[b]Chapter 7. The Outing [/b] [i]It was so sunny, the light reflecting off of everything. His hair was so soft between her fingers as she ruffled his chocolate locks. His body was so small and fragile as she held him tightly. The pale blue and bright yellows bled into heated oranges, blood reds as screams of fear echoed throughout the valley. Explosions rang across the sky, a black and purple fog spreading down and over the mountain ridges. Coughing turned into hoarse and almost animalistic cries as blood from their lungs splattered on the ground. The darkness forced its way down their throats, expanding their lungs until they burst from the inside. Men, women, children, and animals all experienced the same thing: their eyes turned black, and their skin melted off their bodies. The lower half of their bodies fell off first in puddles, their entrails slipping out in heaps. Their screams and throats were full of putrid evil, yet their cries still rang out into the night. Their cries caused him to go insane. His eyes turned the same dark color as theirs, his mouth gaping too vast for any human, his mouth too dark, his cheeks splitting open in a bloody mess as his jaw began to dislocate. No choice; it was either him or us; it wasn't my fault! [/i] Jack's eyes opened to see sunlight. Her heartbeat was fast and her body shaking, her jaw clenched tightly as tears fell from her eyes. She looked down at her tear-soaked pillow and sighed, sitting up, she brushed the tears from her reddened cheeks. It was another nightmare. Even in a place guarded by the Traveler, she still couldn't escape them. "Jack?" She spun her head to the side where the door was, a gentle knocking coming from it. "Hey, Jack, are you awake?" That voice, it sounded like Elizabeth's. Jack took a deep breath before shakily standing to her feet. She made her way to the door, opening it to see the brunette standing before her with a concerned expression. "Are you alright?" She asked as she noted that it looked like Jack had been crying. "H-Huh? Oh, yeah... Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, "Just had problems sleeping, new place and all..." The nurse nodded, "Makes sense; I mean, being out in the EDZ for so long, I can only imagine how paranoid you'd be of new places." She nodded, "Yeah, just a bit...." Elizabeth hummed quietly, "Well, it's one in the afternoon, and I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me?" "Oh, yeah, sure. Just let me get changed." "Alright, I'll be waiting outside." Jack nodded, watching as the brunette made her way to the hallway exit. Jack turned to go back into her room and made her way to the bathroom. She flicked on the light and looked in the mirror; she somehow looked worse than she did yesterday. She was pale with dark circles around her eyes, both her eyes and cheeks red; it looked like she had never slept before. She sighed tiredly and rubbed her eyes, "Come on, Jack," she mumbled, "Time to start the day..." After taking a moment to breathe, she went to do her business of getting ready. Jack brushed her hair and changed into the orange pants, gray t-shirt she had received the night before, and a pair of brown boots. She shrugged the orange jacket on and pulled her hair into a ponytail as she walked out the door. She tiredly walked down the stairs and gave a small smile when she saw Elizabeth, hoping she wouldn't notice how awful she looked. "Ooh, nice outfit," Elizabeth smiled, "Cayde give it to you?" Jack nodded, "Yeah, I don't know if orange is my color, though," she mused. The nurse laughed, "Nonsense, you look adorable! Now, let's get going; I'm starving!" The blonde smiled and nodded, following Elizabeth down the corridor and several stairs until they reached a section of the tower Jack had never seen before. There were tents and stalls everywhere, and the walkway between each booth was crowded with people. "So, what are you thinking? Spicy Ramen, maybe some chicken and coleslaw?" She suddenly gasped, "You need to try Reveler's Tonic!" "I'm fine with whatever," Jack shrugged as she took in the sights, "So uh, I have a few questions-" "Oh, I'm sure you do!" Elizabeth laughed, "I'd be worried if you didn't!" She wrapped her arm around Jack's shoulders, "I've been here for a long time; I could probably answer a few of them!" The blonde's body tensed as the contact, not being used to anyone touching her. Her gut reaction was to shove Elizabeth away, but she still didn't know how the Guardians were. If she became hostel, maybe they'd try to kill her. At least, that's what the people in the few settlements she had visited did. So despite her discomfort, Jack nervously smiled and said, "Sure, that'd be great." "Awesome, now let's get you something to eat!" She breathed in the air deeply once Elizabeth pulled away from her, feeling immediate relief now that a stranger wasn't touching her. Jack trailed behind Elizabeth as she went from food vendor to food vendor, trying to figure out what Jack should have for her first meal. They went to every booth until Elizabeth finally decided that chicken and coleslaw were the best options for the newcomer. So they went all the way back to the very first vendor they talked to and got some. Elizabeth sat Jack down at a bench and began to talk her ear off about her job and all the drama the Crucible brings. Jack did try to listen, but her mind kept drifting away; first off, the chicken was excellent, but besides that, she had so many questions and no answers. "Jack, are you listening?" She looked up, her cheeks flushing red, "Oh, no, I'm sorry, I sort of drifted off." Elizabeth laughed, "Oh, don't worry, dear, I was asking if you know what class you want to join." "You mean like Titans or Hunters?" She nodded, "Are those the two you're thinking about?" "Not really… I don't know," she shrugged, "I think I'll just be a hunter; that's the only one I understand." She hummed, "Yeah, I really wouldn't trust Cayde to give you the details on the other classes," she took a sip of her drink and moaned in satisfaction, "I don't know much about Titans, but I do know a bit about Warlocks." "Really?" She nodded, "Warlocks are more in tune with the Traveler than the other classes. Because of that, the Traveler has granted them more arcane power than any of the other classes. They're driven by knowledge, and as Cayde says, 'they're the nerdy class.'" Jack laughed, "Sounds about right. So does that mean the Warlocks know why the Traveler is here?" Elizabeth frowned, "Well, no, not really, no one does." "Then why follow it?" "Because without the Traveler, we wouldn't be here." "I find that hard to believe," Jack mumbled, "I've seen humans out there, and I mean regular humans, not guardians. They didn't need the Traveler to protect them; they survived without it and the Ghosts." "But is that really a way to live? In constant fear and misery?" "At least you're free; you're not forced to serve under some diety you know nothing about." Elizabeth frowned, "I don't know, Jack, I understand where you're coming from, but that's just not how it works around here. And a word of advice, don't say that to Ikora or Zavala; they won't take too kindly to that." "Why? Why is it so bad to question the Traveler?" Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak when suddenly interrupted by the crackle of her comm.