Destiny shorts; Final Shape Edition

SFW; Eve and Eido

Eido clambered her way up a bookshelf in the RUIN library, scanning the titles of the books until she spotted one written by Osiris on the use of Solar Light. She pulled it out with her upper right hand, steadily climbing back down with the other three. Evelyn watched from a central area, a staff made from Lucent Hive chitin and crystal in her off hand, the right held out in apprehension.

Eve; "Eido... Gosh, I'd appreciate if you used a ladder next time."

Eido approached the Exo and handed over the book, her cheeks creasing and morphing the shape of her eyes to mimic a smile.

Eido; "Oh, it is no trouble, Chief Evelyn! Eliksni are well suited to climbing, especially manufactured structures."

Eve took the tome and set it in a case on a central table, round and engraved with the Vanguard symbol.

Eido; "If I may ask, however... What does researching Solar Light have to do with Hive magic?"

Eve sat down in one of the chairs, resting the staff in her lap and gesturing for Eido to do so as well. She'd sit on the opposite chair of Eve, which had been custom made to accomodate the secondary arms of Eliksni, featuring arm rests for the upper and lower pairs.

Eve; "Absolutely nothing! The book, I can take home and study in my free time. This-"

She held up the scepter a moment, its head glowing with soulfire.

Eve; "stays here at RUIN HQ or the office... or in the field. I'm not taking any Hive magic home unless I know for sure it's safe... Though, I'm already getting ideas on how I can use it without having to tap into Eriss tithe pool."

Eido awkwardly rested her arms on the arm rests, taking a deep breath as she relaxed in the chair, letting out a small chuckle at Eves comment.

Eido; "To my memory, the last time Eliksni tried to use Hive magic was House Exiles on Luna. They all went mad in one form or another, with the most notable example being Hiraks."

Eve nodded gently, resting her hands on the arm rests as well.
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Eve; "Yeah, I certainly never thought I'd be using Hive magic. That's for the Eriss and Tolands of the world."

She laughed to herself as she looked to the side, watching a pair of Hive Lightbearers walk past the shelving, wearing RUIN lanyards.

Eve; "... Oh, Wyrm would've had a fit if he saw me using soulfire. He was part of the Great Disaster, barely survived."

Eido furrowed her brow as she leaned forward, clasping her upper hands together against her chin in thought.

Eido; "The Eliksni have never made a proper staged attack against the Hive. The last time the Eliksni as a whole fought the Hive was against Oryx... The Whirlwind. Would such a thing happen against Xivu Arath?"

Eve; "That's what Eris is trying to solve for... That's what-"

She gestured again to the staff.

Eve; "This, is for. I very highly doubt we're going to end her for good... But at least slow her down enough for us to find a way through the portal."

Eido nodded gently, looking at Evelyn with soft eyes, her voice holding a twang of worry.

Eido; "... Do you think we will survive? You are out there in the field doing the fighting... Do we have a chance?"

Eve exhaled softly and leaned foward, resting her elbows on her knees. She hesitated a moment before speaking, but her inner mouth light came on, as if to indicate a halted breath. A near inaudible croak preceeded her response.

Eve; "... I don't know for sure. But I know we're gonna try our damn best to stop the Final Shape from happening. I can't speak for all Guardians, but I'm not just doing this because it's the right thing or because I wanna fill up my vault with guns."

She reached forward and rested a hand on Eidos clasped upper hands, making her make eye contact, her eyes widening out of shyness.

Eve; "I'm doing it for you. So you have a future. So the Eliksni and Humanity... Hell, even so the Cabal and Psions can have a future."

Eido nodded gently with fluttering eyes. Her voice remained steady, save for a crack at first.
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Eido; "... You remind me of Eramis, in that way. You do not care if you have a future... Only that those younger than you do."

Eve gave a stiff nod in silence. Had she lips, they would've been pursed.

Eido; "... Why not also fight for your future? Is that not also worth fighting for?"

Evelyn broke eye contact to look down slightly, Eido releasing her hands from under Eves to hold it in her upper hands.

Eido; "I know you are distraught because of Herra and Marie... But you are worth fighting for as well. I cannot go out there and slay hundreds of Hive to keep you safe... But, I would if I could. It is only here that I can help, by finding knowledge and saving it for the future. That is what we do that the Witness does not; we fight for each other. We are all worth saving... Even you."

Eve closed her eyes with a shaky breath, her hands trembling, even in Eidos grasp. Before Eido could speak up and ask what was wrong, Eve came out of her chair to hug Eido, catching her off guard with a quiet gasp. She hesitantly returned the gesture, wrapping all four of her arms around Evelyn as she whispered.

Eido; "... Is this what you Humans call an embrace?"

Eve huffed in amusement, patting Eidos back softly, her voice cracking through her whisper.

Eve; "... It is, hun."

Eido; "This is pleasant, we should do this more!"

Eve chuckled quietly, her voice stabilizing just above a whisper.

Eve; "I agree."