open.

[hylights]

Who: Zelda (hylights) & open
What: comings and goings in October
When: throughout October
Where: various places
Warning(s): none for now

a. the fabric store

[It had been a mercy, working in a store that wasn't in the main marketplace. But the effects of the bomb spread everywhere - even into the minds of Zelda's boss and her clients. It wasn't more than a day after the bomb went off that people started coming in looking for fabric to wear over their nose and mouth, protection against any further gas explosions. At first they just sold offcuts, but then Ryni got a gleam in her eye.

That's how Zelda found herself stitching little facemasks out of spare fabric every day. She scowls about it at first, because it feels opportunistic. The shopkeeper won't be gainsaid, though, and so she puts on a reasonably neutral face. It always changes to a smile when someone comes in - maybe it's you, and she's greeting you with what sounds like a common refrain:]

Welcome - are you looking for fabric for clothing, or for a mask?

b. the institute

[Zelda would be eternally grateful to Charles for allowing her to work alongside him in the Institute. It had been a frustrating couple of days, lurking around the doors like a lost child, asking anyone who passed whether they would let her study a gas sample. It turns out that people don't much like being accosted by a very enthusiastic Hylian girl who insists she knows what she's talking about.

After a few days, she becomes engrossed in one particular book from the library, and then she engrosses herself in it. Anyone walking in will find Zelda with her nose barely an inch away from the book, muttering as she reads the tiny font.]

It sounds similar... could it be the same?

c. the marketplace

[Of course, life does have to go on, and that means buying goods. Zelda returns to the market every few days, carefully edging past groups of gossiping merchants to find the wares she's really interested in. She collects vegetables and bread, and occasionally does errands for her boss.

Sometimes though her preoccupation with research gets the better of her, and she keeps reading her notebook even while in the market. It results in more than one unfortunate bump into a passerby.]

Oh! My apologies.

[At least she's contrite about it.]

d. wildcard

[If you want to run into Zelda somewhere else, feel free to top level or message me on dudemeister!]

Comments

[fisherwife]

[Mipha laughs, embarrassed at the flattery.] It's been a strange and exciting turn. But I've had a long time already to come to terms with losing who I had once been. [A hundred years spent wallowing about had to be put to some use.] Now the journey is about finding who I am now.

[There's another little giggle though and she shakes her head.] He's always been like that... Truthfully, I'm a little surprised he wasn't invited to join us in a house search. Or would that have been awkward?

[Zora men and women all kind of slept together in community pool things after all. The Gerudo didn't really have to worry about separating the sexes and Mipha can't recall ever meeting a female goron so who knows about them.]

[hylights]

[Perhaps that's true. Zelda had spent her own long century locked in place, but hers had been an endless fight, with precious little energy left over for reflection. It wasn't an easy time to remember, for more than one reason.

She blinks at Mipha's question, and she has enough grace not to look too embarrassed at the idea.]

Well, we had started looking before Link woke up... but it isn't considered seemly, besides.

[At least not for a princess of the Royal Family. Maybe the commonfolk could have men and women under one house outside of marriage. Zelda thinks that might be the case.]

The knights had their own quarters in the castle. It had always been that way.

[fisherwife]

Even after all these years, I'm still learning so much about people... [Which isn't a bad thing, it's interesting to learn about and see all the differences between people.]

He's always welcome to visit, at least. I'm sure he'd be relieved to be able to keep an eye on us. [She pauses a moment, looking like she wants to say more, but uncertain as to how to say it.] I... worry about him, a little. It's hard enough to adjust to a world he used to know, so I wonder if he'll have a better or a worse time to one completely unfamiliar...

[Mipha trails off and then shakes her head, looking sheepish] I'm sorry, I didn't mean to turn the subject to something like this.

[hylights]

[It's good to be reminded sometimes how different the races of Hyrule are. Not that it was ever easy to forget - other than the Gerudo, who looked similar, the other races were so unique in their looks and their perspectives. Zelda looks a bit relieved to move on from the idea of sharing quarters with Link, though.]

Yes, of course he can. We'll let him know right away.

[The thought of Link having trouble adjusting gives her pause. She had watched him, in those months after he woke and had to piece together his task. Who he was. He was always so ready to take charge of a situation that it sometimes hid what she knew to be his inner worries.

Zelda pats Mipha's hand, not wanting her to feel too discouraged.]

It's all right. We're going to live together, aren't we? We ought to be able to talk of such things. [Easier said than done for Zelda, but she brushes the thought away.] It's a question worth asking. And perhaps we should ask him ourselves, to see how he feels about it all. But I know he'll dedicate himself to finding a place here. It just might take a while, for all of us.

[fisherwife]

[Mipha smiles lightly and withdraws her hands at last to fold them in front of her, looking around the apartment once more.]

I hope he'll make many new friends here-- I hope all of us will. There are so many new and interesting people from all sorts of strange and interesting worlds. I think, in the process of learning more about each other, we'll be able to learn a lot more about ourselves as well.

[She looks curiously to Zelda, wondering how her circle of friends and acquaintances has grown.] There are a few people I've met who I think you'd like too.

[hylights]

Do you think so? I've met some good people here as well.

It's true what you say - everyone here is so different from what we know. I must admit-- [And she laughs a little, self-consciously.] --that I kept approaching those with ears like mine, expecting them to be Hylian. Only none of them ever were.

[fisherwife]

[Mipha can't help but laugh as well, though it's certainly not aimed at zelda]

I was the same! I would ask all of them if they were Hylians, but no one ever knew what I was talking about. [She shakes her head and smiles faintly, moving away so she can explore the apartment a little more.]

Still...I'm sure they'll wake up sooner or later. We'll show them how well we've done in the meantime.

[hylights]

[She's glad to at least share the misconception with Mipha. It makes her feel less silly for having assumed there were Hylians everywhere she looked, when she was in a melting pot of all different kinds of worlds.]

They certainly didn't. I've had people ask if I'm an elf before too. I must assume some of us look very similar.

[She trails after Mipha, moving to the window and pushing aside the gauzy curtain.]

Yes. We're setting a good example for them. I have thought about writing some kind of guide for those who wake up, so they don't feel so lost as we did.

[fisherwife]

I believe it's the ears. Perhaps that's all people see. [It's all she'd been looking for, to be far, but she hadn't been aware of an alternative really.

She looks a little surprised at Zelda's idea, though, in reflection, she shouldn't be. A decision like that was exactly something she'd be interested in doing, and Mipha smiles.]

I think that would be a wonderful idea. It's a lot to take in and get used to--Having something that could answer most of their questions from the beginning would be a great help to them. If anyone could compile the information together, I'm sure you could.

[hylights]

They do seem distinctive, in a place like this where they aren't so common.

[Not nearly as distinctive as Mipha; maybe a few levels down. Letting the curtain fall back across the window, she nods to the other princess.]

I think it would help us have more ownership over what happens here as well. We can lead by example.