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Aloy heard another lilt of a giggle coming from the common area and grit her teeth. She knew she was being irrational, but she couldn’t help it. One thing she did not know was when Sokorra became so damn funny. She seemed to always get some form of a laugh out of her sister, Beta. Which was even more bizarre considering how introverted and quiet Beta typically was, Aloy had never heard her sister laugh so much. This was probably most Beta had laughed in her entire lifetime.
It shouldn’t have bothered Aloy, it really shouldn’t have but by the All-Mother, it did. Aloy was far from stupid, nor was she blind. There was something brewing between Sokorra and Beta, something that made every protective instinct that the Nora possessed, scream at her to intervene. She didn’t necessarily want to feel that way or believed she should, but she could not help herself.
She forced herself to focus, putting all her attention on the task at hand, upgrading her hunter bow. There were some more giggles to be heard that irritated her further, and the low murmur of voices. Whatever the two were discussing, had better be that funny, Aloy thought to herself as she finished up her task.
Bow upgraded, she exited the laboratory to see the pair standing next to each near the counter, with Beta seemingly teaching Sokorra how to use her new focus. That was a job that Beta had decided to take upon herself, it was something that Aloy initially agreed with and liked, it was nice to see Beta coming out of her comfort zone and interacting with someone new. It had started off well, but it was not too long before Aloy started to realize the looks Sokorra gave her sister, or how easily Beta could turn into a blushing mess in Sokorra’s presence.
They were so wrapped up in what they were doing, that they did not notice Aloy standing there. After a few extended moments, she cleared her throat rather loudly and managed to finally grab their attention. Beta looked at her curiously, “something you need, Aloy?” she asked softly.
Aloy managed to give a tightened, small smile that probably lacked any sort of natural warmth, “yes,” she replied, “I was going to clear the mountain of machines, and was wanting Sokorra to accompany me , there are more Apex machines than ever, that batch of Sunwings on top of the mountain are nothing but now.”
Beta’s face visibly fell, seemingly at the thought of her time with Sokorra being cut into, as Sokorra would have to return to her squad soon and there was no telling when she would be able to make her way back to the base again. Sokorra herself seemed reluctant to leave Beta’s side and looked to be warring with herself about whether to assist Aloy or do what her heart wanted and stay with Beta.
For her sake and much to Aloy’s chagrin, Alva volunteered to accompany Aloy, “I could join you, Aloy,” she offered, coming out of the botany room.
Aloy did not have a reason to deny her, and so she relented gruffly, heading for the western exit, not even looking back to see if Alva was following her. Alva had to quickly grab her weapons and rush to catch up with Aloy, lest she be left behind. “What is her problem?” Sokorra asked, once her and Beta were alone. Beta did not have an answer, but the worry and anxiety were apparent on her face.
“Aloy!” Alva called after her, outright running to catch up.
Aloy finally slowed down and turned to her with an apologetic smile, “Sorry, I was just anxious to stretch my legs and get some fresh air. I’m not used to staying in one place for so long.”
“Right,” Alva replied but her tone told Aloy she did not buy the lie.
They continued up the mountain for a while in silence before Alva spoke up again, “you know,” she began hesitantly, “your little plan to pull Sokorra away from Beta wouldn’t have stopped what’s happening between them.”
Aloy stopped in her tracks and turned to her, trying to keep a cool mask, “what are you talking about?”
Alva released a sigh, and seemed to come to a decision, Aloy had a feeling this conversation was about to be a painful one. “You were trying to cut into their time together, get Sokorra away from Beta.” Aloy scoffed and was going to outright deny the on point accusation but Alva cut her off before she could even start, “I know an overprotective big sister when I see one”. Their eyes met and there wasn’t an once of judgment in Alva’s expression, just understanding. Aloy’s shoulders sagged with defeat as she exhaled deeply.
“I’ve been there myself,” Alva added, “you want to protect them from anything and everything, like it’s your responsibility.”
“Beta is my responsibility,” Aloy replied resolutely, her tone leaving no room for argument or alternative.
Still, Alva understood, giving her a nod, “I get it.”
Aloy didn’t respond for a time, opting to look out at the view the mountainside offered. She got lost in thought, thinking of all the horrid ways this thing, whatever it was between Beta and Sokorra could end. Her heart ached as she thought of the heartbreaking look that would be seen in Beta’s eyes if Sokorra hurt her. “It couldn’t have been anyone else? It had to be someone from the fucking Tenakth?” she asked more to herself than her companion.
Alva let out a chuckle, catching Aloy’s comment. Aloy turned back to her curiously. “You wouldn’t be happy no matter who it is,” she stated softly.
Aloy looked back out at the view once more, “maybe, but a Tenakth warrior…it’s a recipe for disaster. They value warriors, Beta may be many things but a warrior is not one of them.”
“Perhaps for Sokorra, Beta is an exception,” Alva replied.
Aloy scoffed at the notion. Sokorra was as hot headed and arrogant as any Tenakth that Aloy had come across. Not to mention, she was from the Desert Clan, perhaps the fiercest clan of the three. That alone was enough to make Aloy uneasy about the interest Sokorra and Beta had in each other.
Back at the base, the pair in question moved from the common area and to Beta’s space in the processing room. There, the pair sat next to each other on the floor, just as Beta had done with Aloy not too long ago. The topic of discussion was rather similar, upbringing. They were talking about each other lives, with Sokorra recounting her life growing up in the Tenakth. It wasn’t as harsh as Beta would have thought. Despite the hard training Sokorra and other children like her endured, there was a lot of love. Sokorra’s family sounded wonderful. Beta had also felt comfortable enough to open to Sokorra and talk to her about the Zeniths and her unpleasant childhood. As she explained how isolated she was, she could see a certain fire building in Sokorra’s eyes, a simmering anger. “They treated you like you were some animal, not even, like you were just a tool,” Sokorra pointed out, bitterness biting her words. “And people call us monsters.”
Beta wasn’t sure how to respond to that but what Sokorra said was essentially true, the Zeniths did not see her as a person, just a means to an end. She shifted slightly, “yes, but now I am free from them and they are gone now. I have gained so much since escaping them. More than I could ever ask for.”
Sokorra hoped that their deaths had been as painful as they had made Beta’s existence but did not voice that thought. Sokorra would not call herself the most perceptive person, however, she had come to know Beta well enough to understand that the girl was soft in a lot of ways (and unused to such violence), but Sokorra couldn’t help but to find it endearing. The way she could easily blush and look away from Sokorra, it melted her heart in a way she wasn’t too familiar with, and she had quickly become addicted to that feeling.
“Good riddance to them, and as for you, you deserve everything good in life, your heart's every desire,” Sokorra stated quietly after a time. It earned her another one of those blushes, with Beta smiling and looking away from her.
“That’s really sweet of you,” Beta said, once she could get herself to look at Sokorra again.
The Tenakth gave a slight shrug, “it’s the truth.”
Beta couldn’t help but to smile even bigger, “you were right about what you said earlier, your people having a reputation, but the Tenakth I have met have all been good people, especially yourself.”
“Not too many outlanders would agree with you,” Sokorra replied quietly, gaze now focused on her arms that were resting on her knees. “Even when we were defending ourselves from the East”.
“Well, they are wrong,” Beta stated softly, “all of the tribes have their sins, its unfair to judge yours so harshly.”
Sokorra’s eyes flickered back to her, with her lips fixed in a slick half smile. Beta couldn’t pinpoint exactly why but that look made her feel warm all over, forcing her to look away once more, a big blush covering her cheeks.
It took Aloy and Alva longer than expected to clear the mountain out, they had attempted to use stealth but got caught quickly early on, which led to an all out brawl, and the noise and commotion simply kept and kept drawing more machines to them. By the time the machines had been dealt with, both women were well exhausted. The positive of it was that it did help Aloy work out some of her pent up frustration. She did feel more relaxed and intended on confronting Beta directly on her relationship with Sokorra.
When they arrived back to the base, Aloy intended to do just that and made a beeline for the server room. Just as she was about to open the door she was stopped dead in her tracks, hearing something that sounded like a holo vid, as well as the voices of Beta and Sokorra. It sounded like they were watching some war documentary (probably the choice of Sokorra). Aloy fought off the urge to barge in and decided to give them their privacy, she would talk to Beta when she was alone. With that in mind, Aloy went to her room to wash up and crash.
She ended up falling asleep for a good number of hours. It was rather late at night when she was woken by nightmares of Varl’s death, mixed with Tilda successfully kidnapping her from Earth. They disturbed Aloy greatly, having her wake up in a cold sweat and fighting to breathe. There was no way she was going to go back to sleep anytime soon, she decided that she would tinker and work on her sharpshooter bow.
Bow in hand, she made her way to the workbench in the laboratory. On the way there, she saw Sokorra coming up the stairs, leading away from the server room. Boiling hot anger ran through her. What the fuck was Sokorra doing in Beta’s room this time of night?! This coupled with how on edge and frayed Aloy was from her disturbed sleep, made for an explosive combination.
Upon seeing her, Sokorra froze and visibly swallowed, if looks could kill, she would be with the Ten. Her eyes momentarily glanced to the bow in Aloy’s hand and she visibly tensed even more, probably thinking about the predicament she would be in if Aloy actually had just a single arrow on her. “Aloy,” she began cautiously.
Sokorra, at the current moment, was a far cry from the boastful warrior that Aloy had met in the wilds, she looked outright terrified and that soothed some of Aloy’s rage. “Sokorra,” Aloy replied, a note of danger to her tone.
“Nothing happened, we just fell asleep while watching some of those moving pictures,” Sokorra was quick go explain.
Her words did little to soothe Aloy, as she did not believe them, “is that so?”
“It is,” Sokorra replied, sounding desperate, she then took a deep breath and collected herself, “nothing happened. And I get why you’ve been acting so strange towards me lately and I just want you to know that I really care about Beta. I swear on the wings of the Ten, I do.”
Aloy eyed her skeptically still but some of the heat in her gaze dissipated, “Why?” she asked blankly.
Sokorra blinked at her not understanding the question, “why what?”
“Why do you care so much for her? Your people cherish warriors, Beta is not a warrior, she would be ostracized by the Tenakth for it.”
Sokorra gave her a peculiar look, one that Aloy couldn’t quite decipher. She then looked at floor, shoulders all tense, “I know,” she said so quietly, like the words pained her, “they would have put my brother to death………. and I can’t say I see the tribe as I did before. I don’t think the Ten would value us treating those unable to fight like scrap metal,” she then brought her gaze back to Aloy, this time with steel in her eyes, “I love my people but I see our imperfections. I know you want to protect her, but you will not need to protect her from me”. Aloy remained silent, still pressing Sokorra with her distrustful glare, so Sokorra carried on, “I can see how brilliant she is and how kind, she only followed the bidding of those monsters because she thought she was going to help people, due to her kind heart.”
That stopped the Nora warrior short, it was surprising to hear that Beta had opened up to Sokorra in such a way. It was also surprising to see the obvious disdain Sokorra held for the Zeniths, that was one thing they could agree on. “I see,” Aloy said shortly, “what all did she tell you?”
Sokorra gave a half smile, her posture relaxing as she recalled her conversations with Beta, “enough, she even explained how you two came to be. I never thought such a thing was possible, or able to be understood. She has a way with words to help me to understand, as well as mountains of patience,” she finished with a sigh that screamed smitten.
Aloy begrudgingly eased up, seeing that Sokorra’s interest in her sister was sincere, “perhaps I misjudged,” she then sighed and tried her hand once again at her apology, “I’m sorry for being so-”
Sokorra cut her off with a wave of a hand, “no need, I get it. She’s been through so much and the first person she ever trusted……….” Sokorra trailed off with a disgusted expression, “befriended her to only try to mold her into someone she’s not.”
They were definitely on another understanding on that, Aloy’s heart broke for Beta when she learned that Tilda had only befriended for her own twisted perversions and cast her aside when she did not live up to be Elisabet. Good riddance to her.
Getting back on track, Aloy gave the Tenakth a tight lip smile as she made her way over to her. Sokorra’s body posture tensed and it looked like she twitched as though to instinctively reach for her club but it was not on her person. Sokorra eyed Aloy keenly, as she clasped a hand onto Sokorra’s shoulder, tightly.
“I am trusting you that you won’t hurt her and I refuse to control her life like the Zeniths ,” Aloy began in a low tone, Sokorra was even more alarmed now, looking at her with wide eyes, “but if you do, I am feeding you to a tremortusk.”
Sokorra could only gulp and nod.
Aloy’s mood immediately lightened as she gave her a rather friendly smile, bid her goodnight and went on to the laboratory.