So much has been going on in my life these last few years, but I've always wanted to come back and continue this story. Apologies that it has taken me this long, but with the new expansion coming out, I just had to jump back in! Hope everyone enjoys. I'll try and punch these chapters out whenever I get a chance.

11

She had a quaint, one room apartment that smelled of roses and sat eerily quiet above a flower shop that overlooked the street. Dusk had darkened into night some hours ago, and whilst the civilians were safe at home, the Guardians continued to unwind at the pubs. Occasionally a roar of excitement shook the walls when a pub door opened, but otherwise, the room sat still. There was a single mattress that sat on the ground and tucked under the set of windows, blacked out by dark velvety curtains. Beside that was a thrift-ed nightstand, with a locked drawer and a lamp that barely lit up the room. A tiny metal kitchen reflected the lamp light, and the pink neon sign from outside could be seen flickering through the open bathroom. Other than that, there was nothing. It was a hovel really, a squatters paradise. Nothing the Awoken Prince had expected.

Uldren Sov padded further into the room, his boots echoed loudly against the apartment walls, and his eyes continued to scan the little to no decor. He had recognized that Kore was practical, but not this practical. This was basic. This was the home of someone who never touched the kitchen, rarely used the bathroom, and slept on top of their bed spread because they were rarely home. He reflected on his own abode, in the Reef, and the vast difference in both quality and comfort. He'd always known they were from two different worlds, but his curiosity pushed him to tour the room further. So he peeked into the bathroom, the neon light for the flower shop buzzed loudly at the same time, and eventually led himself to the bed—which really was just a mattress on the floor.

Intrigued, the Prince sank into her mattress. Firm. Old. Uncomfortable. It was pathetic really, and he scoffed to himself, but then there was something there. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something that immediately made Uldren think of her. He shook his head, breaking free of the haunting feeling and looked at the drawer he knew was locked, even from across the room. This brought a smirk to his pale lips. A lock was nothing to the Prince of Crows. He stood up and retrieved a feathered ball from his pocket—a crow, specially designed to open the most stubborn of locks. Uldren stepped back and allowed his toy to work, trying to continue ignoring the weird feeling this room was giving him.

Click.

"Well, well," he cooed to himself, as the safe built into the nightstand unlocked and swung open. "What does my sister's precious Guardian have hiding here?"

The Prince reached into the safe, his fingers first brushing over a dusty old piece of paper. He pulled it out and into the dim light of the lamp expecting some secret code, or map, or notes for a mission. What he found was a drawing. The corners were curled, the lines were faint, and a tear had stretched from a fray into the drawing. But this drawing wasn't just any drawing, but a portrait—of Kore, sleeping. It was incredibly detailed, down to the last freckle. This was a whole other side of the Warlock, one he'd only caught glimpses of when she wasn't looking, but he had been. Serene, happy, smiling Kore. Surprisingly careful, Uldren set the drawing down on the nightstand and returned to invading the safe.

The remainder of items were far less interesting. An old broken Warlock bond. A toy ship model. A few Hive ruins. Nothing to follow-up the incredible amount of spying his crows had done lately, including the most interesting data he uncovered.

"Waste of my time..." he complained through gritted teeth.

Suddenly the only door in and out for the apartment banged as someone fussed with the lock. Uldren froze in place and listened, before quickly shoving Kore's belongings back into the safe and resetting the lock. He had mere seconds to cloak himself and duck into the shadows, now invisible as the door swung open and a very familiar warlock stomped tiredly into her apartment.

She sighed loudly and leaned back against the door once it was closed, rubbing her neck as she made sure the lock was turned into the door. He then watched as she crossed the room to her bed, kicking off her boots, and yanking off her leather jacket before collapsing into her floored mattress. After huffing and twisting around until she was comfortable, Kore's heavy breathing slowly eased into that of someone in a deep sleep. Only when he was sure Kore was far away in her dreams did Uldren make his way to the door, quietly unlock it, and stepping out into the cold night air. He re-locked the door with his crow and took the stairway down two steps at a time, not removing his cloaking until he was shadowed in an alley.

Visible again, he sunk into the alleys that eventually led him back to his ship, masked on foliage beyond the city limits. Uldren immediately took off and broke through the atmosphere, trying to come to term with the disappointment of finding nothing more on the Guardian. He had learned plenty. She was at one time an active member of a fire team with five others, but in the last year had moved on to doing things by herself. There were vague notes from her Vanguard about the interesting strength of her void powers, something the Prince had already witnessed first hand. But what really drew Uldren's attention were the files pertaining to a mission into the Hellmouth on the Moon. Everyone had made it out by the skin of their teeth it appeared, all but two—a Titan and a Ghost. Piecing it all together was easy then. Kore's absence from the fire team obviously tied into the loss of that Titan, and more than likely the Ghost she had now once belonged to him.

Uldren leaned back into the leather of his chair and rubbed his chin in thought. Then why the explicit interest in the Black Garden, and her doomed intentions to enter it? The Prince had some answers, but now more questions. Including why he was finding himself so tangled and enraptured with this human woman. He watched the hyperspace through the cockpit, eager to get back to the Reef and away from her. But through the silence Uldren heard something crumple in his pocket as he reached to switch off the autopilot. The Prince chuckled warily at himself and rolled his eyes, carefully unfolding the old drawing he had tucked away when Kore was unlocking her door. He didn't intent to steal it, but he was out of time. Or so he told himself.

He tried looking at it with disgust, as another pathetic Guardian trinket, but he couldn't. The details captured in pencil, despite the wrinkling of the paper and the growing rip, was so real. Uldren scoffed and tossed the portrait to the always unoccupied passenger's seat, feeling sick from the slight sentimental feelings he was getting. "Stupid," he growled at himself, taking control of his ship from the autopilot finally and moving through the asteroid belt that surrounded the Reef.

/

Kore woke up screaming. In a split-second she had sat up with a shaky finger on the trigger of a hand cannon she kept under her pillow. But there was no one there, it had all been in her dream. She exhaled a shaky breath and dropped the gun into her lap, slapping at the cut on her neck that was stinging from opening up in her sleep. The Warlock knew going out with the fire team would have its repercussions. One of them being nightmares. Kore pulled her fingers back through her hair whilst catching her breath, twisting to place her gun on the nightstand. Then she slumped back into her pillow, trying to shake the fear her slumber had left her with.

It had been fun, hanging out with all her old friends, even if she knew better. It was something they always did, something he always made sure to do after a mission, especially a well accomplished one. So Kore followed Zeus into the nearest pub, where they found a corner booth already occupied by Bella-83 and Bruce-83, and Winchester, the other Titan on the fire team Zeus had bumped into on his way into the city. The trio had already been a few pints in before Kore and Zeus ordered. Bruce and Bella were in the middle of a tirade blaming the other for why their old fins were now replaced with the bulky plates on their forehead. Winchester was laughing loudly to their story, the foam from his beer continuing to froth on his fancy mustache. Kore felt the twinge of a smile from the familiarity of it all, even as she was coaxed into a toast with them all.

But the consequences of all that fun had been unimaginably terrifying dreams, unrelenting as she'd escape one only to enter another more shocking one. Kore's skin was still covered in goosebumps as she stretched for her leather jacket discarded on the floor and tucked it around her shoulders. It no longer smelled like him, but it felt like him, and sometimes that was all the comfort she needed. The Warlock was too afraid to close her eyes, she didn't want to see that again. Once had been too many. So she focused on the neon light, forgotten to be turned off by the florist, and focused on her friends.

Friends that not once let her feel guilty from being completely absent form the fire team. Friends that reminded her she didn't have to go through the Vex gate alone, but Kore wasn't willing to risk anyone else. This was her mission, and would be hers alone until the very end. She was so close now. They knew where the gate was to take them into the Black Garden, and now the next step was to get that Gate Lord's eye charged. As long as the Queen didn't require her on the Reef, she could return to Mars tomorrow and find that Garden's Spire Ghost was able to uncover before she left the hangar. Kore sighed with relief. One more step, and she'd be there in the Black Garden, saving the Traveler. "We're so close..." she whispered, eyes finally growing heavy as she surrendered to her dreams, meeting a face she hadn't seen in what felt like forever.