We can never stop. You may not have the gift of Light right now, but you are alive. That is enough. You must use your talents to fight, as you prove in this room. Your intelligence will save lives, Europa.”
She wiped at her eyes, slightly embarrassed. “Thanks, Shaxx. Lord Shaxx. Sorry again. I appreciate your faith. I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will.”
“I’m starting to really see why Nalim hangs around you so much. You two are...similiar, to say the least.” Hook, line, and-
“She does? We are?”
Sinker.
She smiled, the best Good Guardian smile she could put on. “I don’t lie.”
“...Right.” Maybe he could sense her thoughts. He backed up into his chair. “Do you have any questions?” Maybe not.
“Later, when I write them all down.” She jumped off the table, picking up her tools again. “If that’s okay, sir? I assume you’ll be back to ask about my dead loved ones again at some point in the next few days.”
He stood suddenly, a little embarrassed. “Hm, yes. That’s fine. Thank you for your honesty, Europa.” He left, closing the door behind him with noticeable restraint.
Almost an hour passed before she spoke out loud again.
“Hey, Leo?”
He appeared in her hand. “Yes?”
“What was the last thing you transmatted?”
His eye wandered as he looked at his data. “Hmm. Doesn’t say what. But a collection of things. Callisto’s apartment. 3 weeks and 5 days ago.”
“Wow, it’s already been about a month.” She sighed. “It’s ONLY been about a month. Anyways. If you tried to undo it, what are the chances it would work?”
“Undo the transmat?”
“Yeah, like a back button. A refund. Do-over, I don’t KNOW.” She threw up her hands. “It’s worth a shot.”
“It would most likely transmat back to where we sent it from, not to us. And the Red Legion most likely has all incoming signals scrambled. Europa, I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
“But can you try?”
Leo sighed. “Yes. Of course I’ll try.”
She cleared away the section of table she was working on, and he hovered over her shoulder, blue light emanating from his eye.
Nothing came of it.
Leo nudged her cheek comfortingly. “Hey, we can try again later. As many times as you want.”
Europa put her head in her hands, slouching over. “‘We only need it to work once.’”
“That’s right. Now let’s focus on something else.”