Lani planned to stay well out of the way in this fight, glad to stay on the sidelines. Drake came back over with the red can, holding it with one hand by their side as they let out a sigh.
"I still can't believe you managed to find more pyromaniacs," they mumbled to Lani, who only laughed softly.
"What can I say?" she teased, lightly poking their chest. "Now, come on, surely this will convince you."
"Try not to actually hurt each other!" Sky called after the two, and Time quite shared his sentiment. Nonetheless, everyone stood back and let them get ready.
A moment passed where Legend and Warriors simply looked at one another, then they exchanged a nod and the spar started with Warriors sweeping the fire rod out in front of him, sending an arc of fire at Legend, who dodged out of the way and pointed his sand rod at the ground and lifting it up. A pillar of sand followed, nearly exploding in contact with the fire but causing it to evaporate nonetheless. Warriors didn't relent, attacking again with a blast of flame that nearly caught Legend square in the torso. The Veteran was too quick for that, though, and avoided it.
Lani was up against the van to stay out of the way of the two fighting warriors, but she couldn't help but lean forward as she watched. It was different, when she wasn't the one holding the controller, and it wasn't just a sprite on the screen. These men were warriors, actual ones who'd actually fought. Who knew what they were doing.
The magic was pretty cool too, but it really was more of an afterthought to Lani. She was clearly impressed, if not awed.
Drake was unamused, waiting with fire extinguisher in hand just in case. They didn't seem to be budging with their stance on magic, even now.
Legend recovered quickly, thrusting his weapon into the ground and causing another pillar of sand to carry him upwards. It was crumbling within a second from another shot of fire, but Legend took advantage of the opportunity he was given to jump off of his escape, twisting in midair so that he landed on his unoccupied hand and kicked out at his opponent's ankles. Warriors jumped back just barely in the nick of time. "Whoa, that was dirty," he commented. Legend recovered and laughed.
"What can I say, I'm an underhanded bastard," he replied, and the two were at it again. Warriors would attack and attack, and Legend would defend until he found an opportunity to go on the offensive. He didn't try any tricks like landing on his hand again, and Time doubted he'd be able to even if he wanted to. It looked like he had landed on it relatively hard. Having said that, he was still flashy with his moves. As was Warriors, which wasn't unusual, but it seemed like both of them were exaggerating more than usual, just to show off. The thought amused Time; for as much as Legend liked to go after Warriors' ego, his pride was could be equal to the Captain's at times.
As Legend kept defending, Warriors was beginning to tire out. The constant attacks were doing more of a number to his stamina than the dodges were to Legend's, and the latter was finding more and more opportunities to throw in a quick attack before dancing around Warriors' again. Perhaps the battle would be over quickly, then…
(Legend: literally manipulates the ground he's standing on)
(Warriors: yeeting fire like it's nbd)
(Drake: :/)
(XD)
Lani glanced at Drake, only to see that their doubt still remained.
"Oh, come on," Lani mumbled to herself, looking back. How could they not believe still? She looked back to the two fighting, keeping a close eye on what they were doing. They truly were impressive, and it easy to see what their strategies were. Lani totally called Legend the winner, but she didn't say it out loud.
Drake wasn't amused in the slightest. They narrowed their eyes as Warriors continued throwing fire ever which way, hand tightening on the fire extinguisher.
Time found Lani's excitement to be akin to that of the children they'd come across occasionally on their travels, usually in towns. When one saw one of the Heroes using some kind of magic, they'd run and tell their friends and soon there would be a whole gaggle of kids surrounding them, begging to see something fun. Of course, their apologetic parents usually followed soon after, but none of the Heroes really minded. It was always refreshing to be met with that kind of wonder, not for their status, but for something as simple as lighting a torch without flint or steel.
And then there were people like Drake, who, it seemed, would not be convinced by anything. It was much rarer to run into someone like that, but on the occasion that they did, it wasn't uncommon for… hijinks to ensue. Either because someone bet they couldn't or because they were bored or frustrated, Legend or Four would attempt to change the person's stance with some elaborate magic. Sometimes someone else would get dragged in, sometimes they wouldn't, but the encounter almost always ended in Time or Twilight dragging at least one Hero away by the ear and apologizing to whoever they had bothered.
Just when Time thought this was going to be one of the truly rare occasions that nothing too terrible would come of the show, something had to happen. Because of course it did. One moment, Legend was sending a spray of sand at Warriors; the next, he was dodging out of the way of Warriors' next blast. And while Time was glad that the Veteran didn't take a fireball to face, the attack was now headed towards the spectators and the van.
Wild acted fast, but not in the way that anyone was really expecting him to–then again, that shouldn't have been surprising, considering that this is Wild. It seemed that he had completely forgotten about the ice rod in his hand, which would have undoubtedly been a better way of going about things. What did he do, you ask?
Threw himself at the oncoming blast of fire, screaming. Because of course he did.
Before the fireball could actually hit him, a translucent, ghostly green sphere appeared around the Champion. On contact with the attack, it turned red and shattered. Another shout rang out, and a form that Time identified to be a Goron appeared for a second to loose a mighty shout as it did so. Most of the fire dissipated when it hit the orb, but some of it caught on the grass at Wild's feet.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Warriors just stared in shock at what Wild just did. Legend, having not seen the chaos unfolding behind him, took advantage of this opening to use a sand attack to knock the fire rod out of Warriors' hand.
(Sorry it's late and long lmao, I had a car ride and Nothing Better To Do)
(It's okay! I've got a DnD session in half an hour so I'll try to get the response up soon!)
(And I love the length!! Very fun aha)
(Bump? Hope your DnD session went well! :))
(Aha, it did! F I R E)
(And sorry for the delay, I've been down with a migraine all day but we should be good now!)
Lani's excitement was similar to that of a child. She adored being able to watch her heroes in action, to see their powers in action. Even as she lived in a world of technology, and these things could be replicated, it just wasn't the same as seeing the two heroes duking it out.
Though, she did prefer seeing it from a distance.
She let out a small shriek of surprise as the fire came towards them, ducking behind Drake as she did. Drake was quick to bring the fire extinguisher up, but not enough to beat Wild. They grumbled some, unimpressed. They stepped forward, calmly using the extinguisher to put out the grass. Lani blinked a few times, but she wasn't as near as shocked as a few others.
"Well, that was flashy," she mumbled, not looking any less awed than before now that she was over the initial fear of a mass of fire flying at her.
Sky pretty much just stared at Wild in shock, and Time pinched the bridge of his nose in and shook his head. "What?" Wild asked, as if what he'd just pulled off was somehow not bound to get a reaction.
"Pup, there were so many other ways you could have gone about that," Time replied.
"But this one worked? I don't see the problem??" Wild looked genuinely bewildered by everyone's reactions to his stunt.
Warriors and Legend made their way back over to the group, joking with each other. Legend had a smug grin on his face, which he redirected from the Captain to Drake. "If that doesn't convince you that magic really does exist and we really can use it, I've got no idea what will," he said.
"I mean- it did work," Lani agreed. She was mostly over what had just happened, chuckling some. "Besides, it's not like it's dangerous, really." She put her hands in the pockets of her cosplay. Even if it wasn't accurate, she wouldn't make anything without them- she'd rather die than not have places to put things. It's why she usually buys men's jeans.
"Does this mean you'll stop trying?" Drake asked, not looking up as they finished up with the fire extinguisher. They sighed, putting it down as they turned back.
"And next time maybe not accidentally put people in danger with it? If it even was one, with the stunt your friend pulled."
Legend crossed his arms. "Tough crowd, eh?"
"All things considered, I'd say that's more than fair," Time replied. "Warriors, you're usually more aware of your surroundings than that."
"Ah, yeah. Sorry about that," Warriors apologized with a slightly nervous chuckle. "Guess I just got caught up in it, heh. Nobody got hurt, right?"
"Nope!" Wild answered, all too cheerfully for someone who just jumped into fire. "Don't worry about me, dude, I've been in way crazier situations and been totally fine," he said in response to Drake's latter comment.
(Wild: jumps in front of a fireball)
(Drake: understandable concern)
(Wild: lmao it's fine I've done dumber things)
Drake rubbed the bridge of their nose between thumb and forefinger, letting out a heavy sigh as they closed their eyes.
"God, I could barely handle one…" Lani chuckled some, moving over to gently pat Drake's shoulder. They opened their eyes to look around, then turned to head back to the car.
"This is gonna be horrible, I can tell."
"Well, I think this is gonna be fun," Lani said in turn, flashing Wild a smile and a thumbs up. She liked his style, for sure.
Wild grinned right back at Lani. From Drake calling her a pyromaniac, he had the idea that things would go just peachy between them. Time, however, was much more concerned about how these two would interact–and what chaos would result from these interactions. He sighed. "Well, we ought to find somewhere to stay–we wouldn't want to impose."
Lani had… so many things she wanted to do with Wild in particular. She wasn't afraid to admit she had favorites, and he was very high on that list.
"Oh, it's alright! You can stay with us, we've got the spare rooms," Lani said quickly. It might not be the best for these men to just go and find somewhere to camp in this world, and she figured it'd be best to keep an eye on them to help with the cultural differences. Drake half coughed, half choked, looking at Lani with a glare.
"Are you sure? We can totally camp out somewhere," Wild offered. "I mean, there's five of us, plus two of you… that's seven people in one house, that's a lot…"
Legend frowned. "At the same time, though, I'm not gonna object to a roof over my head if someone's willing. Sleeping under the stars is great, up until it starts raining, y'know?"
"We've got the room, no worries," Lani assured Wild. She offered a smile, ignoring Drake's glaring for now.
"Well, there will have to be some cleaning up, Drake said pointedly. Lani blanched just a touch, but did her best to hide it.
"Ah, yes, some rearranging will need to be done, but that's alright with me!"
"Yeah, since you'd have to put away all the mer-" Drake didn't get to finish their sentence, a plastic 2 centimeters too short Master Sword replica flying through the air to hit them in the face.
The sword landed closest to Sky, who picked it up with surprise on his face. Time doubted he'd missed it from earlier, but nobody had brought it up yet. The other Hero turned the blade over in his hands. Looking at it closer, Time noticed some small differences between Lani's weapon–if it could be called that–and the actual Master Sword. The coloring, the material–actually, no, that was a big difference. Was the thing even made of metal? And it looked to be quite a bit too short.
Sky looked up at Lani. He looked shocked, and slightly angry. Or… was that fear? "What… what is this?" he asked. His eyes went back to the sword and he kept fiddling with it, almost appearing to be searching for something. "It feels… dead."
Ah, that would explain it. He couldn't feel the presence of the spirit of the Sword.
(He worry for she :( )
Lani let out a soft breath, coming over and holding her hands out for the sword.
"It's a fake," Lani explained. "People have made replicas out of harmless materials so people can cosplay as one of you. I have a metal one at home, but it's still not the Master Sword- there are none in this world." Drake was rubbing their face, a red mark appearing there. There was no real damage done, though, seeing as the sword wasn't real.
"This one was actually meant for children, but I had to get it since it was the only one that would arrive on time for the convention." Lani was not, in fact, an incarnation of the Hero. She would have loved to be so, but she probably couldn't handle any extra trauma on top of what she had.
(That's kinda presh not gonna lie-)
(My concern for her and Drake is mounting Swim jdkslnvn)
Sky blinked, looking confused but relaxing a bit. He handed the sword over. "Ah, right… but, um, what is 'cosplay'?" he asked.
If anyone's attention would happen to shift over to Legend for whatever reason, they'd find him harshly glaring at the sword. He was a smith, after all, and that thing could hardly be called scrap, certainly not a sword, and especially not a replica of the Master Sword.
(One thing you should know about Sky: he's bapy and I'm lomf him)
(It should be :) )
"Oh! Cosplay stands for costume play- it's basically just dressing up as a character or someone you really look up to." Lani blushed softly as she realized she was still in her own cosplay, but didn't say a word on it.
Thankfully for Legend, there was a near-perfect replica in Lani's room he'd probably get a look at. Drake glanced over, chuckling dryly.
"Are you going to get your hat in a knot over a children's toy?" They challenged.
"Ohhh, that makes sense," Sky said. "Is that what you're doing?" he asked with a nod to her outfit.
Legend's glare shifted over to Drake. He rolled his eyes. "I've seen first-day apprentices hammer something out that looks more like a sword than that does," he retorted, "so pardon the blacksmith in me for being more than a little annoyed about it."
"Ah, yeah," Lani admitted, her blush not going away as she put her 'sword' back in its sheath. It did go away when she heard what Legend had to say on it, though, moving over to the van again. Drake glanced over, a bit of a shadow falling over their eyes.
"Well, excuse me for my friend not being able to afford better on such short notice," they snapped. Lani glanced over, eyes a bit wide as she shook her head some. No, please, she didn't want them fighting.
Legend rolled his eyes. "It's not her I'm pissed at, it's whoever the hell thinks they can make garbage like this and sell it for good money. If I ever come across that fucker–"
"That's quite enough, Legend." While the Veteran may have missed Drake and Lani's change in body language, Time did not. And besides, Time had been forced to listen to Legend's rants on 'quality craftsmanship' many times, mostly when Wild decided to use one of his… not as great weapons. Lani and Drake didn't need to be subject to the same things.
For what it was worth, Legend shut his mouth after that. He was still pouting, but it seemed that his tangent was over now. "So, about the house situation… do you want us to wait while you clean up?" Warriors asked after a moment.
(Now I'm just picturing Legend fistfighting Jeff Bezos fdksalvnkdnv)
Drake had been more than ready to blow a gasket at Legend, and go on about just what had likely happened with the making of the sword. They bit the inside of their cheek, though, turning to make their way back to the van. The door was slammed behind them.
Lani took a moment to calm down. No, he really wasn't upset at her, no one was going to do anything. He didn't look down on her for it. She was okay.
"It will only take a few minutes," Lani said, looking to Warriors. "Are you alright with waiting outside the house? It's a short walk from here if you don't want to, though, and the van will be parked out front."
(Oop–)
(p a n i c Nooo Lani and Drake ;-;)
"We can walk," Time answered with a pointed look at Legend. Both he and Drake needed time to cool down. Lani too, probably. Part of him wanted to ask what was wrong, what had set her off, but he knew it was most likely none of his business. Besides, she just probably didn't want to see Drake and Legend going at each other. But… well, that was quite the reaction, if that was all. It was a little worrying, but again–probably not his business.
Wild had probably noticed too, based on the look he gave Sky. It was answered with a subtle head-shake, and Wild looked down and shuffled his feet a little bit, his scarred face mostly obscured by his hair.
There were many things going through Lani's head at the moment, but she had put up the wall already. No one would be able to tell a thing- she'd spent years perfecting the act.
"Okay, then," she said, managing to get back to the same chipper tone as before, "It's just done this road for when you're ready to come." She offered one last smile to the men, not really looking at any one of them before going to get in the van.
Both she and Drake were silent on the ride home, but Lani did move to hold onto their hand. They'd been through a lot together, over the years, and she knew just what they were upset about. Drake just stared out the window, lightly squeezing Lani's hand in recognition. They'd help her clean up, then, even if they objected to the men staying with them now more than ever.
Once they did get to the house, Lani pulled into the drive, turning the car off.
"I'm sorry-"
"You didn't do anything, Lani. He's the one who went off about a child's toy not being up to standard, it's his problem if he can't let go of things." Drake finally looked over to see the tears in Lani's eyes. They offered her a hug, which she readily took.
(This was meant to be a "haha look at this stupid elf boy he doesn't understand fake sword" not "tear Cloudy's heart out" now I feel terrible fdlskavvd)
(Fuck it Legend's pov now–)
Fuck. Legend bit his lip and felt his hands curl into fists as guilt rose in his chest. He shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have gone on a rant like that. Something about it had struck a nerve in both Lani and Drake. And he'd noticed Lani take a break there, seen pain and fear that slipped through the cracks before she pulled herself together and told them where the house was with a smile plastered on.
One could say he knew a bit about building walls. Except instead of acting like everything was fine, he'd lash out and say something stupid, hurt someone he cared about over the most insignificant things.
Time spoke up first. "When we get there, Legend, you need to–"
"Apologize?" Legend glared at Time. "What, do you think I'm stupid or something? I know that." He sighed. "…Sorry. I know I fucked up."
(trauma can strike at the littlest of things aha…)
(;w;)
Lani took a deep breath as her friend held her, closing her eyes.
"This really isn't how I expected this to go," she mumbled, managing to not actually cry yet. Drake let out a breath, rubbing Lani's back.
"I still say they're cons," they hummed, keeping their tone light. Joking some, to help Lani calm down. Lani giggled weakly, rolling her eyes as she buried her head in their shoulder. She let out another breath, squeezing Drake once before pulling away.
"Come on, let's go get the house de-Linkified before I die of embarrassment." Lani managed to laugh, getting out of the van. Drake followed after, smiling a touch.
"Yeah, let's."
It would be a large task; Drake hand managed to get Lani to limit how much she had out, but the living room and her room were covered in memorabilia and merchandise. They'd have to leave the books and games where they were, but the figures? Those had to go.
"Here, we'll put these in the closet for now, I'll get them in their boxes later," Lani said, carefully picking up her Sky action figure and the Epona centerpiece. Drake nodded, following her example. Soon, the living room was as 'cleaned up' as it could be, and they turned their attention to Lani's room.
"I, uh… I think the shrine needs to go," Drake said, laughing some. Lani blushed deeply, hurrying over. Everything in her room had some form of tie to the Legend of Zelda, and there were some things they just didn't have time to do- like take all the posters down, or change the bedding.
Lani glanced at the real, forged Master Sword she had on her wall.
"You know, I think if he saw this he'd-"
"No, Lani," Drake said softly. They made their way over, hands going on Lani's shoulder. "You know how dangerous that road is. You don't need to prove anything to them, okay? It's their problem, not yours."