The Preserve, Sunday Morning

[not_of_the_nora]

Getting Rost to go to the school or the hotel was a fool's errand - Aloy had known that from moment one. In fact, expecting him to look anyone but her in the eye was likely to be a problem. Probably? None of these people were Nora.

She'd never seen Rost around people who weren't Nora before.

And so for two nights in a row, Aloy'd gone back to camping out in the preserve, by the fire.

"There must be a way to clear this barrier of yours," Rost said. "Some machine we can kill, something the Goddess demands of us..."

"Well, she hasn't told me anything yet--"

"Aloy!"

Him and his bloody devout-mindedness. Aloy rolled her eyes. "I haven't figured anything out yet," she amended. "But we'll get out of here. With time."

"This place makes the hair on the back of my neck rise."

"At least we're agreed on something."

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[magnusrushesin]

After being unable to locate his own office and not finding any parents, Magnus was just going to enjoy his Sunday like an adult. Possibly with a brunch. Mostly with his precious Pumpkin Spice latte.

No one tell him these would soon be gone. It would break his heart.

"Uh, hail and well met!" he said, giving them and their campfire such a look. Unless you had some jerky to share. Then you'd be cool again.

[not_of_the_nora]

No jerky. A bit of mostly-eaten rabbit, maybe?

Aloy's head jerked up. In a split second, she'd decided to take the lead here, just to spare Rost a potential heart attack.

If he cared. She still wasn't sure about that.

"Hi," she said. "Are you lost?"

She didn't encounter that many people out here. Anymore.

[magnusrushesin]

"Not recently, no," he said, looking around in case he was, in fact, lost. "Nope. Just walking. It felt like the right thing to do with this drink. You know. Really experience the foliage."

[to_stand_alone]

Rost was... not looking freaked out as much as he was sizing this man up while avoiding his gaze. "Aloy," he said slowly. The man didn't look Nora. "Do you know this one?"

[not_of_the_nora]

"I think he's a teacher," Aloy said, tilting her head. "I don't know what tribe. What's your drink?"

[magnusrushesin]

"I am literally your teacher!" Magnus said, sounding deeply wounded. "Remember when you complained about the gerblins? Remember?"

They had been gremlins, but sure. Whatever.

"Magnus Burnsides. Don't know what tribe I'm supposed to be a part of."

[not_of_the_nora]

"I know you say you're a teacher, but I haven't really seen any evidence of it yet," Aloy explained.

Super patiently.

"He's not Nora."

[to_stand_alone]

"Yes, I've... noticed that," Rost said.

On the plus side, gnarly old guy was now looking Magnus in the eye. "He seems... excitable."

[magnusrushesin]

"Oh! Are you her... grandpa?" He was going with grandpa here. "Or maybe one of those late in life dads?"

Or was this an Angus situation where a group of misfits adopted a precocious boy detective and were the only ones allowed to be mean to him and also gave him a bunch of stuff before running off on a suicide mission to save the world?

[to_stand_alone]

"I'm Aloy's mentor. And teacher."

Hence the sizing Magnus up.

... but kind of more like that last one than any of the others, yes.

[magnusrushesin]

"Cool," Magnus replied, perking up to show off how beefy he totally was. He was a big, beefy boy. Who always had his whole fucking inventory on him. Jesus, Magnus. You don't have to do that. "Nice to meet you! She's doing pretty great in our class. Beat up a robot like a boss."

He gave Aloy a thumbs up.

[to_stand_alone]

"You put her up against a machine?" Rost asked, frowning for a moment.

Just to keep you on your toes, Magnus.

"Good. It won't help anyone if she loses her edge while we're on this... island."

No, he still didn't understand.

[not_of_the_nora]

"I don't. Think. I'm in any danger of losing my edge," Aloy said irritably.

[magnusrushesin]

"This place is okay at that," Magnus said. "We got to fight sharks! I sliced one in half. It was sick."

[to_stand_alone]

Rost frowned at him. "A sick animal is hardly a challenge," he said.

[magnusrushesin]

Magnus made a mental note to never allow this dude to talk to Taako.

"Of course," he replied, just going with it. "But in this instance, it means awesome. Because it was. I got to use my new sword."

[not_of_the_nora]

Aloy would just be over here, alternating between the desire to facepalm and vague wonder at seeing Rost talk to anybody who wasn't her. "They said there was a rain of sharks," she said. "New to me."

[magnusrushesin]

"It's okay," Magnus said, totally not getting it. "You'll get to stab some things the next time. I hope it's giant bears. Fighting a giant bear would be so cool."

He'd done it, he just didn't remember it.

[not_of_the_nora]

He got two people blinking at him.

"What's a bear?"

[magnusrushesin]

"...are--are you punking me? Am I being punked?"

[not_of_the_nora]

"I... don't know what that means either," Aloy said, squinting at him.