Work Text:
It took Alva weeks to comprehend that she'd met a clone of Elisabet Sobeck after leaving the Greenhouse for Landfall. After that, she met another younger clone of the revered Ancestor. Then, there was Elisabet herself.
When she washad been making herself at home in the Base, bringing in her journals and scrolls to continue her studies, she'd smacked into someone and spilled everything on to the floor. The piled books had blocked her vision so she had no clue who she'd run into.
"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you-" Alva trailed off, a realization hitting her like a Behemoth charging at full speed.
"You're okay. I didn't realize Aloy was bringing someone new in." Elisabet replied, shooting the embarrassed Diviner a polite smile.
Alva stood frozen in place. Her shocked expression was unwavering. Her eyes met Elisabet's. She could barely believe that she was looking at Elisabet outside of a corrupted hologram, let alone in the same room as her. Seeing the rich green of her eyes that she'd seen on Aloy and Beta felt surreal. Seeing Aloy and Beta was one thing, but the real deal was so much different.
Elisabet crouched down to gather up all of Alva's scrolls and journals, carefully stacking them to hand them over to the Diviner. That's when she noticed Alva frozen in shock. She tilted her head a bit with confusion. She cocked an eyebrow at her, wondering what was wrong.
"Uh. Hello? Did I break you? What happened?" Elisabet asked.
Alva desperately scrambled for an answer, figuring out what to do. Should I get on the ground and bow? Did Sobeck like getting attention? Should I shake her hand? No- she's not your colleague! No no no- just apologize and head to the room Aloy gave you. "I- I didn't mean- Sorry!" Alva stammered. She rushed past Elisabet, nearly tripping on her own feet as she hurried to her room. She dropped her journals and scrolls on the shelves next to her bed in the bunk room. Once she made sure all of them were accounted for, she flopped back on the bare mattress. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the image of Elisabet's confused expression. Unbeknownst to her, someone had followed her to her bunk space.
Someone knocked on the metal frame of her bed. "Hello? I wanted to ask you something."
Alva took her hands away from her eyes, propping herself up on her elbows to see who it was. She immediately stood up straight, smoothing out her clothes. "Yes?" Something else Alva noticed is that Elisabet was noticeably taller than her. Her cheeks gained a bit of color after noticing their height difference.
Elisabet was visibly off-put by Alva's sudden professionalism. "Did I do something to scare you back there? If I did, I did not intend to."
"I was just- surprised to see you is all. I- I thought you died during the Time of Ashes." Alva replied, trying to keep her voice level.
"I seemed a little more than just surprised to see me. You were petrified."
"In my culture, the Ancestors- er- historical figures from your time- are treated with great reverence. They're to be worshiped like gods, in layman's terms."
Elisabet's eyes went wide with shock. "Oh no. Please don't tell me there are people out there that worship Ted Faro…"
Alva sucked in a nervous breath through her teeth. "He's one of our most important Ancestors… Now that I know Aloy, I know he shouldn't be given any respect, just so you know I don't worship him."
Elisabet groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as she shook her head in disapproval. "Good to know you don't believe in that. Or, at least, you don't believe Faro was some god-like figure. Please don't tell me there are people that worship me."
"You're a complex figure for my people. On one hand, many believe you could surpass any obstacle, solving puzzles that Faro couldn't solve himself. They believe you did countless remarkable things, but, at the same time. You're, erm- how do I say this nicely. Demonized? Plenty of history books reversed your role with Faro's…"
Elisabet looked furious hearing that history had been completely rewritten. "Just what that bastard wanted." Elisabet cursed under her breath.
Alva shook slightly seeing Elisabet look so angry.
Elisabet must've noticed. She relaxed her expression and held her hands out. "I'm not mad at you, not at all. My anger lies with Ted, not you. Now that I think about it, I never heard your name."
Do I give her my rank and my name? Should I just give her my name? No! You're talking to someone important, you can't play this casually. "I- I'm Alva, second Diviner of the Eastern expedition of the Quen." That was probably too much.
Elisabet played along with her giving her name and long title. "Doctor Elisabet Sobeck, Alpha Prime of Project Zero Dawn." Elisabet chuckled, holding out her hand.
Alva felt better hearing Elisabet imitate her without a condescending tone. She hesitantly reached out and grasped her hand. Oh my goodness I'm shaking hands with Elisabet Sobeck. This is real, I'm actually touching her. Don't faint Alva. Don't mess this up.
Elisabet firmly shook her hand and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alva. Aloy has said wonderful things about you. If she likes you, I'm sure we'll get along well too."
"I- it's an honor to meet you, Dr. Sobeck."
Elisabet let go of Alva's hand and held it up to stop her. "Just Lis. Everyone around here calls me that, I don't want you to be the outlier."
She wants me to use a nickname? I didn't realize Elisabet was this… relaxed. The way she was depicted in data logs says she held herself with poise and spoke eloquently. I don't know where the heck that data came from but it certainly isn't true.
"Oh, my apologies- L-Lis." Alva stammered.
"No need to apologize. Also, I can grab some cushions and pelts to make your bed more comfortable if you'd like." Elisabet offered.
She wants to do something for me ?
"If you're o-offering. That would be wonderful." Why are you having a flesh and blood Ancestor doing work for you ? Go get them yourself! No no no- she made the offer, I'll let her do it.
Elisabet nodded and left, padding out of the room, leaving Alva to wrap her head around what happened.
Their first meeting wasn't the greatest but Alva had to admit that it could've been much worse. The Diviner thought Elisabet was just being nice to her because she was friends with Aloy. But over time, she realized Elisabet actually seemed to care. Sometimes, Elisabet would approach her in the Archive room and offer to show her new data. Naturally, Alva would jump at the opportunity to devour the new knowledge. But sometimes the ancient scientist would surprise her with something special.
"Hmm… The Ancestors seemed to love these "movies". It looks like they were separated into different genres, like types of books. Excuse me, Gaia?"
" Yes Alva? "
"This term is referenced a lot in archived logs about movies but I'm not quite sure what it is. What is a 'cinematic universe'?"
Someone entered the room without her knowing. Alva's back was to the door and her attention was focused on Gaia.
" I am afraid I do not have the knowledge to answer your question. The definition for that term would have belonged in the APOLLO database. And that is still lost to us. However, Elisabet might remember what I can not."
Alva heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned on her heels, nearly smacking into the person who'd entered.
"Oh hi! Uh- how long have you been there?" Alva asked.
"I just came in. So, you said you had a question about the "Old World"? It feels so strange calling it that…" Elisabet replied.
"I know this isn't your area of expertise, but I've seen this term used in tandem when talking about collections of movies. What is a 'cinematic universe'?"
Elisabet laughed at how genuine her question was. "I remember when every film company was trying to take every franchise they could and turn them into those. To keep it brief, it's a collection of different movies or TV shows tied together by one overarching plot across the series. It was a big trend that either made a lot of film companies a lot of money or failed to get off the ground."
"So it was a high risk-high reward strategy for film companies to make way more money than they would otherwise?"
"Yes. But even those that succeeded for years eventually started losing money. Certain genres or types of movies fall out of fashion as times change, it's inevitable, but some studios loved sticking to their formula."
"I know there were plenty of movie and television show genres. Did you ever have any favorites?"
Elisabet pondered for a moment. "This is probably predictable but I loved most sci-fi media- wait- do you know what that is?"
"Science fiction?" Alva guessed.
"Okay good. When I was younger I would try to recreate robots or tech from my favorite movies. I loved action movies as well. I had so much fun analyzing the choreography when I was a kid. My mom found it annoying when I would point out filmmaking tricks though." Elisabet chuckled, remembering her childhood before she started skipping grades.
"If I'm being honest, I would probably do the same if I had access to any movie archives. It's a shame no one will get to see those…" Alva lowered her voice, a touch of sadness could be heard from her. "So much art, lost because of him ."
Elisabet paused for a moment, piecing together an idea. She tapped on her focus and scrolled through all of her old files. Hundreds of unanswered emails, unfinished documents for Miriam Technologies, schematics for robots that would never be put to use and hundreds of calls from Ted that went to voice-mail. Through cluttered folders she came across a folder that made her internally rejoice. "Not all of it is lost. I still have plenty of movies archived on my focus."
"Really?" Alva perked up.
"Yes, really. I know you prefer looking through data but I was wondering if you'd like to take a break. Maybe watch a movie together?"
Alva stood frozen in place, stunned by Elisabet's invitation. Wait, she wants to watch it with me specifically? I don't know what I did to deserve this honor but I'll take it! "I- O-of course! I'd love to. But where would we watch it? The common room doesn't exactly have comfortable seats."
"Maybe we could watch it in my room?" Elisabet offered.
"B- But that's your private space, I don't want to intrude-"
Elisabet cut her off. "I'm inviting you, Alva. You wouldn't be intruding on anything."
Alva considered, fidgeting with her fingers, avoiding eye contact with the woman in front of her. I get to be close to her and I can finally see an uncorrupted movie… But what if she gets mad if I sit too close to her? No no, don't throw away this opportunity on a "what if". "Alright. I'll join you once I'm finished restoring these files."
"I'm ready when you are." Elisabet shot her a smile before leaving, the door whooshing closed as she stepped out.
Once Alva was sure Elisabet was far enough away, she flapped her hands with excitement and quietly squealed to herself. "She seems to actually like me, I can't believe Lis likes spending time with someone like me. Outside of Aloy and Gaia, she seems to talk to me the most. I hope she lets me sit close to her…"
Later, Alva finally knocked on Elisabet's door. Shortly after knocking, the steel doors slid open. Elisabet stepped aside so Alva could come inside.
Her room was much more cozy than the cold steel and bright blue lights of holograms in the archive room. Elisabet had shut off the overhead lights and illuminated the agricultural lab with candles and lanterns. She blocked the holograms on the walls with large potted plants. A long countertop was covered in stray machine parts and a partially constructed device. Alva recognized it as one of the pulse generators Beta had designed. At the far back of the room was a bed on the ground made of wood, plant fibers, fabric and tons of pelts. It looked just big enough for two people to lay on it.
"It's not much but it's homey enough for me." Elisabet commented on her own decor.
"I think it's lovely." Alva complimented.
Elisabet tapped on her focus and sorted through the movies she had in mind for them to watch. Meanwhile, Alva wasn't sure if she should sit down yet.
"Make yourself comfortable, Alva. We'll watch it on my bed, I figured that's the most comfortable spot."
Alva flushed at the idea of getting in bed with Elisabet… She wondered if Elisabet would let her huddle close to her, maybe they could cuddle together. I bet she gives warm, soft hugs. She wondered if Lis would let her rest her head against her shoulder. The Diviner's eyes drifted around the room, not totally focusing on anything, lost in deep thought. She came to focus on Elisabet's lips, pursed with concentration. I wonder if she's a good kisser … Stop that! You're just going to watch a movie with her! Nothing more. Her internal arguing brought her back to when she was becoming friends with Federa, how their fights turned into playful arguments and debates, then they turned into fun exchanges of banter. How would Federa feel about her? I bet she'd lose it seeing an Ancestor in the flesh. When Alva surfaced from the dive into her thoughts, she noticed Elisabet had stopped searching through her files. She was standing right in front of her, waving a hand in front of her face to get her attention.
"Everything okay Alva?"
"YES! I mean- yes I'm alright." Alva shuffled over to the other end of the room next to Elisabet's bed.
She removed her sandals and her belt and set them aside. According to her research, a vast majority of movies were quite long, usually being around 2 hours long. She didn't want to get uncomfortable in the middle of the movie. She sat down on the bed, fidgeting with her fingers as she waited for Lis.
Elisabet must've been finished with her search. She joined her soon after, Focus screen still open. She set her flats aside and sat down on the low bed.
"I narrowed it down to 4 movies we could go for. I want to know which one you like more." Elisabet expanded her Focus screen so both of them could see it clearly. Alva could see a library of movies with their covers casting vibrant light onto both of them. Four movies in particular were highlighted.
"The first one is science fiction, dystopia, I'm a big fan of that one but it might be a bit weird to you. The second one is way more action focused, and it's based in the real world but with a lot of creative liberties. The third one is one of my favorite animated movies, that one is such a fun watch. But the last one is really important to me, although it might be a lot for your first film."
Alva read the summaries of the highlighted films. Blade runner 2049? Sounds... intresting. The first one seemed a bit depressing for her. Kingsmen: The Secret Service, is this one of those spy movies? The second one required way more extra pop culture knowledge than she knew. Into the Spiderverse? Oh this was one of the biggest hits of the 2010's! The third one seemed interesting, perhaps they could watch it after another one.
"Everything Everywhere All At Once, hmm, sure is a mouthful. I'll give that a try." Alva replied.
"You sure? It's a pretty overwhelming movie, at least towards the second half it is."
"I want to know why it's important to you. Let's watch it together." Alva was firm with her choice.
"If you insist."
Alva was fairly confused during the beginning, using her limited knowledge of the Old Ones to fill in the parts she didn't understand. She made sure to save her questions for later. Without realizing it, she'd clung to Elisabet out of excitement. She made sure to slap her own hand over her mouth whenever she felt tempted to ask a question.
Elisabet's eyes were glued to the holographic screen. She wrapped her left arm around Alva's shoulders after the Diviner had latched on.
She desperately hoped no one would interrupt the movie. She hadn't laughed this hard in a while. Hearing Elisabet laugh along warmed her heart.
Elisabet occasionally looked over at Alva to see her reactions to the movie. Seeing her eyes filled with joy from the comedy and action reminded her of the first time she'd watched it when she was younger. Seeing shock written all over her features near the climax of the movie was priceless. Seeing the brilliant colors reflect off her eyes as she watched with amazement assured her that this was the perfect choice.
As the movie came to a close, Elisabet thought back to her mother. She thought about the nights where they would wrap themselves in blankets, take all the snacks in the house and have a movie marathon on the few days they had to themselves. It was their break from the world. It felt nice to take a break from delving into ruins, negotiating with tribal leaders and getting caught in battles she wanted no part in.
As the credits rolled and the final song played its gentle tones, Elisabet turned to Alva with a smile. "So, what did you think?"
Alva turned to Elisabet, her eyes full of excitement. Before Alva could stop herself, she let go of her, placed her hands on the older woman's cheeks and pressed her lips against hers.
Elisabet was shocked to say the least but she didn't pull away. She leaned into it, bringing up her other hand to caress Alva's cheek with her thumb.
Alva flushed, realizing that Elisabet was reciprocating. She took a hand off her face and ran it through Lis's deep red hair. Alva pulled away, breathless. Both of them caught their breath as they processed what happened.
"Good movie, huh?" Elisabet let out a laugh.
Alva giggled in response. "That was amazing. We have to do this again sometime."
Elisabet gave her a subtle smirk and leaned down, gently pressing her lips against Alva's neck. "Who says this has to end now?"
Alva stared back at her in surprise. Her heart thumped in her chest as she realized what Elisabet was implying. "I- um… G-Gaia?"
" Yes? "
"Could you lock the door?"
"Of course."
"And if anyone needs us, tell them we're busy at the moment."