Let's do the Time Warp Again

[hand_of_courage]

Who: Howling Sabers
Where: Various islands in the west and south
When: 05/21-06/07
What: Crew catch-all for last half of May, beginning of June
Warnings: None

[Catch-all for Howling sabers.

05/21 will be the end of the official scuttling of the Charming Murderess near Scorpion Reef and we'll have to start using the new Galleon (and name her!) from then on. The Hey! Listen! is still intact and usable. As we sail away, remember to watch out for scorpions and get ride of them.

05/26 Link Jr. returns from his canon update in a 17yr-old-body with the Master Sword strapped across his back.

05/28 - 06/04(dates negotiable) Stopping on Manila for a library visit.

Any other events TBA as they're decided.]

Comments

[forhylia]

[That proved it. This was definitely the Link he'd known.]

Of course.

[His voice was quiet and somehow steady as he stepped back into his room to let them in. He faltered, for a moment, upon noticing the Master Sword on the younger's back. But that question, and the implications behind it, could wait. His initial reaction had probably already worried the younger hero enough.

Link rummaged through his things and pulled out his extra tunic, as well as a clean, heavy sheet he used as a towel.]

Here, you can use this to dry yourself.

[hand_of_courage]

[Link hesitated a moment before entering, his hand remaining firmly in Tojiko's as he headed past her and reached out for the towel. It was only after he had it that he let go. But he hovered close to her while he started stripping and rubbing over himself. His hat came first, his hair having grown much longer than it used to be and now held out of his face in a ponytail that was hidden by his hat. The wet locks splatted hard against his shoulders and down to the middle of his back.

Next came the leather gauntlets and the boots. They had to come off for him to get to eventually get to the white long underwear. His belts - along with the master sword - fell heavily to the floor of the cabin. The towel was placed between his teeth as he pulled his tunic and the undershirt off at the same time.

Only when his pants were left did he pause, looking back over his shoulder at Tojiko to make sure she wasn't watching. He could already tell his appearance was a lot weirder than it was before. He didn't want her looking at him and seeing it all.]

[yatteyanyo]

-Though not for the reasons Link had thought, Tojiko's back was indeed turned out of respect and chastity. She was listening, however, for the act to be finished so she could take away the wet clothes and get them on a line for drying.-

[forhylia]

[For all intents and purposes, the Kokiri seemed to still have the mind of a child, in spite of being in a young man's body. The elder kept his gaze away from the younger, for the most part, simply for privacy's sake. What kind of cruelty was this? And it was cruelty, as far as the elder was concerned.

He didn't show any outward discomfort, though, for Link's sake, even though he couldn't know how much all of this truly bothered him.]

Have you any memories at all?

[His eyes fell once again to the Master Sword, now sitting in its scabbard on the floor.]

[hand_of_courage]

[Glad to find Tojiko wasn't watching, Link quickly stepped out of his pants and let them drop to the floor with the rest of his clothes. He moved to hide himself behind the nearest large object so Tojiko couldn't see most of him when she went to get them.]

I'm done.

[His words remained quiet as he turned his attention to answering the other Link.]

I remember being here. It was weeks ago. I was back in Hyrule helping Princess Zelda protect the Sacred Realm. Then I was in the ocean next to the ship.

[yatteyanyo]

-Tojiko gathered up the discarded garments... but she also stayed to listen to Link's story.-

You were gone for a few days here... It still doesn't quite explain you having grown so much.

[forhylia]

I was worried about you.

[Link's brow furrowed slightly as he finally bent down to pick up the sword. Yes, he could pick it up. He pulled it partially from its sheath, inspecting the blade. The mark of the Triforce was still etched on it.

It was exactly how he had remembered it.]

Do you know how you came to acquire this?

[He turned to face Link, then, his voice becoming quieter. Almost reverent. What did it mean, that the younger Link carried this sword? He wasn't from a place in the sky. The elder knew that much. And yet... That was where the blade had been laid to rest. He had watched it go with his own dying eyes.]

[hand_of_courage]

[Link remained in hiding so that most of his body couldn't bee seen by either of the others. But he nodded at Link's question, answering as he started to dry himself off more thoroughly.]

I drew it from the pedestal in the Temple of Time. I had to open the Door of Time with the Kokiri Emerald, Zora Sapphire, Goron Ruby, and the Ocarina of Time. Zelda said that opening the door would take me to the Sacred Realm so I could protect the Triforce from Ganondorf, but the only thing behind the door was the sword. I pulled it out and this bright light started shining all around me, shooting up toward the ceiling, and then I was in the water next to the ship.

[yatteyanyo]

Of time... -She looked to the elder Link.- Do you think the temple's power could be responsible for what's happened to him? Or the ocarina he mentioned?

[forhylia]

[The elder settled on his hammock, still holding the sword. His eyes briefly darted to Tojiko before returning to the sword. He shook his head.]

I don't know.

[Time this, time that, none of it was familiar to him. The Hylians had had a habit of fiddling with it, of course, but the only thing familiar in Link's explanation was the Triforce, though it hadn't been commonly called by its sacred name in Hylia.]

I know of the Triforce, though. Its power was the driving force behind the final war that was the death of Hylian civilization on the world's surface.

[He didn't know of any "Ganondorf" either, but that was neither here nor there. Link had no way of connecting the Gerudo thief to the Demon King who had sought the goddesses' power.]

The White Goddess sent it into the sky, along with this sword, after the Demon King rendered the Surface incapable of supporting humans in his effort to seize it.

[Link's mouth was caught in a frown, and there was a catch in his throat. He didn't want to jump to the wrong conclusion, but with all of this... He glanced up to where the younger Link ducked behind a crate. He was from the distant future, when the Hylians had been able to return from the sky. It made the most sense. He'd had his suspicions, until now, but this sword was as close to proof as he was ever going to get.

He was straying from the topic truly at hand. The younger Link's situation.]

But I do not know of this Temple's power, or of the Ocarina... Do you still have it with you?

[hand_of_courage]

[Link nodded, now working on drying his hair as he listened.]

It's in my belt pouch. Zelda gave it to me. Can I have a shirt?

[yatteyanyo]

Oh! Um... I'll go to the laundry then. I'll be back shortly. -In spite of arms full of wet clothes, she'd completely forgotten what she'd been doing.-

[forhylia]

[Link tossed his younger incarnation a simple, collared white shirt, lightweight and easy to move around in.]

All right, Tojiko. Thank you.

[He stood to take Link's belt off the floor and pulled the Ocarina from the pouch. That deep, warm blue was very familiar.]

Do you know what a Timeshift Stone is, Link?

[He inspected the Ocarina carefully, noting the symbol of the Triforce engraved on its surface. There was still a quiet reverence in his voice.]

[hand_of_courage]

[Link hastily pulled the shirt over him, glad that it was long enough to fall to his knees. After Tojiko left, he finally came out from hiding and moved over to the bed to crawl onto it and sit with his knees tucked under him next to the other Link.

He shook his his head and reached out for his Ocarina reflexively. It was his. Zelda had given it to him. It was important he keep it safe.]

No. Maybe Zelda does. She didn't have a lot of time to tell me what was going on, just what I needed to do to get to the Sacred Realm. Ganondorf attacked the castle and she had to run away.

[yatteyanyo]

-AND SINCE TOJIKO WASN'T THERE, THE CONVERSATION WOULD CONTINUE WITHOUT HER FOR A BIT aka skip her for a few turns.-

[forhylia]

[THANK YOU, TOJIKO, HAVE FUN WITH THE LAUNDRY!

Link reached for some pants out as well, holding them up in a silent offer as the younger came closer. Sure, the shirt was long enough, but pants... Pants are good.

He handed over the Ocarina, understanding Link's attachment to it in spite of not knowing the entire significance of the story.]

It looks and feels like it was carved from one. In Hylia, we use them for mining.

[And as the thing seemed to be quite precious, so he wasn't even going to mention that they were activated by being stricken.]

And this is what you found inside the Sacred Realm... [He eyed the sword in his hands once again.] At the very least, this does help us understand a few things. This is the sword that was given to me by the White Goddess. It was sent into the sky along with the Triforce the Hylian race. So it would make sense that they were kept in the same place, the Sacred Realm, when the Hylians... returned to the surface.

[There was a bit of emotion in Link's voice when he mentioned the surface. He had always felt a fierce, almost naive protectiveness for his people. He had given his life for them. And now that he knew that, one day, they had actually been able to return home... It made his throat catch.]

[hand_of_courage]

I didn't find the sword in the Sacred Realm. I found it in the pedestal behind the Door of Time. I don't think I managed to get to the Sacred Realm.

[Link took the offered pants, rolling onto his back behind the older man so he could pull them on without having to stand up. Have some awkward mattress bouncing from behind you, Papa.

When that was done, he felt a lot more comfortable and crawled back to Link's side so side reached out to touch the Master Sword. Looking at it as if his own hands were drawn to it. That was the last thing he'd touched before he found himself in the water. It was his last connection to home and his duties there.]

The White Goddess. That's Hylia. The lady that was with you when you joined the ship. She gave this to you?

[forhylia]

[A slightly stiff frown threatened Link's face. He still didn't know what had become of her, for certain.]

Yes, Hylia. She came down from the heavens to give it to me. It was originally a weapon forged by the gods, but it was remade so that only the tempered spirit of her chosen hero could wield it.

[Almost reluctantly, he held out the sword for the younger to take. As for this Sacred Realm... Link supposed that was something he simply wouldn't be able to quite understand.]

[hand_of_courage]

[Link pulled his hands back and sat on them, turning his head to the side.]

Then I guess it's meant for you.

[Which made him feel pretty sad, actually.]

[forhylia]

[Link paused, his small frown becoming concerned.]

No, it was meant for the both of us.

[His words were quiet, almost reverent. He had always been certain that something connected them, but he never really understood it. They shared a name, and even a similar appearance. Not exactly the same, but... close enough.

Something about him had been passed onto this younger man. A rebirth? Was that just jumping to conclusions? And that they would meet in this strange place...]

Take it. It is yours, now.

[Link hadn't moved, still holding the sword out in a humble offer.]

[hand_of_courage]

[His eyes flicked back to the sword and then to Link's face, before once more turning away. He clearly wanted to take the sword back.]

But I'm not her chosen hero. You are.

[forhylia]

You drew it from its pedestal, did you not? No ordinary person can fight with this. I was the only one, back when it was first reforged. Now, you have been given that privilege as well. It has deemed your spirit worthy.

[Link spoke patiently.]

Only a hero chosen by the Goddess can hold this power.

[hand_of_courage]

[Link's eyes flicked back to the sword and though it took him a few moments, he did eventually move his hands out from under his legs and reach over to take the Master Sword. It was with reverence, but also uncertainty.]

Do you... think the sword is what made me big? Do you think it's what made me look like you?

[forhylia]

[The elder frowned, letting his hands drop to his lap when the younger took the sword.]

I have no idea, to be honest. I wish the Goddess were still here with us. She would know more.

[Sadness crossed Link's face. She had been gone for months, now.]

I cannot really say what makes us look so similar, other than... [It sounded like madness, but-] Other than you being some sort of reincarnation of mine. I never had a descendant, so we cannot be related by blood. It is too uncanny, to be mere coincidence.

[hand_of_courage]

What's a reincarnation?

[He laid the blade across his knees, hands settling on it as he relaxed a little more.]

Does that mean you're part Kokiri?