Chapter 3

The smell of musk from ancient papers that makes up books fills the air, mixed with the scent of yellowing pages; there is a hint of leather and polish, the kind used on wood. Compared to the loud and chaotic hanger, the library is quiet and serene. It has made up of one large room, three levels filled to the brim with books. A red carpet covers the floors on each level, muffling patrons' footsteps. The cleaning lights are dim, a setting that reduces the older books from being damaged any further. Tables fill the empty floor space, a green desk lamp setting at each, allowing anyone to read without straining their eyes. Temperatures are low, another way to preserve books.

This is the sights and smells that greet the female warlock as she enters. She breathes in the intoxicating scent that dictates the enormous room of new and old books.

Beeze, a ghost, appears over his guardian's shoulder, also scanning to the room. Due to it being late, there is not a large crowd of people. Those left are just a handful from the three classes: Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks.

"Appears the coast is clear, the only season Warlock is Vale," declares the ghost.

Nax, the female Awoken, scans the room until she spots a white-haired Awoken browsing the shelves. She has seen him in various places, although, then again, she tends to avoid all Warlocks, so she never talks to them. However, Nax does notice the other warlock playing cat and mouse game with his female teammate, a Hunter who is always quiet, wearing her helmet every time Nax has seen her. There is also a Titan on the man's team who is as strong as he is loud.

She admits it is funny watching the three chase one another around the tower. A few times, Nax and Evie watch them run around screaming. It always makes Evie question why the Warlocks are so worried about Nax when this fireteam is even more chaotic, dare she say crazy?

Setting her mind back to the task at hand, Nax makes her way toward a set of bookshelves. They hold a variety of leather-bound books written by fellow Guardians over the decades.

The simple teal shell that is a ghost follows behind the warlock. Watching his guardian scanning the books, he asks, "What are we looking for today?"     

"Hmmm, not sure. Something fun to read," Nax tells her ghost as she skims over the titles in silver writing on the spines of the books.

Letting out an annoyed noise, Beeze allows his back panels to spin. "Nax, don't take it the wrong way, but your definition of fun is reading those out of date technology manuals."

In a quiet voice, Nax glances at her ghosts; she asks, "What's wrong with reading those books? I find them interesting in how far we have come with technology."

"You should broaden your horizon in reading," argues the ghost bobbing up in down in the air.

Seeing this turning into an argument, the guardian stops scanning the shelves to turn to her teal ghost. Sighing, she questions him, "Okay, fun police, what should I read then?"

Panel spinning, Beeze pauses to think about it. "How about a fiction book?"

"Mind narrowing it down for me," asks Nax. She runs a blue finger along the spines before stopping at a black leather-bound one titled, The Theory of Vexes, "Like which genre?"

"Romance?" suggests Beeze. He can see his Awoken Guardian already trying to stifle a giggle.

"Beeze," chuckles Nax, "Why on earth do I want to read about that stuff?" She pulls another book out, this one with a beat-up brown cover. It is titled: Golden Age Technology.

"What about a thriller? One about a killer?" Again, she shakes her head. He challengers, "Why not? You used to read a lot of them just a while ago."

"Yeah, I used to, but I got tired of guessing who did it in the middle of the book only to be right by the end."

"What about comedy? You like jokes."

"Enough to read those books about a hundred times. So, unless there are new or hard ones, I will pass. Besides, I'm not a funny person."

Annoyance shows through the ghost's lens, "Says the one that named me Beeze and tells Evie those terrible puns any chance she gets. What about fantasy? You like those knight stories."

Pausing with her hand hovering over another book, Nax is getting annoyed herself. "Okay, tell you what, Beeze, how about you go ahead and pick one for me to read while I finish up here."

Making a joyful whirling noise in agreement, Beeze quickly flies off. His target, well goal, searching for a book.

Nax shakes her head at her ghost's excitement, the warlock moves to another shelf, thankful for the brief silence. Eyes scan titles again with a clearer head. At the top of a bookshelf, ocean blue eyes stop on a black book's spine, the titled written in silver: The History of the Fall and Their Worship of Technology.

"Alright, not a great title, but the information will be helpful." Standing on her tiptoes, the Awoken woman tries to pry the book off the shelf. Her fingers just graze the bottom of the book. "Damnit!" curses the woman under breath.

A blue hand reaches above her head, gently pulling the book off the shelf. "Here you are," says a warm voice behind her, cause Nax to spin around.

Upon spinning, Nax at once recognizes the other blue skin Awoken: Vale. He has white hair and a fellow Warlock. In his hands is the book, holding out to her with a warm smile. It unnerves Nax a bit, but she hesitantly takes the book.

"Thank you," thanks Nax quietly, careful to avoid eye contact with the seasoned warlock.

Vale's smile widens. "You're welcome…" The man trails off, realizing he cannot place the female's name, "I am sorry, I don't think we have met before. I'm Vale." He holds out a hand with long slender fingers.

Nax looks at the book in the warlock's hand, the Awoken wishes her ghost is here to play interference. As he is no, she decides not to be rude and stretches her hand out into his, shaking it. She notes his hands are smooth, like most warlocks who do not work with their hands off the field. "I'm Nax." Now she only waits for his response, reaction to finding out who she is as everyone else has.

"Nice to meet you, Nax. I do not believe I have seen you around much. If you ever need help or a fellow Warlock to talk to, just ask around," he advises her warmly while releasing her hand.

Nax's face contorts into one of confusion and disbelief. She can only stare at the warlock, figuring out if he is joking or messing with her. How did he not know her? Every warlock gives her glares or stare her down and shoo her away, not kindly either.

"Is this a joke? I don't see how this can be funny on anyone's end," declares the smaller two Warlocks. Annoyed, she drops her book on her already growing pile.

She watches the man's reaction as he goes from being kind and warm smiles to lost and confused. He apologizes, yet unsure for what, "I'm sorry. I did not mean to offend you. Did I say something wrong?"

Realizing Vale is not joking, she sees a confuse on his face. It makes her feel foolish. Deciding not to stay any longer than longer she steps around him toward the counter, "No, you didn't feel sorry, I just, "

The whispering starts up, coming from a few newcomer Warlocks huddled together. They are talking in hushed tones while pointing toward her and Vale. Deciding not wanting to start a new mess of rumors or worsen what has just begun and no doubt will be a mess of rumors, either way, she turns toward the other Awoken and tries to give a warm smile of her own. Nax is sure he can see through her smile, "Thank you for helping me. I have to head out now." And on that note, she turns again and strolls toward the checkout counter with her massive pile of books.

Soft footsteps follow her to the front. Behind her, she hears Val speak, "I truly am sorry if I said something to offend you. It was not my intention. I hope you'll forgive me."

Nax Shakes her head as she turns around towards the snow haired Warlock. "You didn't say anything to offend me. I just thought you were playing a prank. Don't worry about it," assures Nax with a timid smile. "It's just odd not running into anyone that doesn't know the rumors."

The man in front of her rolls his eyes, "My fireteam and I hate rumors. Trust me, the one rumor you will not hear about us is how we go after those who start them, especially the bad ones. I tend to ignore all rumors. It is like judging a book by a cover. I just met you, so I have no room to judge you."

"I will keep that in mind. Sorry for being rude, it's simply hard to trust fellow Warlocks that chase you out of places."

The warlock turns his head over his shoulder and glares at them upon hearing whispering starting up. Nax watches as the man's glare causes the other rookie Warlocks to tense up, gather their things, and make haste for the exit. There is a flash of anger, but it disappears as he returns to look at her.

"It's fine. No one should judge another without knowing the whole story. Do enjoy the rest of your day. If the other Warlocks become too much trouble, please let me know."

The female nods her head and thanks him again just as her teal ghost, Beeze, appears next to her. "Nax! I found you a great—" He stops noticing the two talking, "Am I interrupting?"

"No, Beeze. Vale is just saying goodbye," answers Nax. She looks at Vale, who nods his head in agreement.

"Yes, I was just leaving. But Nax, do not forget my offer if you need anything. I will be happy to help you." He lifts a hand in a small wave goodbye before returning to the books, disappearing behind a few shelves.

Seeing that Vale has returned to his searching, Nax approaches the counter, placing books down. The bot looks up, greets her neutrally, "Good evening, guardian."

"Good evening," greets Nax back warmly.

A massive book appears before the Awoken on the counter, Beeze hovering over it with a look of pride in his lens. Excited, he babbles, "I present you the book! I think you're going to enjoy it a lot."

Unable to prevent the smile from upon her face, she pushes the book toward the checkout bot. "I would like to check these out please," informs Nax, now smiling genuinely.  

The checkout bot takes the pile of books. One by one, it flips the book on its front then opening the back cover to scan the barcode of each. Once finished, it pushes the books toward Nax again, "Have a good evening, guardian."

"Thank you, and you as well.��� Nax gathers the massive pile of books into her arms before taking the exit toward the courtyard.

###

A cool breeze greets Nax as she walks into the empty courtyard. Since there are no stands or merchants in this area, most Guardians prefer to spend their time in the plaza. Enjoying her solitude Nax takes the time crossing the courtyard towards the elevator leading up to the guardian's rooms.

"So Beeze?" asks Nax as she glances over to her teal ghost.

"Hmm?" hums Beeze as he follows her, bobbing up and down happily.

"What's the book about," questions the Awoken curiously. Nax forgot to read the title when Beeze dropped it earlier, and now it is buried in the pile of her books.

She watches as the ghost makes a whirling noise, bobbing up and down a bit faster. "Oh no," starts Beeze, drawing out the first 'O.' "I'm not going to tell you. You will have to read to find out," informs the ghost as they arrive at one of the three silver doors elevators.

"All right. Fine, I will read it tonight. It is not like I have anything else to do. I'm bored out of my mind while I'm waiting."

"Waiting for Evie or your rest period to be over?"

"Both. Evie isn't here, so I don't have anyone to kill time with," states Nax as she presses the down arrow button as it lights up.

Beeze floats in front of her, a few inches away from her nose. He suggests, "If you're so bored, then why don't you ask Ikora to lift the rest period?"

The ocean blue Warlock gently pushes him away as she waits for the elevator. "You know what happened the last time I did that. Zavala scolded me."

"I haven't forgotten that you were a bit rude to Cayde-6."

She looks at him, confused, "I wasn't rude toward him. Besides, he did not seem to bother seeing me today. I bet he doesn't remember it was me anyway."

"You answered him in a rude tone," scolds Beeze. However, seeing Nax looking at him with a confused look on her face, he sighs and floats lower. "See, this is why you can't make friends easily; you don't realize when you are rude towards people."

"I'm not rude all the time," defends Nax.

"Oh, no? What about Vale in the library? He was just trying to be friendly, and you gave him the cold shoulder."

"You know what? I am fine just the way I am. I don't need to 'try' and make friends with other Warlocks," declares Nax, telling Beeze off. She is tired of being told to make friends with people that do not want to be her friend. "If they have an issue with me, then they can go suck the big toe of a Fallen.

"Fallen don't have toes," informs the small AI.

Nax shoots him a glare with her blue eyes as a light ding announces the elevator's arrival. "You know what I mean. I don't need to make friends; I have enough," declares the Awoken as she walks into the small lift.

The small room has white marble floors, gold veins running through them. Returning guardians from the battlefield, the walls are painted in a dark blue to calm down. On either side of the silver doors are three rows of twenty-five buttons, each with a number, starting with one, two, three at the bottom that goes all the way up until it stops at one hundred and twenty-six. Nax presses the number twenty-four, lighting it up as the door closes before starting its descent.

"I do have Hunter friends, you know," starts Nax as she looks at him droop just a little."

"Nax, I hate to tell you this, but they just want to hang out with you to tell their friends that they're 'friends' with the 'feral' warlock. Also, do not bring up Titans because every time they come around, it's to get your ration tickets since you barely use them."

"Well, I have Evie," protests the Awoken.

"You two barely see each other as it is. Usually, when the warlock comes back, you have a day or two before you head out on a mission."

Nax looks at her ghost. "I have you as a friend. Beeze, why would I need friends? I'm happy with the number of people I have."

"You could make a few more friends. What about Vale?"

"As I said, he was just nice to me. He has that Hunter and Titan. He does not need to have a clingy, warlock. Besides, I should get back to the research," says Nax tiredly of this conversation.

"A research with no deadline leaving plenty of time to make more friends?" argues Beeze. "What about Cayde-6?"

Nax tosses her head back and gives a loud groan. "Beeze, please!" cries out the woman. She is thankful they are the only ones in the elevator.

"I highly doubt the Hunter Vanguard wants to be involved with me while I do research. Remember that it is not a good idea. You know, just because I talk to someone does not mean they are perfect to be my friend. It doesn't work like that, at least not with me anyway, and you know that!" She adds the last part quickly, knowing he will say something like: 'That's how it works with others.'

"No, you become friends with people when they feed you. You act more like a stray dog than a Warlock."

The elevator slows to a stop. With a ding, the number twenty-four lights up, informing the guardian and her ghost that they have arrived on their designated floor. The silver doors open to a hallway with navy blue carpets and cream walls. On either side of the hall are rows of chocolate wood doors, each with a number entry and palm scanner beside them.

Beeze and Nax remain quiet as they walk down the hall, passing each door. They stop at one entrance with the number eleven above it. The warlock stops and places her palm on the scanner. A soft green light scans the palm before disappearing, the door clicking unlocks.

A dark and silent apartment greets them as they open the door. Beeze enters first, flittering lamp to lamp, turning them on as light drowns the room. It is one of Nax's inventions, allowing the ghost to turn the lamps on, and he is glad she made them.

Nax steps in, shutting the door with her foot. Turning, she heads toward the kitchen breakfast counter where she drops the books. Unlike the other guardians who enjoy redecorating their apartments to make it feel like their own, Nax never has. She leaves it as she got it; beige carpet and white walls to match the white kitchen tiles.

"You know, while we are on a rest period, we should redecorate this place," suggests the teal ghost as he hovers in the middle of the living room. There is only a large screen TV against the wall with a tan couch and a matching coffee table sitting between them.

Looking up from the task of separating the books on what to read tonight and later, Nax asks, "What are you talking about redecorating? I bought that TV last month."

"Buying a TV doesn't count as redecorating. But at least consider buying a new couch. Maybe get one with a pull-out bed since you refuse to sleep in your bedroom."

"The only reason why it because it's too small and it reminds me of that place. Anyway, I barely sleep as it is. It would be a waste of glimmer," informs the warlock, as she picks up the leather book Beeze choose for her. She walks over to the couch, "I'm going to read, so go ahead and watch what you want."

"That's another thing; what's the point of buying a TV when you're not going to watch it," complains Beeze.

The woman looks up, annoyed after sitting down, and opening her book. "I got the TV for you to watch. Plus, I like the background noise. Why are you complaining when you watch it enough for both of us? What is the show you like right now?"

Beeze sighs in defeat. His guardian is right; he does enjoy watching the Golden Age TV shows that can be aired on their small range TV or what it can air. "It's called Ispy, the Robot Detective," informs him. He flies closer to her and settles on the back of the couch as Nax picks up the remote and turns it on.

"Remind me one day to see if I can alter the settings on the TV so you can turn it on and off, as well as channel surf."

Beeze's lens zoom in on her, "You don't have to do that, you know."

The woman shrugs her shoulders as she turns the page of her book. "I want to help you have more freedom. Plus, then I don't have to stop what I'm reading to turn the TV on or change the channel or volume for you if I alter it."

"Fine, it keeps you out of trouble," grumbles Beeze. He turns his attention back to the show, ignoring the warlock as she snickers at him and another page's turning.