Ikora slowly walked through the Tower as she contemplated. Everything that had happened in such a short time weighed heavy on her mind. The Traveler leaving, the Witness coming to Earth, the ensuing battle and then. . .the opening of the Veil. What it all meant she couldn't say, and yet it spun circles in her mind. She gave nods of acknowledgment and small, distracted smiles to passing guardians. Off on their own business, bustling about to join the fight on Neptune, hone their skills in the Crucible, or maybe simply take a break and rest from the constant war around them. They moved about alone, or in their fireteams, but Ikora saw and acknowledged each and every one. She passed by Banshee and waved when he said hello. Said good day to Rahool, -blam!- in kind. Chuckled slightly at a joke thrown to her by Tess when she walked by her kiosk. Finally, she came to a stop in front of the memorial to her friend Cayde. Staring at the tree, the Warlock vanguard tired to quiet her mind. She wondered what Cayde would do if he were here. What kind of levity he could bring to the seemingly insurmountable odds they faced. He always had the worst jokes, but he could still make her smile. She said a silent prayer to. . .who or whatever was out there that Cayde was still watching their back even now. That he could give her some humor and joy to find. A gruff, purposeful voice broke through her trance. Looking over towards the City, she saw the last member of her own fireteam. Zavala, keeping his constant vigil over the city from his place on the Wall, spoke to a couple of New Lights. Looking at him, she wondered how he continued to be his everyday strong self. He spoke to the New Lights as if the recent events weren't even happening. Guiding them, as he always had. She looked back to Cayde's monument, and as she did, a new thought crossed her mind. No, a feeling. She felt. . .off. Like something unexplainable was not right. The strings of the cosmos seemed to play a different tune than they had but a moment before. As she tracked this feeling, hunted it down and studied it, she felt her focus being pulled back to Zavala. This feeling. It was one of sadness, of dread. She looked at her last life long friend and felt fear. A fear of losing him too, as they both had lost Cayde. A fear that something in the universe had changed, and that thing wouldn't ever be the same. As the New Lights left him, Ikora carefully composed herself and walked over to Zavala. He didn't notice her approach at first, lost in thought as he was, so she remained standing there, a few feet away. When he finally realized her presence he straightened and addressed her. "Is everything alright Ikora?" he asked. She didn't say anything at first. Just stared back at him. Inspecting his face, his eyes. He was still there. It was still him on the inside, she could tell. But something had indeed changed. For all the Warlocks wisdom though, Ikora didn't know what. Zavala's expression became slightly concerned, watching his friend silently inspect him. Ikora however didn't move, thinking of her fireteam. All they had been through with each other. The countless centuries. "Ikora?" As Zavala spoke, her last thoughts were of Cayde, and she was brought back to the present. Finally, as she looked back at Zavala, who had moved to a mere foot in front of her, a single tear formed at the edge of her eye. A warm, small, genuine smile formed across her face. Ikora stepped forward and embraced her friend, and the mighty Titan was taken aback. "Yes Zavala. Everything is going to be just fine." After and awkward moment, Zavala gave in and embraced his friend as well. -Dedicated to Lance Reddick, thank you for the countless memories, you truly have become legend and it has been a fun ride INDEED