His eyes narrowed as he looked over the datapad and cast the information within to the table's holoprojection. No matter how many times he ran the calculations, how many times he looked for some clue, it came up the same. There was nothing new in the reports. He had hoped there would be something. Some indication that they were on the move again, or some sign that spoke of their recruitment drive, or even anything, but no, the same reports he'd been getting for the past several months. Not for the first time, he wondered if the Hidden had anything they could add to his data digests, but it would cause problems if he tried to go to them. Not just for him, but for his friends, and for all the risks they'd taken on his behalf, he would never do that to them.
The hatch opened and he glanced up, inclining his head with a nod to the pair that entered, but his focus soon turned back to the data. "All well?" he asked them. "New anything?"
The Hunter shook his head, fiddling with a knife. "Same as it's been for a while now. Occasional blip of something on the radar, but the second anyone sniffs around about it," he snapped his fingers, and his knife vanished, "poof, she's in the wind."
There was a pause, and the Warlock reached out to place a hand on the Captain's shoulder. "We'll find her. She won't stay hidden forever, and whatever happens, you know we'll stand with you."
The Captain nodded, looking up. "Thanking help." He gestured at something in the holodisplay. "Larger traffic around City. Should going to where-live?"
The Warlock paused, and shared a look with the Hunter. She raised her eyebrows at the Hunter, who just tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders. She gave him a more pointed look, and he raised his arms in surrender before climbing back out through the hatch. The Warlock turned back to the Captain. "It's Dawning season. It's a holiday thing that we do. Exchanging of gifts, tidings of good luck and health into the new cycle." She paused, leaning her hip against the table. "Did you have anything like that where you came from?"
The Captain's gaze did not look away from the table, but he wasn't really seeing anything there. "Once perhaps. Long time-past. Few celebration in scatter. No old-celebrations remain, only stolen-things."
She nodded. "Spider seems to take part, so far as I can tell. I've seen a lot of Guardians taking him treats and such."
He set down the datapad a little more forcefully than necessary. "Gains things, spends none. The Spider benefits. Why the Spider object?"
The Warlock nodded again. "True." She paused. "I'm sorry there's no holidays left for you." She glanced at the holodisplay, and picked up the datapad absently. "Even if the year has been rough, the Dawning is a time when people try to cast a little light into the darkness. To keep up hopes."
The Captain inclined his head at this. "Speaking truth. Empty of hope, should go drink scorn-ether. Hope keeps sails filled in wind-less-time."
She smiled. "That's a good mindset to have."
The Hunter came back through the hatch, a wrapped box tucked under one arm. He nodded to the Warlock, then passed her the box. She set it down in front of the Captain. "For you. From us."
The Captain looked at her, then at him, before he gripped the box with his secondary arms. With his primary hands, he carefully opened the colorful paper wrapping, then pulled open the box within. Folded carefully inside was a heavy silken cloth of a creamy off-white color. The Captain stared at it, a dactyl stroking along gold threads laid into it, then pulling it out and holding it up to see more closely. The golden thread was woven into the shape of a circle inside a stylized sunburst.
The Captain stared at the cape. He looked at the Warlock, then the Hunter, who smiled. "A new House, a new Kell, should have a new banner, yes?"
There was different tone to the Captain's response. "Thanking." He considered, then added, "Nothing in return, regret."
"This one's on us," the Hunter assured him. "You can get us next year."
"...Thanking." Another pause. "Good health, good luck, you both."
The Warlock smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Happy Dawning, Mithrax."
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