| The Legacy of Z II | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 10 2009, 07:56:31 PM (2,235 Views) | |
| Bx | Apr 19 2009, 10:23:04 AM Post #41 |
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Notorious
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(Wading through the swamp water, they noticed the Deku bodies that littered the area earlier were gone although the water was still enveloped in their blood. It was odd but Maria tried rationalizing, saying...) Maria: Well... Maybe Termina's leaders sent teams here to pick up the bodies. I mean, that's the only reason I can think of to explain this. ...The only "normal" reason anyway. (Z looked at David to see if he was still unconscious before taking another look around the swamp as he replied...) Z: I hope you're right. (Although they obviously didn't know, she was. Word had spread through the night and soldiers from the other regions cleared out the bodies while they were lost in the forest. But for them, it was just another bizarre occurrence added to a growing list. It was a fitting reminder of what they'd experienced and more importantly, why they were leaving. Upon reaching land, both eagerly lifted their respective "half" of David and stepped out of the boat. Glancing at the house above their heads, Maria asked...) Maria: Hey, you think that guy is okay? (Z tilted his head back and looked up, replying...) Z: Uh... I really don't know. Why? Maria: Just making conversation... (He took another look at the house and said...) Z: I mean if you want to go check on the guy, we... (She shook her head, "No" and replied...) Maria: Really Z, I was just making conversation... (His reply was a gentle smirk, which he wore the entire way out of the swamp. Aside from him constantly asking her, "Are you okay?" or "Do you need a break?," it was a quiet walk to Clock Town. The sun still hadn't cracked the horizon and even monsters sleeping at this hour...) (David's wiry-frame was easy on their arms but they decided to take short breaks every so often to prevent soreness. The first of these came midway between the Southern Swamp and Termina Field. Z sat on the ground with his legs stretched out, yawning, while Maria stayed on her feet and rubbed the surface of her ocarina. He had his back to her but she watched him and remembered last night. With a touch of anxiety in her voice, she asked...) Maria: ...Can I ask you something, Z? (Those words reminded him of his conversation with Olivia and remembering where that went, he answered with some anxiety of his own...) Z: Um, okay. What's up...? (She avoided eye contact, fixing her gaze on the ocarina while replying...) Maria: About last night... (His eyes illuminated, illustrating his youthful response...) Z: It was fun. (She chuckled to herself but also rolled her eyes. Pausing for a moment while still avoiding eye contact, she asked...) Maria: Z... Are you serious about me? (Taken aback, he jerked back with his eyes and nostrils expanding while his mouth opened slightly. He even blinked several times before delivering his answer...) Z: Oh. Well... Yeah, of course. I mean... Have I ever given you a reason to doubt that? Did I do something? If I did, please, tell me. (She finally pulled her eyes away from the ocarina and looked into his, answering...) Maria: No, you've been great. I...guess I just wanted to make sure. (A chill breezed in with the early morning air but there was silence between them. He began thinking, "Where is this coming from...?," while her thoughts were, "That was stupid. Why did I even ask...?" Trying to figure out what he did "wrong," thoughts of past actions came to him and he asked...) Z: This isn't about Olivia, is it? (She quickly shook her head, "No" and stated...) Maria: Not at all. This is about you and me, nobody else. (She was being honest and it left him more perplexed as he jogged his memory for some answer or sign. Unable to find anything, he repeated his earlier sentiments...) Z: If I did anything to make you feel... (To kill the topic and quell his concerns, she interrupted, saying...) Maria: It's okay, Z. Don't worry about it, I don't know why I even asked. And listen, you haven't done anything wrong, alright? (He nodded. Although her reasons for asking still boggled his mind he felt it best to leave it alone. And to avoid anymore awkward moments, he asked...) Z: You ready to keep going? (She put away her ocarina and nodded, answering...) Maria: Yeah. (His concern darkened his once illuminated eyes and he got to his feet, studying her body language for any alarming signs. But he found none, that were obvious at least. Like before, she grabbed David's legs while he lifted his upper body. Although the conversation was over, their thoughts were still deeply rooted within it. It lapsed their awareness making them miss details they would have noticed. One such being that the eccentric character in their arms was awake, blinking a few times before shutting his eyes completely. For him, this was just a free ride to Clock Town...) (With the sun rising over their heads and only about a half hour away from Clock Town, they took another break, placing David's body a few feet away from where they stood. This time, it was Z who initiated conversation after looking around, noticing what they had missed earlier...) Z: The bodies are gone? (He rotated, surveying the entire area once again. But in an eerily similar fashion to the swamp, the bodies were "mysteriously" gone. He sighed and bit his bottom lip while she rationalized the situation, saying...) Maria: The town guards must have found them. ("...That's probably true," he thought but it still filled him with unrest. Images of the the last massacre along with the mob that stormed Kafei's Office flashed across his eyes. Kafei had appeased the mob by saying "The Gorons would take care of it," but a field of dead town guards and Zora bounty hunters said differently. His concern (and rightfully so) was with what both a mob of angry, paranoid citizens would do under these circumstances and more importantly, with whom would they place blame. Maria sensed his apprehension but calmly asked...) Maria: What's the matter? Z: ...Nothing. (It was a poorly executed attempt at deflecting his fear and she'd seen this trick too many times already. He knew this, so without letting her ask, he answered...) Z: ...Something about the bodies not being here just gives me a bad feeling. ("You couldn't tell me that?," she thought, raising her eyebrows while replying...) Maria: That's what it was? Z: Yeah. (Her hair blew with a breeze that swept in, leaving a few strands across her face. While pulling them from her eyes, she said...) Maria: Okay... But why? (He turned his attention to the Clock Tower and replied...) Z: Remember that mob at Kafei's Office? Maria: Yes. So? (His eyes were glued on the face of the tower's clock and he didn't respond. She looked at him, then at the clock and back at him before letting out a loud grunt, asking...) Maria: ...And? (Startled, he shook his head and snapped out of it. Turning to her, he said...) Z: Um... You know what? Forget it, I'm probably just being paranoid. (Giving him a funny look while nodding slowly, she agreed...) Maria: Yeah, you probably a... (She stopped. She knew his track record, his premonitions were usually spot-on. With this thought, his uneasiness crept into her...) (Her face drooped while she breathed a sigh. Looking at her, he shook his head, saying...) Z: That's why I said, "nothing" earlier. Maria: You should have kept it that way. Z: Okay, calm down. Let's just...keep going. (With no other choice, they lifted David up again and continued on their way to Clock Town...) (About a half an hour later with the sun fully risen above their heads, they entered Clock Town's southern gate and found that their fear was warranted. Upon seeing it, he shouted...) Z: What happened!? (The debris left from the infirmary's explosion was scattered all over South Clock Town... A number of bizarre things flooded their minds but only two possibilities screamed out at them: A mob went crazy and sent Kafei a message or the more disturbing but realistic theory, Damian was making his presence known once again. Their minds frenzied and they dropped David. Standing before the debris, Z scooped some up while Maria remarked...) Maria: ...Unbelievable. (At that moment, they realized Hope's fate. She survived a brutal rape only to die in a senseless explosion... Of course, that was just their take due to limited knowledge. Because of these assumptions, Z vividly remembered his body failing him in the Underground. His best chance was blown not because of the enemy but rather himself.) ("Shit... Shit...," repeated in his mind as he took a few short steps back then forward, gripping his left hand while holding his waist with his right. He stayed like this, staring at the rubble. Maria, sensing his feelings, placed her right hand over his back and said...) Maria: This wasn... (He pulled away without letting her finish, saying...) Z: C'mon. We can find out what happened when we get to Kafei's. (She slowly shook her head before following him. Again, they lifted David and carried him into West Clock Town although this latest discovery dimmed whatever joy delivering this "gift" would have given them. Treading through the streets, they noticed even for a morning, Clock Town was eerily dead. No one was out, not even guards... It wasn't surprising but it felt..."different," comparable to David's illusion in the forest. Nearing the office, they received another surprise, one that was there all along...) Z & Maria: Whoa! (David sprung out of their arms, looked at them and smiled...) David: Hello. (He grabbed at his back and asked...) David: ...Nirn. You have? (He pointed at Maria, she had his bag on her back. Taking it off, she handed it to him. He quickly looked inside to see if it was all still there and seeing that it was, his smile stretched across his face, the glaring sign of a true addict. But he wasn't finished as he noticed Z with his guitar strapped over his chest and said...) David: ...She's mine. (He looked at Maria, thinking he was referring to her but she pointed at his chest and he understood. Pulling the guitar's strap over him, he said...) Z: Here. (He slowly handed him the guitar and David immediately placed it over his shoulder and spun around without a word. Refusing to let him go, Maria grabbed his shoulder and said...) Maria: Wait! What about your sister?! (Without turning, he pulled some Nirn leaves from his bag and flicked them at her eyes. Reopening them, she gasped, jumped back, looked around nervously and wrapped her arms around her body in an attempt to cover herself. She was naked. In her eyes, that is. Pointing at her, he asked...) David: How...does it feel? (Embarrassed, she was too focused on covering herself to answer. Instead, she looked at Z and yelled...) Maria: Give me your shirt! (Although he hadn't experienced the illusion, he'd seen David's actions and turned to her, saying...) Z: I don't know what he did but relax, he's just messing with you. ("Oh. Right...," she thought, looking at her arms, realizing she was fully-clothed "again." Before she could explain, David said...) David: Take my name but just let me be... (He spun around and they watched him drift away. Fearing another illusion, Maria didn't shout like before but she gave Z a wide-eyed look that said, "Stop him!" By this point, however, he realized that they had wasted enough time with him and Clock Town's situation was far more pressing.) Z: It might sound cruel but we've got bigger things to worry about, Maria... ("All that work for nothing, what a letdown..." she said to herself. The botched plan left her feeling the same guilt Z usually placed on himself. Referring to the explosion, she kept telling herself, "Had we not gone looking for him..." It was a taste of Z's world and she let out a sigh, following him as they made their way to the office.) (The door was unlocked so they went in. Inside, only Impa and Nabooru were in the front area. This immediately alarmed Z who before anything else quickly asked...) Z: Where's everyone at? (Both Sages shifted their eyes around the room, avoiding his stare. Frustration and curiosity mixed as he opened his mouth but Impa raised her hand, saying...) Impa: ...In the Underground. Z: Why!? Impa: That assassin from the other night kidnapped Hope just before the explosion and... (She looked down, forcing Nabooru to finish...) Nabooru: Your mother and Saria chased after him. When they didn't come back for a while, Darunia got concerned and rushed down there... They haven't returned yet... (His mouth fell open, he grabbed the top of his head and took a few steps back. "Mom...," he thought as Maria placed her hand on his shoulder. But it wasn't her usual comforting touch, her hand was trembling while she stared at the floor silently wondering about the other Sages' fate.) (It was a crushing blow to their psyches but he was the first to act, rushing out of the door without a word. Wrapped in her own thoughts, she watched without following but turned after hearing Olivia's voice...) Olivia: Is Z here? Maria: ...He just left. We... We're going to the Underground. (Her eyes widened but Maria didn't wait for her response as she backed out of the door and ran to catch Z. Concerned, Olivia looked out of the door and saw her chasing after him. Hoping to get his attention, she shouted...) Olivia: Z! (He didn't respond, only Maria looked back. Giving up, she turned her head to shut the door but saw him...) Olivia: ...Wha...? (David was lying on the ground a few feet away close to the southern exit. Absolutely stunned, her hands began trembling and she began thinking, "What do I do? Does...does he even remember me?" Seeing her behavior, the Sages rushed to check on her but she bolted outside before they could reach her. Running towards him, she shouted...) Olivia: David! David!! (But he was sleeping. To wake him, she started pounding his chest and within moments, he slowly opened his eyes.) Olivia: David...? (Seeing her face, he smiled and replied...) David: ...Another one? ...Beautiful Nirn has given me another virgin. (...Her mouth hung open while her soaked eyes drained on his chest but he didn't know why. It just confirmed what she feared, he didn't remember her or care. He was essentially a doll, just a figure that reminded her of precious memories but one who held none of her... Nabooru and Impa pulled her away from him and back toward the office but not before experiencing one final illusion....) (He pulled some Nirn leaves from his bag, crushed them and rubbed them on the ground before lifting his hand revealing a medium-sized fire. He then took some more leaves, stuffed them in his mouth and blew them into the fire. As he got to his feet, he took one last look at the still sobbing Olivia and walked away. With each step he took, the flame faded a bit ultimately revealing a group of dead butterflies in the shape of a heart...) Edited by Bx, Jul 11 2009, 12:46:50 AM.
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| Bx | Apr 19 2009, 11:28:47 PM Post #42 |
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Notorious
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(Z's already brisk pace turned into a full sprint for the Underground while Maria chased, yelling his name each step of the way....) Maria: Z! Z! (His concern for the others drowned out her cries. It was another example of one of his selfless acts corrupted by selfish execution. Looming over him were memories of Rauru's death, guilty residue still lingered from that loss. Despite this, she kept calling...) Maria: Z! Z! (Still ignoring her, he reached the entrance to the Underground and entered. She was only seconds behind and entered as well, shouting...) Maria: Z! Can't you hear me calling you!? (Finally, as he was running down the ramp, he looked at her and asked...) Z: What!? (She jumped back. His raddled eyes and misshapen, callous expression made for a frightening appearance. The strained animation in his face was only a physical expression of what she feared, his mental state had become erratic. Because of this, she stuttered...) Maria: ...L-Let's be rational. We can't get ahead of ourselves, okay? It...could be a trap. (He gritted his teeth and let out a few short breaths asking himself, "What the hell is rational about anything down here?," before rushing down the ramp without a reply...) ("Damn it, Z...," she said to herself but followed without uttering a sound. The situation was stressing enough without the added factor of the Underground. A place that inspired feelings similar to those she'd felt at Alvius' Castle. She could only hope for good fortune although history hadn't shared her sentiments thus far.) (Shrouded in the darkness of the Underground, they crossed through the green river and passed the first set of shacks finding nothing. He'd since pulled out his blade and was charging through the Underground's natural obstacles. Despite keeping up, he was the superior athlete and she found herself slowly drifting behind as his fear and adrenaline kicked in. Seeing his image reduce with each breath, she shouted...) Maria: ...Please, Z! Stop!! (He didn't. He had little regard for her and even less for her line of thinking. He was tired of relying on luck to save everyone around him, including himself. "Luck" turned him into a "hero," now was his chance to turn himself into one. He just hoped for the opportunity, otherwise...) (She'd already imagined the worst but pushed the thought aside. Even as he was fading, she kept thinking about his fragility. If the worst was reality, she feared an ensuing breakdown. Their thoughts, differing though from the same vein, lowered their awareness as they passed the former marketplace without noticing the trailing footsteps.) (She could still see him and continued despite inflammation in her calves. She tried blocking out the fatigue as they reached the path leading to Olivia's old house. But mind over matter worked for only so long as the pain settled in and slowed her down... It was masochistic to keep running, even if only a jog but stopping was out of the question.) (She was losing him but kept telling herself, "It's okay... I know this trail, I can make it without him..." These thoughts battled the threatening flashbacks this road produced. But "confidence" did little for her speed, as her pace was becoming steady yet deflated while his appeared to be increasing ultimately capped off with him disappearing from sight.) Maria: Crap... (With her knowledge of the trail, it was only slightly demoralizing. And she kept moving because unlike him, for her, the attempt was just as important as success. Continuing down the trail, the echo of clashing metal rang leaving her to remark...) Maria: Please... Please, don't let it be what I think... (Ironically, this mixture of curiosity and fear gave her the energy she needed to pick up speed as everything came into view...) Maria: ...? (It wasn't quite what she'd envisioned but Z was locked in battle with a presumed follower of Damian while only one Sage, Darunia was on the ground beaten. She ran to him and knelt down, hoping to nurse his health...) Maria: Darunia!? (He was awake but his glassy-eyes, hanging jaw and peculiar bite marks gave the impression that he suffered a beating of some sort. Either way, he answered...) Darunia: ...Yea...? Maria: What happened? (He grimaced, locking his teeth together before saying...) Darunia: ...He baited us. ("I knew it...," she thought before asking...) Maria: This was a trap? Darunia: ...It's Z. Maria: What? (His mouth cracked open but closed only to open again as he delivered his answer...) Darunia: T-t-this hunt for Damian... It...It needs to...stop... It's all I got from this... (Yet another reminder of how far Damian's influence extended and it became more disheartening when she realized what other consequences may or have come from this. Before she visualized it, Z finished his opponent and came to check on Darunia, asking...) Z: Are you okay? (He nodded. But his glazed eyes said a lot more prompting Z to ask...) Z: What did they do to you? (He maneuvered around, pressing his hands against ground while lifting his head. But he failed to sit up. Still on his back, he clutched his fists and breathed a few solemn breaths before answering...) Darunia: ...Am...bush. I'll be....fine. I came... to help Saria and Ruto but... (Z's eyes widened and he asked...) Z: But what!? Darunia: ...I never made it. Some rats and that punk got me... I don't know... where they're at... (His voice trailed off but he was okay. This, however, presented Z with a difficult choice, illustrated by his thoughts, "I can't drag him along but leaving him with Maria is too risky...") Z: Hmm... (Watching him pacing around with his hand against his forehead, she said...) Maria: ...Z? Z: I'm thinking... (She watched for a few more moments before angrily demanding...) Maria: Z, listen! (He looked at her and opened his mouth, ready to erupt when he heard it. Seeing his bug-eyed look, she asked...) Maria: You hear it now? (He stayed quiet, carefully listening to the sound as it was getting louder, approaching them. Looking in it's direction, he pointed out...) Z: ...It's getting closer. (And then it finally appeared, a man...) Maria: Jim! (They were never more happy to see him as he waved and said...) Jim: Hey, guys. (Maria looked at Z but then at him and asked...) Maria: You...followed us? Jim: Yeah. I was on my way above ground but when I saw how you guys were running, I knew something wasn't right. (Any other day that statement would have raised a red flag but logical thinking was lost with more urgent matters at hand. Avoiding the obvious, Z looked at Darunia, then at him and asked...) Z: Jim, can you help us? (He pointed at Darunia and replied...) Jim: You want me to take the big guy, don't you? Z: Yes. Jim: No problem. I'm happy to help. Z: Thanks. (He walked over to Darunia and with their help, lifted him to his feet, and wrapped his arm around the back of his neck. Walking off, he turned and said...) Jim: ...Good luck. Maria: Be careful. Z: Yeah. Get him to Kafei's Office in West Clock Town, you know the place right? Jim: Yeah. Z: Alright, thanks man. (He nodded and they faded into the darkness leaving the two of them alone again. She turned to him as he was backing away and asked...) Maria: Who was the attacker? (Without looking at her, he turned and burst into a sprint, answering...) Z: ...No idea. Just some guy! (Watching him disappear, she felt her throbbing calves and thought, "But not the guy...?," before sighing as she restarted the painful chase.) (Entering the darkest innards of the Underground, they realized the hunt for Damian had escalated into a grudge match...) Edited by Bx, Jul 14 2009, 12:17:15 AM.
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| Bx | Apr 21 2009, 11:04:01 PM Post #43 |
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Notorious
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(Maria's pursuit continued as she trailed him using his faint outline against the darkness. But keeping up wasn't her only task, they were in the Underground's darkest, most hazardous territory and her well-being (as well as his) were threatened with every step. Their first trip clearly showcased this, it was the situation involving Vladimir. And neither remembered any landmarks or points of interest from then; for two people who'd been down this road before, it certainly felt like unknown territory.) (It was no deterrent to him, however, as he displayed his youthful brashness charging at a reckless pace. Though his intentions were noble, she suffered, letting out pain-filled grunts every few seconds. She hoped the sounds would shift some of his consideration for the others onto her but he ignored them.) (His thoughts were solely immersed with "saving" his mother and Saria from whatever or whoever had them. His prior saltiness towards them was souring his conscience as his ears began ringing with conversations he'd had with them. One with Saria particularly grated his eardrums...) "No. Why don't you just say what you really feel, "I owe it to you guys" alright but let me tell you something, six months ago, I did everyone a favor. I paid my debt to society if I had one. I don't owe you guys anything. And yes, I know he's dying, the guy's coughing blood every half hour. But what do you want me to do? I can't save everybody. You think if I speak to him, that it's gonna change something, that he's just gonna spring himself out of his sickness? I don't know what fantasy world you're living in but that just doesn't happen in real life." (As if a sharp nail had been driven across a chalkboard, he cringed when he heard himself. His apology also replayed but those words for Saria shredded any solace it brought. "Actions," that's what the conversation was about, and he dropped the ball then, now was his repent. But again, he just hoped for the opportunity...) (Maria also held her fears for Ruto and Saria but unlike him, she was prepared for the worst. Yet like him, her mind was also burdened with a guilt-ridden conscience. It was her decision to leave Clock Town and she constantly attacked herself for that selfish choice. The playful spite had morphed into a possibly tragic err in judgment. But he didn't attribute her with blame, leaving her to question his potential actions if it came to be as she suspected.) (His behavior after Rauru's death was an indication of what to expect. And it worried her because Rauru died of natural causes. If either of them perished because of what he'd perceive as his own failure... "Who knows what he'd do?," she asked silently. Both her mind and body were rattling under these intense thoughts but she pressed on, gripping the left side of her lower torso, stinging from sharp pain.) (Guilt's stain muddled their cognitive functions as well. They were enclosed in darkness but neither realized they were on a path to nowhere, too worried about what they would find instead of how they'd find it. But the ground's tremble restored their senses and they stopped.) Z: Huh...? (He finally looked back to see if she was still behind him. She was, though several feet away but her shifting eyes and quick glances to each side were of greater interest to him. It told him what he felt was no hallucination. She caught his eye and fixed her gaze on his, yelling...) Maria: Z! (That was the last of her breath; her lungs felt constricted and she bent over, huffing every second. Her pain, however, was not limited to her chest as her legs were throbbing at a much faster rate than her heart. But she was stubborn and straightened her back in an attempt to run. Her "run," however was reduced to more of a slow slide. Seeing her struggle, he did her a favor and walked to her, asking...) Z: Your legs? (She frowned, squinting her eyes from pain while answering...) Maria: ...Yes. (He felt like a heel and his earlier thoughts were swapped with his latest egocentric behavior but his apology was delayed when...) RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! Maria: There it goes again... Z: What do you...? (The rumble's intensity increased and they began swaying side to side; The perils they rashly ignored were now haunting them as they looked around, hoping to discover the rumble's source. And within a moment, she did. He watched her hands tremble in the rhythm of the ground but upon seeing her dread-inducing expression, his face cracked and he asked...) Z: ...What!? Maria: Z, I can't run... (He placed his hands over her shoulders and asked...) Z: Why are you...? (She lifted her left arm and pointed in a northwest direction, telling him...) Maria: Look. (He lifted his hands from her shoulders and turned in the direction she'd pointed. Seeing it, his eyes lit up and he shouted...) Z: Shit! (An enormous bundle of flame was blazing in their direction. It was accelerating at a terrifying rate, only seconds earlier he'd seen it but wrote it off as a candlelit shack due to it's minuscule size. Time was limited and sweat was already seeping through his pours but he turned to her and asked...) Z: Maria, a-are you sure you can't run?! (She was telling herself, "Run! Run!!," but fatigue cemented her in place and with sweat now dripping from her brow, she replied...) Maria: I'm so sorry, Z... (He looked at the flame, it was larger than ever and still picking up speed. But he turned away, cupped his hands over his mouth and paced around, thinking of a solution. She was also thinking but defied her body, taking a small step forward before crashing on one knee. He extended his hand and helped her up, forming the basis of his idea at the same time.) Z: I've got it, Maria. I'm gonna carry you. (He placed his left hand over her back and bent over to lift her with the other but she waved her hands at his face and said...) Maria: Not smart. We're both tired, we've got to save what's left of your legs... (She wiped some of the sweat from her forehead before glancing at the fast-approaching stampede. It was much closer than before and she placed her hands over her face, attempting to develop a plan without the distraction. But agitated by her rejection of his solution, he yanked her hands from her face and asked...) Z: So what are you saying!? Just leave you here?! Maria: No! I'm saying we need a better plan! (She pulled her hands away from his as he turned and glared at the flame. It was meal time, the Underground's starving inhabitants were racing for food. Using their last trip as a reference, he knew these people would have no qualms about trampling two kids. His frustrations boiled as they began feeling the torches' heat and he threw his arms into the air, saying...) Z: ...That fucking Damian! If he planned this... Maria: Then he's brilliant. But you're wasting time thinking about that! Z: Alright, alright. Come on, let's think... Uh... (Her cool-headed behavior paid off as she formulated a plan. Nodding eagerly, she said...) Maria: Okay, Z. I think I know what we can do! Z: What? Maria: Pull out your Hookshot. (He fumbled with his pouch, digging for the Hookshot. But the pressure was getting to him, his sweaty palms and trembling hands caused him to grip and drop the Hookshot several times. She closed her eyes and shook her head before glancing at the stampede. Viewing the shrinking distance, she shouted...) Maria: Hurry up! (He finally pulled out the Hookshot and looked at the approaching "flame" before turning to her, saying...) Z: O-o-okay, I got it. Now what? (She peeked at the stampede again and realized with their proximity, this was their only chance. Taking a huge gulp, she grabbed the Hookshot's hook. Confused, he blurted out...) Z: What are you doing!? (She placed her focus on the stampede again. Terror expanded her eyes while the incoming flame illuminated them. It left her stammering as she replied...) Maria: Um.... Push the.... RUMBLE! RUMBLE!! (The impending threat and rumbling ground toppled her levelheadedness. Terrified himself, he turned her away from the stampede and yelled...) Z: Come on! What!? Maria: Oh...uh....Push the handle in and start running as far as you can! When it's stretched as far as it can g... (She turned to them once more but he derailed her thoughts, shouting...) Z: And release!? Maria: ...Yeah. ("I don't like this, I don't like this... This is too risky... I don't want to do this!," he kept telling himself but the starving residents had already eaten the little wiggle room they had. They had no choice but to follow through with her plan. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it lovingly before pressing the Hookshot's handle. And just as she said, he started running as far as it would allow, away from the crowd. She clenched the hook tightly and closed her eyes, waiting for his call...) RUMBLE!! RUMBLE!!! Maria: ... RUMBLE!!!! (She felt the drips of sweat flowing from her forehead moisten her eyelids while waiting. It was a product of both the torches' heat and fear of being trampled to death. She counted 53 seconds and still hadn't heard his call, now she was beginning to second guess her decisi...) Maria: ...OH!!! (Without any warning, the hook tugged and her plan launched into motion. As if she were losing a game of tug-of-war, she gripped both the hook and chain, sliding across the ground towards him. She kept like this until a medium-sized rock clipped her and forced her on her back. And she dragged across the ground for the remaining duration of the "trip." Despite a stinging back, she was overjoyed to see his face and laughed a little. He knew she was fine but knelt down and asked...) Z: How's your back? (She stopped laughing and answered...) Maria: How do you think? Z: Sorry about that... Maria: Ah, it wasn't your fault. But, ugh... help me up. (She extended her hand and he took it, lifting her to her feet before brushing the particles off of her back with his hand. When he finished, she smiled at him but he shook his head slightly.) Maria: What's wrong? Z: Besides the fact that we're down here? ("I'm an idiot...," she thought before replying...) Maria: ...That was a stupid question. Sorry. (She'd been caught in the moment but his body language transferred her thoughts back to where they'd been minus the last five minutes. He pulled his blade out and silently watched the torches fade out of view. It reminded him of their last trip and inspired an idea. She'd been observing him from behind and frowned. What he or rather they were potentially facing was the most ruthless, relentless enemy out there, unresolved guilt.) Maria: I'm ready to keep going when you are. Z: I know. (He turned to her. He wore an uncertain expression equipped with lowered eyes as well as a wrinkled brow but he tried hiding it with a faint, casual smile. It was a complete contrast to the focused, determined look he had before they stopped. Something had changed but what? She wasn't sure and a variety of possible reasons flooded her thoughts until he said her name...) Z: Maria. Maria: Yeah? (He glanced at the ground and chuckled weakly before he picked his head up and said...) Z: I just want to thank you for everything. Maria: For what? Z: ...You know just being there for me. I know I'm hard to deal with but I just want you to know that I've always appreciated everything you've done for me, even if I don't show it all the time. Maria: But I know th... Z: I know you know. I just wanted to tell you. (It was a wonderful thing for him to say but hearing it latched an eerie grip onto her thoughts. It may have been the setting but there was a foreboding presence seeping into the air. Staring at him, she asked herself, "Why, now? Why tell me this now...? But is he even telling me anything...?" She had no answer as he nodded and asked...) Z: You ready? Maria: Yeah. Z: Okay. (He lifted her right arm, fastened it around his neck and wrapped his left arm around her torso to assist her. Like this, they started walking...) Maria: So where do we go from here? Z: Our destination. I... know where they're at. ("What?" flashed across her eyes. "Then why aren't we trying to get there faster, Z!?," she asked herself as they moved along at a gradual, steady pace. Time was everything, it had been up to this point, why all of a sudden was it no longer important? It didn't make any sense to her but she stayed quiet and tried to deduce his reasoning.) (They walked in silence for nearly 45 minutes. Although his actions remained unclear to her, he seemed sure of the path they were on. She didn't bother asking the obvious but hoped she wouldn't regret it later as they continued. Eventually, she felt the uneven, rocky terrain under her feet and finally understood. They'd only been down a road like this once...) Maria: ...Vincent. (He looked at her.) Z: What? Maria: We're going to Hope's house, aren't we? Z: Surprised you didn't ask earlier... Maria: But we are, right? (He nodded.) Maria: And you know they're there? (He paused, shut his eyes and took a deep breath before replying...) Z: ...If nothing else, it's a start. Maria: So why aren't we moving fas... (She stopped herself and he returned to his silence. It stayed this way until they reached Hope's house. From their distance, they could see light shining through the windows. If he was right...) Maria: That's it. Z: ... (She looked at him. He was no longer trying to hide his fear and uncertainty with a phony smile. His eyes were widened and she felt the back of his neck harden from tension. Before they reached the house, however, she built up enough courage and asked...) Maria: Z. If this is really it, are you sure you're ready? (He didn't respond immediately, instead he watched himself twiddle his thumbs for a minute or so before answering...) Z: ...Why do you think I stopped running? (His reasons were now clear to her and when it finally sank in, some of his agony crept in with it. Finally at the foot of the doorstep, he started to knock but caught himself before touching the door. He placed his hand over the knob but rather than twist it, he stared at it...) Maria: Z? (He seemed to get himself together and twisted the knob, cracking the door open before shutting it.) Maria: Z, if they're in there... (Without allowing her to finish, he quickly opened the door again and stepped inside. Vincent's body was gone and in it's place was Hope, dead. Maria gasped at the sight and noticed his trembling hands. She was rested enough to walk on her own and grabbed his arm to lead him out of the house but he pulled away and started up the old staircase. It was such a tense, delicate situation, they didn't feel the distant presence of the silent man camouflaged in the darkness.) (She followed him up as he walked slowly to the only door on the floor and like he did at the entrance, he stared at the knob while holding it. But this time, she didn't say anything, she had lost her voice and they waited for what seemed like an eternity before he finally opened.) (...And his or rather their suspicions became a reality. His mother laid on the ground, like Hope, dead. Her throat had been slit. Saria held her head in her lap, rocking back and forth while tears dripped onto her body. Z's gaze was fixed on his mother but Maria noticed her, she had a series of slashes across her cheeks as well as a puffy, black eye.) (She tried speaking but nothing audible came out. He wouldn't have heard her regardless, his body was numbing with each step toward them. Watching from just inside the doorway, Maria filled with conflicting emotions. "Ruto... Ruto's...dead," she thought as it sank in, watering her eyes before they poured.) (Hovering over his mother's body, he stared at her with his right hand covering his mouth. He felt dampness in his eyes but tears didn't fall as he kneeled and rubbed her cold, lifeless arm gently. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly but he wasn't overcome with selfish thoughts. He wasn't thinking about how he could have changed things or been a better son, instead, he focused on the good times, no matter how few. There were no feelings of vengeance or even anger, just memories of her, "Mom...") II: End Edited by Bx, Jul 16 2009, 09:18:08 PM.
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| Bx | Apr 25 2009, 10:59:37 PM Post #44 |
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Notorious
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Interlude: The Good Man (It was a beautiful summer day in glorious Hyrule. The sun's warmth baked every region golden. Fittingly symbolic of the prosperity radiating across the globe from this wonderful nation. And at the heart of it all was splendid Hyrule Castle, home to the great King and his daughter, Princess Zelda.) (The Hero, personally summoned by the King for a meeting approaches his chambers. As he walks in with a robust, confident stride appropriate for a man of his stature, the King rises from his throne and greets him.) King: Link! How are you doing on such a fine day? (Link, draped in his iconic green, smiled and answered...) Link: Just great, Your Highness. Is... (He paused and looked around before the King interrupted...) King: Yes, yes. But be patient my good man, remember it is I who summoned you. (Slightly embarrassed, he blushed and glanced at the floor as he replied...) Link: I know. I just... (Amused by his awkwardness, the King raised his hand, halting him. To make up for his display of "weakness," Link quickly straightened his back and hardened his expression. In return, the King let out a boyish chuckle and said...) King: Ha. I'd prefer you to relax, Link. (He eased his shoulders and softened the tension in his face. The King grinned at this effort as well but kept silent as he walked to one of the windows. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the burgundy curtain and unveiled the sun's hidden glow. With brightened eyes, he remarked...) King: Ah, my goodness look at that golden light... (Link's eyes widened and developed a curious glow but rather than act on his intrigue, he simply agreed, saying...) Link: It's beautiful out there. (The King looked back and "corrected" him...) King: Beautiful? No, no... Don't insult a day as magnificent as this with our mortal terms. Only the Gods can convey a word, if only one for this day... (Nodding subserviently, he replied...) Link: You are right. My apologies. King: No need, Link. ...But since I am the "Voice of the Gods," I suppose it would only be proper to call this the "Day of Life" for no living being could possibly pass to the other side on a day like this. ("Voice of the Gods...? Huh?," he thought with a subtle flinch after it replayed in his head. Despite viewing his claim as pretentious, this was his King, even with his position, it wasn't his place to judge such things. Suppressing his thoughts, he only listened while the King continued...) King: And that is why I called you here, Link. The Gods are smiling down on us, we are their favorite sons. ("Favorite sons...?," he asked himself before raising his hand to interject but ignoring his gesture, the King continued...) King: The Gods are the greatest "speakers," Link... They truly are, but do you know why that is? I'll tell you. Because they speak with actions and what do you see, Link? What do you see all around us? Beauty, awe, power... Yes, yes you do. You see, our prosperity is their way of telling me, telling us that we are special and deserve more. ("But that's...," he restrained his thought, looked away from the window and into his eyes. They had changed. The brightness was too rich, too vivid and eerily catlike. They reminded him of another pair of eyes he'd seen but he refused to further the thought and remained silent.) King: I have seen it all, Link. I have seen the worst and now greatest of times and have survived it all, who else can say this? Who else can say that they've looked into the callous pupils of the reaper and turned him away with a simple glare? You, that's who. You and I are the only ones who can make such a claim with the "Voice of the Gods" as proof. (He took his crown off and began looking at each jewel embedded in it. Waves of light were bouncing between the sparkling jewels and his twinkling eyes.) King: They control all. Do you think it was simply chance that I, the King of Hyrule and you, our greatest Hero live at the same time? If you do, you are a fool but I know you are no fool, you know that it is fate that connects us all! (He raised his arms in the air as he said those words; Link placed his left hand over his stomach, his words were making him nauseous, they reeked of pomposity.) King: The Gods speak with actions and what greater action than creating us? They are speaking to us Link and that is why I have seen the future. Hyrule can become so much greater than it is now.... Everyday will be a "Day of Life" in our great country in the future. The Gods want this but you and I must do this together... We're "linked" if you will. (Link rubbed his stomach gently before placing his hand at his side. "How do I tell him what I think...? I don't even understand...," he said to himself as he focused on him. The King was hanging on his every word, salivating like a starving man at a feast to receive the answer he wanted.) Link: ...I don't understand, Your Highness. (It wasn't what he wanted to hear, he began fuming and even threw his fist at the air, shouting...) King: Bah! Enough with this "Your Highness!" Don't you understand!? We are equals, partners in a plan greater than either of us can ever know! Link: ... (Cooling off, he took a few deep breaths and began explaining himself...) King: I'm talking about Global Imperialism... Link: What? What's that? (The King clenched his fist and began pacing around his throne with short, limited steps. He did this for about thirty seconds or so and stopped, facing his throne. He stared at it for a moment before he turned to Link and answered...) King: Other nations cannot hear what the Gods are saying the way we can. ...They will see us as pompous, pretentious fools but that is not the case, unfortunately "explaining" in the way we normally would just isn't enough. We must speak as the Gods would, with intense though subtle action to get them on our side at any cost... ("At any cost...? Only amoral men speak in terms like that.," he thought while the King continued...) King: ...I haven't worked out all of the details but I believe your skills and influence will be quite useful in all of this. I know it's only a vague overview Link but I have to know, do you see things the way I do? (He didn't. He didn't understand it but he knew it was pretentious. But thinking it and actually telling him were two very different things. To avoid incurring his wrath, he tried dancing around the question, saying...) Link: ...Your Highness, I... King: Enough with that, I said! We are equals, you're to call me "Gerren." ("We're equals but you're demanding I call you by your first name...?," he asked himself but as always, he hid his true thoughts and fed the King's ego.) Link: Ok, "Gerren." I'm still...not certain. (Displeased, the King covered his face with both hands. Underneath this, however, he started laughing and pulled his hands away, revealing a devilish grin. Disturbed, Link took a few steps back but the King stopped him, asking...) King: You are married to Ruto, yes? ("Oh boy...," he thought as he looked to the ceiling and said...) Link: ...Yes. King: She is a fine woman, is she not? ("I knew it...," he told himself but took no hesitation in replying...) Link: Ruto is a good person. (The King's grin widened.) King: But she does not have your heart, does she? (He sighed and dropped his eyes to the floor without a sound. Seeing this, the King laughed and pointed at him, saying...) King: I know why you married her and I understand it quite well, it was a good move. But you know this already or you wouldn't have done it. You say you are "uncertain" about Global Imperialism, about speaking as the Gods do but the underlying reasoning behind your marrying of Ruto is purely what Global Imperialism is all about. People love stories about fate, destiny, how two "lovers" met as children and were "destined" to be together, you cashed in on that idea with your marriage and now you go against what I say? (As awful as it had sounded...It was true. He had no way to defend himself and continued studying the floor's pattern.) King: You love my daughter and I along with the other Sages have been very instrumental in keeping your affair a secret from Ruto. We are equals Link but only if you'll allow us to be. If you won't, then what good is keeping your reputation unsoiled? I appreciate everything you've done my good man but you do not speak as the Gods do, I listen to them and I will do as they command regardless of your feelings. (His theory was borderline psychotic but what could he do? The King had him by the balls in more ways than one but pondering his dilemma a little more, he asked himself, "Is it really a lose/lose situation...?" The more he thought, the more he realized he was the one making it a lose/lose situation. The King had drawn the dividing line quite clearly.) King: You've thought much I see. Have you allowed good reasoning to get the better of you? (Zelda, possible divine power and prosperity for all Hyrule versus losing his good name over a trophy marriage. There was only one choice.) Link: Y-yes... I have. (The King's smile extended from cheek to cheek and he replied...) King: You've made for a wonderful son-in-law, Link. Glad to see that you've chosen with your heart and your heads. Ha, ha, ha... (They both laughed, although Link's was marked by his still unsettled conscience. But he masked his uncertainty with a clever grin and said...) Link: ...I guess it's settled then. Good day, Your... Gerren. (He nearly bowed before remembering they were "equals" and turned to leave but stopped when the King called out...) King: Trust me, Link. After it's all come to fruition, generations to come will revere us for we speak as the Gods do and nothing is more concrete than that because it is fate... And as you already know, that is what ultimately guides us all. (To further embroider his facade, Link looked at the Triforce emblem on his hand and pointed at it, showing him that "fate" had stamped it's mark on him.) King: Ha, ha. You see? It's been staring at you the entire time! (And he left the King's chambers with their agreement in place. His reputation was intact, the love of his life was still available to him and more "gifts" from the Gods were to come as "Global Imperialism," the so-called will of the Gods played out...) Interlude: End Edited by Bx, Jul 24 2009, 12:43:49 AM.
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| Bx | Apr 26 2009, 08:19:04 PM Post #45 |
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Notorious
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III: The Good Man pt. 2 (...I knew that pain. Not too long ago, I lost my own mother. It wasn't the first time I had dealt with a parent's death, my father passed when I was seven but... I don't really know how to put it into words but there's something..."different" about losing your mother, it...it cuts a little deeper. I guess that's the best way I can put it. Truth is, Ruto's death was just bringing back memories I had left in Hyrule and no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't cower from them. If anything, I needed to use my experience to help him get through it.) (I knew he was hurting and maybe this isn't the right thing to say, but I got the feeling that Saria's survival made her death sting a little more in his eyes. She said that the man they were chasing led them to Hope's house where they were ambushed by him and three others. I think it opened the question of "Why?," in his eyes. Why did his mother have to die? Was it fate? Chance? Or something else entirely? Unfortunately, I didn't have the answer. I was still looking for it myself...) (Just days after she died, the Sages packed the little they had and sailed back to Hyrule with her body in a coffin. Z said he didn't want her buried anywhere but in the country of her birth but I believed, or rather knew he just couldn't bear the thought of going to his mom's funeral. As strong and as smart as he is, he's still a regular, flawed, maybe even broken person. And while I'm not sure if there's a "right" way to deal with death, I know he doesn't deal with it the way most people do.) (Unfortunately, our problems didn't end there because drastic political implications were on the horizon as well. The Deku Genocide, the bombing of the infirmary and the Demon's attacks had left the Terminian political scene tense and unstable. That played a large role in the Sages early departure. Hyrule's future looked grim, to say the least, and with the Deku Queen gone they felt it'd be best to start restoring the nation without Termina's help.) (Of course, Z was my main concern. After we left the Underground that day, he quit his search for Damian. I wasn't sure why, I assumed he felt his actions caused her death but honestly, I had no idea. To be honest with you, I still didn't know why he even started the search, it's not like him and Kafei were friends or he cared that much about Hyrule's restoration. Anyway, he barely spoke to me after it happened, he just developed this bitter scowl and gave three or four word answers for everything. And it's not that I wanted him to continue the search or anything but his reaction just didn't seem...like him.) (As his friend and maybe more, I've always worried about him. He's experienced, well, really we've all dealt with so much in this short span of time. Staying positive is...well, it's becoming a challenge and this is just from my perspective, imagine his. My role has always been something of an onlooker and although I've experienced my share of heartache, I can't imagine what must be festering inside of him.) (Unsurprisingly, Kafei's been unwilling to accept that his search is over and the two of them are in his office right now discussing that amongst other things. Being a little let's say..."curious," I've been listening in from outside the door...) Kafei: ...It's been two weeks. Listen, I understand... Z: If you did, we wouldn't be having this conversation. (I was glad to hear that. Honestly, the past two weeks have allowed me to see why he hates him so much.) Kafei: Okay... Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say but... Z: You just don't get it, do you, Kafei...? (I heard him sigh as well as some movement, it sounded like he stood up from his seat or something.) Z: I'm through with this. I'm through with you. (I was sure now and backed away from the door as I heard his footsteps approaching but then Kafei said...) Kafei: Wait. (And Z stopped.) Z: What? (Minus some movement and a faint crumpling sound, I didn't hear a thing for a few seconds until Kafei spoke again...) Kafei: ...I received it a few days ago. (After a brief silence, I heard Z's voice...) Z: You think it's Damian? Kafei: Who else? ...And it comes as no surprise, I'm extremely vulnerable now. The Sages are gone, I have no one... Except you. Z: ... Kafei: What? Z: What about your kids? (I was thinking the exact same thing. And in the typical fashion of both a liar and a person hiding something, he took his time answering...) Kafei: ...They're busy. Z: Too busy to help their dad, who just happens to be the Mayor of Clock Town? (That was a good point. I wasn't sure how he would respond...) Kafei: ... (...He didn't.) Z: You're a real piece of work. You expect me to help you but you're not even willing to meet me halfway whenever I ask a question. Kafei: Z... Z: No. You want to keep your personal life private that's fine but I don't have that luxury, everything that happens to me is in plain view for everyone to see so since I have to respect your boundaries, I expect you to respect mine. If I say I need a break or I'm tired then take it at face value and leave it at that. (Wow, he really gave it to him... I wasn't expecting Kafei to reply but to my surprise, he did...) Kafei: What happened to your mother was tragic and I sympathize with you, honestly I do. But nothing will change the fact that it happened, you need to... Z: I'll be the judge of what I need. Kafei: ...Fine. I'll just say this then, don't let the past destroy your future. Termina can still help Hyrule, you just have to... Z: That ship's already sailed, Kafei. Stop lying to me. I'd have a lot more respect for what you have to say if you'd just tell me what it is that you really want! (I knew things were about to get heated so I pressed my ear against the door to hear a little better.) Kafei: Then what?! What is it that I'm really after!? Z: Someone to save your ass! That's what! That's what it's always been about... Stop trying to decorate it with Hyrule's troubles, you insensitive asshole! (I was nervous now and placed my hand on the knob, ready to burst in at any time. Z was under a ton of stress, I wasn't sure what he'd do.) Kafei: ...Alright, then. I want your help. I want you to get rid of this guy for me. (And much to my surprise, Z started chuckling before he said...) Z: You'll never get it, will you? (His footsteps were approaching and I backed away quickly but he stopped again.) Kafei: ...The mother of my children is more than likely dead, those same children despise me and a madman is out to assassinate me. Believe it or not Z, I have problems too. And yes, I really do feel for you but I don't think you can say the same for me, can you? Otherwise you wouldn't treat me with such disdain. Also, I never lied about Hyrule's restoration, I am trying to help you and your loved ones but you need to be reasonable and accept the fact that I'm under a lot of stress as well, mishaps are going to happen! (Those were the first honest words I believe he'd ever spoken since our arrival.) Z: ...And that's the attitude that's gotten you into this mess. (He really despised Kafei... That solidified it for me.) Kafei: Then what do you expect from me?! Z: You'll never get it, will you...? Kafei: Damn it, Z! Cut me some slack! Z: ... (I heard Kafei sigh loudly before he replied to his silence.) Kafei: ...We're, the Grand Council that is, having a meeting this afternoon. Since you missed the last one, I'd like for you to be here. It starts at 2:00 (p.m.), can you please just do me or really yourself that favor? Z: You'll never get it... (I jumped to the side and pretended to be on my way to the bathroom when he opened the door and saw me.) Z: You okay? (I hid my smile and answered...) Maria: Yup. Just gotta use the bathroom. Z: Alright. After you're done, we need to talk, okay? Maria: No problem. (He walked off and I laughed to myself, though I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because I'd nearly been caught but either way I went and pretended to use the bathroom before I came out and looked for him. He wasn't in the room so I went into the front area where the Sages had stayed but only found Olivia, strangely enough playing chess alone but I thought nothing of it while she asked...) Olivia: You're looking for Z? Maria: Yes. Olivia: He went outside. Maria: Okay, thanks. (Outside, I found him standing against the wall holding a wrinkled piece of paper in his hand. I wasn't a hundred percent sure but I figured he wanted to talk about his discussion with Kafei which was great since I already knew what to say.) Edited by Bx, Aug 7 2009, 07:26:31 PM.
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| Bx | Apr 27 2009, 11:29:46 PM Post #46 |
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Notorious
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(The lustrous morning sun beamed through the sky, crisping even the smoothest of West Clock Town's adobe-like buildings. Shutting the door behind her, she immediately felt the heat grip and raise the hairs on her skin. It was a tender warmth which eased the apprehension radiating from Z. He was pressed against the wall, repeatedly shifting his eyes from her to the wrinkled paper in his hands. She smiled, hoping he would do the same. He didn't. She raised her eyebrows and cocked her head slightly to the right as she approached him, asking...) Maria: So, what's on your mind? (He lifted his eyes from the paper but dropped them to the ground, replying...) Z: ...Why did you ask me if I was "serious" about you? (Her mouth fell open and she took a step back. It had caught her completely off guard but his clouded mind misinterpreted her reaction as deceit. He crushed the ripples in his forehead further, sharpened his eyes and pierced through hers.) Z: Come on, Maria, I want the truth. I don't need another liar around me. (She took a another frightened step back and ran her fingers through her hair nervously.) Maria: Sorry. I...just wasn't expecting you to ask me that... (She avoided his stare, instead focusing on the paper in his hand. But he had since moderated his expression, his brow smoothed and his eyes dulled. Even his tone had eased as he asked, in a weakening voice...) Z: Y-you think I'm untrustworthy? (Hearing his slight stutter, she raised her head and saw his delicate visage. "Oh my...," she thought, moving closer to him.) Maria: No, not at all. I just... (She sighed, grabbed his right hand and patted it with her left. Noticing a few toddlers playing, she watched them while continuing...) Maria: ...When two people "you know," it...complicates things. I was just worried about our friendship, you're really all I've got and I don't want to lose that if things don't work out or whatever... (He stayed quiet, only nodding as he turned and watched the toddlers as well. "She's right.," he thought and faced her again. She had a beaming smile and this time, he returned it. He placed his left thumb under her chin and tilted her head back a little, saying...) Z: You know, I didn't think about that. But let me assure you, we're friends first and nothing will ever change that. (He pulled his thumb away from her chin and wrapped his arms around her. Holding her, he turned his head to her ear and whispered...) "Thank you." (She smiled and they let go of each other. He looked up at the cloudless blue sky while she fixed her gaze on the paper in his hand. Although she wanted to keep the moment as it was, she had to ask.) Maria: Z. What's that in your hand? (His face hardened as he looked at the paper before handing it to her.) Z: It was given to Kafei. (Taking it, she looked at it; it read...) "Tick Tock..." (In blood red letters with the Clock Tower's clock at 9:00 p.m. Her eyes enlarged and she lipped, "Whoa..." silently. She looked at him and said...) Maria: This is from...? Z: ...All signs point to Damian. Kafei said he received it in the mail a few days ago. Maria: You think something is gonna happen at 9:00 p.m.? (He shook his head, "No," and clasped his hands together, replying...) Z: I think if something was gonna happen at 9:00 p.m., it would have happened the day he got the letter. The time may mean something else. If anything... (He looked away and stared at the door to Kafei's Office. She noticed this and thought, "Guess he's trying to avoid my next question...") Maria: You already know what I'm gonna ask... Z: I do. (She breathed a sigh, rubbed her fingertips across his left forearm and asked...) Maria: I guess that means you're not gonna help him? Z: Why should I? ("Okay...," she said to herself, initiating a minute-long silence. But she broke it after she placed her hand on his shoulder and said...) Maria: You shouldn't. Your...mom just died. You have to take it easy. (She studied his profile and smiled to herself. He still had the same complacent yet strained expression. But she believed she had handled it the right way, "I didn't upset him," she thought, taking her hand off of his shoulder. He finally turned to her and nodded slowly, replying...) Z: I know. I've been trying to. But you know how it is here, it's impossible. I haven't had a decent night's sleep since it happened and it's not just my mom, it's Hope too, you know... (He paused and stared at the intricate patterns ingrained in the ground, thinking of the proper way to verbalize his feelings. He slid the tip of his tongue across his bottom lip and blinked once before he lifted his head to continue.) Z: She... she was so innocent in all of this and I know what you're gonna say, "It wasn't my fault" but that's not it... It just bothers me that I don't know why it happened, I mean I know why but... (He covered his brow with his left hand and positioned his eyes to the ground. He noticed the rising waves of heat and thought of his response.) Z: ...It doesn't make it feel any less senseless. (She opened her mouth to reply but closed it once he continued...) Z: And that's not even mentioning everything that's happening around us, this whole "Damian" thing, that "Demon," what happened to the Dekus, it's really starting to take it's toll, Maria... And now they're having this meeting today and I'm just tired... I'm burnt out. (It was what she had feared, his fragility had been exposed and his defenses were beginning to falter. But as heartbreaking as his words were, she was happy to hear them; he wasn't internalizing, he was being human again. She grabbed his right hand and tugged it, telling him...) Maria: I think we should take a walk around town. We'll find a place where we can just sit and relax. (He moved his hand from his forehead to his side before nodding in agreement.) Z: Okay. That's a good idea. (They walked up the path leading into the southern part of town. Clock Town wasn't the same place it had been when they first arrived, the bombings, the killings, the Demon, it all had sapped the life out of the once bustling heart of Termina. Most people stayed inside and those who were out were mainly helping rebuild the buildings lost in the explosions.) (The Town Guard had suffered several major blows as well, their numbers were down tremendously and those who still served were lifeless, impassioned and paranoid. It was a bitter, jaded town now with few glimmers of hope. It's internal destruction was on the same scale as Hyrule Castle Town but in a subtler way; the Castle Town was destroyed physically, Clock Town had been destroyed emotionally.) (Even the image of the Clock Tower, the once proud symbol of Terminian ingenuity and pride was now the source of unnerving fear. The image Kafei had received was just an artistic representation of what everyone had already felt.) (But even with all of this surrounding them, they made their way to North Clock Town and found a tree to sit under. The same tree they had been under during the first explosion but now no longer clutched by anxiety, it was a vastly different scene. And they sat, not feeling panic and uncertainty but much needed tranquility.) Maria: It's a nice, shady spot. Z: ...Yup. (Though he muttered it weakly, a harsh tenseness had grasped his voice. She sensed it and frowned. Hoping to ease it, she moved closer to him, rested her hands on his shoulders and began giving him a massage. Feeling the stiffness locked within his skin, she remarked...) Maria: We're here to relax, remember? You're so tense. (He nodded and made his own attempt to relax himself. He thought of pleasant memories involving his mother, the Sages and of course, her but they all eventually brought him to a tragedy. She felt his skin tighten further and said...) Maria: Come on, Z... (She sighed and withdrew her hands from his shoulders. She moved back to her original position right next to him and stretched her legs out.) Maria: Well, talk to me, at least. What's on your mind? Besides the obvi... Z: The obvious. (She chuckled and he smiled politely.) Maria: Okay, then. Let's change the subject, what are we gonna do after everything's done here? (He shrugged his shoulders and turned to her.) Z: What do you want to do? Maria: Me? Ah, I don't know. Maybe we can open a restaurant or something. (His eyebrows raised. She noticed his bemused, "What the hell?" expression and burst into laughter. He blinked several times at her and smiled, hinting a chuckle before he asked, in a tone suggesting doubt...) Z: Do you even know how to cook? (She blushed and shifted a few windblown strands of her hair away from her face and back in place with the rest.) Maria: ...No. But you act like I can't learn. (He laughed and jestingly shook his head, "No." She playfully punched his shoulder and said...) Maria: Anyway, I was just kidding about that. Truth is, I'm not sure what I want to do after all of this but... I do know that I want a dog. Not a little puppy, those are useless but a big, strong, you know, real dog. And since you did miss my birthday in May... (He hid his smirk and raised his open right palm to her face, implying she stop.) Z: I know, I know. We'll get one eventually. (He brought his hand down and placed his eyes on the Clock Tower. She interrupted this, however, setting her left hand on his right and asking...) Maria: But seriously, you haven't thought about life after all of this? (He turned from her and fixed his stare back on the Clock Tower. He answered while studying it's intriguing design, particularly the large, spherical weight located at the top.) Z: I have. But at the same time, I'm still learning from my experiences here. (She was curious to hear what he had learned and leaned closer to him, in an almost subconscious manner. Pressing her left hand firmly against his forearm, she asked...) Maria: So what have you learned so far? (Her touch removed his eyes from the Clock Tower and he looked at her for only a second before he lifted his gaze to the sky and replied...) Z: ...That this isn't all life has to offer. (She was now very curious, glowing with glistening, inquisitive eyes. She pressed his arm a little more, deepening its position in the grass and asked...) Maria: What do you mean? (He leveled his gaze and patted his thigh with his left hand, asking himself, "How do I explain this...?" After a few more moments of careful thought, he nodded and answered...) Z: That fighting and playing "hero" or whatever, it's not everything. I'm not gonna be Link, playing this role until I die. It's hard enough doing it now. And it's not just about me but us. You think I like making you worry? Or putting us in these life-threatening situations? I don't. I'm thinking long-term and... I don't want a hectic lifestyle for us. There's no reason why we can't have a normal life... (Rather than reply, she twirled a fine strip of her hair with her right index finger, thinking about everything he had said. He gripped his chin with his free hand and stroked it repeatedly while he continued...) Z: With what happened, I think about the time I could have spent with my mom, with Rauru... Everyone. It upsets me, it really does... But I can only blame myself, look at the six months I wasted not coming here... (His words saddened her and returned her to thoughts of Ruto, Rauru and her mom, especially. She frowned and raised her hand from his arm. He took advantage of this and positioned his hands behind his head to lay back in the grass. As he was reclining, she pulled him to her and placed his head on her lap. She caressed his hair gently and said...) Maria: But because of who you are, people will always call on you for help, Z. Are you just gonna turn them away? (He paused.) Z: ...I can always change my name. (She laughed.) Maria: You know I won't let you do that, right? (He didn't reply but she continued stroking his hair and finally felt the tension release from his body for good.) (Her silky touch softened his defenses and helped put him in a dreamlike state...) (With the sun hovering directly over them, she still held his head in her lap as he began speaking...) Link: ...So that's your dad's plan. Zelda: Wish I could say I was all for it. (His eyes widened and he replied...) Link: You're not? It works out perfectly for us! Zelda: But we're still living a lie... (He sat up, with a countenance tinged by surprise and asked...) Link: Don't tell me you want to tell Ruto? (She rolled her eyes and yanked a few blades of grass from the ground without answering. He took her silence as a "yes," and further expanded his eyes, shouting...) Link: You know what that would do to all of our reputations! (She shut her eyes and shook her head disapprovingly.) Zelda: Does your reputation matter more to you than me...? (He sighed a discontented breath and twisted his arms, gesturing "What?" as he said...) Link: Why would you ask me something like that? Zelda: Because sometimes you make it seem like it does... And that is why you married Ruto in the first place, right? (He looked down at the grass without answering. She stared at him harshly before she closed her eyes again. Reopening them, she asked...) Zelda: What if we want to have a baby? How would that work? Link: ...It wouldn't. Zelda: Exactly. How do you think that would affect our son or daughter? (He shrugged slightly. She released the grass she had been holding and shook her head.) Zelda: ...You have to think ahead sometimes, Link. (He looked up at her and answered...) Link: But we can worry about that stuff later. It's not like we're gonna have a baby anytime soon. (His response left her disgruntled and she thought, "It's just not getting through that thick skull of his...") Zelda: You missed the entire point. Link: ...I didn't. Look, I'd just rather not think about that kind of stuff right now. I'm worried about what's in front of me, "you" not some baby that hasn't even come yet. (It had become clear to her that she'd only give herself a headache if she continued.) Zelda: Fine. (He smiled.) Link: Good. (He wrapped his arms around her for a hug and kiss but she pushed him back before he could fully grasp her. Again, he gestured "What?" with his arms and asked...) Link: What's the matter? Zelda: You're gonna have to think about it sometime, though. (She stood up, wiped the dirt from her dress and walked off leaving him alone to think...) "Z!" (He snapped out of it, sat up and looked at her.) Z: What happened? Maria: What were you thinking about? Z: Oh... I don't know, just daydreaming. (She squinted her eyes at him but repeated her earlier statement.) Maria: I had asked, "Do you want to get out of Clock Town for a while?" (He nodded eagerly and quickly replied...) Z: Yeah, we should. (He pushed his hands against the ground and lifted one knee to stand but she gripped the lower end of his shirt and pulled him back down.) Maria: Not yet. Let's enjoy this while we can. (He looked around at the quiet, placid surroundings and thought, "It's so calm... I can't argue with her." And they sat relaxed, enjoying the rare serenity as the sun passed over their heads.) Edited by Bx, Aug 5 2009, 10:45:53 PM.
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| Bx | Apr 30 2009, 09:11:55 AM Post #47 |
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Notorious
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(Hours passed and they were still relaxing peacefully under the tree. A cool breeze had swept in, pushing a few clouds over the glaring sun. It was a sampling of a life they had never fully experienced. Throughout their lives, themes of conflict and turmoil had reigned supreme over those pacific in nature. It had left a void only marginally filled by their current tranquility. But their exuberance sobered upon his sighting at the Northern gate.) Z: ...I guess the meeting's about to start. (Maria looked at him and noticed his stare locked on the gate. She turned her head toward it and spotted them herself. A group of rigid-looking Gorons clad in full battle armor had marched in unison through the gate. Derrion had appeared at the rear of their line moments later. Their gazes moved with the Gorons' steps and they watched them cross into South Clock Town.) (She turned to him and noticed the crinkles had returned in his forehead. A strained, sullen look had erased his formerly complacent expression. She tightened her lips and shook her head unnoticeably before asking...) Maria: Are you going? (He raised and dropped his eyebrows but immediately shook his head, "No.") Z: Kafei had asked me to come but I'm just not up to it. Maria: I understand. (He pressed his hands against the grass, lifted his knees and stood up. She watched him with one eyebrow raised while he turned to her and motioned, "Stand up," with his right hand.) Z: Come on, let's go. (She stayed seated on the grass and asked herself, "What's he talking about?") Maria: Go where? Z: We said we were gonna leave Clock Town so come on, I'm ready now. ("Now...?," she thought but concealed her reluctance under a vague, muffled sigh. Although it was her suggestion to leave, the hours that passed had left her content with their surroundings. But she glanced at his delicate though hardened eyes and quelled her desire to stay. She extended her right arm and wiggled her fingers for him to help her up. He did. On her feet now, she looked at him and asked...) Maria: So where are we heading? (He gripped his chin between his thumb and index finger and stared blankly at the tree overshadowing them. He thought about all of Termina's locales but the scene at the swamp instantly came to him. The thought yanked goosebumps out from under his skin. "Yeah, getting out of Clock Town sounds great until you start thinking about it. Hmm... I don't know. I wonder what she had in mind earlier.," he told himself before he pointed his left forefinger at her and said...) Z: You decide. ("Typical Z...," she thought before she answered in a sharp, matter-of-fact tone.) Maria: The beach. (He quivered visibly upon hearing those words. "The beach... Mom...," he thought, subconsciously swinging his upper half from side to side. It concerned her a little and she placed her hands on the sides of his biceps to stop him. She opened her mouth to ask, "Are you okay?," but he hurriedly stated...) Z: Um... Sounds good. (She slowly removed her hands from his arms, keeping them only inches apart from his skin to make sure he didn't start swaying again. He didn't and she nodded approvingly, asking...) Maria: You sure? Z: Yeah. (She dropped her hands at her thighs and kept at his side as they exited North Clock Town. They rushed through the southern part of town and entered West Clock Town. As they neared the gate leading into Termina Field, she twisted her head and glanced at Kafei's Office and saw the line of soldiers perched against the wall, waiting outside of his door. "Wow," she thought and tapped his shoulder. His eyes perked open and he turned, ready to ask, "What?" but the view of the soldiers linked their thoughts and he inaudibly uttered, "Holy..." with silenced lips. The soldiers, each generously clad in thick, weighted armor were a collection of the various races from all over Termina minus the Dekus and...) "Move aside." (A bulky, towering Zora hovered over them with a massive, stretched open palm, gesturing his verbal command. He wore no cumbersome armor only his thick, naturally protected skin and had sharp veins jutting from both his bullish neck and bulging arms. Z and Maria wasted no time removing themselves from his path, taking several steps back as the ground thudded with his trail. Within seconds, the rest of the Zoras, all equally-sized with him and as rugged-looking as Eagles' former group marched through leading their much slimmer, more conventional yet pompous-looking leader, Maven.) (Z centered his attention on him, noticing his slender frame adorned with an elegant, silk garb. He also caught a glimpse of his neck, embellished with an inordinate amount of fine jewelry brightened by the sunlight. His stride was also of a particular note as he walked with a slight tilt to his chin and took slow, contrived steps, in a manner suggesting you focus on him and only him.) ("Hmph. Reminds me of a guy I used to know...," he thought before he turned to Maria and reached out for her right hand. He grabbed it and disrupted the gaze she had positioned on Maven's company. He met her eyes and asked...) Z: That's the Zora leader? (She curved her head slightly to the right, rotated her eyes around their sockets and breathed a long, agitated sigh.) Maria: The one and only Maven... (Her sarcastic tone and disdainful facial gestures equipped him with one conclusion. He grinned impishly and winked his left eye, saying...) Z: I take it you're not too fond of him? Maria: Who is? (His grin extended and he peeked at the ground, waving his head, "No" before he looked at her thin, pouted lips. He brought his left forefinger and thumb to their ends and playfully attempted to lift them to put a "smile" on her face. But she batted his hand down and he quickly replied...) Z: Okay, so let me guess, he's cocky? ("Oh, if only you knew Z... If only you knew.," she told herself, rolling her eyes as an immediate response to his question. Despite her severe feelings, she had never actually met Maven as she'd been in the back for the duration of the last meeting but she had grown to loathe him after overhearing his arrogant, self-serving replies on every topic.) Maria: ...I spent almost five years around a guy like that. It was the worst time of my life, those arrogant assholes are all the same. And excuse me for not using "ladylike" language but that's the only way to describe guys like him... (She turned away from him. He paused and stared at her, thinking about her words, "Wow... Subjected to someone like that for five years, damn. It never really dawned on me how much she actually went through...Jeez." He had realized for the first time how trying her experience must have been and it elevated both her and her triumph in his mind. He grabbed her, turned her towards him and said...) Z: ...You're a tough girl, you know that? (She squinted her eyes at him.) Maria: Huh? (He smiled.) Z: Don't worry about it. Let's just go. (They took one last peek at the line of soldiers and exited Clock Town.) (It was already five o'clock in the afternoon by the time they reached Great Bay. The sun, trending toward twilight, still hovered over their heads but burned with a less intense blaze. With the beach now distinguished by it's pleasing, temperate conditions, they parked themselves on the bleached, gleaming sand. Their stresses allayed within moments and they studied their surroundings, taking note of Great Bay's other bliss-seeking denizens.) (Of particular interest to them were several Zoras amusingly using their forearm fins as boomerangs to shatter cleverly stacked pots of both a medium and large variety. Fishermen, boaters and the garden-variety tanners rounded out the rest of the beach dwellers. Maria took it all in with one heavy, extended breath and allowed a cooling zephyr to scatter her hair forward while she fell against it onto the sand. She flexed her stretched arms up and down a bit and closed her lids, thinking, "I was wrong... We should have been out here earlier.") Maria: It's amazing out here... Don't you think? (He didn't answer. She reopened her eyes and veered her head towards him. She saw him turned, with his elbows against his knees and both hands clenched together abutting his forehead, staring at the Zoras. Penitent thoughts permeated her mind and she tapped his right shoulder.) Maria: ...Z? (He massaged his hand through the sand but did not face her, replying...) Z: Hmm? Maria: Maybe this was a bad idea... (He stretched his facial muscles, expressing surprise, and turned his head to hers.) Z: Why? It's great here. (She sensed a mild reticence in his speech and took another glance at the Zoras before she brought her eyes back to his and answered...) Maria: I mean... this is the beach, with all the... It probably wasn't such a good... (He stopped her with a raised left hand and said...) Z: It's just the opposite. I'll be honest with you, I didn't really want to come at first but... (He took a quick gaze around the shore and nodded with an affable smile.) Z: ...I feel great. (She reciprocated his smile with her own and replied...) Maria: Well, we'll come out here more often then. (He fixed his eyes on the lightly shaded teal ocean and drummed his fist against the sand in the rhythm of the beat thumping in his mind. Like this, he asked...) Z: Your island. Was it like this? (She did as he had with his eyes and answered...) Maria: Kinda. Z: You ever miss it? (She brushed her dominant hand through her hair, removing a few grains of sand trapped within and breathed a thoughtful yet relaxed sigh and said...) Maria: Sometimes. Why? Z: I was just wondering. (She eased her eyes to his profile nonchalantly but curved her lips and smiled generously while time flowed silently between them.) (Around thirty or so minutes later, the waves began rippling with a savage-like intensity that contrasted sharply with the previously unruffled waters. It's origin was from the east, near the Pirates' Fortress, and moving west toward them. Their formerly placated anxieties spawned anew and they watched as the fishermen quickly pulled in their lines and scattered.) (Most of the boaters hastily turned in, getting back to shore before the incoming threat met them. The tanners, although in no immediate danger, raised themselves from the sand and blazed a path toward Clock Town. Z and Maria stood on their feet and hoped to grab a better sight of the disturbed currents but the crowds, locked in panic, limited their view.) Maria: What is it!? (She moved her left then right foot forward, pressing through the crowd to get a better look but Z gripped her left wrist and stopped her. She turned her head and looked at him for justification.) Z: Be smart. (She understood and jerked her wrist from his grip. The beach had emptied except for a few Zoras, who bravely dived in to find the commotion's source. The others who had been with them watched the water and waited for their return. The presumed sea monster was moving fast and it's trailing waves stretched nearly the entire beach.) Maria: What the hell is that?! ("I don't know...," he thought, watching the ocean with glistened eyes. It zoomed furiously through the water toward their general area, splashing a sizable portion of the lower shoreline wet. But another awe-inspiring sight captured their view, the single boat or rather person on the only boat left in the water. She turned to him with widened eyes and asked...) Maria: Z, is that David!? (It was. He stared at him with a face wrinkled by concern and cringed at the thought of what could happen to him and how his sister would take it. He glanced at her, shifted his eyes back onto David and nodded.) Z: ...It is. Maria: Well, he's not moving! What's he doing!? Z: Being himself... (She shook her head, "No" repeatedly and hoped nothing would happen to him before she grabbed Z's right arm and said...) Maria: He needs help. ("Shit, I don't want to go out there...," he told himself but also remembered how David had helped them in the forest and that he was Olivia's brother.) Z: Damn it. (He watched the fast-moving waves for a second, then placed his eyes on her and said...) Z: I'll try to help him but you've got to stay here. (She nodded quickly.) Z: Alright. Watch yourself, though. (He made soft tracks and paced himself cautiously toward the ocean, keeping himself about three feet away from the water. He peered to his right and saw the threat, still slicing it's path against the water. He sighed deeply and looked out at David's boat. He was standing with his head tilted, watching the sky aimlessly with glazed eyes.) Z: David! (No response.) Z: DAVID!! DAVID!!! (Still nothing. The "threat" shredded it's path in half and splashed it's raging waves onto Z, nearly knocking him to his back. Maria watched anxiously from afar and saw his struggle. She took a step forward but stopped herself, remembering, "Be smart." She measured the distance between Z and David in her head and thought, "It could work..." She placed her right fingers over her left and made a ring with her thumbs before she positioned the "ring" over her lips and shouted...) Maria: THE HOOKSHOT!!! Use it!! (He scrubbed the water from his eyes and looked back at her. She threw her arms in the air, signaling him to act. He did. He reached for his Hookshot and aimed carefully at the boat.) Z: DAVID!!!! (Again, no response. His clothes now heavy and soaked, he fixed his eyes on the threat, cutting it's violent path just a few feet away. He shivered and his eyes wobbled with the waves but he placed them back on David, released the Hookshot's hook and yelled...) Z: GRAB THE DAMN HOOK!!!!! (Too lost in his own world, David ignored both the hook and his call and kept his eyes tilted toward the now overcast sky. The Hookshot's hook pulled in but a forceful wave, much stronger than the previous, blasted and knocked Z on his back. He breathed heavily for several seconds and wiped the water from his reddened eyes. He blinked repeatedly and sat up, rubbing the back of his head with his left hand. He saw the threat, now only inches away and got to his feet. He moved closer to the ocean, looked in and saw his reflection distorted by the ruffled waves before...) "Z!!!" (Maria had yelled his name before a soaked, hooded man in black leaped out of the water and crashed into his chin with his broad, hulking left shoulder, forcing him back to the ground. It was the Demon. He stood over Z's dazed body and stared at him while his thick, dark coat dripped ocean water onto his chest. Maria's face stretched, her hands trembled weakly, her heart palpitated and her feet clasped onto the sand. She told herself, "Oh no..." but her muscles had tightened and sealed her line in the sand.) (The Demon pulled his stare from Z and fixed it on her. Her palpitations ceased and she watched him with frozen, hanging lips. Z lifted his lids but strangely, more violent waves doused his body. Despite this, he unknowingly turned his body away from the Demon and pulled himself to one knee, resting his forearm on it while he caught his breath. The Demon had also been splashed by the waves and released his gaze on Maria to look into the water. He did but he backed away from the shoreline quickly and started running west as Z, now on his feet, turned and caught a glimpse of him.) Z: ...The hell!? (He started chasing him but his soaked clothes plodded his feet and he stumbled into the water. He opened his eyes and captured sight of the long, tail end of a distant Zora swimming feverishly in the direction the Demon had ran.) Edited by Bx, Aug 9 2009, 08:00:34 PM.
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| Bx | May 1 2009, 11:51:14 AM Post #48 |
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Notorious
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(Back in Clock Town, each of Termina's regional leaders had arrived on time and the Grand Council meeting was primed to begin. Despite the meeting's urgency, Kafei was much calmer than previously seen. He breathed gentle, unassuming breaths behind his mask and kept his head perched high on his shoulders. He was completely focused on settling all of Termina's looming issues. And to have complete privacy, he allowed Olivia to leave with Raphael for the extent of the meeting. His eagerness lulled, however, as the clock struck two without Z's arrival.) (The atmosphere within the room was somber and reflective as each council member took their respective places around the table and fixed their gazes on the one empty seat. Derrion placed his right hand on the table and tapped it, lifting only his tightened fingers while his palm rested on the wood.) Derrion: ...I suppose it would be best if we held a moment of silence for her. Kafei: Yes, I agree. (To honor their friend, they silenced themselves and used the time to reflect both on her death and their own mortality. Though they were powerful leaders, they had realized they were no less susceptible to tragic vulnerabilities.) "..." (Kafei lifted his head, turned it towards the Deku Queen's former seat once more and nodded. Maven rolled his eyes and flicked his wrist outward at him, overtly conveying his disapproval. He then firmed his eyes, set his right elbow on the table and sneered menacingly at him with his cheek pressed against his hand. Kafei aligned his eyes with the edge of the table and avoided Maven's glare.) Kafei: Well... I suppose we should start now. (Maven shook his head, "No." Kafei picked his head up, looked at him and asked...) Kafei: What? (He scoffed at the question and didn't answer. Kafei circled his gaze around the table at the others, trying to gauge any sense of scorn from them. He didn't. They had simply shrugged their shoulders. He shrugged his in return and reexamined the table's edge to evade Maven's agitating stare.) Kafei: I guess we can start with... Maven: Clock Town. (Kafei's stomach knotted and his throat tingled with a fiery sensation. "Not Clock Town...," he thought, with his right elbow bent and hand at his side. "Okay, okay... Can't show any weakness, no weakness...," he kept repeating in his head, remembering his position should have been under fire. He extended his arms towards Maven and held his palms open in a servile manner, fawning his ego while he internally craved the opportunity to redeem himself.) Kafei: ...Yes. I believe that is a great place to start. Thank you... Maven. (Maven's frigid grin lit up. It was reminiscent of a child who had just pulled a fast one on his parents. Kafei brought his hands to his thighs but kept his eyes linked with Maven's and in an act of defiance, said...) Kafei: But I must add, is there anything you'd like to say Maven? (His eyes widened but his smugness had been ingrained in his personality and he winked, angling his head to his left while replying...) Maven: You're the leader of Clock Town, Kafei. I believe you should be the one talking. My words mean nothing for your citizens. (Behind his mask, Kafei's eyes wallowed and his mouth glazed as Maven's retort pried it open. His stunt in "confronting" him had completely backfired. He nodded quickly and replied...) Kafei: Yes...yes, you're right. Um... (Sweat had begun to drip down his face and he looked at each of them, hoping they hadn't yet read his anxiety.) Kafei: ...Well, as you all know there was another explosion at our infirmary that killed and injured several citizens. As before... I-I have great reason to suspect that it was the Demon... w-who set off these explosions. (Aveil crossed her arms and smiled, though her eyes still held a cold, stoic quality. Derrion rubbed his left cheek gently and asked with detective-like inquisitiveness...) Derrion: And why is that? (Maven raised his shoulders, tilted his head back and pierced through the eyes of Kafei's mask, in agreement with Derrion.) Maven: Yes, if I recall correctly, you never actually gave your reasoning for suspecting him during our last meeting. (As if someone had been dumping a bucket of water over him, Kafei's face was drenched with sweat. He brought his left hand to the mouth of his mask, suggesting an intent to munch on his fingernails. But he placed his hand back on his thigh once he realized the embarrassment. He was at a loss for words but thought, "This... this is turning into my death sentence...") Kafei: ... (Maven jeered at his silence, waved his hand bitterly against the air and shouted...) Maven: Cat got your tongue!? This is exactly why we should have gotten rid of you at the last meeting. Why these two fools next to me decided to give you another shot is beyond me! (Before Maven could further strangle Kafei with his words, Aveil raised her left hand and said...) Aveil: Alright, that's enough. (His eyes flashed red and he veered both his gaze and rage onto her, shouting in a tone provoked by a longstanding, unsettled feud.) Maven: You do not silence me! (They engaged in a staring contest and Maven edged his face closer to hers with each second. She kept her head locked in place and refused to be intimidated. Kafei, nervously watching, knocked his knuckles against the table but Derrion bashed his open palm in front of him to get his attention. He turned to him and opened but quickly shut his mouth when Derrion said...) Derrion: You still haven't answered why you suspected the Demon in the first place. (Kafei had been a master of two things: Panicking and lying. Faced with Derrion's demand, he had decided to put his "skills" to use. He lifted his mask off of his face, wiped the sweat soaking his crisped skin and placed his mask over his face again.) Kafei: ...Because if not them then it was your people. (Derrion's eyes and neck veins burst and he pounded his fists on the wood, shouting...) Derrion: I knew it!!! That's what this has always been about, hasn't it!? Blame the "buffoons" from the mountains, eh? I heard about that riot before the explosion, your citizens were ready to storm Snowhead! Why would they come after us of all people!? I'll tell you why you son of a bitch, because you went behind our backs and blamed us for the entire thing! (Still captured by his rage, he reached out and lifted the frozen Kafei by his collar. Looking up at him, he shouted at him...) Derrion: Continue to play your political games, Kafei. We Gorons are warriors above anything else and we will not hesitate to eliminate any and all threats to our well being, am I clear? If you have to die for compliance to occur, I will not delay in doing so... (He further pressured the grasp he held on Kafei's collar and his hand vibrated violently. But Aveil grabbed his arm.) Aveil: Put him down. (He fastened his grip tighter.) Aveil: Put him down!! (Maven had watched with glee in his eyes while Derrion let out a frustrated sigh and placed Kafei back on his feet. Still furious, he stormed toward one of the walls and punched through it. Aveil placed her hands on Kafei's shoulders and checked his health.) (He shook back and forth and mumbled a slew of incoherent words but he was fine. Maven had erupted with laughter and she faced him, demanding...) Aveil: Shut up! (His eyebrows raised and a guard rushed in.) CT Guard: Is everything okay!? (He looked at Kafei, then at the hole Derrion had made.) CT Guard: What is going on in here!? (Maven exhaled an annoyed grunt, faced the guard and pointed his index and pinkie fingers at the door.) Maven: Get the hell out of here, he's fine. (The guard looked at each of them but didn't move. Maven closed his eyes, shook his head, reopened his eyes and walked to him. Face to face with the guard, he yanked his head back, hawked a glob of saliva and spit in his face.) Maven: Now get out and wash your face. (The guard's face tautened and his eyes heated red. He swung his fist but missed. Maven's guards bolted through the door, knocked him to the floor and dragged him out. To prevent further violence, Aveil walked outside, pointed at each of the guards and said...) Aveil: Everything is fine in here. I don't care what anyone hears, we are just taking care of business. And regarding Maven's actions, they were wrong and uncalled for but if any of you get into an altercation out here, there will be serious repercussions for all of you! (The guards stayed silent and she walked back inside only to meet Maven's critique.) Maven: ...Not bad for a woman. Then again... I suppose you are the "man" in all of your relationships... (He snickered but she ignored him and went back to the table where Kafei sat, silently. She sat down and looked back at Maven and Derrion, asking...) Aveil: Are we going to continue this meeting or not? (Neither commented but they took their seats at the table. With Kafei still in his "condition," she took command of the meeting and placed her eyes directly on him.) Aveil: Okay, then. Now despite your lack of reasons for suspecting the Demon as the culprit in those explosions, Kafei, we will look past that as I have some outstanding news regarding him. (Everyone, including Kafei, perked their ears and watched her lips intently.) Maven: Well, tell us. (She glanced at him and smiled triumphantly.) Aveil: He's been captured. (They all, even Kafei, jumped out of their seats and asked in unison...) All: How!? W-w-when!? (She returned her stare to Kafei and smiled but only with her lips, her eyes still had an indomitable stoicism.) Aveil: Just a few days ago. (Maven's lower lip hung. Her news had pried his jaw open in the same way his had Kafei's. He thought, "My rival. This...this pirate, of all things captured the Demon... It... doesn..." Her people had succeeded where his had failed. It had salted a mental wound and he believed it a crippling blow to the Zoras and more accurately, himself.) Maven: ...I see. Derrion: So how...? Was it your branch of "Demon Hunters?" Aveil: Actua... (She glanced at Maven and thought, "No..." before she replied...) Aveil: ...Yes. (Derrion and Kafei clapped loudly but Maven nodded slowly. Termina had become a safe place again. Although Kafei's problems stretched far beyond the Demon, a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and his muscles soothed with relief. He could now focus solely on his real problem, Damian.) (Derrion's tension also eased and he couldn't wait to go home and tell his people the Demon was in captivity. "Fear will no longer hold sovereign over us.," he thought confidently. Kafei tapped the table with his fingertips, drumming a victory theme, and asked Aveil...) Kafei: So, who is he? (She shook her head.) Aveil: I have not seen his face. (Their eyes expanded. Maven crept out of his drooped sulk and demanded an answer, hinting his "hidden" envy.) Maven: Well, why not!? Aveil: We've captured him yes but none of us are daring enough to uncover his face. Derrion: But he's in captivity, what can he do? Aveil: That's exactly why it doesn't matter. When we put him to death, we will all know who he is. (Maven lifted from his seat and flung his arms above his head. He then walked to the wall Derrion had punched through and posted himself against it. She dismissed his flamboyance with a flick of her wrist and continued...) Aveil: Getting back to you, Kafei. With his capture, this means that if anymore "sudden" explosions occur, we'll know the Demon hasn't been behind them. (He felt her eyes piercing his.) Aveil: For your sake, I hope you were right. (He looked at each of them and nodded. She pointed at both him and Derrion and said...) Aveil: I would hope that now you two can settle your differences in a more...mature manner. (Derrion brought his eyes to Kafei's.) Derrion: With the Demon taken care of, I don't see where anymore problems would occur. My warning still stands, however. Kafei: Yes, listen I... Derrion: I'm not concerned with what happened anymore. I just want assurance that you won't pull a stunt like that again. Kafei: You don't have to worry about that. Derrion: Good. (Aveil twisted her head around and looked at Maven. He had kept himself pressed onto the wall and studied the doorknob. She stared at him for several moments before she huffed a heavy sigh muzzled behind her teeth and asked...) Aveil: Are you going to rejoin the meeting? (He sharpened his eyes, turned his head to her slowly and slit her stare. She smiled and he returned to his seat with thick, begrudged steps.) Aveil: And as far as the 400,000 rupee prize goes, we can give it to the recipients after we've executed the Demon. (Everyone nodded.) Aveil: Alright, then. Since that's settled, let's move on to the Southern Swamp. (Everyone positioned their looks on the empty seat.) Maven: ...No one is going to inhabit that place. It's probably haunted by now anyway. That massacre... pure insanity. ("Unbelievable... The nerve of this guy.," Derrion thought and formulated it into a response.) Derrion: You should have a little more respect for the dead. Maven: They're dead. If she managed to botch her suicide, you would have looked at her as insane. Because she's dead it doesn't change the nature of the act. (There was a ring of truth in his statement but Aveil did her best to defend the Deku Queen's honor.) Aveil: ...Their economy was failing. Woodfall was on it's last legs, I suppose she felt she had no other route... The murder of those "Demon Hunters" must have sent her over the edge... (He rolled his eyes, held his brow with his right hand and replied...) Maven: That's no excuse. They were isolationists at first, believed they could survive without anyone's help and for a time they did but they only created a giant bomb waiting to explode. The fact that she felt she had no other way is sad but ordering the death of her people because of it? That's not sad or tragic, that's selfish and insane. I doubt the majority of those Dekus agreed with her... (Again, his words held truth but she said...) Aveil: But there was mor... Maven: There was nothing more. I get it, she was a "friend," it doesn't mean she wasn't crazy, though. ("Not this again...," Kafei told himself and deviated the topic, saying...) Kafei: Let's get back to our plans for Woodfall. Any suggestions? Aveil: We can't simply let it become like Ikana... Derrion: Does anyone still live there? Kafei: My guards found only two inhabitants. Maven: Although I don't think anyone would want to live there without a little "encouragement," I say we divide the land amongst ourselves. (Aveil gnashed her teeth, tightened her lids and glared at him.) Aveil: Stop thinking of yourself for once. Maven: Then what's your plan? Where are your ideas? You say we can't let it become like Ikana yet you have no plans for the area. Don't challenge my ideas if you have none of your own. ("Enough!," she yelled in her head, his smug insight had irritated her more than his face. Kafei lifted his arms and tapped his hands against the air to settle them down.) Kafei: I-I think it's too soon to decide Woodfall's fate. With everything that's been happening, we've not had much time to think it over. (Maven lashed out bitterly.) Maven: What is there to think about!? There are no Dekus, there's no one there, we could all use the territory! You talk about respect for the dead, have respect for your living, breathing people! (The three of them shifted their eyes onto each other but said nothing. Maven smirked at their stubbornness, lowered his tone and murmured...) Maven: ...Fine. Think about it, then. (He cupped his hands over his face and Kafei took over.) Kafei: Alright, then. That's what we'll do. (Derrion raised himself from his seat.) Derrion: I guess that means the meeting is over. We've discussed everything... (Kafei shook his head, "No." Derrion raised an eyebrow while Kafei explained...) Kafei: ...There is one more thing. (Maven removed his hands from his face and each gave Kafei a look that said, "What are you talking about...?") Kafei: Hyrule. What about Hyrule? (Maven stood erect and walked toward the door but Aveil yelled...) Aveil: Have some class, Maven! (He stopped and held the doorknob. He focused on Kafei but listened with little attentiveness.) Kafei: Listen, I know the Sages have already left for Hyrule but I believe we should still help them. Maven: I never wanted to help them and my feelings haven't changed. (He twisted the knob, opened the door and slammed it with his exit.) Aveil: ...Bastard. (Kafei kept his eyes locked on the door for about fifteen seconds. He then looked at the other two and pleaded...) Kafei: ...And what are your feelings? Derrion: I don't know if it's worth it. But honestly, why are you so interested in helping them? What promise did you make them? (He gulped, fearful of Derrion's wrath, and touched his neck.) Kafei: ...There were no promises, I just... (He stopped. It heightened Derrion and Aveil's suspicions. She clamped her lids a little and said...) Aveil: Yes, I'd like to know as well. What's in it for them or...you? (He looked away.) Kafei: ...Alright, I understand. Derrion: But we don't. Kafei: ...The meeting is settled. (They both looked at each other, expressing that they felt his behavior odd. Despite his feelings, Derrion turned and walked out without another breath. Aveil watched Kafei's silent "admission" briefly, turned and as she walked away, said...) Aveil: The only thing you hide well is your face. (He said nothing and the door slammed. He tilted his chair back with his hands behind his head and replayed the entire meeting in his mind, evaluating it's successes and failures.) Edited by Bx, Jul 28 2009, 04:44:00 PM.
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| Bx | May 2 2009, 04:54:37 PM Post #49 |
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Notorious
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(Maria hooked her arms under his soggy shirtsleeves, dragged him out of the water and rested his back on the sand. He exhaled a few quiet breaths and rolled onto his stomach. He pushed his hands against the sand and lifted himself up. Turning his head to look at her, he staggered to his left but she steadied his balance, holding the sides of his lower torso. He raised his left hand and waved it a little, gesturing that he could stand on his own. She eased her hands away slowly and he fixed his eyes on the Demon's trail, then on the water.) Maria: You're not hurt, are you? (He didn't answer. His stare was pasted on the incoming tide. She looked at the water briefly, groaned and expressed her annoyance with a raised voice.) Maria: Are you hurt? (He shook his head, "No," but kept his stare locked on the drifting tide which had erased the Demon's trail. "Okay...," she thought, rubbing her hands against her thighs to rid them of their moisture.) Maria: So, "what?" What did you see? (Her question stretched his lids, pried his nostrils and rounded his lips but he dulled his expression as he turned and said...) Z: ...Nothing. (She squinted at him, scratched her chin with two fingers and watched him silently. He shifted his pupils to the water without moving his face and she finally asked...) Maria: So you're crazy, then? ("What?," he thought, and edged his eyes over to hers.) Z: What do you mean, "I'm crazy?" Maria: You "didn't" see anything in the water but you can't take your eyes off of it. Either you really are crazy or you just think I'm stupid. (He raised and lowered his eyebrows quickly before he shrugged and took two steps back without answering. She glanced at the sparkling water, huffed a defeated sigh, clasped her hands together and sunk her eyes to the sand, replying...) Maria: ...Probably both. (He kept his peculiar silence while she lifted her head and stretched her gaze across the ocean. "David...," she said to herself, spotting the offbeat character still watching the overcast sky. He was seemingly oblivious to everything that had just occurred and she shook her head slightly, saying...) Maria: ...Now he's crazy. Z: Hmm? (He paralleled his gaze with hers, noticed David and remarked...) Z: ...Yup. (They gaped at him for about a minute with their mouths partially open, amazed by his static resistance to "normal" behavior. She peeked over and noticed Z's bewildered expression. "Now's my chance," she thought, and decided to use his confusion to her advantage.) Maria: Now tell me, what did you see in there? ("She's just not gonna drop it," he replied with his thoughts. He opened his right hand and stared at his palm before he answered, without looking at her.) Z: ...A Zora. (She scratched her head and curved her lips a little.) Maria: Uh...That's what you were hiding? That you saw a Zora in these waters? Z: That's why I said, "Nothing," earlier. Maria: ...Oh. (His answer held truth but she still had her suspicions, telling herself, "Hmm... There's gotta be more to it than that.") Maria: You sure that's all? Z: Positive. (She studied his facial movements keenly, searching for any hint that he had lied. His expression remained unaltered and although she still felt he had in some way, she had no basis to continue pressing him. Removing her thoughts from her inquiry, she extended her right arm with the Hookshot he'd dropped in hand.) Maria: You dropped it. (He took it from her and placed it in his pouch.) Z: Thanks. (She twisted her look toward Clock Town. He saw this and glanced sneakily at the water again before he looked past her at the beach ahead. She lifted his left hand and asked...) Maria: So what now? Z: What? Maria: You seriously haven't forgotten what we just saw, right? (He realized what she was implying and lifted his free hand to wag his index finger, "No.") Z: No, we're not. Maria: You sure? 'Cause you seem pretty interested... (A pattern of ripples formed across his brow as he dropped his lids a little and deepened his stare.) Z: Alright, Maria, I'm not in the mood right now... ("Oh boy...," she thought, releasing his hand with a step back. She turned and faced the ocean, watching the receding waves while she apologized...) Maria: Sorry. But honestly, are you...? Z: The Demon was never my concern to begin with. (He turned and veered his head east, the direction from which the Demon had appeared. Like this, he asked...) Z: What's out there? (She shot a glance at him, then to the east and brought her eyes back to the ocean. She answered in a wavering tone split by her curiosity.) Maria: From what I understand... it's the Pirates' Fortress. (His eyes lit with curiosity upon hearing the word, "Pirate" and he asked, with his gaze still fixed east...) Z: You're telling me there are "pirates" in Termina? Maria: Yeah. All female, Gerudo pirates. ("Gerudo Pirates...? What the hell?," flashed across his eyes. He interrupted his stare and looked at her for further elaboration.) Z: But... (Seeing the dumbfounded look wrinkling his face, she grinned lightly and answered...) Maria: Aside from the obvious differences, going by what I've heard of their leader, the Gerudo Pirates are every bit as tough as the ones from Hyrule. ("Now pirates...? It just gets weirder and weirder...," he said to himself, depressing his eyes onto the sand.) Maria: Z! (He flinched from surprise and looked at her with widened eyes. A strong gust had blown her hair forward and covered her profile. He couldn't see her expression but he turned his head and peered out at the ocean and saw or rather "didn't see it." His boat was still drifting in the water but David was gone.) Z: Where the hell did he go!? (Horror detailed the muscles within his face and he subconsciously moved his muted lips as if he were talking. He did this for a few moments before he grasped the ability to speak again and turned to her.) Z: ...Did he fall in? (She shrugged and shook her head in the same rhythm. They crept closer to and scanned the water but saw only their reflections. She lifted her eyes from the wavy mirror and asked herself, "Is he gonna dive in?," while watching his motionless stare.) Maria: Are you going in? (He exhaled several short breaths and thought, "No... I-I-I don't want to go in." His encounter with the Demon seemed to hesitate his action. The fear in his thoughts manifested into a quivering lip but he covered it with his left hand and took a step forward to dive in. But he stopped himself at the water's edge and stared at it. "Olivia... I can't just let her brother die," he thought as he felt Maria's hand over his left shoulder.) Maria: Z? (He looked over his shoulder at her and inclined his head. His right foot splashed as it hit the water but he delayed his next step. She didn't notice, though, as the sound of heavy marching rushed through their ears. She turned to view the sound's origin while he kept his eyes steady with the ocean.) Maria: ...It's them. (Maven and his guards were marching furiously toward them. Their jagged expressions alerted her and she tapped Z's shoulder.) Maria: Z. Z. Turn around. (He tilted his head away from the ocean, turned and noticed them.) Maria: ...What do you think they want? (He studied Maven with a raised eyebrow and tried to decipher the true nature of his character before his arrival. Stroking his cheeks with his thumb on one side and his other fingers on the other, he said...) Z: ...Answers. (Maven and his men arrived. They each possessed a biting stare overshadowed only by Maven's harsh, rasping voice.) Maven: What happened here!? (With his right hand pressed against his chin, Z cocked his head to the left and studied him silently. Maria looked at him as if to say, "What the hell are you doing!? Answer!," while Maven's irritation flared and he fired...) Maven: I asked you a simple question! (The guards positioned their weapons to strike. Maria's face elongated as her eyes raised and mouth dropped. Z remained as he had, forcing her to answer...) Maria: ...The Demon appeared. (The roughness in his face smoothed and shined with a curious glee. However, her skin crawled as he placed his attention on her. Whatever was left of her hate for Alvius generated when dealing with him.) Maven: Thank you. From where did he come? (Z pulled his hand from his chin and pointed in the direction of the Pirates' Fortress.) Z: From over there. (Maven's expression altered again. He looked cheerfully triumphant.) Maven: ...So she was telling the truth. And with this, the Zoras still have a shot at glory... (Without so much as a "thank you," he turned and led his men away. Z glanced at Maria, she shrugged, then at Maven's company and shouted...) Z: How was the meeting?! (Maven halted his men with a raised right hand and whipped around.) Maven: Aren't you bold. ...What is your name? Z: Zeno. (Maven's face perked with a smile as he asked...) Maven: The one from Hyrule? (He nodded.) Maven: Hmm... Why are you still here? I thought your people left weeks ago? (Maria watched him with discreet, slitted eyes. She wanted to hear his answer since she had only an educated suspicion. But he responded by shaking his head. For her, it was a letdown but Maven seemed to understand and mollified his disposition.) Maven: I see. (He looked at his guards, then at the two of them and asked...) Maven: Have you been to Zora Hall? Z: No. Maven: Then come. (Maria and him both thought, "Huh? Something's not right...," and inquired about his sudden change in temperament.) Z: You're being nice now. Why? (He smiled.) Maven: ...I admire your work. Z: What work? Maven: What you did in Hyrule. If what I've been told is true, quite impressive. Now come on before it becomes too dark out. We have rooms at the hall, better than any dump you'll find in Clock Town, that's for sure. (He and his guards walked off. Maria turned to Z and shook her head, saying...) Maria: ...I don't trust him. Z: You don't like him. (Her head jerked back a little from surprise but she replied...) Maria: And you do? Z: ...I like him more than Kafei. Maria: But why? Z: Because he doesn't hide anything. Maria: What? Z: He is who he is. There are no secrets. Maria: And how do you know that? Z: ...When you've been lied to enough, honest people stick out like sore thumbs. (He took some steps forward but she turned slightly, caught a glimpse of the unmanned boat and shouted...) Maria: Oh... David! (She turned, saw Z's back and yelled his name.) Maria: Z! Z! (He stopped, pivoted on his right foot and looked at her, she was pointing at the empty boat.) Maria: What about David!? ("Oh, right...," he told himself, rushing toward the water.) Z: ... (He stared at his reflection, distorting with the waves. She noticed his inaction and asked...) Maria: You're just gonna...? Z: ...David's no Zora. If he fell in... Being under there that long, he's already... (He paused and felt a breeze from the ocean cool his skin, with it fluttered some Nirn leaves, presumably from David's boat. She looked up and watched the foliage fly above their heads.) Maria: Nirn... Z: It was him. David's... (He didn't finish. He clenched his left hand and held it as if he were going to throw a punch but didn't. He only held it's tremble for a few seconds and brought it to his side. He looked at the sand, bit his lower lip, placed his right hand on his hip and started walking away. She observed him with her usual silence and as he passed her, he said...) Z: ...Let's just hope it was another one of his illusions. (She muffled her sigh and looked out at the ocean one final time. They walked parallel with each other and trailed Maven's company to Zora Hall. Moments later, just inches from where they'd been standing, a powerful wind gusted from the ocean and blew some sand into the air revealing a hidden, buried, smiling figure...) (They were a few steps behind Maven's group and once he and his bodyguards had reached the diving point, they looked back at them.) Maven: Hurry up! (Maria shifted her eyes onto Z's profile without turning her head and said...) Maria: ...And you like this guy. Z: I said more than Kafei, which isn't saying much... (She chuckled. But stopped when he began running. She did the same and they reached Maven within a minute or two.) Maven: What took you so long? Z: Eh... Maven: Alright, it's a bit of a swim from here but nothing too serious. If you need air, obviously swim up... Z: That won't be necessary. (He squinted at Z, then at Maria and said...) Maven: Uh-huh but... I mean for her. Z: ...Oh. (She rolled her eyes at Z but drooped them to avoid Maven's. She felt his stare trapped against her bust. But he pulled his look away without Z noticing, turned around, looked over his shoulder and said...) Maven: Just follow us, alright? (He and his men dived in and swam for Zora Hall. "Finally...," Maria thought, scratching the itch his stare spawned on her arms. Z's boots soaked as he planted them in the water while he watched it's gentle flow. She saw him and asked...) Maria: Ready? (He watched his watery mirror-image and replied...) Z: ...Just a second. (It was his mother, not the Demon. He felt swimming leisurely would fill him with thoughts of her. He wanted to think of her but didn't want to miss her because he knew he'd be longing for something he would never get back. Maria walked to him, placed her left hand on his back and used the other to raise his chin. He turned to her and she asked...) Maria: Are you ready now? Z: Grab my hand. ...If you need air, tug. (She grabbed his hand. "Okay, here goes...," he told himself and without warning, jumped in. The water wasn't as deep as they'd imagined but it was by no means shallow. They swam across the many reefs and by various species of fish until they saw the outline of Zora Hall. The water made him think of his mother but the longing he had feared never came, it was much like the beach in that his memories calmed him. They gave him a sense that everything would be alright and hindered vexed thoughts.) (Halfway to their destination, she tugged his hand and they swam up. She gasped for air and he watched the sun's twilight behind the fluffed, bubbling clouds. The sight, however, didn't facilitate the calmness he had felt in the ocean, he began thinking about David, the Demon and the Zora he had seen. His peaceful memories were replaced with questions, questions without answers. All of which were subject to his actions and it sharpened the strain on his thoughts. She tugged at his hand again to get his attention.) Maria: Okay, I'm ready. (She noticed his brood and asked...) Maria: Everything okay? Z: ...Yeah. (She nodded but with some apprehension and they went under. The memories of Ruto had passed. Now he saw the ocean from a different perspective, he saw all of it's unanswered mysteries, the dangers lurking around it's inhabitants and how it seemed to parallel with his life as they continued on their way to Zora Hall.) Edited by Bx, Jul 27 2009, 09:29:50 AM.
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| Bx | May 4 2009, 01:00:10 AM Post #50 |
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Notorious
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(They swam the rest of the way without pause and reached Zora Hall's entrance just as Maven's company swam inside. They stopped erect in the water, looked at each other and nodded. They entered Zora Hall and reached a rising ramped platform within moments. They lifted themselves out of the water but felt the weight of their drenched clothes cumber their movement. Maven had been waiting with his arms crossed and a certain smugness enveloped within his smile. As Maria slid her hands across her hair to brush off some of it's moisture, he remarked...) Maven: You should have swam naked. (Z had been wiping his arms but instantly fired a venomous scowl at him. Maven ignored it, his pupils had trapped a reflection of her body. She felt his undressing stare but kept her face aligned with the marbled floor though her skin burned wherever the slightest jerk of his eyes wandered. "This son of a bitch...," Z thought, watching him until he glanced at the stone-faced guards, then at him again. He drew his left arm up and aimed his middle finger at him.) Z: Hey! Listen, have some respec... (Maven halted him with an open palm and said...) Maven: Calm down. It was a compliment. ("...If you're a pig.," she thought, venting a loud groan. Maven lowered his eyes at her but smirked innocently. Still targeting him with his finger, Z strengthened his tone and said...) Z: I don't care. Don't talk to her like that. (Maven clamped his lids some and launched a stare at him. He muted his voice for a few seconds until he gave a respectful nod and replied...) Maven: Fine. (To further exhibit his humility, he looked at her, though she turned her towards Z, and apologized...) Maven: ...I'm sorry. (She rolled her eyes and kept silent. He shrugged, turned and as he walked away, said...) Maven: Enjoy your stay. (He disappeared amongst the other Zoras. Maria glared at Z. Ripples spiked across her forehead, her eyes conveyed bitterness, and in a tone sharpened with unhidden sarcasm, she asked...) Maria: ...And you like that guy more than Kafei? (He shrugged, bore his teeth with a charming grin and replied...) Z: You're a pretty girl... I can't help it if he's attracted to you. And... he did apologize. (Her look remained unchanged.) Maria: ...And you like that guy? Unbelievable... (His grin still locked between his lips, he curled his right arm behind her neck and said, in an upbeat manner...) Z: But not as much as he likes you. ("Lucky me...," she thought as he led her, still with his arm around her neck, into Zora Hall's central hub area. It had a circular layout stacked on two floors. Apartment doors coiled around the walls of both levels, though the lower, where they stood, held a large, impressive, pale bluish clam-shaped musical stage. Zoras of all shapes, sizes, ages and other distinctions filled the circling white marble platform.) (Z withdrew his arm from her neck and wrapped his gaze around the surrounding Zoras. "Mom...," floated through his thoughts, and he stared blankly at the ground with his hands in his pockets. Maria tilted her head left, squinted, removed her tongue from atop her upper lip and asked hesitantly...) Maria: Z? Are...you okay? (He lifted his head but nodded unnoticeably and turned left, spotting an elderly female Zora. She was having a polite, everyday conversation with a younger man somewhere in his thirties. "I'll never experience that...," he thought, shifting his eyes to the domed ceiling and taking a step back. Maria placed her hand just behind his right shoulder and said his name again...) Maria: Z? (He exhaled loudly and paused his speech. He embellished his lips and fluffed his cheeks with a phony, contrived smile and turned to her.) Z: ...I'm fine. Thanks. (She ignored his words and discerned his repressed emotion. She circled her gaze around the entire hall and removed her hand from his shoulder. "This is Zora Hall...," she said internally and lifted his right hand by the wrist with a tightness that expressed her tone.) Maria: You sure you don't wanna leave? (He nodded, earnestly enough to suppress some of her suspicion. Without allowing her another word, he forced his wrist from her grip and said...) Z: Let's just go see Maven... ("Eww...," she immediately thought, with a hand over her nauseated stomach. She gestured her disgust with tightened, pulled lips that stiffened her neck and asked...) Maria: But... Why? (A squad of roughneck Zoras appeared from a door. He glanced at them, then focused on her and replied...) Z: Because I have to ask him something. Maria: About? Z: ...A hero. (Without waiting for her response, he walked off and approached a male Zora, probably in his forties. The Zora lifted an eyebrow and asked...) Zora: Uh...Yes? Z: Where does Maven stay? (He pointed at a door directly above the clam-shaped musical stage.) Zora: Up there. ...He just came through a few minutes ago, actually. Z: Alright, thanks. (He twisted around and waved kindly at the Zora before he walked back to Maria. She had her arms crossed, her lips reddened and pouted and her eyes held low.) Maria: That was pretty rude, Z... (He moved his left leg back, widened his mouth and asked defensively...) Z: What? I just asked the guy a question...? Maria: I mean what you did to me. ("Huh?," he thought. He twisted his arms, showing his palms to gesture his confusion. She relieved her facial muscles, threw her right hand at him and laughed.) Maria: Relax. I was only kidding with you... I'm just trying to get you to lighten up. Z: Oh. (She shrugged and shook her head lightly.) Maria: Well to tell you the truth, you are a little rude, Z, but I'm getting used to it. It's funny though, you can smell everyone else's lies but mine. (He smirked.) Z: Well, it's probably because I lov... (The sight of a tall Zora cut him off and his experience in the ocean returned in his thoughts. She noticed his glinted, slitted eyes gazing past her and asked, in a slight stutter...) Maria: W-what happened? (He didn't answer. She looked over her right shoulder to catch sight of whatever caught his but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. To get a better look, she turned and raised herself on her toes but still saw nothing of interest. He pressed her down with a touch of her shoulder and she faced him again.) Z: ...I found out where Maven stays. (She inadvertently hid her rolling eyes behind her hand as she pressed it against her forehead. Like this, she asked...) Maria: Why do you want to see this guy so badly? And what "hero" are you talking about? Z: ...The only one that matters as far as I'm concerned. ("And just who is tha...," her thought was interrupted as she turned and watched him walked toward the ramp leading to the upper level. She sank her top teeth into her bottom lip and followed, shaking her head with a mope defined by her slanted eyebrows. They passed a few Zora youths socializing and reached the second level.) (Minus the musical stage, there were few distinctions to separate the upper from the lower level. They walked parallel to each other and circled the path to Maven's residence. At his door, an oddly ordinary-looking palish green door, they found no hint of guards or any other soul. "This is Maven's place?," they thought with heightened suspicions. "It just can't be...," she answered herself and turned to examine the surrounding area.) Maria: Uh, Z... You sure that guy wasn't trying to trick you or anything? Z: Guess we'll find out. (He placed his knuckles on the door to knock but it cracked open slowly accompanied by a low, shrieking sound that resembled a rat's cry. "Even if this isn't his place, I'm not going inside to find out...," she thought as she pressed against Z's right shoulder and whispered in his ear...) Maria: ...I think I'll just stay outside. (He looked at her and uttered, "Why?," silently but she shook her head and he stepped inside quietly.) (Lavish antique furniture, one of a kind paintings and other extravagant household items decorated the place. His nostrils expanded and receded as they filled with the room's distinct aroma. It was a pungent floral smell, the kind normally found on women wearing too much perfume. Maven stood by one of the walls, looking at a painting with his right hand secured under his chin while his left index finger drifted across the artwork without touching it. Z shut the door behind him. Maven kept his eyes fixed on the painting and said...) Maven: How did I know you'd end up coming to see me? Z: ...Because you're the only "friend" I've got in these parts. (Maven chuckled, pressed his sides with his hands, and whipped around.) Maven: Not bad. A shame your girlfriend doesn't see it quite that way. And I say that with the utmost respect, of course. (He blinked, one a bit longer than most, and grinned as his lids lifted. He extended his slick, slender left arm and tapped his fingers toward himself, motioning Z to come to him.) Maven: Come over here, I'd like for you to see something... (He took slow, heavy steps toward him but stopped about three feet from where he stood. The painting had captured and locked both his stare and feet. He huffed several long breaths and felt a winter's chill creep into his neck via his veins. Maven replaced his grin with a solemness rarely seen.) Maven: ...Judging from your silence, I guess you don't know who that woman is. (Z kept his silence behind tightened lips whose redness had paled some. Maven held his right wrist with his left hand behind his back and faced the painting. He looked at it briefly then paced a few steps before he stopped with his head to the floor.) Maven: Her name was Lulu. She was the lead singer of the Indigo-Gos, a very popular band about thirty or so years ago. As you've obviously noticed, the resemblance between your mother and her is quite striking... (Z withdrew his stare from the painting and directed it at him.) Z: ...Why would you show me this? Maven: I heard about what happened to Ruto and I started thinking about Lulu... Two great Zoras have passed within only a few years time. It made me reflect on my position as the leader of Termina's Zoras... Z: So Lulu is...? (Maven raised his face and looked at Z. His eyes had an odd simmering quality to them that offset their natural deep blue coloring.) Maven: Dead? Yes. If you're thinking that your mother and her may have been twins, you can stop. Maybe cousins at best but Lulu was several years older than your mother so twins is out of the question. But that's not the point... Z: What is? (Maven let out a heavy breath through his nose and walked to his sofa. He dragged his hand against the armrest as he sat down and folded his right leg over the left.) Maven: People say I'm an arrogant, overbearing, pompous man who values his position more than anything in life. They say that I'm selfish, cruel and stubborn... ("...You are.," Z thought as Maven paused, clasped his hands together, raised his shoulders a little to empower his speech and continued...) Maven: What they never mention is how I look out for my people. How I put them ahead of all others, I do what any good leader should, I hold my people as the highest authority and do what's best for them. If there is a problem, I get to it's source and take care of it, I do not sweep it under the rug and pretend that it's gone away. My people matter, their opinions matter to me; my goal as their leader is to accommodate them as best I can and not just some of the people but all... (Two people sparked in Z's thoughts but he listened, now more concentrated, as Maven's words drummed sentiments similar to his own.) Maven: ...That is why I do not like Kafei. He is not a true leader. He looks in the mirror before he acts, everything has to be just perfect...for him. Respect's not given, Z, it's earned. And I lost any I may have had for him when I found out about what happened to those people sent to that "Underground City." Disgusting... Good people treated like animals, for what? (Z's silence remained unbroken. He placed his right hand atop his head and watched Maven with intent, focused eyes that assured him he was listening.) Maven: I don't know, either. For someone who's so image conscious, I often wonder what he sees when he looks in the mirror... Does he see a good man? (He chuckled softly though there was little amusement in his breath. "I knew there was more to this guy...," Z thought, still with his eyes posed against Maven's. It seemed the emphasis placed on his arrogance often overshadowed his underlying message. He was a man of integrity and ironically, it was the passion for the betterment of his people that rubbed people as condescending. Z felt a greater understanding of him and nodded agreeably as he lifted his silence.) Z: ...You're right. (Maven uncrossed his legs and rose from his seat. He turned away from Z and faced the painting once again.) Maven: Earlier I said I admired what you did for Hyrule because I appreciated the sacrifice you made for your people. The results could have been better, sure, but the effort, the mammoth effort you put in, nothing short of incredible... (Z's mind bubbled with various unanswered questions, none of which he dared ask. Maven walked to the painting and stood just inches from it after only two long steps. He stared it and released a lengthy, thoughtful sigh tinged by scorn that traveled with his voice.) Maven: ...And now what I wonder is why we're even here having this discussion. (Z raised his eyebrows but narrowed his eyes and asked...) Z: What? Maven: Who murdered your mother? (He didn't answer. He only moderated his expression, stuffed his hands in his pockets and transferred his eyes left, studying a vase full of flowers producing the bittersweet aroma. Maven turned to him and used his "cowardly" body language to illustrate his point.) Maven: ...A man who wrongfully killed my mother wouldn't have a moment's rest. You're the last person I'd have expected to tell that too. Z: And you're the last person I'd want to hear it from... (He yanked his hands from his pockets, clenched his fists, turned toward the door and started walking to it. Maven took two steps forward but paused with his left foot ahead of the right, and raised his voice.) Maven: Hold on! (Z held himself in place but did not turn to him.) Maven: ...What changed, Z? Your mother was the greatest Zora of her generation and her murderer has gone unpunished. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with that? You're her son. Forget Kafei, how do you look in the mirror every morning? ("Please just stop... Just stop," Z said to himself as he cupped his hands over his face. He couldn't challenge Maven's truth, the truth, and stayed like this, further expressing his weakness in his answer...) Z: ...I don't. Maven: Because you can't. (Both of their lips fell silent. It allowed Z enough time to filter his negative thoughts and substitute them with his original intent in seeing Maven. He removed his hands from his face, relaxed the stress built within and twisted his body toward Maven.) Z: ...Anyone out of the ordinary been around here lately? (Maven's confusion wrinkled his brow and he countered, with his gaze suspicious and less dignified...) Maven: What do you mean? Z: Just anyone you've never seen before... A Zora, maybe. (Maven stroked his chin gently with three fingers and shifted his eyes from side to side as he paused to think. He stopped his movements and answered...) Maven: No. ("No? Then... Wait a minute. ...Huh?," Z thought, squinting slightly at him with his lips apart, baring his teeth.) Z: Are you sure? Maven: Yes. (Maven's profound royal blue eyes held a stare expressing pensive thought. He enhanced the look by gripping his chin between his forefinger and thumb. Z, wound in his own thoughts, expressed himself verbally.) Z: ...Damn. (He fixed his eyes on Maven's and thought, "The pirates, then. Hmm..." before he asked...) Z: How's your relationship with the Gerudo Pirates? (Maven's eyes widened.) Maven: Are you kidding me? They're scum as far as I'm concerned. But... why are you asking me this? (He didn't answer. His thoughts had drowned out Maven's question. "Okay, so the Demon most likely came from the Pirates' Fortress but if the relationship between the Zoras and pirates is strained then...why was E-Eh, the Zora, coming from that direction?," he asked himself as if he were expecting a response. He shook his head and blurted out...) Z: ...What the hell is going on? (Maven waved his right hand across Z's eyes and demanded...) Maven: What are you talking about?! (Again, he didn't answer.) Maven: What? Were you referring to the pirates' capture of the Demon? I didn't think it was widely known. (The statement stretched Z's eyes and jerked his head back a bit. He wore his confusion for a moment but smoothed his expression and regained composure to ask...) Z: ...He was captured? Maven: So you didn't know? Hmm... Anyway, according to the Pirate leader, Aveil, her "Demon Hunters" did the job a few days ago. Seems they were successful until...today, of course. But on a more positive note, it means us Zoras still have a shot to bag that bastard now... (Z looked at him and nodded though minimally focused on his face and mostly on his own thoughts. "Man, it just gets weirder and weirder...," he told himself, turned and twisted the doorknob exiting in a curt manner without a "goodbye." He shut the door and saw Maria, bent over near a wall, wringing the moisture out of her hair.) Edited by Bx, Jul 29 2009, 07:02:10 PM.
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| Bx | May 5 2009, 12:05:59 AM Post #51 |
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Notorious
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(Maria heard Maven's door slam. She flipped her slightly damp hair behind her head and stood erect in the same motion. She spotted Z coming toward her and noticed his sedated expression though his eyes seemed worn, burdened by heavy thought. As he neared her, she gestured her concern with a shrug and lipped, "What?," silently. He approached as if he hadn't saw this, stopped upon reaching her and cracked his lips to respond but she interrupted and asked...) Maria: What did he do? (He licked his upper lip, raised his eyebrows, sighed a short, relaxed breath and deliberately skipped over the conversation about his mother.) Z: ...The Demon was captured. (Her jaw hung and locked in place. She blinked several times and shook her head slowly, projecting disbelief. He raised his left hand to stop her and uttered, "Wai-," but she cut his speech and said...) Maria: But...? We...saw...? Z: What we saw was his escape. ("Oh, okay. I get it now.," she thought, nodding with a refreshed sense that her eyes hadn't deceived her. She leaned back against the wall, held her right hand on her hip and studied the floor's white marble paneling while she asked...) Maria: So, the pirates captured him? (His disguised his sarcastic answer under monotone speech though he broke this with a harder emphasis on his last two words.) Z: ...He escaped from the Pirates' Fortress. ("You could've just said, "Yes," you know..." she thought, pulling herself from the wall and stepping to the left. He stared blankly at where she'd been leaning, thinking. "This is what I need...," he told himself in a voice marked by an anxious enthusiasm rarely heard when he spoke. An intriguing "new" mystery, his perfect remedy to rid himself of the grievous thoughts that festered with idle time. And one not involving Damian. With his mind eased of some of it's stress, he removed his gaze from the wall, turned and walked toward the ramp.) (She gripped his shirtsleeve as he passed. He felt the tug, lifted her hand from the cloth and faced her. She placed her hand back on his left shoulder, inched her face closer to his and asked...) Maria: Where are we going? (He tilted his head right, stepped back, and sighed loudly in unison. Concerned, she pressed his shoulder more firmly as he replied, twisting his head both ways...) Z: I... I have to get out of here. ("What?," she asked herself and brought her hand away from his shoulder.) Maria: But I thought we were gonna stay here for the night? (He clamped his lids shut and shook his head.) Z: I...don't want to. Maria: Why not? (He moved his right foot forward as he looked left and pulled it back as he looked right. Tapping his thigh nervously with his right hand, he walked in place and focused on her again.) Z: ...Isn't it obvious? Maria: But I thought you said you were okay coming here? I mean on the beach... (He smiled, the type found on porcelain dolls, gestured but empty, and inclined his head toward the floor to answer.) Z: It was different on the beach, it was calming, you know? But here, everywhere I look I see my mom and I guess... I guess I start feeling guilty or I don't know...something. (She placed a pair of fingers on his chin and straightened his head so his eyes would meet hers.) Maria: But why? What happened wasn't your fault... Z: No, it wasn't. "Guilty" was the wrong word but it's that same feeling I felt when you were kidnapped. And no, that wasn't my fault either but it was just the thought of not knowing... (He paused and his shoulders sagged a bit in the rhythm of his eyes. She lifted his right hand, pressed on it with her left and asked...) Maria: Not knowing what? (He pursed his lips and curved them for another superficial, cheapened smile. He told himself, "Hold on, Maria. Let me find the words...," while she rubbed his right cheek gently and said...) Maria: Z? (He raised her hand from his face and placed it against her thigh.) Z: During our time apart, the thought that you could still be alive and that I could make everything right is what kept me motivated. My training, you know, I... I, uh... used it to block out the memory of that day. I found, what is it..."solace" when I kept my mind occupied with something. And luckily I was actually able to make things right but with my mom...it's different. She's already dead, I saw her body. I don't have that chance, that uh..."hope" to fix things, at least not in my eyes. ("But Z...," she thought with a trailing pitch. "...You're not alone," she completed and lifted her hands onto his shoulders with a smile to illustrate her thoughts as well erase his despair.) Maria: Z, when my mom died... How do you think I felt? ("Probably worse than me...," he thought but kept his lips tight.) Maria: I was depressed. I attacked myself, you, I resented you especially and even hoped you would fail for a time. I... I was so isolated and bitter. But as time went on, the wound healed and those feelings passed. So yeah, you're special in a lot of ways but you still feel and hurt like the rest of us, the loss of a loved one is something that heals over time. Eventually, you'll come to accept it. You just have to try. (He breathed a defeated sigh, wriggled his shoulders from under her hands and stepped back.) Z: ...Yeah. Yeah, I get that. (She sensed some phoniness in his body language and fixed her gaze on the ground. She pressed her hand against her ruffled brow, picked her head up and realized that delicacy may not have been the best approach. She edged her eyes onto his and pierced his dull stare.) Maria: ...I don't get it. You're so impatient. Dealing with death is a process, it's not something you can master to make easier. It's hard and it'll always be hard, why can't you see that? Z: I do, believe me. But I don't know, I'm not as strong as you when it comes to this, I guess... Maria: But aren't you the one who always says, "The past is what it is, accept it, move on?" I know it hurts Z but... (He stopped her with an open left palm.) Z: I'm trying to deal with it... (He returned his hand to his side. She moved back to post herself on the wall again, repeatedly pulled a few strands of her hair and focused her eyes, wooden and augmented, on the domed ceiling.) Maria: That's you're excuse for going after the Demon? And don't try to BS me, I know that's what you want. So you can just "forget" about your mother's death? (He shifted his head left then down slightly, ran his right hand forward through his hair and looked at her.) Z: ...I know it's selfish but... it helps me. I dwell on certain things too much, I admit that but... you said that time is the only thing that heals these wounds. What's so wrong with me occupying myself while that healing takes place? ("I...honestly don't know how to answer that, Z," she answered internally. She released the hair she had gripped and traveled her eyes away from the ceiling and landed them on his. "I still have so much to learn about you...," she thought and said, in a tone that caressed his ears...) Maria: I just worry about you, Z. But you know yourself better than anyone and you know what works for you and what doesn't. So...if it helps you, I won't try and stop it. But remember that I'm always here, always. (He smiled warmly. She removed herself from the wall, walked to him and wrapped her arms around his body while she fastened her head just under his chin. He held her and brushed his right hand gently across her hair. She pulled her head from his chest, looked at him and said...) Maria: I love you. (He looked down at her and replied, just as softly.) Z: I love you, too. (They released each other. He turned and faced the ramp. His mood had improved and his face, no longer tight and constricted, reflected it. But her curiosity remained, she had to confirm his sighting in the water. She nudged his back with her knuckles.) Maria: Z. (He looked over his shoulder at her.) Z: Yeah? Maria: Who did you see in the water? (He paused. "Is there any reason to still keep it from her?," he asked himself as she pleaded, squeezing his left hand tightly...) Maria: Please, tell me. And don't say, "A Zora..." (He nodded, assuring himself of his choice, and replied...) Z: ...Eagles. ("I knew it.," she thought confidently, letting go of his hand. She had correctly figured it out while he was in Maven's place. He turned around fully and she asked...) Maria: From Hyrule, right? (He nodded.) Maria: That's what I thought. (His eyes enlarged as her voice faded but his lower facial muscles scrunched, his nose and lips particularly. She smiled at this and with added strength, he asked...) Z: You knew? How? ...Did you see him? Maria: No and I didn't know at first. But while I was waiting for you, I put two and two together. You said you saw a Zora and then you said something about a "hero," he's the only person I've ever heard you call a hero without being sarcastic. You've never even called yourself one... (He looked up at the ceiling and pressed his foot back.) Z: ...It's because he's the only guy I know deserving of that title. (She rolled her eyes.) Maria: Anyway, if it actually was him, what difference does it make? Z: I'm not sure yet. But I'd like to find out... Come on. (She followed as he turned and walked down the ramp. According to a large clock on one of the walls, it was 8:34 (p.m.) and few Zoras were out, most had apparently gone home. They reached the path leading to the exit but he stopped and faced the hub area, taking one last look. Observing from behind, she thought, "Man... He really misses her..." He exhaled and turned to her again.) Z: Are you ready? (She nodded. They walked down the ramp leading to the underwater exit. On the way, she asked...) Maria: When we get back on the beach, where are we heading? Z: That depends. Are you tired? ("You're not?," she thought. The combination of emotional and physical stress from the walking and swimming had drained her. Though she conceded her feelings, remembering their discussion about his "healing" and answered indecisively...) Maria: ...Whatever you want to do is fine with me. Z: That wasn't an answer, Maria... (She blushed.) Maria: Alright, then. Yes, I'm tired. I just didn't know if you wanted to... Z: If I was just gonna do what I wanted, I wouldn't have asked. Maria: True. (He smiled, shook his head a little, looked over his shoulder, and then at her.) Z: So, do you want to stay here? (She hinted a nod though it went unnoticed as she quickly straightened her head. "I don't wanna make him any more uncomfortable...," she told herself, hearing their conversation again.) Maria: No, let's just go back to Clock Town. (His lids stretched.) Z: It's about a three hour walk. You sure? (She smiled.) Maria: I'm glad you care so much. But yeah, it's fine. Besides, I don't want to disturb anyone here this late at... Z: It's not even 9:00 (p.m.) yet... Maria: Still... (He shrugged his shoulders and replied, as they neared the diving point...) Z: Alright, suit yourself. And same as last time, grab my hand. (She did and they jumped in.) (It was nighttime, the water was much darker, lowering the already poor visibility. Luckily, the swim back to shore was a straight line and they swam a little ways until she tugged his hand for air.) (They raised their heads from the water and she gasped short, quick breaths. It was raining and the wispy, quilted fog made the shoreline difficult to see from their position. They watched it with intent, slightly squinted eyes, hoping to penetrate the fluffed, ghostly wall.) Maria: Jeez... You can barely see the beach. (He stayed quiet, silently observing the enveloped surroundings.) Maria: Had I known it was raining, I... Z: Shh... Maria: Huh? (He drew his index finger against her lips.) Z: Listen. (The ominous stillness shattered as a distant, faint march drummed with the wind. She turned to him, eyes rounded and illuminated by dim moonlight, and asked...) Maria: W-who do you think it is? (He shook his head tersely.) Z: Not sure. Sounded like marching, could be anyone. (They both had similar premonitions but neither spoke on it, choosing to hope for the best instead.) Z: Ready? (She nodded reluctantly.) Z: ...Okay. (They dropped down and swam for shore. As they edged near the beach, their thoughts linked,"Why didn't I just say, let's go back...?") (They lifted themselves from the water, pressed heavy, bogged steps into the sand but stopped when their ears drummed the palpitating march. Whoever it was, they were only feet away though still masked by the encasing fog. He grabbed her right hand and said...) Z: Kneel down. And stay close. (He dropped her hand. They dug their knees and hands into the shore and progressed cautiously, slicing the fog with each inch. The marchers soon emerged into their sights. Now able to see their identities, she whispered...) Maria: It's the pirates...? (He didn't reply. His eyes held a trance-like quality as he focused, not on the pirates, but on a body lying motionless on the ground. The body, shrouded in the trademark black hood, appeared to be the Demon. "Did Eagles...?", he cut his thought as the team of pirates rushed toward the body.) Pirate 1: That's right. Stay down you sick fuck... (The pirate moved in closer to the body and kicked it with some hesitance. It didn't move. Maria lined her mouth with Z's ear and whispered...) Maria: Is the Demon...? (She stopped as the unveiling of the Demon's face froze her lips and locked her gaze. Z crawled forward to get a better look just as the lead pirate pulled the hood off of his face.) Pirate 6: Eww... Sick... Pirate 4: Disgusting... (They all stepped back, horrified and disgusted by the sight. The pirate who had unveiled him, turned and lifted her blade at them, displeased with their reactions.) Pirate 1: Enough! You should all be overjoyed by what you've just seen. The crisis is over. Help me with him... (The team leader took charge, lifting his lifeless upper body as the others offered their help. "It's over...," Maria thought, wrapping a smile across her lips. She turned to Z but his face remained stoic and lightly pessimistic. This changed as his lips burst and eyes flared upon viewing the man's face when the pirates' raised him.) Z: ...Oh shit. (Fire. His veins inflamed and adrenaline pulsed through his body. The "Demon" they held in their arms was actually the dead body of Dhani, the man he'd killed on Snowhead. "It's a trap!," he thought, lifting himself from the ground.) Maria: Z? (He threw his left hand at her so she'd pipe down and shouted, waving his right arm in the air...) Z: HEY! HEY!! (The pirates stopped, turned and saw him but from their corner of their eyes, they spotted him.) Pirates: ....HUH?! (The Demon, veiled in black, stood on the shoreline, watching. His solid, mastiff-like build equipped an unwavering intimidation onto his figure. The pirates trembled, their grips quivered and Dhani's body fell to the sand. Maria's face held a bloodless coloring as the Demon readied his bow uninterrupted, turned his stare onto her and aimed...) Z: Maria, down! (He launched himself at her, forcing her to the ground as the arrow pierced her left shoulder, splattering a thick streak of blood into his eyes.) Maria: Ahh!!! Shit... (Still with her blood splashed across his face, Z raised his body off of hers, ignored the Demon and kneeled to tend to her wound. The Demon trudged toward the pirates, heightening their fear with his trail.) (Two pirates unsheathed their weapons and engaged him but he dispatched them with ease, sending them hard across the sand with his fists. The remaining members formed a circle around him but he lifted his blade, extended it outward, swiveled around and sliced each of them in half.) (With the carnage unfolding, Z wrested the arrow from her shoulder and wrapped the wound with his torn sleeve. She let out a muffled scream as he tightened the cloth and patted it gently in place. Her well-being trumped the pirates' cries which muted upon reaching his ears.) (The last pirate, the team leader, felt the Demon's greatest wrath. He knocked her to the ground with one punch, dug the hilt of his sword into the sand, leaving the actual blade jutting out, walked over to her and lifted her by the neck with his right hand.) Pirate: Urgh... Urgh.... Urgh (Tears fell from her eyes as she gasped for air but he firmed his grip and further pressured her throat. More tears drained as he positioned her body directly over his blade and slammed her into it.) Pirate 1: ahh ugh uh.... (Her body now impaled, he turned to Z. He felt the stare, turned and returned the look. Though the surrounding carnage broke it. "One...man... d-d-did this...?," he asked himself, pausing with his bodily palpitations. "W-w-who... is this.. ?," he thought with a frightened gulp.) (The Demon withdrew his gaze, lifted the impaled pirate from his blade and tossed her like a rag doll onto the sand. Remnants of her insides as well as a thick coating of blood decorated his sword as he lifted and sheathed it in it's case, just above his behind. Without even a glance at Z, he pivoted on his right foot and walked toward Clock Town. "What's he...!?," Z thought as he watched.) Z: HEY! STOP!!! (He didn't. He kept walking with the tip of his blade dragging through the damp sand.) Z: STOP!!! (Maria grabbed his left ankle and he looked at her.) Maria: Z... Just let him go... ("He can wait. She needs me more than anything...," he thought, watching her writhe with pain. He looked behind to make sure the Demon had faded from sight. He had. After twenty minutes, she was ready to walk. He secured his left hand under back, held her right hand in his and pulled her to her feet slowly. She nodded at him, he grabbed her right hand and they walked like this to Clock Town.) Edited by Bx, Jul 30 2009, 11:56:25 PM.
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| Bx | May 5 2009, 02:31:33 PM Post #52 |
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Notorious
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(A little past midnight, they entered Clock Town. They were soaking wet and splashed their feet through the dark, concrete streets. Excluding the guards and generic oddballs, the town was lifeless though the rain puddles gleamed a vibrant hue. Z had secured his arms around Maria and held her with the gentle firmness of a felted, woolen quilt as they neared Kafei's Office.) (They made it to the door within two minutes. He placed his hand over the knob and thought, "Shoot, it's probably locked.," but it twisted fully and he let himself in. Olivia was sitting on a chair, elbows rested on the table, pushing her fingers against her forehead. The shutting door sent vibrations between her elbows but she remained as she had. "What's she doing up?," he asked himself, moving towards her.) Z: Olivia? (She turned. Her swollen lids and pinkish "whites" suggested she had been crying. Though it was her voice, morose with a brittle trail, that confirmed it.) Olivia: Hey, Z... (As she turned to sulk back in her chair, she noticed Maria's bandaged arm. Her eyes pried at the sight, she rose from her seat and gestured her confusion with wrenched arms.) Olivia: What happened!? Z: First, open the door back there so I can lay her down, then I'll explain. (She rushed to the back door and held it open as he passed with Maria cuffed under his arms. He eased her body onto the bed, pulled a sheet over her and tucked her in. He lifted a strip of her hair, still damp, and stretched a smile. "Good...," he thought, letting the hair feather onto her face. He breathed a relaxed sigh and turned to Olivia, whose moist eyes glistened yellowish-green against the light.) Olivia: So tell me, what happened out there? (He turned his head slightly toward Maria and replied...) Z: ...I don't wanna wake her. Let's go to the front. (He pulled the door shut delicately and followed her to the front. They sat at the table, facing each other. He raised the fore legs of his chair and rocked back a little, pressing his thumb against his chin. She had her right arm curved left on the table while her fingers tapped, waiting for his explanation. His pupils reflected the crystals etched into the chandelier and he said...) Z: It... was a nasty encounter with the Demon. (The color faded from her face, she stopped tapping and replied...) Olivia: But, Kafei told me he was captured? You mean... Z: Apparently, he escaped. (He brought the raised legs of his chair to the floor and rested his elbows across his knees with his hands clasped. She sighed deeply through her nostrils, lowered her eyes and said...) Olivia: So he's still out there... Z: Yeah. ...And we were "lucky" enough to meet him on the beach. (He began tapping his left foot and turned his head right, away from her stare. She withdrew her arm from the table, hunched her shoulders and told herself, "So that's what happened to Maria...," sporting a frown as the thought completed.) Olivia: He attacked Maria? (He straightened his back and leaned against the seat but kept his eyes unfocused, shifting them erratically in every direction, except hers.) Z: Yeah, he, uh... fired an arrow at her. Not exactly good but it could have been worse, you know, she'll be fine. Either way, that wasn't the worst of it... (Though his eyes remained unfocused, she noticed that the mild sadness peppered on his face had flared with anxiety. "Jeez... What else did that monster do?," she asked herself just before he answered...) Z: He left another massacre of bodies on the beach. Gerudo Pirates. He baited them with a dead body and went in for the kill. An entire team, wiped out in minutes... (He jerked his pupils right and looked at the clock on the wall. It read 12:38 (a.m.) and he continued...) Z: ...We were lucky, though. After he finished them off, he stared at me but then just walked away. It was weird but...nothing new. (He leaned his chair back again, this time with his hands behind his head and a foot against the table's leg.) Z: Who is this guy, Olivia? (She stayed quiet, rightfully assuming it a rhetorical question. A barrier of silence fell between them. They both sat, thinking, reflecting on what they had just seen and heard. His eyes on the ceiling, hers, on him.) "...." (She tilted her head back, focused on where he was staring and broke the silence.) Olivia: ...Why were you at the beach? (His chair returned on all fours and he removed his hands from behind his head. He raised his eyebrows, exhaled with rounded lips and replied...) Z: We were coming back from Zora Hall... ("Oh.," she thought, nodding at first rapidly, then more slowly as she remembered his mother's death. "It...must have crushed him...," she told herself, lowering the ends of her lips to frown. She developed her own suspicion for his trip to Zora Hall but asked, albeit hesitantly...) Olivia: Wha... What were you doing there? (He burned a stare into her olive-colored eyes but her gaze remained frozen with his. He knew where the conversation was heading and didn't want to go back there. "I just wanna rest, Olivia...," he started to lip but stopped and finished only the thought. He stood from his seat, pushed it in, turned and walked to the back without answering her.) (She didn't follow as he entered the room and stopped at the foot of Maria's bed. He stood with one hand in his pocket and the other stretched on the back of his neck, staring at her bandage while reliving the night's events. "We're lucky... So lucky... But we're pushing it, we're really pushing it, you know? And it's frustrating to see you always taking the fall for me... It's gotta end.," he conversed with himself as if expecting her to reply.) (He stayed there for several minutes, his expressions alternating between frowns and smiles with each changing thought. Olivia walked in, though she only watched him with the same blankness she had earlier and did not speak. Her look remained wooden though her thoughts were anything but, wandering erratically around the same memory. The warning she had given him about Damian and his loved ones. She felt goosebumps pop through her skin as if it were a physical manifestation of guilt, however unwarranted.) (She moved her lips to speak but stopped. He looked at her, his stare low yet gentle, and with it came her courage.) Olivia: ...I'm sorry. (His forehead creased as his lids lowered further, still gentle but also inquisitive. She had a ghostly appearance, strengthened by her puffed eyes and inanimate face. He was taken aback and asked with a meek stutter...) Z: S-sorry about what? (She let out a heavy, thoughtful sigh, looked away from him and at Maria.) Olivia: I, I... I didn't want to be right. Not about that... ("Oh...," he thought and realized what she was referring to, her warning. He relieved his hand from his neck and thrust it in his free pocket to match the other while it replayed.) "You're not looking for Damian because you want to find him or you're trying to help Kafei. You need something to take your mind off of your father, off your life in general." "You're selfish and going about it the wrong way. You're putting yourself and everyone around you in danger because you're hoping that all of this will just go away but it's not! You need to..." "If you really do care about your friends then face your demons and stop running from them. Find a way, any way but confront them because eventually they're gonna return to tear you apart. Life's too short to live with that on your heart. Talk, open up or you'll just end up hurting the people you love." (He breathed a hard sigh and told himself, "It all ended up happening...," while he walked to her, head inclined toward the floor. "All the guidance I needed, right there...And I rejected it.," he finished, now standing face to face with her. He raised his forefinger and stepped back on his right foot, watched his left with pursed lips and finally replied...) Z: ...You have no reason to be sorry, Olivia. (He coiled his finger to complete a fist and lifted his head to parallel with hers. Her eyes were not with his but his cheeks, though she listened attentively.) Z: I should have listened. You knew what you were talking about. (He patted her left shoulder twice as he walked toward the door. He twisted the knob but held it without opening, staring at the door's wooden, tree bark pattern.) Z: ...I was so wrapped up in my personal issues that I lost sight of everyone around me. I didn't care what I did or how it affected the people closest to me as long as it got me away from those thoughts. I messed up but...I'm starting to realize that sometimes it's gotta happen that way, you know, to open your eyes or whatever. It's not easy, though. But now I've just gotta do my best to not make that mistake again. I've already lost my mother because of it... (He looked over his right shoulder, past her and at Maria.) Z: ...And I almost lost her once before. The difference is that now I've... I've got real feelings for her. It's just not worth it... (He opened the door and left the room. She grabbed the door before it shut and followed. They walked in mirrored steps and she asked, looking at him with pupils brimmed a bright yellowish color.) Olivia: You gave up on Damian for Maria? (He grinned, not broadly though it was genuine, and turned his head toward hers to reply...) Z: I gave up on Link for Maria... (He continued walking and made it to his seat but she had stopped. Her gaze had fallen to the floor, though her head remained erect. His words had spelled her into deep introspection and dew formed around the lower rims of her eyes. "Huh?," he thought after her chair remained empty a few seconds too long. He twisted his body against the seat with his legs outstretched to the right, looked at her, and asked...) Z: ...Olivia? (She lifted her hand to her eyes, wiped away the tears and sniffed to show renewed composure. He made his eyes narrow, displayed a few teeth between slitted lips and asked consolingly...) Z: Hey, why are you crying? (She shook her head and walked to her seat, directly across from his. She sat, sniffed twice and blinked several times. He watched her with delicate, reassuring eyes but held his lips firmly together, waiting for her explanation. It never came. He inclined his eyes to an empty, sparkling glass on the table, then pushed them toward her and with meticulous care, asked...) Z: Seriously, why are you crying? (She looked at the glass and noticed a reflection of his eyes before she answered...) Olivia: ...I just thought of something. Don't worry about it... ("Come on, Olivia...," he thought in an unsatisfied whisper. He pressed his left elbow into his thigh, formed an "L" with his index finger and thumb and fitted it on his cheek as he asked, in a boyish tone...) Z: Well, why were you crying earlier then? (She widened her mouth and breathed a depressed sigh while, "You're not gonna give up, are you, Z?," ran through her thoughts.) Olivia: I had a fight with Raphael... (His lids expanded and he removed the "L" from his cheek. "Uh...Jeez, is it rude for me to ask why...?," he asked himself uncertainly. Unsure what to do, he murmured...) Z: Oh. (Another silence drew between them. He stooped his shoulders and twiddled his fingers while she focused on the clock, showing 12:53 (a.m.). "Okay...," he thought, tired of the hushed environment, and erected himself to ask...) Z: So that's why you were crying just now? Because you thought of Raphael? (As she turned to look at him, a few hairs fell over her eyes. She closed them, pulled the hairs from her face, and shook her head.) Olivia: ...Not exactly. Z: I see. ("That's it...?," she asked herself, expecting a followup. He didn't. She countered his deadpan answer by changing the subject.) Olivia: Can I ask you something, Z? ("My favorite question...," he told himself with a smile that spanned his lower jawline. Each time he'd been asked, an eye-popping personal development had followed. Expecting no different, he concealed his anxiety under a calm tone.) Z: Sure. (She paused and began tapping an alternating rhythm between her index and middle fingers. As her fingers halted, she asked...) Olivia: My brother... Why did you bring him to Clock Town? I never got to ask you earlier. ("How did she know?," he asked himself, surprised or more accurately, impressed by her intuitiveness, and answered in the same vein.) Z: You...knew? Olivia: Not at first but the more I thought about it, it just seemed to fit. I didn't ask you before because your mom had just died... (He raised and lowered his eyebrows quickly, then went back to twiddling his fingers. He avoided eye contact, watching his thumbs shift around, instead. "We really...we really messed up...," he voiced, moderately depressed, to himself. He knew their meeting hadn't gone smoothly.) Z: ...I'm sorry about that. (She smiled.) Olivia: I want to thank you. (He raised his head and shot a gaze at her. His deepened red lips were stiff, though curved slightly, suggesting a smile that contrasted with his cooler, more speculative eyes.) Z: Huh? Olivia: I hadn't seen him in so long... I admit, at first I was angry with you for bringing him here in his condition but after I really thought about it, it was great to see him again... (He watched her intently, fixed on her amusingly olive-colored eyes, in particular. "Is she saying this just to make me feel better or...?," he interrupted himself. He didn't need to finish, he realized her honesty and noticed another thing, she had eyes like her brother.) Olivia: ...I know David isn't going to get better. It really...took me a long time to accept that but I finally have and now just seeing his face is enough for me. (Some of the brightness faded from her eyes, though not from sadness but rather, a realization. He viewed it as the former, telling himself, "David's just another sad character in her story...," while he held his face aligned with the floor. Her maturity in accepting his "fate" was admirable but no less deflating. He wanted to restore that brightness and raised his look onto her to utter...) Z: I, uh... I met his old teacher, Malachi. (She squinted with slightly opened lips.) Z: ...He said he's working on a cure for David's Nirn addiction. (She smiled. Though, it was less authentic than earlier and said, without sound, "It's a nice thought but it'll never happen...") Olivia: Well... I'm glad. (She nodded slowly as she mouthed her last words. He felt worse now, she had no faith in her brother's recovery. She had already let go of him. "David...," he thought, remembering that his fate was uncertain after the ordeal at the beach. He glanced at the clock, it displayed 1:03 (a.m.), and stood up, feeling an unusual blend of fatigue symptoms.) Z: Hey. I'm gonna head to bed now, alright? Olivia: Okay, goodnight. Z: You should get some sleep, too. (She smiled and looked at the shining, empty glass. His image receding with every step toward the hallway. She lifted her eyes from this reflection, placed them on his actual frame and called out...) Olivia: Z. (He planted his feet but did not turn.) Z: Yeah? Olivia: Where are you going from here? ("Great question. You love to make me think before I leave, huh, Olivia?," he thought, with a casual smile, one hand stroking his chin and the other, open and making circular motions at his pauses.) Z: ...I'm not so sure anymore. But it's uh...funny, you know? When you're younger, you have all of these...these ideas about life, you know, how your life is going to be and it never...occurs to you that it might not turn out that way. I remember... I remember being like I don't know, six or seven, and just wanting to get out and see the world, experience it all. At the time, we were locked in a prison but my mind sure wasn't. I imagined everything from big waterfalls to like horse racing and stuff like that. And then I get out when I'm ten years old and...I see the world but it wasn't...quite that place I had imagined. You understand what I'm saying or am...? Olivia: Yes, I understand. Z: I mean, it's odd because despite being in that prison, despite everyone around me...suffering, I don't think my mind was ever more free. It was a good feeling. Sometimes I wish I could just go back, not for too long though, but do you ever feel that way? Olivia: ...Yes. Z: ...Yeah. But, I don't think Maria would let me. (He chuckled. She remained mute. He turned to her, she had a very pensive expression marked by a compressed brow, heavy breaths and a dead stare, stationed on the clock. He muffled a sigh between tight lips but raised them to smile and said, with great assurance...) Z: Everything will be alright. (She kept her eyes on the clock but smiled, genuinely, this time. He said to himself, "Everything will be alright... I didn't think I'd be able to say that and mean it so soon...," as he walked to the back.) Edited by Bx, Aug 7 2009, 12:51:27 AM.
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| Bx | May 6 2009, 12:08:56 AM Post #53 |
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Notorious
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(He cracked his eyes open the next morning around 10:00 (a.m.) or so, gaped his mouth and yawned. He shook his head a little, rubbed the caked residue beneath his lids and sat up with only one leg covered by the bed sheet. He stretched his arms in a "Y" formation and yawned once more before he turned his head toward Maria. She was still asleep, faced away from him with her profile pressed into the fluffed pillow. He smiled and smoothed his right hand across her bandaged shoulder gently. "A new day... It feels like it'll be a good one.," he said to himself, his lips still belted with a generous smile. He stood from the bed and went to the bathroom to wash up.) (Fully dressed, he exited the bathroom and pressed delicate steps to not wake Maria. In the front, he found Olivia, sitting where she had last night. "I hope she went to sleep.," he thought, and beamed a wide smile at her. She reciprocated it and he verbalized his thoughts to ask, jokingly...) Z: You did go to sleep, right? (He gripped the ends of his chair, pulled it from under the table, and sat across from her as she replied, in an at first glum, then jesting voice...) Olivia: No. I've been up all night crying... Just kidding. (He smirked.) Z: You're feeling better, though, right? (She nodded, slowly.) Olivia: Yeah, a little. Z: Good. (She parted her lips to reply but a loud knock banged at the door.) "KNOCK! KNOCK!!" ("Who the...?," he asked himself, then shifted his pupils right, toward the clock posted on the wall.) Z: It's 10:23 (a.m.), who's coming to see Kafei this early in the morning? The guy's not even up yet... (She shrugged and twisted her head right to watch as he walked toward the door.) "KNOCK! KNOCK!!" Z: Alright, hold on! (He grabbed the knob, twisted it and opened the door. It was Jim and a young girl holding an infant clothed in a baby blue sleeper, in her arms. "Huh?," he thought, taking particular note of the girl and baby before he focused on Jim. He intensified his stare with thin, horizontal eyes until he remembered Jim had mentioned having a baby. "Oh, yeah...," he said to himself and dulled his look to greet them, amicably.) Z: ...Hey, guys. (Jim curved his lips for a smile riddled with nervousness. But the two of them returned the greeting in a manner just as friendly as his.) Jim: Hi, Z. Girl: Hello, again. (Z had his stare latched onto the infant. He had tuned out their greeting. Noticing this, Jim let out an anxious chuckle that sounded more like an agitated squawk but followed with the obvious question.) Jim: ...You, uh... gonna let us in? (Startled, he raised his gaze from the baby and glanced at both of them. He realized his rudeness and quickly replied, waving his hand toward himself...) Z: I'm sorry. Come on in. (He stepped aside and let them in. Olivia studied them extensively, watching with a hand wiping her left cheek. Like Z, her gaze, vivid and attentive, was centered on the baby sleeping peacefully in his mother's arms. Though she masked her inquiring eyes under a polite greeting.) Olivia: Hello. (Jim, teeth gritted with a nervous grin, replied...) Jim: Good morning. Girl: Yes, good morning. I hope we didn't disturb you. (Olivia slid her hand from her cheek and shook her head.) Olivia: You didn't. I've been up for a while. (The girl smiled pleasantly at her and repositioned her baby's head to brace his neck more comfortably. Jim, shadowing her and with his hand set on her right shoulder, looked at Olivia and asked...) Jim: You remember me, right? Olivia: Yeah, you're Jim. Jim: Oh, okay. Great. I just wasn't sure if you did. (He applied more pressure to the girl's shoulder and tipped his head toward her to acquaint her.) Jim: And this is my girlfriend, Allie. I'm not sure you two were properly introduced before, Z. (Z stare's was still pasted onto the baby and he didn't respond. Jim's cheeks raised as he made a tight-lipped, awkward smile and turned to Olivia again.) Jim: And I know you two haven't met so Allie, this is Olivia and vice versa. (Both girls waved.) Olivia: Nice to meet you. Allie: Same to you. (It was an odd scene, this girl around their age holding an infant in her arms while a middle-aged man stood over her not as a fatherly figure but as her lover. To them, it seemed..."different," to say the least. Allie's body language suggested she felt the awkwardness. She placed her end on a chair and sat quietly, securing her son while keeping her eyes maintained on the floor. Wanting to keep things "natural," Jim snatched the baby from her and raised him for everyone to see.) Jim: ...And this is my baby boy, Tommy. (Olivia's yellow-green eyes illuminated with the rest of her face and dimples formed on her cheeks to compliment her smile. "That's so beautiful...," she told herself, and stretched her smile when Jim began rocking him and playfully poking his nose. Hands stuffed in his pockets and body angled against the wall, Z looked away at the sight. He thought it beautiful, as well but also hard to look at. Jim spotted Olivia's congenial expression and stopped rocking his son. He extended his arms towards her, telling her to take the boy. She did.) Olivia: Aww... He's so cute. (She looked at Allie and asked...) Olivia: How old is he? Allie: A week old. (She looked down at the baby again and continued cuddling him. Jim turned, looked at Z and said...) Jim: You can hold him next if you want. Z: ...Okay. (Olivia cuddled the baby for a few more minutes before she stood up, walked to Z and laid the sleeping baby softly in his arms. The boy's skin vibrated with Z's trembling hands, it was the first time he'd ever held a child and a cocktail of emotions were blending inside of him. He shakily drew an index finger across the infant's cheekbone.) (Maria appeared from the back, treading in light steps with her left arm secured firmly against her torso. It moved only marginally as she walked. She greeted Jim, Allie and Olivia courteously before she eyed Z, who still held Tommy clenched within his arms and hadn't yet noticed her.) Maria: Z? (He shivered at her voice and looked at her, his eyes sprightly in a startled manner.) Z: ...Yeah? (A few strands of her hair twitched unnoticeably but her warm face remained unchanged. "Aww...," she thought, staring at him with a wedding day gaze. He felt awkward and fitted his lips with a constrained smile to ask...) Z: Um... What happened, Maria? You feel okay, right? Maria: I feel just fine. (He lowered his eyes onto the baby and said...) Z: I'd ask if you want to hold him but... (He glanced at her taped shoulder. Creases raised within her forehead as she frowned, clamped her lower lip between her teeth and replied...) Maria: Oh, that's alright... ("Ah, I can't do that to her. Hmm...," he told himself, hoping to restore her warm, sunny expression. After a few seconds of thought, and some inconspicuous glances at her shoulder, he devised an idea and made his way to her. She looked at him as if he were approaching to pry her teeth out, her face held stiff and wary. He raised an eyebrow at her, in an amused sort of way and extended the little guy to her.) Maria: What? Z, I... (Her damaged shoulder rocked a spasm, illustrating her point. Undeterred, he pushed the baby onto her chest, cuffed her good arm under his neck and supported the boy's back and legs with his own hands. Before she could express both her surprise and thanks, he said, with an earnest grin...) Z: You didn't think I was gonna let that shoulder keep you from holding him, right? And it's nice to be around someone who's everything I'm not for a change, huh? (He finished with a sly wink. She smiled, though her stare was more engrossed on the baby.) Maria: ...Thanks, Z. But you do have at least one good thing in common... You're both sweet. (Together, they rocked the youngster back and forth to the melody of "Rock-a-bye Baby." The others watched quietly, each thinking about their own relationship. Jim placed his arm around Allie's neck and Olivia had a trace of a smile but watched her clasped fingers with lowered eyes.) Jim: You guys see he's a good kid, huh? Never cries or anything, quiet like his mother. (He nudged his arm against Allie's neck. She laughed and tilted her head toward his. They smiled at each other but afterward, he sobered his face and weighted his tone with some gravity.) Jim: Z. (Too engrossed with the baby, he didn't answer. Olivia straightened her face and turned to get his attention.) Olivia: Z. (He twisted his neck left and looked over his shoulder at her, his palms still securing the baby.) Z: Yeah? (She pointed to Jim.) Olivia: He's talking to you. (He wrenched his neck the other way, focused on Jim and noticed his off-putting expression.) Z: What's wrong? (Jim inclined his head toward the floor and uncurled his arm from his girlfriend's neck. "What, now...?," Z asked himself, now breathing slow breaths accompanied by long pauses in between. His facial muscles had lost their animation and without warning Maria, he fastened his left arm under the baby's neck, pulled him from her and handed him to his mother as Jim began speaking...) Jim: ...I, I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news but... (He stopped. Everyone had centered their attention on him.) Jim: Two Bod... (The front door burst open. Everyone quivered a little at it's abruptness and turned to see who it was, Raphael. The lower rim of his hazel eyes were dim, shadowed by restlessness. From his nose, he was snorting very much like a hotheaded bull. His fury was evident. Z glanced at Olivia just as she forced her stare away from Raphael and onto the legs of a chair. "She did mention they had a fight last night...," he remembered, and fired another look at Raphael, who glared divisively at Olivia before he delivered his curt greeting to the rest.) Raphael: Hello. (All, except Olivia, replied uneasily...) All: Hey... (His disposition seemed to mellow as he looked around the room and saw everyone's wide-eyed stares. He exhaled harshly between gritted teeth and shut both his lips and eyes until he reopened them, more amiable than earlier but not quite friendly, and targeted Z.) Raphael: Have you heard? (He stretched his lids some and asked himself, "Heard what?," before he asked...) Z: Um... No, what happened? (He made his eyes two slits and began shaking his head slowly while he clenched both hands into fists. He wet his lips with the tip of his tongue and threw another glare at Olivia, this one more incensed than the other. He returned his look to Z and pinched his lips to remove their moistness while he said...) Raphael: ...Two of my best friends were murdered last night. (Olivia's eyes spread open and despite his harsh treatment towards her, she raised from her seat and asked...) Olivia: Who!? (He grimaced. His mouth opened to answer but Jim fluttered his arms in the air and exclaimed...) Jim: They were your friends?! ("Who are we talking about...?," Z asked himself. He turned to Maria and shrugged as an indication of his confusion. She hid her lips' redness within her mouth and shook her head while the others furthered their conversation.) Raphael: ...Yeah, Nat and Regal. A couple of guys I grew up with... (Olivia's lips tore open and stayed this way as she asked herself, "Who would want to kill them...? They...were...good men." and as if he had read her mind, Raphael replied...) Raphael: ...The bodies were mutilated. ("Oh, no...," she thought, now having figured it out. Though the others weren't as intuitive and Z, with his arms spread, inclined and palms displayed, angrily demanded...) Z: What the hell is going on?! What are you guys talking about!? (Maria used her working arm and placed a hand over his shoulder.) Maria: ...Relax. (Raphael's frustration along with his bullishness returned. Callousness had been carved into his expression and his voice registered a grating quality. He seemed intent on berating Olivia as he looked at her and branded her with more of his anger.) Raphael: You said the Demon was captured. You lied! Olivia: No, I didn't! ...Last night, Z told me that he'd escaped from his captors! I didn't know before then... (She moved closer to him, lifted her right arm and stretched her hand to touch him softly but he snatched away from her and pressed back on his right heel. His eyes still held no appeal for her.) Olivia: Raphael, please calm down... You don't know that it was him for sure... Jim: That's true. The Underground's become wild, lately... ("Wild?," Z thought and looked at him wide-eyed, in a way that characterized his curiosity.) Z: What do you mean "wild?" (Jim turned to him and nodded.) Jim: ...Within the last few weeks, the food supply has gotten lower. People are starving, it's like they're not afraid of incurring Damian's wrath, some even go out and attack others who have food. The place is becoming more of a hell. That's why I'm relocating to the inn. I can't have my son growing up in that environment. (He pressed his index finger on Tommy's forehead and rubbed across gently. With all of the commotion, Kafei finally appeared.) Kafei: What's going on in here?! (Aside from Raphael, who was making his way toward the wall, everyone turned and looked at him.) Raphael: Damn it! I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch! (His teeth were gnashed while the rest of his face scrunched together and he made a fist with his right hand. He raised the fist and launched it at the wall, creating a fist-sized dent.) Kafei: Hey! Stop that! (The baby had awakened and began to cry loudly. His mother quieted him quickly, placing a pacifier in his mouth. Raphael, gusting angered, winded breaths through his nose, looked at Z and asked...) Raphael: ...Where did you last see him? (Confused, Kafei waved his arms in the air to get the others' attention and asked...) Kafei: See who? (They ignored him.) Z: At the beach. But he... (Without delay, he twisted the knob and cracked the door but Olivia grabbed his forearm before he could exit. He turned his ear toward her but kept his eyes from her.) Olivia: Raphael, please... (He yanked his arm from her grasp and left, slamming the door behind him. "Why are you doing this to me...?," she thought, reopening the door to chase after him.) Olivia: Wait! Don't!! (A swift, light wind breezed in with the swinging door. Everyone watched her disappear after him. Holding his arms in a stiff shrug, Kafei looked at everyone and asked, with some peculiar desperation in his voice...) Kafei: Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on!? (Z turned to him and replied...) Z: ...The Demon's back. (Behind his mask, Kafei's pupils rolled around unstably while his jaw dropped, revealing the tip of his chin just beneath the edge of his mask. The weight lifted from his shoulders when he had learned of the Demon's capture crashed back down on him. Without waiting for his reply, Z started for the door but stopped when Maria called out...) Maria: You're going after them?! (He turned around and saw that her face was sulky and harrowed by premonition. She had her doubts, more so than usual. He read all of this and pushed four fingers against his brow, creating his own wrinkles as he replied...) Z: ...He's not thinking straight. I'm afraid of what he might do... ("Good enough for me.," she told herself and pressed forward, toward him. When she reached him, he stopped her with a careful wag of his forefinger and said...) Z: No. Your shoulder still needs rest. Stay here. (Her wounded arm jittered with his words. His point made lucid by her own body, she realized she had no argument. "I hate letting him go alone...," she thought, staring at her bandage as if it could feel the coldness emitting from her eyes. Like this, she made a slight, almost unnoticeable nod and said...) Maria: ...Fine. Be safe, though. (He placed his hand over her weak shoulder, rubbed it and uttered, "I will.," silently, before he turned and exited, shutting the door behind him. He had gone but her somberness remained. As she turned, Jim noticed it and to raise her spirits, said...) Jim: ...He'll be alright. ("Easy for you to say...," she told him internally, but smiled politely, the type used to assure the other person that their words "meant" something.) (Z caught up with Raphael and Olivia in Termina Field, just outside of the Western Gate. She had her arms coiled around his neck, he had her wrists firmly within his grasp and made sideways pulling motions to yank her wrapped arms off of him.) Raphael: G-go back! I know what I'm doing! Olivia: You're being stupid! ...Look at yourself!! (Z reached them, gripped his hands around her torso and pulled her off of him. Not acknowledging either of them, he stormed toward the beach, pounding his tracks into the grass. With the gap between her and Raphael increasing, she flailed her arms at Z to free herself from his grip.) Olivia: Wha... What... Ah! ...are you... Argh...d-doing!? (She whacked his face forcefully with the top of her left hand and he stumbled back a few steps, releasing her in the process. She ran a few inches forward but stopped and looked back at him. Her lips were pouted and her lids nearly sealed the "whites," but much of the abrasiveness had fled, replaced by genuine concern. Z took advantage of this and wrapped his arms around her somewhat roughly to lock her movements. Holding her, he said...) Z: Just let him go... You can't stop him anyway. (He pulled away from her slowly, leaving his hands not far from her arms as he took backward steps. She didn't move, or even flinch. She only pleaded while her feet tapped a nerved alternating rhythm.) Olivia: But Z... Z: I know it's hard but let him go. (She put the tips of both her middle and index fingers in her mouth and bit on them. He heard sighs bursting through her nose. "She's really worried.," he thought, studying her fidgeting. "I've gotta help her. That's all she's got...," he told himself, and placed his hand on her shoulder.) Z: ...I'll follow him. Olivia: Please don't... (His eyebrows raised and he placed his hand back at his side.) Z: ...There's no guarantee he'll find the Demon. I'll try to get him to calm down. (She refused to let him leave and started shaking her head, "No." He stepped in front of her, stretched his left hand out with a raised index finger and pointed it in Raphael's direction to blurt out...) Z: ...He's all you've got Olivia! You lose him and what are you left with? Tell me and I won't go. Just tell me. (Her lips were tight and she didn't move. He brought his arm down and said, in an eased tone...) Z: Now go back to Kafei's Office... (She closed her eyes briefly. When she reopened them, he noticed the white part had a pinkish coating. She said nothing, turned on her heel and started walking back to Clock Town. As he watched the rear of her yellow shirt flap with the crosswind, he said...) Z: Ev... Everything will be alright, remember?! I...I meant that... (His sentence finished with less strength than it had began. He vented a sigh and turned to follow Raphael, who had nearly faded from view. As he did so, he heard her call out...) Olivia: But what about Maria...?! (He stopped, without turning around.) Olivia: ...Aren't you all she's got? (The delicacy her voice had discharged in the last statement gusted into his ears with the wind. But he made no attempt to respond and pushed himself after Raphael while she watched both frames vanish.) (Having nearly caught up with Raphael, he yelled...) Z: Raphael! Raphael!! (He didn't look back. He continued charging through Termina Field "en route" for the Demon. Z looked up to the sky in disgust and began running harder. Minutes later, he was right beside the slower paced Raphael, who glared at him with a coldness wrapped between his pupils.) Raphael: Go back! (Z shook his head. The wrinkles deepened within Raphael's forehead and he lashed out. He started slapping at Z's face to end his pursuit.) Raphael: I said the get the hell away from me!! (His efforts had been vain. "So he's gonna be a moron!?," he asked himself angrily, pulling his knife out as he they ran. Z hadn't seen it and was unprepared when he lunged at him and knocked him to the ground. Holding him down with his blade at his throat, Raphael, viciously and with saliva spraying from his mouth, said...) Raphael: ...I don't care who you are or what Olivia thinks. I'll kill you if you don't get the fuck away from me!!! ("This guy's serious... I've gotta compromise.," Z thought, breathing steadily through his nostrils as his throat was pinched by the tip of the knife.) Z: ...Alright, alright. Calm down... Raphael: Then go back to Clock Town, right now! ("The chances of him finding the Demon are slim at best, but...I can't risk it. I can't let him go alone... If he dies, that girl will crack, I know it... I, I've got to make sure it doesn't happen...," he assured himself of his decision and said...) Z: ...I, I can help you. (Raphael pulled the dagger from his neck but still held him down with a knee driving through his gut.) Raphael: You'll help me find the Demon? Z: Yes... (He stared at him for a moment as if he were trying to gauge whether he was being truthful or not but he lifted his knee and allowed him to stand.) Raphael: ...Why do you want to help me so much? (He made his eyes thin and suspicious. Z felt it and decided against telling him his real reason despite the unfounded nature of his "suspicion.") Z: I've seen what he can do and I've seen your temper... Raphael: You're saying I can't handle myself? (His bravado was sickening. "Stop thinking of yourself for once!," Z exclaimed internally. He rolled his eyes and looked at the cloudless sky before he straightened his face and said...) Z: ...You were lucky to receive his "sympathy" when you last encountered him. I don't know if you'll be so lucky this time... (Raphael received a flashback of his first and only experience with the Demon. He placed his hand over his throat and began rubbing it. The reminder had made it sore.) Z: It's still a ways to the beach... C'mon. (He waved his hand toward him and walked ahead. Now officially working as a team, they made their way to the beach a few hours later. Instantly, they heard harsh, clashing metallic sounds as well as screaming, reminiscent of a battle.) "Get him!!!" (Ahead, a swarm of Gerudo Pirates and Zoras were attacking a dark figure on a small boat...The Demon. They seemed to be getting the upper hand as some from both races were in the water, pushing against the boat to capsize it. On land, another group fired a healthy dose of arrows and spears at him. The Demon looked sluggish, his movements were lethargic and held a clunky quality. A sign that the relentless pursuit had taken it's toll. Despite the lack of vigor, his technique remained dynamic, he dodged the long range attacks and slashed at those in the water, forcing them to keep their distance.) (Raphael's face was darkened by a flush of anger. He had spotted the Demon and slanted his eyebrows to display a menacing glare. Locking his teeth together, he dashed forward, leaving a path of sandy footprints with his steps. "Argh... Don't be idiot!!," Z voiced in a commanding tone and rushed after him.) Z: Hold on!! (He didn't acknowledge the call, cut through the attackers and dove into the water to kill the man he suspected murdered his comrades. Running through the crowd, Z twisted his head left and right, searching for Eagles among them but he didn't see him. His foot splashed as he hit the water's edge and dived in after Raphael. He saw him swimming toward the boat and followed, both unaware that another boat piloted by a Zora was on a crash course with the Demon's.) (Neither noticed until it was too late and as they swam up, the other boat crashed into the Demon's. Both went unconscious and were whipped back underwater to drift in opposite directions. Z floated east and Raphael, west. The current carried them through the wreckage while the Demon, still alive, sliced through the water on a western path with his Zora pursuer closely behind.) Edited by Bx, Aug 7 2009, 02:11:28 PM.
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| Bx | May 6 2009, 05:06:09 PM Post #54 |
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Notorious
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(Z laid unconscious, he had washed ashore near the Pirates' Fortress. He had been there for some time as much of his once soaked body had dried with the baking overhead sun. Two young Gerudo Pirates stood over him, looking at each other repeatedly with their golden eyes shimmering in the light as though representative of the euphoria they received watching him.) Pirate 1: Hmm.... Well, what do you think? (The other pirate studied his features with squinted eyes, her lips curved slightly like a crescent as she did this and placed a hand on her chin. Then she looked up at her and said...) Pirate 2: You know... I think you should go tell the others. I'll stay here with him. (Her friend's eyebrows twitched with suspicion. A muffled, "Hmm..." sounded from her unmoved lips as she inclined her head toward Z. Her eyes particularly engrossed with his lower half, she replied...) Pirate 1: Uh... Why don't you go and tell the others? (The other pirate groaned and stepped forward to position herself closer to the unconscious teen. Holding a hand against her hip, she still had that wry smile and said...) Pirate 2: Well, you know the shortcut so I figured you'd get there faster. Pirate 1: No, really, I insist. Go, go. It won't be long. (She grinned devilishly, moved closer to Z and rested her left foot on his thigh, suggesting that she had "marked" her "catch." Unimpressed, the other pirate hunched herself, pressed her hand on his free thigh, looked up and asked defiantly...) Pirate 2: You want to stay out here after what happened with that Demon? (It was an ironic quip as it made both uneasy. Their lust had floated away with the air in her breath and fear had taken its place. They stared at each other owl-eyed for a second and said in unison...) Together: ...Let's go. (They lifted his body, carried him to the Pirates' Fortress and tossed him into a prison cell. As they locked the gate, each took one final look at him and sighed hopelessly before heading to their leader's chambers. They opened the door to her room and found her talking to her assistant, Te. She spotted them and with a hand bent back to gesture her curiosity, asked...) Aveil: What is it? (The two pirates looked at each and at the same, answered...) Pirate 1: I found a body! Pirate 2: We found a body! (Aveil's raised her eyes, alarmed, and rounded her lips. She turned to her assistant and asked...) Aveil: Did you understand any of that? (She shook her head rapidly.) Te: Not one bit. I think our comrades may be trying to hide something... (She tilted her head slightly toward the two "lovestruck" subordinates as she finished. Both pirates panicked, they waved their arms from side to side as they explained...) Pirate 1: No, no. It's not like that! Pirate 2: Yes, we, well she thought that if she took credit for the discovery, she could have him! Pirate 1: That's not true! (Their childish bickering continued until Aveil raised a hand, spread open, in the air and shouted...) Aveil: SHUT UP! Both of you! (They stopped and held their eyes low to the ground, frightened by her tone more than anything. With her arms crossed, she walked to them in slow, deliberate steps to heighten their tensions. She stopped just inches from their noses and fired a harsh, probing stare at the pirate on the left.) Aveil: Alright, now tell me what happened? Who did you find? (Still with her head directed at the ground, she replied...) Pirate 2: ...A boy. We found him washed ashore. (She raised an eyebrow and thought, "It's just a boy," while she focused on the other one and asked...) Aveil: And your story is the same? (She clicked her teeth and nodded nervously. Aveil uncrossed her arms, rolled her eyes from this pirate to the one on her left and murmured...) Aveil: Hmm... (She glanced over her shoulder at Te and asked...) Aveil: I think we should see this boy, don't you? (She smiled wolfishly, displaying some of her molars, and replied...) Te: I agree. (A nervous gulp was heard from the two younger pirates' throats. Aveil faced them again and asked...) Aveil: Did you take him to the holds? Pirate 1: Yes. Aveil: Okay, then. Shall we? (The four of them exited the room and made their way to the holds where hundreds of prisoners were lined up in cells, hoping for freedom... Some more than others. When they arrived at Z's cell, Aveil and Te peered through the openings between the bars to get a good look at him. After a second, they both chuckled. Aveil turned to the two subordinates and asked...) Aveil: So I guess I'm correct in assuming that you both want him for yourself? (Both shot their arms at her and made repeated, greedy pulling motions toward themselves with open palms. Aveil's eyes bulged and she looked at her assistant, whose eyes had also expanded with surprise.) Pirate 2: I'm more deserving, Admiral! Pirate 1: Oh, shut up! (Aveil's bulging eyes tightened, as the rest of her face did, with strain. She glanced at her scimitar, debating internally whether to brandish it, but she decided against it and shouted...) Aveil: You two are pathetic! (Their chattering, bony jaws dropped. Their lower jawlines tightened as their lips parted some, both showing clenched white teeth. Aveil outstretched her arms, grabbed opposite sides of their heads and bashed them together. The two voiced a painful, "Ow..." as they brought their hands to their heads and rubbed the pulsing throb while she scolded them.) Aveil: I don't give a damn how young you are! Do you not realize that several of your comrades have just recently fallen in battle?! And why!? Why!? Because of screw ups like you two! That's why that damn Demon escaped and that's why several of our best are no longer with us! Because you airheads are after one thing! (She turned to Te and pointed at the locked cell door.) Aveil: Open the cell. (The two younger pirates looked at each other warily, unsure of their fate. Though as the door swung open, an odd boyishness colored their faces.) Aveil: Bring the kid out. (Te went in, lifted the slightly damp, still unconscious Z, whose clothes dripped faint droplets of water as she walked, and exited the cell. As she placed a hand on the iron gate to shut it, Aveil grabbed it and stopped her.) Aveil: No, hold on. (Still with her hand grasping the iron bar, she looked over her right shoulder at the two pirates and said...) Aveil: Get in. (She directed them with her forefinger just inside the cell door. Their coloring paled and their facial muscles sagged as a ghastliness distorted their expressions.) Pirate 1 & 2: WHY?! Aveil: Since you're so fascinated with prisoners during this very trying time, you'll spend plenty of time with them. (Several of the prisoners onlooking burst into laughter.) Aveil: Now get in. (Their heads hung below their shoulders and they made slow, reluctant steps inside the cell. When they were within the cell's confines and staring puppy-eyed at freedom, Te shut and locked the door. Without another word, Aveil and Te, still holding Z, left the holds with a bustle of laughter echoing at each step.) Aveil: ...The nerve of those two. Idiots. (They reentered her room. Aveil walked in, her fingers clenched tightly within the handle of her blade, and shook her head. She stood there, reflecting on the sad state of her people. Te stood behind, her arms had begun to flinch from holding Z's weight. Strained sweat seeped through the pores in her brow while she asked...) Te: Admiral, can I...? (Aveil looked at her. The sight had latched a smirk between her lips.) Aveil: Yes. Sorry, I forgot you still had him. (She laid Z's body on the ground.) Aveil: Well since we've got him here, wake him up. (Te kneeled, gripped some strands of Z's hair in one hand and slapped his right cheek several times with the other until his pupils revealed. She released his hair and his eyes blinked irregularly, at first slowly, then more rapidly, as he regained consciousness. He gasped short, unsteady, somewhat winded breaths, placed a palm over his cheek and felt its reddened, stinging, vibrating throb.) (When his eyes made themselves unflinching ovals, he realized he was in unfamiliar territory. The ovals rounded with a common mix of curiosity and fear. With both hands pressed against the ground, he erected his back and sat up, further opening the stares of the two Gerudos watching him. "How the hell did I end up here...?," flashed in his mind and he wrenched his neck from side to side to scope his surroundings. "The Pirates' Fortress...Damn.," he thought, and began to cross his left arm over his chest to stand but stopped when he felt a sharp prick on his bicep. The tip of Aveil's scimitar.) Aveil: Slow down there. Who are you? Z: ...Name's Zeno. (Her banana yellow eyes glimmered at the name. She looked at Te, her eyes shining almost as brightly as hers, and then back at him to ask...) Aveil: The hero of Hyrule? Z: Uh, Sure... (His initial stammer and trailed-off breath suggested some annoyance at her question. Though she failed to notice and withdrew her blade from his upper arm. He shaped his eyes thin and razor-like, and cut through her stare to gauge whether it was safe for him to stand. She answered with a slight nod. As he lifted himself from the ground, she commented...) Aveil: I've looked forward to meeting you. ("Huh? You've been looking forward to meeting me and I don't even know who you are?," he asked her in his mind but softened its cheekiness when he replied...) Z: And you are? (Her shoulders perked up proudly and she answered with a wide smile...) Aveil: Admiral Aveil, leader of the Gerudo Pirates and a member of Termina's Grand Council. And over there is Te, my second-in-command. (She tipped her head toward her assistant. Te nodded at him politely and he responded likewise. He placed his focus back on Aveil.) Aveil: Since you're probably wondering how you got here, a couple of my subordinates found you unconscious on the outskirt of the fortress. ("Raphael...," he thought, and his eyes grew with inquisitiveness.) Z: Did you find anyone else with me? (She puckered her lips, clasped her hands and looked down at the ground with eyes lowered slightly while she thought. Moments later, she shook her head and then brought her gaze back to his.) Aveil: No. They only found you...I think. ("You think? What does that mean?," he voiced to himself in a loud but uncertain tone, fitting his dismay. He kept this within, though, and looked at her, a hint of agitation was hidden between his rippled forehead.) Z: ...I see. So...what happened with the Demon? I'm sure you already know this but there was a battle on the beach involving him and some of your people as well as Zoras. (She wore her regret unashamedly as her facial gestures drooped, giving her an elderly, sagging appearance.) Aveil: ...It didn't go well for us. (He understood and nodded to show this. He opened his mouth to ask about the Demon's capture but her eyes hadn't noticed yet she answered all the same...) Aveil: We blew it. Z: You mean the Demon? (Surprised, she lifted a discerning gaze to match his and asked, placing a hard emphasis on her final word...) Aveil: You knew? Z: Yeah, Maven told me about it. Aveil: ...Bastard. Bet he enjoyed finding out, filled his ego right up, I'm sure. (An uncertain, "Hmm..." traveled from his pursed lips. He held his chin between two fingers then pulled them away and directed one at her.) Z: So how exactly did you catch the Demon? Aveil: We hir... (She cut herself off, sealed her lips, and shifted her eyes onto Te, who gestured "No" with a slight shake of the head. Z's eyes flickered suspiciously though he remained tight-lipped.) Aveil: ...Oh. Well, our uh... Demon Hunters caught him while he was sleeping. In an...a-ambush they... ("She's lying.," he thought. Her faltered speech had given it away. Interrupting her, though not irreverently, he asked...) Z: Are you sure that's how it happened? (She glared at him coldly.) Aveil: Are you calling me a liar? Z: No. I'm saying you're lying. There's a difference. (As a pirate, Aveil had been many things but ironically she was no liar. She realized this, wrapped a hand around her forehead and expressed a drawn out sigh. He crossed his arms and asked...) Z: A Zora? (Aveil and Te's jaws plunged much in the same way the two subordinates' had earlier. Z's head twisted right as he grinned, though, he quickly hardened face when he looked at them again.) Z: So, did a Zora offer his services to help you catch the Demon? Aveil: No. Where would you get su...? (She stopped herself. Lying just wasn't her strong point. Her golden cheeks blushed, she let out another sigh, threw her arms up in a yield and confessed...) Aveil: ...Yes and no. (Te, stunned to hear her confession, stared at her with her lips, nostrils and lids stretched wide. Z, on the other hand, smiled approvingly. "Now we're gonna get to the good stuff.," he told himself, feeling a renewed confidence.) Aveil: ...We found him much like you, washed ashore, he was shipwrecked and unconscious. We figured he was just another Zora spy and threw him in our holds. It wasn't until he woke up drunk and disorderly...to put it nicely, that we found out how wrong we were. ("Drunk and disorderly? Ha. Sounds just like him.,", his smile extended with the thought.) Aveil: ...He didn't seem to care that we held him prisoner until we dragged him out for interrogation. And with him being a Zora, no one wanted to use him for any other purposes. ("Other purposes? Huh?," he asked himself with one eyebrow jerked upward, though he avoided the topic with her.) Z: Interrogation? Aveil: Well, if you haven't noticed, the Zoras and us don't exactly have a great relationship... It's very scandalous actually. Anyway, he claimed he had no idea what we were talking about when we asked him about Maven and other things that any Terminian Zora would know... Figuring it was just a ploy, we mentioned the Demon to which he replied, "...The hell is a Demon?" and at that point, we pretty much knew... (He giggled somewhat bashfully but still noticeably. He'd been right the entire time, it was Eagles he'd seen after all. She frowned at his behavior and cocked her head left to ask...) Aveil: Is something funny? (He erased the youthfulness in his face and replied...) Z: Sorry. You can continue. Aveil: For his freedom, he offered to catch the Demon. Thinking it'd be humorous to see this old drunk try, we allowed him to go. A day later, the Demon was in our holds. Needless to say, we couldn't believe it... (Remembering the 400,000 bounty, he asked...) Z: So Eagles received the bounty? (Aveil and Te squinted at each other. They were confused. Focusing her look on him again, Aveil asked...) Aveil: Who? (Their confusion had captured his thoughts and he said to himself, "Jeez, maybe I'm wrong...") Z: Eagles. That was his name, right? Aveil: He said his name was "Falcon." Rick Falcon. ("Huh?" he asked himself before he thought about it a little more, "Rick Falcon. George Eagles. Hmm... Both last names are birds of prey, that'd be an odd coincidence." He pondered it for a few more moments with his left hand pressing his side and his head to the ground. "Okay, so...Eagles, Eagles... Ah...," he thought and tilted his head back as if he were looking up at someone. He then leveled his eyes with Aveil's and asked...) Z: How tall was this guy? (She looked up, just as he had.) Aveil: I don't know for sure but uh...pretty tall. Definitely taller than your average Zora. Why? You think the guy you mentioned is the guy we met? (In his head, he figured the Zora to be Eagles but chose to respect whatever reasons his old "friend" had for giving her an alias and replied...) Z: No. The guy I'm talking about is short and has a potbelly. Aveil: Oh. Z: So anyway, did E... Falcon receive the bounty? Aveil: Interestingly enough, he didn't. The conditions were that he'd receive his freedom, he didn't know about the bounty. Z: I see. ...So then, you took the bounty? I remember the Council had a meeting so I'm assuming... (She raised her hand and interrupted him.) Aveil: I didn't have any intentions of taking the 400,000 rupees for myself but I wasn't going to give it to Falcon either. Z: So who was gonna receive the bounty, then? (She shifted the belt strapped to her waist, looked in the direction opposite Te and said...) Aveil: ...I, uh... I have a friend who's in an unfortunate situation. I was going to give her the money so she could have a new start on life. Of course, that didn't end up happening... ("A new start on life, boy, me and Maria could sure use one...," he said to himself, thinking about what they could do with 400,000 rupees. Olivia appeared in his thoughts as well and he told himself, "She could really use it. Especially with Raphael and David's...," he shut off the thought by clamping his lids and shaking his head. It worked, almost. To fully counter the creeping sadness, he asked in a rushed voice that sounded demanding...) Z: Well, where is Falcon? Aveil: ...I guess he's still pursuing the Demon. When he found out he'd escaped, he immediately left. I don't understand it, though. He already had his freedom, there was no reason for him to continue hunting him. Then again, he may have found out about the bounty... (Eagles' or "Falcon's" reasons for hunting the Demon were his own. The Demon's escape had perked his interest more sharply. With a pair of keen eyes on hers, he asked...) Z: So just how did the Demon escape? (She shrugged.) Aveil: No idea. I'm guessing our guards slacked off... (He made an inattentive nod. Her lack of a definite answer had transferred his mind back to Raphael's fate. His glossy pupils gazed past her blankly. "I just hope he made it back...," he thought while a sigh filtered from his nose. Some vigor had returned in his expression when he looked at Aveil, turned on his heel and said...) Z: ...I'm gonna head back to Clock Town now. It was... nice meeting you. (He took a step forward and stopped with the echo of her voice.) Aveil: I'm sorry about what happened to your mother. My prejudice doesn't extend to all Zoras, simply those like Maven. (He winced as if her words had cut him. His mother was the last person he had wanted brought up. Despite this, his response held a sort of wounded politeness.) Z: Yeah, uh...thanks. (He lifted his foot to take another step but her next statement froze him.) Aveil: That Damian's a real bastard. ("Wha...!?," he thought, now with a look of horror, intrigue, and confusion splashed across his face. He whipped around, pried his lips to ask the obvious but she waved her hand, silencing the anticipated question.) Aveil: Yes, I know of Damian. ("But, how...?," he lipped silently. His voice had lost it's sound, not from wordlessness but rather, shock. Noticing his look as well as his racing lips uttering inaudible speech, Aveil moved towards him, placed her hands atop his shoulders and asked...) Aveil: You okay? (He brought his teeth together, gulped some saliva and recollected himself to finally deliver a complete, audible thought.) Z: But Kafei said... Aveil: Kafei's a liar. You should know that by now. (She lifted her hands from his shoulders, stepped back and listened attentively to his incoming questions.) Z: Do the other Grand Council members know? Aveil: I couldn't tell you for sure but I doubt it. Z: So how...? (She walked to her desk, pulled her chair from under and sat, arms crossed and stare as serious as it had been.) Aveil: I didn't always know of his existence, not until recently anyway. Z: So why haven't you brought it to Kafei's attention? Aveil: Even if I did, you think he'd admit to it? The man's obsessed with his image. Anything that could potentially ruin him, he sweeps under the rug. Of course that doesn't mean it goes away, the pile just keeps building until it's too large to ignore. But, I think he realizes his mistakes now and that's why he's been using you. ("Using me!?," he repeated angrily in his head. His brow crunched, his eyebrows slanted menacingly and his eyes sharpened and shot a glare at her.) Z: Listen, I looked for Damian on my accords not for Kafei or anyone else! Aveil: ...My mistake. (She brushed a hand through her hair and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Realizing the unnecessary harshness of his outburst, he replied apologetically...) Z: Sorry... (She lifted herself from her seat and dangled a finger at him before she dropped it to her side.) Aveil: So you've given up your search? ("Great question...," he thought, and blew some air between round lips, showing the strain her question placed on him. He stared at her flat-topped desk, questioning himself, with a watery tongue moistening his dried lips. Then he looked up at her, not to give an answer, but flip the inquiry on her.) Z: Who told you about Damian? Aveil: No one you know. (He sighed.) Z: ...Then at least tell me what you know. (She looked at him, squint-eyed.) Aveil: So... you haven't given up your search? Z: Ugh, just forget it. (He tossed his hand at her in disgust, turned, but did not take a step. He knew her lips still withheld more surprises.) Aveil: Listen, I have a theory. (He cracked a smile but his back remained toward her.) Aveil: Now I'm sure I don't know much more about Damian then you but I don't believe there even is a "Damian." ("She's crazy...," he said to himself, "...If not, she's toying with me...," he finished. Though as he stood there, his back still to her, wondering, those words seemed less and less absurd. No one had ever "seen" Damian and those who presumably did never necessarily referred to him by that name. He bit his lower lip, pressed two fingers on his eyebrows, closed his eyes and thought about every experience he'd had in the Underground. Nothing. He found nothing to undoubtedly disprove her statement. He reopened his lids, looked over his shoulder at her and asked in an uncharacteristically low tone...) Z: What's your theory? (She didn't answer. He turned himself fully towards her. She pulled one of her desk drawers open, lifted a small rectangular paper out, walked, and handed it to him.) Z: What's...? (He stopped himself and looked at the "paper" or more accurately, photo. It was old as evidenced by the clothing and the image's quality. At a glance, it appeared to be a family portrait of some sort but when he looked at it more intensely, he realized it wasn't.) (There were nine people in the photo. Two adults, a rough-looking man with a scruffy, dark brown beard and a younger pregnant woman, whose eyes were shaped by melancholy. The rest were small children, all boys, ranging from ages six to no older than twelve, maybe. A set of twin boys, standing at each other's side, with unearthly bright blonde hair captured his attention, in particular. His eyebrows shot up as he thought, "Dhani...? Vladimir...? But...no...? No, that's n...," and clapped his forehead with a free yet distressed hand. He then pulled his eyes away from the picture and looked up at Aveil for clarification.) Aveil: Know what a marauder is? (He nodded slowly but attentively.) Aveil: Pillaging villages, raping women, doing whatever it is that they have to in order to get their spoils. The man in that picture was a well-known marauder. Whenever small, tribal island nations erupted into war, he and his comrades were sure to be on the scene. That picture was taken over twenty years ago, I was the one who took it. (Still with bug-eyed curiosity, he asked...) Z: And the children? Aveil: From what I remember, the kids were his dead comrades' children. I suppose since most, if not all of his gang died, he was forced to give up the craft. ("It could be them, then." he thought, and looked at the photo once more.) Aveil: I had heard he settled down in Clock Town, eventually, going under a new identity but back then I was essentially an exile, not allowed into the rest of Termina without having to fear for my life... So I never got to keep in touch. I assume he probably made a decent living but with his "limited" skills to say the least and having ten mouths to feed including his own, they couldn't have had much... (He focused his attention on the man in the picture, studying the details of his gruff facial features while she continued talking.) Aveil: ...The theory only came to me when I received Vladimir's body. (He yanked his stare from the picture and looked at her, surprised, and with slightly parted, gawky lips.) Z: H-h-how...? (She flapped her fingers at him, telling him to relax.) Aveil: Calm down. I know what happened. Jim brought the body to me. ("Jim!? Wha...? What the hell is going on!?," he demanded in his thoughts, though, his voice was less fierce.) Z: Wait a minute... Just how did you...? Aveil: When I had my own spies go down to the Underground after I originally learned of Damian's existence, they met Jim. He was on his own mission but offered to help, telling me or my spies rather everything he knew which included your search. If my own spies were to go down there too many times, it'd look suspicious on my part so I decided to ultimately "use" you in a sense. I had him look out for you whenever you went down there. Whenever he saw you and whenever he could, he'd track you and relay whatever he saw back to me. That's how I know most of what I know now. (His jaw hung low and his eyes blinked sporadically, at times swiftly, then more slowly. "Jim's been working with her... Unbelievable.," he thought, still shaken with disbelief. Though it had explained his once seemingly odd behavior.) Aveil: Anyway, when I saw Vladimir's hair and face, it reminded me of one of the children in that picture. I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about. I figured it was merely a coincidence, though, until yesterday when we found his twin among those massacred on the beach. ("Dhani...," he told himself and looked at the twin boys in the photo again. It was them, just as children. Fixing his gaze on her, he asked...) Z: Their names, what were the kids' names when you met them? Aveil: Remember, they all came to Clock Town under new identities, I'm sure their names were changed. Why? ("Then I won't go there...," he decided, choosing to avoid discussing his murder of Dhani. He shook his head quickly and replied...) Z: ...No reason. So what exactly is your theory? (Her eyes shifted some, hinting a little suspicion of his answer. She avoided it, though, as he had with his "secret.") Aveil: Well, I'm beginning to suspect that some, if not all of these children have something to do with this "Damian" character. My only evidence for this is the deaths of these two twins and what Jim's told me about the state of the Underground, lately. He says the tight hold "Damian" once had on the place is crumbling. Everything's gotten out of control. You see what I'm saying? If this has been a group effort and two major components have been taken out, then obviously you'll start to see a few chinks in the armor. I suppose it's the identities of the other children we need before we can know for sure... (His experiences in the Underground replayed mentally. The more he remembered, the better her theory seemed to fit except one thing... "Kafei... The death threats, his wife's kidnapping... Why? What would they have gained from that?," he asked himself with a finger pressing against the dimple on his chin and his stare lowered. To him, it seemed far too contrived to not be a personal vendetta of some sort.) Z: But why Kafei, then? Why target him, in particular? (She raised her eyebrows, surprised that he would ask such a basic question and answered...) Aveil: Isn't it obvious? Personally, I've never been to the Underground but from what Jim has told me, it's not even fit for sewer rats... Would you agree? (He didn't answer; his thoughts were clearing. Olivia's words, "Who wouldn't hate Kafei in the Underground?," reminded him that he'd known this all along and he nodded.) Z: Yeah. Yeah, I agree... (She nodded approvingly. Mental fatigue was settling in and he felt strained and tired yet restless. He needed time to fully process these new, startling revelations. He moved his hand forward through his hair and asked almost hesitantly...) Z: ...Anything else? Aveil: No. But Z, remember, it's only a theory none of this has been proven. It's all just speculation. ("There's too much there for it to just be speculation.," chimed in his head with her words. He didn't express the thought, though, and spun around, giving her a courteous wave "Good-bye" before he exited.) Edited by Bx, Aug 10 2009, 07:10:46 PM.
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| Bx | May 7 2009, 08:15:21 PM Post #55 |
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Notorious
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(Z pulled the door shut behind him. With the doorknob still clenched in his right hand, he stopped and surveyed the area, rotating his head as he peered at the fortress' highly elaborate design. Watch towers, connecting bridges, fortified walls, secret passageways, everything one would expect in an exiled hideaway had captured his imaginative eye. The scenery inspired feelings similar to those a rambunctious boy feels in a playground. He smiled pleasantly, in a sort of childlike way, and withdrew his hand from the knob. "I would've loved this place when I was a kid.," he thought. Childhood. Children. He pulled the photo from his pocket, twisted his hand so he'd see the image and studied it until one child flashed familiarity.) Z: Vincent... (The most frail child of the bunch. He stood with his head curved downward, away from the camera. It suggested shyness, enhanced by his weak, watery blue eyes. He was uncomfortable in his own skin, even as a child. His awkwardness stilled by the photo was polarizing, it gave the sadistic rapist an almost sympathetic quality. "We're not born evil..." he told himself while his eyebrows twitched with a disapproving head shake.) (Three faces. Three familiar faces. "The mystery is solved as far as I'm concerned. Now I've just gotta put the rest of the pieces together.," he thought, holding the photo directly in front of his narrow eyes. He scanned the photo further, his head turning slightly at each face. It was an effort to paste the faces of the other children onto people he had met. None fit. He breathed a sigh and thought, "Well, guess it's time to head back to Clock Town.," before he stuffed the photo in his pocket and headed for the exit.) (Though as he walked, he realized he had no idea where the exit was. He turned to head back to Aveil's Quarters to ask, but a passing pirate stole his attention. She seemed out of place. "Who is she?," he asked himself, and looked over his shoulder to get a second view. Her peculiar characteristics were readily noticeable: her skin wasn't naturally tanned, she was a brunette and held no weapon either at her side or in her hands. Though he had caught merely a glance of her profile, she intrigued him. "...I have to find out.," he told himself, now that his curiosity had overtaken his hesitance. He took slow, delayed steps at first, then burst into a jog to catch up with her. He did.) Z: Hey. (She spun her neck to the right and looked at him. His presence had apparently startled her, marked by the jittering rims of her eyes and a smile that displayed her white teeth nervously. Some of her facial wrinkles suggested she was in her forties though she may have been older. Despite her obvious anxiety, there was nothing ill in her expression, it was cordially dejected. Her eyes, yellowish-green, had sparked his interest tremendously. "Those eyes... I know those eyes.," he said to himself, gaping at her unashamedly. He moved his lips to ask, but paused, not having uttered a sound. He couldn't. One of her eyebrows jerked and she pulled her right foot back, alarmed at his appearance.) ???: Um... What exactly is it that you want, sir? (He tightened his lips, gulped, and shook his head to break his gaze. She slid another foot back and he raised both palms to show his harmlessness while he apologized...) Z: ...I'm sorry. Where is the exit? (She smiled, nervously and without showing her teeth. She drew her hand up and pointed in the direction he had originally traveled.) ???: Head that way and just keep going straight. You'll come right out. It's a bit of swim back to shore, though so... Z: That's no problem. Thanks. (She nodded politely, turned and continued on her path. He did the same. He neared the exit yet the desire to know if that woman was who he believed burned within his mind. He looked over his shoulder and glanced around the scenery, hoping to spot her once more. He didn't. His cheeks puffed as he blew a sigh and told himself, "It's gonna eat away at me until I know for sure...," while he twisted his head forward and stepped outside.) (Sunset had given the teal ocean water a faint tangerine hue. He stepped forward, just at the edge of the fortress' platform, and gazed at the wavy ripples of his reflection. He lifted his eyes from it, peered out across the ocean and noted the distance back to shore. "Ah, it's a little ways like she said.," he thought, nodding before he sprung himself forward and dived in.) (Pushing the water behind him as he swam, he witnessed the wreckage of the boat collision that had separated him from Raphael. He made an effort to snoop around the debris, searching for any sign of his friend but found none. He allowed his head to float above the water and scanned ahead at the beach, noticing a large crowd of Zora's and pirates helping with the cleanup. He moved his head forward a little and squinted to see if Raphael or even Eagles had been among them, but neither was.) Z: Not there either... Damn. (He dropped his head back in the ocean and propelled himself forward toward the sandy mainland. Finally reaching the shore, he pulled himself out of the water, his clothing now drenched and his steps weighted. He pressed soaked tracks into the sand that were filled by the water trickling down his back. He shifted his look onto the crowd. They were dragging destroyed planks out of the water and laying them in an area apparently designated for the wreckage.) (The sight of a row of white sheets spread over bodies, indicated by the outline of appendages, gripped and widened his eyes. "Raphael...," he thought, clamping his lower lip between his teeth. Shutting his lids and hanging his head somewhat, he approached the Zora and Gerudo guarding their respective peoples' bodies, slowly. When he reached them, the Zora spoke first, asking with little inflection in her speech...) Zora: Yes? (He threw a glance at the white sheets and asked hesitantly...) Z: ...Y-you uh... find any non-Zora bodies? (The Zora shook his head negatively. "Good...," he thought, releasing a relieved breath and gesturing a wave of the hand. He turned to the Gerudo now, who shook her head upon receiving his gaze.) Pirate: I overheard what you asked the Zora and if you're looking for non-Gerudo bodies than you're out of luck. ("Relax the attitude, lady...," he responded mentally, though he appreciated the speedy reply. It left hope for Raphael's survival. Even with this, he leaned toward her, raised on his tiptoes and eyes on the sheets to ask...) Z: Are you absolutely sure there weren't any non-Zora or non-Gerudo bodies found? (An annoyed grunt sounded from her pursed lips and she replied in the same vein...) Pirate: Didn't I just answer that...? (A sarcastic answer for a "stupid" question. He nodded, turned left, and started for Clock Town. When he reached the upper edge of the beach, right before the "official" entrance into Termina Field, he stopped and twisted himself around to survey those on the sand one last time. The dimming twilight had cast a faint glare on the shore, tanning it and its temporary dwellers before moonrise. Raphael nor Eagles, for that matter, were among them.) Z: He's... probably back at...Cl-Clock Town...Yeah, Clock. Town... (He twiddled his shaky fingers and turned around. He had lied to himself, the type a person tells him or herself in the hope that they'd start to believe it. His stuttered speech was only a minor representation of his inner feelings. With a hand over his hair, he stepped back a few steps before he turned and continued toward Clock Town. He walked, still feeling the fading heat of sunset, and conversed with himself internally, "That girl's already been through so much... Please. Please just let him be there..." He held two anguished hands over his hanging head.) (An hour later, the full moon now risen fully above him, his thoughts had centered onto everything he'd learned/witnessed today regarding Damian, Eagles, Jim, and the woman at the Pirates' Fortress. Burning questions answered only to reveal more questions. Though as odd as it seemed, he found relief in this. His thoughts were no longer with his mother's death or his resentment for his father. The ceaseless intrigue had allowed his deepest wounds to heal without him even realizing it. It was his way of getting through, just as he had described to Maria at Zora Hall.) (Some time later, he reached Clock Town. He stopped inches from entering the West Gate, tilted his head, and stared at Clock Tower. It's image, both magnificent and eerie had embedded a firm impression in his mind. He stayed like this a bit longer, wondering, then stepped through the gate. He turned right, walked down the empty path, and stopped when a clock on the wall seized his eyes. It read 9:00 (p.m.) while it ticked. "Tick Tock...," he thought, remembering the message Kafei had received. He fumbled his right hand around in his pocket, pulled out the photo Aveil had given him and studied it with a sharp look, incensed by his curiosity.) Z: ...Dhani's dead. Vladimir's dead. Vincent's a question mark but... what could he really do anyway? If this has all been a group effort, it must have been one of these other guys who sent the message. (Glancing at each child, he again tried to envision the unidentified children as adults, hoping one, if not all, would scream familiarity just to have another lead. None did. A slow, thoughtful sigh expanded his nostrils and he dug the photo back into his pocket. At Kafei's Office, he gripped the doorknob and tested it with a wriggle of his wrist, it twisted open. He stepped inside and immediately Maria and Olivia, both overjoyed and wearing healthy grins, approached him.) Maria & Olivia: Z! (He smiled, though not authentically or brightly, and gazed past them while he closed the door behind him. "He's...not here...," he told himself after his scouting pupils had jerked around the room and found no trace of Raphael. His lids sank and tightened, much like his face. Noting his down expression, Maria cocked her head slightly and asked...) Maria: Z, what's wrong? ("I know...," Olivia answered silently. She closed her eyes and nodded. Like this, she held her tone low and murmured...) Olivia: ...Raphael? (She reopened her eyes, they were wide, puppy-like and glossy from repressed tears. He looked away from the sight, raised a trembling hand over his eyes, and shook his head unnoticeably. "How...How am I supposed to tell her that her boyfriend's missing...?," he asked himself in a voice more distressed than his appearance. He stayed this way, silent. "Something's wrong...," Maria told herself before she grabbed the hand covering his face and pulled it away, revealing his sagging, strained expression.) Maria: Z? Z, what happened...? (Her voice was as grave as his look. He looked at her, then at Olivia, and spread his lips to speak but he paused. The white of Olivia's eyes had a pink discoloring, the way they had earlier. She grabbed his left forearm, raised it, and firmed her grip as she pleaded...) Olivia: Please, Z. I, I'd...like to...know. (He moved his gaze from her hand, holding his forearm, onto her eyes, those same eyes he had seen at the Pirates' Fortress. Holding his stare parallel with hers, he lifted her soft hand from his arm, stepped back and said with a slight head shake...) Z: ...I don't know. (Their mirrored stares remained unbroken, and both hid their voice behind tightened lips. Maria watched intensely, the ambiguity of her look could have been interpreted as suspicion. Though, neither noticed. "She knows I'm only telling a half-truth...," Z thought, finally averting his gaze from hers when he looked to the ceiling. He made a tiny hole with his lips and blew before he leveled his head and confessed...) Z: ...When we made it to the beach, we uh... found the Demon on a boat in a battle with a group of Zoras and Gerudo Pirates... (He paused. Her expression went unchanged.) Z: Raphael's temper got the best of him and he charged after the Demon. I ran after him but I couldn't keep up, then he dived in the water ahead of me and just as I was catching up with him... (He paused again, telling himself, "This is the hard part..." Maria grabbed his right hand and pressed her grip to ease him. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows, then dropped his gaze to the ground and finished.) Z: Another boat crashed into the one the Demon was in, we were caught in the collision and I blacked out... I, I... don't know what happened to Raphael. (He stuffed his hands in his pockets, slid his tongue across his lips, and continued watching the floor's tiles. He felt terrible for her and didn't want to see her expression. Maria turned her head towards her, she saw the quiet emptiness, the glazed tears glistening in the light. Her blank expression had revealed more than most animated ones. She blinked once, wetting her eyelashes, turned and said in a surprisingly calm tone...) Olivia: ...Thank you. (He lifted his stare from the floor, saw, not her face but her hair, and uttered...) Z: Olivia, I'm sorry... (His tone weakened as he finished. She nodded without facing him and replied politely...) Olivia: ...Goodnight. (Her voice was tinged by sadness. She drifted to the back, walking in unhurried steps, thinking about her boyfriend's fate. The sight left Z shaken. "Aw, Z...," Maria thought, reading the feelings behind his stare. She moved closer to him, spread her right hand on his back and rubbed to console him.) Maria: Just give her time. And listen, don't beat yourself up, you didn't do anything wrong. ("Yeah. Yeah, I know...," he replied internally, though with little assurance. She pulled her hand from his back, used it to grab his hand, and led him to a chair at the table. He sat and she sat directly opposite him. He stationed his eyes on the clock, avoiding her look, while she rested clasped hands on the table. The ability to perform simple voluntary movements had returned in her damaged arm. Like this, she asked...) Maria: You...feel guilty? (He stayed as he had, silent.) Maria: Hmm... You weren't when your mom passed, why now? (He turned from the clock and looked at her now. Though his silence remained as he thought of the right words to express himself.) Maria: Z, what happened really wasn't your fault. But, I think you know that already so come on, why is it bothering you so much? (He watched himself drive his knuckles against the wooden tabletop, still thinking of how to express himself. He clamped his lids briefly, then banged his knuckles on the wood when he found the words, and looked at her, eyes wide open.) Z: You're right. It wasn't, and I do know that. But when I found my mom, she was already dead, I wasn't there when it happened. I didn't protect her because I...couldn't protect her. You understand now? I'm not saying I could have protected Raphael but I know I could have done a better job trying to stop him, trying to convince him to come back. That's what bothers me, that I didn't do enough. ("I understand.," she lipped silently with a nod. His explanation made sense but she also believed he was jumping to conclusions.) Maria: I get what you're saying, Z. But you said you didn't know what happened to Raphael, we shouldn't just assume he's dead. For Olivia, it's different, that's her boyfriend... A million different things are going on inside her head, believe me, I know. (She winked with her lips wrapped in a smile. "I know. We both do.," he told himself, recalling his own feelings when she had been captured. He smiled at the thought. It provided hope for Raphael and relief for him. This was short lived as the thought of Olivia's fate without Raphael crept into his mind.) Z: I just... (He stopped, stretched his index finger toward the back hall, pressed his free hand on the table and moved his upper body forward to whisper...) Z: If Raphael really is gone, I just ask myself, "What does she have left?" Maria: Us. (Positioned as he had been, he nodded slowly, and with parted lips that revealed only a few front teeth. She watched him, her eyes narrow and unsure of his thoughts. Then his cheekbones raised as his lips bent for a smile. She returned it, her uncertainty had faded. Her words had implanted a pleasant image in his mind, though, he refused to rest on this thought alone. "But I still want Raphael to be okay...," he noted, realizing that it was how he'd have an absolutely clear mind, and rested back in his chair without a verbal response.) Maria: But for now, Z, she still has Raphael. Z: You really think he's alive? (She nodded, pleasantly.) Maria: Aren't you alive? (He didn't answer, he only rocked his chair back and tilted his head toward the ceiling, focusing on his "favorite" item, the chandelier. It was a rhetorical question. She had asked to make him see that his pessimism was unnecessary. It worked. Though some sadness remained, his mood, marked by his boyish grin, had elevated. He planted the front legs of his chair on the tile, patted his palms against the tabletop, and said...) Z: I really appreciate it, Maria. Maria: I wasn't lying when I said I was here for you, Z. Take advantage of it. If our time here has taught us anything, it's that we don't really know how long we'll be here. Let's not focus so much on the negative, okay? (He nodded, intently, and thought, "Yeah. Life's too short." He held his chin between his index finger and thumb, stroking it while he reflected on his experiences in Termina. She bit her bottom lip and widened her eyes at his look, unsure what he was pondering but ready to change the conversation, no less.) Maria: So, since you never did get to it, what happened after you woke up from the collision? (His thoughts had clogged his ears and he asked...) Z: Huh? Maria: What happened after the collision? (His eyes rounded wide. The revelations he learned had slipped his mind with everything involving Olivia and Raphael. Watching his fingers tap a tropical beat, he asked himself, "Where do I start...?") Edited by Bx, Aug 13 2009, 12:08:45 AM.
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| Bx | May 8 2009, 07:40:01 PM Post #56 |
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Notorious
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(He finished explaining everything to her, stood up and stretched, spreading his arms like a "Y" while he yawned. He was exhausted, physically and mentally, it'd been a long day. As he dropped his arms to his sides, she extended her hand and wiggled her fingers to ask...) Maria: Can I see that photo, Z? ("She's not gonna let me go to sleep now. Should've told her tomorrow...," he said to himself, watching her with weary eyes while he dug in his pocket. He pulled out the dingy photo, pressed it on her hand somewhat roughly as if he were slapping her a "Five" and remarked...) Z: Like I said, it's pretty old. (She raised her eyebrows at his roughness but made nothing of it. Drawing the photo just inches from her face, she studied it, much like he had when Aveil first handed it to him. He smiled, sleepy-eyed, at her and placed his hands behind his head while he walked around the room, and conversed with her silence.) Z: ...You know I still can't believe Jim was working with Aveil. Can you? I mean, did you have any sense that he may... (Though her eyes remained glued to the photo, she replied...) Maria: ...No, I didn't. Hmm... (Her answer had held little attentiveness aside from the peculiar "Hmm...," which aroused his curiosity and stopped his pacing.) Z: What happened? (She flapped her fingers toward herself, motioning for him to come to her. When he arrived, he rested a hand atop her good shoulder and focused on the photo or rather, her finger, positioned over the pregnant woman.) Maria: Maybe it's just me but... Doesn't she look kinda familiar? ("Maybe...," he thought, hunching himself lower to inspect her face more closely. His eyes became more slender while his intrigue grew with every second that he studied her. She had an air of familiarity to her. One he hadn't noticed earlier due to the concentration he'd placed on the children. He patted Maria's shoulder gently before he lifted his hand and stepped back to voice his opinion.) Z: It's not just you. I see it too. Hmm... Do you remember seeing her anywhere? Obviously she'd looked older now but... (He cut himself off, shut his eyes, and inclined his head, trying to visualize everyone they'd encountered in Termina. She did the same, only with her eyes open and on the photo. "Nothing.," they both told themselves after a quick mental scan of those they had met. The pregnant woman was not among them. She twisted herself in her chair, looked at him and with a shake of the head, said...) Maria: Sorry, Z. I don't remember ever seeing her. ("Yup.," he uttered silently and made a popping sound with his lips right after. He had hoped she would have some memory of her. After shrugging his shoulders, he stepped closer to her, pressed two fingers lightly on her bandaged shoulder, and asked...) Z: How's it feeling? (She smiled, delighted by his concern, and smoothed her right hand over the weak shoulder.) Maria: Eh, it's still a little sore but I can manage. Thanks for asking, though. (The scene on the beach when she had received the wound replayed in his mind. He growled at the thought and murmured...) Z: ...Son of a bitch. Maria: What? (He waved his hand down and replied...) Z: Ah, nothing. Maria: O...kay. (She grinned, displaying her teeth somewhat nervously, and twisted around so that her legs were under the table. She raised the photo to the light and peered at it while he paced around the room with a grip on his chin and a hand on his hip. Like this, he asked...) Z: You know another thing that's bothering me? (She pulled the photo away from the light, stared at it further, and didn't respond.) Z: Eagles. I mean what's he going after the Demon for? I get that he wanted his freedom but what's there to gain now? Assuming he hasn't learned about the boun... (She gasped, and wrapped her hand around her mouth. He planted his feet, shot a wide-eyed gaze at her and asked demandingly...) Z: What? What's wrong!? (Her expression still aghast, she uncovered her mouth, regarded the image once more, then brought her eyes to his.) Maria: ...Why didn't you mention he was in the picture? ("Huh? Mention who?," he asked himself, gesturing this with his hands flipped over as he walked to her.) Z: Who are you talking about? I already told you Vladimir, Dhani and Vincent are all in the picture. (He stood behind her. Her eyebrows had jittered at his response, matching the twitching of her lips. She was awestruck, and her pitch raised to show this.) Maria: Are you kidding me? Z, look at this picture! (She raised the photo to him. He took it, scanned each face, and asked himself, "What is she talking about...?" None of the unidentified faces looked familiar. He shook his head, first at the photo, then at her. She sighed, and lipped, "Wow..." silently.) Maria: You really don't see it... (He squinted and glanced at the faces again, trying to see what she saw. It failed. Her lips pouted, though not saucily, but rather puppy-like, sad almost. She then reached for the photo, grabbed it from him, and pointed to one of the unidentified children.) Maria: Z... You seriously don't know who that is? (He drew his face closer to the picture, closer than he'd ever been, but still nothing. She turned and gaped at him, stunned by his silence. He shrugged at her, his lips parted, and eyebrows slanted to show his confusion. She hung her head with her shoulders, rested the photo on the tabletop, and said...) Maria: ...That was the guy who kidnapped Hope from the infirmary and... (His jaw lowered when she paused. He had missed it. The child, one he had glanced over several times, was the man who murdered his mother. He had completely blocked out her death, including the face of her killer. He brought his right hand over his spread lips, and stayed this way, muted. Only the faint tapping of her fingertips against the wood was heard until he dropped his hand, turned, and said...) Z: ...That's four. (A winded breath flowed from his nostrils when he started for the back. He took a step before he felt her hand grasp his right forearm. He felt the soft, vibrating tremble of her weak hand, and looked at her.) Maria: Are you okay? (He nodded with a sheepish smile to allay her worries. She thinned her eyes, discerning its authenticity with razor-sharp perception. "I know what he's doing...," she assured herself, but released her grip, deciding it better to not press the issue. He lifted the photo from the table and continued to the back, expecting her to follow at some point. She didn't. He shut the door, took a few steps, and found Olivia in bed, asleep. He shook his head in a slow, uneasy way as he stared at her, his sympathy was tearing away at him. To break this, he closed his eyes and wagged his head furiously before he reopened his lids, and stepped to Kafei's door without looking at her again. When he touched the doorknob, a voice called out, softly...) Olivia: Z. (He felt an acute throb in his heart and pulled his hand from the knob. He licked his lips, nodded once to show his readiness, and faced her slowly. Her eyes, red and swollen, spiked the pain in his chest, and he touched it as she spoke...) Olivia: Do you... Do you really think Raphael's...? (He took his hand from his chest, placed its fingertips against his forehead, and swayed from side to side as he thought. "I wanna tell you that everything's gonna be alright like I did yesterday but I...I just can't. I don't know...," he told himself as if he were speaking to her. Raphael's odds were 50/50, but he didn't want to give her false hope even if it meant an easier night of sleep for her and him. He removed his hand from his brow, and said with a forced shrug...) Z: ...I really don't know. (A single tear trickled down her cheek as her eyes shut. He, unable to watch, turned, and burst through Kafei's door. Startled, Kafei jerked his head up from his desk. He had been dozing off.) Kafei: ...Oh. H-hey, Z... (He didn't answer, though not from rudeness, his thoughts were still fixed on Raphael's fate. Disturbed by the shopworn expression draining his otherwise youthful face, Kafei perked his shoulders and asked...) Kafei: Z? Is...everything okay? Z: ...Yeah. (He walked to the seat in front of Kafei's desk, sat, and slammed the photo on his desk. Then he looked at him, his face haggard, while his eyes stared leerily, waiting for a lie. Kafei glanced at the photo, pressed a hand on it, and slid it to himself.) Kafei: What's...? (He lifted the photo, studied it and took note of its age, but little else. He dropped it onto the desk and focused on Z for an explanation.) Kafei: What is this, Z? Z: Do you know anyone in that picture? (Kafei bent his head somewhat to peer at those in the photo again, this time more closely. "Hmm...," he remarked with tight lips, but shook his head negatively as he aligned his face with Z's.) Z: You sure? Kafei: Positive. (Z grumbled under his breath. "You can never tell with this guy and that stupid mask...," he thought, staring bitterly through the narrow eye slits of his mask. Kafei ignored the stare, drew his forefinger on the photo and said...) Kafei: You wouldn't have shown me this picture if there weren't any significance to it. You wouldn't have come to my office if there wasn't any significance in it, for that matter... Is it related to Damian? (Z kept his silence. He hadn't bought his first answer. Kafei's track record was riddled with dirty lies and secrets, and he felt strongly that he knew the people in the photo. He sank his fingernails into the desktop, sprung himself forward and shouted...) Z: Are you lying to me, Kafei!? Kafei: I told you the truth, Z! What do you want me to do? Lie? Is that what you want? Z: No, that's what I expect. (He slid his hands back, removing them from the desktop. Then, he hunched his shoulders, giving himself a bulldog-like appearance, and turned his head right, toward the bookshelf. He studied the rows of books packed tightly together. A depressed sigh was heard from behind Kafei's mask.) Kafei: ...Well, I'm not. And listen, I get it. You don't like me, that's fine but I'm telling you I don't know these people... What I do know is that you wouldn't have shown me this just to make conversation so please tell me, what does this have to do with Damian?! (Z wrenched his stare from the bookshelf and placed it on Kafei. He inspected him silently, the same way he had the photo, gauging his truthfulness. Kafei's shoulders flinched visibly with each second that he felt his sharpened eyes scanning his face, or rather mask. Moments later, he lifted his gaze, tilting his head toward the ceiling while he stuffed his hands in his pockets. The mask. He couldn't read through the mask. He straightened his head, lifted his hands from his pockets, and poked at the photo with his middle finger.) Z: ...The children in the picture may be connected to Damian in some way. (The tip of Kafei's chin hung below the edge of his mask. He spread his hands over the desk, moved his head forward to view the photo again, and replied...) Kafei: W-w-who are they...? (His stammered speech unveiled the horrified expression hidden behind his mask. "He was telling the truth...," Z thought, now certain that Kafei had no idea of the identities of anyone in the photo. He nodded approvingly at him, though his look remained stern. As he withdrew his finger from atop the photo, he answered...) Z: ...Apparently a couple of kids who got shipped to the Underground. You said that happened ten years ago, two years before you became mayor. Now obviously I wasn't here for that so tell me, what exactly happened when the first residents of the Underground were sent down there? (The Mayor sighed, placed a hand over the mask's "forehead," and asked...) Kafei: Are you telling me I'm being targeted for what happened ten years ago...? Z: I don't know. Seems like it. In the few times I've been to the Underground, I can see why a group of people would develop a hatred for the man who's kept them there. (Kafei raised from his seat, flailed his arms wildly, and replied loudly, suggesting a deep-rooted anger for the topic.) Kafei: But I didn't send them there! Z: Never said you did. I said you've kept them there. And you still haven't answered my question. (His sharp retort grated Kafei's ears. The Mayor looked away from him, concentrating on a clear jar set on his desk. He watched it intently, not even his pupils jerked during this reflection. Still with his eyes set on the jar, he raised a trembling right hand, holding his palm near his face and said with genuine somberness...) Kafei: ...With everything that was going on between Hyrule and Johan, we had an influx of people from both states coming to Termina for safety. Naturally, space within Clock Town filled quickly but more people continued to come. We were... We were faced with a population crisis. There wasn't anymore room for the new arrivals... Z: So you just decided to move your less fortunate citizens to your sewers, huh? Typical... (Kafei made a fist with his open hand. It shook furiously as he brought it to his side in a harsh, diagonal motion, and lashed out at Z.) Kafei: I didn't decide anything! ...We tried to avoid having to move anyone from their homes, we really did. We spent tons on a campaign to persuade the new arrivals to settle in the other regions in Termina but... Z: They refused. (He blew a disgruntled "Hmph" between his clamped teeth, and rolled his eyes with a head shake. Kafei inclined his head. His regret appeared authentic, though his answer disputed this.) Kafei: The majority of them were pampered, wealthy people, what do you expect? ("That's what Maven was talking about when he said Kafei only looked out for those who benefited him...," Z told himself before he sat, rested his elbows on his thighs, and hunched his back. Watching a bug scatter across the tile, he said...) Z: So that's your excuse for sending your people, people who may not have had as much, but still people no less, to the sewers? Because the new arrivals had money... (Kafei raised his left foot, pounded it against the floor, tossed his arms into the air in a fury and shouted...) Kafei: What were we supposed to do!? Turn them and their money away!? How do you think that would have made us look to other nations!? (Z grinned, though not from happiness, but utter disbelief. "The arrogance, this...psychotic obsession with his image, ugh...," he thought, and shook his head slightly, sickened by Kafei's answer. He raised his eyes to Kafei's slits, and replied with a biting coolness...) Z: ...The way you look now to the people who are trying to kill you. (Kafei didn't respond. Z raised from his seat, drew his index finger up to point at him, and said...) Z: I find it interesting how you always say that it wasn't your call and that it wasn't your decision yet whenever you defend and apologize for this other mayor's "call," you say "we." Maybe it wasn't your "call" but you definitely had a voice... (Kafei remained quiet. Z gripped the photo, lifted it, and stuffed it in his pocket. When he turned to leave, Kafei spoke...) Kafei: Z. T-the year... Oh, boy... The year I won the election, my wife asked for the divorce... I... ("Enough already...," Z thought, throwing his hand at him in disgust while he approached the door.) Z: Save it for someone else, Kafei. (Kafei pushed his chair back, raced out from behind his desk, caught up with Z, placed a hand atop his shoulder, and asked...) Kafei: ...You, you never found her, did you? (His pitch was soft and its honest tone unbridled. It was heartfelt concern, the kind built through a lifelong relationship. "I hate doing this...," Z voiced, almost contradictory to his original antagonistic response. No matter his feelings towards him, he had a soft spot for love, heartbreak, in particular. After about thirty seconds of internal deliberation, he shook his head, and felt Kafei's hand leave his shoulder.) Kafei: I see... ("She's probably dead. It's a sad story.," Z thought, reminding himself of the circumstances surrounding Anju's disappearance. "Their kids, though... Hmm..." he continued, and placed a hand on his chin. "Never seemed like they even acknowledged her disappearance... I mean, I know how I felt when my mother...," he stopped himself, nodded unnoticeably, grabbed the knob, twisted it, but felt a hand press on his shoulder again.) Kafei: Z. Z: Yeah? (A deep, hesitant sigh sounded from behind Kafei's mask. Z turned his profile left, slightly, and watched him through the corner of his eye.) Kafei: ...What happened to Olivia? I heard her crying earlier... (Kafei's breath trailed off lengthily and unrelaxed. Z grunted at the question, not wanting to return to his earlier thoughts, but he turned, faced Kafei and said...) Z: Raphael's gone missing. (Kafei nodded slowly, in a manner suggesting concentrated thought. Keeping his pitch low and contemplative, he repeated...) Kafei: I see... (Z turned, grabbed, and twisted the doorknob to pull the door open. He held it open and his body still when Kafei voiced...) Kafei: Wait. One more thing. Z, I... I may not be squeaky clean but... I'm not a bad man. Please, understand that... ("You're not a good one, either...," Z replied mentally, and exited, pulling the door shut. When he entered their "room" so to speak, he saw Olivia asleep in her bed, and Maria, sitting at the foot of their bed. She was watching him. Her expression warm, but inquiring.) Maria: What did he say? (He walked to the bed and sat beside her. His body bounced a little with the mattress' fluffiness. Then, he shrugged and replied...) Z: ...Typical Kafei. Said he didn't know anyone in the picture, though. Maria: Was he telling the truth? Z: I'm not sure. ("You never cease to surprise me, Z...," she thought, making a smirk with her lips before she patted his back a few times and reclined on the mattress. He felt some tension in his right wrist, its source, probably stress. He gripped the wrist with his left hand and rotated it, easing its soreness as it rubbed against his other hand. While he did this, he glanced at Olivia, and wondered whether he should have given her a brighter answer than "I really don't know..." earlier. "I'm sorry, Ol...," a light pinch at his left side interrupted his thought. He looked over his shoulder at Maria, she was wearing a wide grin.) Maria: Come on, lay down. I know you're tired. ("Okay.," he lipped silently with a nod. Pressing his hand on Maria's thigh, he pulled himself back, and more fully on the bed. As he reclined his head, Olivia caught his eye, and he thought, "Poor girl..." before he rested on his pillow and shut his eyes.) (His lids cracked open early the next morning. He sat up and smoothed his hand across the back of his neck, it felt stiff and sore from a miserable night of sleep. He'd had a series of odd and sometimes frightening dreams involving everyone he knew, from Maria to even Alvius. "Must be the stress, yeah..." he assured himself, reflecting on the night he'd had as well as his body aches. The price of his mental "escape.") (After wiping the residue from his eyelashes, he pulled the sheet from his legs, turned, and planted his feet on the cold floor. He hunched himself and exhaled forcefully as if he'd just finished running a mile, then he lifted his head and looked at the clock ticking on the wall. It read 5:52 (a.m.). He raised his body erect, stretched his arms, and yawned before he made his way quietly to the bathroom to wash up. Thirty minutes later and fully dressed, he tiptoed through the room, and went into the front area. The room was dim, but its lifelessness filled him with a rare ambiance. "Quiet...," he thought, walking to the chair he always sat on. He pulled the seat from under the table, rested on it, and leaned back with his fingers clasped behind his head.) Z: This is what I needed... (After several minutes like this, he dropped the legs of the chair against the tile, and stood up. He stretched once more and decided to get some fresh air in his lungs. He walked to the door, gripped the knob, turned it, pulled the door open, and...) !!! (His heart stopped. Four bodies. Four mutilated, dead bodies laid at the doorstep, one stacked on top of the other. When he regained his motor abilities, he grabbed edge of the door and slammed it shut. "That's a sick fucking joke...," he thought, exhaling several times while he was bent over with his hands on his knees. He stayed like this for a few moments until he felt fully restored composure. With one hand pressed on his knee and his back still curved somewhat, he grasped the knob and reopened the door. He lifted his body upright, firming his posture, and stepped forward to peek at the bodies again. His formerly sleepy eyes pried at a bone-chilling discovery.) Z: ...Vincent? (The rapist, or what was left of him, laid atop the pile with his arms dangling at each side, his mouth open, and his eyes rolled back into his head, displaying only their whites. He had several wounds, most notably a large gash through his chest, around the heart area. It was a clean hole, and no doubt, the killing blow. He peered through it and saw the chest of the body under Vincent's. It reminded him of the Gerudo the Demon had impaled. He gripped a patch of Vincent's hair, pulled it up so the dead man's head would raise, and gasped at the next sight.) Z: ...Him!? (Under Vincent's body was the man who had killed his mother. He released Vincent's hair, dropping the rapist's head back on the murderer's, and stepped back. He raised a hand to his chest, pressed on his heart and felt its rapid, palpitating beat. When it slowed and regulated somewhat, he rested the hand at his side and stared at the bodies without moving. "Justice...justice has been served.," he thought, realizing that a hand other than his own had avenged his mom's death. He then hooked his arms under Vincent's cold, lifeless underarms, and pulled him off of the murderer to inspect his body more meticulously.) (Looking at the man, who was no older than thirty, his eyes latched onto the gash through his chest. One eerily similar to Vincent's. The Gerudo at the beach flashed in his mind again. He crossed his arms, looked to the pale blue sky with its faint orange tincture cast by the rising sun, and mulled over what he'd just witnessed. "Is it the Demon? Did he do this? If he did...Why? Why leave the bodies here? Why take the life of my mother's murderer...?," he asked himself in rapid succession, hoping to spark some answer and wondering whether justice for his mom's death had truly been served.) ("But no... Wait a minute. These...these two guys are in the photo. Hold on...," he thought while he removed the photo from his pocket and glanced at it. "There they are.," he told himself, nodding his head as he scanned the faces of the children, confirming both Vincent and the murderer's identities. "This can't be a coincidence... These other two guys, I've gotta see their faces...," he said to himself, pulling the photo from his eyes and looking at the stack of bodies. He stuffed the photo in his pocket and took some time to position the bodies so he could see all four faces, the two unknown ones, in particular.) (When he finished, he noticed each of them had the exact same chest wound, impaled through the heart. "Jeez...," he thought, imagining what they must have went through before he grabbed the photo and kneeled down. Holding the photo against the two guys' cheeks separately, he found them. Both of them, as children. He raised the photo off of their faces and nodded.) Z: This was deliberate, alright. (He stood up, made backward steps toward the door, and leaned against it. "Now what...?," he asked himself, questioning the Demon's motives, Raphael's safety, and the status of the Underground.) Edited by Bx, Aug 14 2009, 10:05:24 PM.
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| Bx | May 10 2009, 07:19:34 PM Post #57 |
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Notorious
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(The sensational glare of the rising sun glazed Z's pupils as its burn warmed his skin. He squinted at the brightness, inclined his head, and held his forehead between the "L" of his right index finger and thumb to shade his eyes. While his gaze gripped the adobe-like ground, he realized the sun had cast a subtle warning. "Daylight...," he told himself, removed his hand from his brow, and jerked his stare onto the bodies laying conspicuously in the open. "I can't let anyone see these bodies...," he continued mentally, and turned Kafei's doorknob clockwise, cracking it open.) (He pulled his back away from the door and stepped forward, twisting his head from side to side to make sure no one was around. He was safe. He then grabbed Vincent's dirty boots and dragged his dead weight inside. Afterward, he knelt down, and patted his chest while he huffed heavy, winded breaths. It was a strenuous load, he had strained himself but still had three more to go. Toughing it out, he stood up, pressed weighted steps into the ground, and dragged each body inside the office, one by one.) (He finished packing the bodies neatly, or as neatly as he could, against the edge of the left wall, and walked to the chair he'd sat on earlier to sit down. While drumming a nervous beat on the tabletop with his fingertips, he yanked the photo from his pocket using his free hand. He looked at it, and surveyed the faces of the children, realizing that there was now only one he hadn't yet seen. Though he still hadn't grasped the situation fully. "Hmph.," he vented in a grunt, and slid the photo across the wood with the blank side facing up.) (His face, already shaped gauntly, sagged as he drew his palms up and pressed them against his soggy expression. "What the hell is going on...?," he asked himself in a contradictory tone, one that implied dispirited hopelessness and resolute curiosity. Thump. Thump. Thump. He felt his heart's pulse racing as hard and as furious as his thoughts. He parted his lips, and felt his breath gusting out, its intensity increasing gradually with every zooming memory. Then it stopped. He felt relaxed, but unrested. He withdrew his hands from his face, his palms were soaked, drenched with sweat. He rested them flat on the table, and remembered his conversation with Aveil.) ("Is it over?," he asked himself, turning his gaze onto the dead bodies. "Were they "Damian" or has this all just been some complicated coincidence? No. No, there's too much there for that. Too much. But then... The Demon, what's...? But, was it him to b...? Ugh, I'm getting a headache.," he interrupted his embattled thoughts, clapping his palm against his still moist brow. He made a wiping motion with the hand and dropped it to his side, his fingers falling just below the seat. He stayed there for two hours and jogged his throbbing brain, trying to fit the puzzle pieces together. He formed a few elaborate theories, but for the most part, it ended the way it had began, nonsensically. He bashed a clenched fist against the tabletop in an effort to spark his fatigued mind, though it also failed. Drawing his finger onto the flat photo, he closed his eyes, and reopened them seconds later with a lead, sort of.) Z: ...Jim. (Jim knew the Underground and he'd been working with Aveil. "He's got the insight and he might even have an explanation for this nonsense...," he thought, raised from the chair, and walked toward the door. When he extended his curved, clutching fingers to grab the doorknob, he heard...) "Z!" (A female voice. Maria. He slapped his stretched hand on his thigh, turned around, and saw her. Despite the clean sparkle of her freshly washed face, she had a sluggish, sleepy-eyed look, marked by her slightly drooped eyelids, and hanging, parted lips. "Uh oh.," he thought, and shot a glance at the dead bodies before he pulled his left foot back, waiting for her response. She turned her eyes with his, and unknowingly, onto the dead bodies. Her sagged lids expanded at the sight while her jaw lowered further, displaying her white teeth and tongue against her shaded inner mouth. He raised both of his palms and flapped his fingers at her to calm her anxiety as he made steps toward her.) Z: Relax. (When he stopped, directly in front of her, he brought his palms down and pressed them gently on her shoulders. She tilted her head back slightly to look into his eyes, her expression now somewhat assuaged, though not wholly relaxed, by his words. He grinned nervously, still not fully comfortable with the situation himself, and apologized...) Z: Sorry about that... (She shifted her stare away from him, cocked her head and upper body left with a raised right leg, and fixed her gaze on the bodies.) Maria: But, what...is this? Did you...? (She twisted her head right a little, bringing her slender, hazy eyes back to his. He lifted his left hand from her shoulder, coiled each finger aside from his index, and wagged, "No.") Z: ...When I woke up, I found them on the doorstep. ("The doorstep?," she asked herself, her inner voice raised with surprise and suspicion. It seemed illogical, and she narrowed her eyes more, giving them a slitted appearance with a razor-sharp quality. "She doesn't believe me...," he told himself, releasing a heavy, lengthened, depressed sigh from his mouth as his head inclined. He removed his other hand from atop her shoulder, stepped back, turned toward the bodies, and watched them with crossed arms, ready for her next question.) Maria: So you're saying you found them? On...the doorstep? Okay, but why would you drag them... (She stopped when she saw him walk toward the table. He gripped the back rest of the chair with his left hand, stretched his body forward, and reached for the photo, still laying flat on the tabletop. Holding its edge between his forefinger and thumb, he turned, walked back to her, and extended the photo, its unclasped end dangled, telling her to grab. She did, and tipped her face downward to look at the photo in her open hand.) Z: Look familiar? (When she raised her head, he directed her toward the bodies, targeting them with a single finger. Her wary, thinned eyes widened, and she said...) Maria: These... (She silenced herself, though her lips remained parted, and eyed the photo once more to confirm her conjecture. "Oh my... Wow.," she lipped silently, nodded and raised her awestruck gaze at the bodies before she latched it onto Z.) Maria: Z... How...? And who...? I mean, what... what happened? What is this? Z: I...still don't know yet. (He brought his hand to his forehead, gripped a ripple, and pinched it repeatedly using three fingers. His eyes were shut, and his mind, in meditative thought. Like this, he swayed from side to side, hoping something would come to him, though he knew the vanity of his efforts. She reached for the hand at his side, and raised it to capture his attention. It worked. He reopened his lids, though without fixing his eyes on any definite shape, to the sound of her questioning.) Maria: Z, tell me. Who did this? (Her pitch was low, almost meek, but firm. She was serious, and believed he knew the culprit. Her eyes, now moderated also displayed this, their natural brownness had deepened to show increased curiosity. He mistakenly viewed this as heightened suspicion, or rather, mistrust, fired a biting scowl at her, and yanked his hand from hers. The first telltale sign, to her, of his stress. She pressed her right foot back, and watched, alarmed, as he heaved his open palms above his head and shouted...) Z: I don't know, Maria! ...Shit! Before yesterday I wasn't worried about Damian anymore and now the son of a bitch is at our doorstep...literally. (His arms fell, and clapped his thighs while he faced the wall, lowered his head, and asked himself, "What am I doing...? Why did I blow up like that? Ugh, that headache is coming back..." He shut his eyes, felt through his hair with his left hand, and patted his skull to soothe the throb. He felt shame for his actions. She sensed this, and tipped a nod, though he did not see her. "We can...talk about that later, I guess. I'll just act like nothing happened.," she told herself, and moved closer to him to ask...) Maria: ...You don't even have an idea? Z, I know you. You always... (Though he kept his hand stroking the strands of his hair, he unfastened his clamped lids, centered his stare on the tiled floor, and said, softly...) Z: ...The Demon. Maria: The Demon!? Why would you think it was him? (Her face, shaped aghast by his words, shifted with his stretched index finger, directing her gaze to the dead bodies once again. She spread her lips for a question but stopped when he withdrew his extended arm, and faced her to ask...) Z: Remember the Gerudo we saw the other night? (His voice had returned to its usual modesty, no longer overbearing nor dejected. Her lips bent a hesitant smile, she was unsure whether to be happy with the normalcy, or alarmed by his moodiness. Though, she took her eyes off of his, regarded the bodies, and shook her head. "Ah...I barely remember that night. All I remember...," she cut herself off, and messaged the sharp pain that had spiked through her bandaged shoulder. When she finished and leveled her arm with the other, she looked at him, and said...) Maria: ...Sorry, I don't. (He had noticed her shoulder rub, and thought, "It was a traumatic experience, most people block them out.," before he nodded calmly, and replied...) Z: That's okay. But anyway, the wounds that these men have are consistent with what I saw that night. Not to mention the sheer brutality... Maria: I get that, Z. But why...? I mean... (He turned, and paced toward the bodies, holding his chin between two fingers in a detective-like manner.) Z: It doesn't make any sense. I know that but it fits... And I don't understand it any more than you do but still... (He planted his feet on the tile, and shut his eyes to brainstorm. "The Demon. "Damian." What is the connection? What is the connection?," he asked himself continuously, though as before, his attempt to put the pieces together was futile. He had several pieces, but no direction. Each link seemed disjointed, or unrelated. "What is it? What is it!?," he asked himself, allowing frustration to elevate the speech of his thoughts. "Relax, Z...," she thought, watching him struggle with the situation. She walked in light steps toward him, and nudged his left upper arm with her good shoulder to grab his attention. He opened his eyes, and turned to her. She asked...) Maria: But Z, if what Aveil said is true about "Damian" and these kids then isn't this a good thing? By my count, there's only one kid left in the picture, doesn't that mean the problem of Damian is basically solved? ("True.," he replied internally while his pupils jerked around with the rhythm of his other thoughts. If Aveil was right, then Kafei's life was no longer threatened, or at least in any immediate danger. He made a hooked, raising motion with his arms as he shrugged at the thought, and said...) Z: ...I'm sure Kafei will be happy. (There was little, if any, enthusiasm or inflection in his voice. It was monotone and lifeless, a vocal description of his opinion of Kafei. It was never about Kafei, it was about the mystery and the escape it provided. The release. And with the Demon's possible involvement, that intrigue remained. "Jim...," he said to himself, remembering that he wanted to see him before Maria arrived. He faced the door, and took a few steps towards it before she called out...) Maria: Where are you off to? (He paused his trail, but did not turn when he answered...) Z: I'm gonna go talk to Jim. You can come if you want. (One of her eyebrows jerked up at his response. Like this, she fixed her eyes on the dead bodies, packed noticeably against the wall, and said...) Maria: So, you're just gonna leave me to explain why these bodies are here? Z: If you come with me, you can skip that part. ("Typical Z...," she told herself, and rolled her eyes with a puffed sigh to follow. He looked over his left shoulder at her. Her eyes had sharpened and angled to a slant when she glared at him, or more accurately, his absentmindedness, and asked...) Maria: Do you ever listen to yourself? What if Olivia or Kafei... Z: Kafei? That bastard should be overjoyed to see those bodies. If we're right, it means he's gonna live... (She widened her mouth to reply, though another voice, female, interrupted...) "Guys?" (Olivia. Z's lips pulled back, showing his gnashed teeth, as he saw the bodies through the corner of his eye. Likewise with Maria, though she viewed them fully. Both turned with raised palms to warn her, but she had already stepped inside and witnessed them without warning.) Olivia: W-w-what's that...? (Her fingers, dangling at her sides, trembled as she watched, visibly shaken by the sight. Maria bit her lower lip, twisted only her upper body keeping her feet set, and looked at Z as if to say, "You're an idiot..." He responded with a disgruntled shrug, and walked toward her. He knew he had no defense for this. She twisted back around, focused on Olivia, and said in unison with Z...) Z & Maria: It's alright, just relax. (Her trembling fingers eased, and she seemed to regain her poise. She advanced about five steps, and stopped. Though they neared her, she veered her gaze past them and onto the dead men to inspect them more closely. She raised on her tiptoes and squinted some to focus her view more sharply. When they stepped in front of her, her squinted eyes had stretched wide open with the reflection of the bodies captured within her yellowish-green pupils. A few short-winded breaths labored from her lips, she felt dizzy, the room was a speeding carousel. Her lids shut, and she rubbed her stomach to temper the nausea. When she felt her equilibrium returned to its normal state, she unsealed her eyelids and looked at Z and Maria, with eyes rounded and leery.) Olivia: W-w-who did this...? (Her voice cracks, hyperventilated breath, and overall appearance alarmed Z, in particular. "Oh no... Damn! That was the last thing she needed to see...," he said internally, suspecting that she may have been suffering from an emotional breakdown with Raphael's disappearance. He turned a quick glance at the bodies, then at her, reached out, and grabbed her right wrist.) Z: Let's go to the back. Olivia: ...I, I'm fine! (She resisted his tug. She gripped his hand, dug her nails into it, and yanked it off, tossing it back at his side almost in disgust. "Ah...," he blurted, massaging the deep indentations she had made in his hand with her nails. She looked at his hand, and frowned apologetically, though she did not speak. Maria sighed, shook her head, extended a hand, and rested it on her shoulder to plead...) Maria: Olivia, please. ("...Fine.," Olivia thought, realizing that they were only trying to help. She tilted her head forward to study the floor, wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, and nodded.) Olivia: Okay... (Maria slid her hand off of her shoulder, and caught Z's approving nod at a side glance. The three of them made their way down the hall and into the back room. Olivia had lead the way, and went straight to her bed to sit. Her posture was relaxed, quite slouched, though comfortable as she set her elbows against her thighs and clasped her hands. She watched herself interchange her thumbs' position, constantly switching one's dominance over the other. It was an obvious nervous tick. A response to Z and Maria's hovering over her, both anxious and unsure what to do, though he knew he had to explain the bodies.) ("Man, the bad news just doesn't end... And I always have to be the one to deliver it. I hate this, I really do.," he told himself, and crossed his arms, still deliberating his next action. "If I tell her about the Demon's possible involvement... Jeez, that'll kill her with Raphael still out there... Oh boy...," he continued, wincing at his choices. He'd been dealt a losing hand, no matter the route he chose. He twisted his head toward Maria, and raised his eyebrows, desperate for help. Eyes closed, she shook her head in response, she had no answer. He grinned nervously, his own troubled tick. Olivia had noticed all of this, raised her stare onto both of them, though mainly Z, and said...) Olivia: ...Listen, I appreciate your concerns, I really do, but I'd also like to know who did it. Yes, I'm stressed out, anyone in my situation would be but I can handle whatever it is that you're trying to avoid telling me... (Z moved his eyes onto hers, and trapped his pupils within them. He stared deeply, silently gauging her "readiness" as if he were the judge of such things. They stayed like this for some thirty seconds, ignoring Maria's apprehensive, possibly envious, gaze. "Okay," he assured himself with a nod, and pointed sideways at Maria, then her while he said...) Z: Give her the picture. (Maria handed Olivia the photo. She looked at it, her head turned as she scanned each face, though with little visible reaction. While she did this, Z explained...) Z: We think the children in that picture are connected to Damian. Olivia: Those bodies... They were these children, weren't they? ("Whoa...," he thought, and looked at Maria, wide eyed. She reciprocated this, and with one hand open as if he were waiting to be handed something, he focused on Olivia again to ask...) Z: How did you...? (She pulled her stare up from the photo, placed it on them, and smiled.) Olivia: ...I looked at their faces. I pay attention to the little things, remember? Z: Yeah, I remember. (He chuckled, amused by her knack for detail, and nodded toward her, but not, at her. She didn't notice, too busy engrossed with the photo. When she lifted her gaze from it, and extended it to him, he said...) Z: Olivia... (She stood erect from the bed, and interrupted him...) Olivia: It was the Demon, wasn't it? (His head jerked back an inch while he asked himself, "Are you kidding me?" Her intuitiveness had amazed him. Maria too, her eyes made several speedy blinks at her, and her face brightened with an involuntary, cheerful grin. Z squinted at her, and in a tone just as inquiring as his expression, asked...) Z: How did you...? (He paused his still open lips, and thought, "Detail-oriented... She wasn't kidding..." He pressed his lips together, ending his initial response, and renewed his tone by moderating its curiosity with modesty to reply...) Z: ...Yeah. (Maria, who had chimed in few times, now made her eyes thin, suspicious almost, and directed them onto her. The surprise had already gone from her thoughts, replaced by careful observation. "She seems so indifferent toward the news. I... I can't understand why.," she told herself, alarmed by her perceived apathy. Her stare still fixed on her, she asked...) Maria: ...Olivia. You... don't care that these men may be related to Damian...? (Olivia turned toward her, and curved a defeated smile that expressed much more than her answer.) Olivia: Z already knows how I feel about Damian. I... (She glanced at Z, then at her again to finish...) Olivia: ...don't have anything left for him to take. I, uh... I'm sure Kafei will be pleased, though. (She shifted her gaze away from Maria and onto the narrow opening between her and Z. Without a word, she advanced through this gap, nudging both of their arms inadvertently as she passed, on her way to the front area. Maria, feeling bad over her earlier "suspicion", turned to follow, but stopped when Z's raised palm flashed in the corner of her left eye.) Z: Let her be. She's stronger than I thought. Maria: ...I just feel bad for her. (He stayed quiet. He outstretched his fingers, then brought them against his face with one pinkie overlapping the other. His thoughts raced, and he questioned each one regarding Damian. "The mystery may already be over... Why doesn't it feel like it?," he asked himself, realizing that the convention hadn't applied to their situation. The bad guys were potentially gone, for the most part, but spirits remained low. A goodwill light hadn't yet shined on them, and he asked himself, "What's left...?," as a sigh breezed between his tight lips. He uncovered his face, yanked the photo from his pocket, and scanned it. "One child... One child.," he thought, erasing the faces of the fallen children with mental "X's." One by one he did this until he felt a tug at his pupils that planted his stare on the pregnant woman. The pregnant woman.) Z: ...She's pregnant. Maria: What? (He looked at her, his expression aroused with wonder, then at the photo once more before he twisted himself, and sat on Olivia's bed. His forearm against his knee, he held the photo gripped between the fingertips of his outstretched palm, and examined it. A minute later, he looked up at Maria, and answered her question...) Z: She's pregnant. This woman. She's carrying a baby. ("You're just realizing that...?," she asked him mentally, disturbed slightly by his inattentive nature. Though, she chose not to verbalize these thoughts exactly, her vocal tone had implied them.) Maria: Um...Yeah. So? Z: So that means that there may be two children left. ("Oh...," she uttered, using soundless lips. As his words registered more fully, she nodded slowly. Her eyes, dry, held a blankness that shaped more astutely with the passing seconds. Like this, she replied...) Maria: You're right... Z: So, maybe we've seen her kid. It could explain why we both think she looks familiar, or at least, that's the only reason I can think of... Hmm... (He fixed his gaze back on the photo, the pregnant woman, specifically. Maria watched quietly. She had wrapped a few strands of her hair over her index and middle fingers, and twirled and untwirled them as her thoughts bounced. "How did we miss that? I guess I'm making too much of nothing but...gosh, the stress really is getting to us...," she conversed with herself, and unwound her fingers from her hair by driving them down in one quick motion. Both silent, they stationed their eyes on inanimate, unmoving objects to isolate their focus and avoid disturbances as they attempted to place the woman's face on a younger person they had met. Then he entered. Kafei.) Kafei: Good morning. (Their shoulders flinched visibly at his voice. Kafei noticed this, but did not comment. Maria, rubbing the sting that had inflamed her shoulder with the spasm, turned to him, and with a wretched grimace on her face as well as in her voice, said...) Maria: Good...ah, morning, Kafei. (Kafei nodded, targeted Olivia's bed with his stare, and noticed she was not in it. He remembered the news regarding Raphael, and clenched the lower end of his mask, a hint of nervousness concealed in his vibrating fingers. Tugging at it, he asked...) Kafei: Where's Olivia...? Is...everything okay? (Z glared at him, and huffed, "Hmph" from his pursed lips as he eyed the photo again. Kafei grumbled, though it was muffled between his tight lips and the thick makings of his mask. Maria rolled her eyes at Z, but her gaze landed on Kafei.) Maria: She's in the front and... (Z set his feet on the floor, and stood from the bed, interrupting her with a raised palm. She caught this at a side glance, and noticed his grin. Its spontaneity had equipped it with a sharp, devilish quality, and she now wondered about his intentions. "Hmm...," she thought, as he waved his raised palm forward, motioning them to the front, and marched in step.) Z: Come on, let's go see her. ("Oh, Z... Come on. Grow up.," she thought. She had realized his aim, and shook her head. His immaturity disappointed her, though she kept silent, not wanting to incur his temper. "Maybe it's what we need anyway, a little fun never hurt anyone, I suppose. Kafei might disagree, though..." she told herself while they exited the room. Now a smile, not quite as devilish as Z's, though still mischievous, had appeared on her face. When they made their way into the front area, they discovered Olivia sitting on the chair she'd always sat on, resting her palms on the tabletop, thinking. Her expression held the depth of her swirling emotions; a cocktail of anger, sorrow, frustration, doubt, and even...calmness, all captured within the glint of her olive-colored eyes. She watched them as they stepped inside, only to witness Kafei's instant reaction.) Kafei: HOLY...!!! (He leaped back four steps, startled by the sight. His body wriggled, and his clothing waved, as he landed on his feet, and blurted out...) Kafei: W-what...the hell is that!? (He looked around at each of them for an explanation, gesturing "What is this?" with a pair of twisted, outstretched hands. Maria, her smirk now reduced to only a trace, shot a serious look at Z, pressuring him to inform Kafei of the finding. He responded with a nod, then glanced at Olivia. She smiled briefly, amused by his joke, but dulled her expression soon after. He pressed his right fist against the side of his stomach, and raised his thumb at her, nonchalantly, as he turned left and tapped Kafei's arm.) Z: Alright, calm down. Kafei: Calm down!? There are four dead bodies in my office and you expect me to be calm!? Maria: Just let Z explain. (Z gripped the photo from his pocket, and handed it to him. He took it.) Z: Take a good look at those guys and tell me what you see. (Kafei glanced at the photo, then at the dead men. He did this repeatedly for a few minutes before he looked at Z again and asked...) Kafei: The men are these children? (Z and Maria nodded.) Kafei: So based on what you told me yesterday Z, Damian has suffered a crippling blow with the death of these men? Z: Might be more like the "killing" blow. Kafei: Huh? Does that mean...? (Z shrugged, and pulled his left foot back.) Z: Maybe. Nothi... (Kafei flung his arms into the air, elated by the news. Shaking his fists back and forth like he were holding a pair of maracas, he shouted...) Kafei: I'm saved! Oh, Z, thank you! Thank you so much!! (He brought his hands down, onto Z's shoulders, and shook him. Z extended his hands, pressed on Kafei's chest, and shoved him back with great force, showing little regard for his authority.) Z: Hey! Kafei: What...? Z: You didn't let me finish... Nothing's certain yet. There's a possibility this could all be a coincidence... And you didn't even hear the best part. ("Best part?," he thought, hearing a fearful, shaky voice in his head now that his excitement had quelled.) Kafei: What is the "best part?" Z: You don't even have to thank me, the Demon may have done this for you. (Though they could not see it, Kafei's eyes shifted from side to side as Z's words replayed in his mind. His speech, limited to a frightened stammer, was low yet thoughtful.) Kafei: I, I don't understand... Z: Neither do we. (Kafei shrugged, nervously. "Of course.," Z told himself, in a manner suggesting he'd been waiting for this moment. He shut his eyes, moistened his lips with his tongue, then raised his lids. His eyebrows had arched, and his probing stare had developed an acuteness to compliment it. He burned this look through the slitted eyes of Kafei's mask, strengthened his tone, and shouted...) Z: Ready to confess, Kafei? What is it that you're hiding!? (Maria and Olivia looked at each other, their gazes mirrored with their confusion. Kafei, stunned, slid his right leg back, but fired...) Kafei: I'm not hiding anything! Why must you continuously attack me and assume that I am a liar?! That I'm hiding some big secret from you!? For the last time, I'm NOT! (He launched his arms into the air when his last breath left his lips. Z stretched his arm, and aimed his index finger at him.) Z: Then what the hell is going on!? Four dead guys who are more than likely linked to the person who's trying to kill you end up on your doorstep and you expect us to think that's some coincidence!? No, that's not a coincidence, that's what I call assurance! Kafei: Assurance!? Of what!? Z: Oh, don't play that game with me. You know what I'm talking about... Assurance that you're gonna live. (During the hours he had spent going over the situation, he had developed a rather contrived theory regarding Kafei, "Damian," and the Demon. One that, while plausible, he dismissed due to its overly calculated nature. Kafei's ecstatic behavior just minutes before had rekindled his belief that this theory may have had some ground to it.) Z: You said the Demon never attacked Clock Town prior to this whole Damian crisis and I think it's just a little bit interesting that he strikes right when this situation hits very close to home, Kafei!? Right after that first bombing, yeah... And now all of sudden when you're life is on the line and you don't have anyone out there to protect you now with the Sages gone, these four guys end up dead! You knew the entire time, Kafei! You knew damn well who was out to get you and you were too much of a coward to confess! Kafei: Are you saying I paid the Demon off?! That's ridiculous! That man has been terrorizing all of Termina! He killed my own guards! (Z growled at him, and continued...) Z: You know, Kafei. I wouldn't put it past you to sacrifice your own people for your benefit. I think we've been over that story once before, remember? Now you're just making it look like a random act of violence. I mean it's brilliant, just fucking brilliant if you're a sadistic, twisted, psychotic... (He edged closer to Kafei, tightening his clenched fist with each step near. Olivia directed Maria with a jerk of her pupils to restrain Z. She did. She grabbed his left forearm, and pulled him back into the hallway. He whipped his arm from her grasp, leaned against the wall, and made wet, popping sounds with his lips. Posting her right hand on the wall beside him, she had blocked his exit, and asked...) Maria: Are you listening to yourself!? (He looked at her, his eyes still reddened with rage.) Z: Yeah. The question is, are you listening to me? Maria: You sound like a madman! Z: I am. I'm pissed that this piece of shit... "Z." (A voice had echoed from the front area. Olivia. Maria withdrew her hand from the wall, and turned as he did, toward her.) Olivia: She's right. ...You're on edge. You gave me advice the other night now take mine and calm down. (It was unexpected, and what he needed to hear, a different voice. He stared at her, only for a moment, but enough to appreciate the glimmer of her yellowish-green pupils under the light, then he nodded. His fast flowing adrenaline tapered off, and he shifted his gaze to Maria. He drooped his eyes, giving them a moist quality that resembled a puppy dog's, to show his contrition.) Z: ...Sorry. (His tone was low, penitent, almost. She sensed its sincerity, but did not reply. "What am I getting myself into...?," she asked herself, concerned with her future and his hotheaded impulse, though she nodded slowly, showing her "acceptance" of the apology. He read through this, and felt her disappointment, but he smiled, hoping it'd restore normalcy. She didn't return it, she only raised then lowered her eyebrows. "I deserve that.," he voiced to himself, despite the frown across his wrinkled lips. He removed his back from the wall, and veered his gaze onto Kafei and Olivia. As his eyes hit Kafei's mask, he felt a jolt charge through his veins, and he realized that he truly hated him.) (Kafei turned himself around, and faced Olivia. He smiled behind his mask, but made a nod for everyone to see, especially her. He was grateful for her intervention. She didn't acknowledge it, and averted his stare with her own latched to the clear, empty glass on the tabletop. Everyone stayed as they had, quiet, for about a minute or so until an emphatic series of knocks quaked at the door.) KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! (Each of their eyes expanded. They twisted whatever position they were in toward the bodies, and fired their gazes at them, still laying noticeably in the open. All had the same thought, "What are we gonna do, now...?") Edited by Bx, Aug 17 2009, 10:39:20 PM.
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| Bx | May 11 2009, 05:53:49 PM Post #58 |
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Notorious
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KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! (Everyone remained still. They had no options, none that were tenable at least. Four mutilated bodies in the Mayor's Office, even the most wily silver-tongued individuals could not muster a plausible explanation for this situation. They were four men. Four dead men. With their weight, dead weight, no less, dragging them to the back in a speedy, efficient manner was little more than a nonexistent hope, a solution without reason.) KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! (The door appeared to tremor as the knocks thundered with much greater intensity than they previously had. A sign that those behind the door were growing restless. Kafei looked at Z, even with his mask on, his desperation was obvious. He tipped his head left to further show this. Z ignored his plea, tossing a repulsed right hand at him. "We've got no other choice, though...," he told himself after a scan of the surroundings brought him to his decision. He stuffed his left hand in his pocket, inclined his head, and thought, "It's Kafei's loss anyway...," before he raised his gaze, paralleled with the door, and walked toward it. He felt the heat of everyone's apprehensive stares against his back, though he continued his slow stride.) "I don't care if you are sleeping Kafei! Open this door!!!" (That voice. It was Maven. Kafei choked on his own saliva and exhaled a series of harsh, constricted gagging sounds when he heard him. He pressed his hand on his chest, it trembled with his heart's sharp palpitations, and he felt as if he'd been pierced with a dagger. It was warranted fear. With the bodies in full view, Maven now had more than enough evidence to get him removed from both the Council and his Mayoral position.) (Z reached the door, though he cemented his soles onto the ground, and delayed opening it. He twisted his head, looked past his shoulder at Kafei, noticed the hand he had over his chest, and shook his head. When another knock pounded the door, he turned back around, and clenched the doorknob. Holding it untwisted, he paused, asking himself, "Wait a minute... Why is he even here in the first place? And more importantly... Why is he angry? Does he know someth...," he cut himself off, feeling the knob's vibration when another knock rumbled against the wooden door. "Maybe now I'll start to get some answers...," he told himself, and twisted the knob. Before he pulled the door open, Kafei squawked loudly, and he released his grip to look at him.) KNOCK!! KNOCK!! KNOCK!!! "Open the damn door! Or I swear I'll break it down! ...Boys!" (He heard shifting, clanging metal like jolting machinery and felt the ground quiver. Maven's men were gearing up to charge the door. Kafei raised his hands and waved them side to side as his head did the same, a desperate, silent, gestured plea for him to not open the door. Z glared at him with cold, sulky eyes, and reached back for the knob. He wanted answers, Kafei wanted a savior. The knob's twisting squeak alarmed him, and he shot his arm out at Z.) Kafei: No, Z! Please, don't... (Z paused, clenching the twisted knob, though not for Kafei, but rather the sound of another voice, a female's.) "...Stop this nonsense already! Tell your men to stand down." (Aveil. "She's out there, too!? They know something... They have to.," Z thought with an engrossed nod, and eyed Kafei more intensely, though his stare's hostility remained unaltered. Kafei raised a pair of clammy, distressed palms over his mask. "Hmph," Z barked, infuriated by this defeatist appearance, as he pulled the door open, and stepped in line with its course, revealing those outside for everyone inside to see. Derrion stood alongside Maven and Aveil as well as their respective guards, each face lined with a rigid stare that while similar, emoted in a way that represented their personalities. Maven's, a calculated, glaring scowl. Derrion's, ignited yet repressed. Aveil's, cold and aloof. They had apparently agreed to an impromptu Grand Council meeting without Kafei's knowledge.) (Z, his hand still gripped to the indoor knob, moved into their view, with a discerning raised eyebrow that contrasted with the bright smile beaming from his lips. Each Council member greeted him with a curt, preoccupied nod, their eyes fixed on another target, Kafei. Like this, Z ushered them inside, twisting himself sideways while he pushed some steps back. They entered.) Maven: What the hell was the holdu...! (A side glance had captured them, and a quick whip of their heads confirmed them. The four deceased men. Each of the Council Member's pupils had dilated, within them were the bodies, miniaturized in their eyes, but their eyes only. Their expressions, more shocked than horrified, and while large and loud, spoke less clearly than previous witnessed reactions. Only the gentle sound of Z's shutting the door was heard, the room had otherwise frosted silent.) "..." (Z scanned each face in the room with eyes nearly as large and as rounded as the Council's. He was the only one moving. He saw Kafei, bent over with his hands still concealing his mask, Maria and Olivia, their expressions filled with curious uncertainty, watching the Council members, and the members themselves, still engaged with the bodies. Maven changed this, he wrenched his body around to face Kafei, and crushed the Mayor's feeble appearance with a hard deliberate stare. He stayed like this, quiet, for a few moments before he shouted...) Maven: What is this!? (Kafei kept silent, and gently massaged the outer layer of his mask with the curved fingertips of his cupped, shaky hands. Maven's expression fashioned his scowl more viciously, though with Kafei's silence, he directed it at Z, and fired...) Maven: Is this why it took you so long to answer?! Because you were trying to hide this?! (Z pulled his lips tight, displaying his clamped white teeth, and glowered at Kafei. His nostrils twitched as his ire for Kafei's cowardice rose with each second his eyes were on him. "You coward...," he lipped silently, then jerked his stare onto Maven to answer...) Z: ...No. (His voice was soft, low, and equipped with honesty. Maven scoffed at it, puffing an unimpressed, "Bah," from his lips as he replied...) Maven: So Kafei's lying ways have rubbed off on you, huh!? ("What!?," Z responded in his thoughts, though his expanded, awakened, embittered eyes expressed this just as firmly. Maven's choice words had struck a personal, if not sensitive, chord in his mind. As he pried his pursed, deeply reddened lips open to counter the arrogant Zora, Aveil unsheathed her scimitar, and drew it between them, twisting its sharp edge toward both repeatedly to prevent either from stepping forward.) Aveil: Now both of you, calm down! (Z and Maven kept their feet rooted to the tile, neither willing to test her blade's sincerity. Though their muted stares matched in volume and intensity, neither willing to break it. Aveil shifted her blade's edge toward Maven, looked at Z, and asked calmly yet inquiringly...) Aveil: Now, what exactly is going on here...? ("This bastard...," he thought, still holding his glazed eyes against Maven's, and neglected Aveil's call. Her twisted right wrist, clenching the scimitar, vibrated from stress as she sighed and asked him again, this time more sternly...) Aveil: Z. What's going on here? (Still nothing. Aveil now flicked her wrist, and waved the tip of her blade slowly toward Z. An effort to produce a response. Maria, watching from behind her, saw this, and asked herself, "What's he doing...?," with the space between her forefinger and thumb fitted within her torso. "Answer her!," she finished. She pulled her right hand from her side, and clapped it against her left to grab his attention while she yelled...) Maria: Z! Z! (It worked. He averted his eyes from Maven's, and turned them onto her. She smiled, pleased that her call still held meaning for him, with two tight fingers aimed at Aveil.) Maria: She's talking to you. (He kept his eyes fixed on her, not focusing on Aveil, for at least a minute. He curved his tongue and slithered it across his upper teeth and pink gums, wondering about what had just occurred. The shine of Aveil's blade, just inches from his skin, sparkled in the corner of his left eye, though he did not flinch at it, and raised his gaze to Aveil's, burning yellowishly at him.) Aveil: Are you okay, now? (Her voice was questioning but unhardened. She held her mouth open and eyes widened, as she waited for his assuring reply. He nodded contritely, then waved his pupils onto Maven's thin chest until his view moved to Kafei. Aveil withdrew her scimitar hesitantly from the gap between them, and rested it back into its case, dangling at her side. After a quick scan of Maven's apathetic expression, she focused on Z, and asked...) Aveil: Alright. Now, Z, please tell us what's going on. (He coiled the fingers of his right hand tightly into a fist as his eyebrows sloped downward with the lowering of his lids. His appearance now menacing. His target, Kafei. Like this, he thrust his left hand into his pocket, yanked out the photo, and extended it to her. She grabbed it with an unsure hand, and brought it to her face to examine it. Removing the image from her vision, she asked...) Aveil: This is the picture I gave you. Why are you...? (He wheeled his arm back, and aimed at the bodies with an outstretched index finger.) Z: Check for yourself. ("I'm finished!! I'm finished! I'm...finished...," Kafei told himself in a voice whose strength and tone diminished gradually as his fate sank in. He unveiled half of his mask when he lowered his hand and pulled out a chair from under the table. He sat down, and after clapping his palms to his mask again, he pressed his face down against the tabletop. Maven viewed this, and shouted...) Maven: Pick your head up you lying sack of shit! (Kafei did so, quickly, and looked at Maven. The bitter Zora leader vented a disgusted, "Ugh," from his lips, and turned upon receiving his gaze. Aveil, nodding intently and stroking her chin with her thumb, placed her eyes on Z, and asked...) Aveil: These are the boys? (He nodded. She made another glance at the bodies, then returned her look to him.) Aveil: So, you...did this? Z: No. ("Oh...Oh, okay.," she uttered, moving her lips without sound. Her eyelids were pressed down, blurring her view somewhat, and her lips were apart enough to show a few teeth, as she looked around the room for the person responsible. Though none took accountability for the act. Her lids stretched open some, and her upper lip tightened as her lower lip drooped. She met Z's face again, and asked calmly...) Aveil: ...Then who? (Her voice was peculiarly monotone, it seemed all the curiosity had been trapped in her golden yellow pupils. He paused. "This is where it gets complex...," he thought, and shifted his eyes right, receiving a flash of Olivia's dejected, lifeless expression before Aveil reappeared in his vision.) Z: ...The Demon. (Each of the Council members, including Maven, who'd been chewing Kafei out, wrenched their necks to look at him. Their eyes all glimmered in the light, glazed with confusion. The kind that had captured the others when they heard this answer. Several seconds of silence passed until Aveil, with her head cocked to the left, said...) Aveil: But... I thought...? ...So you didn't do this? I... I... (He ended her confounded stammer with a shake of the head.) Aveil: ...Then that means... (She paused, sank her front teeth into her plump lower lip, and moved her eyes toward Derrion to finish...) Aveil: I, I... I don't know what it means... Z: All we really know is that this isn't a coincidence. (She stayed quiet. Her right foot tapped a disturbed, alternating beat while she repeatedly pinched a chunk of her bottom lip, thinking. For a pirate, it was finding a great treasure chest only to open it and view its empty contents. Their meditative, confused silence seemed to spur Kafei's cognitive abilities as he thought, "Wait a minute... They... they about Damian!?" His crisped lids raised behind his mask, and he verbalized his thoughts...) Kafei: You.... You all know of Damian? (Although everyone was staring at him only Maven answered....) Maven: ...Aveil filled us in before we arrived. Needless to say, your status on the Grand Council is in question hence why you were uninformed of this meeting. (It was over. The one thing he desperately tried to save, his job, was all but gone now as looked to the ground while Maven continued...) Maven: That being said, we did not come here to help you with your "problem" although it seems that has changed with this... (He glanced over at the bodies.) Maven: ...unexpected surprise. (Kafei looked up at him and asked...) Kafei: Then why? ...Why would you come here if you weren't trying to find out information about Damian? Maven: We already know about Damian and quite frankly, "he's" your creation and we're not gonna waste time cleaning your mess. Anyway, we were coming to discuss what to do about the Demon but it seems that your problem and our problem are connected... We wanted to ask Z if he discovered anything new and I suppose he did... (This was the end... It hadn't quite sank in yet but this was Kafei's end. With his position gone, Damian had ultimately succeeded in his eyes... Everything he built for himself, all of it was soiled now as he asked...) Kafei: ...So how did...you find out? ...And when? (Maven pointed to Aveil as she had since picked her spirits up and replied...) Aveil: ...I don't think that really matters now, does it, Kafei? I'll say this, though, you're poor judgment has certainly cost you.... It has certainly cost you... (He looked down and fearfully asked...) Kafei: So...that's it...? I... My job. I'm no longer on the Council...? I am no longer the Mayor...? (Everyone became disgusted by this comment. Everything that's been said about him and his obsession with himself was vindicated right there. And as such, their response to him was an icy silence...) "...." (And now it finally started to seep in through the cracks of his skin and he began to crack himself as he looked around at everyone before stopping at Olivia. He stared at her for a moment before finally saying...) Kafei: Olivia. Can I see you in the back....? (She was obviously confused by this and asked...) Olivia: Why? (He looked around the room again and sighed. There was childlike fragility in his voice as he said...) Kafei: ...Please. (She sighed, stood up and started walking to the back as he did the same. When they were gone, Z looked at Maria and asked...) Z: ...The hell was that about? (She shrugged her shoulders and looked down the hall leading to the back. Aveil quickly changed the subject however when she said...) Aveil: ...I, I wouldn't worry about that. We have more important things to focus on. (She was right, this situation with the Demon and "Damian" was the most pressing thing at hand and he asked...) Z: So what do you think, Aveil? Aveil: About all of this? Z: Yeah. Aveil: Z, right now you're the one who has all of the information. But I'm curious... Since you never said, did you actually see the Demon kill these men? (He shook his head, "No.") Aveil: So how do you know it was him? (He looked at the bodies and said...) Z: ...My only real evidence is the manner of the killings. See those chest wounds? (Not only Aveil but the other Council members looked at them asking in unison...) All: Yes. Why? Z: Maven, Aveil, I'm sure you saw some of the bodies he left during those attacks on the beach. Don't their wounds look similar to those? (Maven and Aveil, in particular took another look at the bodies and nodded.) Maven: Yes... I see what you mean. Aveil: As do I. Z: ...It seems like it fits. The only problem is.... Aveil: Why... (Derrion sighed and said...) Derrion: I'm confused. Are you saying the Demon actually helped Kafei? Z: Seems that way. Of course, this is all just assuming that we're right about these guys to begin with. From what I was told about the Demon, he was just a mindless murderer but these guys were obviously connected. I think it's pretty clear this was a calculated effort... Derrion: ...And no one knows why? Isn't there any... (Aveil seemed to realize something just as Z did and they both said...) Z & Aveil: Unless... (Everyone looked at them just as they looked at themselves asking each other...) Z & Aveil: What? (But Z allowed her to go first, saying...) Z: You know something? Aveil: Well, I think I may know the Demon's motivations, if any... (Everyone perked their ears up as she continued...) Aveil: "Damian's" resources. Z, haven't you wondered how a "man" who lives in the Underground, the designated area for Clock Town's poor, has access to so many things that even most citizens of average means can't afford? I'm talking about large amounts of food, explosives, weaponry, things of that nature... (He never really thought about it but now that she'd said it... It was a reasonable question to ask and he replied...) Z: Sure. (It was pretty clear to him that she was about to lay something heavy on the other Council members as she looked at them both before saying...) Aveil: ...The Dekus economy failed not because of bad leadership or isolationist practices.... (She glared over at Maven.) Aveil: But because most of their fortune was stolen a few years ago, right after they opened their gates to the public. ...The Deku Queen wanted to do away with her father's isolationism so much that she ended up overdoing the whole "open door" policy thing. She took it too literally... She relieved most of the guards of their duty because she wanted people to feel welcome and admire her kingdom's beauty, unfortunately.... Z: Someone robbed her blind. (She nodded, "Yes.") Aveil: Exactly. You see there was a prophecy that the Dekus were doomed to fail. She feared this more than anything and believed that continuing her father's practices would fulfill the prophecy. ....Ironically, it was just the opposite. (For Z and Maria, this made sense of what they'd seen in the Woods of Mystery. It in no way absolved the Queen of such a horrendous decision but it definitely made it clearer why she believed that the "gods" were sending her messages through her failures...) (Though an unimpressed, Maven asked...) Maven: But how could anyone with a brain not notice that a fortune, the fruit of your kingdom's existence, is gone? I mean... Aveil: I knew you'd ask that. But they were smart thieves, they knew the trade well.... From what she told me, they took most of it in installments. When she finally caught on... Most of it was gone and that's why their economy was literally crippled beyond repair. That's the reason she wanted tourism so badly because they had no other income... She confided in me because she saw herself as an outcast and knew my history in Termina. I guess she figured I'd understand... (Everyone stayed quiet. Maven, especially, felt like a heel as he silently questioned his own actions and treatment of her. This was broken, however when Z asked...) Z: So you think the Demon found out about that fortune and is taking these guys out one by one to get it? Aveil: Pretty much. It may be a bit of a reach and it is going on the assumption that these men were the thieves but... the man in that picture was a legendary marauder, if anyone knew how to rob a tribe of people blind, it'd be him... And I assume he taught the kids his craft. I mean, what else could he teach them? (It was an interesting theory but Z felt that the Demon wasn't the type to be motivated by money... Which in itself was ironic because earlier, he verbally assaulted Kafei with suspicions that he may have paid the Demon off. Despite his doubts, he replied...) Z: Interesting... (She knew he must have had his own theory and asked...) Aveil: So what did you think? (He pointed at the photo and said...) Z: You see that pregnant woman in the picture? I was thinking that the child she's carrying may be the Demon... That might be the connection. Now his motives of "revenge" or whatever are anyone's guess but... Maybe that's why he's been on a killing spree, he's been looking for them this entire time... (Shocked by this, Maria looked at him and asked...) Maria: But Z, we've never even seen the Demon's face. We both said that pregnant woman looks familiar. (He looked at her and replied...) Z: I know but we're not even sure why she looks familiar. It could be her body or something, I don't know... It's just something to think about... (Aveil didn't seem to care about this little "dent" in his theory as she said...) Aveil: I think that's an interesting take. And we could both be right... It certainly gives us a motive so to speak. Let's say the Demon really is this pregnant woman's child, maybe the other kids mistreated him and through his search to hunt them down and kill them, he finds out about the fortune and... (But Maria wasn't buying any of this and interrupted her, saying...) Maria: You guys are forgetting one key thing, though! (Considering how quiet she'd been all this time, it came as a real surprise to hear her like this with Z asking...) Z: What? Maria: Kafei. They were trying to kill him, remember? (Aveil was surprised to hear her asking such a basic question, answering...) Aveil: They've been forced to live in the Underground. They want revenge! Maria: Forced? If they really did take that fortune, then why stay down there? They have money! (She was speaking the truth and they knew it. No matter how hard they tried, they had no plausible answer for her...) Maria: ...I'm not saying you guys are wrong but I think there's more to this than what you two are saying. (Maven started clapping for her. When she looked at him, he winked and smiled which made her stomach turn...) Maven: Brilliant. (She wasn't finished, though, continuing...) Maria: ...And if you guys are right. Then what about those people down there? I mean Jim's already said things have gotten crazy, if they don't have Damian....? They're probably starving... (The state of the Underground. In the end, this may have been the most important issue as it involved an entire group of people who were probably killing each other over food, they'd seen a preview of it during one of their trips down there. And that was so long ago, it must have been even worse now leading Z to say...) Z: Jim... Aveil: What about him? Z: ...I've got to go see him. He knows that place better than anyone aside from maybe Olivia and he's been down there lately... (The worried look on his face concerned Maria and she asked...) Maria: Z? Z: ...I've got a bad feeling. (His premonitions usually meant something terrible was about to happen and she knew it.... The thought gave her a sick feeling as he looked at the Council members and said...) Z: Listen, I understand that you guys may feel that Kafei brought this on himself and I admit I feel the same way but at the same time, just letting innocent people die makes us no better him.... (Somewhat disturbed by the tone of his voice, Aveil said...) Aveil: Z, whatever it is, just say it! (He looked at each of them and finished...) Z: Rebellion. These people have been oppressed for years and they're probably starving now. They have every reason in the world to be angry, there are no guards down there and Clock Town's forces are depleted, I need you guys to get some of your troops over here to barricade the Underground. I wouldn't advise using force unless necessary but just make sure they don't come above ground.... (Maven scoffed at the idea, saying...) Maven: This is Clock Town's problem. I only worry about my... Z: Stop being an asshole! Dammit... (Both Aveil and Maria smiled as Maven's smug look was scrubbed off with that comment. Before going, Z looked at Derrion and said...) Z: Derrion, since you're all the way in the mountains, I don't expect you to get any of your troops but with Aveil and Maven's support, we shouldn't need them since this is just a precautionary measure. Derrion: Alright, no problem. (He turned to Maria and said...) Z: Come on. (He opened the door and the two of them left to go see Jim... Maven and Aveil went outside as well, telling a few of their respective troops to go back and get reinforcements.) Edited by Bx, Aug 19 2009, 03:17:06 PM.
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| Bx | May 13 2009, 02:52:23 PM Post #59 |
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Notorious
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(While that was taking place, Kafei and Olivia were privately having a discussion in the back. There was tension in the room however as she wasn't interested in anything he had to say. Both of their minds were elsewhere, his on his job and hers on Raphael. Despite this callous air, they managed to sit across from each other and talk, with Kafei initiating conversation...) Kafei: I... (He sighed. Olivia rolled her eyes in response, she was making it clear she didn't want to be here but that didn't stop him from continuing...) Kafei: ...You obviously heard what was said out there. It um... (He paused and looked to the ground. Her edginess took over as she said...) Olivia: Just say it already. (But he continued staring at the floor. Disgusted she stood up and started heading for the door but he stopped her, saying...) Kafei: Olivia, wait. (She looked back at him and coldly replied...) Olivia: ...I'm not gonna sit here and watch you stare at the floor. You brought me in here to talk, now talk. (He placed his hands over his mask and asked...) Kafei: Do you have to be so cruel...? (She thought to herself, "You've got a lot of nerve..." and replied...) Olivia: Why don't you ask yourself that? (He pulled his hands from his mask and fired back...) Kafei: I just lost my job! Why is it so wrong for me to care about my work, to enjoy my job...? (She shook her head negatively and answered....) Olivia: ...Because it's the only thing you care about. Z and everyone else hav... Kafei: Z!? Z hates me! His opinion means... (He stopped and stared at her. Her facial expression was very familiar, it was too familiar actually... He knew that look, it was Z's look. A chill went through his veins and his voice softened as he timidly asked...) Kafei: Olivia... You don't... hate me, do you...? I... (She didn't answer to which he replied...) Kafei: You, you can't...? I... (Her silence was killing him, he couldn't come up with anything to say or even make a clear thought. He was completely stunned. His antics had apparently given her a reason to despise him much like Z did. With the conversation over in her eyes, she started walking toward the door but again he stopped her, yelling...) Kafei: Don't! (She didn't turn around this time, only saying...) Olivia: ...Just say what you have to say. I'm not waiting any longer. (There was a brief silence. He was slowly processing everything taking place around him and it was in this moment where he realized just how powerless he truly was... It was as though he'd stepped outside of his body and looked at himself, at every "great" decision he made in his life and how they were all coming back to tear him apart....) (Without a verbal response from him, she twisted the knob but stopped herself from opening the door. He hadn't said a word but she wanted to hear what he had to say. Realizing what she did, his moment of reflection faded and he opened his mouth...) Kafei: I...will not have this position much longer. (Hearing this, she groaned but took her hand off of the knob, listening as he continued...) Kafei: ...The past month or so has been very trying for me, for both of us I'm sure and... I apologize for keeping you locked up here this entire time but... (She quickly interrupted him, asking...) Olivia: Is that the only thing you're going to apologize for? (He stayed silent for a moment but replied....) Kafei: ...Olivia, I'm trying... (She wasn't sympathetic, though and angrily said...) Olivia: Try harder. (He sighed and glanced at the ceiling, slowly shaking his head, "No" before continuing...) Kafei: ...I, I don't know what the state of the Underground will be after all of this but what I do know is that I don't want you to live down there any longer.... ("Oh really? You don't want me to live down there? Ha," she said to herself as she replied...) Olivia: So what are you trying to tell me? (He stood up and walked to his office. A few moments later, he came back with a large bag in his hand...) Kafei: I want you to have this. (She turned around, looked at it suspiciously and asked...) Olivia: What's that? (He looked down at the bag and then at her, asking...) Kafei: ...Why you can't you just accept it? Olivia: Because it's from you. (That left a deep wound in his heart as he turned around and started walking back to his office, saying...) Kafei: ...It was 80,000 rupees. My share of... Olivia: I don't want your money. (He simply continued to his office without a reply. When he returned, he said....) Kafei: I guess that's all then... (Not for her as she angrily exclaimed...) Olivia: So you just brought me in here not because you wanted to talk but because you wanted to give me your "pity" money? So you could feel good about yourself? Make everything all better with one gift, right...? Bastard. (It was like talking to Z... But for him, her attacks stung a lot more, they packed a punch that left him guiltily shamed. And he couldn't fight back, everything was his fault...) (For her question, though, he had no answer. She read his intentions as easily as she'd have read a newspaper. So with nothing else left to say, at least nothing he was brave enough to touch on, he said....) Kafei: ...You're free to go as you please. I wis... (She didn't let him finish as she walked past him, grabbed her chessboard and started packing the little she had in a sack. He watched her the entire time as she briskly loaded everything she owned in this bag and walked past him without a word to open the door...) (Feeling as though it was his last chance to rectify things, he said....) Kafei: ...Good luck with Raphael. (And the door slammed shut. She left without so much as a "goodbye" or even a "Thank you," leaving him to silently reflect on his life and the choices he's made...) (As she was walking down the hall to the front area, her only thoughts were of Raphael. All she could think was the worst, there was no reason for her to suspect otherwise, it'd been over a day since his disappearance and because of this, guilt was creeping into her mind. She was beginning to blame herself for not doing enough to stop him...) (With these awful thoughts invading her mind, she reached the front area and saw only the Council members so she asked...) Olivia: ...Where did Z and Maria go? (They all turned to her but only Aveil answered...) Aveil: To go see Jim. (Aveil's gaze was fixed on her as she replied...) Olivia: So they went to the Inn? (Still studying her, she nodded, "Yes." Swirling in a range of emotions, she didn't even notice the staring as she quickly walked out of the door without saying anything else....) (Outside, there were only a few people strolling the streets and the guards of the Council members had all gone to take care of their assignments. With the lack of people, she easily spotted Z and Maria walking up the path toward the northernmost gate leading into South Clock Town. Seeing them, she ran and yelled...) Olivia: Z! ...Maria! (Hearing her, they both stopped and looked back. Their eyes widened with curiosity when they saw her running toward them with her bag of belongings...) (When she finally arrived, Maria asked...) Maria: Olivia? Where are you going? (A little winded, she paused and caught her breath before answering...) Olivia: ...I want to come with you guys. (Noticing her bag, Z said...) Z: I'm guessing you're free to go as you please now? (She nodded, "Yes.") Maria: We're just going to go see Jim, though. Olivia: I know. I just... (She looked over at the Clock Tower and finished....) Olivia: ...I need something to get my mind...away from Raphael. (Z, in particular, gave her a funny look, saying...) Z: ...You sure? (She took her eyes away from the Clock Tower and put them on him, replying...) Olivia: It works for you, right...? (He stayed quiet, only looking at Maria who had the same expression he had. For such a simple question, it left a deep impact on both of them as he finally answered...) Z: ...Sometimes. (He completely understood what she was going through and without anymore questions or doubts, he simply said...) Z: Come on. (Walking in silence, they reached South Clock Town a few minutes later... The streets weren't crowded but there were more people out than there had been recently. Time was slowly allowing the city's courage to return...) (Thinking about what Olivia had just said, Z pulled out the photo to try and refocus on what he was going to ask Jim... He paid close attention to the pregnant woman but Olivia broke his train of thought, saying...) Olivia: ...I lied. (They all stopped and the spotlight was on her as she explained...) Olivia: I'm sorry. ...I'm not trying to forget about Raphael. Even as we speak I'm worried about him... (It was obvious to both of them that the situation had placed a monumental strain on her emotional well-being. And it was understandable, they were natural feelings. It was the same with Z, a person can only endure so much before their defenses start to falter. Right now, her heart was on her sleeve, her weaknesses were in full view for everyone to see... The only problem was not knowing how much more she could take. Z was essentially going through the same thing and for that reason, he believed she was just another step away from a total meltdown which bothered him tremendously....) (Empathetic of her situation, Maria's eyes watered a little as she continued...) Olivia: ...After you're done talking to Jim, can we look for him...? I know it's a lot and I know that there are other things to worry about but even if he's.... I have to know... So ca... (She stopped and they all looked toward the southern gate leading to Woodfall. There was loud chattering and even a few gasps from the crowd as people were quickly moving out of the way, something was coming...) (Z placed his hand on the handle of his blade, ready to strike if anything malicious were to come out of the crowd but as the last group of people moved out of the way, they realized it was a pleasant surprise as Olivia's eyes lit up while she yelled...) Olivia: Raphael?! (It was him. He looked horribly beaten with numerous tears in his clothes but that didn't matter, he was alive. Finally noticing Olivia, he stumbled towards her as she ran to him, lifted him up and hugged him tightly. As they embraced, she asked...) Olivia: What happened to you...? (He was out of breath, answering...) Raphael: I... The... Zo... (He paused, catching his breath while she squeezed him tighter. Z had since taken his hand away from his blade as he and Maria looked on happily... It was a beautiful moment. One of the rare instances where good things came to good people....) (Having finally caught his breath, Raphael started speaking...) Raphael: The D... (He stopped again, prompting Olivia to say...) Olivia: ...You can explain later. You need rest, come on. (He coughed a few times and nodded, "Yes." Looking at Z and Maria, Olivia smiled and said...) Olivia: We've got to go back to Kafei's so... "AHH!!!!!!" (Everyone looked toward the southern gate, unlike Raphael's arrival, total panic ensued... The citizens who weren't being shoved like rag dolls were diving out of the way as Z finally caught a glimpse of who it was...) Z: !!! ...The Demon! (Z grabbed his sword while everyone froze with fear. Looking around, he noticed the panic in Raphael's eyes, receiving a shocking discovery in doing so. The melancholic look on his face was so familiar and he knew why....The pregnant woman. The woman in the photo had to be Raphael's mom... It was a startling and almost frightening revelation...) (But this discovery and all the questions that arose with it were quickly erased as the Demon was storming toward them with an intimidating fury while those in his path cowered in fear... As his full body came into view, Z noticed he was holding a crossbow and no sooner did he...) BOOM! Z: AHHH!!! Maria: Z!! (Receive a bolt to his leg that sent him to the ground. Grabbing his leg in pain, he watched in horror as this monster set his sights on Raphael, who was making an attempt to run for dear life with Olivia in hand. But that wasn't enough as he received two bolts to the back of his knees, dragging her to the ground as he fell...) (Maria was too busy and too scared tending to Z to do anything but listen to the sounds of their screaming while this embodiment of death pulled out his sword and started his slow stride toward them. Every step he took meant another second of their last moments was lost...) (Eleven steps later by Olivia's count, he reached their bodies, hovering over Raphael's first. He was lying on his stomach and the Demon pulled him back by his hair, allowing her to see his last tears rushing down his face. She began crying hysterically while the Demon, still holding Raphael by his hair, impaled him through the heart, splattering his blood all over Olivia's face and clothing...) "Uuughh......" (Pulling the sword out of his chest, the Demon let his body fall to the ground while he looked at the hysterical Olivia and then turned to Z before he whipped around, looking at the southern gate....) BOOM! (A bolt had been fired at him though he dodged it. And then another came...) BOOM! (But he dodged that as well leading Z and Maria to look down the path to see who was firing....) Z: ...Eag... (The Demon put his sword away and chased after the shooter as more and more bolts were fired at him... After a few minutes it all stopped leaving South Clock Town silent and unsure of what was going to happen next...) (Maria had already pulled the bolt out of Z's leg and was now wrapping the wound with a piece of his shirt. He couldn't feel any pain while she was doing this, he was too focused on Olivia.... With Raphael's blood still splattered all over her face and her tears dried, she just blankly stared at his body... In one fell swoop she went from the highest of highs to the most tragic low. Her last line of emotional defense was impaled with Raphael's heart....) (After a while, she stood up and Z called out to her...) Z: ....Olivia! Olivia! (She didn't respond and Maria turned to her as well. Finally seeing Raphael's body, she gasped in horror....) Maria: Oh my.... (With no response, he was extremely worried and called her again....) Z: Olivia! Olivia! (Nothing.) (Everything that mattered to her was gone.... She had nothing left, her life now was as blank as her expression. More concerned about her than himself, he looked at Maria and said...) Z: I'm... fine. Worry about her. (She nodded, stood up and walked toward her but before she could reach her, Olivia ran into the Clock Tower, undoubtedly on her way to the Underground...) (Unsure what to do, Maria looked at him but before she could ask, he answered...) Z: Just... (He looked at Raphael's body and continued...) Z: ...let her go. (She looked at the door leading into the Clock Tower and replied...) Maria: I... (But she stopped, she was speechless. A few moments later, a traumatized guard came over to them and asked...) CT Guard: Y-y-you need a-assistance....? (She looked at the guard and nodded, "Yes" while saying....) Maria: Help me take him to the Mayor's office. (Z objected, replying....) Z: ...I can manage. Maria: Z, stop being hardheaded! Z: ...I'm not. (To show this, he struggled to his feet but remained balanced. He pointed to Raphael's body, looked at the guard and said...) Z: Carry him to the Mayor's office... (The guard looked at Raphael's dead body and seemed horrified that he would be given such a task, turning to Z, asking....) CT Guard: T-t-the dead...guy...? Z: ...Yeah. (The guard reluctantly lifted Raphael on his back and was ready to go. Still worried, Maria looked at his leg and asked...) Maria: Are you sure you can walk? (He didn't answer. He had two things on his mind: Olivia's well-being and the startling revelation surrounding Raphael. These thoughts above everything else filled his mind as the three of them walked back to Kafei's office....) Edited by Bx, Jun 16 2009, 01:23:48 PM.
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| Bx | May 14 2009, 01:35:32 AM Post #60 |
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Notorious
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(About twenty minutes later, they reached Kafei's Office. They took such a long time because of Z's obvious walking issues as he ended up needing assistance from Maria just to make it to the door... But his leg wasn't the worst of his concerns, it was just a body part, it would heal. Olivia on the other hand, the trauma she must have suffered watching that monster murder her boyfriend in such a brutal fashion, how does anyone heal from that...?) (That being said, his feelings were conflicted. A huge part of him felt for Olivia but the questions surrounding Raphael and his possible involvement in this "Damian" thing left him less sympathetic for his fallen "friend." It was an odd scenario, he sympathized with the living "victim" but not the one who paid the ultimate price....) (Now at the door, Maria twisted the knob and entered... Upon seeing them, Aveil and Derrion rushed out of their seats to help them, naturally asking...) Aveil: What happened!? (Before either of them could answer, she saw the guard carrying Raphael's dead body and stuttered...) Aveil: W-w-wha....? (The guard didn't answer, he wanted to leave as quickly as possible, literally dumping Raphael's body on top of the others in the room before hurrying out without a word. Maven had since helped Maria sit Z in a chair while Derrion shut the door and the questioning began...) Maven: ....The Demon? (That was the natural response to seeing death now, it was like the Demon's involvement was a given. But the terrifying part was that in nearly every case, he was. The Council members were waiting for their answer but Maria was trying to get a grasp on everything that had just occurred since it all happened so fast.... Z, on the other hand was in his own world, going over everything he saw and learned in the last hour or so.... The only good news was that some questions were answered, one of which being the Demon's involvement in the other killings. All five of the bodies in the room had the same chest wound, stabbed straight through the heart....) (Just looking at them gave off an eerie feeling. It was like he purposely made sure he destroyed their hearts... Why, though? That was the question, why the apparent vendetta... Z pulled out the picture and looked at it, just one kid left.... His and Aveil's theory of vengeance still stood, "Could the Demon be the last kid in the photo?," he thought to himself before Maven asked...) Maven: What the hell is wrong with you two?! Can't you hear!? Was it the Demon or not?! (Both him and Maria looked up at him and just as they were about to answer, Kafei walked in. They turned to him and Maven let out a frustrated sigh....) Kafei: ....What's going on? (Derrion pointed to Raphael's body and he shrieked in horror, saying...) Kafei: Oh my.... Wha...!? (Though his mask covered his horrified expression, the tone of his voice let everyone know just how he felt as he looked at Z and asked...) Kafei: ....What happened to him!? And where's Olivia?! (It was the question on everyone's mind as they all focused on Z and Maria. Feeling the heat from their stares, she answered...) Maria: ...Yes, it was the Demon. Raphael... (She paused and sighed. Just talking about it made her relive the traumatic moment but the more she remembered, the less she understood. One minute there was happiness, the next there was blood.... Maven couldn't tolerate the constant "intermissions" between explanations so he angrily demanded...) Maven: Please finish the damn story already! (The way Z felt about Kafei, she felt about Maven. She groaned at his demand and simply rolled her eyes without finishing. The task of explaining was now given to Z but he was too engrossed with the photo so Kafei, now seemingly desperate to know Olivia's fate, asked again...) Kafei: What happened to Olivia!? (Z finally took his eyes away from the photo and looked at him, answering...) Z: She... (Now he was having nightmarish flashbacks of what happened but he shook them off and continued...) Z: ...She went to the Underground. (Obviously no one could see it but Kafei's jaw dropped. He stayed like this for some time while Aveil asked...) Aveil: So what happened with the Demon? Please, guys we must know... (He started shaking his head, "No" as he answered...) Z: ...He, he just came out of nowhere and killed Raphael. Derrion: Out of nowhere!? How...? (Maria answered for him. She had apparently become more comfortable explaining what happened...) Maria: ...Not literally. We had just met up with Olivia right before we went into South Clock Town and just as we were passing the Clock Tower, there was a disturbance in the crowd near the South gate. Maven: The Demon. That son of... (She corrected him before he could finish...) Maria: No... It was Raphael. (Kafei had regained the ability to speak and asked...) Kafei: So Olivia got to see him, one last time...? (The image of Olivia watching powerlessly while the Demon stabbed Raphael entered Z's head, forcing him to cover his face with his hands while she delicately answered....) Maria: Um... Yes. (Hearing this, he let out a sigh of relief. "If only he knew..." went through her mind before Aveil asked...) Aveil: So the Demon was after Raphael? (She couldn't answer. Most of the events leading to Raphael's death were a blank for her so realizing this, Z uncovered his face and picked up where she trailed off...) Z: ...Seems that way. (Maven looked over at Raphael's body, taking note of the chest wound he shared with the other victims and asked...) Maven: Was he connected to "Damian?" (The question he wasn't ready to answer yet.... He looked to the ceiling and let out a sigh, leading the observant Maven to follow up with...) Maven: ....That looks like a "Yes." (Everyone, Maria and Kafei, in particular thought that was just another ludicrous claim on his behalf until Z failed to refute it... Now all eyes were on him as he was left to tarnish whatever honor Raphael had left....) (He didn't do it immediately, though. Stalling by twiddling his thumbs and doing other little things to avoid answering but ironically, this gave them his answer. Now they just wanted to know why he believed this to be the case... He knew this, of course and handed Maria the photo...) Maria: Who....? Z: ...The only woman. (With Raphael on her mind, she looked at the pregnant woman and immediately it came to her. She was speechless again as she looked at Z with her mouth hanging.... Like him, she was suffering from conflicting emotions, it was unbelievable.... Raphael was their friend, he was Olivia's boyfriend and now...? Now he was more than likely an accomplice in a plot to kill Kafei, an agent of a group who oppressed the poor with cruel tactics and more than anything...A deceptive cheat.) (In her eyes, much of the sadness in his death faded with this realization. The Council members had no personal investment in Raphael the way they did so their reactions when they received the photo and looked at his body weren't conflicted at all. They simply viewed him the way they viewed the others, as criminals who were justifiably murdered for their crimes.... There was too much evidence for this to be a coincidence, the only questioned that remained for them were the Demon's motives....) (But for Kafei, much like Z and Maria, his emotions were very much spiraling in opposing directions as this revelation was beginning to fully sink in.... This man, Olivia's boyfriend, someone he'd let in his home several times had a role in trying to kill him.... And as all of these various thoughts were strolling through his mind, he imagined a motive and above all else, this scared the hell out of him....) Kafei: Oh.... (Z looked at him and asked...) Z: What's wrong? (He didn't say anything and Z, sick of dealing with him just ended the conversation right there. Strangely enough, he actually hurried to the back. Everyone noticed it of course but at this point, they figured the man was just losing it...) (Ultimately, what it came down to now was figuring out the connection between the Demon and "Damian," as it was now all but an absolutely certainty these men were responsible for controlling the Underground. The only thing Z could come up with was his original theory albeit altered to fit, not as the pregnant woman's child but as the final child and he brought it to everyone's attention...) Z: ...If you guys are wondering about the Demon's motives.... Maybe he's the last kid in that photo? Maven: So your theory hasn't changed? Just the child? (He nodded, "Yes." And Maven replied...) Maven: ...Unbelievable. You have no idea, do you? (Angered by his comment, he answered...) Z: No! No, I don't! Do you?! When I left out of here earlier, you weren't too interested in this whole mess so why now have you decided to start jerking me around!? (Surprised by this outburst, Maria said...) Maria: Calm down. You're under a lot of stress, we all are but you can't just lose it every time someone makes a comment you don't like... (It was all starting to get to him again. It was frustrating and demoralizing for him to find out that this man who he called "friend" at one time had a hand in delivering his mother's death. He may not have dealt the killing blow but he knew the monster who did, he knew what was going to happen and he didn't stop it. For that, he was almost thankful that the Demon murdered him, that a form of "justice" had been served but then there was Olivia....) (His vindictive thoughts about Raphael were derailed when he imagined her face, the bloodstained face he saw running to the Underground. The girl with nothing and no one. Everything she's ever had, always taken from her at some point whether by death or.... And then he realized something, "Olivia's house was burned down by Damian, if Raphael....? That bastard, he used her, drove her mom away and murdered her father.," he said to himself before actually saying...) Z: ...Son of a bitch. (Everyone looked at him strangely with Maria asking...) Maria: Who? Z: Raphael. (Everyone looked at each other and then back at him but before they could even ask, he lifted himself out of his chair, grabbed his leg in pain but managed to stand and started walking. Seeing him, Maria said...) Maria: What are you doing? You can't go anywhere with your leg like that! (He continued walking, replying...) Z: My.. ugh... my leg says.... Shit... otherwise. (He kept going, grimacing in pain with each step but he fought through it. She wasn't gonna allow it, though and ran in front of the door, telling him...) Maria: Z. Look at yourself. Just watching you is painful, I know it feels a lot worse... I'm not letting you go. (He knew she was doing this because she cared and he was grateful but at the same time, he needed to leave so he replied...) Z: I've got to go.... Please, just let me go. (She shook her head, "No.") Maria: If it were me, you'd be doing the same thing. (He sighed and said...) Z: You're right. But you're not me, Maria... Maria: I know but still... (Aveil backed her up, saying...) Aveil: She's right Z. With that Demon out there, you're just not... Z: I'm not too worried about that. ...There's a good man dealing with the Demon out there, he'll help me if I need it. (The others didn't know who he was talking about but Maria did and although she was firmly against it, she gave in and stepped to the side, only saying....) Maria: Just tell me where you're going... (He smiled and answered...) Z: To go see Jim. And...hopefully get a friend a gift. (None of them understood that last part but Maria said...) Maria: Ok, well I'm co... (He shook his head, "No.") Z: You stay here. Olivia will be back, I'm sure of it. Just... wait for me and make sure she's alright. (She reluctantly accepted this and allowed him to leave with Maven saying...) Maven: That was a stupid thing to do.... Aveil: Maven, shut up! (He shrugged his shoulders and sat down leaving Maria to question whether she made the right decision or not....) (Outside, the hobbling Z was heading up the path to South Clock Town. The heat of the sun seemed to inflame the stinging as it baked the partially covered wound. But he fought through it, he needed to see Jim and afterward, find David who he hoped was still alive... And there was only one place he knew to check, his hideout in Ikana...) (It would be a hell of a trek in his condition but he was more than willing to take it to give his friend a renewed sense of hope.... The image of her bloodstained face was ingrained in his mind and every painful step displayed it but it kept him going...) (At least 45 minutes later, he reached the Stock Pot Inn and knocked at the door. He didn't care that he was banned, he just wanted to see Jim.) KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! (Knocking several times, he finally heard footsteps and hoped that it wasn't who he thought it was. A few seconds later, the door opened and to his surprise, it was Allie, the mother of Jim's child. Happy to see her, he asked...) Z: Hi. Where's Jim? Can you tell him to come outside? (She shook her head, "No" and said...) Allie: Sorry. He's not here. ("He's not here? What the hell?" he thought before asking...) Z: Well, where did he go? Allie: To the Underground to get the rest of our stuff. (The Underground. That was the last place he wanted to go so he replied...) Z: Well, do you know when he'll be back? Allie: Uh.... I really don't know. Is something wrong? Z: ...No. Not really. (With nothing else to ask, he said...) Z: Alright. Well whenever he comes back, tell him to stay here and that Z wants to see him, ok? (She nodded, "Yes.") Z: Thanks a lot. Allie: ...No problem. (She shut the door but he wasn't gonna just wait for Jim so he hobbled off toward Ikana, in search of David. To him, he was the key to Olivia's recovery as he disappeared through the East Gate...) Edited by Bx, Jun 16 2009, 02:52:42 PM.
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10:12 AM Jul 11