Pale eyes glanced over, Declan smile soft and warm. It pleased him that Aoba was awed by the beauty of the Reef's organized chaos. The ships moving about, rising like ghosts from the magenta dust and silently disappearing again, the myriad blinking proximity lights on vast metal mountains thrusting out of patched together hulls, the shadows of people behind massive windows set on giant community hubs. There was nothing small or weak about the Awoken empire, and the tenacity of the people made Declan proud to be part of them, even if he wasn't formally accepted.
He nodded and gestured occasionally, pointing out different places of interest; the markets, the academies, the central web of the Techeun halls, and the fortified mass where the Queen resided at the center of it all.
Drifting casually, Declan eventually turned the Mariner towards the Vestian Outpost, the primary dock for Guardians visiting the Reef. Once off the ship he continued to gesture towards points of interest, things set up to make it more useful for Guardians assisting the Awoken and vice cversa, like the bounty board and banking robot. He nodded towards a large tent home set up to the far side where a large, spindly figure chatted with Guardians and locals alike. A Fallen, friendly. And then Petra Venj standing on a platform with numerous Awoken soldiers, overseeing the comings and goings.
They couldn't gawk for too long, though, working on a tight schedule set by the royals, so Declan introduced Aoba to the one-eyed woman called Petra, and discussed going into the city. She was curt but polite and professional with Aoba. She was significantly warmer with Declan, though only out of familiarity, not personal interest. The Titan seemed fairly comfortable with her as well. Friends, in a sense, but not the movie-watching type.
In short order Aoba and Declan were escorted through the city to the royal seat, bustled hurriedly with little time to gaze about. They could save it for later.
When they were put before the Queen, it may not have been what Aoba expected. The Awoken were not a glossy and decorative people; they lived hard lives eked out in the fringes of space closest to the reach of the Darkness. They built an empire out of the refuse of humanity, and while obviously very, very cultured and cunning, they looked a bit savage compared to the people of the Last City, their clothing made of rough leathers, decorated with furs and feathers. Mara Sov lounged on her throne looking ever so superior and deadly as a coiled serpent, and her darker brother in his black gear stalked around the steps and throne like a hungry panther eager to rip out the throats of anyone his sister allowed him to dispose of.
"What is it now, Guardian?" Uldren spat, irritated for no other reason than he always seemed to be.
"Brother...is that any way to treat our guests?" Mara drawled, voice sultry, eyes half-open as she watched Declan and Aoba with an unreadable expression. Uldren said nothing, though he glared at the two men who dared waste his sister's time. Clearly the siblings saw things very differently.
"You seek information that was taken during the exodus," Mara stated, arching a brow slightly, glancing between the two men. "Maps, and charts."
"Yes, your grace. The academy referenced information the Awoken may have in their possession regarding the locations of various wormholes."
"Portal, you mean?" Uldren scoffed, peering up with orange eyes like smoldering coals.
"The semantics are irrelevant. We have no such records," Mara replied, and Declan slumped visibly. Another dead end. Uldren looked pleased to see the efforts of the two stymied.
"But the Nine had copies of those records," the Queen added idly, lips quirking in the faintest of satisfied smiles. Her brother turned with an incredulous, almost pained look, unwilling to give Aoba and Declan anything to work with and frustrated that his sister would be so benevolent.
"Xur is still skulking about somewhere. Go talk to him<," Uldren bit, earning a slow squint from Declan, who was looking uncharacteristically bristled. The Titan cooled, however, when Mara turned and addressed Aoba directly.
"Is what I've heard correct? Are you truly from before the Golden Age?"
no subject
He nodded and gestured occasionally, pointing out different places of interest; the markets, the academies, the central web of the Techeun halls, and the fortified mass where the Queen resided at the center of it all.
Drifting casually, Declan eventually turned the Mariner towards the Vestian Outpost, the primary dock for Guardians visiting the Reef. Once off the ship he continued to gesture towards points of interest, things set up to make it more useful for Guardians assisting the Awoken and vice cversa, like the bounty board and banking robot. He nodded towards a large tent home set up to the far side where a large, spindly figure chatted with Guardians and locals alike. A Fallen, friendly. And then Petra Venj standing on a platform with numerous Awoken soldiers, overseeing the comings and goings.
They couldn't gawk for too long, though, working on a tight schedule set by the royals, so Declan introduced Aoba to the one-eyed woman called Petra, and discussed going into the city. She was curt but polite and professional with Aoba. She was significantly warmer with Declan, though only out of familiarity, not personal interest. The Titan seemed fairly comfortable with her as well. Friends, in a sense, but not the movie-watching type.
In short order Aoba and Declan were escorted through the city to the royal seat, bustled hurriedly with little time to gaze about. They could save it for later.
When they were put before the Queen, it may not have been what Aoba expected. The Awoken were not a glossy and decorative people; they lived hard lives eked out in the fringes of space closest to the reach of the Darkness. They built an empire out of the refuse of humanity, and while obviously very, very cultured and cunning, they looked a bit savage compared to the people of the Last City, their clothing made of rough leathers, decorated with furs and feathers. Mara Sov lounged on her throne looking ever so superior and deadly as a coiled serpent, and her darker brother in his black gear stalked around the steps and throne like a hungry panther eager to rip out the throats of anyone his sister allowed him to dispose of.
"What is it now, Guardian?" Uldren spat, irritated for no other reason than he always seemed to be.
"Brother...is that any way to treat our guests?" Mara drawled, voice sultry, eyes half-open as she watched Declan and Aoba with an unreadable expression. Uldren said nothing, though he glared at the two men who dared waste his sister's time. Clearly the siblings saw things very differently.
"You seek information that was taken during the exodus," Mara stated, arching a brow slightly, glancing between the two men. "Maps, and charts."
"Yes, your grace. The academy referenced information the Awoken may have in their possession regarding the locations of various wormholes."
"Portal, you mean?" Uldren scoffed, peering up with orange eyes like smoldering coals.
"The semantics are irrelevant. We have no such records," Mara replied, and Declan slumped visibly. Another dead end. Uldren looked pleased to see the efforts of the two stymied.
"But the Nine had copies of those records," the Queen added idly, lips quirking in the faintest of satisfied smiles. Her brother turned with an incredulous, almost pained look, unwilling to give Aoba and Declan anything to work with and frustrated that his sister would be so benevolent.
"Xur is still skulking about somewhere. Go talk to him<," Uldren bit, earning a slow squint from Declan, who was looking uncharacteristically bristled. The Titan cooled, however, when Mara turned and addressed Aoba directly.
"Is what I've heard correct? Are you truly from before the Golden Age?"