The Deck, Saturday Morning

[not_of_the_nora]

The weather had gotten drearier over the past few weeks, and that suited Aloy just fine. Too much sunshine wasn't good for the land - regardless of what the people of this time did to keep the food and drinks flowing freely.

No, a rainy morning was fine. She'd been tinkering on something that might be a step towards plugging herself into the portal system for a while now. She took the device, a mess of wires and two skillfully autopsied phones, and sat down with it on the porch.

Her Focus was on, showing her a multitude of facts about the device she was working on, and helping her block out the world.

Tinker, tinker...

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[not_of_the_nora]

"Most people I've met here came by portal," Aloy explained. "I think you're the first person outside of Professor Skywalker who's actually been on a ship in space."

... Oh honey.

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

Bless her heart.

Jaylah frowned, thinking that over. "There are other ships here. I have seen them."

[not_of_the_nora]

"I haven't," Aloy said.

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

"You do not know what to look for then." Well, that was blunt.

[not_of_the_nora]

"No, I don't," Aloy said, equally blunt. "We don't have them where we come from."

They didn't even ride animals.

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

YOUR HOME WAS WEIRD, ALOY. IT WAS WEIRD.

"What do you have then?"

[not_of_the_nora]

Very low biodiversity and a population with stone-to-bronze-age technology surrounded by advanced mechanical monsters would do that to a home.

"We walk," Aloy said.

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

THE WEIRDNESS STANDS.

"You walk on a ship. Off them too."

[not_of_the_nora]

Well... duh.

"We walk... not on a ship," Aloy said slowly.

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

"I do not understand why you would not build something more," Jaylah replied like Aloy was just being unreasonable here.

[not_of_the_nora]

"Because I don't have any idea how," Aloy said simply, "And my people believe machines are an affront to the Goddess."

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

"What is this Goddess and why would she not want you to build things?" Well, it was safe to say she wasn't the religious sort.

[not_of_the_nora]

"All-Mother," Aloy said lightly. "The mountain that stands at the heart of Nora lands. I don't know why the Matriarchs feel that way, but they're the ones who make the rules for most of the Nora."

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

"A mountain can't think things," Jaylah pointed out helpfully. And with great offense. "They sound foolish."

[not_of_the_nora]

"It's what they believe."

And what Rost believed.

Aloy was just more skeptical than anyone else she know. Blame it on being made outcast as a baby for sins nobody bothered to explain to her.

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

"They believe foolish things." And Aloy's skepticism was perfectly reasonable to Jaylah.

[not_of_the_nora]

"You won't hear me disagreeing on that one," said Aloy.

[likesthebeatsandshouting]

Jaylah nodded again like they'd come to an accord on the matter. "If you wish to see a ship, I will show you one."