it's another one of these!

[withwisdom]

WHO: Zelda and others
WHERE: Around
WHEN: Throughout July
WHAT: Quests, and other threads
WARNINGS: None at the moment.

[ ooc: if you're interested in threading or questing with zelda, new cr or current, feel free to drop me a pm! ]

Comments

okuyasu - quest 17

[withwisdom]

[ somehow one bad decision led to another, and here they are by a tree just outside the forest. zelda has her bow but oddly no arrows in sight, and she has the apple they need to boot. ]

I wonder what the purpose of this trial is? Unless there is none and it's just foolishness again.

[ she's pretty tired of these trials and it's only been two months. ]

[pursestrings]

[Okuyasu is just as fed up with these quests, which raises some questions about why they're doing this... it's the easiest one, as far as legwork and actual doing stuff is required, so that's good enough.

He's standing against the tree, which is to say he's leaning against it with his arms crossed, not trying to take it seriously just yet.]

Dunno, maybe we'll get some more shitty hats. You a good shot?

[withwisdom]

I rather not get anymore pointless clothing. Or pointless anything.

[ for once, she doesn't ruffle at his casual cursing. it feels fitting. ]

Admittedly I'm new to this, but my arrows are created from my sealing power. It shouldn't really hurt you, given you're not a monster or other being made from malice and evil.

[pursestrings]

[Let Zelda Say Fuck]

Yeah, alright. [...hm, actually, wait--] I got my Stand though, I'm not gonna get Stand-stuck if you miss, am I?

[Stands aren't evil?? But "sealing power" definitely sounds questionable for anything that gets summoned.]

[withwisdom]

I... I don't know what that means. [ squint. ] What is 'Stand-Stuck'?

[ she knows what Stands are because of Josuke, but... is stand-stuck a thing? ]

[pursestrings]

[It might be!! He has no idea, but why not, right?]

Like if I can't use my Stand. Y'know... pretty much that.

[withwisdom]

Oh! [ well, hm. ] I don't know much about Stands outside of what Josuke told me... do you believe they are a force of evil?

ryo - quest 16

[withwisdom]

[ unicorns is not a phrase she has any familiarity with. it takes a visit to the library to find a fairytale book with the word in the title to understand what they are. a horned horse with magical powers, she can't help but be curious about what properties its hair must hold. and with the need for someone with a red font color to go along for the journey, she decides to contact ryo and hopes his scientific curiosity is enough to convince him.

on the day they agree to meet she waits outside the forest with her bow, in case anything should go wrong, wearing a plain white gown in contrast to her usual wear. if the unicorn is a sacred creature as implied in the books, she feels it warrants a more dressed down and humbled attire. she normally only wears this when she goes to pray, so it feels fitting to wear it today. ]

[apocalypticist]

[ Ryo's previous attempt at completing the quest was a spectacular failure and none of the people in his group were able to get close enough to a unicorn to get a strand of hair. But he's not going to give up after one failure and decides to give it another try with someone else. Unicorns are symbols of purity and are said to be drawn by the presence of a virtuous maiden, so maybe he'll have a better chance at succeeding if he's accompanied by a young woman. Zelda is the first person to come to mind, and if she hadn't contacted him first he would have texted her to ask if she would be interesting in tackling the quest together.

He's dressed in white as usual when he heads over to the edge of the forest at the scheduled time, offering her a polite smile in greeting as he approaches. ]

Hello, Zelda. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long.

[withwisdom]

No, you didn't.

[ if anything she was early, but she's used to waking up at the crack of dawn and going to bed soon after sunset. it's important to have routine no matter where you may be. she pulls on the strap running down from her shoulder past her hip, her bow slightly pushing into her back when she does, and smiles. ]

Thank you for agreeing to coming with me. I've never heard of a unicorn before - I'm curious to see what it's like.

[apocalypticist]

[ Back home, Ryo would often stay up late due to the nature of his work, but here he tends to go to bed early and get up early; when there's no electricity, it makes more sense to sleep once it gets dark and get up at dawn to make the most out of the sunlight hours. ]

I've read about it in books. The unicorn is fierce and swift, and no hunter can catch it; it's commonly described as a very wild woodland creature that will only calm down in the presence of a young, pure woman. In some stories, the woman would sit alone in the woods and the unicorn would eventually approach and rest its head in her lap.

[ a pause, and: ] This was widely exploited by hunters; once docile in the woman's presence, it's easily caught and killed.

[withwisdom]

...Suddenly I'm beginning to see why you agreed to meet me!

[ she says with a light jest, but it does strike her as curious that the unicorn is more receptive to women. it feels yet another reminder of home and she can't help but wonder how she would fit into any fairytale she has read here. ]

[apocalypticist]

Yes, that was why I agreed. You seem to be the kind of woman a unicorn would take a liking to.

[ He means it as a simple observation, not flattery. They clearly didn't like the sausagefest last time and while he can't say he knows Zelda well enough to know if she would be considered pure and virtous enough to meet whatever antiquated standards these unicorns appears to have, she's probably the best choice for this quest. ]

maribelle - quest 19

[withwisdom]

[ after the boogeyman quest last month, zelda is wary about confronting monsters in the forests. to think such dreadful and powerful entities lurk in the forest give her a shiver. however, she knows she can't let that stop her from venturing onward and making sure things are safe for others. it would be a disservice to herself and to the town, especially now that she's on the defense patrol officially.

but... holding hands? feels like yet another stupid game of the quest giver. but she decides to approach maribelle about it and now together they walk through the forest to search for the chimera, hands locked together. ]

It feels rather silly, don't you think? The hand holding that is.

sorry for the late!!

[troubadamsel]

Yes, it is going to make things... a tad difficult.

[She's got a fire tome tucked under one arm. Generally she uses both hands for magic, so this will be an interesting challenge. Also, blushing.]

no worries!

[withwisdom]

I won't be able to use my bow so I left it at home. It'll be a little more challenging to channel my seal, but I should be able to... make it work...

[ she turns her head toward maribelle and is noticing now- ]

Are you feeling alright? Your face looks a little red.

[troubadamsel]

... Don't you find this quest to be a little embarrassing?

[withwisdom]

Hm? [ a beat, and then she makes a small 'ah' ] Because we're holding hands?

[troubadamsel]

Of course because we're holding hands! Not that I'm not fond of you, it's just... odd, that's all...

mahmut - quest 17

[withwisdom]

[ another round of apple shooting, but this time zelda is going to be a little wiser about it. she volunteered to be the apple bearer (if you can call someone balancing an apple on their head that) to mahmut. he's the better archer between the two of them anyway, and it's a good idea to see him in action.

she already brought her own apple and tosses it in her hands idly as she looks to him. ]

How far away from you should I sit? I don't know how far apart we need to be in order for the quest to be considered complete.

[a_special_hat]

I have no idea, truly.

[He strings his bow, while he leaves Iskender to make slow circles in the sky above.]

However far you are comfortable with. [Because if she's nervous it would only make this harder.] I'll confess, I have never done this before. [This specifically being shooting something off someone's head.] I had seen the other students play this game while I was still in the military academy but I never joined in.

[Because he was Too Serious as a child.]

[withwisdom]

That doesn't surprise me.

[ he seems like the type to keep to himself, though that he calls it a 'game' feels like the sort of description only an army man would use. shooting apples off the head isn't really her idea of fun, but this is a quest first and foremost. ]

I trust you to hit, for it would be disloyal to not trust in my teacher.

[ she walks toward the closest tree and sits herself down on her knees, placing the apple delicately on her head and trying to keep still as to not off-set the balance. ]

Ok... just, try not to go too far? Arrows don't keep the straightest path up to a certain point in the trajectory, so... I don't want it landing below the apple.

[a_special_hat]

[He called it a game mostly because the men who did it were doing it for fun, because it hadn't been a test of skill or practise so much as a chance to show off or prove their courage to the others.

At the time it had seemed a waste of time to him.

He smiled wryly.]

I'm humbled by your trust but I hope that you will question me as well when you see it necessary.

[He's setting the end of the arrow on the bowstring. But pauses before he lifts it into position.] And I would be unsuited to be a teacher if I were to take unnecessary risks with my own student's life.

[He stepped to a good distance, one he judged to be safe and drew the bow string back. It was different, shooting like this versus shooting on the battle field. It was almost meditative. It was muscle memory to shoot like this, but he let himself think about each step since he had the time, to consider each action. After all, there was no room for mistakes here.

He made sure to make eye-contact with her before saying.] Do not move.

[Then he released the arrow, watching it fly straight and true towards the apple.]

[withwisdom]

[ as he situates himself and prepares, zelda watches intently. this could be a good lesson for herself as well, but... she isn't sure she has the courage to watch him shoot an arrow at her. even if it isn't at her, it's still the sight of someone she knows firing off a weapon. but she knows she must have faith, and the most she does is suck in a breath when he declares her not to move.

it takes a great deal of courage and steel to see him shoot the arrow and not budge. all her willpower and the memory of the last time she faced down something that could end her life. she watched calamity ganon as he circled around her, trying to strike. she watches the arrow shoot and doesn't move, and the sound of the arrow impaling the apple is but a faint breeze. ]

...Is it over?

[a_special_hat]

[He had kept his body purposefully relaxed as he shot the arrow. After all, tensing would have only hurt his aim not improved it.

But he was holding his breath when the arrow was released and didn't let it back out until it hit the arrow. He lowered his weapon.]

It is. [He walks over to pick up the apple from the ground.] I will never understand why some of my peers thought this was entertaining.

[He pauses and...he doesn't want to ask, really. But she had been standing so still and that wasn't just a matter of being brave or not because it was normal, wasn't it, to flinch when an arrow passes so close to yourself.]

Thank you again, for trusting me.