World Tree MUSH

    "-investigation is still ongoing, and police have not yet ruled out a gas leak-"

    "-mayor urged citizens not to treat every offworlder as if they are responsible-"

    "-of yet there is no further information available on the lone survivor of-"

    "-issued a statement condemning the gathering, saying that fringe conspiracy theories on the supernatural are no excuse to harass-"

    It's a dull, dreary afternoon in Natsuto. The cloud cover overhead is not yet at the point of rain, but it certainly looms ominously enough, casting the city in muted colors. And despite the gaping scar that now graces the downtown district where once a skyscraper stood, the people of the city are doing what people everywhere have done in the midst of life-changing, history-making events: They're going on about their lives. Pedestrians hustle, tugging their jackets closer and clutching their just-in-case umbrellas. Bikes and cars roll along the streets, bearing people to and fro. The dull background roar of the city goes on.

    The crater itself is fenced off, but most of the police have gone. Just two remain at the moment; one of them simply standing guard at the gate to get through the chain-link fence. The other is muddling about down in the crater itself. A few onlookers stop now and then to watch, but only for a few moments before moving on. There is but a single person standing near the fence and watching long-term; one girl with cream orange hair, hands in her hoodie pockets, staring down into the crater with a look that suggests her mind's a thousand miles away.

  Since her flight from Hyrule Castle, Princess Zelda has been wandering more or less aimlessly, searching for allies in her bid to strike back at the Twilight King that had so recently usurped her throne. It galls her to be forced into such inaction, but searching for the Chosen Hero is all she can really do. She lacks the strength to challenge him as he is now.

  So, in the interest of giving the Twilight King's hunters a less obvious way to find her, she periodically travels through other worlds. It seems to scramble their senses, however it is they're finding her, and that's good. She needs every advantage she can get. Those shadowy bastards are uncanny in their skill.

  Thankfully, they haven't caught up to her for a few days, and that's a few days of being able to keep moving. Rest? Probably not. It often takes an external voice to tell her to take care of herself; preoccupied as she is with her kingdom's plight.

  So it is that a figure wearing a hooded robe files down the avenue, but the hood is twisted towards the crater with enough of a cant to suggest curiosity. What in the Goddesses' name happened here...?

  A brief glance is cast back the way she had come, as though weighing her options.

  "Excuse me." The voice is soft, as Zelda approaches and addresses the cream orange haired-girl -- a young woman's voice, gentle, although audibly tired. One hand, wearing travel-worn grey gloves, beckons towards the crater. "Are you from this place? Can you tell me what has happened here?"

    Let it not be said that Thanatos-4 followed Zelda. He didn't. It's just a pure and complete total coincidence that he has come to this world. Having studied the twilight for a brief peroid and deeming it best to return at a later point in time, he resumed his travels among the many varied worlds connected to the great tree that seems to be at the center of all things. The tree is a mystery, it is his duty as a Warlock to unravel it.
    And that means experiencing world after world. And in this world- in this city of modern means and conventions, he is both at home and not. It reminds him of the tower- yet here there are many other cities like it. Not just one last city where all of humanity makes their final stand.
    So it is that the Warlock wanders Natsuto, clad in robes of red and black, hood pulled up to hide the inhuman features of his mechanical face.
    "WOW this city is like the Last City! Except smaller and without any Exo or Awoken! Oh look at that, there's a spicy ramen shop! Hey Thanatos, can we stop by for... some..."
    He pays little mind to the little floating AI at his side taking in all the tourist sights. Something about the city has called out to him, and eventually the Voidwalker finds himself walking the perimeter of the fenced off crater, stopping at a trio of figures. One of them familiar.
    It's not the officer, nor the girl.
    "Oh! Zelda!" The floating little cycloptic eye chirrups and zips over. "We didn't expect to run into you here!" Dis is excited at least. Thanatos, on the other hand, is more placid in his approach, robe rustling with several scrolls tied into the sash, his favorite tome for note taking already in hand.
    "A good question." He mirrors the princess' query. "I would like to know, as well."

    The hooded robe has drawn some attention by the passersby, but probably not as much as Thanatos. When people think they can get away with staring, they sure do stare at him. But as soon as they're noticed, they hastily go into 'not my business' mode. Curiously, a few people here and there are staring in the girl's direction now and then, too.

    The crater, as it happens, has a great degree of magical residue, if either party can sense such things; it is not magical in and of itself, but something very powerfully magical happened there in the past few days. If the girl standing outside the fence notices anything like that, though, she's not letting on. She mostly seems lost in thought. At least until Zelda speaks up, anyway. Even with the soft tones of the Hylian, she's startled, jumping a little in surprise. "Ah-! Oh, sorry, I... I wasn't paying attention." There's a reflexive little bow, and then another towards Thanatos as he approaches. "The investigation's still ongoing. They haven't announced anything, yet." She turns herself back towards the crater, then adds, "I kinda wish I knew, too."

  On some level the princess had known she'd been followed, but she had lost her travelling companion near the border of Faron Province. Her main focus had become putting distance between herself and Hyrule in an effort to leave Zant's hunters in the dust.

  It's hard to miss the chattering Dis. The familiar voice only half-registers; it isn't until the sound of her own name that Zelda visibly cringes, turning on a heel to face the pair and lifting a hand in greeting.

  "I did not expect to find you here, either. Hello, Dis." Zelda bobs her hooded head at the cheerful Ghost, and in turn to the Exo as well. It seems to linger on the latter. She's never seen him without his armour before. "Good evening, Master Thanatos."

  "Peace," Zelda offers soothingly, raising her hands with palms raised in a placating gesture. "I mean you no harm, child. I am only a traveller."

  A brief, calculating look is shot to Dis -- will the Ghost blow her Just A Traveller cover? -- before looking back to the girl with the orange hair. Zelda glances back to the crater again, as though weighing whether to ask any more questions or not.

  Part of her wants to get a closer look at the scene of the disaster. She can feel a faint prickling at the back of her neck that suggests magic at play; not enough to really pinpoint anything, but enough to know that it was there. Is magic a common phenomenon in this world? It's hard to say, with so many unfamiliar things in play. Many of the things she's seen on her way here are things she never would have dared to dream of. Automobiles, skyscrapers, and the concrete jungle of the city; they were in some ways familiar, enough to recognise a city at play, but this dwarfs Castle Town even at its largest historical census readings.

  It's almost a little overwhelming, thinking about the sheer size of this city, and the strangeness of its ways. Some of it is probably worth studying when Hyrule isn't fighting for its survival.

  The hood shakes before raising to look at the girl; the girl might see a hint of reflected light gleaming from the Hylian's shadowed eye. "It must have been terrible, a conflagration of such size." When the girl says she wishes she also knew, Zelda tilts her head again. "Yes? Are you connected to this somehow, or simply curious? I am... not certain I want to know what could have caused such destruction, myself."

  The hood turns back to Thanatos and Dis. "What do you think?" It seems to be addressed to both the Exo and the Ghost alike.

    And Thanatos pays precisely none of these rude people any mind in the least. He is a man of conviction and focus, and a few stares cast upon him for being different mean nothing to any Warlock. It is a Warlock's way of life to earn the stares of the masses. And it is a Warlock's way of life to study, as well. The crater, however, has earned his attention. He's already scribbling away in that battered, leather-bound book of his. For the sake of not being too much of a distraction, though, he leaves his own hood up.
    Just a traveler though, Dis bobs herself in the air a few times. "Zelda gets around. We weren't following her or anything though, Thanatos just had to get some supplies and I guess we just bumped into each other again!" The Ghost babbles. Though she may seem to have no filters equipped on her chatterbox, she doesn't shoot down Zelda's cover story. Whether it's intentional or not can be left to interpretation.
    Thanatos, however is unbothered by the city and its bustle and noise all around him; engrossed in his writing, before he looks up, optics blazing a dull gold. "I think it wasn't a 'gas explosion' the local authorities are speculating." He mutters in simple reply to both.

    The peculiar speech mannerisms on Zelda's part are the first thing to catch the girl's eye, but she doesn't comment on them. Or at least, not immediately. The question about the crater, though, that does draw a comment. She turns back around to look down into it, a faint frown on her face. "I am, but..." She shakes her head. "'Somehow' is the most specific I can get." She looks into those golden optics then, with a faint expression of surprise. "...no, I don't think so either. It's too..." There's a pause, and then the softest of chuckles. "Gas explosions don't end with a single girl, completely unhurt, waking up in the middle of the crater with no idea who she is or how she got there. That'd be some odd gas."

    It finally hits her that she's forgetting something. "Oh! Um. I'm sorry, I'm being rude. I'm Yumi, Tachibana Yumi. It's a pleasure to meet you both." Another one of those bows, this time less reflexive and more deliberate. "Are the two of you off-worlders, by any chance?" she adds, in a quieter voice.

  The princess' shoulders slump in something approaching relief when the chatterbox Ghost doesn't blow her cover. It's not that there's any particular harm in telling her story to others. Still, it's safer to know whether a source can be trusted or not before volunteering information. Getting out of her own castle sure put the Twilight King's nose out of joint.

  As it should be.

  "It is as Dis says." Zelda manages a faint, hesitant smile under her hood; that much is visible, at least. "We have met on the road on more than one occasion. I am searching for someone, so my travels take me far and wide, and far from my homeland... but that is not so bad." The hood shakes slowly from side to side. "I have the opportunity to see things that many do not."

  There's a slight startle from the hooded figure as Thanatos looks up. She hasn't gotten a good look at his face up until now, and without the extra bulk of his armour, certain features like his optics can be seen clearly. Yeow, that's weird. But she stands her ground, however skittish she might seem; head tilting in consideration. "A... gas explosion?" C'mon, help a princess out, Hyrule doesn't have gas mains.

  The robed figure seems to hesitate as introductions are being passed around, but finally bows her head. "I am Zelda, as you have already been told by Dis. I am honoured, Tachibana Yumi," she adds, bowing forward in a surprisingly elegant gesture. It takes a moment of hesitation to arrange the name as Yumi does, but she makes a point of doing it.

  Other royalty might refuse to bow to others, but Zelda is a considerate sort of monarch. Also, refusing to bow would be impolite. It would also blow her cover out of the water.

  "I take it you are a survivor of the explosion?" Her voice is laced with concern. "How did you come to take no wounds? Ah, forgive me; no doubt you would not be asking the same questions yourself if you knew the answers. Yes, I am an off-worlder. I..." Zelda hesitates, risking a quick glance at Thanatos and Dis before the hood turns back to Yumi. "I am from a place called the Kingdom of Hyrule. It is very far from here, to the best of my estimates."

    "Thanatos-4."
    The Exo's introduction is much more curt and less flowing than the Queen-Regent's as he looks out over the crater. But it's something Yumi says that instantly has his attention. For a man made of metal, that face is incredibly expressive. Every slight shift occurring with the soft buzzing sound of motors, just to make steel brow draw together and emphasize the incredibly hard stare he affords the girl.
    "From offworld, yeah. Are you saying that someone was found in the middle of that?" Asked with blatant emphasis on 'someone' to imply 'Yumi' as he says it. There's a thoughtful murmur to himself, but he does remember manners and dips into a faint bow that's just polite enough.

    Yumi glances over her shoulder again, her expression growing faintly disconcerted for a second or two. "...my earliest memory is two days ago. Apparently, it was less than an hour after the crater happened. I don't... really have anything before that. Not about what happened, not about myself."

    She turns back around, folding her hands behind herself and looking the other two over. And curiously, she doesn't flinch under that hard stare, at all. In fact, she meets it straight on, at least briefly. "Oh, um, gas. Natural gas. It's..." She directs her attention more towards Zelda. "It's a flammable gas of some kind. We have a big, complex system to pump it through the city, so people can use it to cook food, among other things. Gas explosions are actually pretty rare. They /can/ cause this much destruction, but the crater doesn't really seem to have any burn marks or anything. That's why they're still calling it 'under investigation', I guess. They don't know what to call the cause."

  Although the princess' brow furrows beneath her hood, the expression isn't visible beyond a faint downward cant of her mouth. It does handily explain what she needed to know. So, it works a little like any other fuel, only it's inherently more volatile and apparently unstable enough to cause a crater like this when treated incautiously.

  Wouldn't it be possible to achieve a system like that with the use of magic? It sounds as though magic would be a lot safer than this 'natural gas.' Explosions are fairly rare, and most take appropriate precautions when working with pyromancy. Or... oh, maybe this world is one of those places that doesn't have widespread magic, or any, although the last notion is somewhat foreign to her. She can't imagine ever living without magic. It's a fundamental part of who and what she is.

  The hood tilts, and Zelda glances back to the crater, distant for a moment. If that's the case with this world, if it isn't a place blessed with magic, then why can she feel that odd sensation...? It's like an itch she can't quite scratch.

  "I am sorry. Thank you for explaining." Her voice is soft and somewhat distant. She doesn't answer for several seconds, but her attention eventually returns to Yumi. "What do you think caused it, Tachibana Yumi...?"

    Thanatos is writing furiously. He doesn't look down from Yumi for a minute as his hand flies across the page of his notebook. "Nothing? Nothing at all?" He asks about the girl's memory, analytical; almost professional, in his curiosity moreso than anything else.
    "I really don't think it was gas at all." Dis notes turning to stare her single eye over across the crater. "Can you feel that?" The Ghost asks of the Queen Regent. "It's just residual, but I'm picking up something there."
    "Mmh." Thanatos sounds like he doesn't want to be the one to say something. He waits for the assessment from Yumi, as prompted by Zelda.

    What does SHE think caused it? Yumi considers for a few moments, then shakes her head. "I don't know. I'm not an expert in munitions, apparently. I keep wondering if it was something from off-world..."

    Thanatos asks her to confirm, and Yumi can only reply, "Nothing. I know what a tree is, what a computer is, what buildings and the sky and stock markets are, but I couldn't tell you what my favorite food is, where I was born, my parents, anything." As she says it, her voice sags a little; but she notices, and catches herself. "But I've got someone looking after me for now. I could be doing a lot worse, I think."

    Then, however, Thanatos also says something peculiar. "...something?" Her head swivels between the strange being, and the crater. "It's- oh no, it's not radioactive, is it? Do we need to get everyone out of here?!" Her first concern isn't for herself, but rather the passersby.

  The hood leans a moment in Thanatos' direction, but the princess says nothing. She's watching him as he writes furiously in that notebook of his, although she can't see what the content of that is. The way he prods at her suggests he might be some kind of detective or investigator. He's presented himself as a scholarly sort; does he hope to solve this mystery?

  Speaking strictly academically, something about the problem is intriguing to her, a mystery indeed that beckons to be solved.

  "I have not the experience to say." Zelda shakes her head about whether or not the explosion was caused by gas. "Such things are not used, in the place I am from. I fear I would not even know what to look for." Something about her speech is almost archaic; polite and diffident in tone, certainly not the sort of tone of royal authority one might expect from a princess. Fortunately, Yumi doesn't know what she is. Just that she's from Hyrule.

  Yeah. Totally a commoner. Just think commoner thoughts. Wait, what are commoner thoughts? What do subsistence farmers think about? Oh, this is going to be difficult.

  Dis brings up something else. Zelda takes a slow step closer towards the fence, expression almost troubled as she concentrates on her senses.

  Sensing magic is an imprecise science for her, with the specialties she has. Yet she can sense that something isn't the way it should be; something itches at the edges of her subconscious, and she can feel a prickling at the back of her neck. "Yes." The word is a long, drawn-out hiss as Zelda lets her eyes fall half-closed. "I feel something at play just beneath the surface. I am sorry; I--I cannot be more specific than that." Her eyes flick open, taking a second or two to focus. "Such is not my specialty. I could not say why I sense something. I do not know enough of this place."

  Her own presence is one of magic, like a veritable beacon of something connected to or descended of divinity. It's probably distracting to the sensitive, like white fire, bright and crackling. Of course, if one has no sensitivity... she's just a normal person, if somewhat skittish and soft-spoken.

  Her head turns toward Yumi, reflected light gleaming from her eyes within the hood. Something from off-world? It's sensible enough to expect something mysterious and unexplained to come from beyond the limits of one's own home realm. The hood tilts slightly, thoughtfully.

  "So you remember, but you do not remember anything to do with your own identity. Anything that would make you... you." Her expression falls, and while it isn't visible under her hood, it's clear in her voice. "I am sorry for you, Tachibana Yumi... I wish there were more I could do to help."

  Some people might say it just to be nice or polite, but there's something raw and genuine about the way her voice softens and gentles; a quiet and almost maternal concern.

  "Ra...dio...active...?" Zelda tilts her head uncomprehendingly. "We must evacuate?" There's concern in the princess' voice, too. "If there is a threat, we must organise efforts to evacuate immediately. This place is much larger than Castle Town," she adds, faintly. It'll be a lot harder to do something like that on this scale. How does a big city get all of its people out in the event of fire or somesuch, anyway?

  Man, life is going to be interesting outside of Hyrule, isn't it? These outworlders and their strange realms are so confusing...

    "It's not radioactive, we are not all going to die!" Dis is VERY fast in trying to allay any mounting panic in either Yumi or Zelda. Her own sharp and paniced tone at trying to stop any panicking probably... Does not help. But Thanatos remains stoic as ever as he looks over his notes briefly. "It's just traces. Force. Power. Residual remnants and not much else. Magic." He says when Zelda confirms her own sense registering the lingering feeling remaining over the crater.
    "Don't worry about a thing! Nothing is going to happen!" The Ghost tries again desperately. He pays her no mind, because his focus squares onto Yumi.
    "If you don't remember anything and were found in the middle of that, that opens up a horrible can of worms, girl." The Exo states dully. "Like it or not, looks like you're involved now, though I can't say anything for the memory loss. Either it's temporary or it's not."
    If he were a doctor he would not earn any points for bedside manner.
    "THE SKY IS /NOT/ FALLING! NOBODY PANIC!" Dis bleats in wild panic.

    Zelda doesn't know what 'radioactive' means. And Thanatos quite soundly sets her straight. But the way he does so prompts a deeper frown. "Magic? Then it's gotta be something from offworld." But that much is a relief, at least.

    The shouting... thingy, on the other hand, that's a problem. "Shh! Shh, it's okay, I'm not panicking. Nothing's wrong. We don't want to scare everyone, okay? Take it easy. It's fine." Somehow, she manages a voice both soothing and firm, without so much as a hint of hesitation. And she's willing to keep doing it until the Ghost is properly soothed. Only then will she straighten up, looking Thanatos himself squarely in the eye, with an expression that's... hard to read. But it certainly doesn't waver or flinch. "...well, if they can't find anything, then I guess that makes it my job. I'll... it'll be difficult, but I want to investigate this. When I can find time. The police officer I'm staying with, he wants me to go to school." She takes a step back, folding her hands behind her back again.

    Oh wait, should probably explain a thing if Zelda doesn't know. "Radioactive means, um... there's this kind of energy that's poisonous to human life, called radiation. There's certain kinds of really nasty explosives that use it, and they leave behind a lot of residue that makes the land dangerous long after the blast. That's radioactivity." She doesn't sound like she likes the thought. Not one bit.

  The Hylian seems less panicked and more uncertain. She has no way to combat a threat that she knows nothing of, so all she can really do is hesitate and follow the others' examples. She actually flinches at the strident panic-tone from the Ghost, but seems disinclined to panic herself.

  It wouldn't be wise to panic in a situation. One can hardly help others when one is too busy losing their mind.

  She flinches again when Dis bleats about the sky falling, and her hood turns with slow deliberation towards the Ghost. "Hush," she says softly. "Even if there were a threat, such behaviour is an active hindrance. Lower your voice, please."

  Her focus swivels without pause right over to Yumi. The princess doesn't speak right away, hesitating as though she were weighing something with meticulous focus. While it's touching that this poor girl has functionally lost her provenance as an individual, she has to consider whether she can afford to tear her attention away from Hyrule for so long.

  On the other hand, it's necessary to leave the kingdom from time to time; to give her pursuers the slip, and lead them on a wild goose chase across realms. It doesn't quite reset their sensors, but it does take them longer to catch up, and gives her enough time to plan her next move; to haphazardly jam another piece into the puzzle of Hyrule's still-dormant resistance.

  "Mm. So, a taint; like caustic magics. I see; thank you." She is if nothing else polite. The cool distance in her voice suggests she's not really a fan of the effects, either. An expression of cold disdain flickers across her features, briefly. "That is terrible."

    "I AM NOT PANICKING!"
    A pause and Dis simulates the sound of heaving a slow breath. "I'm sorry. I got excited again." She apologizes when chided by Zelda and coddled by Yumi.
    Thanatos meets Yumi's gaze though, the steel 'beak' of his mouth clicking shut thoughtfully when the girl admits her intent to delve into the secret of the crater. "Difficult won't be the half of it. I'm certain." He mutters. He doesn't need an explanation on radioactivity though, he knows what that is, but he lets the girl explain it to the princess. "This is different than that, though. Hard to put my finger on how." Murmured before he shuts his notebook with a thump. "Something else to look into. If you two will excuse us." Dis realizes this is her cue to tuck herself into Thanatos' robes and gives a quick "See you later!" As the Guardian meanders on over to the officer on duty at the crater to start questioning the man.

    "Yes, it is," Yumi agrees, nodding firmly. Zelda is right on the nose. "But usually people are at least smart enough not to use them except as a last resort." She shakes her head, glancing back at the crater. So at least it's not that.

    Dis leaving, though, earns a more cheerful smile, and a bow. "Thank you for coming to visit." She means it, too; he's given the girl some direction already, at least. But that just leaves her and Zelda, and the teen turns to look the robed woman over curiously. "Um... so, ah... I'm sorry if I'm prying, but..." She fidgets a little, lowering her voice. "Are you in some kind of trouble? You seem a little on edge. If there's anything I can do to help..."

>> SUMMARY[Yumi Tachibana] >> 'Check for available quests via Standard Adventurer Question'

  Although the princess raises a brow beneath her hood, she doesn't argue the point, and Dis calms herself eventually. She merely watches as the Ghost takes a moment to gather her composure.

  Some people beyond her world are a little bit weird, she decides.

  "I am sorry. I can give you no more information than that," Zelda admits. "I am not a specialist, and I do not have any outstanding skill in detecting sources of magic. My focus lies... elsewhere." He knows of her abilities, even if he hasn't seen them in use, so he probably knows the unspoken inference.

  A hand is raised in parting, though, when the two excuse themselves to conduct further research. She turns back to Yumi, gathering her robe about herself and huddling into it slightly, as though cold. Is she in some kind of trouble?

  A glance is cast to the officer still on patrol. They're thoroughly occupied with the gravitational force of the Warlock's curiosity, and they'll probably be occupied for a while to come.

  "Yes."

  Well, that's unexpected. Not that she's in trouble, but that it came out so easily; so honestly. The officers and Thanatos are given a long look, but she almost seems to be looking past them, as though searching for something. Or making sure something isn't there.

  "I am wanted as a criminal." Her voice lowers as she turns her attenion back to Yumi. "I am from a place called the Kingdom of Hyrule. It has been conquered by invaders from another realm; the Twilight Realm, and I am powerless to cast them out."

  Slowly, her hands reach up, and even with such nondescript gloves it's clear that her hands are delicate. A flick of the hand sweeps the hood back, revealing her for... somewhat less of such a nondescript figure.

  Zelda looks like she's in her mid-twenties, and perfectly ordinary human but for a single detail -- her ears are quite long, and pointed at their ends. She wears elegant earrings with a strip of red cloth on them. Her dark honey-blonde hair is drawn back into an elegant braid; a separate lock hangs before each ear, plaited with white ribbon. Her eyes are the sapphire of the summer sky; both haunted and frighteningly wise. And, resting at her brow, is a delicate golden crown fashioned in the shape of leaves. A sapphire is set at its centre, a few shades lighter than her eyes.

  She is delicate, and there is a regal quality about her despite her obviously skittish bearing.

  "My name is Zelda, and I am Hyrule's Princess--Queen-Regent," she corrects herself, with a bitter turn of her mouth. "The Twilight King is less than pleased that I have somehow managed to escape my own castle. He has had his creatures following my trail for weeks. It is unsafe for me to remain in one place for too long, and I would not put others at risk."

    Well, that was easier than she expected. Yumi's eyes widen in surprise, but her expression quickly comes under control again, and she listens raptly - only just shy of 'standing at attention', in her own way. Someone on the run from an invader to her kingdom, someone searching for a way to save her realm. Invaders from the 'Twilight Realm', no less, chasing someone who knows magic. Right off the bat, that's intensely interesting. She opens her mouth as if to start speaking-

    -but whatever words she might have had to say, die on her lips.

    "Queen-Regent...?" Oh dear. Oh, Zelda, what have you done. You went and said the magic words. "I-I, ah, um. I- I had no idea I was in the presence of-!" And... and oh dear. Oh she's dropping to one knee and bowing her head. "Your majesty, I'm sorry if I was rude in prying about your personal matters."

>> SUMMARY[Yumi Tachibana] >> welp

  The princess blinks owlishly, canting her head very slightly to one side as Yumi questions her title. "Yes," she says, a little uncertainly. "By rights I--"

  Before she has a chance to explain any further, Yumi hastily abases herself in the presence of royalty. Zelda blinks rapidly, straightening and almost flinching back from the girl. "Oh, please do not do that. I hold no court here, and I am trying to maintain a low profile, for my own safety."

  Yeah, bang-up job of that last one, so far.

  "Please," she adds, faintly and somewhat miserably. "You need only call me 'Zelda.' I require no royal titles of address... r-really..."

    It's only the distressed reaction that manages to get Yumi to look up again. "-ah! Oh, I'm- I'm sorry, your m-" She catches herself, adding an embarrassed, "...Zelda." Slowly, she stands, shoving her hands in her pockets and speaking a little more quietly. "I don't know what... it just felt right. I'm sorry if it bothered you any." There's some confusion in her tone; she seems to have hit on a side of herself she wasn't aware of. There's a pause, and then she adds, "...but, um. There's one thing I feel like I should say, your majesty. Even if you don't have a court, you're still royalty. That's worth something, I think."

  Folding her arms in her sleeves, the princess thins her lips and seems to consider for a moment, eventually shaking her head. "It is alright." Zelda bows her head, in seeming gratitude. "I appreciate the sentiment, Tachibana Yumi, but it is too much of a spectacle. I am still being hunted, even now. I think it would be better if I did not remain for too much longer. I would not put you at risk. The creatures that hunt me do not need scent or sight to find their quarry."

  Her head tilts a bit. The Queen-Regent's brow knits in discontent. "I do not agree. My crown is meaningless until my people are safe and returned to their homes... but it is not important. I will help you with your mystery, Tachibana Yumi. There is little else I can do for Hyrule, for the time being, until I have gathered allies willing to stand against the twilight. How best may I help you...?"

    Oh jeez, that's right, she's being hunted. Now Yumi feels /really/ bad. "Ah, right... s-sorry." Another apology. She looks like there's more she'd like to say, but she bites it back. However, she decides right then and there that she'd like to help this woman take her kingdom back, somehow. She has no clue how.

    For that matter, though, Yumi has no clue how she's going to solve her own problem. "Um... that's actually a pretty good question. I think you know magical stuff better than me, so it'll probably be in regards to that, somehow. I'll have to see what I can find out from the police first." There's a pensive moment. "...and maybe I'll come out with you some time to other worlds. I kind of want to see them. It might lead to a clue, and even if it doesn't... well, I wanna see what's out there. I don't know what help I can offer, but I'll try." Even if it's just as a pack mule.

  "Think nothing of it." Zelda shakes her head, huddling slightly into her robe and eyeing the city with its bright lights. What a strange place to live. The crowds of Castle Town are one thing, but there are so many lights, here. How do these poeple sleep through the night when the city streets are lit up like daylight itself?

  Her eyes flick back to Yumi. "Is that so? I will confirm that I am skilled, but only in a narrow range of focus. It would be helpful if I could see the scene of the blast, although I do not think there is anything that I can do now. I'm afraid I have overstayed my welcome already." This close, without the concealing shadows of the hood, it's easy to see how exhausted the young woman is. There are deep shadows under her eyes; her cheekbones look slightly hollow, like someone who neither eats nor sleeps on a regular basis. Zelda offers a tired smile.

  "Actually, Tachibana Yumi, there is something that you may do for me, and it would be most helpful." Zelda leans closer, lowering her voice. "I am searching for two inviduals; allies of mine, and they would be instrumental in restoring Hyrule. One of them is called Link. He is a bit taller than I am, with..." It occurs to her that she's never seen what he actually looks like, and for a fleeting instant the princess looks crestfallen. She shakes her head and tries again. "He is a Hylian, like myself, but when last I saw him he was under the effect of a curse, and appears as a great wolf, with sacred sigils over his face and head. He has eyes of blue, like mine, but brighter."

  "He is travelling with a woman named Midna. She wears a mask of stone; her hair is orange, her skin black, and her eyes the colour of blood. She is connected with this debacle, and though of the Twili race, I believe she can be trusted. She too is cursed, and her form is that of an imp." Zelda gestures to indicate a child-like form. "I would not underestimate her, though. She is fierce..." Zelda smiles, faintly, "...and her tongue is sharp as a razor."

  It never bothered her in particular, though she could see how such a fierce personality could be abrasive to others. "If you see them," the princess adds, "or if you hear rumour of them, I would be in your debt if you were to pass word on to me. I am quite worried about them both."

    "Alright, I will." Not a moment's hesitation. Yumi is nothing if not decisive. It's not a bad quality to have. "I'm not sure how I'll contact you, though. Is there some way you can access the phone grid here? I'm going to get a phone tomorrow. Or I could give you my mailing address." It's hard thinking of ways to contact someone who's not good with technology and also on the run, but there's gotta be something.

    "-oh, um. While I'm thinking about it." Abruptly, she fishes around in her pocket, pulling out a wallet and fishing some change from it. "Here. This should be enough to get yourself something to eat. Please," she adds, forestalling refusal. "You look like you could use it. Go to one of the ramen carts around here, it's filling and pretty cheap."

  The princess blinks owlishly. That was easy. Wouldn't Yumi want more information before she agreed to anything? If their positions were reversed, Zelda would certainly ask a few questions before deciding for herself. Not everybody is so deliberate, though. She sighs, the sound one of relief, and bows her head. "All right. You have my thanks, Tachibana Yumi. I will write a letter, if that is acceptable. I do not know what a 'phone' is."

  Yeah, no, the modern postal system is probably easier to deal with than the modern telecommunications network.

  "What?" Yumi fishes in her pocket, and the next thing Zelda knows she has change pressed into her gloved hand. She blinks owlishly again, looking down at the unfamiliar currency. It's not rupees, so it's hard to really associate value with it. "No, that is--" Do it, Yumi tells her, and then she says the magic word.

  The princess sighs. "As you wish. I will stop before I leave this city." She seems to hesitate for a moment, before tucking it away into her robe. There must be some truly epic pockets going on with something that heavy. "Thank you, Tachibana Yumi. I fear I can offer little for the moment, but... I, and Hyrule, are at your service; and we will not forget your kindness." The Queen-Regent manages to bob forward in a bow; one deeper than one might see from most royalty -- a humble, and humbled, gesture. "I thank you most kindly. However, it is time for me to leave. I would not tempt my hunters into your city. I will return to assist you; do not fear." Zelda even manages a faint smile. "May the Goddesses guide our paths together once again."

  With that, provided Yumi has nothing more to say to her, Zelda will start heading back towards the way from which she'd come. It wouldn't do to stick around long enough to summon a pair of shrieking shadow beasts. The slippery bastards don't care about collateral damage; they'd go right through buildings or people if it got them closer to their quarry.

    "Take care, y- Zelda." Blush. She almost did it again. "I'll be around." She turns to go herself, with a last glance down into the crater. Well, it's something. It's more than she had.