nexus_crossings | https://tinyurl.com/ufdk43p

https://tinyurl.com/ufdk43p

A trail of strange, unidentifiable red petals winds through the plaza this cold day in the Nexus. Not a heap of them, but enough small bits of brilliant red to pop out amid the snow and dreary ground to leave a distinct marking of something or someone passing through.

The trail leads anyone following it to Nike, currently brushing more of those petals out of her impossibly long golden tresses, her brow furrowed in concentration. It's more of an emotion than her countenance normally belies. She startles to see anyone approaching her and drops her hands from her hair quickly. Scrambles for a long piece of red and white cloth she's got folded into her pack.

"Apologies. I did have queries for the populace today." Her fingers grip and cinch the fabric between them, slowly working their ways down the length of the cloth. She fidgets with it while she addresses anyone who will listen.

"Why do people choose partners based on mere attraction? Out of dozens of qualifying attributes, why should something so unimportant have a disproportionate weight to the equation? The choice could be made based on compatibility of skills, or a mutually sought after goal or..." Nike trails off and with a sudden forceful flick of her wrist bunches up the fabric in her hands to flop against her thighs in clear frustration. The demon clearly does not understand and it's eating at her.

"Why do you do this?"

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Saint had spotted the petals during a stroll through the plaza; the red catching his eye against the white of the snow. The towering Titan had no idea what to expect when he found the source, but he wasn't expecting the petals to be drifting from a lovely woman's hair.

His helmeted head tilts as he spots her, and shifts as he noticed the red and white cloth on her lap. He caught a glimpse of a familiar symbol before she bunched it in her lap. The woman's question caught him off guard a moment or two, before he sat down next to her at a polite conversational distance so he wouldn't be looming over her.

"Hmm. I think it just depends on the person." He said after a moment, deep accented voice contemplative. "Not everyone gets drawn to another based on looks alone." He rubbed a gloved finger at the bottom edge of his helmet. "Err...are you referring to strictly romantic pairings or...ah...friends. Team-mates?" His r's rolled pleasantly as he spoke. He wasn't really an expert on romantic relationships but he would help answer her curiosity however he could.

Ah. A Titan approaches. Exo, the way he moves and sounds. Nike knows them well, down to the circuitry that replaces their circulatory systems. Her mistress is an Exo like this one. A Titan, like this one. Without realizing she is doing so, Nike relaxes ever so slightly. Waits for this lavender wearing hulking figure to settle into a seat before she says anything.

She is not of his people, though she does wear their garb. Carries their weapons. Fights for their cause.

"No, it would be hard to do so in your society anyway." When most of its most beloved figures are never seen sans their gear by anyone but their closest allies. But it doesn't change what she's observing, here in the Nexus or among the Guardians she has grown accustomed to living among. She pauses at his awkwardness in asking his question. Her stare lingers longer than is strictly necessary.

"I don't see the difference in those statements. Partners are partners. Many are wasted because they focus on inconsequential factors. You devote entire holidays venerating what is ultimately...." She trails off and shakes her head. It can't just be a waste of time.

People wouldn't dedicate precious resources to it if it were simply that.

But she does not understand.

At the comment about romantic relationships being hard to do in his society, a rumble of a chuckle echoed from Saint's helmet. "Perhaps. But not impossible." He said lightly. "Close bonds are forged in fireteams. Especially when going through the hardship of constant fighting together. Sometimes attachments like that can form because of it." She definitely wasn't incorrect though.

It was about that point when he turned his head towards her that he realized she was wearing Warlock robes. Oh. He had been distracted by the fabric bunched in her lap and didn't notice when he first approached. As for the woman's scrutiny, he didn't mind. There was something curious about her though that he couldn't put his finger on.

Saint listened to her with a surprisingly gentle patience for a Titan. Thinking on what to say when she was finished with a soft 'hmmm'. "I think it is because at their roots, people are social creatures and do not want to be alone. Of course there are those that don't mind being a long wolf..." He added with a soft chuckle. "There is something nice about having others that have your back and an ear to listen, or that share your interests or even have skills that compliment your own." He raised a finger. "And that goes for all relationships."

He sat back in his seat, fingers curled under his chin. "As for holidays - it gives both Guardians and Civilians something to look forward to during hardship. You are from the Tower yes?" He gestured at her clothes. "A Guardian's life is not easy, as you know. It is hard on both mind and body. Celebrations remind us to smile. To feel joy and hope. To remind us what we fight for every day."

There is no closer bond than a contract between souls. Nike cannot have a more total and complete partnership than the one she shares with the Exo who sustains her. Hers is a symbiotic existence. Unable to exist for long on her own and working in service to aid the one she has become linked with.

However, these are all necessary. They are not human attachments, not the way Saint knows them. Hope, respect, love...these are emotions Nike has no context for. They were unnecessary when her life was a struggle for survival among her own kind. She is struggling to understand them now that she is dropped in the midst of them.

"Then I cannot understand, because I am not human. My kind are not social, nor frivolous. Nevertheless I will continue to observe. Perhaps someday I will grasp what benefit there is to such illogical drives. It's clearly important to all of you."

Well, that must be the feeling about her that he couldn't articulate then. She looked like a human Warlock, but she didn't fully feel like one. He tilted his head as he listened to her, curious. He wasn't disturbed at all by the revelation.

"If you spend enough time around us, I'm sure that it will be more clear eventually. In the meantime I don't mind answering your questions as best I can." Saint said kindly. "If I may ask...what are you?"

"A demon."

There's no shame nor pride in her voice to say it. Merely a stating of a fact. Nike leans forward slightly and there is a flash of golden light not unlike a warlock dropping a well before her stark white wings manifest out the back of her robes before settling behind her.

"I am fortunate enough to have a host who has need of me and where my skills can be used to benefit others. Your wars are my own, now."

At that answer, Saint sat back slightly in surprised silence. Of all the answers he wasn't expecting that. Another race sure. Maybe even a shape-shifter. But a demon? Maybe she meant something else but the word was the only thing that could explain it in the English language. Before he could think further on this or respond, the woman leaned forward slightly and in a flash of golden light; wings unfolded from her back. To say the Exo was stunned was an understatement.

"Tak krasivo..." The Titan murmured softly - slipping into his mother tongue. "Ty vyglyadish' kak angel!" He mentally shook himself and shook his head with a wry chuckle. "It's not every day I get surprised like this." He switched to English. He had so many questions, but he also did not want to derail her own questions from minutes ago. There was one big one he had though: "How did you come to join the cause of the Guardians?" He wondered curiously.

[[ooc: Translation from Russian: 'So beautiful...' and 'You look like an angel!']]

"A door opened from my world to this place. Many of my kind saw this as a chance for conquest. ...I saw it as a means to escape."

She gestures around herself to the Nexus as a whole. A monument still sits near where the plaza turns to sprawling park lands to honor those who died protecting this place from her kin.

"The one I swore a pact with to stay was a Guardian. I owe her a life debt. That is when I joined your cause."

"Ah, that is a very courageous thing to do." Saint murmured, inclining his head. "To seek a change for something better than what you've always known." His tones were both understanding and kind.

"Well I can definitely say the help is appreciated." Saint added with a soft chuckle. "There is enough threats to our home that there is never a shortage of foes to fight." He inclined his head. "I am Saint-14, what may I call you? I know we just met, but if you ever need help or have questions to ask - you can reach out to me." In a way, he would happily call the demon a friend. Perhaps someday she would do the same.

"I feel as though it is a boon that my kind happen to look humanoid in nature. Were I more monstrous in appearance, like many of my kin, I do not feel as though I would have been so easily welcomed among her kin."

With every other creature in the system trying to snuff out Humanity's Light though, Nike feels as though she can understand at least a little. It still makes the demon wonder though. Just how accepted will she ever be? As a servant it probably matters more for her host than it will for her, but she doesn't wish to cause the Exo any trouble, either.

"Without my wings, I have been able to pass for human on more than one occasion." At least until she started asking questions.

Saint lowered his head for a moment with a nod. "Unfortunately that is probably so." He murmured. "All extraterrestrial life we have encountered thus far as you know, are not friendly." He imagined if she looked as alien as the other species did, she would have been thought of as the foe instead of an ally.

Turning his helmeted head towards her, he smiled, though it was unseen behind the visor. "It is a handy trick, I must admit." He gestured at her wings. "Well. I for one am grateful for your help and admire your courage. If anyone gives you any trouble, just contact me." He reassured, only to happy to help if she ever needed it.

Nike hesitates a moment before with drawing her PINpoint from her robes.

"I...am no Guardian. I have no Ghost with which to commune with you. But I know they can interface with this. I will allow your companion to have my credentials if they agree to it."

She does not like to admit she is only playing at being a Guardian.

Saint held out his hand, and his Ghost appeared floating above it. "This is my Ghost, Geppetto." He introduced and the little bot bobbed in greeting. They had been following the conversation with interest and was only too happy to come forward and scan the PINpoint in the demon's hand for her contact information. In exchange, Saint's info was transferred into the device so she'd be able to reach him.

"Hush, my friend." The Titan soothed warmly. "You might not have been risen by a Ghost and given the blessing of the Traveler - but that doesn't mean that you can't be a Guardian in many other ways. I know many Civilians who are just as valued, courageous and skilled who help us with our cause."

Nike likewise bows out of respect for the Ghost albeit not as deeply as she once would have. Blaze has drilled into her that she is not merely a servant and should not treat herself as such. Nike isn't sure she understands, but she has done her best to honor the titan's wishes. She is polite, but she does not grovel.

"Pleasure to meet you both." Nike glances at her PINpoint as it beeps and flickers to update the new contact.

A civilian a Guardian? Nike waits for the punchline but Saint does not laugh. These are supposed to be the people she is protecting. They shouldn't be out on the front lines...but humans are illogical that way. Nike nods slowly.

"I will continue to do my part, whatever title I may hold."

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