The Other Huntress (Kotallo/OC)

Chapter Twenty-Five: First Meeting

Beta was still cold as ice when the quartet-now quintet-arrived back at the Base. The clone hadn't woken once during the entire journey, still as the dead. Here's hoping she wakes up. Orea was beginning to worry Beta had injured herself cutting out her implant.

"Varl, put Beta in one of the rooms: make sure she's warm and see what you can do about her wound."

"Got it. I'll let you know if she wakes up," he nodded, carrying Beta off.

"What happened?" Zo asked, brows furrowed as she glided over. Her jaw slackened as she glanced at Beta. "...I'm not even going to ask."

"That's probably for the best. Her head is injured: do you think you can take a look at it?"

"Of course." The Gravesinger followed Varl into one of the side-chambers, Aloy watching them as they went. The huntress had barely uttered a word since they'd left Ninmah, lost in her thoughts. Aloy had never been a chatterbox by any means, but the Seeker was being far too silent for Orea's liking: something was weighing on her twin's mind, and Orea had a pretty good guess as to what it was.

"I can report back to GAIA if you want to, uh, talk to Beta," Erend offered, nervously scratching his neck.

"Thanks Erend," Orea spoke for Aloy. As the Oseram left, Orea turned to her sister. "I'll let you speak with her first. I'll wait out here for you."

"Okay." Aloy hesitated briefly in front of the door before she stepped through with a single deep breath, leaving Orea and Kotallo alone. The huntress and the Marshall hadn't spoken since she'd revealed her origins, the Seeker thinking it best to give Kotallo time to process. But where did that leave them? Well, no time like the present.

"So...how are you doing with all this?" she began, hopping onto the nearby table. "I know it's a lot."

"I'll admit, it's all fairly overwhelming. The things we've seen and fought today-I've never experienced anything of the like. I can see now why you and Aloy were so determined to complete your mission at the Kulrut, if those are the types of enemies the world may face." A pause stretched between them, nearly caustic in its depth. "Were you truly born like that?" Kotallo finally asked.

"Yes. That's why Aloy and I were outcasts: one day we just appeared inside the Nora's sacred mountain."

"I see; I'm sorry you had to endure such a thing." Huh? Of all the things the Marshall could've said, Orea was not expecting that. "I can't imagine how difficult it must have been."

"It wasn't all bad," she admitted. "Aloy and I had each other, and we had Rost."

"But the rest of your tribe?" Kotallo filled in the blanks.

"They weren't too keen on us. Thought we were devils because of our birth."

"Then they were wrong. No matter how you were born Orea, you are not a devil. Not even close." Kotallo spoke with such a determined vehemence, the huntress couldn't help the warmth blooming in her heart. Kotallo was still her friend, he didn't think she was some sort of perverse monster.

"Thank you."

A door whooshing open broke the now-comfortable silence, Aloy storming out with a scowl. What happened? Did something go wrong with Beta? Figuring it was best to give her twin a moment to cool off, Orea bade Kotallo farewell and stepped inside Beta's room. The aforementioned former Zenith was huddled against the cot on the far side, nearly huddled into a ball with her back turned to the door.

The sight formed a pit of discomfort in Orea's stomach. It was...weird to observe a person so very similar to her sister, yet so undeniably different. Beta may have had Aloy's face and build, but nothing in the pair's body languages were even remotely alike. Whereas Aloy stood tall and confident, barely phased by the likes of Thunderjaws and Eclipse alike, every inch of Beta's posture screamed nervousness and tension. Aloy and Beta were different people, that much was self-evident, but Orea still couldn't help but feel as though she was looking at an inverted shadow. I'll bet Aloy was shaken up by Beta too.