{ halloween }

[dreamposts]

HALLOWEEN

Another Halloween has arrived in Reverein, and the Nightmare Troupe returns from their mysterious origins to help transform the carnival grounds to fit the season. They've added a new feature attraction: The Labyrinth, where everyone just runs around to fight spooky baddies for candy, prizes, and flex one's combat abilities in dreamotion. It's all in good fun, of course!

More details on everything can be found here. As a reminder, events double as our TDMs and information can be found here. Any outside characters participating in the log are canonly logged as appearing in Songerein in October and will remain in Songerein from the IC date of October 25th, just before the event ICly begins. TDM only characters can only thread within this log. Anyone who apps in and is accepted will have their character count October as their first time in the game without any disruption, so all content will carry over. Those who do not apply will disappear which should not seem too unusual, however players in game can choose to retcon and pretend a character was never there to begin with if it would be easier; or even think their presence was just a dream.

IMPORTANT! All outside characters MUST have "TDM" in their subject line, even if you might not app. This will help people differentiate those who are already in the game and those who are not.

TDM threads are required for samples. Refer to the Game Info for general information and feel free to toss any questions here. Reserves will open October 25th and Applications will open on November 1st. Our application cycles are bi-monthly so the next cycle after won't be until January.

TDM Toplevel Link Directory (click to view)

Bokurano - Jun Ushiro
Cookie Run Kingdom - Black Raisin Cookie
Dead by Daylight - Zarina Kassir
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Edgin Darvis
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Xenk Yendar
Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core - Genesis Rhapsodos
Final Fantasy XIV - Emet-Selch
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Final Fantasy XV - Somnus Lucis Caelum
Full Metal Alchemist - Alphonse Elric
Genshin Impact - Ei
Genshin Impact - Nahida
Great Ace Attorney, The - Iris Wilson
Hey Arnold! - Helga G. Pataki
Hi-Fi Rush - Chai
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Zelda
Noragami - Yato
Original - Astralin Turnont
Touhou - Maribel Hearn

We will request any thread submissions for certain prompts during AC and TDM threads will count. For more information, refer to the Game Notes.

I. CARNIVAL

II. LABYRINTH

COMMENTS

I. CARNIVAL

While the carnival grounds still have the standard fare of attractions themed up for Halloween, there are a few new ones popping up thanks to the Nightmare Troupe. Some are similar to what appeared last year, but with a different look to them. Some, perhaps, more terrifying than before.

A. Personalized Costumes. All throughout Reverein boutiques and tailors are in full swing to create costumes for those who wish to wear, either by renting or buying. However, for those who are a bit adverse, the fairy godmothers are out and about ready to employ their fashion magic to grant anyone and everyone a special Halloween costume, just for them! There might be the slight side effect that the wearer may behave like the costume itself, but it's just a temporary phase.

B. Vampring Frights. The vamprings are still out and about, nibbling on nightmares. But now they are also appearing outside of dreams, deciding that a bit of fear could make as good of a snack or meal as any other. Only the ones that are truly hungry will appear, so a little purple blob will bounce and latch onto any part of their target's body they can reach (though they particularly like the top of the head). Those who are bitten in this manner won't try to bite others, fortunately. Instead, they will become something like a "Vampring minion" and try to invoke fear and scare others. (For more information and use the original version of the Vampring, read here.)

C. Monster Swaps. Small monsters will roam the carnival grounds and will swap bodies with random people to go around pulling pranks and tricks in the person's body. The person is now trapped in the monster's body, but has access to the monster's trickster, spooky abilities as well (ie, players can make this up). To return to normal, they must find their original body and bite it. Otherwise, they will have to wait for the monster to get bored and return to switch them back.

D. Carnival Fare. Here are a few of the general games and attractions available for carnival goers to enjoy.

🔫 Zombie Shooter. Ride through a rickety car through a building and shoot the "zombies" that pop up with bright green paintball guns. While most are cardboard, there are a few volunteers that dress for the occasion. Don't mind their pain as they get hit, they're fine.
👻 Spooky Stories. Instead of a fire, there is a boiling cauldron set up where people can gather around and try to conjure up their spookiest story. The steam over the cauldron will change and twist to try and illustrate the story as it goes, and should it proof particularly scary, a manifestation of the terror will crawl out of it to terrorize everyone for a little bit before disappearing.
🍏 Poisoned Apples. Special caramel covered green apples are handed out throughout the carnival. One bite will inflict one or more of the following effects: floating, dizzy, sugar rush, creepy, frightful. (Players are free to be creative and come up with additional effects!)
🧹 Broom Carousel. The horses have been replaced with different styles of witch brooms, letting everyone have a safe experience of flying on a broom. Until the brooms suddenly fly out of the carousel and into the carnival. Hang on or stop that broom!
🎃 Pumpkin Carving Challenge. Pumpkins can be found all over the grounds, and there is a challenge to carve them with dreamotion and light a special candle in them. Doing so will bring the pumpkin to life and behave like whatever expression or drawing carved on them. Whether they behave nicely is a different matter. Blowing out the candle will stop the pumpkin.

E. House of Mirrors. The House of Mirrors will have new mirrors installed that have new special effects…many making everyone inside feel not quite themselves.

🎭 Jekyll and Hyde. A black framed mirror where the opposite version of the viewer appears to taunt them.
💅 Narcissism. A gold framed mirror where one will see the best version of themselves and will stand stuck in front of it admiring themselves. They will need to be forcibly dragged away…else they may get stuck on the mirror.
🛌 Dream or Nightmare? A silver framed mirror that will reflect either a good dream or a nightmare that's on the viewer's mind. It will be a strong image, so strong that the viewer may be tempted to dreamwalk into the mirror, either to be a part of it or to destroy it. Some help may be required to help them either accomplish their goal or pull them out.
🪞 Mirror Version. Sometimes, a "mirror version" of the viewer may reach out to switch places, trapping the original inside the mirror while the mirror version goes out to cause some chaos. The trapped person can only traverse through mirrors, and can only be freed if the mirrored version is shoved back into any mirror. One way to tell a mirror version apart is that they will randomly reflect things off their body.

F. Haunted Ryokan. A haunted Japanese styled inn is the theme for this year's "haunted house." On the outside, it looks invitingly eerie, with life-sized traditional Japanese dolls as their hosts and guides. They hope their new patrons will enjoy their stay…forever.

🏮 Peony Lantern. At first a beautiful woman will appear holding a lantern and take a person's hand to lead them through the narrow halls lit by floating lanterns. But whenever they pass under a lantern, the woman's form changes into a skeleton. Once they are noticed, they will screech and chase them through the hallways and rooms to the next location, but if left alone it will quietly lead them without issue.
🛁 Bathhouse. Somehow they get to the bathing area where the steam rises thick around them. Without warning a ghostly figure of a long-haired drowned woman will crawl out and chase with a bloody knife. Fish spirits will also fly out to impede them, but they could be used to smack the woman instead. Should someone slip in the water, they'll feel hands grab at them, trying to pull them under…
🪦 Graveyard. Past the courtyard is a graveyard where all manner of Japanese inspired ghosts and demons roam. A special paper talisman is available, and once powered with positive dreamotion it will create a shikigami that will help ward off and defend against the ghosts. But it must have constant dreamotion poured into it, so should it ever go out, the ghosts and demons will suddenly rush into chase.
🐕 Shiba Statues. Should anyone be having a truly terrible time, special little shiba inu statues will trot in to dispel the "evils" and give the visitor some much needed comfort and respite. They will even guide them to the exit if needed. Those who manage to pass through on their own will also meet the shiba inu statues and have a chance to play with them as if in congratulations.

II. LABYRINTH

A big structure now occupies the area just beyond the Fairgrounds. Towering stone walls hide complex pathways inside, and it turns out its express purpose is not to get people lost, but for a little bit of exploration. There is no entrance/exit, just a special circular teleportation pad that will take them inside and there is no end goal. It's not difficult to get out once inside, but the winding paths encourage visitors to check behind corners for treats because there's a lot of treats AND tricks!

A. Halloween Creatures. The labyrinth is populated with silly creatures held together by craft glue and duct tape both dreamotion and nightmare. These creatures will attack on sight, but subdue them and reap the rewards: candy and silly toys! It's all for fun, after all.

🦴 Skeletons. Their bones are made of rubber and most physical attacks will bounce off them. Have to get in close to blast with dreamotion!
🕷 Glow-In-The-Dark Plastic Spiders. Will shoot sticky licorice webbing that will trip up and trap any caught in it. Have to eat through it to get out, and the flavor could either be red or black.
🔺 Candy Corn Golems. Chuck giant pieces of candy corn that are delicious, but hurt! Golems will melt under intense heat.

B. Mysterious Doors. Sometimes, you may find a door at one of the dead ends. Knock, and most of the time a kindly old lady (where did she come from? Don't worry about it–) will present you with special trick-or-treat bags. The other times, a swarm of genuinely sinister nightmare creatures will come pouring out. Oops! Try again next time! Here are some of the items the old lady will give and their effects (they can be taken home after the event):

🧙 Witch's Hat. The hat will automatically fly on top of the person's head and will allow them to cast silly hexes of misfortune on their targets.
🧹 Witch's Broom. Can fly at fast speeds for a few minutes at a time. Only goes up to three feet in the air.
🤓 Plastic Fangs. These fangs will fit themselves in the person's mouth and will allow them to bite any candy corn golem or sticky spider licorice webbing with ease. And normal foods, too.
🕸 Spray Can of Licorice Webbing. Releases a spray of licorice webbing similar to the ones used by the plastic spiders.
🧻 Roll of Toilet Paper. Exactly as it says.
🍫 Nougat Center. A delicious treat that will temporarily boost one's stats dreamotion abilities.

C. Beware of Steve. If you're very unlucky, you may hear an ominous clatter in the distance... The low rumble of a revving chainsaw... Those who spend lots of time in the labyrinth will know soon enough–those are noises that mean you need to run. Because STEVE, THE 20-FOOT-TALL CHAINSAW-WIELDING SKELETON, takes no hostages, and he's out for blood!!! He will continue chasing people until fought, and anything goes with this foe. While dreamotion attacks will work, using the items given by the old lady in the doors will inflict greater damage. Anyone who is "killed" by Steve will be knocked out of the Labyrinth unharmed.


D. Grand High Viscount of Candy Corn. On the other end of giant "horrors" is a giant golem made of candy corn with a large top hat that may appear out of one of the doors. Its main attack, besides trying to punch and pummel, is spewing sticky candy goop that will trap anyone caught in it. It'll wear off, but until then, any caught in it will at first feel very energetic and attack more quickly before becoming sluggish and unable to do much, as if they suffered an extreme sugar crash.

I. CARNIVAL

II. LABYRINTH

COMMENTS

Comments

[sagesurvivor]

[N... no, don't make that face. That face plucks pangs of guilt from his heartstrings just as deftly as the melody she had played earlier, even as his general sense of unease about her remains, settling as a quiet itch in the back of his mind in contrast to the chilling spike of anxiety from before.

... But, maybe he was wrong? Though he still can't quite summon the courage to hold her gaze with confidence, he listens closely to her words, and finds it difficult to tease out any insincerity from them. Nor do any of the double meanings he can possibly think of seem to quite fit in context. And the memory of interrogating the future's Princess upon his own arrival (at a time the fairy godmothers were also out in force, no less) hangs over him like a gloomy cloud.

He needs more information. Fortunately, she asks a deceptively simple question that may lead to just that and work out some of her apparent misunderstanding in one fell swoop. Gently, lightly, he places a hand over the one at his arm, as though to steady her, because he knows what he's about to say is going to sound rather insane.]

... There are two young men that bear that name in this realm. The first hails from Kokiri Forest and is usually accompanied by a fairy, though she has failed to follow him here. The second returned relatively recently from defeating a great evil known as "Calamity Ganon" and possesses a... heavily decorated right arm that is a deep green in color.

[...]

Though... I do not believe either is the one you are looking for, are they.

[If it doesn't actually sound like a question, that's because it isn't one. The royals associated with those Links are all accounted for, even if he's the only one that can truly be sure of that.]

[foremother]

[ if it is more information he desires, he can get it easily. as sheik speaks, her attention is fully on him, drifting from his touch to his visage with brows worrying together, a look of melancholic upset written into her features. in this, she leans into him, trusting him fully. he has no reason to lie to her, you see: she could hold her own against him if she wanted, but moreover, it is a sheikah's job to tell the truth, she thinks, no matter how harshly it sits on her small, mortal shoulders.

the hat shifts a little, nearly sliding down her head. she adjusts it, then, a swirl of emotions breaking through on her face, and zelda looks aside, to the floor. an apology is already there on her face, but for who? she wonders. all of them, perhaps. it's all her fault. ]

I see. [ does she? maybe. could she hope for a better future anyway? of course, and so she minutely does, eyes closed before she looks back at him. ]

No, the Link I am looking for is— [ hesitancy slips into her voice, unwanted. that is only half true. now, once again, with firmness: ] My Link— [ because she knows that she will choose him again and again, in every life. ] is from Skyloft.

[ she hopes it rings a bell for him, but a stone is settling in the pit of her gut. goodness, thinks zelda. closing her eyes, she sighs, then continues. ] The "Calamity Ganon" holds no meaning to me. [ a clue. she wonders what he will say, what he will do, where he will place. ] And are you sure you don't mean Kikwi? I've met a lot of them in my journey on the surface.

[sagesurvivor]

[His lips purse together, watching her, the taste of his own discomfort bitter inside his mouth. She wears her emotions so honestly, the turbulent storm playing out across her face such a stark contrast to the peace and grace she has performed with out on the streets of Reverein, and Sheik finds his will to hold fast to his instincts slowing eroding beneath it, bit by bit.

The regret writ upon her expression feels familiar enough that it could be his own. A reflection glimpsed rippling across the river of time.

My Link, spoken with such certainty, on the other hand, is something he doesn't know if he'd ever be able to utter for himself. It feels a little lonely, acknowledging that, but he has plenty else to focus on.]

... I must ask your forgiveness again, my lady. [The honorific comes out a bit unsure; the safest bet made among an array of choices. He's grown accustomed to saying "your highness" himself since his arrival in Songerein, but the girl before him hasn't properly introduced herself yet.] But I am certain that I do not, as the Hero hailing from the Kokiri Forest is the one of my own era. It seems as though there has been some linguistic drift over the millennia.

[He speaks gently, sensitive to the hopes he knows he is dashing with every word. If she allows it, he will carefully start to lead them back through the labyrinth; this is a conversation better had in less cramped surroundings, though failing that, finding somewhere to at least sit comfortably would be nice.]

I've likened this realm as akin to an island adrift in time's river, and its inhabitants are as flotsam that have washed up upon its shores, with little regard for their points of origin. [A beat, a breath.] ... I fear I have never heard of a place called "Skyloft," though just the same, I had never heard of "Calamity Ganon" either before my own arrival here.

[foremother]

[ she has spent much of her life lately being lead. she feels it now, the familiarity of impa's teachings washing over her, the way she held an arm out for the goddess' spirit vessel to come forward, with her, but never too far behind. always just a step past her, following like she needed to. sheik can watch it: the way her face lights up with hope, starry and packed. her eyes glisten with it, the promise of something, but then it all collapses. her expression falls, folding in on itself in a way so fast and thorough that a lawn chair might be jealous.

she follows him. he can lead their way through. she has been following so much, these days. ]

I have no need to be like flotsam. [ firmly, though it is a statement polluted by sadness. she should tell him a year, she thinks, but she knows where she places on the timeline. she looks back up at him, and thinks to herself she will not drag him down with her, into her. hylia has caused too many curses, and he is awfully polite, and she is awfully hungry for control.

(that, too, may be hylia. who knows.)

a little fear hits her, though: what if she has told him too much, as is? ]

I haven't asked it yet. You'll forgive me, won't you? But I want to know your name.

[sagesurvivor]

[Such confidence despite her grief... he can't help but marvel at it. Where does it come from? Notes of her ring familiar to the Princess he's acquainted with - the soft weight of her hand at his arm, the way her eyes glimmer when hopeful and how her voice refuses to crumple even when all the rest of her does - but they've been arranged into different chords, their melodies set in a different key. He wonders what kind of life the girl at his side has lived, to express herself in such a way.

Ah, but she's asking for his name. He swallows around the fragments of his doubts that have lodged themselves in his throat, and tries to ignore the block of ice settling in his stomach.]

We can call ourselves even, if you'd like; I've not asked for yours either. [Even if he has a decent idea, it's still one made entirely from mental thumbtacks and string.] But you may call me Sheik.

[and it's a totally cool and not at all fake name shut up––]

[foremother]

[ he could ask, if he wants. zelda wouldn't lie to him, has no reason to deny her life in skyloft, to refuse to tell him tales of the cloud barrier and the knight academy. honest as she is, the reasoning would only be selfish. could it ever be anything else? she is a selfish girl, all cobbled together out of manipulation and mischief. they walk in hushed communion like a pair of desperate petitioners looking for clues to the meaning of life in this corridor: him, the mysterious man in a tuxedo, and her, garbed in goddess-robes. ]

You want to ask? [ she looks from the dimness of the path before them to his face, blue eyes meeting red for a moment that could stretch into eternity if they keep playing chess like this. a little smile graces her lips, then, slipping into place like a cat's paw slipping where it's not supposed to. ] It's Zelda. My name is Zelda. [ and she relishes, for a moment, just getting to say that it is her name, and it is her only name. a blessed moment of realization calms her mind as she tilts her head and beams freely, golden and bright. he may not know what she has done. is it unkind to hope for that?

what is assuredly unkind is the way she considers his name then speaks it, the sound of it unreal and syrup-y sweet on her tongue. ] Sheik. [ ... the sheikah. well, maybe impa wasn't her real name, anyway. ]

It's not really even, though, is it? I told you where I'm from. But you haven't heard of Skyloft, and the surface is so big. Go on, tell me about where you're from.

[sagesurvivor]

[Of course it is.

There is no surprise, no sudden realization in his eyes as she says those two familiar (and yet so very foreign) syllables, his expression carefully schooled into one of stoic neutrality when their gazes lock for that moment. No, he did not need to ask; he knew it, and she knows that he knew it, and that fact does little to help the anxiety scraping across his nerves like coarse sandpaper, but—

Just Zelda. Unadorned, unaccompanied by titles or honorifics, she chooses to introduce herself as merely herself, and finds great delight - or amusement? - in doing so. That was not something he was expecting, and his brow furrows with the oddity of it— then furrows further at the mocking tone she chooses to parrot his own name with. That doesn't do anything to assuage his worries, either. Still, he does answer her despite that slight display of displeasure, eager to move away from the subject.]

It is known as the Kingdom of Hyrule. ["Surface," huh?] In my era, the Kokiri Forest forms part of its eastern border, and it is cradled between a volcano to the north and a vast lake to the south, while a desert canyon wraps around the west.

[There's little reason to bore her with terminology she won't recognize, he thinks, and there's a more salient point she's likely to run up against in Songerein, besides.]

... Its Royal Family has a tradition of naming their daughters "Zelda." One such Princess had resided here until fairly recently. [... A hint of grief darkens the scarlet of his eyes as he says that, and then it's gone.] I mention this because I imagine there's a not insignificant chance your shared name may create some confusion from those who hail from other lands during your time here, my lady.

[... And also because he wants to know how she'll react to that little factoid, but he does sympathize with that struggle. He was very confused when he encountered it, too.]

[foremother]

[ "my lady," he says, with a schooled expression of neutrality, even as he shares her fair complexion like fresh peach flesh and her golden halo stained hair. zelda doesn't need to look at him for more than a moment, just long enough for her gaze to travel across his body like she's taking notes to study later. there's a tingling behind her ears, and they ring. the sound of steel blade against steel blade. are they cut from the some metal? zelda doesn't know. perhaps she should never. maybe that would be kindest, but sheik the sheikah carries a childishness she wants to protect, all the same. ]

If she was here fairly recently, I won't get the chance to meet her? [ her voice is like a sore wound. she should let it heal. she will not. ][ even in the soreness, there is wonder tainting her harp-twang voice. she wants to see it. the surface... it had always been her most secret desire to know it's dirt and flowers, it's warmth and it's cold winds. he paints an image with precision, words picked from the garden like precious flowering bulbs. ] Anyway, you really miss her, don't you? I'm sorry. [ for what? making him say her name, then, perhaps. can zelda still lay claim to it when another girl had been here, wholly and fully zelda? her father might laugh a little if he knew she was a bit jealous over a name, but not enough to not wear her sympathy so earnestly. ]

Did she look like me?

[ she needs to know.

but of course, with the way she looks at him, again, they both have to know she's aware. it's here, in the corridors with her. a part of can't beat the hum of demise's curse pulling them all down. ]

[sagesurvivor]

[He feels her gaze roam over him like a spotlight, and his stomach clenches with how small it makes him feel in that fleeting moment, as though the shadows he has cloaked himself in have been burned away by the morning sun and made him once again a girl child peering through a window pane and finding someone peering back.

He keeps his eyes resolutely, religiously forward after that, greater focus spared towards navigating the winding corridors of the labyrinth. The corners of his lips twitch with her commentary, her tender steps as they dance around and around each other alighting so gently upon the truths he does not wish to acknowledge. His voice is like a taut rope; he should let it rest. He does not.]

... Her eyes are green. [Are. Were. Will be. All of the above. Tenses seem to lose much of their meaning when it comes to their kind.] The color of rolling fields left to grow wild. She has cut her hair short, as well.

[Petty differences, perhaps. Maybe if she were to ask someone more objective, they would answer her in the affirmative, that the two could be mistaken for sisters instead of ancestor and descendant separated by an unfathomable abyss of time. But he makes note of them nonetheless; it feels... important that he does so, to enforce that which makes them distinct over that which makes them the same.

(Would the Princess of Destiny be able to do the same? It's been years since anyone has seen her face unclouded by illusions and lies. But she remembers her eyes were blue.)

Sheik takes a steadying breath, cleansing those thoughts from his mind before he continues.]

Regardless, she is where she is supposed to be. There is no reason to mourn her for that, and so there is no need for you to apologize.

[And if those words somehow sound like something he's said to himself over and over again in a bid to make it true, well. The situation here is not so different from what he's planned for the Hero of Time when all is said and done. Grieving over things being set back to their proper places would simply be the height of selfishness.]

[foremother]

[ His description of her leaves Zelda awash in an emotion she can't quite place. It's too knotted together with guilt to disentangle from it, but there's a part of her, however smothered it is, that is relieved, she thinks. Maybe that's all it is: She had family in Skyloft, and something like it to anchor her here suddenly sounds like the greatest news anyone's told her since awakening in Reverein. So she hums, and laughs a little. ]

She's braver than me. I spent too long growing my hair! [ Zelda even swings her head side to side to illustrate her bought, golden whips of hair shifting in pendulum movements before she turns her head to smile brightly at Sheik. ]

It's not fair, you know. I want to meet her, too. [ He'd be proud if he could tell how little envy is in her voice. Still, it's there, wrapped up in the joking tone despite herself. ] I owe her something, too.

[sagesurvivor]

[She's pleased with his answer, or at least pretending to be; she relieves him of any further explanation with springtime warmth and a gentle bit of vanity, and he... doesn't laugh, exactly, but he's unable to stifle a quiet huff of vaguely amused incredulity as she swings her intricate braids about. He can't help it. It's been so long since the aesthetics of his appearance have been a concern that hers feel almost foreign in their normalcy.

He still doesn't turn back to look at her, though. He recognizes this set of forking paths, the patterns in the cobwebs stretching over them, the scratches in the walls made to look like evidence of a struggle— there should just be a few more turns before they reach the teleportation circle that is the exit. Of course, that is when she chooses to once again say something rather strange, and as it involves the future's Princess, he finds himself speaking up instead of simply filing it away to overthink about later.

(She may not be the only one to fixate on the idea of having "family" in Reverein.)]

... You "owe her something," my lady? I fear I don't understand.

[What could be owed to someone she, in theory, just learned about a moment ago?]

[foremother]

[ There is a problem in this conversation, a wholly unpredictable thread that needs to be mended at some point but cannot be. Not while the two of them put up wall after wall, holing themselves away from the other. Zelda doesn't want to hurt him, but not once has she been given the implication he knows who she is.

And how do you tell a stranger the truth of your existence? She remembers holiness pulsing through her veins in place of red blood, and she remembers being her father's daughter in the same breath. She remembers her name is Zelda, but she remembers her name is Hylia just as well. Sheik, for all the kindness he has shown her today, deserves the freedom of simply thinking she is a Zelda from a time before documentation, before Hyrule was Hyrule.

So Zelda smiles at him, and steps back to loop her arms around his again, eyes wet with a promise— that one day, he might not hate her. ]

It's nothing you have to worry about. It's something between us Zeldas, that's all.

[ And there is the hanging thread, unsewn, unfixed. ]

[sagesurvivor]

... Ah.

[His steady, driven gait as they approach the teleportation circle falters ever so briefly as she reassures him, his heart catching high and fluttery in his throat at her particular choice of words. Irritation prickles along the back of his neck, tempting him with the satisfaction of lashing out at a perceived slight (she's mocking him!), but he's long since outgrown such immature impulses, no matter how close he feels to that young girl that couldn't even act upon her visions by herself at present. In the moment of (over-)consideration that follows, he settles upon two divergent conclusions.

The first: if she truly doesn't know, despite the odd sense that it feels like she should, then her words are proof. He is the only one who sees the flaw in the weave, and there's nothing that demands he acknowledges it.

The second: if she does know, and this is mockery served so sweetly, then her priorities seem to be more along the lines of making him squirm than anything else. The thread is bait, but he needs not take it yet. Though he obviously has his preferences, he can content himself with either truth for now.]

I see. Then, would this "something" extend to any Zeldas that might find themselves here, or is your primary concern with the one who preceded you?

[...]

These sorts of things tend to come in threes, in my experience.

[A joke, just for himself, to massage the tension out of his shoulders as her arms find his once more. He's allowed that much, isn't he?]

[foremother]

[ Is she mocking him? Well— partially. She's certainly playing with him, and teasing him in many ways. But Zelda could just as easily ask him why he ran from her earlier, could squeeze his arm until it's tense again and ask him if he hates her so much. Maybe he does. He would be, in some respects, right to feel a twisting prickle of anger at her existence. She's a walking war general, and she had no idea for the entirety of her life; so nothing changes. They walk to the circle, speaking in half-truths, wondering how much the other knows. Forward physically, but never moving in truth.

So she hums with consideration and pretends to think about his question. It is every member of the royal family and every warrior possessed by the courage of the hero's spirit she owes an apology to. But that, you see, would be a burden to bear. Don't Sheikah already take too much onto themselves? Impa was so beautifully stubborn and strong. ]

Did she precede me? [ Just wondering. Just joking. Just fishing for information a bit. ]

I... Let me be honest, Sheik. All daughters of Hyrule with the name Zelda are people I'd like to speak with... At some point...

[ Perhaps he can be an ally, after all. But that, alone, is not so strange. ]

You're teasing me, aren't you? But I think you'd tell me if there was another. Because you are just like Impa...

[sagesurvivor]

Am I, now?

[He asks, lightly, because if she believes he's teasing then that's an assumption he has no issue leaning into, yet just the same there is a genuine question buried beneath all the deflection and carefully chosen truths. Who is this woman that seems to share both a name and role with his mentor? What traits of hers has she seen hazily reflected in all his smoke and mirrors? He is curious, honestly, but they're too far into their dance to ask something so straightforwardly now, and the question he does ask serves another purpose, besides.

It buys him time. All daughters of Hyrule, she says, with an ever so slight hesitation to imply a certain level of reluctance despite this desire. The threat of at least one sleepless night turning over the possibilities that come with that statement creeps into his skull like a recently-fed stray cat, as does the intrusive thought of revealing the daughter of Hyrule that has been walking alongside her this whole time, just to see how she'd react.

Of the two, it is of course the former that he welcomes, and the latter that he shoos away.]

I would see no reason not to, unless I suspected an ulterior motive in one form or another. Or if said daughter desired my silence on the matter. My duty remains to the Royal Family, my lady, regardless of where I find myself.

[It is a truth stretched so thin that it's practically fraying, but...]

[foremother]

[ Something about that felt challenging.

Even so, Zelda cannot place her finger upon it. What she does pick up on is the gentle slope in his voice, all the little implications of what he says, the gentle sway of it. It almost pins her into a corner, because a string of words almost graces her lips with a smile. Instead, she meets the lightness of his voice with her own carefully measured assertion. ]

Does that mean I'm part of the Royal Family?

[ After all, he knows Impa.

The portal sits before them, waiting, just as Zelda waits for him, turning her head and smiling blithely. It's not a particularly nice tease on her part, in truth, but whether she realizes it or not is up to his interpretation. She doesn't show it in her expression— this tangled dance they've woven isn't quite fun, so much as necessary, now. ]

[sagesurvivor]

[She is.

He knows she is.

Yet the way she asks it chafes him in a way he can't describe - so breezy and irreverent, as though she's asking if she was born under one constellation or another, and not if she can lay claim to the very reason he's had to hide and wait and lie all this time.

... He also knows better than anyone how the Sheikah keep some things even from the kings they serve.]

Do you desire the responsibilities of a princess to a kingdom you have never seen?

[He questions as he unravels her arm from his own, brow raised as he absolutely fails to answer her question definitively. It would certainly run counter to the devil-may-care attitude she's shown thus far, and tip the scales regarding his perception of her quite a bit.

Her hand resting atop his own, he lifts them both towards the portal as if to say, in both their departure and in answers, ladies first.]

[foremother]

[ She imagines for a moment that he isn't asking this question in the interests of another girl, as if sniffing out whether or not she's trustworthy. Perhaps he isn't. Sheik is no fool, however, because he must know that she's teasing him, and if he's teasing her back, then they are meeting in the middle, right? Even so... the layers to their conversation still does not go by either of them.

She lets him lead her. It's easier that way; she never did have the physical capability the rest of the class did, and with Sheik's hand, she's able to balance close to the portal easily. There, she stands, limned by the ethereal glow of the portal, like Hylia's grace is blessing their existence for the unwanted thousandth time. ]

I don't know... the choice must be made for me, regardless. [ There's a short beat, and then she says: ] My father was a natural leader. I'd like to take after him and take care for my countrymen. [ Perhaps the timeline has shifted again, making her aware of this kingdom called "Hyrule." ]

If I'm honest, Sheik, it's been my father and I for a long time now... It'd be nice to have more.

[ She disappears before he can reply, slipping into the portal as she always does. She is always lead there by a Sheikah, always zipped away to another time and place, always out of control in her own life. She wonders if it makes her bitter in the end; she's already a little bitter. And if it does, is that why he ran away from her? Does he recognize her, even a little? Does he see some old, mean queen in her face, or is it the promise of the Goddess' presence that made him run like a scared child? ]