Return ♪ Requiem of Spirit

[sageprincess]

Characters: Zelda and you!
Setting: Room 1-09, and then all across the Tower
Format: Action to start; I'll try not to fail if you want to do prose!
Summary: The Princess of Hyrule returns to the Tower, gets an interesting prize for participation in June's competition, then goes looking for familiar faces.
Warnings: Some angst is a given - will note if anything else comes up.


Room 1-09; closed to Fi

[Zelda spent most of her first day back in the Tower proper curled up in her bed. In a way, she knew it to a be selfish act - there would likely be people looking for her and worrying, but to be honest, after spending so much time with absolutely no privacy what so ever, she needs a bit of time to herself. Besides, she figures those who would look for her would only fret more if they saw her fresh from the competition. She wasn't exactly in the best of states at the end of all that, after all.

Relatively comfortable rest does indeed bring back some clarity to her mind, and while she still hasn't fully recovered from the events of last month, she recognizes that there are things that need to be done. Even if she's not exactly looking forward to some of them, duty and responsibility have always been her faithful masks.

She'll keep going.

It's as she gets ready for the day that she notices something unfamiliar resting upon her trunk (alongside that "prize" that wretched woman had given her; would she have to bury it like she did with that stuffed toy?). Two glass bottles of water tied together with a bit of string, and a note from Zo. She spends a moment inspecting them, and then, following a gut feeling about it, calls out to one of her roommates.]

Fi? ... Could you come here for a moment?

Around the Tower; open

Floor Thirty-Five
[After that is all said and done, Zelda begins her descent of the Tower, searching for familiar faces and looking out for any changes to the building itself.

She makes a brief stop here, however, though not because of anything particularly noteworthy. No, it's merely her reflection in the deep column of water that catches her eye.

'Time passes, people move... Like a river's flow, it never ends... A childish mind will turn to noble ambition... Young love will become deep affection... The clear water's surface reflects growth...'

And as she stares into that watery abyss, she wonders how she's grown since those days.]

Floor Twenty-Eight
[She makes another stop in her search on this floor, though she lingers here for quite a bit of time. Ever since it came into being, this music floor has been her favorite, for more reasons than one. How many hours has she spent here, teaching a young spirited girl how to play?

She saw that Minami's name was no longer on her dorm door, and she hasn't seen her friend since she's returned to the Tower, but something defensive within her refuses to let those facts connect and sink in. So it's almost out of habit that she makes her way over to her usual place at the harp and begins to play, losing herself in the music as she is often wont to do.

... It's only as the harp next to her begins to strum along of its own accord, haltingly, only just able to keep up (like how she played) that it hits her like a battering ram.

Minami is gone.

Zelda stops, draws her arms in and around herself, and does everything in her power to keep from shaking too violently. She's only somewhat successful.]

Floor Thirteen
[The Princess doesn't spend much time on the floors between the music room and here, not unless she finds someone she knows. And normally, she wouldn't spend much time here in the cathedral either. After all, she doesn't see any reason to get caught up with the Tower's less than moral residents, who seem to have made this floor something of a headquarters.

But this time she does stop, taking a seat in one of the pews. And, clasping her hands over her heart, she prays.

For those trapped here, for those who have disappeared, for her homeland, and for their future, she prays.]

Floor Three
[Here, Zelda places a book about dealing with loss on the highest shelf of the farthest bookcase she can find.

Screw you, Ruana.]

_{((ooc; Feel free to have your character run into Zelda on any floor; these are just places where she's stopping on her own! o/))}

Comments

[ur_batteries_are_dying]

[Fi tilts her head up to look at the princess, having been giving her as much privacy as she could without leaving her alone in case she made herself sick. She floated over to Zelda's bed, settling beside it and gazing at her.]

What can I do for you, Your Grace?

[sageprincess]

[As Fi draws near, Zelda lifts the pair of bottles to her eye level, careful not to let them jostle too much. If her instinct is correct, this may very well be her most precious possession.]

I do not know if it is within your ability to do so, but... can you tell where this water might have come from?

[She looks at Fi intently, anxious for an answer.]

[ur_batteries_are_dying]

I can, Your Grace. A moment please.

[Fi lets her eyes focus on each bottle of water, scanning them silently and then it almost seems like she blinks in surprise, despite being incapable of blinking.]

This is sacred water, Your Grace. From the Skyview Temple and the Earth Temple.

[sageprincess]

[She exhales, her eyes falling back to the water as her suspicions are confirmed. This... This is big. Really big.]

... The first Zelda awakened Hylia by bathing in the water of two temples, correct?

[ur_batteries_are_dying]

Yes, she purified her body with these waters and prayed to the Golden Ones which awakened Hylia's memories.

Floor 28

[great_king_of_evil]

[ Unfortunately, there is one other being in this tower who is particularly fond of this floor. With what happened recently, playing his pipe-organ happened to be an excellent stress reliever. Zelda's first warning as to the identity of the incoming individual would most likely be her Triforce resonating. The second would be the lights briefly flickering.

Too bad, by then Ganondorf is already passing next to her. ... Hum, so she's back? It was to be expected. Ah well. He can only hope she was in the pod Jason was managing. Looking at her right now, he would say she was. Amusing.

He smiles. ]

Welcome back, Princess.

[sageprincess]

[Her shaking turns to seething as the King of Evil makes himself known. How dare he mock her now, when yet another person dear to her has been taken away. He, who has taken so much else away from her!

It takes her a moment to find her voice, but when she does, it's low, quiet, and dripping with venom.]

Leave. Me. Alone.

[She is so over people playing games with her for their own amusement.]

[great_king_of_evil]

[ He chuckles lowly and shakes his head. ]

I would. But as it so happens, you are once again on my path.

[ Sorry, he has no plan to leave or let her leave for that matter. If anything it furthers his amusement, and that's pretty much the whole point here. But you tried. That's what matter. Always. Besides he is curious to learn some more on the Pods and what the Princess suffered lived in them. ]

Worry not, I have no intent to harm you.

[sageprincess]

Then why not leave me be.

[You aren't fooling her, Ganon. You never have. The only thing you'll be getting out of her is barely contained anger.]

Floor Twenty-Eight

[moontothetide]

[In a corner of the music room is a computer terminal, and kneeling at that computer terminal is a girl. But she looks up, scanning the room as there last few questions are answered. And then she sees Zelda, and she remembers what she's lost, and Tara smiles even as her heart breaks. She looks down at the items clenched in her fist, and takes a deep breath.

Old loves and new.]

Zelda? [Tara gets to her feet, giving a little wave. She's obviously different than she was when they parted in the gathering room. Her entire body seems somehow leaner, less soft, but it's clear that most of the weight she's lost is what she gained from stuffing her face for a week. She hasn't starved. Her hair is tied back from her face, and there's a steadiness in her movements and her gaze that hadn't been there before. She stands a little taller, a little less hunched over.

She's also been crying. That much is also evident in her eyes.]

...hi.

[sageprincess]

[Zelda sucks in a breath as she hears her name being called, her arms tightening around herself just a bit more. Ironically, where Tara has grown more confident, Zelda's own esteem has only plummeted. Those last two weeks of the competition were not kind to her, and the loss of one of her best friends has not helped in the slightest.

But she knows that voice. Knows that the owner of that voice sacrificed so that she might succeed, and knows that she failed her.

It... takes her a moment to compose herself enough for speech, but when she does turn to Tara, her own eyes are sad and tired as well.]

Tara... I am sorry. We... did not win.

[And then she averts her eyes, ashamed and aching. It was all for naught, in the end.]

[moontothetide]

[...Tara knows, when Zelda turns to face her. Something in her understands the look in Zelda's eyes, and knows.

But still, the words hurt. She wishes they didn't, but they do. All her words, all the hope she'd tried to give them, all the encouragement...it had probably only made it worse for them, in the end.]

Who did?

[The world seems more or less as it had been. But Jason had been so close, just one point away...oh god please don't let it be Jason.]

[sageprincess]

Riki.

[It's not Jason, but it isn't Dax, either.]

... The challenge after you left was endurance again. Jason's group managed to get him disqualified-- [Gruesomely, at that.] --but Dax's group simply did not have enough to "endure," apparently. That challenge was worth six points, and so Riki jumped into the lead.

[She sighs, clenching her fists in her lap. It still hurts to think about that day, when everything was lost, but she keeps going. Maybe if she talks about it enough, the burden will begin to fade, if only a little.]

... The competition ended then. The woman said there were people "misbehaving" on the outside, and so Dax, Riki, and Jason had to return to restore order or something to that nature.

[This next part is said almost incredulously, because she still cannot believe all that suffering was for--]

A month. It was all for a month.

Floor 28

[worldrestored]

[Harp music. He hadn't heard that in a long while. Naoki wasn't a musician, but he loved to go to the school concerts. Harp and violin were his favorite. He couldn't hit a note, but he could appreciate others' music so when Zelda had become, he had stepped in quietly, simply listening without interfering.

That is, until she stopped and looked heartbroken.

Oh. This was a much sadder ballade that he had assumed. He walks over and her...being rather unsure how to deal with people and sadness. Most of the time, he merely watched, especially since she didn't know him. She might react badly if he did anything, so he waited for her to notice him first.]

[sageprincess]

[She never thought she would be grieving for the girl who told her it was okay to do so. It takes her a while, but eventually she remembers Minami's words to her when they first met. Breathe. Just breathe.

And breathe she does, regaining enough of a semblance of composure to realize she's no longer alone in this room. Hylian hearing is rather handy at that. Making sure her breath is steady enough to carry her voice and her eyes are free from tears, she turns towards him, apologetic.]

A-ah... My apologies, did you wish to use this?

[A slight gesture towards the harp. Why else would he be here?]

[worldrestored]

[Naoki shakes his head. He'd just break the delicate strings on the harp without even trying. Taking a seat on a nearby bench he scratches the fin on the back of his neck idly before speaking.]

...you okay?

[sageprincess]

[At his question, she blinks, and then rubs a bit at her eyes as if to hide any evidence of her emotional state. Augh, how embarrassing...]

Yes. [Is her immediate response... and then she realizes that not even Link would be fooled by such a blatant lie.] Well... I will be, in any case. Thank you.

Floor 35

[capax_infiniti]

[It's rare to see people out on the islands, although this one is relatively harmless. This time it's a young woman with whom he's not familiar with, who seems to be deep in a state of contemplation. Not wishing to interrupt her quite yet, he simply approaches quietly, letting his reflection in the water indicate that she is not alone, giving her time to finish her train of thought before acknowledging him, if she even does so.]

[sageprincess]

[It's certainly rare for her to become so deeply entrenched in her thoughts that she loses track of the changes in her surroundings. A little more than seven months ago, such carelessness would have gotten her captured or killed. It still could, in this place. Maybe that's how she's changed.

It takes a moment, but eventually the reflection that is not her own catches her eye. She flinches in surprise, quickly coming back into herself, and turns to face her visitor.]

Can I help you?

[capax_infiniti]

[He gestures to her casually.] It's rather odd to see a young lady look so contemplative in a place such as this. I didn't feel it wise to simply pass by.

[sageprincess]

Is it truly? [She tries to deflect, not one to talk about her thoughts so easily.] I suppose some might be unnerved by the thought of falling, but such lakes tend to inspire reflection more than anything else, I find.

I apologize if I warranted any concern. That was not my intention, of course.

Floor 13

[lookmanostrings]

--Princess.

[It had been quite a month, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't worried. It was obvious, with the way his face was not at its usual smile, and the furrowing of his brows. But he would remain composed.

He stood in the aisle near the pew she was seated at, his violin in his hands which were folded behind his back, and the high ceilings of the Cathedral making him look particularly small.]

...Are you well? [A childish question he knew; but he was worried.]

[sageprincess]

[The sound of a familiar, friendly voice that she hasn't heard in a month is enough to snap her out of her prayer, looking over and down to the voice's owner.

... And she wants to reach out, to ensure that he's real and not just a figment of her tired and grieving mind, but she restrains herself, her hands clasping in fists over her heart.]

Fado...

... Yes? [She eventually decides, though there's hardly any conviction in her tone.] To say I was one of the luckier ones would be a vast understatement. No physical harm came to me over the course of the month.

[Mentally... well, she's certainly been better.]

[lookmanostrings]

[There was a distinct frown on his face now-- almost a pout with how childish his face already looked, but with a grave shade to it nevertheless.]

The scars of the body are merely artificial troubles; things that will mend themselves through the body's own implicit processes.

It is the scars of the mind that demand are more harmful. Though the spirit is strong, and can weather unimaginable trials, that does not mean it can not be worn weary by the harsh winds.

[And the graveness in his face slowly ebbs away, to be replaced with purse concern.] But they are scars that we should not be ashamed of. It is simply the cost of being alive. What troubles you?

[sageprincess]

[She can't help something of a sigh at Fado's words of wisdom - indeed, her spirit has been worn weary. And allowing others to see that fact is... new to her, but she knows the Wind Sage will insist on letting it out.

There's a moment of silence before she speaks again, trying to decide where she should start.]

There was... a competition between three of our captors. To decide who was most capable of running the Tower. Everyone who was taken was separated into three groups, each "belonging" to a different administrator. I was fortunate to be placed with the one who at the very least, presents himself as having a working moral compass, but the others...

[She makes a face, one of disgust and grief and horror, and she doesn't think there's anything else that needs to be said about that.]

Everyone was counting on our group to win, so that the Tower might be a little less dangerous, and for a while, we were in the lead. But then, something allowed one of the other administrators to jump ahead, and something else on the outside forced the competition to end there.

We failed.

[And now one of her closest friends is gone, and she just... feels very alone, even if she isn't.]