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“So.”
The room is deceptively spacious, curving walls in the Eliksni style giving the illusion of more space than there is “true” floor, not that the nine or so people gathered take all of it up. The Hunter of the group, Ajal Intev, shakes her head in confirmation of something, causing the collected Lightbearers to sigh in relief; they aren’t being monitored.
One of the two Titans, Amyr, decides to open up the meeting with a wry, “So… Savathûn, huh…?” Several eyes—a pair of fuschia bulbs alongside their singular, teal companion and the three glowing, piercing emerald orbs that try never to leave their side anymore—all fix themselves on one person, an Awoken Warlock.
“What?” the Warlock, Valeri, says, “Oh come on, that was one time! And it was all Sylva’s fault anyways!”
“Except I caught you having a wet-“ Stardust grins, cheekily
“Ah! S-shut up!”
“I’m not ashamed, she’s hot.” Valeri’s Ghost, Sylvangale, pipes up from underneath her warlock’s coattails, their one eye shimmering with a certain kind of excitement. “Not the time Sylv!” Valeri clamps hands around xir Ghost’s shell, practically shaking her as xe shoves Sylvangale into xir coat.
“I’m sorry, what?” This time it’s Amyr who jerks her head towards the Warlocks.
“No-well-it’s just…” Valeri splutters, “See, we were on Io and-“
Sylvangale, wriggling out of her guardian’s grasp, chirps “Turns out Savathûn has this massive-!”
“Shhhh! Sylv! Stop putting your foot in your own damn mouth!” The Warlock grips xir Ghost with the kind of strength that would shatter bone as xe desperately try to wrest control of the conversation back from Sylvangale. “We had a run-in with the Witch Queen, we almost got Taken, we escaped. That’s it. Eris and Stardust cleared us independently, we’re fine.”
“But didn’t Stardust say something about-“ Amyr continues, unabashedly, to prod. “No!” Valeri practically yells, her blush all but making her face a light source all of its own. “So, what do we know so far?” Amber, hoping beyond hope to redirect the conversation, says. Predictably, it’s Eris’s breathy tones that somehow manage to keep any judgement out of her words as she asks,
“Where do you wish to start?”
Amber sighs, “Give us the minutes, then.”
Eris breaths in through her teeth, the three emerald orbs blinking once before she stands a little straighter, a little prouder, as she speaks:
“There is much that we know and much that we suspect, however the Witch Queen is crafty. She weaves secrets and lies as if she were a spider, spinning everywhere and nowhere at the same time. What we can say for certain is that Savathûn is one of three Hive Gods whose nature, that which must always be followed, is that of deception. We know for certain that she has gained command over the Taken and has learned how to Take.” Eris’s eyes briefly flick to meet a blushing Valeri’s. “We know she is the mastermind behind the curse that plagued the Dreaming City, the Hive brood on Titan, the Taken in the EDZ, and all the misery the Crown of Sorrows has wrought. We also know that Taken have infected the Vex network responsible for the Endless Night, meaning her days as a fugitive are numbered, at best.”
The silence in the room is thick, the tension palpable as all eyes follow the rise and fall of Eris’s breath, the closing and opening of her three ethereal eyes. “We suspect her to be behind numerous schemes—Luna, Torobatl, Mars, Io, the list is long—that even experts like myself, Stardust, Valeri and little Sylvangale doubt our own wealth of knowledge.” Eris continues, eyeing each and every person present as she does. “She could be anywhere, masquerading as anyone, perhaps even as a citizen of the City, or even…” Her brow wrinkles under her head veil, Stardust immediately moving the few inches to put her arm around Eris and pull her close.
“We’ve made sure none’ve us in this room’re being influenced by the Witch Bitch, so we’d better not see any fights now, y’hear? I know the whole thing’s scary as shit, but the people in this room, I put my life on none’a y’all bein’ a fake or plant..” It takes a minute, but Qi—an Awoken Warlock whose skin skitters like the storm that fuels their soul—raises their hand. “Yeah?”
“So, you mentioned the Crown of Sorrows, right?”
“Yes.” Eris says
“Right, right…" Qi continues, "Y’know it’s in the City, right? Osiris had me move it here during the Guardian Games…”
“No… No, I did not. This is-“
Stardust-13 slams her fist, denting the metel railing she’d been leaning on, “It’s damn suspect, ‘s what it is! The hell was Osiris thinking?! It’s like he’s…” Stardust-13’s eyes brighten, then dull in abject terror, “Shit…”
Several sets of eyes—Rachel-3, Amber, Andie, Ajal, Amyr and Qi—swivel to meet Stardust’s. “Shit?” Amyr asks, dark eyebrow arching up, questioning. Rachel-3, radiolarian-white eyes widening as she puts pieces together, lowers her head and grips the railing around the central projector hard enough to rend it. “Shit.” The Titan says, voice clawing to get out of her voice box.
“What?” Amber says with a tilt of her head and the nervous, dull clap of her jaws.
“Osiris,” Stardust worries, “I’ve known ‘im since me n’some friends rescued him from the whole ‘Endless Forest’ nonsense, an he’s never acted like this—the Osiris I’ve known sure’s hell wouldn’t hold his peace when he’s got an opinion, that’s for damn sure. Somethin’s been up ever since… well, ever since Sagira…” Now it’s Eris who comforts her lover, wrapping her arm around Stardust’s sturdy frame and squeezing, just a little.
“You saying that Osiris might be… Shit, that he’s, I don’t know, possessed? Influenced? Converted?” Ajal pipes in from her place lounging on the floor.
Amber’s eyes meets Stardust’s, steely void meeting fuchsia. “…Taken?” The whole room chills faster than a Europan night, all eyes going to the floor or to their Eliksni leader. After a full minute, Amyr straightens her back and says, “Well, we’re going to need some more guns then.”