Hi, all! This is another facet of Rezyl Azzir/Dredgen Yor (gamer tag Basket34Ball) Paradox story, told from the perspective of James' rival Dredgen Yor in a series of journal entries. This only complements the series, so you won't get the full experience just reading this. This is a link to the Table of Contents: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/222610151?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=0 If you're ambitious, here's the first part to get you started: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/222438285?page=0&sort=0&showBanned=0&path=0 Hope you enjoy! ____________________________________ [u][b]Entry 9,454[/b][/u] Yeah, go ahead, Shrimp. I...I actually never thought I'd come back here. Am I remembering right, or has nothing changed? I mean, why the heck wouldn't they give it a new coat of paint or something? It's...it's too familiar, you know? *sound of footsteps passing over a threshold* Oh, God. Everything's the same inside, too. Didn't anybody take up residence after us? No? Why not? Tsk...James. Looks like we both have a hard time letting go. Everything looks clean. *tread of more footsteps* Oh my God. Shrimp, it's her Suros. I thought it was lost in the battle. Why didn't they bury it with her? ... I've missed this view. When I was younger - but you already know, don't you? Heh. I didn't see it then. The beauty. The purpose. All I saw was the struggle. And her. Was that where it started, Shrimp? The fear? That I would be left behind to fight without her? Twenty years spent thinking about it, and I still don't know. *sound of a bullet being chambered* You know, for a while I thought you didn't know who I was. You're not bad. Your technique is good, but I think you let excitement - or is it revenge? - get you carried away. ::How did you know I was following you?:: Don't get me wrong, you'd fool any Titan and about three-quarters of Warlocks. But Hunters know [i]when [/i]they're being followed as well as how to follow. Even then, only about half to two-thirds would notice. Like I said, you're not bad. ::[i]I'm not here for your damn assessment of my technique![/i]:: ...No, you're not. And sorry...sorry doesn't cut it. Not for me, not for all I've done to you. Out of everyone I've hurt, I've hurt you the worse, Courtney. They say revenge won't help, but...I wouldn't be so sure. In some cases, it can be an...an exorcism. I won't blame you. Do what you think is...deserved. Shut up, Shrimp, we both know this was coming. Without my Light you can't revive me. It's up to her. ::...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!:: *crack of a gunshot* ... ::You missed me before, didn't you? That night I ran up to you, [i]begging [/i]for you not to go? You shot and you missed. I don't get that middle ground. You killed everyone else with that damn gun. You killed by brother. You could have killed me, but you missed. You still shot, but you [i]missed[/i]. Why?:: ...Have a seat, kiddo. ::Don't call me that. And I'll stand.:: Up to you. ... *rustling clothes as someone is seated* ::So? Any answer?:: You just not kill me so I could talk? Then you'll off me? ::Maybe.:: That's good incentive. But if I'm being honest...Courtney, I have no way of proving this to you, but I changed...hopefully, for the better. I can't recall what I was thinking all those years ago, much less understand them well enough to explain myself to you. Shrimp has almost a lifetime of recordings we could go through, but I don't think we have that kind of time. Not right this moment. ::Why the hell not??:: I have somewhere I gotta be and meet someone. ::You didn't seem that concerned when I was threatening to blow your #^$%&#% brains out!:: It was more important that you made your choice. ::But not to explain yourself to me!? Damn it, you're blowing me off just like you did in Palamon!:: No! I'm gonna make up for it, just not now. I'm doing the best I can, Cour- ::Yeah, [i]sure[/i]. Do me a favor, and never let me see you crawling around this place ever again.:: *angry footsteps recede* ...That could have gone better. What do you mean? It [i]still [/i]can get worse. Do you know how many people would have gone through with it without a problem? And if I do...Shrimp, start a separate recording. Put it ahead of every single other one. No, you don't have to relabel every single one, geez. Just make it entry 0. [u][b]Entry 9,461[/b][/u] [u][b] Unsolicited by subject[/b][/u] This is that last night of Dredgen Yor's visit to the City. Though the Speaker has been running limited interference, James has said that we have overstayed our welcome and chances of being discovered are exponentially greater. Yor has yet to contact the person the Speaker wishes us to meet with, and it is doubtful we can locate him or her before our departure. Yor has entered the Blustery Brew to have a drink before leaving. Due to the Guardian patronage, there is an even greater chance he'll be recognized, but he persists because it holds fond memories for him. Yor sits himself at the counter, a younger woman seated two seats further down. She has dark hair and slightly Asian features. She appears to be a Hunter, but with much more ornate armor than I've seen or cataloged. The only recognizable piece of equipment on her person is a hand cannon that looks like Shin Malphur's Last Word. Yor notices the gun as well. "That's a nice piece you have there, miss. Where'd you get it?" "Dad gave it to me," she replies without looking at him. Yor nods. "Only man I've met with a piece like that is Shin Malphur. I heard he had a little girl; you happen to be her?" The woman snorts and smirks, rolling up her sleeve to reveal a long, winding Ahamkara dragon tattoo that coils all the way down from her shoulder to the back of her hand. This time she's watching Yor to gauge his reaction. Yor smirks in return. "Don't play games with me. Any other idiot might think that ties you in with the Malphur and his Dragonslayers, but I know better. Another Guardian had a tat like that, and she went by the name of Nakamura. You look a little like her." The woman raises her eyebrows. "You know a lot of old stuff for a guy that I've never seen before." "More than you know," Yor replies. "I wasn't around when your mother passed, but I knew she had all the same." The woman's eyes narrows. "How?" "Let's just say I've been around too many Hive relics. They get a little freaky when a powerful Guardian becomes the soul food of an Ascendant." Her expression is still coy, but darkens. "Funny, you act like Hive are the only things that are Ascendant. But my mom died in giving birth - to [i]me[/i]. So I guess that makes [i]me [/i]Ascendant, too." Yor scrutinizes the woman, but turns to signal the bartender, chuckling. "Girl, I don't know what [i]you're [/i]here for, but I didn't take come to be part of a group knitting project trying to come up with a fantastic yarn. Hey, barkeep! A fifth of spiced rum, straight." "Nice try," the woman retorts. "But there's enough Dark in me to know you're not much of a Guardian anymore. Creatures of the Dark like us can tell things like that. You can sense it in me too, don't lie. Hell, I can sense that nasty little piece you have hidden in your jacket that made a whole bunch of Guardians and their Ghosts bite the dust for good." She now has our attention. Yor's friendly smile is replaced with even more serious inspection. "So your dad gave you that piece. It the genuine article?" "Sure as hell is. As real as yours. More real than that crummy replica your little girl used to try to gut another girl in Crucible with." Yor bristles in a way I haven't felt in a long time. He casually opens the folds of his jacket enough to expose the butt of his gun, displaced only a few inches from his hand. The woman notices and brings her own hand close to her gun. They stare at each other silently for a few seconds, gauging each other's ability to react. "Any last words?" Dredgen asks, and I sense the tension release inside him as he smiles. The woman reciprocates, relaxing just as fast and withdrawing her hand with a broad smile. "Yours, not mine." A large man in Titan armor approaches, clearly with the intent to break up the fight. "This guy causing you any trouble, Rin?" he asks, keeping his eyes on Yor. She shakes her head. "Nothing I can't handle, Chris, but if it makes you feel better I guess we can postpone our duel." Yor nods his head to the newcomer. "He your boyfriend or something?" "Yeah, but you wouldn't know it since he hasn't looked at me once since he got here," she responds, digging the Titan. The big man smirks and looks at her. "That's impossible. You can't help but draw attention to yourself, even to old men like...sorry, what is your name, sir?" Yor frowns. "How about we just keep it at 'Old Man'? Who the hell are you?" The Titan stiffens like he was being called to attention. "Christopher Shaxx." Yor coughs in his drink. "Shaxx? As in--" The Titan nods. "My dad." "Who's your mom?" "Ikora Rey." Yor whistles. "That's some good stock you come from. And you're dating Shin Malphur's daughter?" "I'm not his daughter!" the woman interrupts. Yor turns to her. "I thought you said that was the original from your father?" "It is. My dad got the original from Shin a long time ago." "Then who's your dad?" "Leviathan."