towerofanimus | Minuet ♪ Moving

Entry tags:

Minuet ♪ Moving

Characters: Zelda and you!
Setting: Floor 3 or 19, Floor 25, Floor 14, and Floor 32
Format: Starting with action - I'll follow you!
Summary: The Princess of Hyrule going about her days while trying not to freeze to death.
Warning: ~~Sexual confusion?~~ None yet.

Floor 3 or 19
[The libraries might as well have become a second home for Zelda with all the time she has spent there recently. Ever since Ruana (and to a lesser extent, Dax) took to the network, she has been pouring over book after book, network post after network post, trying to make sense of the things she said. Of course, any success is limited at best, and for the most part, the only fruit of her labor thus far has been a stack of notes with more questions than answers contained within.

Still, the search gives her focus and drive - things she had been terribly lacking in since... the end of June, really. And perhaps that's the most valuable thing Ruana gave her that day - not information, but a will to do more than merely endure.

In any case, if you're looking for one long-eared princess, you are most likely to find her here, surrounded by her books and notes.]

Floor 25 (For

bow_of_the_galadhrim and maybe friends?)
[Of course, that is not to say she does nothing else with her time. Sometime before the chaos of October and everything else, Legolas said the elven swords he was having crafted for her were ready, and they could begin training. Sure, it's cold now and getting colder, but it's peaceful for the moment (well, for some definition of peaceful), and she needs to learn eventually.

So, looking more like a pirate than a princess in Tetra's mother's (her descendant's?) long coat and her hair tied up in a ribbon, she waits on the meadow floor for the Prince of Mirkwood. At least there's no snow on this floor.]

Floor 14
[And sometimes even she needs a break, though loathe she is to admit it. She doesn't frequent the media floor often - even after nearly a year's time in the Tower, most of the technology there is beyond her. But she does know how one piece of electronic machinery works (though don't ask her what it's called), thanks to a girl who's long since vanished from the tower walls. And it's that piece of machinery that's currently serenading her with the sounds of a certain British classic rock band as she curls up on a couch nearby, wrapped in the fluffy comforter she got as a "prize" for participating in Halloween's "game".

Pass by at just the right moment, and she might even appear to be asleep. Even back in Hyrule, music was always there to provide a temporary escape from life's hardships, and it's so easy to get lost in it...]

Floor 32
[And sometimes, given the high levels of stress inherent to the situation, it is necessary to take "taking a break" a little further.

Look up into the trees on the forest floor, and you might see a blur of blue and grey hopping from branch to branch, disturbing and sprinkling the snow that's accumulated there in its wake.

Investigate?]

(Responses for the last prompt will mostly come from

sagesurvivor.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She just wants to help! Closing her hand, the flame disappears, and she takes a sword in each hand once more.]

I shall wait here, then. I could stand to grow more accustomed to the weight before beginning.

[She flexes her wrists a bit more, idly. Better to know how much strength she needs to move them the way she wants before trying to fight, right?]

[He nods and goes quickly to gather enough kindling, anything that can be found on this floor and is dry enough to catch and burn awhile. Before long, he returns with enough for maybe an hour long fire. It will do, he didn't want to overwhelm her on their first lesson.]

Have you grown comfortable with them?

[He'll catch her with the swords lifted in a vaguely defensive stance, the blades crossed before her in an X. The stance is dropped when he speaks up, however, and she nods.]

Enough, I suppose. I am not used to wielding large weapons at all, but that will come with time.

[Let's do this!]

I can have Doc adjust them, if you would like, and take a bit of the weight off.

[He quickly set the kindling up for them for whenever Zelda was cold enough to light it and joined her, drawing his own blades.]

We'll begin with something simple for now, until I can craft something to train on.

[A dummy that looks like Ganon sound good? Because it sounds fantastic to Legolas.]

No, it would be good for me to gain some physical strength as well.

[Dainty princess image? Bah. She stands at the ready, her focus already directly intently at her teacher.]

Let us begin, then.

[Ganon-dummy sounds brilliant. But where can one find enough material to imitate that girth...]

Very well.

With these weapons, it is better to rely more on speed and accuracy than strength in your attacks. I wish to judge just how you fight, if you don't mind. Attack me.

[There has to be something in the tower that can be used. Maybe once the weather gets warm, they can use everyones sheets... Or something.]

[Well, she typically fights either unarmed or with magic, but...

She nods, not questioning Legolas' instructions. Very well aware in the difference of experience, she knows she won't be able to lay a scratch on him.

It takes her a moment to figure out what kind of stance she wants to start with, but eventually she settles with holding the blades horizontally in front of her, one hand slightly higher than the other. Then, she approaches, her footsteps careful and light. For a novice, she's surprisingly good at not revealing anything with her expression, with the only tell that she's about to strike being the slight furrow of her brow. She pulls her arms back, crossing them, then lunges forward, letting them fly apart.]

[Good. Very good. He expected her to be trained with a blade, to hide her intentions and her footwork is excellent. He's sure he won't have any difficulty in teaching her.

The elf jumps back from her lunging at him, arms moving so his blades will connect with hers in defense.]

Good. Very good, Zelda. Again!

[Her expression hardens slightly in concentration as Legolas urges her onward. She... doesn't know precisely what she's doing, but it's working apparently.

She steps back into her ready position again, once again taking a moment to think of how to proceed. Maybe... When she makes her move this time, she swipes only one blade horizontally - the other follows up with a thrust.]

[It is indeed working. He's learning how she knows to fight in comparison to how he was taught. And she's smart about it, very smart. Legolas really has very little he'll need to teach her, he thinks. She makes calculated and intelligent moves, practically forcing her opponent into one attack or another and almost guaranteeing injury to those who haven't seen years of combat and war.

The prince is quick to to block her swipe and sidesteps her thrust, almost grinning and he nods in approval.]

You've skill. I think I may only needed to have armed you.

[The problem being, of course, most who she would need to defend herself against have indeed seen years of combat and war - aside from the mindless monsters that roam at night. Her moves are calculated, but she doesn't yet have the instinct to use them in a high-stress situation.

Still, she has seen some combat and war herself (through her own experience... and through her ancestor's), so it's nice to know she's on the right track, at least. She disengages, keeping her swords at her sides when she responds.]

You flatter me. Imitation is not quite the same as skill, however.

[She's just kind of... going off what she's seen and adapting it, really.]

Imitation is often how many people learn. It's how I first learned to fire an arrow. Not particularly well but it was how I started.

[Everyone had to start somewhere, after all. Legolas hadn't been involved in a war either until he'd volunteered to join the Fellowship of the Ring. He'd spent a great many years training though and had gone with hunting parties to gather food or keep the spiders away from Thranduil's Halls but it wasn't the same.]

All that remains is practice. A great deal of it whenever you are available. I fear we may not have many chances until this cursed whether is ended but I can gather the assistance of my kin.

Of course I would be willing to practice whenever you are available, but... your kin?

[There's just the slightest of pained looks in her eyes, because Goddesses above, please don't tell her he means--]

... Do you mean that impish man who purposely misunderstood what these-- [A gesture to her swords] --were for?

Elves from foreign forests and one from my own.

[O-oh... She still remembered that, huh? Legolas can't help but laugh a bit and nod, brushing a hand through his hair.]

Haldir would be one of them, yes. I assure that he would be on his best behavior, however. There is also Lady Idrial and... Legolas.

[Oh Valar, please let her have met his twin.]

[ During the heydays of summer, this realm was most desirable amongst all the residents banished to Animus because of its pristine beauty. Yellow and white flowers would dot the meadow for as far as the eyes could see, and the tall grass here would stand proudly under the gaze of an artificial sun. The "sky" here was always nice and blue with splotches of white meandering about in fluffy curls of smoke. While the beauty of the meadow during summer certainly caused many to flock here, during the winter things couldn't be anymore different.

Hardly anyone wandered this far anymore within the Tower, thus Haldir's shocked to see two familiar individuals nearby. Dressed in a thick fleece hooded-cloak dyed a dark green to match the leaves of a pine tree, the march warden eyed the two in silence as Zelda trained. The edges of his cloak was tattered and distressed clearly showing wear after weeks of hunting. Food had been scarce in the Tower, and Haldir has been making due with what little he could find.

Lingering with an impish smirk upon his face when he overheard his name uttered by Legolas' lips, the elf slowly made his approach in hopes of not disturbing them. He wanted to hear more about how he's a menace to Zelda's poor little soul. ]

Edited 2012-12-19 07:45 (UTC)

Legolas...? [She repeats, confused, but then something appears to dawn on her and she perks up.] Ah! I knew there had to be another one!

[One look at her notes on Ruana's little Q&A, and one will see several question marks next to the second time Legolas' name popped up. Either the one she knew had gone schizophrenic, or another had arrived.

... But of course, the slight excitement at that revelation is short lived, as long, pointed ears twitch slightly as the voyeur begins to move. In a quick motion, Zelda spins around, pirate coat flaring out behind her and blades raised in a defensive position once more. Expression set in a wary glare, she calls out to the hooded figure.]

It is not wise to sneak up on those who are armed.

There is, yes. I hope that it won't be terribly confusing for you.

[It probably would be. And he'd find it funny the day she mistook one for the other or if they ever purposely set out to confuse her. For now, he'd be nice about it though. Turning with her to watch the approach of the other, he almost grinned. He knew of few to none that could approach so silently though he remained silent for now. Let Zelda handle it.]

[ As impressive as Zelda looked with those blades raised in her defense, the march warden couldn't stifle his chuckle. The shadow of his hood did well to obscure his face, but Legolas' lack of urgency gave away that his identity was known. Giving the Prince of Mirkwood a quick glance, an amused smirk settled upon his lips as he addressed Zelda.

She may have thought poorly of him because of his relentless teasing, but that was no matter. The young princess could learn much from someone quite adept in blades, and Haldir planned to assist her. ]

T'was not my intention to alarm you, fair one.

[ His smirk dimmed into a pleasant smile. ]

I'm merely interested as of what you plan to do with those daggers. As small as you are, I can assume that the blades in question were made far lighter than my own. This would mean you could potentially outmatch my speed, but shall need training.

[ Deciding to discard his hood, Haldir revealed himself and greeted her with a bow. ]

[Her teeth grind just slightly as the hooded figure speaks - what does it look like she's planning to do with them? - but as Haldir removes his hood, she relaxes her stance, allowing her arms to fall back to her sides once more.

She gestures to Legolas.]

Training would be what we are doing here, yes. I have no illusion of being more skilled than someone with literally thousands of years of practice.

[Stupid absurdly long lifespans.]

[He can't help but chuckle at the exchange between Haldir and Zelda.]

I've no doubt that Zelda has the potential to outmatch the both of us in terms of speed.

[And, truly, he didn't. The only difference would be the experience between them all, Haldir being the most experienced of all three of them.

And what's wrong with living forever? Obviously Zelda's jealous.]

[ Another chuckle rang from Haldir as he stepped towards the princess. Filled with such fire, Haldir certainly believed that Zelda could become a warrior worthy of praise as long as she kept with her training. Whether or not her skill shall someday match his own didn't seem so farfetched in his opinion. ]

That goes without saying, Legolas. [ He answered with a slight smirk. ] However, our little princess seems to lack self-confidence.

[ And with that he frowned. ]

Zelda. [ His attention was focused upon her again. ] I asked you before, what do you intend to do with these blades? Do you mean to become a warrior or do you simply wish to defend yourself? Depending upon your answer, I shall train you how I see fit in order for you to achieve your goal.

All that I know and all that I can give will be at your disposal, if you tell me what you believe these blades can do for you.

[Cockiness, she wants to fire back at that assessment. She lacks cockiness and knows all to well what tragedy can follow an overestimation of one's skills. But then Haldir is addressing her, and that mild irritation smooths over into the determination that's gotten her though seven years of hell.

Despite being shorter than them both, she straightens, pulling herself to her full height and not once letting her eyes stray from Haldir's. You want confidence?]

I mean to be whatever I must to keep those I love and those that place their trust in me safe from harm, whether that be as a leader, a strategist, or a fighter. I will not seek out battle, but nor will I stand aside and watch as those I care for fight and die.

Is that a satisfactory answer?

[ Well what's this?

Haldir was almost taken by her honorable words. Convinced by that Legolas may have indeed found a rather suitable pupil for him, the march warden's cocky tone changed to one of true sternness. If this princess believed she could hone her skills well enough to protect those she loved as well as protect herself; then he'll do anything in his power to assist her. ]

Save that needless sass for one who shall heed it, Zelda.

[ Gone was the playful imp, and replaced by the strict warden. Even Legolas himself hadn't seen this side of Haldir often. ]

To understand battle, one needs to understand the meaning of survival. There's no honor in death, and those who live to see tomorrow live to fight another day. There's no heroes or villains, only those who strive to survive.

Life here within Animus has hardened all of us by now, but you seek for a means to survive it. Whether it be the sake of yourself or others matters not, but as long as you have that drive to live, I'll aid you however I can.

[ Turning to Legolas he held out his hand. ]

You possess arrows, do not? Would it be too much to ask for one as a demonstration?

[That side of Haldir was a rare sight indeed and even Legolas found himself straightening despite how he directed his words to Zelda. He'd seen elves of Lorien in combat once before but training was another thing entirely and now he was quite curious of how Haldir handled it.

With a silent nod, Legolas reached back to his quiver and drew one of his trademark arrows and walked over to hand it off to the march warden.]

You're making me curious, Haldir.

[If only she could laugh. True, she may not have the years Legolas or Haldir possess, but of what years she does have, she's spent many of them fighting to see another dawn.

But she doesn't laugh, nor smile, nor speak of what experience she might already have. In a way... the warden's seriousness reminds her of Impa, and it feels almost natural to listen and nod.

She keeps quiet and attentive, stepping out of the way as Legolas hands over the arrow.]

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speak of the devil?

her opinion of you is never going to get better, is it, Haldir

It probably won't

Oh please! Haldir will be on his best behavior

"best" behavior

The very "best" right?

Absolutely~!

I've a feeling her definition of best and his are rather different |Da

Oh boo! Unfair~

Legolas is mostly just gonna chinhand and fanboy a little now

keep it in your pants, elf-boy