World Tree MUSH

  It's still winter in Hyrule. The lowlands don't get quite as buried as the mountains, and even the mountains don't get buried like Peak Province does. There are at least rudimentary paths through the worst of it from where Vines seem to pop up most commonly, but it's obviously an amateur effort -- or just the best the residents here can do.

  The garrison is usually pretty quiet; it's made for a lot more people than the total that actually live here, but there are torches lit as evening shadows start stretching across the courtyard.

  In the library the hearth is warm and the air is dry. There's no hint of the savage cold outside, and it smells of hot tea and baked goods. Zelda herself is dressed plainly; perched atop one of the ladders that runs the length of the room, avidly digging through the shelves for something useful. There's a lot of stuff here.

  "...I'm sick half to death of snow."

  The grumble comes from up above, along with a dainty sneeze.

  Lately, the young queen has taken to pacing and raiding the library. She's getting closer to some kind of plan, but she hasn't shared the details, yet.

    Despite the bitter cold, the outfit of one Valerian Railton is unchanged: long-sleeved short, leather pants, boots, glove, and heavy leather apron. He trudged his way up through the snow wearing it, he seems relatively file and completely unbothered by the cold, and more than anything it was the walk from the vine up a mountain that was more of a pain for him to handle. 

    Still, he's polite enough not to smoke indoors, trudging into the library after taking some time at the entrance to knock the snow off his boots and brush it off his shoulders/out of his hair. 

    "It's always people that live in cold areas that say that. You never hear someone living near a volcano complain about the cold. They just complain about the heat." He comments as he drops down onto a chair and leans back.

    "So build a fire." Comes the helpful voice of one Rydia of Mist.
    The teenaged Summoner happened to hear the queen's complaint while poking her head into the Library, probably having been looking for Zelda in the first place anyway.
    "Just keep it far from me when you do." She adds as she steps in fully and...
    Spots Valerian.
    "Who are you?" The green-haired girl asks point blank.
    "Sheik, who is this?" She asks point blank, using Zelda's fake-ass name just in case Valerian isn't someone in on the know about who Zelda really is.

    By now, Yumi Tachibana is an old hand at dealing with Peak Province's winter weather. It helps that she's a senshi of light and heat, admittedly, but even without that, she's had plenty of experience getting up here and back down. So when she wants to visit? She comes up and visits. Usually with snacks, or some other manner of edible goods, given how difficult it is to get up here.

    "That's Valerian," the redhead replies to Rydia, seated near the fire with schoolwork in her lap. "He's decent people, I'll vouch for him. At a basic level, anyway, we've only worked together a few times."

  "Welcome back, Mister Railton." Zelda's greeting is unconcerned, and she doesn't even stop sifting through a shelf to say it. Only once she's found whatever she's looking for does she straighten, carefully making her way back down the ladder with an armful of dusty books. "I take it you needed more of Peak Province's snowy ambiance, yes?"

  "Rydia, it's January in the highest point of the Kingdom of Hyrule; we can't not have a fire." Zelda gestures toward the fireplace, whose fire is simmering down a bit. In consideration to Rydia, it seems Zelda hasn't bothered to stoke it much. "If we didn't burn something in the hearth we'd literally freeze to death in this goddesses-forsaken frozen hell."

  Aw, Zelda, tell us how you really feel!

  Clearing her throat politely, the Hylian dumps her armful of research onto the nearest table, turning to face Valerian and looking past him toward Yumi. "I have also met and worked with Mister Railton, and I am similarly willing to vouch for his character."

  The books are sorted neatly by size, and some of the dust brushed from their covers. "As I told you previously, I may have work for you, Mister Railton. Word has reached me of an incident that may require your..." Zelda raises her chin slightly, eyeing the augmented human with some curiosity, "...unique talents." She straightens. "A network of tunnels cut through these mountains. Some of them are holdovers from the Gorons' mining efforts; some are still maintained and used as highways beneath the mountain.

  "Others have been abandoned, and only the goddesses know what lurks in those dark places forgotten by the sun. I have been hearing accounts from the Gorons about something in the tunnels. They don't know what it is, and they refuse to investigate too closely." She thins her lips. "They are still wary about Zant's next move, and I can hardly blame them after what they were put through."

  Zelda leans forward over the table, resting her chin in her hands, summer-blue eyes hooding. "How do you feel about investigating dangerous tunnels potentially infested by vicious monsters, Mister Railton? I know that you have an eye towards a particular kind of monster, and by all accounts, I have to wonder if that may be what's responsible for this. The Gorons fear nothing under the earth save dragons. Even Chief Darbus seemed reluctant to investigate, and asked for my help in this matter."

    "Like they said. Valerian Railton. Freelance fixer and also owner of an import/export business for exotic materials." He explains to the teenager as he relaxes in the chair he has dropped himself down in. He looks back to Zelda a moment later, "Something like needing more of its ambiance. Figured I'd swing back through and make sure everyone was still alive." 

    He lets out a bit of a yawn, covering his mouth with a closed fist politely before perking up a bit when he hears about monsters in tunnels, "Sure. Sounds like a job I'd be willing to take on. If you let me keep any monster bits, I'd even do it free of charge." He admits to her before looking towards the other two. 

    "I figure these two are here because you wanted this to be a team op? I'm fine working with Yumi, I know how strong she is. Never met... Jolly Green there before."

    It is as the great queen-regent of Hyrule espouses the absolute need for fire up on this gods-forsaken mountaintop that Rydia dares do what only Rydia of Mist would dare do. She rolls her eyes, and when Zelda turns to motion at the fire, brings up one hand, and flaps her fingers like a talking mouth in time with Zelda's words.
    Her hand is IMMEDIATELY back at her side when the princess looks back to her.
    On to more important things, and her attention is garnered.
    "As you can see, we're all still alive." Asided to Valerian, before she remembers those crazy things called 'manners'. "I'm Rydia. Rydia of Mist."
    That's her introduction and she's going to stick with it.
    "I thought all of Hyrule's dragons were long gone and vanished?" She asks. "You think it's one just because the Gorons are afraid?"
    Pause.
    "Also: I'm here because I live here."

    'Jolly Green'.

    Yumi has to stifle a laugh.

    She does listen attentively otherwise, though, and when the topic comes around to her presence, after the muted snort, she lifts a hand. "This place is like a second home to me. I've been working with Sheik pretty much since..." There's a pause; she realizes there's a key detail Valerian is missing. "Ah, I'm an amnesiac. I woke up in a crater a couple years back with no memories of who I was beyond my name. Sheik's one of the first friends I made, and I'm pretty invested in Hyrule's wellbeing at this point. Rydia's been with is just as long. Maybe longer?" she adds, glancing at the summoner. She's shaky on the timetable there. "And she's a talented mage, you can rely on her in a fight."

  "If we do this, you can keep whatever you like." Zelda answers Valerian's request with a dismissive flick of a hand. "I have no need or use for such materials. What rituals I conduct needn't rely on such props or tools." She allows herself a brief, disdainful sniff, before inclining her head respectfully to Valerian. "We may be relatively undisturbed in this goddesses-forsaken corner of Hyrule's map, but that does not necessarily guarantee our safety. We appreciate the check-in."

  Jolly Green.

  Zelda actually laughs, mostly because it's at Rydia's expense, and she knows Jolly Green can damn well hold her own. "Splendid." Well played, chainsaw guy. Well played.

  Speaking of, Rydia manages to pull off her typical brand of Rydia sass without detection. Oblivious, Zelda shakes her head in response to Rydia's question. "According to record, Hyrule's dragons are a rare breed, if not an extinct one. The issue is complicated. Some dragons are gods, protectors, or spirits. Some are monsters. Although we cannot know until we see the creature, I suspect the latter."

  You think it's one just because the Gorons are afraid? Rydia earns a nod. "Yes. I do. It is not in their nature to fear; they are a strong and hearty people. Brash, even, at times. Cowards they are not, however, and I take to heart their unease. It is not in their nature, and it is especially not in Chieftain Darbus' nature. I have known him since I was a child." Not known of him; known him. This Sheik must have been some big-deal aristocrat.

  She rubs her jaw, and Yumi earns a long and thoughtful look, before showing a half-smile. "Yumi Tachibana speaks truly; she is one of my longest allies, along with Rydia of Mist, and Rydia is indeed an accomplished magician." Her face returns to more cautious neutrality. "I think we will be well equipped to face whatever it is down there, between the four of us."

    "Really? This is where you lived?" He looks at Yumi and tilts his head a bit, "I always kind of imagined you in one of those uh...Japanese Studio Apartments. With like a Kotatsu and a kitchenette and a futon. Not living in a giant castle in the middle of Freezeyourassistan." 

    He wags a finger at Rydia a couple times, "You look like you'd live in a castle, though. You have a very 'Secluded Mountain Castle'-y vibe to you." He waffles his hand back and forth a bit as he looks her over, "Nice to meet you though, Rydia Ovmyst." He gives her a thumbs up. 

    "I mean, of course I'm in," Valerian says as he claps his hands together briefly, "Exploring a strange mountain cave where a dragon might live sounds right up my alley. You got my full support."

    'Jolly Green'?
    The sassmonster remains impassive as Yumi and Zelda get their chuckles.
    "Laugh it up, Sunshine." That's to Yumi. Before her attention returns to Valerian like the whole exchange never happened. She's as cool as a cat.
    "Up until Snowpeak I never lived in a castle. I was born in a tiny backwater village that was burned to the ground when I was six. Four years ago." That math can't quite be right...
    "I met Sheik just a little bit after that. I saved her life, she saved mine, we kind of went back and forth doing that for a while."
    "It's complicated."
    Very.
    "But like they said, I do the magic stuff, and I'm pretty good at it."
    Moving on though.
    "You're serious. You think it's a dragon." That's not a question at this point. Especially if it's something seriously spooking the Gorons.
    She shrugs.
    "I guess there's no helping it. I'm in, too."

    The jab from Rydia just gets another snortgiggle from Yumi.

    "Second home," the senshi stresses with an amused tone, "Second home. My main place of residence is in Natsuto City. I live with an older police officer, who more or less adopted me when they couldn't find any family." There's a wry grin, and she adds, "I do have a kotatsu, but he bought me an actual bed like the first week I moved in."

    She settles back into her homework, although there's occasional glances up that make it obvious she's more focused on Zelda's explanations than her own studies. "Yeah, I didn't get the impression Darbus would back down from just anything. Even if it's not a dragon, it's something big, that needs taken care of. Two heavy frontliners, two that can open up at range from the back line... it's a solid set for tunnel fighting, I think. Long as the tunnels aren't too cramped, anyway."

  I'll know more when we venture into the mines and see the evidence for ourselves." Zelda busies herself for a moment with sorting through the books she'd pulled down, though the subtle movements of her eyes and her head suggests she's still paying close attention to the conversation. "Personally I find it unlikely, but the Gorons are not flighty by nature. It would be irresponsible of me to dismiss their caution out of hand. There's something down there, whatever its nature."

  To the issue of Rydia and Zelda trading scores, the Hylian actually grins. "Rydia's right. Something like that. At this point, we've probably lost count, to be honest." The grin fades. "Chief Darbus? No. He's brave, but he's not foolish. Foolish leaders tend to have a short shelf life, as it were."

  Yumi mentions tactics, and Zelda falls silent for a moment, considering. "In theory, yes. It sounds as though this section of tunnels in question may be a relatively spacious section, so we may not have too difficult a time of things... but we'll see." She sighs at her pile of books. "In the meantime, I want to do as much research as I can. Compile maps. Find out exactly what it is the Gorons think is down there. If we can walk in prepared, it will be that much easier."

  Zelda's smile is self-deprecating. "In theory, anyway. Things rarely turn out so cleanly in practise, but I suppose it's something to do until we're prepared to depart."

    "For tunnel tactics, I tend to prefer one in front, two in the middle, and one behind. That one if there are loop-around tunnels you have a rear guard to protect your ranged." Valerian notes as he leans back a bit and considers it, "Also cool. I've never seen a real kotatsu before. Just ones in the old comics and stuff from my world." 

    He looks to Rydia, "Sounds like you lived a rough life. I heard stress ages you, but you look pretty rough for a ten-year-old." It's not a statement that contains pity, so much as a statement of fact. An assessment, "Magic. Alright. Probably different from the kind I know. I'll remember that up here." He taps his temple a couple times and then looks towards Zelda. 

    "Whatever's down there, we'll kill it. I mean, I'm pretty much right in my wheelhouse if it's a dragon. And if it's not, well you know," He waves his hand a bit, "I'll be bummed, but that's even less lucky for IT, because Dragons are one of the last things that can stand up to me in a fight from my world. Unless one of the Gods comes out of one of the Rifts," He sighs a bit wistfully, "I was always bummed I missed that thing in Africa." 

    He shakes his head to clear the cobwebs, "Call me when it's time. I'll be here ASAP."

    "Depending on how spacious the tunnels are," Yumi remarks, "I might be able to switch between frontline and rearguard pretty easily. I'm agile enough for a wall run or a rebound off the ceiling. I can always flex as need be. But we'll sort it out when we get down there and see what's going on. As few of us as there are, we can make plans on the fly, I think." She does give Valerian a raised eyebrow at his wistful warrior's musings, and after a few moments' thought, she offers, "Next time there's a youma in my world, I'll try and bring you along. Big nightmare monsters. Form their own pocket space overlaid over reality. Used to be human, their form and lair... seem to be directly related to who they were in life. They don't go down easy."

    "Hah." Rydia does chuckle amusedly at how rough she looks for her age. But then the Summoner crosses her arms over her chest. "Anyway, let's save the planning and stuff for later, that can all be a problem for future us." She says breezily, waving a hand. "Sounds like we have the musclepower for it, anyway."