He turned his head a bit, looking at the other man for a long moment before smiling, knowing full well it was Desire he spoke to, but moderately more comfortable in his understanding of them being the same person.
"Goodnight, Aoba." He reached over with one hand, pulling the covers up just a little more and tucking them down to close a gap in the fabric, them turned away again and closed his eyes, big chest rising and falling deeply in his generalized contentment. It wasn't a perfect life, but it was as close as he could get.
The next morning Declan got up early and heated some breakfast sandwich things up, eating his own in a few bites. He was taking a short patrol shift - only a few hours - then they were going to see the Endless Steps and make a small detour to an abandoned research facility and see if there was anything else on Venus that could help before they went to the Reef.
Three and a half hours passed and Declan showed back up, fully geared, and honked the little horn on his Sparrow. They were off across the jungles and ruins of Venus, Declan slowing or stopping occasionally to point things out or get off the Sparrow and explore a little area. Massive abandoned buildings, their neon signs still somehow flickering advertisements in numerous languages, computer screens still scrolling. The technology was sound and the buildings strong. One day it would all be easy to come back to, start over without having lost too much ground.
The Endless Steps were entirely different, a majestic landscape of wilderness and white stone. Not human in design, Declan explained, pointing out the wandering Vex here and there. They needed to be cautious, but there were Guardians around keeping the place safe, so he felt confident taking Aoba up to see the more beautiful places with the dead Vex portals and the overgrown flora. They couldn't picnic because taking their helmets off was much too risky, but he brought food to eat at the research station, so close enough.
When Aoba got his fill of the Steps, they went to the station and posted out on a cliff while a small group of Guardians swept the place, collected some information they needed, then hurried off again. Soon Declan, Ghost, Aoba and Ren were settled into the station for a brief repast, with Ghost scanning through documents and Declan gazing out a window at the jungle sea visible between the trees and chewing a biscuit.
"You know...I love all of these places, but the Moon is still my favorite. Even without any flora or fauna, it's just the place I feel the best. I wonder if that's strange, preferring a vast nothingness."
no subject
"Goodnight, Aoba." He reached over with one hand, pulling the covers up just a little more and tucking them down to close a gap in the fabric, them turned away again and closed his eyes, big chest rising and falling deeply in his generalized contentment. It wasn't a perfect life, but it was as close as he could get.
The next morning Declan got up early and heated some breakfast sandwich things up, eating his own in a few bites. He was taking a short patrol shift - only a few hours - then they were going to see the Endless Steps and make a small detour to an abandoned research facility and see if there was anything else on Venus that could help before they went to the Reef.
Three and a half hours passed and Declan showed back up, fully geared, and honked the little horn on his Sparrow. They were off across the jungles and ruins of Venus, Declan slowing or stopping occasionally to point things out or get off the Sparrow and explore a little area. Massive abandoned buildings, their neon signs still somehow flickering advertisements in numerous languages, computer screens still scrolling. The technology was sound and the buildings strong. One day it would all be easy to come back to, start over without having lost too much ground.
The Endless Steps were entirely different, a majestic landscape of wilderness and white stone. Not human in design, Declan explained, pointing out the wandering Vex here and there. They needed to be cautious, but there were Guardians around keeping the place safe, so he felt confident taking Aoba up to see the more beautiful places with the dead Vex portals and the overgrown flora. They couldn't picnic because taking their helmets off was much too risky, but he brought food to eat at the research station, so close enough.
When Aoba got his fill of the Steps, they went to the station and posted out on a cliff while a small group of Guardians swept the place, collected some information they needed, then hurried off again. Soon Declan, Ghost, Aoba and Ren were settled into the station for a brief repast, with Ghost scanning through documents and Declan gazing out a window at the jungle sea visible between the trees and chewing a biscuit.
"You know...I love all of these places, but the Moon is still my favorite. Even without any flora or fauna, it's just the place I feel the best. I wonder if that's strange, preferring a vast nothingness."