[b]Destiny Karaoke Night – A D2 Short Story[/b] Monty hovered at my side as we both looked at the sign in front of us. “This is it,” he chirped. “Yep.” The sign read Memory of Cayde Bar and Grill. It had become a popular business within weeks of opening. It sported pictures of the deceased Hunter practically everywhere: the mugs, the plates, even in the bathrooms. I had been invited here by Crow and Shaxx, who had become fast friends after our movie night the week before. “It’s karaoke night, Guardian!” he had shouted. “Be there!” And here I was. “Let's rock and roll.” I stepped inside. Lively saloon music greeted me as I stepped through the doors. A few Guardians looked at me with passing glances before returning to their drinks. My trigger finger twitched. This place made me anxious. “SNAKEHIDE!” someone screamed behind me. I drew my True Prophecy and fired at the voice. My eyes widened as I saw the bullet holes in Shaxx’s chest. He groaned. “That…wasn’t supposed to happen.” He promptly died and fell to the floor. His Ghost materialized and revived him quickly before a scene was made. “Sorry, Shaxx!” I apologized, brushing dust off his armor. “Didn’t see you there.” “It's all right, Guardian!” he replied kindly but loudly. “Mistakes happen! Shake it off, and fight again!” “Is that song being played tonight?” “What song?” “’Shake It Off.’” He looked at me for several moments. “COME!” he finally said, gesturing to a table. “Crow is this way.” “Who’s performing tonight?” I asked as we walked to our seats. “Hmm…Eris, Ikora, Saladin…a few others you wouldn’t know. Savathûn, I think.” “WHAT?!” He slapped my shoulder and laughed as we seated ourselves beside Crow, who nodded in greeting. “Just kidding, Guardian!” I glanced at Crow. He looked back. “He’s drunk.” “Who?” “Shaxx. He had at least two shots of vodka and one shot of whiskey. He’s loaded.” I gave a long, low pitched whistle before looking at you, the reader. “Don’t drink too much, kids. You’ll ruin your toe nails or something gross.” The lights suddenly dimmed as Lord Saladin took the stage, waving to the crowd without a smile. A screen flashed above him [i]La Vie En Rose – Louis Armstrong. [/i] I groaned. “He’s going to stink at this.” “An Iron Lord is skilled in more than just gunweaponry, Guardian,” Shaxx burped. Saladin swayed to the rhythm, and performed with adequate skill, often throwing phrases like “Mmm…yeah, baby…” or “gimme some wolf hide…” randomly into the song. When he was finished, he nodded his thanks to the crowd before saying “I am not a crab,” into the microphone. “He's drunk, too,” Crow whispered to me. “Sweet sassafras, Crow! Is there anybody here who’s NOT drunk?” He raised an eyebrow at me as Eris stepped onto the stage. The screen above flashed again, this time reading [i]Time After Time – Cyndi Lauper.[/i] The clapping settled down as Eric began. But, instead of singing, she merely spoke the words, like she was performing a Hive ritual. It was disgusting to listen to. I wondered if she was thinking of her lost Fireteam, or an actual Hive ritual that would track down Savathûn or something. Either way, she was horrible. There was significantly less applause for her when she finished. She only bowed and vanished into a green and black portal, probably to the Moon or something. I look at you, the reader, and raise an eyebrow while shaking my head. Finally, Ikora took her place next to the microphone. She was rigid, stiff as a robot. Well, a robot before the Golden Age. The screen flashed [i]Owner of a Lonely Heart – Yes.[/i] While her stance was atrocious to watch, her voice was like a dove on a Summer day. That is, a Summer day before the collapse, so no none knows what a dove on a summer day sounds like anymore. The point is, her voice was great. Oh, yeah. And she used her void stuffs to make some pretty sick special effects. Like spikes of purple fire that flared during the chorus, or multicolored waves of light that changed color according to the beat. I look at you, the reader. “Needless to say, it is a close tie between Ikora Rey and Lord Saladin.” The song ended, and Ikora bowed once before saying “Goats taste like lemon fish,” into the mic. I looked at Crow again. “She’s DEFINITELY drunk.” He only nodded. A Cayde-6 mascot stepped onstage and took the mic with impressive swagger. “We got ONE MORE folks! Stay with me! Give it up for Foxy-4!” The audience clapped lightly, not sure who in the name of the Traveler Foxy-4 was. A gold exo stepped onto the stage, grinning like a maniac. “I had three bowls of Lucky Charms this morning and three Monsters right after. I’m still feeling it.” “At least he’s not drunk,” I mutter. The screen read [i]Take On Me - A-Ha[/i]. As soon as the song began to play, Foxy began to perform a ludicrous series of Michael Jackson dance moves that were both jaw-dropping and horrendous at the same time. He did the splits then rose back up using only his legs. He spun for an inordinate amount of time before jumping up and flipping numerous times before landing back on the stage. Essentially, Foxy's routine included zero singing and one hundred percent eighties dance moves. He took the cake. I look at you, the reader. “And the award for least drunk goes to Foxy-4, who goes to karaoke night instead of a club to dance his caffeine out to his heart’s content.” The song ended, and the audience clapped wildly for the exo. He grins even more and bows multiple times before getting shoved off stage by the Cayde mascot. “What song would you have sung, Snakehide?” Crow asked as we ordered a round of drinks. I considered it. “All I Want Is You, Let It Go, Beauty and the Beast...what? Why are you shaking your head?” [spoiler]Not all of the songs mentioned reflect the tastes and musical eatings of the author. Most, but not all.[/spoiler] -Your friend, the Snake