"...Oh. That's... Morbid." Jo's eyes darted from Cyrus' moving chains, to his shoes, then the feet of the table as he spoke about it. "...Hm. Perhaps, then a lighter wall- made of barbed wire, which is light and easy to set up, would do? It was used in the war, before we went nuclear and migrated to the sky. It's just wire with razor sharp edges and needle point sharp points all around it. I wouldn't know where to get any in my world, but I could print out blueprints and information on it for you, if it would be of any help to your situation?" She let out a small sigh, rubbig her face softly as she thought about the issue.
"Mana? The bible- um, the christian bible, to be specific- mentions it, but it was a flake-like food item, rather than a force. How does one even... get exposed to it like that, though? Is it like radiation- coming from specific things?" She looked to him, feeling rather confused.
"...Ah, so there's an exception." Jo arched a brow at the man as she watched him, finding herself still toying with her fingers. "Your views on information are still looser than the ones shown in my world. Even negative things, such as health-department inspections on restaurants, or crimes, are skirted around, if mentioned at all, where I come from. Even not in the media, people try to not be negative. It's really weird. But, you're fine. I mean, you're only human. Things can get to us from time to time, so It's understandable that something that sounds so petty would get to you." She sat there for a moment, listening to the answers that he gave her.
"I believe our currency is different. Mine is Credits- they're based on my handprint, which I have to give to spend any of them. I don't think you have anything like that here." With a look up, she paused, watching the top off the tent as if it would give her ideas. "..I suppose, though... If you get me a book, any kind of book, or something else I'd like, I could consider it a trade, and count the money, at least to myself, as spent on whatever is traded." She looked back to him, shrugging slightly. "Even if you have a definition that is different than mine- which, if you're not playing a cruel joke on me, it seems more like a fact than an "if"- proving that won't change my views. I'm not mad, just..." She paused, searching for a word. "Annoyed, and uncomfortable. I'll send you a magazine later today, if you can find me something interesting. It shouldn't be hard, as I suspect that I'll be so blown away by everything once I step outside that I'll be standing in one place like a square for a good, long while." She let out a small chuckle, trying to imagine her own reaction when she stepped outside. "Also, I'm apologizing in advance for just how stupid I look and act. I haven't really been amazed by anything for almost a decade at this point, until today, and in all honesty, I'm not sure how I'd even react if I saw a bird."
"Oh... I think there're ways to get around the salty soil. I bet, if they were flooded for a while, then drained- or properly irrigated, the salt would move with the water. It's not irreparable- especially if the people of the north can control water as you say. Unless, you mean in this war and not in the events of northern invasion- even then, though, there's the issue of the water-magic people. Nature, I've heard, always has its ways- so long as nature itself hasn't been murdered with a thousand nuclear bombs, three hundred thousand gallons of toxic chemicals and waste, several natural disasters, and a good ten years worth of total war." She tilted her head with yet another shrug, this one only moving one shoulder.
Her attention was immediately captured by the items Cyrus gave her, feeling the fabric between her fingers, and, when given the quill, dropping it on her lap to admire the feather, carefully running an edge over her fingers. She was captivated, turning the quill around between her fingers, noting the dried ink on the tip rubbing off slowly onto her hands. "..r..Really? You mean it?" She looked up from the feather to Cyrus, eyes wide in a childish display of surprise and dazzlement. "It's so... I don't think I have words for it. Pretty? Not made of cheap plastic? I'd say rare, but... I guess it's not really all that rare over here." Her attention turned back to it, and she ran it over her fingers once more. "...I'd take this in exchange for getting you that magazine. Hell, I'd probably take this for my couch.The, um.. The long, soft, plush seat that took up a lot of space in my living room." Her eyes softened as she looked over it again, wondering where she'd put it, as she was afraid to damage it.
"Well, despite actual snow being rare, we make "snow" that is really just ice shavings and bits," Jo explained, deciding to just hold the quill. "And we put it in a cone, then pour flavored syrups over it. They're called snow cones, and they're delicious. They're perfect for hot days... And, my grandpa, when he was still around, would tell me about his youth where he would sometimes eat snow, just because it was a fun thing to do, and the snow from his area had a weird, hard to find taste to it. He said that it used to be a common thing, and that if it was ever safe for me to try it, I should." She shrugged, eyes not lifting from the feather.
"Well, if it's wind, the platform wouldn't budge. It's built to weather even the most intense storms- and, trust me, we get some crazy wind storms sometimes. Fire would burn my house down, but on the main platform would only damage the paint, as the metal is a high grade, super durable alloy of some kind. Water wouldn't do jack diddly, except maybe wash people away if they couldn't get into hovercars or shelters fast enough. Dunno what dark would do, but we have some pretty bright lights- you should see my flash light, when it's dark out. The only thing that could maybe harm us would be an earthquake; but we're thousands of miles away from the earth. I don't think they would be able to reach it." She explained numbly, as if she'd had something similar explained to her before. "For sure lightning would obliterate anyone not wearing shoes, especially on the platform where it hits, but you didn't mention if that was a thing people could do here." She looked up at the thought of lightning, looking concerned. "Um... Is that a thing here? Please tell me it's not. I.. Um, I really can't even handle thunder." She explained, face growing pale as she thought more on the idea of being able to generate lightning. NErvously she looked back to the feather, hoping to distract herself from her fear.
"..Oh, that makes sense." she changed the topic, eager to put the thought if lightning behind her. "They sound beautiful. I've never seen a natural hill before; just some domes and the like here and there around the platforms. I'd love to see them." She glanced up for a moment, pushing some of her hair out of her peripheral vision.
"...Oh, that's right, people around here probably use basic metals," Jo noted, straightening up as she looked at the chains that were now wrapped around Cyrus. "...When those break, let me know. I can buy some really, really durable ones. They're priced by foot, and can get pretty pricey, but I'd imagine you could find me things of equal value to trade. If it's an emergency, I could let you have them in advance, too."
