Aloy was used to stillness. Crisp air and snow brushed trees, the sound of nothing around her as she watched shadows play on white mountain tops both near and far. It was a different kind of beauty than what she'd discovered as the world opened up to her. Aloy had found beauty in everything from the skeletal ruins of the Old ones to the jungles of the Spearshafts.
Sunset in Meridian was colorful, light splashing red and orange on the rocks and chiseled stone buildings. No stillness here. Hawkers hawked and people bustled about, buying and selling wares. Loud arguments from Oseram and the sound of a man singing reached her ears. It was a pleasant sound.
"Nice view, isn't it."
She turned, to find Vanasha smiling at her. Vanasha had a way of looking at her that made Aloy feel completely laid bare. She was still trying to decide if she liked it or not. It wasn't the first time someone had expressed interest in her, but she'd always found it a little more comfortable coming from women. "Yes...well it would be. If you were actually looking out the window."
"I like what I see here." Vanasha settled down onto a long, curved couch, leaning back and crossing her legs. She looked every bit as much a Queen as the actual Queen they'd freed from the Shadow Carja.
"How is the Prince doing? And his mother?" Aloy walked across the room, and took a seat on the couch, keeping a polite amount of space between herself and the other woman.
Vanasha had a glint in her eyes. "They're settling in. Itamen has some… adjusting to do, but he's just a boy. They used him as a mouth-piece, little more. Nasadi is relieved. She wasn't exactly sad to see her husband die and has no quarrel with her son-in-law."
"Do you think there'll be a problem later on? When Avad has an heir of his own to...replace Itamen." She didn't fully understand politics outside of the Sacred Lands, but then Aloy hadn't really understood the politics there either. She was born an outcast, and she had the mindset of an outcast. And no place to really call home.
In general, no matter where she'd gone it had all seemed so stupid. As much as she needed to get answers to the questions plaguing her, Aloy lived by a simple rule - help those who needed help, particularly if they were helpless. It was how she'd ended up helping Vanasha, and how she'd come here. She'd have to leave in the morning, return to Sunfall. Secrets were waiting and Sylens was impatient.
"No, I don't think so." Vanasha shook her head, lifting her arm across the back of the couch and studying Aloy with a smile. She liked to consider every angle, and Aloy had a point. The Sundom could be in for another Civil War if Itamen decided he should have the throne instead of Avad's children. "But maybe it might be in everyone's best interests for Nasadi and Avad to marry. Jiran took her to wife after Avad and Kadaman's mother was killed so she's not that much older than Avad."
"Their mother was killed? What happened?"
"Machines. She was killed when her carriage was attacked, about a year before the Red Raids started." Aloy was such an inquisitive woman, and Vanasha liked that about her. She was open, honest and blunt with her words. After two years among the Shadow Carja and years in the court before that, Vanasha found it refreshing. Her fingers slid down the couch, until they rested on Aloy's arm. "Do you really want to talk about politics right now?"
Aloy felt her breath catch in her throat. She wasn't used to being touched and with almost anyone else, she'd have jerked away. "I uhm. Avad is nice. For a King. I've never met a king before, but I think he really cares for his people. And if we have any hope for peace among the tribes, I'd like to see him stay on the throne."
Vanasha shifted closer. "I understand he asked you to stay in Meridian."
The distinct feeling that she was being hunted made Aloy tense up. But Vanasha was smiling, looking at her like she was a person. A very interesting and potentially delicious person, but still a person. Not a savage outcast, not a savior, nor some wonderingly strange creature who'd come out of the East. A person. "He did."
"But you can't. You and your delightful freckles have something important you need to do."
"Yes." Aloy nodded, and relaxed her shoulders and back. Her muscles suddenly ached. She hadn't slept well in weeks. Suddenly, Vanasha's proximity wasn't as alarming as it had been. Or rather it was still alarming but in a good way. "There are unanswered questions. About who I am, where I came from. I need to …"
"Is that your war, Aloy?" Vanasha put her hand on Aloy's knee. "The one that never stops?"
"Yes.. No." Aloy glanced at Vanasha, eyes darting across her face and then down to the hand on her knee. "There's a lot more going on, with the machines, and the Shadow Carja, than you realize. I think a lot of it is connected to my own search. There's something very big going on and I've only scratched the surface."
"So tomorrow, or the next day, you'll leave this city. Search for your answers, break the links of these chains. And I'll send you on your way. But until then..." Vanasha's hand moved to Aloy's hip, then up her side. "May I?"
"I...what?" But what Vanasha did wasn't what Aloy had expected or wanted.
Very carefully, Vanasha pulled Aloy in, until her flame-haired friend was flush against her, her head pillowed over her heart. She started to stroke Aloy's hair. Aloy smelled like oil, dust and sweat, and it was an appealing combination on her.
Rost had hugged her, sometimes. He hadn't really known how to show affection that way, but Aloy understood that he at least had tried. Aloy wrapped her arm around Vanasha's waist, pressing her face into the crook of her neck and inhaling deeply. She hadn't felt this close to someone since her blossoming friendship with Vala had been tragically cut short.
Vanasha turned her face into the red fire of Aloy's hair, her hand moving down to Aloy's shoulder. When Aloy didn't object, Vanasha moved her hand further. "Do you remember what I promised you, my little huntress?"
"Something about a proper thank you..." Aloy lifted her head, hazel eyes dark and curious.
"Indeed! And can you guess what gets my blood going more than a good fight against the Shadow Carja?"
Aloy sense some kind of challenge in Vanasha's voice, and she hesitated only a moment before giving into her urges. She pushed Vanasha down on the couch, and pressed their lips together as Vanasha's arms wrapped around her.
"Ah. See, now we have a new problem." Vanasha's mouth moved against the side of Aloy's lips. "You're going to need a proper thank you for this, too."
"I was never exactly taught how to deal with this situation." She wondered if she'd gotten too impulsive, but Vanasha smiled at her and stole another kiss before escaping out from underneath her.
"Then you've got natural talent." She turned, tapping her finger against her lip. "Aloy, come with me to the other room. I'd like us to get comfortable."
Heart thundering, Aloy followed Vanasha into the next room. There was a large tub set in the floor, steam rising from the water. "Uh. Is that a hint?"
"Not at all," Vanasha replied, laughter erupting from her like a fountain. She started to undo the strings of her dress. "As i told you, I wanted to thank you properly, and I can't think of many things better than a luxurious bath, and…" Her eyes roamed up Aloy's body. "Good conversation."
The Focus showed Aloy a series of pipes that seemed to eventually empty out into the Lake. When she looked at Vanasha again, the woman was stark naked, dark skin glistening from the steam. Aloy forgot any questions she had about the piping system or the merits of a luxurious bath in the desert.
"Do you want help, or are you going to stand there all day?"
"I'm good." Aloy pulled her headpiece off, then found the leather strings that held her chest piece in place. She'd gotten very good at quickly changing, so she was undressed in just a moment. In contrast to Vanasha's elegant beauty, she just felt exposed and a little awkward. Her Focus was the last thing she removed, and she placed it carefully on top of her clothing. She really didn't want to risk Sylens listening in on this. He'd probably already heard way too much.
"You're turning as red as your hair, it's adorable." Vanasha turned, and stepped into the water. She held her hand out for Aloy to join her, smile broadening when Aloy took her hand. "There, is that so hard?"
"You'd think this would be easier than taking down Redmaw," Aloy admitted. The water was hot. Almost too hot, but as she sank down into it she found she liked the heat. If nothing else it would give her an excuse for the flushing of her skin.
Nothing in the world prepared her for the sensation of Vanasha's slick skin against her back, or the warmth of lips on her shoulder. To say nothing of the hands that pulled her into Vanasha's lap. Aloy felt like she was on fire.
"Thank you," Vanasha murmured. The sound in Aloy's ear only made the flame burn hotter. One of Vanasha's hands slid down Aloy's stomach and over her thigh. The sensation made Aloy's toes curl, like little shocks of lightning were going between Vanasha's fingers and Aloy's skin there. She made a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a squeak, only for Vanasha's deep chuckle to cause waves of warmth to spread through her body.
Aloy bit her lip when Vanasha's other hand closed around her breast. Her own hands itched to touch Vanasha and she ran them up and down Vanasha's legs as she tried and failed not to squirm. Her voice was racy. "I really want to "thank" you back."
"I was hoping you'd say that, flame-hair. I'm not letting you leave my sight until we're both very, very satisfied." Vanasha nipped softly at the cartilage of Aloy's ear. "But for now, let me take care of you. Close your eyes. Relax. And let me hear you sing."