It was times like these that she counted herself lucky to be an Arc user. With a quick jolt from her fingers, the grounded sparrow, grown over with moss and mold, jerked to life. She could hear Zavala's foot steps behind her, and she groaned. His crutch tapped the ground as it landed, and he cleared his throat. "You talk like her, you know?" he reminisced. "Brave, righteous."
"Who? Elsie or Yetta?" Her own name felt strange on her tongue.
"Both of them. My Yetta tried to create a front as well. Something to defeat Carman. People joined her, but…" He leaned on his crutch. "She was ripped, limb from limb, with ease. Carman started with the arms, it was harder to use Arc that way." Her shoulder panged in memory. "What makes you think you'll be any different?"
Yetta hesitated, then shrugged. "I'll admit. Your Yetta was infinitely better than I am. Maybe that's the tool I need." She hopped on the sparrow. "Being different. A different pattern to follow. But I can't let her haunt me anymore. And you can't either."
"I wish I was brave enough," he told her, after a second of silence. "But after Eris…I'm not sure I could, not anymore." He clapped her shoulder. "You were right. I used to be brave. But not anymore. Sometimes, it is safer just to hide. Be lucky you still have your ghost, you'll need him for as long as you can get."
. . .
Carman was still on Europa. Eris apparently wouldn't let her off, sending small armies when she attempted to leave. Not that the armies ever survived. It was like a sacrifice, meant to appease a god. The question was, how was Yetta going to get there without a working ship? As she rode throughout the land, looking for a ship she could jolt to life again, the air got colder.
She turned sharply, stopping in her tracks. Her breath clouded in front of her. It was the same kind of chill that Stasis had, the same kind she was all too familiar with. Either Carman had escaped, or Eris' people had made it to earth. But with the grinding in the distance, it was likely the first option. With a step on the gas, she turned around, and sped the other way.
Or, tried to. With a loud bang, the sparrow backfired, smoke pouring out of the back. "Shit!" She tried to jolt it again, only succeeding in shocking herself. "Oh…shit." Jason beeped worriedly through their bond, and Yetta stood up, gun already in her hand as The Lament got closer.
*You have your sword with you, this time. And you have me.*
*Like this Carman will let you do anything.*
"I know you're out there!" she could hear Carman's voice peircing through the mists, recognizing those antlers. She'd left Europa, and for some fucking reason, Eris had let her. She prepared Exit Strategy, looking through the sight. Her breath clouded in front of her, but she aimed for the head, taking her shot.
Just when she saw the bullet head for Carman, the world around her shifted, and she fell from about 50 feet in the air, to the ground of the City. The bullet hit her instead, causing her death faster than the ground ever could.
. . .
"Jason?" Yetta asked as she was revived. She could hear the horrified murmurs of the gathered citizens. She couldn't see the base of the Tower, rather it was in the distance, with a gaping hole from the Helm shining through.
"How are you feeling?" she heard.
"Call Elsie, and Osiris. Maybe Crow and Carman too."
"I'm already here." She had never been so glad to hear Carman's voice, as the exo lifted her off the ground, setting her back on her own feet. "Crow noticed you weren't picking up his calls, or mine. He sent a search party out."
"Call them back then." Yetta stumbled around for a second, getting knocked off her feet again by Cherry, who was whining softly. "I'm back."
"And the sky is raining bodies, it seems." Carman helped her up again, brushing her off. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, just got zapped around an alternate time line again."
"Same one or…"
"Same one." She picked Exit Strategy up. "Different location, same time line."
Carman grew solemn. "How bad?"
"I was with her this time," Jason cut in. "Although, can we get out of the road, please?"
. . .
Yetta sipped her cup of tea, Louella pacing around. "Darling, you could have come to me with this!" she fretted. "So many sleepless nights…you really aren't a bother! And forgetting to eat or buy some things to eat??" She tsked. "If I had known, I could have…oh, I don't know. I would have done something!"
She turned on Carman next. "And you knew about this, but only recently did you get her help??"
"She was managing it fine!" Carman bit back.
"I'd say forgetting to feed herself and going hungry is not managing it," Louella snapped. The elder woman looked between both of them. Yetta was placed on the couch, wrapped in blankets with a small table on her tap containing tea and soup. "And her vanguard? Crow? Why didn't he help?"
"Can't help what he doesn't know," Yetta mumbled. "Wasn't ready to tell him."
"Does he at least know that she hasn't been taking care of herself?!"
"…no?" Yetta shrunk down further as she answered.
"She's in therapy now. She was supposed to be on her way home from her last session when the teleport happened. What she was doing in space, I don't know." Carman's voice shook a little, purple eyes sliding over to Yetta, who made herself as small as she could.
"I was processing the session?"
"Fair enough." Carman sipped her tea. "She's been seeing some people for help with the residual Vex energy in her body as well."
"Clearly it isn't helping if she's getting yanked around the time lines like a toy dog." Louella sat down, drinking her own tea. "This shouting isn't helping the poor girl, look at her." She gestured vaguely to Yetta.
"I'll make sure Crow is aware of her eating habits. He deserves to know what's going on with one of his hunters."
"I don't want to get put on light duty," Yetta bit out.
"Then don't make that an option, dear." Louella finished her cup. "I'll be signing you up for food deliveries," she decided. "Ive subscribed to this one delivery service, oh! They pick the best meals for you. Quick, easy, and painless too. Mostly."
"Mostly," Yetta repeated. "What about days where I just don't feel like cooking?"
"You'd better set some leftovers aside."