World Tree MUSH

    When Rydia left Snowpeak, it was supposed to be for a day or two, tops. It ended up being far longer.
    When Rydia returns to snowpeak, the child is in miserable condition, huddled in the folds of her White Wolfos cloak as soon as she passes along the vine that leads to the snow-capped Hylian peaks, from... Wherever she had gone. She should probably not be travelling in the condition she's in. Physically uninjured, but utterly exhausted to her very soul. But she has a reason for needing to be on the move and returning so soon.
    "We're almost there." She says to her green-haired companion. "It's going to be very cold for a while but... We can probably make it without freezing."
    Not as cold as Shiva's ice, she thinks to herself as she leads Terra part way up the mountain, then down a familiar slope to the fortified manor nestled in the cradle of the mountain's embrace.
    She lets herself in with little fanfare, promptly collapsing to the floor where it is just a few delicious degrees warmer than the snow outside, and she stays there for a long, long, moment unmoving before she calls out, voice hoarse, into the manor.
    "Zelda. I'm back. And I've brought... Company."

    Likewise miserable and also drained in every way but physically, Terra trudges along with Rydia. It's hard watching someone so young push themselves like this and it takes her mind, at least at times, away from her own concerns. Still, the older green haired girl pushes on with stamina that might not be easy to guess from simply looking at her.

    "Are you sure you wouldn't like help? You can just point the way..." What, is she offering to carry the young girl again? She can't help it!

    It's also odd, though her clothing is hardly suitable for this climate, she only appears somewhat chilly and not half-frozen like poor Rydia. "Would you like my cloak? ... I think I'll be fine for a bit longer."

    Still, though the trek is arduous and almost insufferably cold, she breathes a sigh of relief and pulls the door shut after entering. From gloomy winter mountainside to wintry mountain glen. Though the terrain is unfamiliar, the young woman nevertheless seems to be relieved after putting some fair distance between herself and whatever happened before.

  The entry hall of Snowpeak's ruins are still very cold and very much full of holes. Snow is drifted up against the wall in one corner.

  Zelda isn't far. A figure wearing a hooded black cloak sweeps into the entry hall, snow swirling at the hem of the cloak. The garment lends her something of a sinister air -- like some kind of cultist or something, maybe, to the eyes of one Terra Branford.

  Then she sweeps the hood back, surveying both Summoner and half-Esper with lips thinned. "Into the library," she orders crisply, without waiting for a response from the Summoner. The voice is that of a young woman's, even if the face beneath the hood isn't visible. She's already trying to help pull Rydia to her feet; stronger than she has been, for once, and not a moment too soon to help Rydia when help is needed.

  "This chamber is not safe." The whole of the chamber is tumbledown, for one, and for two it's still very, very cold. "The roof is still fit to collapse. You," she adds, to Terra, "will you help me carry her?"

  Rydia's probably not going to like it.

  Tough.

    "I have my own cloak." The girl replies to the half-Esper. It's a thick thing made from the hide and fur of a mountain dwelling White Wolfos. But it's not the cold that had her staggering the whole way. So into Snowpeak manor. And there's Zelda. "Yeah yeah the library, I know just let me breathe a second." The Summoner complains as Rydia is hoisted up with little fight.
    "-I don't need to be carried." The assessment is correct, Rydia isn't going to like it at all as she tries to already start moving on her own power. She looks so pale, though.
    She probably Summoned up another one of those Eidolons.

    There's something about ruins and old buildings that always seems familiar. Terra is pulled back from her dreamy gawking and bows her head at Rydia's reply. "Right, sorry. I-" As she looks up she freezes upon noticing the hooded figure, mind running through a few instants of irrational panic before it dawns on her that this may be the host that was mentioned before.

    It takes her a moment to stir into action but she nods, bending low to help Rydia from the floor. Fuss all you like, Summoner, you're getting help!

    "Right, of course! Here..." Then, to Rydia, "You helped me before. It's only right to help you now..." Right? She seems uncertain but it sounded right!

  "No," Zelda declares crisply, when appealed to for a little more time. The hood bobs to Terra in both acknowledgement and thanks before turning back to Rydia. "Your exhaustion is all the invitation this mountain needs to kill you. You can catch your breath inside, next to the hearth."

  This tough, take-charge young woman must be some kind of traveller. With Terra's help she'll half-carry and half-drag the stricken Summoner into the less damaged inner chambers.

  They find themselves in a dry chamber full of books, radiating heat from its huge central hearth. Floor to ceiling shelves are packed with volumes ranging the gamut in topic; mostly history, military training manuals, and novels about some kind of goddesses, to go by the faded Hylian glyphs gilt on the spines.

  Zelda shrugs out of her hooded robe without breaking pace, tossing the heavy garment aside on her way in one-handed. She's wearing travelling clothes augmented with fur lining, layered, but otherwise she seems pretty much human, except for her long and pointed ears. Her hair is a dark honeyed blonde, drawn back into a simple braid; her eyes the gentle blue of a summer sky. There's something in her carriage that says she's not a commoner. Aristocratic; noble, somehow.

  Rydia is uncerimoniously dragged to the middle of the room, which is about where the heat from the hearth tapers off. It's also a little more comfortable, with a big central rug to buffer the cold radiating from the flagstones.

  She drops into a crouch in front of Rydia, poking and prodding the young Summoner, ignoring any appeals for mercy or fussing; first and foremost, the Hylian wants to make sure her young charge is in fact uninjured. That doesn't take long to ascertain.

  Zelda eases back to balance neatly on her heels, head tilting to regard Terra curiously.

  The Hylian doesn't immediately say anything, but she doesn't really have to. Her pointed stare is question enough -- as though to say, 'well?'

    There is a whole lot of complaining from the last Summoner of Mist as th two herd and corral her to the library, and even a very ungirlish curse or two from the child as she staggers between the two hauling her for the safe refuge of the library. 
    As soon as she's deposited in the middle of the room, the girl proceeds to curl up, issuing several tiny bear-like noises at Zelda's prodding. The princess will find her fine. Just... Weary to to bone and suffering for it for pushing herself. But once the assessment is done, she sits up, rubbing her eyes with the back of an arm. 
    "So yeah. Hi."
    Yeah just that casual. She picks up on the fact that Zelda finally notices Terra, though. "She... Needs a place to stay for a while. The last few days were a mess."

    That settles that, then, right? Not willing to argue with anyone in her current state, much less someone with such a presence, Terra hastens to usher Rydia along. Easy enough when she only has to follow someone else's lead.

    That someone else does strike her with a wave of curiosity but she keeps quiet for the moment. Hauling someone along toward safer, warmer quarters seems more important than anything she can think of to say or ask which isn't much, at least for now. Especially after she takes in the surroundings. Books! And so many! It takes a substantial effort of will to quell her wandering gaze and instead focus on helping ensure Rydia will be alright for the time being, though the curses make her ears burn.

    Once the most urgent matter is seen to, though, the half-Esper is fixed with a stare that makes her feel tense and self conscious. What should she say? Rydia comes in with the save, though, and she simply nods. That about sums it up, though it's all very much a jumble to her, which might be evident by the way she breaks eye contact with Zelda and lets her gaze wander to some empty point in space.

  The complaint and the cursing are both ignored with the serenity that only a priestess can muster. So too are the bear-like noises ignored. She's a very tiny bear, who happens to be able to do very big things, but the threat is hollow.

  "Salutations," she responds, languidly, when Rydia elects to use words.

  By this point Zelda is already back to the hearth, prodding the fire back to life and stirring something in a pot that smells like stew. It's probably wolfos. Again. Stewed is about the only way their stringy and unpalatable meat can be stomached. It probably smells pretty appetising to a group who just spent most of their energy slogging up a snow-piled mountain.

  Slopping portions into stoneware bowls and dropping spoons into the concoction, Zelda hands one to Terra and one to Rydia, carefully. She herself sinks into a crouch somewhere between the two, back to the hearth.

  She's still watching as Terra breaks off the eye contact, narrowing her eyes just a little at the meekness of the gesture.

  Another hard-luck case?

  She's becoming the Hyrulean patron saint of lost causes.

  Those summer-blue eyes haven't moved from Terra, though. The Hylian studies her with the intensity of a raptor, despite the slightly languid quality of her regard. Not a detail gets past those eyes. Perhaps the young woman's coming to her own conclusions.

  "Very well." Her nonchalance seems genuine.

  She shrugs, turning around back to the hearth, setting a second pot on the iron crutch to boil water for tea. Either she trusts Terra already to turn her back to a stranger, or she trusts Rydia to at least warn her. Or, she trust Rydia's people judgement, and echoes the same conclusions Rydia's come to herself.

  "My conditions are simple." Of course, everything has a catch. "Tell no one of this place."

  Oh.

  Well.

  That's not so bad, right?

    Those are easy enough conditions, right? Or well. They would be if Rydia hadn't just broken them herself. But it was clearly out of desperation brought on by the prior events of whatever hellish past few days the girls had been through. On to other things though.
    As soon as Rydia *smells* the wolfos stew, the girl is sitting upright, attention raptly on the bowls being poured, and staring like... Well. A starving wolfos. Regardless of how many times she's had it, considering what she's been through it's probably a godsend right now. Rydia immediately sets to... Wolfing her portion down before she starts explanations.
    "I went to a world with creatures kind of like the Eidolons from mine. I had to see it for myself. There was one frozen in ice. She ah..."
    Oh dear how to put this. Terra is right there too, so Rydia's choices are limited. She has no reasons to lie to Zelda either, so she spends a moment weighing the words she could use in a pointed way to be diplomatic, but wholly without guile.
    "They had this empire. They attacked because they wanted the Esper, they had her in their custody for some reas...on..."
    Rydia trails clean off when Zelda actually shows her back to a new person.
    "... Zelda for all you were fussing over me, I feel the need to ask if you're alright."

    The fire is awful nice. This place isn't so bad and the atmosphere is strangely soothing, though the owner is just a touch intense. Or a lot intense. It's enough that she eventually pushes through her initial shyness and whatever's got her mind so mixed up.

    She looks down at the bowl, taking it and arranging herself into a side seated position on the carpet. Oddly mechanically she grasps the spoon, scoops a bit of the stew and bites. After a pause, she makes a small sound in the back of her throat and then hurriedly continues eating. Hot chow? Beats trail rations and whatever military issued junk she'd been living on for however long. Her mind may not remember but the body certainly must.

    Then, when she puts her bowl down, it's time to be serious and pay attention. She hadn't dared ask Rydia after she was warned off before but she's willing to grasp at anything at all after worrying for so long. "Eidolons? Espers? ... Empire?" She bows her head, distracted once more from her resolve to actually introduce herself.

    Though, when the conversation trails off and shifts, she looks up. Is this woman someone important who has need to fear for her safety? Stiff upper lip! "I won't tell anyone about this place. Thank you, it's so kind of you to allow us to stay-" Focus! "I'm Terra. That's all I really remember."

  Even Zelda can't help a twinge over bringing strangers back to this hidden place, but she isn't so impolite as to mention it in front of their guest.

  In her supposed breach of judgement, it's equally possible that Zelda knows whether or not their resident wolfos-killer was watching, too. After all, what do you kill overgrown wolf monsters with? An even bigger wolf.

  "Perfectly fine." Zelda pauses, eyeing Rydia as she pours tea into the stoneware mug. Steam curls from behind the rim. "Why wouldn't I be?"

  She eyes Terra, then, and her regard is no less intense for studying the young woman sidelong. She watches the other's mannerisms, listens to how she speaks; gauges how she reacts to things said to her.

  Finally, she glances back to Rydia, with a quiet sigh.

  "I understand why you brought her here. I am also willing to allow her to stay -- for a time. It would be unwise to harbour her here long-term if she has her own authorities searching for her." Zelda shakes her head. "Even so... I would have done the same myself."

    Rydia shakes her head slowly after thinking about it for a moment. She decides to not press the issue. Maybe Link is around and Zelda *does* know it. Said Summoner rubs exhaustedly at her eyes. " I wouldn't call them authorities. They killed and attacked guards from a neutral town." Rydia says before pausing. "And I have worse news."
    This is where she pales even more significantly. "I stopped in another world similar to my own. I sort of got stuck helping refugees a little but. There are Summoners there. Maybe I can learn..." She trails off before biting on her lip. "There's a woman from that world, I think she's started wandering abroad now. She acts cordial and balanced, but she's actually a zealot and hates nobility. You'd best be careful if you venture out of Snowpeak, Zelda. Claudia Kinborrow. She's extremely dangerous." The girl says heaving a sigh and wrapping up in her wolfos cloak.
    She inches closer to the fire for warmth, but only by inches, keeping her distance from the hateful flames as she props herself against a wall. "I need a nap. I'm just going... To shut my eyes a little."

    Well. Terra feels like there might be a bit of tension. Just a bit. She worries her lip as she gently sets the bowl down in front of herself, spoon rasping slightly as it shifts along the rim.

    Rydia's concerns are hopefully addressed and for her part she busies herself toying with the scarf tied about her waist, fingers worrying a corner of the fabric. Anxious much? Being talked about in such a way doesn't really bother her a great deal; it's more or less positive at least until mention of people searching for her. By what few accounts she has to go on, that's not such a good thing. Rydia only confirms her worries, increasing her tension slightly but what can one do?

    The next leg of the story makes her worry more, "The woman that helped us?" Should she be more discerning about who she trusts? She looks on quietly for a few moments, long enough for Rydia to nod off, then she dares to look up once more at their hostess. Now what?

    "If it's a great deal of trouble, I can go someplace safer." A meaningful glance to the small girl that not only helped her but led her to relative safety. How could she dare risk her when there's apparently such awful people maybe-possibly after her?

  The Hylian maintains her crouch, cupping the stoneware mug with both hands. The fingers are long, yet they also bear the calluses of swordplay. She doesn't respond to the description immediately, but she does look thoughtful, those summer-blue eyes a thousand miles away for a few brief seconds.

  Zelda's eyes refocus quickly. She pushes herself to her feet, still frowning slightly as she moves to carefully take Rydia's empty bowl, setting it by the hearth to clean later.

  Glancing back to the Summoner, Zelda nods, eyes serious. "Thank you, Rydia. I will remember that name. If I see them before you, I will warn the others, too. Rest now," she adds more quietly.

  Settling back into a crouch beside the hearth, the Hylian watches their green-haired guest.

  Green must be a common hair colour in Everywhere Except Hyrule.

  Terra looks back up. Those summer-blue eyes are already there, watching like a hawk.

  "No. You may stay here. No one will suspect, for a time." She tilts her head, eyeing Terra thoughtfully. "I presume Rydia had some sound reason for bringing you here, and thus it would be impolite to dismiss you, particularly in such condition." She shrugs. "Stay. We have means of protecting ourselves, here. At least for the time being."

    The strange green haired half-esper carries a sword, though it rests almost forgotten on her hip. Her own hands much softer, more accustomed to a different approach to warfare.

    While Zelda attends to policing some of the prior meal's mess, Terra's gaze once more wanders to the shelves of books. At lelast briefly, until it's time to be serious again.

    "... Thank you. I'd like to be useful, if there's something I can help do but I'm not sure what I can do. Except..." She rolls her hands over, facing palms up for a moment. Is leading into that a mistake? No, she decides. If someone can go to all this trouble for her, she can accept the risk. Her palms cup and in the cradle of her hands, a flame licks into being. Small, like a candle but obviously restrained. "Rydia told me about that thing in the ice. I... I think it made me feel something? Or... I don't know." The effect vanishes and she sighs, simply at a loss.

  "Worry not. Your contributions are no concern of mine," Zelda manages, soothingly. It doesn't matter if Terra brings something to the table or not. She's here now. "Rest now," she says firmly, just as she had to the Summoner. "You seem as exhausted as Rydia."

  She sips at her tea, gaze flicking between the green-haired guests for a few seconds.

  "I am already working with another amnesiac." What's one more? "Do not try to push yourself to remember. If it is meant to come back to you, it shall." Zelda bobs her head. "And if your intentions are not so true as the Summoner and I have thought them to be, know that you are being watched by a great beast with blue eyes, and excessively large teeth."

  It might be a bluff. It might not. Whether Zelda is serious or seriously deadpan is hard to say.

  She reaches for a poker again, stirring the coals. "Rest, and welcome to Snowpeak, Miss Terra."

    Being reminded of her fatigue is enough to make Terra visibly droop. She'd been soldiering through it, hardly taking any rest for herself since leaving that frigid town and its terrible and fascinating not-secret behind.

    "Really?" Her gaze goes immediately to the other girl already asleep on the floor. She wouldn't have guessed, though she supposes she may be mistaken. "Alright, I'll try to just... Do that, I suppose." Let things happen. Hardest thing in the world to do, at least she thinks, though there's nothing for it. The warning about the beast has her gaze come up, making her consider something, then she straightens a little and unclips the scabbarded sword from her hip. She lays it handle first on the carpet, meaning to put it in Zelda's reach but not so close it could be perceived as threatening in any way. "I'm not even certain of that myself. I was told I was being made to do things- I'm not sure what." But the implication is enough to make the pale woman shiver.

    Bluff or not, she's willing to make every concession for a moment of peace. With that, she edges just a bit closer to the flames, lays down and simply watches the fire until sleep decides to take her.

  Zelda watches from the corner of an eye, attention split between the hearth and her guest. She never quite turns away. Rydia isn't awake to keep watch, this time.

  The Hylian sits back on her haunches, eyes flicking down to the scabbarded sword laid on the floor within her reach. Her gaze drops to the offered blade, considering Terra's half-explanation in silence.

  She offers no commentary in response to the words. In fact, she doesn't do anything but look at Terra, but those summer-blue eyes are somehow understanding; sympathetic. There is no judgement in them. A little of healthy suspicion, maybe, but no judgement.

  It isn't until the green-haired ex-soldier finally falls asleep that Zelda allows herself to rise, silently, wincing at the unexpected creaking in her knees. She gathers up the sword that had been offered to her, carrying it over to where the rest of the group's weapons are leaned in a convenient corner. Terra's nameless sword is carefully added to the collection.

  Zelda resumes her own bedroll, kept away from the hearth, almost in the shadows, where she can keep an eye on the gathering more easily. She settles down into the bedding, but she does so with a knife within reach.

  Incidentally, it's one of Rydia's knives.

  Eventually even she too falls asleep, though.