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 Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 2:17 pm
It was a blood red morning, the sun light shone down onto the face of young Zalle making her open her lime green eyes to see a new day. One or two days after she had run into Isis who refused her help and went on her own into the woods, she already expected the girl dead and to be honest it did not bother her, who ever came into these parts did not have much of a brain – it will never happen to them, they always thought. However these woods have killed the strongest of minds, no one was untouchable. No one was good enough to be handed mercy. Many had died at the hands of their own overconfidence.
She got herself up from the soft grass she used as bedding and headed towards the outskirts of the woods. Onto a field which was located just as they begun. It was rare she ventured out however today she needed some time to think. Her Esper brought up the topic of that Hyrulian boy the other day and this had brought up other memories she preferred not to think about. Before she was a monster, she was a little girl in love and this is where her and her friend used to play. She had not seen him in about six years... yet the wound in her heart was fresh. She would never forgive him for what he did to her, for ruining her life.
As she sat in amongst the flowers the remembered the clear skies and the games they used to play, they had so much fun here – even though this place held her best memories, it also held the worst for this was also the place where her mother rejected her... She sighed and stood up, why was she here? all it did was hurt. She looked up into the cloudless sky and as she always did when she was down, she brought her flute to her lips and played a very sombre tune.
Most of her kind played happy songs... however she felt like she had nothing to smile about – not any more.
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:01 pm
The previous night had not brought Blade a restful sleep, but even then, he ended up getting rather early. He probably should have tried to get some more rest, but that didn't happen. As a result, he seemed to have taken a few too many wrong turns.
"I swear we've passed up this tree before," Vol said lowly who wasn't too far behind as usual. To him, it seemed as if they had been wandering rather aimlessly for the past hour or so. Most likely the thief had gotten the two of them lost, and that thought irritated him some.
"Don't worry about it, Vol. I'm pretty certain we're heading the right way now," mumbled Blade in return. Maybe they were a little lost, but Vol grumbling about it wasn't going to make things any better for the both of them. With a sigh, he shook his head to himself and continued to trek forth. If he was right, they should be on out of the woods by around noon time. This, of course, was before he realized that he and the Maonui had managed to wander on into the Lost Woods.
Before too long, a soft, low tune could be heard from some distance away. It sounded like some sort of wind instrument. Curiosity piqued up inside of him and he soon found himself heading on towards the source of the music. He kept his footsteps light, in case the musician was on the skittish side; he didn't really want to startle anyone after all. The tune was on the somber side, so when he saw that it came from a skull kid, he was mildly surprised.
"A skull kid? Dammit, Blade, we're in the Lost Woods!" growled the flaming Maonui as soon as they found the musician. There was a slight chance that he was wrong, but he didn't know of many instances where a skull kid would be found outside of those cursed woods. This would, however, explain a number of things on their luck around here.
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:20 pm
The female Skull Kid turned hearing a voice, coming into her site was a man and a Esper. She summoned her own less than a month ago and before then she had never seen one – now they seemed to be popping up all over the place. She turned to face them, lowering her flute and putting one hand on her hip. She saw the irony in the situation, so much so it made her let out a small giggle. Looks like her music has actually lead them out of the woods. Now she was wondering if she should tell them or not. She after all might be able to get some fun out of this situation – take her mind off of the serious thoughts that had been haunting it all morning.
”Indeed, are you two in need of a guide? How much are your lives worth? Keep in mind though – I have no use for gold.”
She let out another small chuckle as she wondered closer, Zalle was short and very young in the face, however this was hidden under her mask. She looked up at the man, standing close but not close enough for him to launch a attack without her being able to escape. She wondered around them, eyeing them like a shark would eye its food. Should she lead them back in? Well – it depended very much on what they offered her. For all they knew she was their only hope for escape in a place where she had already lead them out of, which was a total accident.
”It’s not every day I see strangers like you; tell me what has lead you to my part of the woods?”
She was curious, where they running for someone? Maybe they where who Isis was hunting down. In that case she would lead them to the path to the next village, just to annoy that overconfident cow. She smirked stopping in front of them and giving a playful wink. She was being nice for now... how long it would last, well that depended on how well he played her game.
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:32 pm
Vol did have a point in his words, but Blade wasn't too worried yet. He was, however, a little wary of the skull kid before them. They weren't very well known to be all too kind to adults. For now, it seemed she was not going to attack them or anything like that. At her question, he thought on it, but there wasn't anything in particular that he could really offer.
"If you have no use for gold, I'm not really sure what else I can offer you, unless you have some suggestions," he said as he tried to think of what was on his person at the moment. There were supplies, though he doubted the skull kid would need or want any of those. She was probably rather well sustained by the forest itself.
"My pactmaker took several too many wrong turns," grumbled Vol, "Never thought he'd manage to get use here, though."
"Thanks. You act like this happens often," sighed the thief in return. His sense of direction was usually pretty good, but no one was perfect. Yes he had made a mistake today, but the maonui was acting like it was the end of the world because if it.
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:57 pm
“Well that is no fun! I might just have to leave you here then. Maybe we can play a game? Will you be my friend?”
She stated wafting her hand before bouncing slightly at the mention of a game. Zalle had always wanted a friend but knew that no one would take up the roll willingly. It was a shame the man was too old to be changed – she could see him making a great Skull Kid. If he was younger he would lead him off and then watch him change like she had done to many before him – maybe he would have be different. Every one she changed so far did not like her very much after for some reason. It was fun whilst it lasted and the hope of her plans working is what kept her going.
However lately she had been thinking, what is Taiyou was right, this was getting her nowhere, maybe it was time for a change. It was hard imagining life any other way and she did not even know how to react to normal life situations and people. It had been so long since she changed, the life she lived before was pretty alien to her now, and she could not even imagine being... normal.
“Wrong turns? You had to make quite a few to end up here. So I guess hide and seek is out of the question... hiding for a week does not sound like much fun.”
She joked, what was wrong with her today? Usually she would have already lead him to his death. However what Taiyou had been saying to her... it was messing with her mind, making her think twice about what she was doing. It showed her how much she had wasted her life in this damn place. She did not know... her furry friend was watching her. Seeing how she would handle this situation.
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:01 pm
Blinking at the two questions that she had asked, Blade was momentarily at a loss of words. While he had no idea how old she was, but it seemed like she really was like a child at heart. At least, that's how it appeared on the outside. Either way, he wasn't too sure how to respond. It was just the way he was with kids in general.
"I.. I guess I could play a game," he answered with a bit of uncertainty. What sort of game would a skull kid play? The same types as any other young hyrule resident?
"But, that's just what I get while trying to travel when half asleep I suppose," he added with a shrug.
"Hmph. I don't know if we really should be dawdling in these woods with foolish little games," stated Vol. He wasn't too eager to be sticking around here, knowing some of the stories. Blade knew them very well too for that matter, but the thief also knew that the skull kid could be their only way to get out. Having already been cursed by the forest, they pretty much had free reign of the place.
"Actually, one moment..."
Putting down his sack briefly, Blade went on to rummage through to see what he could do here. Finding what he wanted, he soon pulled out an assortment of items. A shiny amulet with a violet gem inset to it, a small silver picolo, and a fancy dagger of sorts. He was planning on pawning them off eventually.
"Here's a deal. Pick one or more of these items. If I am able to get them back from you, you'll show us out. If not then well... tough luck for me. Either way you can keep them if you really want," he suggested, basically describing a game of 'keep away'. He had no idea how this was going to go, but hopefully he could put his skills to use here.
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Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 1:38 am
Zalle was not dumb, why would a travelling stranger be wondering with such items unless he stole them? the fact he also suggested a game which a thief could take advantage of was also something that left her suspicious. She reached forward and grabbed the amulet from his hand putting it around her neck and smiling, scheming. If he did not get it back he agreed to stay here forever! That means she did not have to kill him! As long as she kept this around her neck he will always be her friend.
"That sounds fun, let’s make it more interesting though since I have a sinking feeling both your advanced physical state and your profession will give you an advantage."
She winked and brought her flute to her lips playing four notes, the noise echoing through the forest. She kept on playing them over and over and after a while in front of her appeared a blue glittering ball which, with a flash, formed her Esper Taiyou. He looked around and then at her, he heard everything however he was not expecting to her to get him involved. He could see it in her eyes... she had one of her all mighty idea's in her head.
"You can use yours too. This is Taiyou... that reminds me you do not know my name yet, we cannot be friends unless we know each other. My name is Zalle. So do I get a head start? is there any rules?"
She asked clapping her hands together with a small chuckle. She did not know the rules. However she was already thinking about cheating - what was cheating between best friends. Zalle was a incredibly lonely girl and a chance like this did not come often, she was willing to do anything to keep him here with her. Taiyou raised a eyebrow finally figuring out what she was up to, he had only known her for about 2 weeks however he was already able to read her like a book. Even though he knew the bond between them would be strong it he was not expecting for it to be as strong as it was.
"Well met."
The small Esper bowed his head and stood closer to Zalle, who played her flute once more, Taiyou once again turned into a glittering ball of energy and the small sparkles went into Zalle, her flute gained a blue aura and when she opened her eyes once more they also where a bright shade of glowing blue. Her and Zalle had been training for the last two weeks none stop and in that time the Esper had discovered how much of a fast learner she was. Even though she had not mastered their technique she was doing very well for such a small amount of time.
Even though he would never admit it, he was very proud of her.
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Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:52 am
Well she was certainly quick on the draw here. Once she had chosen the amulet, Blade went on and put the other items back into his bag and slung it back over his shoulder. It will definitely be tricky to try and retrieve the necklace, especially since she seemed to be onto him on being a thief, but he was up for the challenge.
"Fair enough. I am Blade, and the maonui is Vol," he started, "Not really any rules, except I'd rather not be killed or seriously injured over a game. I'm sure you feel the same way. The game will last until the sun is high over our heads - noon basically. So that gives me about two hours to retrieve the amulet."
With some of a grimace, Vol stared at his pactmaker, not really liking where this was going. A game with a skull kid could easily go wrong for them.
"I hope you know what you're doing here," he growled. The maonui, while he didn't mind the forest scenery, did not want to be stuck here for who knew how long. He heard that non-fairy folk who get lost in these woods eventually become a stalfos. It made him wonder if espers were in any sort of danger regarding that type of thing.
"Don't worry about it Vol. And Zalle... I'll let you have a three second headstart. So ready?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 9:54 am
“Do not worry about it, you would be useless to me dead Blade.”
She smirked lowering her flute slightly as she spoke. Only two hours? That made her job a lot easier and he had basically given her permission to cheat – if the only rule was no harming your opponent. She smiled and blew a kiss before she spun around and leaped forward running across the field like a gazelle. Her long hair flowing behind her, Zalle looked like she was dressed for Halloween. The fashion within the race of skull kids was a very unique one to say the least, masks, witches hats, various bright colours.
“One... Two... Three...Catch me if you can!”
She laughed spinning around a little before she continued her dance like run. Being a creature that’s enter battle style revolved around music meant her movements and attacks where very elegant to say the least, she almost looked like she was dancing. She looked up at the blue sky and then played a happier tune, she was not going to try and hide, if he knew what was coming he would too realise there was no need. She was not for a moment going to think about playing fairly. Her eyes still glowing, she put down her flute once more continuing on her journey across the field and into the woods.
“I cannot wait; we can do so many things together! Time is endless; we have a whole life time of fun ahead of us. So Come on Blade tell me, when you move in are you going to miss anyone from the outside? A family? Children? A wife maybe? They can come and live here too, we can be one big happy family!”
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Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 11:42 am
'You would be useless to me dead Blade.'
There was something mildly creepy about this child, and he had to wonder if that was just a trait of skull kids in general. But if he wasn't mistaken, it almost seemed as if she was desperate for company. That struck him as a little odd seeing how there should be other skull children in the forest. He would think that they'd befriend her pretty easily.
Once she started running, he went off after her. Stealth was obviously out of the question for this, which made things a bit harder. Blade was going to need to be more direct here if he wanted to win. He also had to make sure not to underestimate her just because she appeared to be a child.
"If I had anyone, I might have," he replied fairly calmly. True, he didn't really have anyone close, but he had reason to not want to be stuck in one area. It was his freedom, more than anything else, that was at stake here.
A low growl emanated from Vol's throat as he sped alongside the thief.
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Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 2:57 pm
"No one? Wow you must be some jerk - it does not matter though, everyone hates me too, even my own mother said she wished I was dead. The other skull kids are scared of me... tell you a secrete I am a bit of a jerk too. A BIG jerk. Hahaha!"
She stated spinning around to face him once more; she tilted her head watching him come over to her, a smug smirk coming onto her lips holding her decorated flute to them, giving him a playful wink.
"You know how big of a jerk I can be?"
She asked, answering the question for him, she began to play her flute a blue glow surrounding her. Above the head of Blade a marionette formed, strings reaching down and attaching themselves to him, she lowered her flute and smiled her eyes glowing that ghostly blue.
"Yay! Now we can be together forever my puppet, me and you, no one will miss us! We could die and no one would care - it is okay though, I am all you need."
Her words echoed in his head as she wondered over to him, she had herself a new toy, one that would never betray her. She smiled and stopped just in front of him as if to ask for a hug. She lowered her flute and smiled – something she did actually went right and even more so, Taiyou was right... she was a puppet master. Only two hours... if she could keep him for two hours – he promised he would be here forever...
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Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2010 4:29 pm
Blade quirked a brow as she assumed he was a jerk off the bat. That... wasn't exactly the case. He mainly just had trouble opening up to others to really get close to anyone. But she could believe what she wanted he supposed. However, her own little tidbit of herself there did catch his attention, as well as raised some alarm. It also answered some of his previous mental questions earlier too.
As she began to play her flute, he noticed something forming above him. His eyes widened briefly as the strings attached to his body and he found himself unable to move. It was almost as if he was paralyzed, but he soon realized what this really was. Against his will, he hugged the girl when she asked for it.
This really rubbed him the wrong way. By no means did he plan on becoming Zalle's slave. He struggled to move his body, but it wasn't under his control. For now, the thief was his own prison it seemed. Only it was worse than what any jail could do really. Blade hated to lose his freedom in any way, shape, or form. So while he was normally calm and laid back, he was actually fairly angry now.
Dammit! he cursed mentally. If there was one thing though; no prison has been able to keep him yet.
Watching all of this, Vol snarled as his the hylian/sheikah seemed to be under some sort of control. With the marionette strings attached to the body, he looked very much like a living puppet, just as Zalle had said.
"What are you doing? Release him now!" growled the maonui menacingly. He wasn't about to stand for this. Oh no.
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Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 1:13 pm
"What are you going to do about it, we both know the moment you try to do anything to me he will jump in the way - do yourself a favour and leave you troublesome Esper. Hes mine now."
She stated with a cold stare before wondering away from the hug and spinning slightly in a dance like motion. Coming to a stop her hand rested on her hips and her eyes turned once more to face her new companion. She knew that the Esper would not risk the life of his master - as long as Blade was a good little doll she held all the cards. She flicked her long hair and smiled very smugly, like the cat which had just got the cream.
"Now Blade, why don't we both go and make some daisy crowns? me and my mother used to make them all the time!"
She shucked in a child like manor. Zalle was obviously still as young at heart as she was the moment her spirit died. Truth be told even though she seemed to be a little girl her mentality was that of a person much older - just because physically she did not age, mentally she had grown. She was no longer the little girl that met the prince. The many years of loneliness had made her very bitter and cold, even more so than she was.
If she had a chance... no matter how small, of someone being by her side she would die for it. Blade was a glimmer of light in her otherwise dark life and she would do whatever it took to keep him here.
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Posted: Sat Oct 16, 2010 1:51 pm
Twitching at her words, Vol let out a roar of frustration and anger. His tail thumped against the forest ground as he gave the girl a hard and harsh stare. It was true; he wouldn't do anything that would potentially kill Blade, but there had to be something he could do that would minimalize the consequences.
While the thief's expression was rather dead and blank, his feelings were rather strong at the moment. Try as he might, he just couldn't stop his body from nodding and going off to pick some flowers for Zalle. Dexterous fingers weaved the daisies together to form a little crown for her.
"Nice to know that my pact-maker is such a disposable puppet then," growled Vol finally after Blade started to move again. He wouldn't make his move just yet. For now he was still trying to think.
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