(Page 59) [spoiler]welcome to forsaken 😈[/spoiler]      In the months since the Red War— and the Cayde incident— Shadow had found ways to distract herself, rather than drinking every night. Helping down below in the city, guarding, working.      Occasionally, she would still plead with Cayde to tell her if Variks was alive. He tried to reassure her everything would be fine— that they would go out to the reef eventually.      Whether he knew or not if Variks lived didn't matter anymore, not against the settling bitterness and anger that grew in the pit of the hunter's stomach. If he couldn't tell her, they would no longer be friends. And since then, she had avoided Cayde, an awkward tension between them. The exo had said nothing about the night of her confession.      So when Shadow received a call from Cayde, she was, needless to say, surprised— and even more so at his invite.      "Buckle up, hunter. We're goin to the Reef!"      Shadow drops everything, jaw included. She had been waiting for what felt like a lifetime to hear those words.    Heart racing, adrenaline pumping, she's bursting with energy she hasn't felt in months. Relief, hope, panic, anxiety all surge through her chest at once, making her feel as if she would burst. She barges past the guardians in the tower, who look at her like she's lost her mind— and maybe she has.      "Shadow! Slow down!" Her black-shelled ghost calls out from behind her, though he knows she won't.      Shadow explodes into the hangar, transmatting into her ship. "Yes, YES!" With a satisfied glare at the guards outside of her window, she speeds out to the stars. [b]Prison of Elders[/b]      Cayde fills Shadow in briefly on their mission— the Prison of Elders is in chaos. The hunter's anxiety skyrockets.      But Cayde offered her no more information, and she suspected even he didn't know anything else about Variks.      Shadow's ship soars alongside Cayde-6's. Her amber eyes glow readily, watching the reef flying past her, its pink and purple hues dancing along her ship.      She follows Cayde as he transmats down to a figure awaiting below—      [i]You! [/i]Shadow's boots hit the floor as she joins Cayde, her mask hiding an irritable expression. [i]Why you? Where's Variks? This isn't your prison.[/i] The hot feeling beneath her rib cage startles her— she hadn't felt so strongly toward Petra last time they'd spoke. Her hand-on-hip attitude and confident, sparkling blue gaze makes Shadow scowl.      "Petra Venj," Cayde announces. [i]Yes... Petra Venj.[/i] Shadow's lip curls ever so slightly.      "Thanks for the invite. Whatcha packin' for this party?"      Petra shrugs smugly. "Eh, the usual." She unsheathes her knife and Shadow holds back a snort. [i]Yeah, same. You're not special.[/i]      "Ooh!" Cayde exclaims excitedly, pointing at her. "Do the thing." He turns to Shadow. "Seriously, watch this."      Shadow leans in, expecting something interesting.      Petra's knife levitates before she catches it in mid air.      Shadow freely rolls her eyes with the confidence of knowing they are hidden from her. [i]I've seen this before. Too many times.[/i]      Cayde shudders dramatically. "That'll never not freak me out... Do it again," he adds.      [i]Oh, traveler's light![/i]      "Later. Maybe."      [i]Thank you.[/i]       "Right now, gen-pop is running wild. Fortunately, the main area and lower levels remain on lockdown." She turns to observe the prison behind her. "But if the core security systems fail... containment is going to be... a problem."      Cayde shrugs. "Just another day at the office. Alright partner," he adds to Shadow, who looks up at him expectantly with a smile. The tension between them is forgotten. "This is a Cayde riff in 6, watch me for the changes and, uh..." He winks at her. "Try to keep up."      She huffs, excitement setting her nerves alight with arc energy.      "Now let's go to prison!" Cayde hops off the edge of the platform, his cheering echoing from below.      Shadow thinks she's never heard anything so relieving.      She bursts inside, pistol at the ready. Awoken guards are firing at escaped fallen. Tremors and explosions rock Shadow on her feet. Horrified, she comes to a halt to witness the utter chaos of prisoners colliding.     Between that chaos, the hunter begins peering into cells, gazing over catwalks with a sharp amber eye.      Desperate, she wants to call out for Variks, but knows that's a terribly bad idea. "Variks... where are you..." she mutters under her breath, awe struck at the massiveness of the prison. A sense of urgency sends her running faster.      At the three shots of a golden gun, she looks up to see a knight scattering into fiery pieces. Cayde looks down at her. “Can I just say, I am having the time of my life right now."      She grins, reloading. She can almost believe she is back in the prison with Variks's voice in her earpiece. The thought fills her with confidence... and with the slight risk that he could be watching—      Shadow unleashes a storm of arc energy. Sparks dance at her feet, lightning blazing along her slender form. She relishes the feeling of the light coursing through her veins as she slings her staff through a wizard and to many thrall to count. She clears the area in a stunning display of blinding, sparkling light.      "Beautiful!" Cayde cheers from somewhere above her head. She can't deny the rush of pride she feels at his praise.      She slams her fist into the face of the nearest screeching vandal— then grabs him by the collar. "Where is Variks?" she hisses fiercely. The eliksni only snarls back at her defiantly. With a growl of frustration, she drops him on the floor and races for the security hub.      "This says we need warden level clearance to open the door," her ghost informs her. [i]We need Variks.[/i]      "Cayde?," her ghost questions.      Shadow rolls her eyes as Cayde does in fact manage to open the door. She observes him with further irritation as he struggles with the controls. [i]Variks would know what he's doing,[/i] she thinks to herself as she's forced to clear out hive.      Panting, she watches him behind a glass window. "Should be a terminal you can use out on the catwalks. I'll cover you from here. Once I figure out how to turn the turrets on."      As Shadow turns to follow his orders, he calls out, "By the way..." She looks back at him, mask still hiding her expresion. "You and me? Good team."      A long lost warmth fills her chest. "Yeah... yeah we are," she agrees quietly.      "Let me get that door for you..."      She salutes him on her way out.