I Will Always Have A Minute For You [Ereloy]

// 5 //

The two talk for a while about things they've recently accomplished. By the time they've run out of things to talk about, the sun's starting to go down. It's approaching the evening fairly quickly.

Aloy looks up from her spot on the bridge outside of the Maizelands. "You know, I'm glad I decided to stay a little longer today. You're the one person I probably needed to talk to and didn't even know it."

Erend hums a little. "I'm glad you stayed too." Aloy stands, Erend following suit.
"Aloy, before we head back, I've got to get this off my mind."

"Hm?"

"This is something I know you're going to not take well, but maybe you will - I'm not sure." Erend sighs. "Well, I guess I'm just gonna say it anyway."

Aloy just stares at him, kind of confused.

"Ever since the day of the Proving, I've always felt some sort of... connection between us. Not just as friends, either."

"What are you getting at?" Aloy stops to think about it. "Wait, no, don't answer that. I know exactly what you're trying to hint at." She'd sigh. "Look, Erend. I understand," she pauses, looking at the ground and then back up at him, "but I'm going to have to say that I can't pursue a relationship right now. I haven't been interested in one, since the start of my adventure, or even now, at all. Maybe someday, I will, but today isn't that day." She sighs again. "I'm sorry. I still think we're better off as just friends."

Erend looks at her. "Oh. I had a feeling you were going to say something like that, but I just went ahead and just decided to tell you... because it's been eating me alive since I realized."

"I'm... surprised you decided to tell me." She turns herself back towards the path to Meridian. "If we hadn't been as close as we are, you probably would've gotten a punch to the face or something... it's not like I haven't done that to the people who've tried something like that before." She starts heading back.

"That's mostly why I waited a while. I wanted to get closer to you, to, well, see if anything really changed. And sure enough, nothing changed. I'm not disappointed, don't worry. I'm sure you'll let me know when you're ready... Unless you, of course, find someone else."

"I doubt that. Other than Rost, you're the only other guy I've been really close to. Everyone else tends to just shoot straight for the heart, miss, and then, well, lose interest because I have none."

"I've seen that with plenty of people around you - especially Avad."

"That's exactly what he did - especially right after losing Ersa on his team. I'm sure you were furious, too, since that was your sister."

"I didn't like the way he treated her." He admits. "He's a nice guy, but sometimes I feel he was a bit too soft. Even then, there were times I wondered if he was pretending."

"Who knows?" Aloy shrugs, thinking for a moment. "We'll head to the gate and that's where we'll split up. I'll start making my way back to Ban-Ur, and you'll go back to where you're staying. Does that sound like a plan?"
"Fine by me."

The path from outside the Royal Maizelands to Meridian wasn't that long. It sure felt like it though, as they walked in pretty much total silence. Aloy was watching her surroundings warily for Machines that may spring up out of nowhere. As for Erend, well... He wasn't really focused on much.

A little while later they approach the entrance gate to Meridian. "This is where we'll have to split up for now."

"Yeah." Erend responds as Aloy turns clockwise to face the outside. "Thanks for spending time with me."

"It was nothing. I did say I'd always have a minute for you, didn't I?"
"I've been saying that all day."

Aloy laughs a little at his response, starting to walk out of Meridian. Erend shouts after her, "Good luck being a Werak Chieftain! I believe in you!"

She'd turn back at him, still walking forward, and smile. He waves to her as she turns her head back around and picks up her pace. It was late now, and the moonrise was just starting to be seen. Aloy watches both it and her surroundings, noticing something was strange about it. Hmm, that's interesting. She thinks, stopping a moment at a campfire. She hadn't walked too far from the Meridian gate yet and was already considering staying in town overnight.

No, Aloy, you're brave. You're a Brave. A Nora Brave. A Nora Seeker. You're out here for a reason, obviously. You have no reason to freak out about what's happening. Whatever.