high_seas | An upsetting awakening

Entry tags:

An upsetting awakening

Who: Link (of the tiny, Time variety)
Where: Fountain, Shops, Harbor
When: Oct. 9th
What: Waking up, Exploring, GAPING LIKE A FISH AT THE OCEAN
Warnings: None
Style: Prose at first, but will match action if preferred.
Status: Open

At the Fountain
He woke up with a big yawn, pushing himself up off his right side so he could stretch his arms and rub his eyes before looking around. It only took a couple bleary blinks for him to wake up completely with a loud 'Ahhh!' as he realized he was no where near anything familiar. The place he was in was a lot bigger than the Kokiri forest and covered with stones and... people! Lots and lots of people. More than he'd ever seen in one place before. Most of them very big, like the man from his nightmares.

Link glanced behind him to make sure there was nothing there to attack him before scooting that direction. The only thing behind him was a giant stone carving and it was big enough that no one could come around it to get at his back. He'd seen the bag and strange square thing that was next to him when he was laying down, but he left them where they were for few moments while he watched the activity around him for danger.

Only after he was sure none of the strangers were going to rush in and attack him, he very carefully went to pick the items up and see what was in them.

Around the Shops
The thing with all the paper in it was confusing. There was writing, but he couldn't understand most of the words. The bag, on the other hand, he quickly figured out was full of whatever this place's rupees were. He saw them being passed from person to person in the stalls around the fountain he'd woken up in and understood what that meant. Even the Kokiri had a shop!

So now he was in the thick of the market, where most of the shops - not just stalls - were clustered together and he had to duck under people's legs to get through at times. He was looking at all the stuff people could buy before deciding on what he wanted and that meant going to each and every shop to look inside.

Underfoot at the Harbor

It was water! It was enough water to fill up the sky and it stretched out just as far on the horizon. It smelled funny and he could taste salt on the wind that came in from the ocean. But it was so amazing, all the same! And the things that floated on it! The boats! That's what the people who told him to get out of the way called them as he ducked and weaved and tried to get someplace he could reach down and touch the water without falling in. Or could at least climb out from. He was short enough that could be a real problem.

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It was the boy's outfit that caught Link's eyes first. Mainly, his hat.

He had been standing in the harbor, as he had taken to, when he noticed the young not-quite-Kokiri. He had the long ears of a Hylian, unlike most of the people Link had seen around here. And he was all alone, save for the adults trying to shoo him off the docks.

"If you would like a better look, it is easier to get to the waterfront beyond the docks," he offered with a smile, maintaining a slight distance in hopes that he wouldn't make the boy nervous. He was fond of children, and liked to think that he did all right with them. And the boy certainly did not fit in. Had he been taken as well?

"AH!" was the first thing out of the boy's mouth as he surprised by the man's voice right beside him. When had he gotten there? Link had been so engrossed in finding a way to lower himself toward the water without falling in he'd completely lost any sense of what was going on around him.

After he picked himself up from where he'd fallen, he got a much better look at the man. Shoulders hunched, he started upward. The man was dressed kind of like a Kokiri (though he couldn't be! he was big!) so that was odd. Link's eyes went to the hat and without realizing it, he reached up to make sure his was still there and tuck it closer.

There was something about the boy. Link couldn't even quite place it, other than that there was just something. He grinned as the boy adjusted his hat.

"I like your hat," He winked, crouching down to speak at eye level.

"Do you have anyone around who is responsible for you?" It hadn't dawned on him that Link wasn't much of a talker. He had always been quiet when he was younger.

The wink made Link smile despite himself. Most of the Kokiri boy's were shorter, but his had always been fairly long. For as long as he could remember, even.

He was less cautious of the man as he lowered himself to speak on Link's level. But then he asked that question. Who was responsible for him? Well, if he'd been able to find Navi, he could have said her, but without her around... he was responsible for himself.

Link frowned and pointed at himself with his left hand.

Link broke into a grin. So he was a cheeky little thing! They were going to get along wonderfully; he could already tell.

"Have you any parents? A friend?" he clarified, hoping to maybe get an answer out of him.

He gave a single, firm nod. He had friends. They weren't here, but he had them. (But what were parents?)

"Well, are they around?" Goddesses, it was like pulling teeth! Link hardly minded, but he certainly was a soft-spoken boy.

Link's face fell at that question and he shook his head. Navi wasn't anywhere he'd looked and she was supposed to be with him on his journey to meet the princess. He tucked his arms behind his back and picked up one foot to slowly knock the toe of his boot against the ground as he looked away to the side.

That meant 'no'... Link's brow creased with sympathy.

"Would you like to come with me? Perhaps we can find them." he offered, tipping his head to try to catch the boy's eye.

Link let his chin be lifted and his gaze guided to meet the older man. He wasn't sure if he should go with him to look because he wasn't sure Navi was anywhere near by at this point. She would have found her way to him if she was.

He met Link's eyes for a moment or two before pulling away and lifting his left hand and making it move around like a darting fairy. This was accompianied by his soft voice imitating Navi's higher pitched one, "Hey! Hello! Ching! Ching! Ching!"

Link jumped slightly at the boy's words. So he could speak... But was it simply limited? That was starting to seem more likely.

"I am sorry, but... I do not think I know what you mean..." He frowned, puzzling over what the boy might have been trying to imitate.

"Is that what your friend says?"

He smiled again, nodding his head. Navi said it a lot. Usually when she was flying out from under his hat to have a look around. Link continued to make the 'flying' motion while softly repeating the 'chime' sound as he spun around once. She did like to hover around his head and follow him closely.

That settled it, the older hero supposed. The boy was not going to be getting up to much talking. However, he could not simply leave him. He was clearly Hylian, unlike most folk here. Goddesses, he could even be some relative of Link's!

He stood up straight, giving the miniature Hero of Time another smile.

"Have you seen your friend around since you got here?"

The smile disappeared again as he shook his head 'no'. He had explored a great deal of the town already (most of the shops and every unlocked door he could find - the locked ones bewildered him completely), but Navi was no where to be found. Talking with people had simply been one frustrating exercise after another.

"I see..." Link mused, folding his arms across his chest. He refused to leave the boy to his own devices.

"Did you come from a different place? Before arriving on this island?" Communicating was a bit of a bother, but Link was quickly finding that yes-or-no questions were his best bet.

Link gave a single, firm nod. He'd come from Hyrule, after all. He was glad the man was asking questions he could answer easily. He pointed at Link and tilted his head curiously. Was he from a different place, too?

"I came from a different place as well. The Land Hylia is my home." He used the title specifically, hoping the boy might have known the place to which he was referring. It had been fairly obvious from the get-go that the boy was not a native of this island.

Link showed no recognition of the place and did, in fact, deflate a bit. He'd hoped the man was from Hyrule. But it seemed he'd have no such luck on that. Only one person he'd met that day had been from Hyrule and he was... well, no more odd than anyone else Link had met. The meeting did, however, highlight how difficult naming the land of Hyrule would be for him. So instead, he would name himself.

He sighed and shrugged, then put a hand to his chest and spoke very softly, "Link."

The older Link raised his eyebrows in bewilderment. Was the boy just mimicking him...? No, he had not given him his name.

"My name is Link as well!" His confusion cracked into a smile as he mirrored the boy's action with a hand to his chest. What a striking similarity... Link had no descendants, no living family at all as far as he knew. And besides, the boy had not even recognized the name 'Hylia'.

Perhaps the Goddess would know more. He planned to tell her of this boy, anyway.

The man was named Link as well? People could share the same name?

...well, maybe people outside the Kokiri could. The man was certainly not Kokiri. So that was possible.

Link grinned and let out a laugh. How funny that was!

Link's own smile widened. At least the boy was taking it well. He doubted he understood completely the magnitude of their situation, but that hardly mattered. They were in an entirely different world, but how many responsibilities could a child truly have?

"Well then, Link, would you like to come along with me for a little bit?"

Link gave a single, firm nod, and reached out to take Link's hand. He didn't mind walking around with the man for a bit. He'd have to leave him eventually, but if it made Link feel better, then he'd do that for him.

He took the child's hand with another smile. He didn't expect that anyone would find it odd. They could easily pass for brothers or a young uncle and nephew.

"We will see about having a look around, then!" Link gave his hand a gentle tug as he started down the street.

Link would stay with him until it started to get dark. At which point he would pull away, give a wave, and head off on his own without a by-your-leave, confidence in his steps even as he looked for a place to sleep. As if he knew exactly where he was off to.

(because he already has a scene with someone where he shares an inn room with them)

As they parted ways, Link sent off the boy with a good chunk of his money and a pat on the head. He seemed to be competent on his own, but still, he worried.

He would find him again, he was certain.

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An upsetting awakening

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Wrapping it up a bit so I don't step on already established toes

That was what I figured and was going for! :D