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Hidden In The Cold

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The Awoken man half-carried/half-dragged him out of Spider’s chamber without a word.

Shiro didn't speak either. He was still caught up on Spider’s threat of crushing Suzume. Spider didn’t do empty threats. If he said something wrong around Crow there would obviously be consequences. Behind them, one of Spider’s close associates, Avrok, followed—no doubt under Spider’s orders.

It wasn’t really a surprise that he was going to be watched at all times...

“Who is ‘Uldren’?” Crow asked once he’d dragged his frozen form into the privacy of what looked like his personal quarters. “I um... I get compared to them a lot and I was just wondering...”

Shiro didn’t answer right away—or notice the low growl in Avrok’s throat. He was still taking in the Awoken’s quarters. When he noticed the Ghost floating in the corner, waiting for them, his anger with Crow cooled. Crow really wasn’t Uldren... At least not anymore...

The Ghost’s optic widened in shock when it spotted him.

“Hi, Glint,” Crow greeted, not having noticed his Ghost’s surprise.

Glint glanced from him to Crow, looking nervous. “Hey, do you mind if I had a moment alone with our new friend?”

Crow gave Glint a quick nod and turned to leave, passing Avrok on the way out who hadn’t moved from where he stood.

“Can we speak alone. Please?” Glint asked Avrok.

After a moment of contemplation, the Eliksni turned and exited the room. Once the door closed behind him, Shiro was quick to speak first—snapping at the Ghost. “How could you? How?!”

“It felt right,” Glint answered.

“But how? After everything Uldren has done! After he murdered Cayde! How could you bring him back?”

“Because he’s not Uldren. He’s Crow.”

Shiro’s fists clenched within the ice. “I don’t care! He’s the spitting image of Uldren and you know that!”

Glint lowered his gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry...”

“I don’t think you are!”

“I am. Every day I am,” Glint slowly met his eyes again. “Please just remember he’s not Uldren. Blame me. Blame me for everything, but don’t blame him...”

Shiro frowned with a sigh. “As much as I want to blame him, I can’t,” he shook his head, “fuck! Fuck you for doing this!”

Glint pulled his shell in tightly. “I’m sorry...”

The door to the chamber opened and Crow and Avrok entered. Shiro went back to being silent, watching carefully as Crow approached him and Avrok took a seat near the fall wall to supervise.

“I’m going to try to burn away the Stasis with my Light,” Crow said, sounding nervously. “Do you want your arms free? I could go for them first but you can’t attack me...”

The thought of gaining Crow’s trust just to retaliate once he was free crossed Shiro’s mind, but he stopped that thought at Avrok’s watchful eyes paired with the fact Crow was oblivious to what his former self had done.

“Get my arms first,” he murmured.

Crow nodded and got closer, lifting his his hands to his left arm. A dull orange glow began to radiate from the Awoken’s hands.

“I’m sorry in advance if I hurt you,” Crow averted his eyes as he spoke. “I don’t have much practice with the Light...”

“Spider doesn’t allow it?” He asked.

“No... Just no teachers...”

There was silence for a long while after that. Neither of them knew what to say. In the silence, Crow managed to get Shiro’s left arm free and he began to stretch out the stiff joints as Crow began on his other arm.

“I could teach you if you want,” Shiro offered before really thinking about it.

“You would?” Crow looked up, a twinkle of excitement in his golden eyes that he quickly blinked away, glancing at Avrok. “I-I would be honored, um... If that is okay, of course.”

The Eliksni’s eyes narrowed in thought. “You ask Spider about that,” he finally said.

“Okay,” Crow nodded, that excited twinkle coming back to his eyes as he focused on getting Shiro’s right arm free. He burnt it in a few places, but Shiro didn’t bother pointing it out. He just watched as Crow worked. The New Light was so unconfident in his abilities.

Shiro was already thinking about things he could teach Crow, but before any of that could happen, he needed to get him out of here. Not too difficult. He’d already done it once...

At some point, Avrok had left them alone. Shiro hadn’t seen the Eliksni leave, though he wasn’t about to assume they were in the clear. It was likely that Avrok was watching from a hidden device or at least listening from another room. Escape would have to be discussed some other time. Hopefully when he knew where Suzume was..

“I... I think that might be all I can do for now,” Crow was visibly exhausted, having to use a chunk of Stasis on Shiro’s frozen hip to pull himself up.

“You did great,” Glint appeared beside Crow to congratulate him.

“Thanks,” Crow glanced up at the Ghost, his troubled look remaining. “But I probably could’ve done more...”

“It’s fine. Honestly,” Shiro shrugged his freed shoulders. “It’s more than enough to have some movement back.”

“Thanks...” Crow still frowned. “I’ll get the rest in the morning. The moment I wake up. I promise.”

Shiro just nodded, watching as the troubled expression on Crow’s face grow into nervousness. What was bothering him now?

“Um... Let me get you to the bed, I, um... You can have it. I’ll sleep elsewhere,” Crow reached for his hand.

Shiro grabbed his hand, letting Crow drag him and his frozen lower half across the floor. “You sure?”

“Yeah,” Crow nodded immediately.

“Because I’m really not that tired.”

A lie. He was just as exhausted—if not more—than Crow was. Staying awake in freezing Stasis and an uncomfortable position had him beat.

“Yeah, I’m sure. It’ll probably still be good to get off your feet... I think? Um...” Crow awkwardly stood by, trying to offer help but flinching away at each close contact to his body, while Shiro hauled his lower body onto the bed. “Okay, good... I, um... I’ll be close by if you need anything.”

Crow grabbed at an Eliksni tarp hanging on the wall and pulled it down. He then spread it out on the floor away from Shiro, shifting on top of the tarp as he tried to get comfortable. Shiro watched him out of the corner of his eye. Eventually the Awoken man settled down and fell asleep, but Shiro was still wide awake. He was thinking... about everything, really. About Cayde. Uldren... how he even got himself wrapped up in all of this in the first place...

Drifter. Why was the answer always Drifter?

 

— —

 

“Shiro, wake up,” a voice whispered. “Shiro.”

He blinked open his eyes, immediately tense and ready to fight at the sight of Uldren Sov—No. Not Uldren. This was Crow.

“You’re awake,” Crow looked relieved

“Was I out for long?” Shiro asked as he pushed himself to sit up, stopping when he felt something different... He glanced down at himself, nearly doing a double take when he saw that his lower half was unfrozen.

“I-I’m sorry,” Crow’s voice shook. “I didn’t want to do it while you were asleep and unaware, but I’ve been unable to wake you. Spider called...”

“For what?”

“For you,” Crow answered. “He wanted me to have you freed from the Stasis so he could speak with you in his Lair...”

“For what?” Shiro repeated, standing up from the bed. His legs were a little wobbly after being in Stasis for so long, but he held a hand up to stop Crow from helping him.

“I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me,” Crow said. “He doesn’t even want me in there.”

Then it probably had something to do with who Crow once was... and other things...

“Maybe I could go, too. Maybe he’s changed his mind?” Crow asked.

“Knowing Spider, I doubt that,” Shiro walked across Crow’s quarters to the door. It opened and he tensed when he saw Avrok waiting on the other side.

“Avrok, can you—“ Crow began.

“Stay here,” the Eliksni ordered, having heard everything through the door.

Crow opened his mouth as though to argue but obeyed.

“Follow me,” Avrok turned his gaze to Shiro.

Shiro gave Crow one last glance before he left to walk beside the Eliksni. He contemplated on whether to try and speak to him or not. He knew Avrok from his time serving Spider, and although they hadn’t been friends or anything close to that, Shiro had still saved his life. Surely that counted for something?

“I can find my way back, you know?”

The ever-watchful Avrok didn’t even look at him. “Yes, but you cannot be trusted.”

“Oh, come on,” he snapped. “You all practically left me to the Scorn. Why wouldn’t I leave?”

“Because loyalty,” Avrok kept his eyes forward. “You owed Spider so you should’ve gone back to him... He even called to make sure you were alive,” the Eliksni glanced at him. “That is more than he would’ve done for the rest of us. For me.”

Shiro wanted to argue that he’d been the one to call Spider, and that if he’d decided to come back, he would’ve had an unfair amount of debt added to what he already owed, though he just stayed quiet.

“Ah, Shiro... Avrok tells me you’re getting along with my little bird,” Spider said as they entered.

Shiro stepped up to the mob boss, glaring up at him. “I guess I am.”

“You’re a smart man to do so,” Spider rumbled, his voice calm but with a threatening growl hidden underneath it. “My bird is fairly... fragile, so to speak... You need to be careful around him.”

He’d figured that much out himself... “Anything else?”

Spider stared at him for a moment, his eyes cold. “There is, actually. Your Ghost...”

“What about her?”

Spider laughed.

“What did you do to her?!” He snapped.

There was a smirk in the Eliksni’s optics. “Oh, we would never do anything to her... She did this all herself...”

“What happened,” Shiro could hardly keep his voice under control.

Spider let a moment of awful silence pass before continuing. “Some of my associates were trying to... move her... She slipped from their claws and disappeared.”

Shiro didn’t react on the outside, but inside, he was bubbling with glee. Suzume had escaped!

“Any idea where she went?”

“No,” he answered honestly. “She hasn’t made contact with me.”

Probably for the best. Crow had been with him all last night and Avrok had been watching him closely. Eliksni are crafty. Even if she was hidden from view, they probably know of a dozen ways to find and trap her.

“Oh, she hasn’t?” Spider mocked concern before his eyes narrowed. “Why do I have a hard time believing that?”

“Because you don’t want to.”

“Trust me,” Spider snarled. “I want to believe that the Guardian who disrupted my Shore would pay back his debts proper—“

“I already have. In fact, I've given you much more than you deserve out of me."

"You don't get to decide."

"So how are you going to keep me here?" Shiro asked. "You just told me that Suzume escaped, so you have nothing. I could walk out right now and none of you could stop me."

The Eliksni guards on either side of Spider lifted their Arc-charged spears, growling at him.

"Beat me, stab me, kill me even. Suzume won’t take the bait." Hopefully not like with Eramis...

Spider remained silent, watching him as if he'd been considering those options. "You’re right. I cannot force you to stay..." He clicked his jaws. Displeased. “Though I thought I’d attempt to... well, tempt you into staying...”

Shiro frowned. “And why would I do that?”

“For starters, I was the one who got you out of Eramis’ claws... You also have no ship to leave my Shore and no one would lend one to someone in such bad standings with me...”

“That sounds a lot more like blackmail than tempting,” Shiro commented.

“Or you can leave, meet up with your Ghost, and find your way off my Shore,” Spider growled. “Knowing that you’ll be leaving Crow here...”

Shiro’s excitement quickly faded. Of course... Just more games...

A smirk returned to Spider’s eyes. “Avrok informed me of your conversation with him... Apparently Crow is very excited to receive training from an actual Lightbearer...”

Damn it...

“Still want to leave knowing you’ll be leaving him behind?” Spider asked with a low chuckle. “He’ll be very upset. Very lonely...”

“He has the face of my friend’s murderer,” Shiro stated, though instead of the Awoken Prince’s harsh expression, he could only see one of innocence, of fear...

“Oh, but you know he’s not the same. I know you do...” Spider said. “He’s a Lightbearer just like you. You’re not going to leave him here...”

Shiro looked down, contemplating. He really couldn’t leave Crow here to be influenced by Spider... but at the same time, there was nowhere he could take Crow... Spider had to know this. He had to just be trying to convince him to stay just to he could trap him here...

He’d have to be stupid to fall for it, but he couldn’t just leave Crow here. Damnit...

 

— —

 

Avrok led him back to Crow’s quarters.

Crow was sitting on his bed crosslegged, speaking with Glint. When they entered, the tiny smile on Crow’s face faded and his eyes filled with concern.

“He is not to leave this room without you,” Avrok told Crow before turning to leave.

Shiro glared at the Eliksni until the door closed behind him.

“Did he hurt you?”

Shiro glanced at the Awoken. “Who?”

“Spider...” Crow’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Did he do anything.”

“No. We just talked.”

“About what?” Crow asked, standing up from his bed.

“About your training.”