Living Antiquity

~7~

For the next couple days I tweaked and copied the programming of my "new" Bintendi, getting it to where it would be able to house more games, while Ally went over information about the sub-functions with Gaia.
Zo, Varl and Erend cane to me asking about all manner of things from the past.
Erend and Zo found figure skating fascinating, especially as I explained competitions. Varl was relieved when I explained what people meant when giving stuffed animals as gifts, especially since they were make of cloth, and filled with cotton or specialized stuffing.
"So it wasn't real animals?" Varl asks.
"No. They were toys, and some kf the most popular were teddy bears, and Squishmallows. The squishmallows were oval shaped with flat bottoms, made with a mildly stretchy but soft fabric, and filled with a type of stuffing that would bounce back into its shape even after being squished and stretched- they were ridiculously popular. Some people collected hundreds, or thousands." I explained, and drew a rough shape of a teddy bear in a drawing program, sharing it to his focus.
"Ah, and these were popular eith children and adults?" He asks, spinning the drawing, fascinated.
"Yep. I had one I still slept with cause I had had it since I was eight," I nod, "If you're looking fir something to give her, I could make a stuffed version of the land-gods for you to give her. I learned how to sew a little."
"Really, would you?" He perks up.
"Ha, relax, and give me a few days. I gotta be subtle about getting supplies. Maybe even... hmmm..." I smile, "Aloy and Erend are gonna go back through the Daunt in a couple days, right? I'll take the shards U saved up and go with her. I can get raw cotton and cloth there and take it to the Dyer you mentioned in Plainsong... Yeah, that could work," I grinned, "I'll have to draw up a template for myself, I'm not exactly what you'd call a Stitcher."
He nodded, and headed back out ti the commons, his face nearly glowing.
Well, now I have a promise to keep.
I scrapes all my shards together and began calculating. Maybe fifty or so for cloth... Raw cotton?... hmmm... a couple dozen shards? I'm not sure what they charge for resources...
"Hey, Y/n. Whatcha gathering all those shards for?" Erend raised an eyebrow when he ducked into the lab.
"I'm gonna buy cloth and maybe some raw cotton in Chainscrape and Barren Light... Those are the town names, right?" I ask, looking at him.
"Yeah, they are... Why those things?" He raised an eyebrow, walking over.
"Weeellll, hush, but Varl wants to surprise Zo, and I offered to make a stuffed animal of the land-gods. Maybe even name it Fa, in memory of... The one they had to kill..." I frowned, "I know it probably hurts her to remember. Maybe naming it for her would be overstepping."
"Stuffed animal?... Like-"
"No. When I say stuffed animal in terms of gifting, it's made of cloth and filled with a soft stuffing. It's often a cutesy version of a real animal- like bears. Teddy bears were extremely popular for centuries for both children and gifting to lovers on Valentine's Day, which was the day chosen to celebrate love, at least that's how it was advertised." i yawn, looking through my designs, "Say, you saw the land-gods on your way through to the base, is this accurate enough? And it'll be about yea by yea." I held my hands up a small distance apart, showing him the rough planned size.
"Oh, so that's why stuffed animals were described as huggable. Yeah, that'd be about the right size," he raises an eyebrow, "Might go a bit bigger if you're looking to get some detail."
I nod, stretching, "Cool. It'll be complicated, but-"
"Y/n, if you are worried about the quality of the work you will do, I may be able to create a rough design for a sewing machine. There are spare enough parts in the repair bay below that it is a viable option," Gaia offered.
"You could? Awesome." I stand and close my designs, "I'll head down and poke around, see if I can locate the parts."
"Deactivating all force fields..." Gaia says softly as I trek out and climb down the mountain.
Backwards, but more effective than trying to pry through all the doors. I might be a but stronger than before, but I'm still only human. Can't exactly open the doors very well by myself yet. And that'd leave them hanging open for strangers to find their way in.
Finally, I drop down and duck into the cave that leads to the door, searching through piles of discarded pieces and eventually sitting on the floor in the middle of the core room to build the thing.
Whoops... should have brought a sling to carry the thing back up the mountain...
"Hey. Gaia said you'd be down here... What is that?" Aloy asked, nearly scaring the shit out of me as I jolted upright from finally installing the needle into the machine.
"A sewing machine. I told Varl what stuffed animals really were, and offered to make one inspired by the Land-Gods for him to give to Zo. I figure I'll make some recordings of them from all angles one our way past and back through Plainsong, and I need ti trade for cloth and cotton in the Daunt, and try to pay the Dyer in Plainsong ti get the right colors."
She raised an eyebrow, sitting next to me as I put the power cell into the sewing machine and tested it, the needle flying up and down as I tweak the programming and try ti remember if I ever learned anything about sewing.
"Sounds like a lot of work," she says, sitting and rubbing her face, "Everything for the trip is actually already done. We're gonna head out in an hour or two, if you're interested. I can run back up and snag your weapons if you like," she offered, "I know climbing is slow for you, and that thing looks heavy."
"Yeah, its a good twenty pounds or so. It'll eventually be easier for me to figure out how to strap this kind of stuff to my back, but for now... Yeah. Would you also grab my shard-sack? I left it on the workbench like an idiot."
She nods and stands, heading back up. She at least knew the back way to get up...
I sigh, sitting back and looking at my handiwork.
It felt like just a week ago that I would have had no idea how to do something like this. And even then, this thing was rudimentary. I'll have to eventually learn how ti forge if I want to make parts that better fit for this, but throwing my weight around at least bent the pieces into the right shapes. Not much I can do from here until I learn how to forge, and maybe rewatch some of the more thorough 'How Was It Made' documentaries. Hopefully it at least holds up long enough to make the mini Land-god. Even fixing the Bintendi was pretty brave. I was shocked that it even booted up, and thinking I could eventually mass produce them was a bit audacious of me.
Being able to surprise Zo and learn a bit about the East would be worth it, though.
I sigh, standing and lugging the sewing machine to the mouth if the cave, my mind wandering.
By the time the sun went down, Aloy and Erend were at the cave mouth with a cart, and my weapons and armor, Aloy handing my shards to me as I set the sewing machine on the cart and we head off.
Cutting through Plainsong, I pulling my shirt over my face to block out spores from the Blight, watching the red, ragged plants that curled into thick grasping stalks that scratched at the air and let off clouds of spores and filthy air.
"I feel bad for them... If we can't get the system fixed, then..." I frowned, "They'll starve to death."
"I know. We'll fix everything, though. Things will get better..." Aloy says softly as we pass a Plowhorn covered in painted handprints and decorations.
One of the Landgods...
I surreptitiously snagged pictures and a video of it as we walked past, flagging parts that could be used to tweak my design and get it as close to life as possible.
"Okay... I'll guess that's to do with your design?" Erend looks over from where he had been pulling the cart.
"Yeah. I'll be glad to try making it, but I honestly don't expect the sewing machine to hold up for the duration if the project," I yawned, "I won't be able to build a sewing machine that will work like a full modern one until I can forge, or Gaia can access the cauldron network again." Even then, would she be able to design something so... Well, actually, she designed the one I built, so...
Erend nods, "Yeah. Some tinkers would be interested in it, but it's a bit rough around the edges."
I yawns, keeping back with the cart as Erend kept going.
"Hey, I have to split off and follow up in a lead on an old friend, I'll meet you two at Barren Light, okay?" Aloy frowns, flicking through data on her Focus.
"You heard about Talanah, then?"
"Yeah. She's apparently somewhere to the southwest of Plainsong... I'll go look for her and see if I can help her or convince her to stay with us," Aloy stretches, frowning, "I wonder why she'd be all the way out here..."
"The Sun-Hawk of the Hunter's Lodge in Meridian, right?" I ask, looking over at her as she snags her own gear from the cart.
"Yeah. I'll catch up within the week, don't worry. You two should stop in Plainsong. Maybe the dyer can give you some tips and tricks for dying so that you don't have to stop back through with your project?" She waves as she runs off full tilt for the south.
"Does she ever walk somewhere instead of running?" I look at Erend, frowning.
"Heh... No, don't think so. She's always on the run no matter where she goes. I don't think she's ever tired unless she's injured," Erend rubs his head, "Alright, she said to stop up at Plainsong and have the Dyer give you tips and tricks, yeah?"
I nod, yawning as I trudge alongside the cart, "Zo mentioned that the Dyer's name was Gana when she took my armor to have Gana dye it... I hope she's nice..." I sighs, trudging along until we got to the gates and could begin climbing the wicker city to explore.
Eventually, we found her, tucked in behind the Stitcher.
"Hello! Ahh, the odd armor that Zo brought me, and with such lovely color requests, too. It is yours? It suits you quite well, Outlander," she chuckles, nodding to me as I walk up to her.
"Hi! Um... Gana, right?" I say nervously.
"Yes, seedling," she smiles, "Don't be scared, I'm not poisonous!" She teases, chuckling.
I sigh softly, and rub my head, "You see, I have a project in mind... I'm going to be making a soft toy, with cloth, for a friend to give to their lover, and I need to be able to dye cloth properly... I was wondering if you would be willing to teach me?" I ask, trying not to overstep, while also preparing to get rejected.
"Oh that sounds lovely. I'd be happy to show you the trade! Sit, and I'll try to give you a rough explanation," she smiles.
"Would it be alright if I use the device on my head to record this? My memory is a little bit wonky when I'm nervous, and I can record what you do snd see it again later so I don't do this wrong..." I explain, gesturing to my focus, "So it'd be like hearing you explain it a hundred times, but you only really explain it once."
"That sounds wuite different... Ah, does it have to do with the scarlet-haired huntress' second sight?" Gana asks, perking an eyebrow.
"Yes, actually. It is the same device. It can do... quite a lot." I chuckle nervously.
"Well, everyone learns at their own pace. Go for it!" She chuckles, "Now, what you want is these types of blooms. They grow on cliff edges, and are wuite potent even by themselves. If you dry them, grind them, and mix them with water, you gain a permanent dye. It comes off of skin... eventually," she continues explaining, running me through techniques, and various other lines of inquiry I led her down.
So much just to dye some cloth. But honestly it was worth it,