Aloy is used to the look in people's eyes when they regard her. Hatred.Mistrust. Disgust. Sometimes, careful curiosity. Even rarer, cautious friendliness.A carefree smile, almost never. But there's something about the grief and fury in his eyes that feels so close to her own, that Aloy can't turn her back on. There is something else in his eyes she can't turn away from either.

Joel and Ellie nearly die on their way back to Jackson, Wyoming. Traumatized, tired and with a tentative new bond between them, they move forward into a new, very different life. Luckily there are new friends to be found that are not easily deterred by their wounds and flaws. And there is a woman who likes to laugh, to help and to heal were she can.

Erend is sure his fate is too much for him to bear. His shoulders are strong, but not strong enough to carry his sisters legacy. But as he and Aloy hunt for Ersa's fate, he learns that being broken is no excuse, and that there are fates in the world that are worse than his. If she can carry the world, he can carry a city. Maybe, if he gets stronger, she'll let him help carry hers.

Jacob knows his duty lies with his people, not a woman that saved his life once. And still. As she is drowning in a river of ice, he is the first to admit that he has never been the smartest of men. But faith. Faith he has plenty.

Recently Carlisle is feeling slightly unsatisfied, but isn't sure why. In an effort to flee the very attentive nurses at work, he decides to go for a walk. He stumbles over The Literary Pharmacy, a bookshop that tries to heal people by using books as medicine for the soul. Sometimes, even Doctors need curing. [AU: No Esme & Nessie, Bella is a normal newborn vampire]