Disclaimer: I own no part of HZD including it's story and characters.
Spoiler warning: Lots of game spoilers for the main game and The Frozen Wilds.
I'm also taking a lot of liberties with the world of the Banuk. It's all for fun.
Please leave a review, I hope you like the story. The M rating is now in effect.
Chapter Two
"Cozy" Aloy said about the circular room which was no larger than the cottage she grew up in with Rost. It was built into the earth, Aloy had to step down as she closed the heavy pelt tarp that made up the door of this lodge.
Along the opposite side of the room were three straw bunk bed covered in furs, but the floor was equally comfortable looking as it was also covered in layers of pelts. It was lit by a lone blue light by the door. In the centre where Aloy felt the hearth should be, there was a circular metal structure which looked like another door. She noticed the room was a comfortable temperature, but could not identify the source of its heat.
Ikrie was standing near a bunk bed facing away from Aloy. She took off her horned headpiece and placed it on the top bunk. When she pulled back her hood, her flaxen blonde hair fell loosely to the nape of her neck. Aloy could vaguely see in the shadow she had a tattoo begin there, possibly running down her spine.
"Do you mind if we have a bath first." Ikrie asked, not looking towards her companion. "It's been a long day, I feel pretty grimy."
"Bath?" Aloy had no clue what Ikrie was talking about. She herself had no desire to leave the warmth of the lodge now that she was ready to settle in for sleep.
"Pull back the door." Ikrie pointed to the metal mystery on the floor before removing her heavy yellow chest guard with chains woven into it. "Be careful to use the wooden handles though or you'll burn your hands." Ikrie began to unbutton her top coat, the second of her four layers of clothing.
Meanwhile, the Nora woman did as instructed, lifted open the hatch revealing a pool of steaming red water. She placed the door on the floor.
"What is this?" she asked, her curiousity bubbling inside about how it worked. "Is this lodge built over a hot spring?" Aloy felt mildly ignorant for having asked that. She had spent some time passing by the hot spring close to the volcano. It had reeked of rotting eggs and was impossible to be close to for very long; the air about it was hot and caused her throat to burn. The lodge did not stink of that place, in fact, there was a sweet yet spicy aroma about them. "Definitely not a hot spring." She thought.
"No. It happens when you drop fire kiln flowers into melted snow, it heats it up. It doesn't work with the river water for some reason, but most werak's have at least one bath-"
"Are you kidding me?" Aloy said utterly annoyed. Ikrie turned to face her. "I've been bathing in the icy river for months and nobody told me you keep hot tubs in your tents?!"
Ikrie couldn't hide the amusement in her eyes, and she pressed her lips tightly to keep from laughing out loud. She pulled her jacket off awkwardly to hide her face so she could smile and release some of the laughter in her chest through her nostrils. Aloy's indignant face was precious.
"Having a cold bath is good for you...It can keep you from getting pregnant"
Aloy raised an eyebrow uncertain of how those two ideas connected. She surmised that perhaps Ikrie somehow knew the events that preceded her mother's pregnancy and deduced that the Banuk were a strange people. Afterall, how does one not know their own mother, but people will tell a child about her own conception.
Folding her coat on the bunk, she walked casually over to Aloy, and then behind her. She found the clasp that held the shoulder section of Aloy's shield weave outfit and pressed on it. The hard outer layer clanked when it landed on the ground.
"Come on, get undressed." She inhaled Aloy sharply for emphasis. "You smell like you spent the evening fighting a beast of mythic proportions."
Aloy grimaced and lifted her shirt to smell beneath it and was taken aback by it herself.
"Yep, I can't argue with you there."
The Outlander's gear took no time to remove and fold atop another bunk along with her Focus. It was then that Ikrie finally got down to her last layer of clothing, a soft layer of knit fabric that hugged her body tightly.
Aloy stood shamelessly naked at the edge of the tub that could have easily fit six large Banuk men and dipped her toe down into the still red water. From the steam, she was expecting to burn, instead she was disappointed.
"Can this get hotter?" She inquired. She sat down and let her legs float at the top of the water.
"Let me test it."
The blonde woman pulled up her sleeve and dropped her hand into the pool, only to immediately pull it out in shock. "You can't be serious, this is already hot!"
Aloy shrugged before letting herself completely be engulfed by the water which went to just below her collarbone as she sat down. She leaned back against the tub and allowed her body to appreciate it. Maybe it wasn't very hot, but at least it wasn't cold. She pondered if her skin was going to turn red as the water, and just to test she let her hand bob to the surface. She wasn't red yet. Then again, only a moment or two had passed since she began this soak.
Her mind drifted back to the Sacred land, her home with Rost. She would need to stop there to pick up a memento or two before returning to the place would build her new home.
Avad promised her she could have anything, and she would request the land of her mother. Unfortunately for him, if he had romantic designs set on the two of them, this would prevent that from ever happening. It wasn't that Aloy found him unattractive; it was just the idea of being bound to Meridian. With all of its political boar shit, she wanted no part of it.
Meanwhile, Ikrie found a bowl of Fire kiln petals on a small table between the bunks. After she removed the wool bodysuit she scooped up a handful and approached the pool.
Aloy's eyes were closed, she looked like she could be falling asleep. Feeling shy about her own nudity, Ikrie used the opportunity to gently and slowly inch her way into the bath. The further in she got, she realized it wasnt as scalding as her initial assessment, but it might be too much for her companion after the extra flowers had been added.
She took an extra moment to take in the sight of her soon to be lover whose body was almost entirely hidden in crimson. The tips of her wild hair were becoming wet, falling below her wide, strong shoulders, the muscles from which were not receiving the relaxing qualities endowed by the flower. After bearing the weight of the world, they must be sore and tense, she would soon take care of them. First though, the woman had requested a hotter bath.
"Pssst, hey Aloy"
The Nora opened her eyes to see Ikrie kneeling infront of her on the opposite side of the tub. Her hands were cupped above the water, the reactive red flowers within them.
"Mmhmm?" The redhead groaned, just wanting to close her eyes again.
"Watch this"
Ikrie took in a deep breath and slowly released it over the flowers which set into the air, falling into the water around Aloy.
The reaction began the instant the petals making the sleepy woman's brighthazel eyes widen with curiosity. The first thing that happened was that they dissolved, turning the water a slightly darker shade of red around where they landed. The next thing was an effervescent trail that bubbled towards the floor of the tub. It was a trail of intense heat that Aloy didn't think to try to evade until the first burst hit her leg like a hot poker straight from the fire.
"What! Ow!" Aloy complained, her face scrunched with frustration as she finally got wise and rushed out of her seat to be closer to Ikrie. There was an noticeable temperature drop on the other side of the tub.
"What was that all about?!" The redhead said utterly annoyed. Ikrie made her eyes large and innocent as she shrugged her shoulders.
"You wanted a hotter bath, now it is".
The heat was spreading and despite her growing discomfort, Ikrie did not flee the tub. It would be great for her own aching muscles, which she was then becoming aware of. Being tough was an essential value amongst Banuk, but pretending you never felt pain was seen as weakness. Pain was a lesson that life gave to make you stronger, and the healing process was part of that journey.
Another Banuk value was the experiences one must go through to be seen as an acceptable lover or mate to another. Ikrie considered their battle with the Fire Claw to be a story worthy of making their union acceptable; however, it would be completely irrelevant if she showed her weakness now towards something as minor as a hot bath.
Aloy closed her eyes as she was enveloped by the new warmth. She immediately forgot how cheeky her companion had been and smiled peacefully.
"Hey, it's good, thanks."
The outlander didn't return to her previous spot. Instead, she leaned back in her seat next to Ikrie and let her mind wander again. The last great hot bath she had was in Free Heap. One of Petra's creations was a tub with buttons that connected to jets that targeted various muscles on the body. The Oseram woman had offered it to Aloy as a reward for the behemoth cables she had secured for her. One of those buttons, she had discovered, caused the jets to target her lower regions, and it had taken her by surprise.
Petra had been preparing them something for dinner in the main living area of her home when she heard her guest yelp behind the bathroom door. Aloy was thankful it was locked as she heard Petra turn the door knob trying to enter. If she had been able to walk in, she would have found the red head stunned into stillness by the shock of sensation still targeting her womanly space.
"Hey Machine Hunter, everything okay?"
"Uh, um yeah. I'm not used to this machine yet."
"I see." Said the voice behind the door. She took a moment before continuing. "If you let me in I can show you some things."
Aloy's eyes were open wide taking in the new experience with both curiosity and enjoyment. Her hands gripped the edges of the tub and her lips tried to form words, but self consciously, she surpressed her voice or else Petra would know what she was doing.
There were machines operating outside, and whatever operated this tub was fairly noisey. She hoped at least her increasingly fast breathing couldn't be heard. Aloy clenched her eyes shut as the tension in her sex pushed her towards something she had yet to know before.
The door knocked softly. Petra's voice came through softly, with a hint of knowing and want.
"Aloy. I can...help you."
Aloy couldn't process what the other woman was talking about, but she did realize that Petra knew exactly what was happening on the other side of the door. She didn't know what to do with that information other than to hit the red button marked "off", shutting down the machine.
Wherever the tension was leading, she never got to know. Aloy was still wound tightly and she desperately felt like she needed to escape and maybe find something to fight. She dried herself quickly before getting dressed.
In the meantime, she could hear her host swearing in the distance. It sounded like something had gone wrong with whatever she was cooking. This became apparent as she opened the door and was greeted to smoke and the smell of burnt rabbit meat. If she wasn't needing to leave, Aloy would have been fine to eat this for dinner. Growing up with Rost, she had become used to eating varying degrees of cooked food, from bloody to black. She tried to escape without much fuss, and she called out to the woman in the kitchen space,
"Hey Petra, thanks for the wash, I need to go now."
"Hold up Flame-head!" Petra shouted back,rushing away from the smoky oven. She picked up something off the table and walked towards her guest who was standing by the door. "Are you sure you can't stay longer? I promise I'm a better cook than how that turned out." She smirked and directed her thumb behind her to the disaster in her kitchen.
Aloy nervously looked into Petra's dark and determined ones and shook her head slightly.
"I'm sorry. Maybe next time."
She placed her hand on the door to push it open, but was stopped by the Oseram woman gripping her other hand.
"Petra?" Aloy asked, unsure what the other woman was doing. The surprising touch caught her off guard and she wished it hadn't felt so good.
"Have some candy. We Oseram are famous for two things: Being brilliant engineers and for our mastery with sugar. We haven't been trading partners with the Nora for very long so I can't imagine these made it your way."
In Petra's free hand were several pink disk shaped items. She gripped one between her forefingers and presented it before Aloy's lips. Humouring the other woman, Aloy obliged and let the Oseram slide a candy onto her tongue. She was impressed by the explosion of flavour. It was sweet, but not too sweet. It was also a little chewy and herbal in flavour. She could have easily said this was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten if her mouth wasn't too watery to speak.
"Mmmm, mmhmm" she mumbled with a smile as she used her tongue to scrape out the little bit stuck in her teeth.
Petra grinned, pleased at this result while still holding Aloy. Her other hand, with the remaining candies were curled into her fist as she used her free pinky to caress the side of the Outlander's lips. Aloy assumed some drool had come out; she let go of the door knob to wipe away her mouth with her sleeve.
"Aloy, you could stay a while,"The engineer offered. Her voice was deep and breathy as she held the other woman's gaze.
As nice as it sounded, to be able to take a break, the Nora woman felt restless. She had to go, candy or no candy. Besides, Petra's body was getting too close to her own. Like Avad, it wasn't that she found the Oseram woman to be unattractive, but she had too many things to worry about than the side effects of beginning a sexual relationship. At that time, she was still on her mission to discover what Zero Dawn was, and to find out what happened to Elisabet.
She stepped back and placed her hand on the darker woman's shoulder.
"Petra, thank you. Maybe another time."
The older woman nodded with resignation.
"I know you have to go. If your adventures bring you back near the Free Heap again, come by for a visit."
Aloy smacked her lips in memory of Petra's candy, then smiled at the thought of the bathtub with the conveniently placed jets. Because of them she walked with a drunken gait as she left the community, and she was certain she had overheard laughter in the background and a comment on Petra's sexual prowess. She opened her eyes to see what Ikrie was up to and was amused to discover the girl was slouched down in the water. Even her lips were submerged.
"What are you doing?" Aloy asked. the other woman sat up straight, then began flexing her neck back and in circles.
"It's good for the aches." She replied simply before beginning to rotate her shoulders. "How are you doing? Are you finding the bath to be helpful?"
Aloy emulated what the pale woman was doing and rotated her under-stretched shoulders. She grimaced at the tightness.
"Maybe I should have done what you were doing?" She admitted. Being sore was a way of life for the Nora woman, but that didn't mean she enjoyed it. She thought to spend her final moments in the tub sunk below, or perhaps attempting to float at the top of the water; but the look of concern in Ikrie's eyes made her want to pretend that nothing was wrong.
"Hey, I can help. Lean forward against the edge of the tub." Aloy, while apprehensive did as instructed. She rested her elbows down on the rim of the tub, and looked forward where the entrance to their lodging was. Ikrie moved in behind her and placed her hands flatly on Aloy's back. Unaccustomed to this much touching, the fiercely independent Outlander spoke up and again asked.
"What are you do-ing?" The final note of her question was of a higher pitch as Ikrie's fingers pressed down into her tight muscles.
"I know you like your space Aloy, but trust me, I have a lot of experience with this."
The red head groaned loudly then. It really hurt, but in the good way. It was like when one wakes up with a leg cramp. The pain was a bastard whether you massaged it or not, but at least after it was given some care you were rewarded with relief.
"Mailen?" she inquired.
Ikrie didn't speak for several moments. While she had grieved the loss of her former partner, it still struck her heart to think of their life together up until recently. They had grown up close as sisters: One orphan, and one girl whose parents were never around such to be practically an orphan as well. When they were left behind by their werak as young adults, they could only rely on one another. Mailen couldn't stand their isolation, she needed to be part of a group. They approached different weraks and Mailen would participate in various trials trying to find them a new home. She would never talk about what she had to endure, but when she had the chance to try to run with the White Teeth, she jumped on the opportunity. She said their terms were more reasonable than any other group before: It was win or die.
She wasn't sure how much of her story she wanted to share, so she silently kept ministering to her companion. She used her fingertips, palms and knuckles to wear down the tightest places and inwardly assessed that Aloy did not take good enough care of herself. She kept her hands hot and wet with the fire kiln infused water. Not only would it serve to unwind the back muscles, but it would protect her own hands from cramping up.
Finally, just to break the silence, she began to speak,
"Mailen was a terrible sleeper. From the time it was she and I left to fend for ourselves, she was plagued by nightmares. As much as we needed one another, she could never tell me what was haunting her. Eventually, I discovered that my hands could silence some of those ghosts. It was a simple solution really, and when she slept better, it meant I slept better too.
Aloy's head rested on her forearms with her eyes once again closed, but her thoughts did not wander. Instead she thought of Ikrie, her strength and compassion. She would speak such high praises of her on her journey home that every Werak would fight to be able to claim her as their own. Then again, the two women had much in common, including growing up in traditional cultures but hating to live by their rules. Maybe life with the Banuk was not her best option.
"Maybe you are a natural healer?" The Nora suggested with a dream laden voice. "I know your love is the hunt though, maybe you should adventure down south, give those hunting grounds a chance to add to your legend."
Ikrie pushed out a laugh through her nose as if to brush off the comment.
Aloy turned around then. The blonde woman's hands were still upon her, but now on her front shoulders.
"Ikrie, I'm serious." The Nora insisted. "There's more adventures to be had in the big wide world. I would love to someday pass by a hunting ground I've visited and learned you had been there and had shattered my own record."
Ikrie smiled then shyly looked away. It meant a lot to her that this great huntress had so much faith in her; but to give up the winter, the daily test of endurance and strength, she wasn't sure it was what she wanted.
Boldly, Aloy lifted up her chin and two sets of hazel eyes met.
"You can do whatever you want to, but maybe when I leave tomorrow you could come along...at least to the border of The Cut. We could walk together for a while?"
Ikrie's eyes couldn't help but blink rapidly, stunned by the offer of company. She had already let herself get used to the idea of spending the remains of her days hunting solo. It wasn't a happy plan, but at least it was her own and not the will of some chieftain.
Maybe for a few days, she could create some happy memories to hold onto before their inevitable parting.
Her hands, still on Aloy, closed the gap between their bodies and with her knees outside of the redheads hips, Ikrie brought them together in a tender embrace. It took Aloy by surprise, although not really because she knew the Banuk woman was a hugger. Their breasts and stomachs were touching one another, this wasa new stimulus. It wasn't unpleasant, although it made her own breath hitch with this much skin on skin contact. She tried to imagine that naked hugs were a normal thing in this northern culture, but the idea of this act as being merely innocent became harder to fight for as she felt warm breath close to her ear. An involuntary shudder went down her spine as Ikrie whispered:
"Thank you."
Aloy couldn't stop the moan from leaving her throat, and she closed her eyes in a slow blink to try to regain some composure. The logical thing to do would be to push the other woman away and take back her space, but she found that her mind was no longer in charge. Ikrie was looking deeply into her eyes, her pupils were dark. One of her hands was now in her hair, the other with finger tips along her jaw. Aloy's heart was thumping in her chest, and all she wanted was to close in the distance in between them.
Their faces moved towards one another, and their lips met softly with their first kiss which became many kisses. Deeper kisses. Aloy found it strange but delightful as Ikrie's tongue entered her own mouth; hands caressed her under the water, fingertips stroked the sides of her breasts. With so much sensation happening, she wanted to make the other woman feel as wonderful as she did, but she wasn't sure what she should be doing.
Suddenly, Ikrie pulled back and a brief wave of disappointment passed through the Nora. She wanted very much to reconnect with her companion, and she placed her hands on the other woman's buttocks to pull her close. Then with a sure smile, Ikrie spoke.
"Aloy, I want to lie with you."
The blonde woman stood, her gaze never leaving Aloy's. She offered a hand to help her rise, it was taken.
They stood together in the pool, Aloy lifted Ikrie's knuckles and kissed them then smirked with mischief.
"I hope you want more than to just lie down with me."
