Saint-14, Osiris, and the Little Teacup That Could

Ah, a familiar battle with unforeseeable outcomes. A new Season is here, which means a continuation of the story about our quest to learn more about the Witness and its dubious plans. Among those we will be fighting alongside this Season is none other than Osiris; returned to his love’s side as he and Saint-14 continue fighting for the future and what it means to work as part of the Light.

If you’re like us, the sound of hearing Osiris’s voice—sans Savathûn’s trickery—in his familiar dulcet tones at the start of Season of the Seraph is a welcome treat. His presence in this new Season is a sight for sore eyes, a sentiment that we’re sure Saint shares, but that doesn’t mean the heroic process of bringing him back from the Witch Queen’s control was easy. In fact, it was anything but. But one question has remained even as many of us dried our eyes off those happy reunion tears: what’s the teacup?

Here to philosophize over Nezerac’s tea are a few folks from the Destiny 2 Narrative team. We’ve got Nick Ardizzone, Nikko Stevens, and James Myers; three folks from our larger Narrative team here at Bungie. The teacup’s journey from page to game makes sense when you look at in-game lore, particularly with a certain chipped teacup. The teacup, as James and Nick explain, has a dual-special spot in the tale of “Saint and Osiris going Facebook Official.”

“Once we handed our script to other teams (like our motion capture and animation crews) to see how this scene could potentially play out, I immediately started gathering visual references and ideas for these two characters,” reveals James, who had recently started working at Bungie when this planning began. “We thought about everything, including incorporating pigeons or something for a fairy tale-esque moment. Imagine: they kiss, and a flutter of pigeon wings fly off into the sunset. That eventually led to how we could incorporate other special details, including how to make Osiris’s room look and how it shows that it’s Saint’s home too.”

It’s obvious that this living area is well–loved. A fact supported by the cared-for books that hint at what Saint does in his off time. “The teacup itself, however, is where it gets a little interesting,” Nick teases.

The Darkness energy swirling in the teacup started as a happy accident for one particular Bungie newcomer that joined the team right before the planning for this kicked off. In his rush to learn more about his new role and his own contribution to the plan for what’s next, James had not remembered the original lore tied to the teacup. “I originally included the Darkness energy in the teacup as a visual reference that we sent out to our illustrators. Fellow Narrative Designer Robert Brookes and the rest of the team were the ones to flag the bigger significance, reminding me of the lore tab about Saint being upset after breaking a fancy teacup and how the chip was being repaired. It was really such a sweet lore tab, which made us seek out the description of the cup so we could tell the illustrator what the item should look like in-game.”

We have the lore connection; we have the beautiful imagery... but what about science? What about the Dark stuff?

“The Witness sought to reclaim the Darkness sealed away with the pieces of Nezarec,” Nick explains. “This was pure, vintage Darkness, the really good stuff from the old days, Darkness so powerful that it would be useful for what the Witness was planning. At the end of the Season, Mithrax was able to extract that Darkness from the relics, and he faced its terrible power. This was the same power his mother sought, the same power that whispered to him from the piece of Nezarec he wore around his neck during his days as a pirate warlord.”

“It was finally right there for him to take… and he refused it,” Nick says with a smile. “He chose to use it for something small, personal, and meaningful instead. Mithrax accepted the risks of disturbing the relics for purely selfless reasons. The Mithrax we know now is not the person he once was.”

Forgiveness. And not just external forgiveness, but the permission to forgive ourselves. It’s no small feat. The evolution of Saint and Mithrax and their parallels—the fact that the symbolism to cement that growth is not some boast of war, but a promise in the form of a teacup—is inspiring. It’s relatable for many, but also offers a more tender moment in a world continuously fighting for survival. A small comfort, kind of like the comfort one might feel when cradling the warmth of that favorite cup of tea. Speaking of...

Now that we have the science of it... why tea? When I go for that perfect cuppa, I don’t typically envision an ominous swirling mass of inky death juice. (I’m more of an Earl Grey Guardian, myself). So how did the concept of helping Osiris with the help of Nezarec’s coffee come to be? As we dive into that, players should ask themselves what it says about Darkness and its association with memory that it could be a catalyst for such a moment, especially as we go into Lightfall. That, and that a handful of smaller relics do not make up a whole entity. This is important.

“We had based the Nezarec relics off of historical reliquaries, which often contained body parts of saints and religious figures. While we were looking into what became of some of those reliquaries as they were often stolen and stolen back over the years, we found some pharmacopoeias from the 1700s that had descriptions of potions made from ancient human remains used as medicine. It was called ‘mumia’ or ‘mummy bitumen’ and it was described as a black, bitter substance with a fragrant smell. The old pharmacopoeias had some great descriptions of it, stuff like ‘liquor obtain’d in sepulchres, by exudation from carcases embalm’d’ and ‘liquament of carcasses.’ Really irresistibly creepy stuff.”

“The extracted Darkness being something Osiris could drink was a simple, relatable option, and would be a nod to that ghoulish old folk remedy,” Nick says. “And we felt that using the teacup from the Quintessence lore book would be a great reference as the teacup was so meaningful to Saint and Osiris. We felt it was much more resonant than just vaguely saying ‘Mithrax used the Darkness to awaken Osiris.’” And that’s all that needs to be said, truly. Love is in the details, not the grandstanding, and that much context surrounding such a tiny detail shows the level of devotion the teams wanted to convey.

Those details show the scene's depth, and as a fan of both characters, I am happy to say that it destroyed my soul in the best way. “It was important that this didn’t feel like exploitation or like we’re trying to make an exhibit out of something,” reflects James. “I care about Saint and Osiris and I just wanted to see these lovable characters find happiness again.” Judging by the sweetest smile to ever smile on Osiris’s face, I’d say job well done, James!

Science and space magic aside, it was just good to see our Space Dads back safely. When looking at the timing and why this was the moment to make that reunion happen, with or without a suspicious looking beverage, the answer was simple... “This has been a long time coming,” Nick shares when reflecting on recent conversations the community has been having about Saint and Osiris, especially after following Saint’s journey as he navigated roads filled with grief, fear, and impatience after learning about Osiris’s fate in The Witch Queen.

“Weaving that moment of reconnection into the ending of Season of Plunder just made sense,” he adds. And he’s right! Now is the perfect time. Osiris has finally returned, and an emotionally charged and hard-fought reunion is not only expected but earned. Especially when looking at what this pair has gone through with one another. "Osiris saw unimaginable things while Savathûn was controlling him,” James explains. “We knew he would eventually break free and with that knowledge began the process of what a reunion between these two would look like.”

It wasn’t just the team here, either, that enjoyed the happy reunion. Players wasted no time when it came down to sharing their own creative interpretations of the pair with things like art and in-game tributes. Nikko has his own thoughts, adding, “I have been extremely excited to see the community response, it’s been great. I’m also just excited to see a natural representation of a genuine, healthy relationship that is being treated as such. This was an organic moment that is true to the characters, offering up a breath of relief that was wholeheartedly earned. Just like any love story should be. It's not forced, it's just them being them, and that’s beautiful.”

And that, friends, is how two beloved characters got the sweet and tender reunion they deserve with a splash of magical space tea. Go say “hi” to the wholesome pair for us now that Season of the Seraph is live!

Speaking of tea! Bungie has a plethora of dev-driven clubs to help facilitate interests outside of the game, including a super cozy Bungie Tea club. Because we’re talkin’ fancy shmancy teacups, we thought it would be a fun idea to share some of the teas that we think would suit Saint and Osiris’s tastes just fine:

• Russian caravan (black) tea
• A drop of honey for Osiris.
• Koshary Shai
• Perfect when you're craving more than a little sweetness.
• Mint tea with lemon
• Especially for those hot days.
• Marjoram tea
• Soft and sweet on the inside, like Saint.
• Jasmine green tea
• Simple, perfect for a mid-day break or beverage for watching the sun set.