towerofanimus | Dawn of a... New Life?

Entry tags:

Dawn of a... New Life?

Characters: Link
Setting: Around the tower. Don't see a prompt? Pick a spot and Link will find a reason to be there.
Format: I'm starting with prose, but whatever floats your boat is fine for threads
Summary: That new ~~victim~~ person smell is fresh on this boy. As fresh as that ugly white jumpsuit he's still wearing.
Warnings: None. Will update as needed

Room 4-14
He was in the process of carefully sliding the edge of his sword up the side of his right leg to cut the cloth of the jumpsuit he wore. He'd already gotten most of the left leg cut off and cut into strips. He hadn't been able to rip the fabric - such a strange material - but he'd found the razor edge of his sword could slice it open just fine. With an unknown place like this, and none of his clothes anywhere in sight, including belts, Link would have to make something approximating them to carry what few possessions he had left.

There were two sheets of paper that looked like letters on the table next to him. His reading was terrible without the aid of a fairy and he only had a few of the word patterns memorized enough to recognize a few of the words written on them. The first, shorter one, he managed to make out "I saved you" with no issue - so he knew he'd been in trouble of some sort, even if he couldn't remember it - but there were some words he didn't know to recognize by rote between the shorter ones he did: 'world' and 'destroyed' and 'let's' and 'happy'. So while it was nice he'd been saved, it would have been nicer to have someone in the room to tell him what had happened and why he had the weird feeling collar and bodysuit on... and how to more easily get them off. ~~Zippers? What are those?~~

Dormitories - Around the Stairwell
Now in a jumpsuit that had both legs and the right arm poorly chopped off and the remnants re-purposed as make-shift belts/straps to hold all five of his masks, the Ocarina of Time and his sword's sheath (slung across his back), Link was making his way up the ramp that circled the stairwell. The ramp only seemed to go up while the stairwell went down. Knowing that most dungeons required him to go up to get the keys he needed to go down, Link had decided that up was the smart way to go. If he had to change directions, he could and would. In his left hand was his sword and on his right arm was his shield - what would have been a medium sized one on any grown man, was absurdly large on the boy's 3ft frame. The humor of it marred, perhaps, by the horrified face etched into it's mirrored surface.

Cafeteria - First Meal
Link had managed to make his way to the very bottom of the tower - or as far as he could go, anyway - using the contraption called the 'elevator'. It was food store of some kind and that was great, because he was hungry, but all they had were something called 'nutrition bars' and oatmeal. Oatmeal was what Malon fed Epona as a treat. So it probably wasn't meant for people... which only led to him being very frustrated because the strange people who worked there kept trying to give him oatmeal instead of the nutrition bars. He didn't understand it at all and they wouldn't answer his questions, just repeat themselves when saying he should have oatmeal.
[[Edit: this has been resolved, but anyone who wants to find him in the cafeteria trying to convince the people to give him more oatmeal, is welcome to do so.]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[All she can do for a long moment is stand at the top, braced against the handrail and looking down. Waiting for the numbness to kick in, waiting for the heartache to subside.

She... upset him. She should leave him be.

(He'll be happier that way - away from her.)

She's about to forgo the stairs in favor of taking the elevator down (she really shouldn't be up and about anyway) when she hears the sad, pitiful sound of sobs. There's another long moment of internal debate, the logical, rational part of herself telling her to leave while her emotions cry out for her to go to his side. And it's all she can do to not scream in frustration before she begins her descent down the stairs.

Each step is slow and laborious, her movement and speed limited by what her injured body can take. But she pushes forward, even if she has to grip the banister for dear life every inch of the way. And, when she reaches the end? When she stands before the crying figure of the one who saved her country?

She doesn't know what to say.

So she stands there, silent with a somber expression, waiting to be acknowledged. If he will even acknowledge her at all.]

[He was crying because he'd spent months dealing with her loss by reminding himself that it didn't matter what he did, he'd never see her again. Months of pushing the pain away and moving forward, dulling the ache in his heart to the point that he could think of her with a fond sadness and only the smallest amount of regret. And all of that was ripped away by the sight of her, real and within touching distance. Everything he'd done to distance himself from the pain and the excuses and the mental arguments were no longer good enough.

He sobbed into his arms for longer than he knew. The passage of time, which he was usually so aware of, blurred under the assault of grief and regret he'd never actually dealt with. He didn't notice her presence at first, that she'd come down the stairs. But as she stood there, unmoving and looking down, he became aware of it.

Link's head shot up, cheeks red and tear streaked, eyes wide with the horror that she'd found him and seen him like this. That she'd seen him as a child once more. He was a man, should have been a man, and she was...

She was just standing there. Staring at him. He had to say something. He had to.]

I-

[Another sob broke out of his throat and he pressed his hands to his eyes, trying to smoother the tears.]

[There's no judgment in her eyes, no disgust in her voice. Her words are remarkably simple.]

Do you... wish for me to stay?

[If anything, she is hesitant, afraid. The last thing she would ever want to do is bring further harm to her hero, so... if her presence truly upsets him that much, she'll leave without another word.

But... if she's truly honest with herself, then she would have to admit that she hopes he doesn't tell her to go. That she hopes she can help him, somehow.]

[Yes! the whisper surged in volume, impossible to ignore. Make her stay. Make her suffer! Make her suffer like you suffer!]

No.

[He denied the voice and then looked up, horrified he'd said that outloud. He shook his head violently.]

I didn't mean that! I want you to stay. I just- You-

[He gripped his head with both hands and curled back into himself.]

You're supposed to be in Hyrule. You're supposed to be safe.

[Thankfully, the whispered voice said nothing.]

[...

Slowly, quietly, she kneels to his level, that concerned gaze not once leaving her face. Oh, dear Hero... what is going through your mind right now?]

Unfortunately, powers beyond our control have other plans.

[It's something she's resigned herself to, after spending nearly nine months in this awful place. Returning to Hyrule, if possible (no, someone of her position can't afford to think that way - it has to be possible), will take time, and that time will be spent desperately trying not to lose oneself to trauma.]

It is not your fault, though, so please, do not blame yourself.

[Neither of you would be here if she hadn't sent you back in time. You could have protected her if she didn't.

That still made it his fault, didn't it? For not being there.

You can't stop what you don't know about.

He shook his head]

I- I don't. I know it's not my fault. I know it's not. But...

[But she'd sent him back and he had set things right. She shouldn't be in this place. Not like this.

It's her fault.

Another shake of his head before he pushed himself into her, wrapping arms around her waist and clamping his eyes shut tight. Trying to drown out that voice with the feel of her. It was wrong of him to be so familiar, wrong of him to take such liberty. But he needed something to stop the voice, the anger that would make him push her away. Something to distract his mind. And the feel of her in his arms, something he'd never had before, was enough to make his mind blank for a few moments

...she smelled nice.]

Edited 2012-09-09 06:17 (UTC)

[Her breath hitches slightly as she finds herself being embraced, gasping in both surprise and some discomfort due to her injuries. But she doesn't dare push him away. Perhaps if this were months ago, when the habit of keeping people at arm's length was as much a physical reaction as a mental one, she would have reacted differently. As it stands now, however, while she is not by any means openly affectionate, she does understand the inexplicable comfort an embrace can provide.

And so, after a moment's hesitation, she lets her arms gently settle around the hero's body, content to wait there quietly as he gathers himself and his thoughts.]

[His grip eases up when he mentally registered her gasp and the stiffness with which she held herself, but he did not let her go. He could never touch her again, never hold her again after this if that is what she desired... but he wanted it just this once. It was the closest he could get to living out one of the few small dreams he'd had for himself. The chaos of his thoughts, the ache in his chest, they were muted by her acceptance of him with the gentle touch of her arms.]

I'm sorry.

[His voice was dull, drained and tired like the rest of him for the moment. He knew he should pull away, but holding her had brought the most peace to him that he'd had in months.

...he was entirely too selfish.]

[In contrast, her voice is calm, reassuring, and most of all genuine.]

You need not be.

[Those are the easiest words she's said yet. She could hardly fault Link for anything, not when she herself has been incredibly selfish these past few months in regards to his double.

To reach for what one has lost... to grasp it desperately when one gets the chance... it's natural, isn't it? Even if paragons of virtue like the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny were expected to be above such mortal callings. But they're not. If nothing else, those expectations only make Zelda even more acutely aware of her own mortality and faults.

And that's why despite perhaps feeling a bit awkward, she doesn't let go just yet, maybe even pulling Link in a bit more to make the embrace more comfortable for both of them.]

[She pulled him in more, shifted his position and Link... he didn't want the moment to end. It felt so good after everything he'd gone through.]

I missed you.

[It had hurt to see her as a child again and have that child version of her not remember him, not know him. It hurt to realize she that while she was, technically, the woman he loved, she would not grow up to be the same person. He could probably go back and see her - once they escaped this tower world - but it wouldn't be the same. She wouldn't be the same.]

[That... makes her hesitate. Not because the feeling wasn't returned - of course it was. For seven years, the thought of him was her light in the darkness, and he would always be the only person besides Impa who could understand what she had gone through.

But... he had another chance at life. He could make his world better than the broken one she remained in. He shouldn't miss the person who forced him to go through such a great and terrible journey, right? She... is not worth missing. So, does she tell the truth, or try to deflect?]

... As did I.

[She deflates a little, her voice barely above a pained whisper.]

I am sorry.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Dawn of a... New Life?

bah who needs hearts or feelings

we're pretty darned heartless for this

guess that makes us nobodies /bad KH joke /shot

Does that mean Ganon's the only one left to be the princess of heart?

... yep.

The world is screwed.

YEEEP. Good job Xehanort.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject