Hey! Listen!

nayrusknight:

enchantedchaperone

“Not really advisable to go all the way up, but if you can find a ledge somewhere up there to camp out on, you might be able to get a better signal to one of the towers nearby! The towers are where the slate connects to reach the others, but it looks like the moon is messing up their range.”

Navi gives Zelda a good dusting, hoping to get her a bit of an energy boost and extra healing. Direct dusting was a tossup sometimes, but none of the effects were negative, so it would at least not be detrimental. She flew up a bit, checking around to see if she could find a good spot for Zelda to aim for. Once she’d found a section of rock poking out that looked wide and long enough to let her sit and rest, Navi got excited and bounced a bit. “You can fit up here, I think!”

And then back to Zelda’s side she went, prepared to heal as necessary and keep watch to make sure nothing got in close enough to throw something or otherwise reach her.

Zelda can feel a few bruises clear up when Navi circles her, and takes a moment to let the healing finish before throwing herself at the cliff. It’s not entirely sheer, but it’s still a great deal of effort to make progress. 

The spot Navi had located is a good thirty feet up, and without equipment Zelda is forced to take it slow. By the time she reaches the spot both of her hands are numb to the wrists, which is good because her fingers are blistered and her palms are sliced to ribbons by the volcanic rocks. She hauls herself up and immediately humbles with her slate, unintentionally smearing blood on the screen.

Navi heals as best she can as Zelda climbs, but it’s only once Zelda’s seated that it starts gaining traction against the damage done. Once it’s well on it’s way, she shifts in front of Zelda and to one side, fluttering her wings in an attempt to at least help cool her off after such a workout while the magic slowly works the twirling vine-like patterns across Zelda’s damaged skin, regrowing lost tissues and relieving the pain. The longer the magic goes, the more vivid the coloring gets, up until the ends of the vines are practically blooming with familiar little blue and white glowing flowers made of light.

“Any luck? If it’s not far enough, I can try something else, but I might not be much help after that…I’m old and capable, but not as old as some of the fairies around here, and it takes a lot of energy to do what I’m thinking of.”

• #blood moon

nayrusknight:

enchantedchaperone

“Yes! I wonder what happened to make it late this time!”

She spots the movement and presses in close, her healing spell warming the area around the wound before slowly winding it’s way inwards in a spiraling vine pattern. Soon as she’s done, she hovers around Zelda’s shoulder.

“It’s not going to be safe here, they’ll keep coming back as long as the moon is up. You should get someplace safe.”

“Yeah, I know.” Zelda sheaths her swords and hauls up onto an outcropping at the base of the cliff. If she were to keep going this direction it would be a straight shot to Goron City, provided she doesn’t mind scaling a hundred feet into the air and then swimming across a lake of lava. Rather than consider that option, she pulls out her slate.

The screen jumps, the image of the map distorted and useless. A more technologically-advanced being would have the word “glitch” in their vocabulary to describe the problem, but all Zelda sees is magic fuckery. She taps insistently on the part of the map that is Zora’s Domain at least most of the time, but the command to warp doesn’t come up. After a few moments of frustration, she tries to switch to the social rune–still no proper name for that, gotta think of something–and gets a simple error message. “This function is offline.” Whatever that means. 

She replaces the slate on her belt clip and eyes the cliff face again.

“…If I tackle this bare-handed, can you heal my fingers as I go?”

“Not really advisable to go all the way up, but if you can find a ledge somewhere up there to camp out on, you might be able to get a better signal to one of the towers nearby! The towers are where the slate connects to reach the others, but it looks like the moon is messing up their range.”

Navi gives Zelda a good dusting, hoping to get her a bit of an energy boost and extra healing. Direct dusting was a tossup sometimes, but none of the effects were negative, so it would at least not be detrimental. She flew up a bit, checking around to see if she could find a good spot for Zelda to aim for. Once she’d found a section of rock poking out that looked wide and long enough to let her sit and rest, Navi got excited and bounced a bit. “You can fit up here, I think!”

And then back to Zelda’s side she went, prepared to heal as necessary and keep watch to make sure nothing got in close enough to throw something or otherwise reach her.

• #blood moon

nayrusknight:

enchantedchaperone

“No, no, there’s…something always gives a warning before it rises. Everyone hears it, and there’s at least a few minutes to get somewhere safe. It didn’t happen this time.”

She circled around Zelda, having a good look at her to make sure there wasn’t anything immediately in need of urgent healing.

“Well, that’s great. Would’ve been nice.” Realizing what Navi is doing, Zelda raises an encumbered hand to indicate a small cut under her eye, where a stalkoblin had managed to hit her with a rock.

“The Blood Moon rises once again. To those of you unprepared in the wild, I pray for your safety. Do what you can to survive, whether that means to run, fight, climb, or hide out of harm’s way. To those indoors, hold your loved ones close, prepare for the worst, and pray for the best. May the Goddess watch over each and every one of you and deliver you into the safety of the morning’s light.”

When the words ring in Zelda’s mind she freezes, tensed for another fight, but after a moment she realizes that there’s nothing malevolent about whatever spell was just used.

“…Like that, you mean?”

“Yes! I wonder what happened to make it late this time!”

She spots the movement and presses in close, her healing spell warming the area around the wound before slowly winding it’s way inwards in a spiraling vine pattern. Soon as she’s done, she hovers around Zelda’s shoulder.

“It’s not going to be safe here, they’ll keep coming back as long as the moon is up. You should get someplace safe.”

• #blood moon

nayrusknight:

enchantedchaperone

Navi pops out of her bag with a grumpy huff, having an obvious look around at the mess. She turns to look at Zelda, bobbing in place a bit.

“Where’s the wake-up call that normally happens before these things? There’s been a warning for every blood moon for the past ten years at least, but this one is the only one since that’s been missing…you’re okay, right?”

“There was plenty of warning.” She gestures to the sky with the lighter, shorter guardian sword. The moon is still hovering oppressively overhead. “This is a scheduled occurrence?”

“No, no, there’s…something always gives a warning before it rises. Everyone hears it, and there’s at least a few minutes to get somewhere safe. It didn’t happen this time.”

She circled around Zelda, having a good look at her to make sure there wasn’t anything immediately in need of urgent healing.

• #blood moon

nayrusknight:

The field is so thoroughly covered in broken bones that walking is damn near impossible. So Zelda shuffles her feet, kicking aside the remains on her way to the cliff, where hopefully she can get a better look around. Every thirty seconds or so one of the aggressively disassembled stal tries to roll back together, and she has to give it a slice with one of her blades. She’s exhausted and filthy and bleeding from a few different spots, but grinning.

Navi pops out of her bag with a grumpy huff, having an obvious look around at the mess. She turns to look at Zelda, bobbing in place a bit.

“Where’s the wake-up call that normally happens before these things? There’s been a warning for every blood moon for the past ten years at least, but this one is the only one since that’s been missing…you’re okay, right?”

• #blood moon

nayrusknight:

enchantedchaperone‌:

Navi appreciates the affection Sheik shows, and gives a quiet laugh.

“Link is Link, and Link is a goofball! Always has been, always will be!”

Navi turned to Zelda, bobbing in her face a bit.

“He’s capable and inspiring and princely and all of that, but he’s still a gigantic goober, just like he’s always been. I don’t think there’s a reincarnation cycle where he hasn’t been!”

sickofthisharp

“It amazes me that you can say that with a straight face,” Sheik said. “You know damn well he’ll put anything that could possibly be food adjacent in his mouth.”  There is a wealth of affection in his words, his eyes crinkling in a way that speaks to a smile hidden under the mask.

Zelda stays mad for a few seconds, before giving up and laughing along.

“Alright, fine. The number of times he’s run too fast and skidded off the cliffside here… Sure, he’s a massive dork. But he’s my massive dork–” her smile goes cold. “–and I would run you both through before I let either of you insult him to his face.”

“Gotta be a spoilsport about everything fun. Can’t make fun of the goober who ate octorok because he was curious how it tastes, not once, but four times…two in the same lifetime, at that.”

Navi sighed, bumping against Sheik’s forehead again before returning to Zelda’s backpack. Not because she was tired or anything, but because…well, her job was to be available when needed, wasn’t it?

nayrusknight:

enchantedchaperone‌:

“I got Link good a few times because I thought he was joking with me about Zelda being the hero this time. He’s so weird! I can tell why you like him, though.”

Her wings fluttered a bit and the halo of light around her got a bit brighter for a few moments at Sheik’s last words.

“I appreciate that!”

sickofthisharp

“Of course, my lady.  I thank you,” he said, words going more stiff and formal though what little expression could be seen on him was bland.  He tilted his head to regard Navi after a moment, one hand cupping around her in as close to a hug as one could get with a fairy.

“I have not met him in person, but I still find it strange that he is the Prince.  He does seem to be as stupid as always, though.”

“Hey!” Zelda bristles to defend her Prince from the nonexistent threat. “His Highness is a capable individual and an inspiring leader! I’ll thank you to watch your tongue concerned the royal family that you’re supposed to serve!”

Navi appreciates the affection Sheik shows, and gives a quiet laugh.

“Link is Link, and Link is a goofball! Always has been, always will be!”

Navi turned to Zelda, bobbing in her face a bit.

“He’s capable and inspiring and princely and all of that, but he’s still a gigantic goober, just like he’s always been. I don’t think there’s a reincarnation cycle where he hasn’t been!”

nayrusknight:

enchantedchaperone‌:

“I found Zelda last night! I’m glad to see you again, you’re going to join us too, right? You’ve always been a big help in guiding the hero too!”

Navi paid no mind to Sheik’s response, fluttering circles around his head and bobbing as she moved. She ended her circling in front of his face to give him an affectionate bonk.

“This incarnation is weird, but when are they not, right?”

sickofthisharp

“It’s… very different,” he said in answer to Navi’s chattering. His tone was just a bit helplessly fond. “Though I’m not sure this Hero particularly wants or needs my guidance.”  He looked at Zelda for a long, wary moment.

Then he breathed out a soft sigh and bobbed his head.  “As you say, my lady. I only ask you… not reveal who I am for now.”

“And you, Navi,” he added after a moment, “are always welcome to travel with me.”

Zelda sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.

“Your identity is safe with me, I guess. Just don’t call me ‘my lady.’ I’m as far from nobility as one can possibly get.”

“I got Link good a few times because I thought he was joking with me about Zelda being the hero this time. He’s so weird! I can tell why you like him, though.”

Her wings fluttered a bit and the halo of light around her got a bit brighter for a few moments at Sheik’s last words.

“I appreciate that!”

nayrusknight:

enchantedchaperone‌:

Navi emerges from Zelda’s bag with a yawn, taking a moment to get her bearings before spotting who exactly it was Zelda had been speaking to. She bounced a little in surprise before zooming over to Sheik, bumping into his head before starting to fly circles around him.

“It’s you again! Hello!”

sickofthisharp

Distract, divert–

One hand curled around the smooth shell of a deku nut as panic made his skin prickle with sweat.  “No more bananas,” he said.  “I plan to dump them all in the lake henceforth.”

But before he could make good on his getaway a blue globe of light smacked into the side of his head.  It was strange to see such a supposedly calm figure went from solemn (thought a bit shifty) to panicking (and trying, badly, to hide it) to fully startled.  Like a cat who’s tail had been trodden upon.

“Navi!” he yelped, hand coming up reflexively to ward her off.  “Yes.  Hello. I…was not aware you would be joining us.”

Zelda had completely forgotten about Navi, or else she would have found a way to leave the stowaway fairy behind. Watching her interact with Sheik soothes her remaining concerns about him.

“Yeah, we’ve picked up a few stragglers lately.” She waits to make sure they’re both paying attention to her. “We’ve got room for more, but we don’t deal in secrets and shadows. I appreciate what you’ve done to aid us thusfar, Sheik, but I’m dead fucking serious. If you intend to follow us from here, you can’t pretend not to be. If you’re too shy to give your reports in person, then I expect regular contact on the slate. Are we clear?”

“I found Zelda last night! I’m glad to see you again, you’re going to join us too, right? You’ve always been a big help in guiding the hero too!”

Navi paid no mind to Sheik’s response, fluttering circles around his head and bobbing as she moved. She ended her circling in front of his face to give him an affectionate bonk.

“This incarnation is weird, but when are they not, right?”

nayrusknight:

sickofthisharp

He hesitated, darting a glance to her then away and back again.  “I make no promises,” he said finally.  “I’d rather my presence remain… undisclosed.”

“And I’d rather know what my allies are up to.” Any indulgence she’d felt towards him is gone now. Her expression is stony. 

“I’m not asking you to enlist. I’m asking you to let us know what you’re doing, instead of acting guilty all the damn time. Join us for dinner once in a while, at least, and give reports if something is up. We usually have something more nutritious than bananas.”

Navi emerges from Zelda’s bag with a yawn, taking a moment to get her bearings before spotting who exactly it was Zelda had been speaking to. She bounced a little in surprise before zooming over to Sheik, bumping into his head before starting to fly circles around him.

“It’s you again! Hello!”