Blank Slate Ch. 20: I Remember You

Table of Contents https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/225386550/0/0 We sat in the snow, next to Salem's grave. I listened to the others speak when I wasn't drifting through oceans of memory and thought. A week ago, Natalie had asked me to return on this day. So here I sat. They had been waiting. The sun hung over our heads, adding some warmth, so we had removed our helmets. Quintel was a human, with short blonde hair and green eyes. He was an average size, with mottled green armor, and had been revived eight years ago. Welkine-2 was an Exo, with white plating and blue lights for his mouth and eyes. His armor was gold, he was bulky, and he was only a year old. Natalie was a small human, which was odd for the normally large Titans, with shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. Her armor was purple, and she was nine years old. Her being older than the others was odd, considering that her size and behavior matched that of an adolescent. All three were Titans, naturally, since only Titans guarded the Last City's walls. Natalie and Quintel were both Defenders. Welkine-2 was a Striker, one of the few non-Defenders that volunteered for the wall. When they asked me my age, I had told them I was one hundred and forty-seven. Salem had died less than a year ago. I had been with him for a long time. Natalie had left to get her friend from Twilight Gap. The other two had sat down with me and made small talk. "Nat's been gone awhile," Welkine-2 commented. "I don't even know who she's bringing," Quintel sighed, "She was so giddy about it, but wouldn't tell me who. Honestly, she can be so childish." "You don't know who it is?" Welkine-2 asked. "Nope," Quintel answered, "Until I met Keis, I thought the only people from the Gap that were still alive were the fossils cooped up in the Tower. Zavala and Shaxx. Nat can be frustrating sometimes." "Why do you complain about Natalie's behavior?" I inquired, "Is it not what makes you like her? Blanc helped me use the Tower's computers to define girlfriends. It seems odd for you to talk negatively about someone you are in a romantic relationship with." "You needed a computer to find out what girlfriends are?" Welkine-2 questioned. "Girlfriend?!?!" Quintel exclaimed, stiffening and turning red, "Who said Nat was my girlfriend?!" "I assumed-" I started. "We are not dating!" he interrupted, waving his arms in a halting gesture, "Why would you assume that?!" "Your behavior around her directly correlated with the examples in the Tower's computers," I explained, "Blanc told me they were reliable." "Well, we're not," Quintel huffed, crossing his arms angrily. "The computers also listed multiple forms of denial similar to yours when confronted with-" I cut off my sentence, turning to the sound of boots running through the snow. Something white and purple tackled me. I landed on my back, and my assailant landed on top of me. It was a Titan, and she wrapped her arms around me in a hug. She wore white and purple armor. "I recognized you instantly!" she squealed, "I can't believe you're still wearing the same stuff!" "Who are you?" I asked, waiting for her to release me. She stood, brushing snow off of herself, then pulled me up and answered, "Sorry, I have new armor. I'm Ilya. This is where we fought during Twilight Gap. I was the Defender." • • • Keis stared at Ilya, appearing to have spaced out again. Quintel stood, then helped me up. Nat joined us and whispered, "She bolted when she saw him. Do they know each other, Welkine?" "Apparently," I replied. "Are you okay?" Ilya asked Keis. Her helmet dematerialized, and her long, straight white hair rolled down over her shoulders. She was an Awoken, with intense crimson eyes that were made more prominent by the contrast of her glowing blue skin. Blanc bonked into Keis's head. He snapped out of his stupor and bowed at the waist, "I remember you. I'm Keis-51." Ilya hugged him again as he rose from the bow. "I'm so glad someone else is still alive!" she chattered, "A lot of people die in a hundred years. I thought I was the last of our little group! You've had that same outfit all this time?! What have you been doing? How have you been? Where's your Hunter friend, the ammo guy? You were always with him." "Ammo guy?" I asked aloud. "That seems like an interesting story," Nat snickered. Keis stiffened and looked down at where I knew the grave was covered in snow. Ilya's Ghost materialized and studied Keis. "Hi, I'm Hae," he quickly greeted, "Does he do that often?" "Keis!" Blanc hollered, bumping his head again. When he didn't react, she turned to Ilya, "Salem's buried right there. DON'T mention him. He has enough trouble without being reminded." "I'm sorry," Ilya apologized, "I didn't know." Blanc sighed, "Its okay. He's just always had a problem with blanking out. He's hard to get back when he thinks about Salem. He died a few months ago, and he's been our friend for all of Keis's life." Ilya winced, "I understand. It was like that with my Hunter friend. You remember him. I was revived two years before the Gap, and had known him that whole time. How old is Keis?" "One hundred and forty-seven years old," Blanc answered. Ilya seemed to jump in surprise, "That's... forty-five years older than me! He's so old! He knew Salem that long?" She turned to Keis and hugged him again. Keis snapped to attention and looked down at her, confused. "She's a hugger," I muttered, then elbowed Quintel and jested, "Bet you wish Nat would hug you that much." Quintel glared daggers at me and growled, "I'll turn you into scrap, Welkine." Ilya stepped back from Keis and said to him, "Ya know what? At the Gap, I thought you were some hardcore killing machine. But I bet, under that cold metal shell, you're a softy." "No," Keis shook his head, "My internal composition is also metal." Ilya and I put hands over our mouths to stifle our laughter. Nat fell down into the snow, giggling like a maniac, and Quintel snickered. • • • Something flashed across my vision, and I caught it. Natalie tried pulling her hand loose. "Almost got you," she giggled innocently as I let go. She had made a game out of trying to hit me. I didn't understand the rules, but I seemed to be winning. "Nat, finish talking to him," Quintel sighed, "Before he zones out again. We have to go." "Fine," Natalie groaned jokingly, "Anyway, we'll be here every week, Keis, so you can visit. Blanc can link our comms with yours anytime, and we can contact you. We can all go do something fun, sometime." "Nat," Quintel rushed. "Okay, Quin, I get it," Natalie moaned, "You're such a buzzkill. Bye, Keis." Natalie, Welkine-2, and Quintel waved as they transmatted into their ships. Ilya gave me another hug and said, "It was great seeing you again, Keis. I'll come here every week, too, so we can all hang out." She let go and stepped back, then dematerialized as her ship glided overhead. "She likes hugs," Blanc observed. "Yes," I agreed, "What an inefficient and restricting way to greet someone." "They're a good group, though," Blanc said, "They won't leave you alone now. We're stuck with them. Salem would be happy for you." I looked down at the patch of snow where I knew Salem was buried. "Yes," I whispered, "He would."