[url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/257262473/0/0]Table of Contents[/url] The Last Safe City shines with light, birthed from the uncountable decorations of the Festival of the Lost. Even the soft glow of the Traveler looming above is outdone by the extravagant display. Mountains curl around the City’s edge, forming a natural wall that watches over the smaller walls of the City. A single jumpship glides by, tracing the curve of the great barrier. It dips down towards a ledge on one of the mountainsides, where weather and time have created a perfect perch to look down on humanity’s last stronghold. As the jumpship passes, a single Guardian materializes in a haze of blue light. Her feet touch down on wet grass, sinking slightly in the soft soil. She plants one foot in front of her and bends her knees in a casual curtsy. “Hello, Laurel,” she hums lightly, knowing her companion would be there -lying in the same spot as always- waiting for her. Her Ghost appears as well, echoing its Guardian, “Hello, Laurel.” Neither waits for a response, not expecting one from their quiet friend. These greetings are a well-practiced routine for them. “Wow,” the new arrival exhales, taking in the view from their perch, “It looks great from up here.“ “Beautiful,” her Ghost agrees. They fall into silence for a minute. “So…” the new arrival mutters, searching for something to say. “Earlier,” her Ghost prompts, coming to her rescue, “You said you’d talk about the meaning of the-“ “Oh, rightrightright!” The Guardian’s head bobs up and down, “Good call, Ghost. Okay, Laurel, so I skipped through the Tower to scope things out and check on Eva. Oh, you should have been there! Ghost was so busy looking at the decorations, he flew straight into-“ “Mina!” Her Ghost whines, “You promised you wouldn’t tell her that part!” The Guardian -Mina- waves her hands in front of her chest apologetically, “Sorry, sorry! Forget you heard that, Laurel. Anyway -um- what was I…Okay. So Eva was busy telling some kinderguardians about the Festival, of course. And I really wanted to talk with her -you know, since she’s never around anymore except on holidays- so I hung around and listened to what she was telling the kinderguardians. You know, I guess I never really gave much thought to the meaning behind the Festival, but this time I was really listening to her. She was talking about how it’s all to remember the people we’ve lost, to cherish their memory. Trust me, she explains it so much better than I can. “And I was kinda internally flipping out and trying not to cry ‘cause that sunk pretty deep, you know? But then I was like, ‘Hey! How come you never told me that? You’re such a big dork about the holidays. All these years I thought you were just dragging me around and making me do stuff so you could stuff candy in your face!’” Mina pauses thoughtfully, then amends, “You know what, never mind, you totally just did it for the candy.” Mina’s Ghost chuckles. Laurel says nothing in response to the jab, so Mina keeps talking. “I think I’ll try to enjoy the Festival as much as I can this year. I think it means a lot more now that I get it, you know? I know you’re tired of always havin’ to drag me around, anyway.” “You‘re always such a bummer on holidays,” her Ghost teases. “Not when they give me candy,” Mina counters. “I hear Eva got them to spread candy again this year,” the Ghost informs. “Wow, really?” Mina asks, perking up a little, “That’s great! We can get some treats out of it.” Her Ghost drifts around her shoulders, “Maybe we can see if Eris has any raisins for us?” “No,” Mina refuses, shaking her head sharply, “Hard pass.” The Ghost laughs, and Mina joins in. After a moment they manage to stifle their childish giggling and once again fall into silence. This time it lasts longer, and Mina’s smile fades away as she watches the Last City. “Well,” she mumbles, rocking on her feet, “I better go, Laurel. Gotta see if I can grab a good mask before they give ‘em all out. There’s so much to do. I’ll tell you all about it later.” By the time the last words leave her mouth, Mina can already hear the roar of her jumpship’s engines, faint but growing as the vessel closes in to pick them up. Mina occupies herself with needlessly adjusting her armor until the jumpship breaks through the layer of clouds overhead. The ship sinks down towards them until it’s close enough for transmat. “Bye Laurel,” the Ghost farewells, disappearing in a haze of blue. Mina lingers a moment longer, looking over her shoulder at the spot where her friend lies. She sniffs and rubs at her nose, then speaks, “The Festival isn’t gonna be the same without you, Laurel.” With that, she dissolves in the light of transmat. The jumpship turns and flies away, heading back towards the City. The mountain’s ledge is left empty, save for a single large stone nestled beside a space where the soil is packed tight and new patches of grass are beginning to grow.