Chapter Text
Aloy exhausted and injured from her most recent travels limped into GAIA's base. Her most recent run in with a Apex Ravager left her covered in bruises and a bad leg wound that required more then the emergency stitches she did out in the field. Already starting to feel numb from her the medicinal herbs she rubbed onto her wounds out on the mountain path, she all but collapsed on one of the couches in the living area. She shut her eyes for but a moment before someone interrupted her rest.
"Aloy, no offense, but you look like shit."
Aloy opened her eyes and looked up at Erend, a smug smile covered what she knew was a look of concern. if she didn't feel like she just had a fistfight with two Fire-claws she'd probably give the vanguard captain a hug as its been a week or two since she's been in the base for more then a passing second, but instead she's tired, annoyed, and a bit snippy.
"Could be worse." Erend raised an eyebrow as Aloy sought to pull herself into an upright position, he offered a hand, but she waved it away before finishing her response. "I could look like you."
If he was anyone else, Aloy know he would have taken offense, but Erend was Oseram and in the Claim, insults might as well be "Hello, hows the wife and kids?"
Sure enough, Erend laughed at the jab.
"By Forge and Fire, we'll make an Oseram out of you yet! But for now it looks like you could use a drink, GAIA mentioned your approach, so Zo's coming along soon with a med kit to take a better look at your leg in a moment, so I'll do my part and grab you something strong... From my personal stash." Erend wiggled his eyebrows and made his way to his room, Aloy groaned, the last time she had something from his secret stash she woke up in Plainsong with a herd of overwritten chargers led by a Clawstrider sitting outside the gates patiently waiting for her, just staring absently at the settlement's guards, made them all worried about an potential attack. Last she heard, they were debating on banning her from the settlement for that, Zo's been hard at work to prevent that from happening.
As Aloy reminisced about her drunken encounters, a feverish feeling washed over her, or perhaps she's been feverish and only noticed it since she has stopped moving. Out of it she scanned the room hoping Zo was going to appear sooner rather then later, however even her fevered mind noticed some new additions to the common room. A Machine Strike board where Erend usually sits. Some pieces of decorated hides and machine bits were painted in the Nora style of tribal art. A piece of the Bulwark from when she and Kotallo blasted it apart...
And a flowering plant sat right in front of her on the table, purplish blue and white petals bloomed beautifully out of a pot painted all the golden and red shades of the Sundom. She tapped her Focus, curious about it though she had a feeling about where it came from.
Her Focus read. "A small bloom gathered from an old battlefield and replanted with care, Collected by Talanah."
"Talanah." Aloy whispered, a smile appeared across her face, and how could she not smile at such a gift? More often then not during her travels her thoughts strayed to the beautiful Sun-hawk who has unknowingly captured Aloy's heart. Beautiful and brave Talanah, what started out as an innocent crush on her Hawk, now bloomed into a full love that ached whenever she thought about the Carja huntress, now even more so as the most recent thoughts were about Talanah and that sack of dirt, Amadis. Well he actually seemed like a nice guy, but Aloy still hated him and his stupid hair, and his rugged face that made Talanah swoon when she ever looked at him. That's why Aloy hated him. She wanted Talanah to look at her the same way. She wanted Talanah to say she loved her, not an ass-hat of a hermit.
When they helped Amadis gain closure about his wife, Aloy was convinced Talanah and Amadis were going to start making out there in the middle of a The Rot prison camp, Aloy wouldn't have been able to watch if that happened, she would have made like a Tideripper and walked straight into the ocean. Instead, the two of them split, Amadis citing he needed to do some soul searching and Talanah said she didn't want to feel like anything second choice. Aloy wished she had the courage to tell Talanah that if it was up to her she would never let her feel that way. Instead Aloy just reveled internally, felt as though she could start dancing and jumping for joy, but she held it in keeping a perfect face of quiet indifference, as not to give anything away. She merely let Talanah know that she could count on her for anything, Talanah thanked her with a smile and helped her collect the nearby salvage before agreeing to meet with Aloy in Barren Light before she left for the Sundom.
Said meeting nearly broke Aloy's heart, to see that Talanah was about to leave with that hermit in tow, back to the Sundom, it felt very real to her, especially since she knew that her mission was just about the hardest thing for her to face yet. She wanted to ask her to stay with her, but Aloy was never good at asking for help or dealing with things emotionally. So, she let Talanah go, with a gift of two Chargers, the surprised look on Talanah's face and the look of dread on Amadis' was well worth the trouble of overriding the machines. She knew she was being very petty and smug as she provided something Amadis couldn't, but she'll take what victories she can.
Now, Aloy's here on the verge of passing out on her couch, Talanah's back in the Sundom with that moody broody hermit. Talanah remained unaware of Aloy's feelings no matter how much she wanted to confess and kiss her. To Aloy it didn't seem right to force her feelings on Talanah when she didn't even know if her Hawk liked women that way, and it will be cruel considering Aloy knew she may never come back from this mission she's been undertaking. With how she's feeling at this current moment that might come sooner then expected.
Aloy gently caressed the flower petals, "stunning but still not as stunning as you." She said out loud, as she gently put her lips to one of the petals. "I'm saving the world for you Talanah." She pressed another kiss. Before a cough interrupted her own swooning.
Both Zo and Erend stood there, one holding a med kit the other holding a bottle with amber colored liquid. A smirk adorned Erend's face.
"Oh shit." Was all Aloy could say before she passed out as her wounds caught up with her and saved her from the embarrassment.