Archive of Our Own

They had been granted a pleasant sunny afternoon. The air was crisp at their altitude, but the sun provided ample warmth. Training against Kotallo was hard but Aloy enjoyed the challenge. For a man with one arm, he fought incredibly well with his spear. He had pinned her down twice with it and was about to secure a win for the third time, but with an evasive move she got behind him and immobilized him by bringing her spear to the front of his neck. He dropped his spear in surrender and smirked at her. She grinned back at him, sweat running down her flushed cheeks onto her hair and armor.

“Nice work.” He told her as he picked up his spear.

“You almost had me again.” She huffed. “Round four?”

“On your mark,”

They moved to their starting positions and faced each other. As they moved their bodies into a prepared stance, a call rang through to Aloy’s focus.

[Aloy?] It was Zo.

“Hold on Kotallo.” She stood up straight and dangled her spear at her side. [“Zo, what’s up?”]

[Aloy, I hate to do this. But can I ask you for an enormous favor?]

[Anything.]

[I have to go to Plainsong and meet with the Chorus over matters regarding food supply.]

[Something I could help with?]

[No…Not with that, at least. I was wondering if you would watch the baby..]

[Oh.]

[I know it’s sudden, but it’s apparently urgent and Beta and Alva stepped out.]

[Where did they go?]

[I’m not sure…please.]

[Do you trust me with your child?]

[Of course I do, or else I wouldn’t ask.]

[Okay…I will be right down.]

Kotallo got out of his fighting stance and walked over to Aloy. “What’s going on?” He asked, slightly disappointed that their session together may be ending so abruptly.

“Zo needs us to watch the baby.”

“Us? As in you and me?”

“Well…really she asked me, but you’ve got nothing else to do right?”

“I need to train.” Kotallo cleared his throat.

“For?”

“Anything…that is the purpose of training.” He looked at her like she had lost her mind.

Aloy put her hands on her hip and shook her head. The hard snow crunched as she stepped towards him. Her hand wrapped around his forearm and she pulled him. “If I can’t train, you can’t train.”

“That is absurd.” Kotallo complained as she dragged him to the edge of the mountain to climb down.

“Think of it as another form of training.” Aloy said while letting go of his arm. She began to climb down.

“For?” He shouted.

She paused and looked up at him, the sun filled her peridot eyes with warmth. “Anything, that is the purpose of training.”. She smirked then continued down. Kotallo heavily sighed and prepared himself to head down. Going down was much harder with one arm, than going up.

“You did not need to mock me…” He grumbled to himself.

—-

The warmth from inside hugged Aloy and Kotallo as they stepped inside the main room. Two Utaru stood in the hall outside Zo's room. Kotallo eyed them suspiciously and they looked back at him just as unpleasantly. Aloy ignored the interaction and walked up to Zo’s door. Zo was swaying back and forth with the baby in her arms.

“You’re here.” She smiled at Aloy, her voice was a soft whisper. “He fell asleep, so it should be an easy day for you. Oh, Kotallo’s here too?”

“Yeah, he just couldn’t wait to spend time with your son.”

“Really?” Zo didn’t believe Aloy one bit. “He said that?”

“Yeah.” Aloy lied through her teeth.

“Ok then.” Zo rolled her eyes and smiled. She walked carefully over to the crib and put the baby inside on the padded blanket. She watched him for a moment, then backed away. Zo quickly grabbed her weapons and pack that she had prepared while putting the baby to rest. “I don’t plan to be longer than the night.”

“We’ll see you tonight then.”

Zo left the room and walked by Kotallo. She thanked him and was grateful for his excitement over spending time with the baby. His face became riddled with confusion and she laughed softly before leaving with the two cold faced Utaru.

“What did you say to her?” Kotallo asked, entering the room.

“Shhh…” Aloy placed both hands on his chest piece and pushed him back through the door into the common room. “The baby is asleep, and it’d be nice for it to stay that way.”

“I was not being loud,” He defended himself, but lowered his tone.

“You were being loud enough.” Aloy scolded him.

The two of them walked to the center of the room and Kotallo exhaled in frustration. “So what do you propose we do then, watch the child sleep? A task you very well could have handled on your own.”

“If you really want to go back up there, then go.” Aloy crossed her arms and turned away from him. She was slightly annoyed that he seemed to prefer being alone, swinging his spear, over helping her.

Kotallo turned around to leave then stopped. The truth was he wanted to spend time with Aloy, but not while babysitting. He found her to be an amazing sparring partner and an incredible companion for going on hunts. They had fulfilling conversations and she made him laugh more than anyone else. His well buried attraction to her was another reason why he preferred her over other potential companions. He hardly thought of those feelings anymore, believing full well they would lead to nothing and nowhere, but they were still there.

Turning around, he studied her form. Unable to see her face, it was hard to tell what emotion she was feeling, but the way her shoulders slumped forward made him feel bad for being so cold. The sound of Kotallo’s spear being placed on the table made her turn around. He sat down and leaned forward, putting his arm on his thigh. His thin, painted lips parted to tell her, “Tell me where you need me, and I will help you as best as my body will allow.”

“We can just sit.” Aloy uncrossed her arms. “And enjoy the silence.” She removed the armor from her arms and placed them down next to his spear. Kotallo sat up straight and tried to remove the armor from his shoulder, but he usually had his mechanical arm to help him, so it proved to be slightly difficult. Aloy noticed and walked over to him without a sound. She placed her hands on the feathered part of the armor piece and gently pulled it down his arm. When he was free, she placed it on the table with everything else.

“Thank you.” His voice was shy.

“Of course..” She stood there and examined his arm. Large and muscular covered in tattoos and paint, intricate and sharp designs. Tenakth markings always astounded her, but Kotallo’s were absolutely beautiful. She fought the urge to reach out and trace the jagged lines of ink with her fingers. Her green eyes trailed up his arm to his shoulder, his neck and then his face. Although painted and marked, his attractive features stood out. His soft jaw, the vertical scar on his lips, how he got that scar was something he never shared with her. The shape of his nose, his almond eye shape and brown irises. She would have stared longer if his eyes didn’t lock onto hers.

She cleared her throat and walked to the end of the table across from him. She slid down onto the cushioned seat and slapped her hands onto her thighs. Kotallo’s eyes danced from her to Zo’s room, to the bar, to her again, their gear, back to her. Sitting around doing nothing felt weirder the longer they sat in silence. So he asked her a question.

“How did you know to evade my final move in our last match?”

“Hmm..It was how you prepared your body before it. You did it the first two times you won. You would place your back foot sideways and draw your arm back, as if you were trying to dodge me, but when I would lunge after the fact, you’d trap me.”

“You caught onto that quickly.”

“Not really…it took two matches and I wasn’t sure it was an indicator until countering it worked.”

“Regardless, it is a signature move that many have failed to acknowledge and counter. I’m impressed.”

Kotallo complimenting her felt good. A small smile formed on her face and she lowered her gaze from him to the table.

“I learn a lot from training with you.” Aloy told him. “That said, I’m going to miss it when you go back to the Grove.”

Kotallo was shocked and felt bad. He had been planning to go back to be with his tribe but didn’t have it in him to tell Aloy yet. “It wasn’t my intention to leave you in the dark.”

Aloy waved her hand at him. “I didn’t take offense.” In truth, she was offended that he hadn’t talked about it with her. She believed he just planned to leave with a simple farewell or that he might leave without a farewell at all.

“How did you hear?”

“I walked in on Beta and Alva talking about it…Alva stood her ground and didn’t answer when I asked what they were talking about, but Beta caved. Spilled the whole thing…Were you…unhappy here?”

“Absolutely not. My time with the squad, with you…They are moments I will hold dear to my heart. It’s just…With your mission complete…I felt my use had dwindled. I lacked…purpose. So I decided to go back to the Grove, where I could train new Marshals and prepare for the upcoming Kulrut. Keep my mind and body sharp for when my blade may be needed again.”

“I see…” It saddened Aloy. She scrunched her mouth to the side and picked at dry skin around her finger nails.

“You are upset.”

“I’m not upset.” Her denial wasn’t convincing.

“That face you are making, with your mouth and the way you pull at your fingers…you do that whenever you are upset.”

She stopped playing with her fingers and relaxed her face. Kotallo had been able to connect her habits to her emotions, she wondered if he was that observant with everyone or if she displayed her emotions more than she initially thought.

“Alright..” She figured she’d be honest with him, he was leaving anyway, so why not. “I am upset about it…I understand why you want to go…but I-”

The baby started unsettling in Zo’s room. Small vocal cries became a loud consistent cry. Aloy sighed and got up. Kotallo stood up too and walked with her to the room but stayed outside while she went in.

The small human kicked and waved its arms, unhappy with waking up alone in the dimly lit room. Aloy bent down over the rim of the crib and picked him up. He continued crying, while looking around, as if searching for his mother. Seeing only giant figures that barely spent time with him terrified him more and the cries became loud screams. Aloy bounced with him in her arms like she had seen Zo, Alva and Beta do while handling him. He calmed down a little but still howled. “Shhhh” She hoped her hushing would provide some aid, but his cries overlapped her voice. Aloy walked out of the room with him and walked to the middle of the common room, Kotallo joined her. The baby began to quiet down.

“Maybe he didn’t like how dark it was in the room..” Aloy guessed and looked at Kotallo.

“Maybe..” Kotallo shrugged, he knew very little about children. He spent most of his life growing up around adults. There were of course kids his age, but he spent more time challenging them, than getting to know them.

The baby boy’s cries subsided and turned into curious cooes. He watched Kotallo while sucking on his fingers, weary yet inquisitive about the tall one armed man that stood feet away from him. He was not old enough to recognize that Kotallo was missing something most people had, to the child, Kotallo was just another large figure. He turned to the large figure holding him and reached out to her mouth. She leaned her head back, seeing the amount of baby spit on his hands. “No thank you kiddo,” She leaned her head back until her face was parallel with the ceiling. The baby laughed. Aloy leaned forward again, then instantly shot her head back when he reached for her mouth again. Laughing even harder the second time. At just over a year old, he was an intelligent baby, one that loved to laugh when he was happy. Just like his late father.

Kotallo watched them, battling a smile from showing on his face each time the baby laughed. One laugh caught him off guard and he raised his hand to his mouth to hide his chuckle.

Aloy playfully gasped and turned the baby to Kotallo. “Look, he’s laughing!” She playfully gasped again and Kotallo, embarrassed, cleared his throat and dropped his smile. “And it’s gone,” She pouted. She turned the baby back to her, “We’ll catch him next time won’t we-PTHHFFF.” The baby jammed his hand against her lips. She turned her head to the side and spat, “Ugh it’s so cold.” She remarked on the temperature of the baby’s spit.

Kotallo, completely beside himself, turned around and let loose his laughter. Aloy squinted her eyes at him and came up with an idea to get him back. She crept up behind him, prepared the baby’s hand and then called his name, “Hey, Kotallo, look at this.”

He turned around and got a fist full of baby fingers and spit against his mouth.

“Aloy, what the hell!” He cursed as he backed up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “It’s cold.”

Aloy joined the baby’s infectious laughter. Kotallo tried to play angry, but he succumbed to the delightful sound and broke into another smile. “You are awful.” He told Aloy, while wiping the back of his hand on the feathers of his skirt.

“I know,” She grinned.

The baby started to kick and fuss, wanting to be put down. Aloy lowered to a squat then held him away from her, so his chubby legs and feet could feel for the floor.

“Can he walk yet?” Kotallo asked.

“I don’t know. If he can, I’ve never seen him..”

With the baby’s feet flat on the ground, Aloy slowly let him go. He wobbled, took one step, then fell back onto his butt. Aloy anticipated him to cry, but in true nature of an investigative baby, he was on his palms and knees in an instant, crawling away with no particular direction in mind. Aloy stayed low and watched him crawl in a circle then to Kotallo’s feet. Kotallo watched him closely as he played with the bands of fabric around Kotallo’s foot.

“This is weird.” He stated. He bent down to gather the child's attention. “Do my feet intrigue you little one?” The baby gasped then crawled back to Aloy. Kotallo straightened up and looked slightly offended. “Is my face scary?”

“Horrifying.” Aloy teased, stroking the baby’s head gently as he played with string dangling from her outfit.

“That was unkind.” Kotallo mumbled.

“Oh, you know I’m joking, Your face is anything but horrifying. I like it…” She thought about what she just said.

“Do you now?” He raised his brow at her.

“I mean, I like it just as much as anyone else would like it.” A nervous laugh came from her.

The baby ignored the noises coming from the mouths of the giant figures and began a new journey towards the bar. Aloy stood up and followed closely behind him, making certain he wouldn’t get into anything that could injure him. Kotallo’s eyes followed the both of them, but he remained where he was, thinking about how cute Aloy following the child around was, and her saying she liked his face. He mentally swatted away the thought of her liking his face, believing it was nothing more than as she said. A friendly comment.

-

Aloy had her eyes glued to the baby, chasing him around for what felt like a full hour, but her mind was on Kotallo. She was beating herself up for letting her words slip so carelessly earlier. She looked away from the baby for four seconds and found Kotallo looking back at her. She quickly looked back towards the baby but he was out of sight.

“What the…” She nearly cursed. “I stopped watching you for a few seconds, where the hell did you go?” She looked around at the ground and ran in the direction she thought he went. “Did you see which way he went?”

Kotallo answered as he ran to check the opposite end of the bar. No sign of him. “I was distracted, I did not.” He ran out into the hallway at the same time she did. They found each other but no baby in between.

“There!” Kotallo yelled as he ran past Aloy towards the baby, who was headed straight for the stairs. Aloy ran after him, panic taking over her body. It settled down once she saw Kotallo grab the back of the baby’s diaper, lift him slightly and turn him around. He kept crawling as if nothing had happened. Aloy’s concerned face turned to joy, laughing at how the child was determined to keep moving with no definitive end in sight. She resumed following him around and was more careful to not take her eyes off of him.

“I don’t know how Zo does it.” Aloy was in disbelief. She would sparr with Kotallo for hours and not get tired, but chasing around the baby exhausted her. Kotallo had stayed by the steps in case the tiny human made another suicide dash for them. As if he could predict the future, the baby headed for the stairs again. Kotallo knelt down and smirked at him. The baby panted and turned around in a hurry. “That is so offensive.” He complained.

Aloy snickered and knelt down as well. “Come here,” She whispered in a sweet voice. Her arms were spread out, waiting to swoop up the adorable small human making his way towards her. As she anticipated, he crawled up to her, a giddy smile on his face as he babbled. She lifted him up and held him above her. He laughed and screamed in excitement, while reaching down for her. She thought she’d give him another chance to walk. Kotallo came over and kneeled down across from her. Aloy adjusted herself so that her legs were crossed and she turned the baby around to face Kotallo. His small hands reached out towards him, surprising the both of them. Aloy held his sides, helped him take two steps then let him go. He took one step by himself and as Aloy gasped in excitement, he dropped down onto his butt. He continued his journey to Kotallo on his hands and knees. Kotallo used his hand to hold the baby’s side and lift him up as gently as he could. The baby boy reached out for Kotallo’s nose and pinched it shut. Kotallo shook his head, “Any now you try to suffocate me?!” He looked at Aloy in disbelief. “Have I wronged this child somehow?”

Aloy laughed, “Turn him around, see if he’ll walk to me.”

Kotallo complied and encouraged the baby to turn around as best as he could with one hand. He held the baby’s arm out to the side and helped him walk two steps, just as Aloy did and then let go. Aloy cheered him on and the baby managed to make three steps before falling to the ground. He crawled over to a celebrating Aloy who picked him up and hugged him. “You did so well!” She shook him gently side to side as he giggled. “One more time okay? You’ve gotta make it all the way to Uncle Kotallo.”

“Uncle?”

“Would you rather be Papa Kotallo?” Aloy closed her eyelids slightly and peered at him through her long dark lashes.

“Papa? No no, Uncle is just fine.” He shook his hand at her, further declining the idea. “And I assume you are Aunt Aloy?”

“Auntie Aloy.” She stuck her tongue out at him. She helped the baby stand once again and prepared him to go back to Kotallo. “Ready baby?”

“I am ready.”

“Huh?...I meant…the actual baby…”

Kotallo froze, mortified that he had answered her. He attempted to quickly recover. “I know, I was just saying I am ready…as well.” He scratched the back of his head nervously.

“Sure…” Aloy bashfully smiled, while thinking about Kotallo responding to her saying ‘baby’. Aloy positioned the infant once more, helped him take two steps and then slowly let go as he found his balance. With giant, quick steps, the baby neared Kotallo. “Two, Three, Four, Five!” She counted. “He’s still standing!”

“Incredible…” Kotallo watched in disbelief as the baby made a sixth and seventh step towards him. Only four steps away from Kotallo, the end was in sight and they were going to celebrate by shouting at the top of their lungs. Unfortunately, the baby boy found himself on his bottom again. He looked back at Aloy and crawled to her. He babbled ineligible nonsense to her, and she smiled as if she understood.

“Yeah? Oh really? You think so?” She humored the chattering baby. “I think so too.” She looked at Kotallo and smiled.

“What is it?” He asked.

“Oh nothing, it’s our little secret.”

“It was nothing more than gibberish.”

“Maybe to you. But I-” She picked the baby up. “Have mastered the art of babbling.”

“Now that I think about it. That does not surprise me.”

“Wait,” Aloy furrowed her eyebrows at him. “What are you trying to say?”

He stood up and smirked, “Oh nothing, it is my little secret.” Kotallo felt proud of himself.

Aloy just looked at him with playful disgust. “If I weren’t holding a baby right now, I’d hit you.”

Kotallo walked over to her and held his hand out, offering to lift her and the baby up. She reluctantly accepted, holding the child tightly in her other arm.

He pulled her up with such force she stumbled into him, his arm instinctively wrapped around her waist. They were close enough that his breath blew loose strands of her red hair. Their breathing became heavy as they bounced their eyes from looking at each other to looking at each other’s lips. Aloy swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. Kotallo’s heart was doing a routine of its own.

The baby looked at Aloy, Kotallo, back at Aloy and then Aloy’s hair. He leaned forward and grabbed fist full of it and put it in his slobbering mouth. Aloy, jolted by the sudden yank of her hair, looked down and freaked out. “No no no stop that!” She passed her free hand over her hair and pulled it back away from him. Kotallo let her go and helped her push her hair back over her shoulders. He liked the view of her neck as his fingers brushed gently against it, pushing extra loose strands back. Aloy felt a tingle in her stomach, the sensation of butterflies fluttering.

“Thank you,” She whispered.

“You’re welcome.” He breathed back at her.

A loud screech followed by a cry shook them both out of the moment they were having. Aloy bounced the baby up and down, “What’s wrong? What’s wrong??”

The baby, unable to answer in a way they could understand, continued to cry and put his fingers in his mouth.

“I believe the little one is hungry.” Kotallo suggested.

“You’re probably right.” Aloy and Kotallo walked behind the bar and looked for the food Zo usually gave the baby. Kotallo picked it up, a medium sized jar full of soft food, the distaste for the look of it was all over his face.

“I would embrace the toilet all evening if I were to consume this.” He shook his head.

“First of all, gross. Second, good thing it’s for the baby and not you,” She took it from his hands and examined it. “You are right though…this looks awful.”

They brought the food, cloth and utensils to the table they initially sat at before the baby woke up. Aloy sat down and scooted over, giving room for Kotallo. Unaware that’s what she was doing, he went back to his spot across the table. She bit her inner lip and felt silly. The table wouldn’t work anyways.

“There’s too much stuff on here.” She told him, looking at their gear. “Let’s sit on the floor, the height of the table wouldn’t be good anyways”

“On the floor?”

“Yeah, grab that blanket,” She pointed behind him. “We can sit on that.”

Kotallo got up and with one swing of his arm laid the blanket down on the ground. Aloy got up and sat down cross legged with the baby in her lap. His cries turned to whimpers as he recognized and waited for the food she held in her hands.

“Sit down already,” Aloy scolded Kotallo who continued to stand.

He sat cross legged a foot away from her.

“Can you hold this for me?” She held out the jar of food after removing the lid. The hungry baby reached out for it and whined. He looked at Aloy and cried like she had betrayed him for handing off his food. “Don’t worry he won’t eat it,” She reassured the baby. She found the child's extended arm and closing and opening of his hand to be absolutely adorable.

“It doesn’t smell as horrible as it looks.” Kotallo brought it closer to his nose and the baby screeched thinking he was taking his food. He smirked and opened his mouth, making the baby cry more.

“Would you stop that?!” Aloy yelled at him, reached out and slapped Kotallo’s leg. “He’s a big mean Tenakth right?” She took the spoon and dipped it in the green and yellow mush that would be the baby’s late afternoon lunch. She brought the spoonful to the baby’s mouth, he opened wide and chomped down on the spoon. He waved his arms happily and swallowed the smooth concoction. “Yeaah, you like that? You like that nasty green stuff? You want some more?”

Kotallo snickered and Aloy shot a glance at him. He straightened up but failed to hide his smile. “Hearing you talk like that, it is…” He couldn’t find the right word for it.

“Babies liked that kind of talk in the old world. I’ve even heard Zo and Alva do it.” She looked at him, her eyebrows angled upward. “Does it sound that bad?”

“It’s not bad…it’s…entertaining.”

“That doesn’t answer if it’s good or bad.”

“I find it charming and I’m sure this future warrior finds it charming too.”

Aloy shyly smiled and dipped the spoon in the jar again.

“Wait,” Kotallo put the jar down and took the spoon from her fingers. “You have to make it more fun. Pretend it’s a Red-eye Watcher,” Kotallo hopped his hand forward, like a pouncing Watcher would do. The baby enjoyed it, laughing before opening his mouth to consume another bite. His action was ridiculous, but Aloy found it intelligent.

“How did you know he would like that?”

“Some Tenakth parents would use machines as a method of education or enticement. It was a wild guess.”

“Again, show me again.” Aloy smiled.

Kotallo did as she asked and gave Aloy a perplexed look as she added sound effects to each hop and landing.

“Doom, doom, doom.” The baby clapped his hands after eating the spoonful of food.

“What are you doing?”

“Sound effect.”

“Sound eff..why?”

“Shh, the baby likes it.” Aloy lowered her head to rub her forehead against the baby’s. “You like that right?”

The baby pushed Aloy’s face away and babbled.

“I don’t speak baby, but I believe he just cursed at you.”

“You know what, you’re probably right.” Aloy chuckled.

Aloy stood the baby up in front of Kotallo as he scooped up another spoonful of food. He tried to tease the baby again by pretending to eat from the spoon, unfortunately his plan backfired when the baby smacked the spoon, not only hitting Kotallo in the chin but splashing baby food all over his mouth. Aloy’s laughter filled the room and every time she looked at Kotallo she would laugh harder. The baby clapped in excitement while laughing as well. Kotallo sat there, accepting his punishment.

“I deserved that.”

“Yes, you did.” Aloy kept laughing.

Kotallo licked his lips and tilted his head. In a deep voice he said, “Not bad.”

There was a splotch under his lips he failed to clean off, so Aloy leaned forward to help him. A clean white cloth in hand, she raised a corner to his lips and wiped just below them. “You missed a spot.” She explained.

“Thank you.” Kotallo was sincere.

She continued wiping slowly, her eyes fixated on his lips. The white paint highlighted each crack and fold in his lips. It also made his scar more prominent.

“How did you get this scar?” She asked suddenly. “Was it during the Embassy?”

“No, I acquired this scar during the Kulrut. A Tremortusk in the arena flung me back into a wall, as I got up a Clawstrider lunged at me. I was surprised it didn’t take my entire mouth off, or even my face. I eventually emerged victorious, with blood smothered all over my face and neck. A short lived rumor spread that I had bitten someone in the arena. I did not deny the accusation, the fear in their eyes was…empowering. Hekkaro quickly cleared up the whispers, he said he had his eye on me the entire time, and was also amazed I made it out with only a cut.”

“I would have been surprised as well, if I witnessed that.” Aloy brought the baby back into her lap. “You are an amazing fighter, Kotallo…I’m not sure I would have been able to take my eyes off of you either.”

“If I had known you were watching, I might have made countless errors.”

“Why?”

“Because it would be you.”

“I…don’t follow.”

Kotallo smiled to himself and told her not to worry about it. He dipped the spoon in the jar and replaced the spoonful of baby food he had accidentally ended up eating. The baby refused to eat it though, turning his head away from it.

“He must be full,” Aloy looked at the spoon. “What…does it taste like?”

“I suggest trying it and finding out.”

“I’m not going to eat a spoonful of baby food Kotallo.”

“You wondered what it tasted like.” Kotallo put the spoon above the jar opening, turned it and let the food slide back into the jar, leaving only a little on it.

Aloy eyed it, curiosity burning through her. “Fine.” She said, “But you tell NO ONE of this.”

“On the ten, I swear it.” He slowly brought the spoon to her mouth. She hesitated then parted her lips a little. She squeezed her eyes shut when Kotallo put the spoon in her mouth and pulled away at the first taste of the mixture. She smacked her lips together then opened her eyes in surprise.

“That..actually isn’t awful.”

“I told you, Aloy. I would not fool you.” He placed the spoon on the blanket and handed her the jar so she could put the lid back on.

The baby whined and tried to get off of her lap. “You have too much energy little guy,” Aloy grumbled. Putting him down on the ground before getting up was a grave mistake. He crawled off and she nearly tripped going after him. Kotallo watched her playfully chase the baby, her long red hair dangling down over her shoulders, individual braids swung back and forth. The baby crawled up to a chair in front of the bar and used the leg to try and stand up.

“Kotallo!” Aloy shouted pointing at the baby. He turned to see the baby standing while holding onto the chair, a giant wet smile on his tiny face. Kotallo shifted so he was directly facing the child. The little one smiled at him and then at Aloy.

Aloy rushed back over to Kotallo and sat down directly next to him, her leg brushing his in the process. Kotallo leaned forward so that he and Aloy were shoulder to shoulder. They began to call the baby over to them. Aloy spoke in a higher pitch while clapping her hands, and Kotallo retained his normal low pitch while tapping the floor in front of him. The baby watched them, and stuck his hand in his mouth, unsure of what to do.

“Maybe you should toss a rock in front of us.” Kotallo joked.

Aloy lightly slapped his leg. “He’s not a machine!” She hissed.

“Such violence.” He rubbed where she had slapped.

The baby suddenly found the courage to attempt walking over to them, interrupting their light banter. He took step after wobbly step towards them. Aloy brought her hands to her mouth, her eyes lit up with joy as he continued to walk towards them. She removed one hand from her mouth and put it on Kotallo’s upper arm, she looked at him, then at the child again, her pale green eyes sparkling. The baby babbled as he got closer to Aloy. She leaned forward and held out her arms. When the baby reached her, she cheered and hugged him tightly.

“I can’t believe he took his first steps without Zo here to see it.” Aloy looked at Kotallo in disbelief. He reached out and rubbed the baby’s head to congratulate him.

“You are incredible to watch with him. You have a way with children. I mean no offense, but I am stunned.” Kotallo hoped she would not feel hurt by his words, he meant them in the kindest way possible.

“Considering how I grew up…It stunned me too how drawn I am to children when they are around.”

“You want to be a mother someday?”

“Now, I don’t know about that.” Aloy nervously laughed. “I just like being around them.”

“Fair enough.”

Aloy let the little boy go and watched him fall to a crawl and dash off towards the bar again.

“I could not do this every day.” She moaned as got up to her feet again to follow the baby.

“You battle Thunderjaws, Slaughterspines and Tremortusks, but a mere child appears to have conquered you.”

“Ha. Ha.” Aloy rolled her eyes at Kotallo. “Why don’t you chase him around for a bit and tell me you’re still energized.”

“A tempting offer, but you look like you are having so much fun.” Kotallo snarked.

Aloy spent another hour chasing the baby around and playing peekaboo behind walls and chairs. She stopped the baby from trying to go down the steps again, frustrated that it was intent on launching itself down them. “Go over to Uncle Kotallo.” Aloy pointed over the baby’s head. As if he could understand, he crawled in the direction of Kotallo. Stopping in front of his leg, the baby used Kotallo’s knee to stand up. He wobbled until he found a decent balance. The child’s hazel eyes inspected Kotallo’s face and then his body. Reaching out and grabbing at the beads on his chest piece. Kotallo watched him closely, making sure they would not find their way into the infant’s mouth. Using Kotallo for stability, the little boy walked around him to his left side and looked at the bandage where his arm was once connected. A small hand reached out and touched the blue bandage. Tiny fingers curled around the fabric and pulled with more force than Kotallo anticipated. Kotallo quickly stopped him from removing it by placing his hand over the bandage and twisting away from the baby. Kotallo prepared himself for the baby to cry, but he didn’t, he instead took an interest in the gear on the table behind him. They were okay with him being curious until he began to reach for Kotallo’s spear.

Kotallo whistled, grabbing the baby’s attention. He shook his head in a manner that said, ‘Don’t you dare’. The baby looked back at the spear and Kotallo whistled again. The child stepped back to Kotallo and reached out for his mouth. Kotallo whistled some more, making him giggle and continue to reach for his lips. Kotallo made the playful mistake of leaning forward and letting the child grab his lips. His grip was strong and the pull made Kotallo groan in pain. Aloy quickly came to the rescue and swooped the baby up. She playfully tossed him the air a little and caught him, something he really enjoyed, so she did it again. Kotallo rubbed his lower lip, it ached and throbbed from the sudden attack.

“Are you alright?” Aloy asked. She stopped tossing the baby up and held him on her side. “Come here, let me look.”

Kotallo didn’t comply, so Aloy took it upon herself to grab and move his hand to inspect his lips herself.

“They’re a little red, but no blood.”

Her thin fingers remained wrapped around his large hand, fingertips softly pressed into his palm. The skin on the back of his hands was rough, and there were some calluses on his palm, but the overall feel was pleasantly soft. Holding his hand was another one of the many small intimate moments they shared that afternoon. Moments she might have been curious to explore, if he wasn’t leaving soon. The thought saddened her and she let go of his hand. She forced a happy expression to not upset the baby and bounced him up and down on her hip. She walked away from Kotallo and sat down at the other table in the common room, one that was clear of sharp objects and gear that wasn’t child safe. She sat the baby on the table, a faint bubbling sound caught her attention.

“Did you hear that?” She asked Kotallo.

“Hear what?” He walked over to her, his hand tightened into a fist, fingers pressed into his palm where hers had just been.

“Hm…Maybe it was my imagination…Ugh, what is that smell?”

Kotallo sniffed around and with his nose in proximity to the baby, it scrunched and his face tightened. While pointing a finger at him, he looked at Aloy, “This is the source.”

“Seriously?” Aloy drug her hand down her face and groaned.

“I believe this is where I leave you to take over Commander.”

“Wait, what?”

Kotallo raised his right hand. “Hard to clean up feces and change his cloth with only one hand.. I trust you will handle this quite well on your own. I will be in my room.” Kotallo turned to leave but Aloy stood up and grabbed him by the collar of his chest piece.

“Ah, I don’t think so. One hand is more than enough to help me.”

Kotallo sighed and looked down at the tiny human cooing on the table. “How can such a tiny body produce such a putrid smell.” He asked with a disgusted look on his face.

“You were a baby once too, you know.” Aloy raised a brow at him. “You very well could have had Tenakth running for the hills.”

“Hmm…” Kotallo glared at her and put his hand on his hip. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“You can start by getting me a wet, warm cloth. There’s a stack on the shelf by the door in Zo’s room.”.

“You have done this before?” Kotallo asked as he did what she requested. He walked into Zo’s room, grabbed three cloths from the shelf, came back out and went behind the bar to wet one with warm water. The dry ones, he slung over his shoulder.

“I haven’t…actually. I’ve only watched from afar.”

“I have never seen nor done it. On my own, it is probably something I never will…or could accomplish rather.”

Aloy looked over at him as he ran warm water over the cloth. He seemed a little lost in the flow of the water. His lips were pressed together in a straight line and even though they weren’t close to each other, she felt that his eyes carried a certain sadness in them. If it was sadness, she knew it wasn’t because he was upset to clean baby poop, but it was just another limitation his injury imposed on his life.

Kotallo placed the cloth on the edge of the sink so that he could turn off the water, picked it up and squeezed it to get rid of excess water. He walked over to Aloy and placed it down on the table next to the baby. Aloy began to unravel the diaper with her hands and when it was fully undone, both of them gagged at the sight and smell.

“The Utaru diet is an unfavorable one.” Kotallo chimed in.

“It’s so…green.” Aloy commented.

“The color of your eyes, only not as beautif..ul….” Kotallo meant for that last bit to stay in his head, intending only to tease her with the first half. It caught him by surprise when he blurted out those words. He looked at her anxiously, then down at the baby.

Aloy’s cheeks felt hot after hearing Kotallo call her eyes beautiful. Unsure of what to say or how to follow up such a compliment. She looked at his eyes. Although partially hidden by his lashes, she could see their brown color, with specs of hazel, almost like sweet honey. He glanced over at her again and she got a full glimpse of them under the bright lights above. Stunning and attractive, pulling her in. If not for the smell of feces traveling up her nose, she would have stared at them longer.

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” She changed the focus back to the baby. She held its feet together and gently lifted its bum off of the table. She slid away the full diaper and asked Kotallo for the cloth. His demeanor had changed from not wanting to be in the same room with baby poop, to being fully onboard with helping. Instead of handing her the cloth, he cleaned the baby himself while she held his legs up. The baby became fussy, not liking the way it was being held and cleaned. Once clean enough, Aloy lowered the baby’s legs and he started kicking his feet as a cry began to brew. Aloy shushed him and stroked his head gently to calm him down.

“Did I hurt him?” Kotallo worried.

“No, I don’t think he liked being held that way.” The baby boy calmed down as Aloy comforted him. “Can I get the cloth on your shoulder?”

Kotallo removed both dry cloths from his left shoulder and handed them to Aloy. She dried the baby’s legs, bottom and groin with one, then folded the second one around him to form a new diaper. She cleaned up the area by disposing of the dirty cloth in a waste basket and added the other two to a basket housing garments that needed to be washed. When she walked back back over to them, the baby looked at her, waved its arm up and down and smiled.

“I’ve never seen someone so happy to see me.” She said in disbelief. Aloy played with the baby by giving him her finger to squeeze. “You’re a strong little one.” She told him while smiling.

Kotallo found himself hooked onto her smile. The curl at the corner of her lips, the blush in her pushed up cheeks. Her eyes were like half moons, they smiled along with her pretty mouth. Looking at her filled him with a gentle warmth and happiness. He didn’t realize it but he was also smiling. It was a display of emotion he rarely showed. Kotallo hid happiness often underneath smirks and the tiniest of smiles, but watching Aloy play with the little boy gave him an overwhelming sense of joy. The entire afternoon was his first time seeing her so at ease.

“You are a natural.” He complimented her.

“I’m really not.” She laughed. She tickled the baby's stomach and his soft giggles echoed in the large, open room. Aloy slid her hands down under his arms and lifted him up. She faced Kotallo and asked, “Do you want to hold him?”

Kotallo looked down at his right arm and then down where his left arm used to be. He looked back up at her and shook his head, “It is probably not a good idea.”

“Comeon, I’ll help you.”

Aloy took a step closer to Kotallo.

“One moment,” Kotallo put his hand up to stop her. He turned around and unhooked the back of his chest piece. He bent forward, and with his one arm, slid it over his head. He tossed it onto the table with the rest of their gear and turned back to Aloy. Her eyes fell from his face to his bare chest, marked in faded black ink and white paint. She followed the zigs and zags of the markings and outlined his perfect muscular form with her eyes. Her shallow breathing matched the rise and fall of his chest.

“I figured it would be easier to hold him…without the beads and stone in the way.” Kotallo explained.

“Y-yeah, I get that...” Aloy exhaled hard, finding it difficult to look away from his body. He took a step close to her again, her heart became a ferocious machine, trying to break free from her chest.

“You are staring.”

Aloy quickly met his eyes again.

“How should I place my arm?” He asked and waited patiently for her to answer.

“Right. So you should bend your arm, and hold it away from you just a little. Enough for his legs to dangle down through.” Kotallo did as she instructed. “Yes, just like that.“ She walked over to his left side and began the slow transfer of the baby from her arms to his. She supported the baby’s head and neck as Kotallo accepted the child's full weight on his arm. The baby, unsure at first of being held by the man who had taunted him earlier, fussed for a moment. It made Kotallo nervous and he motioned for Aloy to take him back. She shook her head at him and said, “You’ve got this Kotallo.”

As Kotallo relaxed, the baby relaxed as well, resting his heavy head against Kotallo’s chest. Aloy slowly backed her hand away from the baby’s head, trusting Kotallo to hold and protect the child on his own. Kotallo grinned from ear to ear, finding the feeling of holding a human so tiny with one arm to be extraordinary. Aloy placed her hand on his lower back and rested her head against the bandage on his upper left arm. When she realized what she had done, she quickly moved off of him and took a step to the side, creating space between them.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, feeling embarrassed.

“Don’t be.” He whispered back.

They stood next to each other in silence. Kotallo slowly rocked the baby side to side and the young child slowly closed their eyes, drifting off to sleep.

“Unbelievable.” Aloy gasped. “He sends me on a wild chase, but you hold him for 15 seconds and he’s comfortable enough to fall asleep. I am not a natural, Kotallo. You are.”

“Shall we put him in the crib and let him rest?” Kotallo’s voice was soft, as if careful not to wake the baby from his slumber.

“I think you’re right, this little big man has had an active afternoon.” Aloy brushed his head lightly with the back of her fingers. She led the way to the crib in Zo’s room that Kotallo and Erend helped build. Aloy gently took the infant from Kotallo’s arm and placed him down in the crib on his back. He didn’t fuss, he was already fast asleep.

“I wish I could fall asleep that fast,” Aloy joked.

Kotallo walked across the room towards the wall and slid down against it, feeling slightly tired, he yawned. His head leaned back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. Aloy followed and slid down against the wall on the left side of him.

“Thank you, for bringing me along” He leaned his head down and to the left to look at her. “It was more fun than I anticipated..”

“More fun than training?” Aloy asked,

“More fun than training.” Kotallo answered. “You were incredible today.”.

“Nah,” Aloy blushed. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. “Not as incredible as you…even if you tried to abandon me with poop.”

They both chuckled.

“If I am to be one hundred percent candid with you…I was nervous.”

“About?”

“Nervous about being able to do it…with one arm. If I would be helpful or if I would just be in your way.”

“I would have never thought you were in the way..” Aloy let go of her legs and they curled on the ground as she turned to Kotallo. “I’m glad I got to spend today with the baby…and you.”

“The feeling is mutual, Aloy.”

“The memory of you feeding the baby like a pouncing machine will forever be stained in my mind.”

“And the memory of your vocal imitation of that pouncing will forever be in mine.”

“Can you believe he walked for us?”

“I cannot. It was extraordinary.”

“Getting attacked by baby spit though..”

“That was not extraordinary.”

They laughed again and sat momentarily in silence. The soft breathing from the sleeping child and the sounds they made as they shuffled on the ground filled the quiet air. Aloy cleared her throat before speaking again.

“I’m happy I got to spend this time with you…before you left.”

Kotallo didn’t respond. He turned his head to watch her.

“I just wish…” Aloy held her head down.

He waited for her to continue but she didn’t. “What is your wish, Aloy?” Kotallo asked.

Her face lifted, shining green eyes revealed themselves. Heartbreak was all he saw in them, none of the joy from earlier. It worried Kotallo.

“Aloy, what is wrong?”

Aloy continued to watch him, shallow breathing was the only sound to come from her lips. There was an amassment of noise in her head. Yelling at her to accept the circumstance and yelling at her to say screw it. To accept circumstance, meant to accept that he would be leaving. To send the feelings she concealed for nearly two years for him out the door with him. To say goodbye to any potential they would have together. The ‘screw it’ side gained her favor, it told her to seize the opportunity, for it may never come again. With that in mind, she lunged forward, stopped only by the collision of her and Kotallo’s lips. His widened eyes, darted all over her face for a few moments, relaxed, then ultimately closed. He was battling a choice in his own head, and her action gave him the answer. He pressed his lips back into hers and held her neck with his hand, his fingers laid tenderly at her nape. Their kisses were hard and audible. He captured her breath, inhaled it into himself, savored the taste of her lips. She battled his tongue with her own, a fight for dominance but both occasionally submitted to the other. Soft moans poured into his mouth as he massaged the nape of her neck with his fingers. Her hands clutched the bare sides of his body, alternating between holding him still where he was and pulling him into her. Many months of buried passion and sexual tension poured out from their bodies into one another. Feelings he buried and tried to abandon, resurfaced and struck him harder than lightning. Feelings suppressed the moment she found out he intended to leave.

They parted for a moment to catch their breaths. He shivered, she shook. His heavy breathing rippled through her red strands of hair. Kotallo leaned forward to resume kissing her but was stopped by a single hand on his chest.

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have…We shouldn’t…” Aloy panted.

“Why should we not?” His breath was still heavy.

She opened her eyes and held back tears, getting frustrated with herself for feeling so emotional. He wasn’t dying or leaving the planet, he wasn’t mountains and oceans away. He just wouldn’t be one of the first people she saw after waking up anymore. Wouldn’t be there to sit back in the common room with and lose to during games of Strike. He wouldn’t be in arms reach, he wouldn’t be there. “…You’re leaving.”

He opened his eyes and brought his hand to her face. His thumb wiped a rogue tear that fell from her pained eyes. “Tell me the words…and I will stay.” His voice was rugged,

Things felt right with him, they made sense. Their pasts and their present, they fit together like the last piece of an intricate puzzle. She could see herself with him for the rest of the time she had on the planet. She wanted to believe she was enough to keep him happy, but she couldn’t convince herself. He looked happiest when he had purpose, when his blade was put to work and it would get more work back at the Grove than with her. There was no current mission, no threat towards life on earth, there was nothing for her to do beyond errands, requests for help and exploring. She couldn’t visualize him tagging along to deliver flowers to parted lovers. Even she didn’t enjoy the task, but she did it because she enjoyed helping. Like him, she craved purpose too. And because she understood that need, she could not deprive him of it. She scanned his face for the answer, as if there were some look in his eyes, twitch of cheeks or motion of his lips that would give her a clue. It just made it harder.

“I can’t…” Aloy used every bit of self control in her body to scoot away from Kotallo. She pulled her legs up to her chest and sat her chin in the crevice between her knees. Her pulling away destroyed him, he leaned back against the wall and turned his head away from her.

They sat there, silent, looking away from each other. Moments prior they were enveloped in passion, but what came after was not joy or a poetic union.

Kotallo bent his leg and placed his arm on his knee. “It took me an extensive amount of time to quell the feelings I have for you..and all it took was one momentary touch of your lips to send them rushing back….”

“Kotallo…”

“It was why I needed to leave. Not just to regain purpose…I would fight off my desires for you only for a simple interaction, look or touch send me spiraling back down. To feel the way I did…A maimed Marshal pining after his Commander..”

Aloy turned her head to him. “I stopped being your Commander nearly two years ago. When the mission ended, our formalities ended…I tried hard to make you see me as anything but. Even harder for you to see me as someone to connect with..on a more personal level..I thought I felt something from you and waited for you to make the first move…and then it stopped…and then I learned you were leaving…I didn’t even learn it from you. That made me so…angry.”

“I am sorry.”

“And after that anger…just came sadness. There are things I wish and things I want. But you came to the initial decision on your own. I had no input. So I can’t have input on whether or not you follow through with it. The decision has to be yours and yours alone Kotallo.”

He slowly nodded his head in agreement, the beads in his hair clicked together as his head moved. He loved being with her, but he also loved being a Marshal. He loved defending his chief, giving back to the tribe and helping to ensure their longevity. He didn’t know if he would be a good lover, but he was sure of his abilities to fight and defend. He hated that it had to be a choice, to stay or to go. Sure they were a machine ride away from each other, but it wouldn’t take long for them to drift apart, as it naturally goes when distance stands between two hearts. Kotallo once believed all he needed was to know she felt the same. That everything would work itself out from there. A naive vision. It wasn’t that simple. To return to the tribe, would be to drift away from her. To stay with her, would be to drift from the tribe and he had already drifted so far. Two years flew by and he had not even realized it. When he would visit the grove, there would be questions of when he would return, but the answer was always shifty. If she were Tenakth it would be more simple. They would be able to stay closer together. Take up residence at Falls Edge, start a family, protect one another. His days would be spent at the service of his Chief, and nights should he request it, but most nights, he would be able to retreat back to their settlement and rest in the comfort of her arms.

But she was not Tenakth and the Tenakth, as grateful as they were towards her and her efforts to aid and save their clan, would not accept an outlander so comfortably. And she would not abandon the base, a station that had become her maison.

To stay.

To go.

To stay with Aloy.

To go back to where he was destined to be.

To follow his heart.

To follow his blade.

The problem with the last part was that his heart pointed to the Grove as well.

Kotallo looked at Aloy. She was already smaller than him, but with her knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs, she was even tinier. The desire to protect her triumphed over his desire to protect the Tenakth in that moment. And he thought he had his answer. But she did not need his protection, as small as she was, she could handle her own, she could take him down if she so desired. She was level headed, smart and communicable. The Tenakth were strong, smart fighters, but often not level headed. Pride and arrogance often befell many and created small divisions within that could and would lead to larger divisions. Regalla had been dead for over a year and yet rebel numbers remained consistent. Those eliminated were quickly replaced by a freshly recruited lot. His clan was not hopeless, there were new Marshals and with Hekkaro as chief the chances of it falling back into bad habits were slim, but there was still a chance. There would always be a chance, and it was his duty to thwart it.

To not make love the first choice would befuddle many. To abandon the flame he had wanted to burn for so long was insanity. But he had to. And the part that gave him reassurance, was that she would survive. She would go on and continue being the amazing person she was. A loving caregiver to the child of her deceased best friend, a repeated savior to those in the lands near and far. An explorer, she would go on to discover new lands, settlements, tribes and machines. She might even ignite something with someone new, it stunk to think about but he would want her to be happy. And she would want the same for him.

In a move that would unintentionally give her false hope, he leaned towards her and she met him part way for a kiss. At first it felt like the first of many, but the way he kissed her, gentle and restrained, told her it was goodbye. She couldn’t help it, she tried with all of her might not to, but tears fell from her eyes onto his painted cheeks. Her lips trembled against his.

And then he stopped, pulled back and stood up from the ground. Footsteps heavy against the hard ground, he walked up to the crib and looked down at the sleeping baby boy. In his mind he thanked him, for a day like that day may not have happened without his existence. He told him to grow strong and whispered aloud, “Always strike true as the ten.” He didn’t look back at her as he left the room, fearing one look at her heartbroken face would send him back down into uncertainty. He had to go and he had to go that night. Any longer and he would not be able to do what he felt in his heart was right.

Putting his chest piece and gear back on took some time, but he managed. He picked up his spear and headed to his room. He grabbed his robotic arm off of the workbench and attached it. Clenching and unclenching the fingers was a habit to ensure it was functional every time he attached it. It would help him pack quicker and more efficiently.

Aloy stayed in the room with the baby, the continued tearfall made her feel unlike herself. She wasn’t a crier, but the production would not stop. She thought, even if he chose to leave, she would have more time with him, a day or two at most. But the faint sound of him gathering and packing his things meant she would not have that time.

He was not going to wait for the squad to return in full and have a formal goodbye, tables teemed with glasses of ale, cheers for his future and promises that they would visit each other every now and then. Aloy wasn’t the only one in the group that mattered to him, but parting with her was hard enough.

A long while passed before she got up and walked to the door. By then he was carrying his things halfway through the room. Her eyes were dried and she was finding acceptance with his choice, but one thing bothered her.

“Kotallo.” She called out to him before he reached the western door. She looked back quickly to make sure she hadn’t alerted the baby. He continued his slumber, undisturbed. She walked to Kotallo, her hands swaying at her sides. When she reached him, those hands rose to the sides of his face and he dropped his things.

“Aloy.” He expired.

“That was not how I imagined us saying goodbye.”

She lunged forward and shut the space between their faces with a hard kiss. He bent forward leaning her back a little, reached down and lifted her up. Her legs locked around his waist. One arm held her up and the other cradled her face. Her arms slid over her shoulders and folded behind his neck. A fervent kiss, complete with tongue and soft lip biting. Her legs tightened around him, pulling him closer, his mechanical arm lifted her higher and his hand slid down from her face and around to her back, further securing his hold on her. Their bodies burned and melted together, a vehement display of affection.

It was a beautiful goodbye, a memorable one. One they could both look back on and instantly blush. It was a goodbye they both needed.

Things would have progressed further and back to her room, but the rising cry of a waking child prevented things from going that far. She unwrapped her legs from his waist and he slowly and carefully lowered her to the ground, their lips still fastened together. They snuck in a few more kisses before the crying turned to a desperate howl for attention. With their foreheads pressed together and eyes closed they said their final goodbyes.

“I love you, Kotallo.”

“And I love you, Aloy.”

They let each other go and parted. He picked up his things and watched her rush into the room for the baby.

She shushed the child and picked him up. “You don’t like being alone in the dark, do you?” He blubbered into his tiny fingers, but quieted down as they made their way out of the room. “Would you like to say goodbye to Uncle Kotallo?” She smiled. They exited the room and the smile withered from her face. Kotallo was gone, as were his things. Her lips quivered but she did not cry again, she nodded her head in acceptance and looked back at the baby boy. “It’s just you and me now, until your mom gets back…And then it’s just me.”

Aloy walked around the halls with him and stopped outside of the planning room. She looked towards the back to see all of Kotallo’s Strike pieces lined up in the built in cubbies. The baby quieted all together and replaced his cries with curious babbles, it was a room he had never been taken in before. In front of the large wall, Aloy pulled off a game piece modeled after a Charger. She explained to the baby what it was and how it was likely how Kotallo would return to his home. She handed him the piece, he took it instantly and shoved the end in his mouth, making her laugh. It wasn’t her intention but she ended up going over each and every piece with the baby, stating the machine’s name, its purpose and what they were like. They stayed in the planning room the rest of the evening, until Zo returned. She questioned Kotallo’s whereabouts upon seeing Aloy alone. Aloy explained that he had to go back earlier than anticipated. Zo relieved her of babysitting duty, apologized once again for springing the task onto her so suddenly, but Aloy shook it off. She told her she was glad it happened and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.