Rai looked down at her arms, cradling the Shotgun like a dear friend. She hadn't even realized she still had the barrel aimed in Natylee's direction. Rai's eyes widened, realizing what she almost did. She dropped her arms, the gun now hanging to the ground. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Rai turned her head to the side, ashamed. The two of them stood there in silence, the air thick with discomfort. Rai's Ghost popped into existence like bubblegum bursting. "So, ah, let's get to it then, yeah?" Ghost was obviously trying to fill in the awkward silence. Ghost floated a meter above their heads, then broke apart in midair. Each segment of her body orbited around her core, her eye, a mechanically perfect distance between each part. Pulses of bright blue light periodically burst out from Ghost. After a few moments, Ghost's eye grew large, and her orbiting segments drew back to her core like magnets, clicking perfectly into place with one another. Ghost rushed back to Rai's side, shaking intensely. "It's faint, but I sense the Light of another Guardian!" Rai smiled at Ghost, then at Natylee, trying to be reassuring.

"Good, thank you." Natylee's words where troubled and cautious. "L-lead the way," the Titan did. They walked about 5 miles up Rai's ghost is pulsing again detecting the light of a guardian. "I am detecting a heavier concentration of light and we're getting closer." "Thank you." Nat said with her defensive tone. "Let's continue then" they once again set off towards the source.

The two guardians continued their journey, slowly following the pulsing light of Rai's Ghost. The further and further they walked, the thicker the air grew with tension. It was almost palpable, like walking through mud. By now, the sun was high in the sky, it's brilliant rays reflecting beautifully off the glass surfaces of the skyscrapers on either side of the road. Shadows of overhanging decorative dragons and lanterns were cast onto the ground, creating intricate patterns. This was likely a marketplace or something along those lines back in the Golden Age. If you paid close enough attention to the surroundings, one might be able to hear the hustle and bustle of shoppers long gone. But Rai couldn't pay attention. She was distracted with the matter at hand. Rai obviously made a mistake with Natylee, just entertaining the idea of turning on another Guardian. It wasn't the fact that Natylee now distrusted Rai that bothered her. That was manageable, regaining the trust of a fellow Guardian. What really ate at Rai, what really hurt her was the fact that she almost treated another Guardian as an enemy. It wasn't unheard of to find beings blessed with the powers of a Guardian running around destroying everything that humanity stands for. The legends of Dredgen Yor were known by all, as well as the infamous Red Death, and to a certain extent, the rebellious Sunbreaker legion. Even on the side of Light, man fought amongst themselves. Rai went a step further than this though. She almost betrayed a comrade. A Guardian recognized as a protector of the city, under the authority of Ikora Rey, a mother. People that turned on friends and family were hard to forgive. Rai found it even harder to forgive herself. For the past 5 miles, Rai was silent, never turning around. Now, she couldn't take it. She stopped suddenly and turned around, "I'm sorry." Her lips were tight, eyes slightly widened but drooping at the edges.

Nat hears Rai stop mid-motion and speak to her. The words were slightly distorted, or washed out by thought but Nat knew what she was saying. If there was a residual noise laying in the air it scurried away when the sound came into contact. Nat truthfully wasn't mad she was much more of a gentle soul. Even so she still held a pinch of disdain and distrust close to her heart as it hadn't been a day since it happened. Rai needed am answer and Nat knew this. The Warlock had already stopped processing what Rai said. She turns and looks at the Titan who now looks so much smaller in posture than before. She was filled with guilt and regret. She approaches and puts a single hand on her shoulder. "I know." She very slightly tightens the grip on her shoulder "I understand" the sum was shining on Rai's face as her expression changed. Nat got an idea from this. She looked at Rai and put a smile on her Exo face. She muttered a binding and split her mind into two. With one she focussed on Rai and the Seccond she drew the gentle tingling warmth of the sun and loosely linked the two. Filling Rai with a new sensation of warmth.

That was it. That was all Rai needed. An acknowledgement that it wasn't her intention. There was no way someone like Rai would ever turn on a fellow Guardian, right? Even Natylee should see that! A warm, comforting feeling came up from inside her, embracing Rai like a blanket. Her relationship with Natylee was mended, and their bond was made stronger because of this ordeal. The corners of Rai's mouth began to turn upward into the beginnings of a smile. Everything was fine now. ... ... [i]No.[/i] Rai pushed down the feeling of joy, stifling it until it was smothered out completely. [i]She may forgive me. But I don't forgive me. I don't deserve that.[/i] Rai muttered plainly,"Thank you," and continued marching forward. In the deep recesses of her mind, Rai heard far off cries for help, as she heard so many times before. The screeches of desperate lives about to be taken away. Her self-imposed guilt made room for burning anger, creating a thick soup of the two in Rai's mind. [i]Forgiveness is earned.[/i] Just as the clouds of self-hatred began to move in, Rai's Ghost halted in mid-air, the segments of her body orbiting excitedly around her core. She was looking up at the top of an enormous skyscraper, it's shadow shielding the old marketplace from the light of the sun. This was one of the tallest they'd come across so far. "The Light...it's in this building!

Rai's smile fades as soon as it appeared and Nat was so very confused. She only wanted to comfort the Titan but her eyes said [b][i]No[/i][/b] with a stern look. Rai's Ghost adjusts and chirps out. Nat turns to it and inquires weather it's positive as well as the specifics of it all. It seems that her long lost Clarrisa was at arms reach. "Well let's start heading... Up I guess." She turns back to the Titan who had dawned her helmet and Nat does the same. [i]What is Rai thinking? Why couldn't she forgive herself[/i] ____________________________________ [b][i]At the top of the Skyscraper[/i][/b] A Hunter sits alone in a chair picking the dirt out of her fingernails with a knife. Thinking about how uncomfortable the chair was but there was nothing better she had searched the tower for the entire first half of the day. Her cloak was set to the side folded perfectly and her helm sat on top of it. She was an Awoken. Hair as black as night and dazzling emerald green eyes lay upon her face. Her lips were marked with faded red and streams of dark black makeup stuck under her eyes showing signs of tears. She was not well, but she thought it more peaceful than the towers. Always alive. Always active. Always working. Never sleeping. But out here, out her was a perfect reflection and representation of her. Longing to be active. Wanting to be alive. She went to move to the other hand with her blade when her ghost, Astra spoke. "Hey, Claire I'm detecting 2... Maybe three light signatures on ground floor." "You think they're the same ones that caused that giant explosion?" "I could only assume so." "Huh. Do you 'assume' they're looking for us?" The ghost let's out a short chirping laugh "I could only assume"

The group entered the building. Unlike the enormous atrium of their campsite, the ground floor had a simple room of average height, with modest decorations placed throughout. The carpet, eaten through as it was, would have been a dark blue in its prime, with the white paint on the walls peeling away to reveal wood and concrete. At the far end of the room, a mere ten meters, a wooden reception desk stood, back by a large map taking up the wall. The map, or rather the blueprint, was of the building, listing out what was located on each floor. Ghost whizzed over to the map, brightening herself to read it better. "Ah, the Light...it's going to be near the top. Maybe even at the very top!" Rai marched over to Ghost's side, examining the list of businesses on each floor. "Hmm...197 floors to the top. Hopefully we don't have to walk all the way there." Ghost flitted off to the side, examining an elevator door. A bright beam of light shot out from her eye, sparking on a control panel for the elevator. Ghost hovered in front of the panel for about a minute, humming and muttering under her breath, before finally turning around. She heaved out a sigh, facing towards the ground. "Well...looks like you'll be walking." -------------------- Moving up the stairwell slowly, Rai and Natylee had their weapons drawn in case of a Fallen ambush. Rai constantly had her Scout rifle pressed against her shoulder, aiming up to the top of the building. There were no windows, no working lights in the stairwell. The only light shone from flashlights mounted on their weapons, and the cool-blue eyes of the Ghosts. Wherever Rai pointed, thick particles of dust flitted about in the air. It was impossible to see more than 10 feet away in the all-consuming blackness. Low rumbling came from outside the building, shaking the walls. Even without windows, Rai could tell what lay outside: a monsoon had just swept in, bringing with it thunder and rain. Soon enough, the pitter-patter of heavy rainfall could be heard slapping against the tower, even through the thick walls. "Ghost, how much further have we got?" Rai asked. "Weeeeell, we are currently on...hmm, oh! Here we go...oh, floor 38. So....yeah. A while still," Ghost turned around to face Rai and Natylee. "If I could carry you guys, I would!"