Asir glowered at himself for blundering with words he did not understand, but could not admit ignorance to Mara who clung tightly to his arm. "I think," he said, "that a technologist is a thief who tells the gods what to do."
"Kiss me, Technologist," she told him in a small voice.
Big Joe clanked to a stop to wait for them to move on. He waited a long time.