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[She's... got no clue what to do with that ring of light, really. Tryse reaches out, pauses, and... tries slapping it?

That's how technology works, right? Aloy slapped the record player, after all. Not that it worked.]

[There's an aborted activation sound at the initial contact, but. That seems to be all a slap gets.]

...

[Okay, but what if?

Her heart works on willpower and emotion. So did Claudine's. So can she just... Gather everything she has, focus it together, and slap it again? It's worth a shot. She spreads her legs, scowls in concentration, and raises her hand. Giving it a few seconds to focus, and for Aloy's heart to act however it's going to, she gives it a harder, firmer, more confident slap.]

[Tryse invests in the slap, and what can Aloy's heart do but answer someone determined to make an action do something? A circle slowly closes around the ring of light, a loading sound playing.

A hologram of a man appears over the crocodile. The sides of his head are shaved, the tuft of hair on top long, blond, and tied up in a bun. He slouches, standing with legs wide. And he grins, wagging a finger like Sonic. He speaks with a cavalier tone, and a southern American accent. "Ah-ah-ah. All things gotta end sooner or later, honey. This cult loves an ending, huh? An ending, and an ending, and an ending - ya get my drift?"

He shakes his head, and chuckles.

"All respect to Liz, but she don't accept death lying down, for anyone, does she? And even she still needed me to whip up my magnum opus. HADES, ya get me? The grim reaper himself.

"Now there's this little lady 'round these parts who gets why ya want a 'medical option' available."

The hologram seems to look Tryse in the eye, and winks.

"Might be interesting to see how she was, before she understood she has an ending, too. Run, and fly, and dive. Take the fast way down a cliff, 'cause it's more fun to experience the rush, even if you know your hands'll smart with rope burns after. But here's the rub. And it's a hell of a rub."

He raises his hands, as though unveiling a display, and a clock appears over him, with a meme-style audio cue of children cheering: 24:00:00. It starts ticking down.

"Hope the lil' lady has some fun. But that thing hits zero, and it's like Arnie used to say in my granpappy's classics." An eight-bit video game sound, and a pair of sunglasses appears in his hand, which he makes a show of putting on, extending fingerguns with a stock gun-cocking sound effect. He drawls, "AH'LL BE BAHCK."

The hologram freezes, before disappearing.

The plush sits, inert, a bit of stuffing spilling out where it's been impaled on the spear.]

[Fuck.

That probably wasn't what she wanted to happen.

Who was that? It wasn't Ted Faro, she would have recognized him from the previous holograms.

Was it a servant of HADES? Had the crocodile become representative of Aloy's fear of death?]

GAIA? Status report.

[She's shaken now, uncertain, watching the timer. She'd been planning on sending a surge of willpower through the crocodile, try to incinerate it. But now-

What's she fucked up this time?]

["A slight change - a shift in prioritization and threat assessment. Please wait."

GAIA stares into space for a moment. Raises a hand, and the dome above them displays vivid images: Aloy rappelling down from a Tallneck (robot brontosaurus); Aloy robo-horse racing with weapons; Aloy, drawing blue lines on her face before stepping into a ring with a big Tenakth man, facing off with blunted weapons.

Aloy trying to get in position to shoot at Qhyonne, despite the earth shaking and the wind buffeting her.

"I believe she will undergo an increased sense of capability, until the object recovers."]

[Ah. She's removed Aloy's sense of mortality.

Wonderful. Excellent job, Tryse. 10/10, gold star.]

Have I done anything right today?

[In the future. Contain it. Or observe it. She rubs her hands over her face and just leans against the shelf, sliding down it until she hits the floor. At least no one's here to see this and chide her over it. Stupid.]

["You consider this an undesirable outcome."]

Aloy takes insane risks already. I've seen her memory on how she lost that shielding of hers. An Aloy with no fear of death and even more confidence in her skills...

It's a dangerous combination. If there's a game tomorrow, it could get ugly.

["The scenarios are not already?

"Tryse. Have you reviewed the conflicts Aloy engaged in during the scavenger hunt?"]

...I've been afraid to.

When I think of the scavenger hunt, all I can see is how badly I failed everyone. I was so... so stupid. I thought that the events were just-

I wasn't there when they needed me. I was doing frivolous nonsense. Even if I couldn't have participated, I could have been there to offer kind words. Make them feel secure. Try to restrain them when it was getting to be too much.

Everything I've done afterwards has been an attempt to correct those mistakes. Keep them from happening again. But it never feels like enough. And now I have to come begging the people I care for for help to just... just to make me feel like I want to live again.

Because of that hunt. Because of what I didn't do.

I'm scared to find out more about it, GAIA. Is it really that important to see those memories?

["I propose showing you not memories, but summaries of conflict results, if that will provide some insight into Aloy's capability.

If I am correct, when Aloy is able to act outside of cycles of voting and awaiting results, this mindset complements her skill."]

I... Okay, yes. That's important. I've been operating for a while without a clear idea of what Aloy's capable of. If I'm going to guide her in a fight some day, I should know these things.

This mindset being free from fear of death? Or being aware of her own mortality?

["A heightened awareness of her mortality."

True to her word, it's not memories, that project next. It's more like a table, names and profile pictures, followed by summaries.

Aloy / Kaz Brekker: Victory. Hostile shadow magic used to thwart ambush. Light shard used to negate enemy advantage. Losses: one eye. Gains: One arm. Sleeve and glove returned.
Aloy / Vin: Narrow loss. Speed enhancement, possibly other abilities used to thwart ambush. Arrow wound sustained. Fire glyphs and advanced bow technique used to negate enemy advantage. Loss due to incorrect assumption the opponent had surrendered. Losses: one ear. Gains: advice to hone melee techniques.
Aloy / Eddie: Victory. Invisibility and silencing magic used to evade and ambush. Focus use to observe details and fire elemental arrows used to negate enemy advantage. Losses: Second eye. Gains: One hand.
Aloy / Sirin: Withdrawn. Enemy portals employed to intercept attacks and turn them back to attacking position. Outmatched; fire glyphs and agility used to negate enemy advantage to close distance, Jump-Off melee technique used to claim objective and disengage, agility used to negate enemy advantage during retreat. Losses: None. Gains: One eye.
Aloy / Mochi: One part volunteered to Aloy out of respect to Donatello. Gain: one rib.
Aloy / Nanako: Trade: one part in exchange for listening to emotionally difficult questions. Losses: None. Gain: one organ.
Aloy / Hunter: One part surrendered to Aloy for the benefit of his family's team. Losses: None. Gain: one ear.
Potion ingredients successfully gathered. All injuries sustained within the capabilities of available healers, once reached.
Aloy / Adachi: Loss. Ambushed before second eye could be recovered. Left to bleed out after losing consciousness. Losses: Stomach, life. Gains: None.

"Aloy successfully completed the objectives for the scenario. All opponents boasted supernatural capabilities, which were overcome through skill and resourcefulness. Losses were due to misreading opponent intentions, not out of the inability to contest said opponent."

Edited 2023-07-23 02:17 (UTC)

[She reads down the list dispassionately. Eddie's a surprising name on the list, though she knew he could turn invisible. The powers on the rest are noted.]

That tracks. I love her, but she's not the best with people. Amazing she still has any trust at all.

["Are you referring to her trust for others, or others' trust for her?"]

Her trust for others.

I know she's got strong reasons to do it, but she's had quite a few reasons not to.

["There are those she does not trust, and there are many more with whom she simply does not attempt to connect."]

Like the Hamatos. Is that purely because of her guilt or because of how Donatello treated her?

["It is because sooner or later, and for one reason or another, people will reject her. Failing that, too many of those not rejecting her attempt to attach themselves to her in a way that forces her to reject them.."]

[If she needed a reminder about what Aloy said about GAIA being more of a reflection of herself, even if she's a bit more objective...]

...Will that be my fate, some day?

["Your relationship is unique. There is no precedent to reference.

"However, it is clear that Aloy is eager to explore more."]

[...Aloy's never going home, at least. She can't go home. Tryse doesn't know what she'd do if that were an option.]

...It's a good thing she can't see me in here like this. I'd probably be ruining that image of me that she's built up.

["Query: What image do you believe Aloy has?"]

She thinks I'm... intelligent. Useful. Attractive. Reliable. Probably loyal. Hopefully loyal. Competent. In control.

Seeing me lost and confused, actively causing harm instead of helping... That's probably not what she pictures when she sees me.

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