Print

[abadlex]

Although she did note Mila saying that half of what she said in her introductions were jokes, Laura focused more on Elister's response. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the things the Zora told her. The red soil and mulitcoloured sands at the lake's bottom. The blue and purple plants growing out of the soil. The varied shells scattered all over the sands. Laura kind of wished she could see it... But humans can't breathe underwater and can only hold their breathe for so long, not enough to truly enjoy the breauty below the waters.

Laura opened her eyes and said. "It does sound lovely..."

Elandra smiled and shifted so she was laying on her stomache. "Yes, it does" the fairy said. "Of course, breauty can be found in every place... It might be harder for some to see, especially if you don't live in the area"

"Hmm... I heard much about the forest from my uncle" Laura said. "But other than that and what I heard about Lake Hylia, I don't know much about other places"

"But moving back to what Elister said..." Laura continued. "I'm curious about what you consider to be the advantages of this world"

[Drake Fightmaster]

Koda seemed rather interested in Elister, at least Mila thought, but he soon turned his attention back to her. Perhaps...

"I really must be some manner of deviant to jump to these sort of things. So what if Elister seems to have implied that he and Nikolai were in a relationship? And so what if Koda seems to have shown an interest in that same implication? For all I know, that could have meant any number of things and Koda took an interest in one of those many things. Yes, it probably means something that I have not yet considered. Oh, I am so bad..."

"Ah, well you have hit the figurative nail on the head Koda. That is the point of my travels. I go from place to place to learn stories, then I tell them for monetary compensation. When a town tires of my presence, I go to another one to learn new stories for my next trip. When it comes to the types of stories I know... I have all of the famous Hylian stories memorized, and know most of the more obscure ones. I know a variety of stories from all of the other races as well, but only the more famous ones among their kin. I am building my repertoire every day."

Mila smiled, a bit impressed with herself.

"Now... you said you travel as well. For reasons of edification, correct? It must be easy with those wings of yours... travel has made my body strong, but my legs are still short so it can be a bit rough. What manner of things have you learned so far?"

[Aether Engine]

Putting down the map for a moment, Matthias accepted the compass,and nodded to Nikolai. Then Nikolai spoke on what to do next.

It took Matthias off guard, that was for sure. Just look around his place like that? Give some stranger permission to go through his stuff?

“... Alright,” Matthias responded, his surprise easily bleeding through his words.

Do I really seem that trustworthy?

“Well, I guess I'll go through and see what looks good then. And hopefully you can get us transport.”

Definitely preferable to walking the entire way in any case.

Matthias started to fold up the map and put it on the table, weighing it down with the compass. With breakfast done, the table would make a good surface to put useful stuff out in the open before they left.

[McDodgerman]

Roarke had hoped that his impatience would be apparent, but all he had done was force himself to listen to the outdoors group more closely. The talk was more entertaining to be sure, but he couldn't drown out words of peanuts and pistachios. It's your own house, you could've arranged the trip faster than this.

It was a small complaint compared to the other conversations going on. He had never so much as thought to look underwater, for fear of drowning; but it'd be a nice change of pace compared to constant brown and green, especially if the riverbed was as pretty as Elister had described. Where even the ground was colorful... He tried to imagine how it'd look, but he could only go by his experiences of wading through it like mud or quicksand, how it sucked him down with every step. He had been annoyed by it all those other times... but now he wanted to appreciate it...

Mila's words intrigued him too. Roarke had lived much a similar life, but spent his time cheating others instead of entertaining them. What was the difference, anyways? Walk in, tell story, get money, walk out, change story as necessary; but she was much less of a beggar. She was creative enough to turn wandering into an art, a career. After all his adventures, and not one anecdote that could hold a match to her tales...

He sighed a little to himself. A finger in every pie and a mouth in none. Despite recognizing all the conversations he could be joining, he still didn't feel like getting over himself to change his predicament. Small talk could come after finishing the job, and the fair wasn't too far away. It only felt like an eternity.

[ShadowCat]

Koda thought the way Mila lived, traveling around to learn and tell stories sounded great. He was sure it wasn’t fun all the time, his own travels weren’t at times, but he still found it to be more interesting then say… if she’d just been a bakers daughter here with her family to sell pies.

Koda nodded a bit when she asked about his own traveling, to the comment about it being easier to get around with his wings. “Wings do make it easier on me.” He agreed with a grin and flexed one a little. “I do walk a lot too though, especially when I have land born traveling partners. It’s a little unfair if I go on ahead and get an inn and wait for them to catch up. So I do know what you mean by it being rough.”

“And for why I travel. You’re mostly right. It is in hopes of learning new stuff, but I’m not sure what I’ve learned isn’t as interesting as your stories.” At least he didn’t think so. “I’m mostly just interested in the deference's of places. My own mountainous home town is rather boring, and lacking in knowledge from other places. I decided if I couldn’t learn by asking others what the rest of the world was like, that I’d go and find out myself.”

“As boring as it is, it’s still home though.” He quietly added more to himself then Mila. Going quiet he looked at the pale girl. He’d got the feeling from what she’d said , or more what she’d avoided saying, that she didn’t feel like anyplace was home. It was kind of sad. Koda was comforted to know he had a place to go back to when his wings tired, or he just missed his family.

[Qu33n0f1c3]

The morning air was warm, but crisp; not too humid, but not cool enough to mask the stench of death carrying on the wind from the festival.

Nikolai wrinkled his nose against the breeze, but he kept his gait steady, advancing quickly across the fields, going a different way than Elister and his party had gone to bring the children home. Nikolai did not want to view the battlefield. He would enter through the back, and avoid the bitter memories of the nightmare.

He made it to the ranch in good time, and let himself in with a rare key imparted to hard working farm hands. Inside, a woman looked up, startled. Seeing who was there, however, she relaxed.

"Sorry to frighten," Nikolai said gently, turning his back on the girl named Malon and stalking down the corridor that lead to the front of the barn.

"Are you all right, Sir Nikolai?" she asked gently, watching him stop by the double doors and gaze out the window.

"I'm alive, which is more I can say than some," he remarked bitterly.

Malon approached, though didn't dare lay a hand on him. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"I need to borrow a horse," Nikolai said, ignoring the girl's compassionate remark. "I'm to be traveling to the Temple of Time. I need a strong one that can pull heavy loads for long distances."

"The temple of . . . Sir Nikolai, in these dangerous times you can't mean to make such a terrible trip? Don't you worry about the danger?"

"What is there to fear? Should I die, I will join my wife and child," Nikolai said derisively. He stepped away from the doors and began to look over the horses in their stables.

"I don't have the authority to be lending out the animals," Malon said, her hands wringing against her abdomen.

"Talon was knocked out cold in the battle. You must stand in for your father, Malon." Nikolai turned to her at last and bore into her coldly with a mild glare. "I need a horse. Please fit me one."

Malon bit her lower lip. Nikolai had always been this way. Harsh and impatient, the man had a name around the ranch, if not bad, then at the least infamous. She knew she had to obey his demands. The man rarely was as serious about things as he was then.

"Do you have provisions for such a journey?" Malon asked, walking slowly toward a stall she knew housed their prized mare. "What will you eat? How will you sleep?"

"I need a wagon as well," Nikolai said in answer, as though that was all she needed to know.

"Is that all?" There was a hint of sarcasm in Malon's tone as she unlocked the gate to the mare's stable. "No food or water? How will you survive?"

"I will bring my bow."

"You men are so stubborn," Malon sighed, guiding the horse by her reigns to Nikolai's waiting hands. "Come, I'll hitch her to a wagon. But we're going to town right after and fitting you properly with rations. You may not care if you starve, but I insist you at least take care of Epona on the way."

[Aether Engine]

Matthias had begun to look through Nikolai's belongings, though not without feeling guilty as he did so. Looking for the nuts at first did not feel so bad, since Nikolai had directly mentioned them, but anything else? It gave Matthias an electric feeling in his spine, a dread feeling that he was doing something wrong, that what he was doing was tantamount to stealing, or possibly voyeuristic.

Certainly, there were normal things, plates, silverware, perishable food, that held no scandalous value, but the fact that they were in some way not in plain sight, gave Matthias the feeling that he was peeking into something which was none of his business. Closing another cubboard Matthias turned  away from it and leaned against the counter, huffing a sigh. He had Nikolai's permission to look, but there was no getting rid of that guilty feeling he had nonetheless.

[Drake Fightmaster]

Mila listened as the Rito replied. It seemed he occasionally walked with company, which might put a damper on his wing use. For the most part, however, it seemed that he used them often.

"I would love to have wings. I always travel alone anyways... and soaring through the skies sounds really fun. It is a dream, I believe, that all earthbound creatures have shared since the beginning of time."

In addition, it seemed that he truly was interested in learning. It was good, Mila thought, to have such a hunger for knowledge. He seemed to believe that whatever he had learned thus far was not as interesting as her own stories, however, which embarrassed her a bit. He also seemed to believe that his own home was rather boring. She supposed that it might be to someone who had lived there all their life, but it was quite interesting to her. Perhaps in the same way that Koda thought places outside his own home were interesting.

“As boring as it is, it’s still home though.” he added quietly, looking to Mila.

Mila looked back at him for a few seconds before replying.

"Oh, goodness... you poor thing, are you homesick?" she asked, her eyes filled with concern.

"How did I not see this sooner? I should be able to read the audience better than this..."

"It must be tough to be away from home for so long... would you like a hug?"

Mila spread her arms and gave a somewhat forlorn smile. She never liked how she looked, but a hug was a hug... and even if it was her it might make someone feel better.

[Qu33n0f1c3]

"Advantages? Well, I don't suppose you would understand, being as young as you are," Elister said quietly, not meaning offense, but simply referring to the fact that Laura was still a young child.

"Travel is easier up here, for one; most bodies of water won't bring you all over the continent like travel by land will. And the food up here is more varied, at least in terms of livestock."

[abadlex]

"Advantages? Well, I don't suppose you would understand, being as young as you are" Elister had said quietly.

Laura wasn't sure what he had meant by that. What does age have to do with understanding? She chose to not dwell on it and continued to listen to Elister.

"Travel is easier up here, for one; most bodies of water won't bring you all over the continent like travel by land will. And the food up here is more varied, at least in terms of livestock"

"Hmm... Yeah" Laura said in thought. "I don't know much about the travel part but the food part... The only thing I can think of is fish"

"I can't think of something else to ask him... Oh, I know" Laura thought to herself before speaking with Elister. "Hey, I shouldn't be the only one asking questions! Don't you have anything to ask me?"

"Well..." Elandra piped up.

"Give Elister a chance first" Laura interrupted. "It's only fair seeing as I've asked him some things already..."

[ShadowCat]

Koda blinked and nearly gaped as the pale Kokiri girl asked if he was home sick. That hadn’t been the outcome he’d been expecting from there talk. Though his sad tone might make it seem like that to others, he wasn’t exactly homesick. He definitely wouldn’t mind be in his mountainous home now instead of the ruined fair, but wasn’t missing his family a great deal. He’d been traveling long enough to mostly get most of that.

As he looked Mila and her outstretched arms for a hug, he wondered if maybe she was offering one as she wanted to be hugged. For some reason she just seemed so sad to Koda... Well even if she didn’t, Koda decided to take her up on the offer. A comforting hug was always a nice thing, and something hard to come by on the road.

Smiling at her Koda gestured for her to come closer. “I’d love to accept your hug. But you must let me know if someday I can return the favor.” He told her.

[Drake Fightmaster]

After looking at her for a second, Koda replied.

“I’d love to accept your hug. But you must let me know if someday I can return the favor.” He said.

Mila's face lit up and she dashed across the couple of feet between them, dropping her umbrella along the way. She wrapped her arms around the Rito and squeezed them close together.

"Eheh... well, if you insist..." Replied Mila.

Truth be told, Mila wanted a hug as well. She did not enjoy talking about 'home'. She was smart. She knew more about Hyrule than most anybody, and was probably the most talented and knowledgeable storyteller there was (Not that there were many storytellers these days). However, when it came to some... very basic things one was supposed to have done by her age, she was stunted. She had never known a home, had never had anything resembling a family, hadn't even formed a friendship until recently, and certainly hadn't...

Speaking of, that was another reason for the hug. It was a quick way to get Koda off the subject of homes.

I know you're selfish, Mila.

But she would not think about that. This hug required concentration, so she concentrated on it.

[Qu33n0f1c3]

Elister blinked at Laura in surprise, not really sure what to say. He didn't want to be rude and tell the girl he had nothing to ask, but when he thought about it, there really wasn't anything he was curious about.

The girl was a stranger, after all, and after today, he wasn't ever going to see her again. Why should he even care about her personal life? Why should she care about his?

Then he noticed what was going on between Koda and Mila, and he felt shame, as well as a deep longing welling up in his heart.

Those two were strangers, were they not? Yet they were speaking of embrace. And Elister couldn't even bring himself to think of a question to ask and entertain a little girl.

Elister slowed his pace so they wouldn't leave the two behind. They were nearly at the camp grounds anyway. Not far off in the distance were wagons and mules to pull them along. Families were gathering inside the wagons by the dozen. The caravans were filling up quickly as each one was sent on its way. The crowds on the ground were therefore beginning to thin. Hopefully Mila and Laura would be able to find their families without much difficulty.

Smiling sheepishly, and feeling like a fool, all he could bring himself to ask was, "Are you ready to go home?" as he motioned to the wagons.

Nikolai emerged from the barn guiding Epona by the reigns. She was hitched up to a traveling wagon, which Malon had graciously loaded with long-lasting rations and other supplies. Epona's tail swished as they walked. She was still warming up to the man. They had known each other for some years now, and they never did get along particularly well. But there was no question that Epona was strong, and when she put her mind to it, she could accomplish what many other animals could not. Even if she gave him a hard time the whole journey, Nikolai could rely on her.

[Aidan]

A spin here, a pirouette there, and a flick of her wrists all the while. Streamers of fire writhed around her as she danced, a spiral of heat and light that illuminated the night. The crowd clapped all the more as Verana concluded the dance by forming the myriad threads into a blooming rosebud traced by fire. After several bows, she held cupped the orbs in both hands as the flames slowly snaked their way back into them. It was then she heard the screaming.

Without a second thought Verana rushed off, traveling against the flow of the masses. It didn't take her long to find the sight she had been dreading: reDeads were at the Festival. Be safe Ignis, I can't afford to lose you. Almost instinctual, her training took over and she began herding people towards whatever safety there was. Several tents away, two kids tumbled out of a tent screaming. She was already running to intercept as the reDead followed from the tent, tongues of flame trailing from her hands.

"Get down now!" Even as she yelled, she planted her leading foot, and with a grunt, whipped the fire forward. Thankfully the children had listened, gluing themselves to the dirt, and thus avoided the searing touch of the flames as they struck, winding around the waist of the nightmarish creature. When the children finally cowered behind her, Verana twitched her wrist to release the whip. As she did so, the creature began shambling towards her. With a cold disposition, the whip snaked forward again and again. First an arm fell, and then it's head.

Suddenly something hit her in the back, stumbling her. Slowly, she fell towards the ground and-

Woke up from the nightmare just as Ignis thumped her shoulder with his head again. With a groan Verana got to her feet, brushing off the twigs and grass that stuck to her. Before her horse could nudge her again, she picked up the rolled blanket she had used as a pillow and swung up into the saddle. After taking a moment to check that her longsword was still in the saddle sheath- and to shake off the dread from the nightmare- she prodded her horse with a toe. "Let's go boy, we need to find some breakfast. For the both of us." With a whinny, Ignis trotted off in search of food. Neither wanted to be forced to eat the dried food he carried.

After letting Ignis wander for nearly 10 minutes, Verana was ready to take charge of their search when it finally came into sight- an apple tree with fruit still hanging. Once in the shade, Ignis stood still, waiting expectantly. With a resigned sigh, she clambered up until she was standing in the saddle. With balance born only from many years of practice, Verana picked apples, guiding her horse by foot, until she had more than a dozen in the blanket. With a short hop she landed on the ground and set the blanketful of apples down. Both of them began eating as a man entered the barn, neither paying any attention.

After a couple apples, Verana looked around the apple tree again. It was close enough to the ranch that it was likely theirs, so Verana tucked a handful of rupees in the bole of the tree, hoping a thief didn't find them first. Swatting Ignis away from the apples left, she scooped them up and into a saddlebag. After rolling the blanket and tying it behind the saddle, she noticed that the man had left the barn, a horse and wagon in tow. Curious... Without a second thought she rolled up into the saddle, this time riding side-saddle out of laziness, and pulled an apple from the bag. Ignis craned his head back to glare at her, but she simply grinned before nudging him with a foot. "Follow, Ignis. Might as well find someone who knows what there is to do."

With a shake of his head, Ignis obeyed, and soon they caught up with the man. Though not a hard task, considering the loaded wagon. True to his mischevious nature, he eased close before swinging his head to take a chomp at the man's shoulder. Only the quick twitch of the reigns by Verana kept it to an attempt only. It didn't stop her from swatting his ears with the reigns either. "Bad boy, Ignis, you just ate already. I do apologize for that, he's a rather ill-mannered horse who refuses to break his habits. So then, might I inquire as to your destination? I find myself taken by the desire to no longer be here."

[abadlex]

Elister had blinked in surprise and fell silent. Laura started to feel nervous, realizing that she might have chosen the wrong conversation partner. The Zora didn't seem to be quite talkative, although he might be with Nikolai as the two of them most likely got to know each other during their travels.

Elister had chosen to look at something else, which turned out to be Mila and Koda hugging. Laura smiled at the sight, happy that Mila made another friend after that Mila had said she was her first friend...

"And we will be going our separate way... Even if I don't find an immediate way home, I can't stop Mila from finding her parents and continuing on" Laura thought to herself. "I can have her show me that cheap place to stay but that's it"

Elister brought her out of her thoughts, they were mere steps away from the grounds.

"Yes I am" Laura responded, nodding at the Zora. "Thank you for the escort. If my parents have not arrive here, then I hope there is still a wagon going to Kakariko"

Laura made her way towards the thinning crowd with Ceal in tow and the hope that her parents have managed to arrive.