Chapter Text
Aloy came back to Base in the middle of the night; which, all things considered, was pretty usual for her. What wasn’t usual was the crying coming from her room. She tried to keep it quiet; Forge forbid, she showed any weakness; but I heard her all the same. After what happened to Varl and Beta, none of us had gotten any beauty sleep recently.
I got out of my bed as softly as I could. Talanah was still out hunting, but Kotallo was a light sleeper and if Alva woke up, then the rest of the squad could kiss any chance of a decent night’s rest goodbye. After what we’d all been through, everyone needed as much shut eye as they could get. My feet met the icy white tiled floor and I winced at the shock, but kept moving. Cold feet was the least of my problems right now. Hopefully…
I stopped just outside of her room; the base had returned to its usual quiet, only the faint hum of the tech around us disturbed the relative peace. Indecision mixed with good old guilt, flooded through me like bad beer. She’d probably fallen asleep or was trying to at any rate. I shouldn’t bother her. I should just go back to bed.
“A-Aloy?” I whispered, following up with the barest tap of my knuckles on the closed door.
There was a sniffle and a rustling of cloth, I winced at my own carelessness. I knew I shouldn’t have stuck my sorry ass where it didn’t belong, I should know better by-
The door opened, Aloy looked up at me, surprise and confusion plain on her face. Her eyes, usually a bright and wild moss green, were dark and red rimmed. A roll of bandages was clutched in her hand.
“Erend…did I wake you when I came in?” she asked, looking apologetic.
“Nah, couldn’t sleep.”
She eyed me skeptically, “You sure? Your bedhead disagrees.”
“Just had a late shower is all.” I said, ruffling my mutinous hair. “I’m glad you’re back, in one piece?”
Aloy grimaced and shrugged slightly, “Mostly; it’s been a long night.”
“I figured.” I nodded toward the bandages in her hand, “You need help with that?” I expected her to refuse of course, Aloy may not care about being disturbed, but she still had her pride.
“Yeah, you mind?”
“Uh no, not at all.”
A small smile crossed her lips and she nodded towards the interior of her room. “Come on in.”
I had only been in Aloy’s room once before, when we were setting it up as a surprise. I remember how Zo wanted every little detail just so, it was grating to have to make sure all the objects were in their “special” place (“Weapons do not go near the bed, Erend.”) and to first lift and then move the furniture over and over (“To create symmetry.”) in order to “enhance the optimal energy flow”. It was an Utaru ritual that happened to be similar to an ancient custom of the Old Ones. Alva, who also knew of the custom, because of course she did, called it feng shui; whatever that meant.
I was glad to see that Aloy hadn’t bothered keeping up with the feng shui of it all. Items rested here and there with little regard to their “rightful place”. Aloy’s personal armory and especially her spear and bow were kept on the shelves directly above her bed, and most of the lighter furniture was placed to maximize comfort and efficiency rather than a “commanding position”, as Alva put it.
Aloy tossed the roll of bandages my way before walking towards the nearest desk. She gingerly lifted herself up, favoring her right shoulder, and sat cross legged on the not quite pristine white plex.
“You don’t want a chair?”
She moved her hair and showed off the edge of a perfectly round, wet bruise low on her left shoulder.
“Ouch, Leaplasher?”
“Leaplasher.” Aloy agreed, turning around so she could undo the ties of her top. I tried not to be too happy that she was wearing Oseram style armor. The red and black shirt vest and loose trousers were popular amongst the foresters and wayfarers of my tribe and while the top didn’t protect all of the upper body, it was excellent for close combat and luckily for Aloy, easy enough to undo with a bruised shoulder.
“Nothing’s as bad as a Stormbird, but man I really hate those things!” I said, gingerly removing the shirt vest from her shoulders.
Aloy chuckled and gathered her hair so it rested fully on her right shoulder. “How’s the bandeau, completely ruined or somewhat salvageable?”
I looked down at the stained, discolored cloth, “Not even a Glinthawk would want this salvage. It's practically fused to your skin.”
She sighed, plucked a small knife from off her belt and proffered it handle first. “Go ahead and cut it, I should wash the dust off anyway.”
I looked around the room, searching for something she could cover up with. Aloy looked over her shoulder quizzically. “Erend?”
“It’s just that…”
“Lend me your shirt.”
“Aloy!”
“What, do you have a better idea? I haven't exactly had time to do laundry.”
It was my turn to sigh. “I… just don’t tell anyone,” I muttered, shrugging off the shirt.
“Tell anyone what? Oh.”
Oh was a nice, short word. When I told the Tenakth Inker what I wanted, she’d scoffed and turned to Kotallo. “What is that supposed to represent?” she’d asked the Marshal.
Kotallo, who’d been the one to drag me out to Scalding Spear in the first place, only shrugged, “Outlanders.”
What seemed baffling to the Tenakth, was strikingly simple to me. Two circles, one thick, the other thin, encircled a Brave’s Star. At each point of the star were smaller circles containing a different symbol; the Oseram Wheel, the Carja Sun, the Utaru Land God, the Sky Clan Mountain, and the Quen Focus. Inside the center of the star was Gaia’s seed.
“It’s a memorial to Varl isn’t it?”
I nodded and was half-way to crossing my arms over my chest, when I thought better of it. “He brought us all together.”
She smiled the smallest, most heartbreaking smile I’d ever seen, tears threatening in her eyes. “I think it’s beautiful.”
“T-thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now can I borrow your shirt?”
“Sure.” I said, handing it over and picking up the knife she’d left on the desk. Using careful, quick movements, I cut the bandeau and gently peeled it away as Aloy pulled my shirt over her head.
“I’ll be right back.”
“You want me to stay here?”
She carefully hopped off the desk and looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “You volunteered, Erend. My shoulder isn’t going to bandage itself,” she countered, grinning ruefully. “Sit tight, I shouldn’t be too long.”
“Sit tight? These Old One sayings aren’t doing you any favors.”
She raised her eyebrows, “I can ask Alva instead.”
I leaned back against the desk. “And wake everyone up with her endless ‘fun facts'? You’re not that cruel, just go.”
She winked, set her Focus on a shelf, and headed out the door.
Fifteen long minutes later, Aloy re-entered the room looking fresh from the forge. Freed from their normal restraints, her hair fell in an untamed halo of copper waves. My shirt, three sizes too big, hung off her right shoulder providing a view of golden freckled skin. And if I wasn’t blushing enough, she seemed to have lost her trousers somewhere between here and the showers.
She caught me staring and raised an eyebrow. “Easy there, the Carja will start worshiping you if you get any redder.”
I raised my hands in a helpless gesture, “I’m just a simple Oseram, gimme a break.”
She rolled her eyes, and handed over a jar of Zo's medicinal salve, before resuming her position on the desk. She tugged my shirt over her head and pressed it to her chest. “Try not to have an aneurysm ok?”
“No promises.” I said, unrolling the cloth to begin dressing her wound. It looked worse than it was, but I made sure it was clean and dry before smothering on the pungent salve and wrapping it up. Her skin was warm and surprisingly soft considering the amount of scar tissue on her back. She was only 20 and already had scars that would make the most war hardened freebooters cringe. “Anything else?”
She wriggled back into my shirt and turned around, rolling up my sleeve multiple times before she could stick out her forearm. A criss cross of barely close wounds latticed their way up her inner arm. I quirked an eyebrow.
“The Stragglers of Prometheus decided to throw one last new weapon at me. I was lucky to get away with just this.”
“You make them pay for it?”
She looked up at me, eyebrows raised. “What do you think?”
I grinned and got to work. I could feel her eyes studying my face as I finished up, I couldn't remember the last time we were this close. “You're all set,” I said, glad to be done, but reluctant to let her go.
Aloy reviewed my handy work and I was about to step away, when she caught my wrist. “Erend, thank you.”
“No problem, it's the least I could do. All things considered.”
Aloy placed her hand on my chest, making my heart skip a beat. Her eyes were downcast, studying the interlacing lines of my tattoo. “Can I ask for one more thing?”
I smiled, “I volunteered, you said so yourself.” Her face was so close, I could smell the soap off her skin.
“Erend…”
I placed my hand over hers. “Ask.”
Her gaze found mine, eyes brimming with green fire. “Can I kiss you?”