forum Angst and Arson, Apparently || Closed, stalkers get a cool glass of milk ||

Started March 08, 2021 by @Cloudy_is_trying_her_best

tune

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."

(I knowww but :(((((( )

An awkward moment passed where no one said anything, until Sky cleared his throat. "So… that was a good fight, both of you," he complimented.

"Yeah, I didn't know the sand rod could do some of the things you pulled off. And Warriors, you've gotta teach me how to do that midair spin, it was awesome!" Wild exclaimed. Banter soon picked up between them, with Legend deciding to spend time with his own thoughts instead.

He would apologize, that was for certain, but a "sorry" wouldn't fix jack shit. And afterwards? Legend wasn't naive, he didn't expect to just instantly be forgiven for hurting someone. He didn't know how much harm he'd actually caused, but he got the feeling that there was something else that he wasn't aware of. Not that it was his business. And besides, Legend wasn't a hypocrite; if Lani didn't want to talk about whatever it was–especially to someone she hadn't even known for a day–he certainly wouldn't force her to.

One might be surprised how quick Lani was to forgive, even if Drake wasn't. It was a burden she always took on herself- she was the reason this had happened, she was the one who bought the sword, after all. If she hadn't, nothing would have gone down at all that would have caused this. It was her fault.
She didn't say it out loud, but Drake knew her well enough to know what she was going through. They were still working through their own, fiercely protective of their friend. If given the chance again, they'd probably strangle Legend for what he had done to her. Even if he didn't know about the trauma, it had already been explained it was the best she could get- how could he go on and on about how horrible it was?
Lani knew Drake well enough to know she'd need to make sure the two didn't end up alone together for awhile until they had calmed down. She doubted Drake would be able to do much in a fight against Legend, and she really didn't want either one to be hurt.
He was still one of her heroes, after all. He hadn't known his words would hurt her, it was okay. She couldn't… she couldn't lose that too. There was a reason she was so attached to this series, after all, and she didn't know what she would do if that was broken for her.

(Hnn Lani honey that's not a healthy thing to do–)

If they got into a fight, Legend definitely wouldn't seriously hurt Drake. Beat their ass, humiliate them a little, yeah–if they're gonna try and fight him, they're gonna get what's coming to them–but he wouldn't hurt them badly by any standards. He was an asshole, not a monster. Of course, he wouldn't be looking to be alone with Drake or Lani for a while. They'd probably want space, and Legend would respect that as best he could in the house.

(ahahaha she knows oop-)

Eventually, the room was done, to the best of their abilities.
"Thank you, Drake…" Lani leaned against her friend's chest, letting out a small sigh. "I should probably get changed before I get any more questions about my cosplay." Drake nodded, hugging Lani a moment before pulling away.
"I will too," they said, gently patting Lani's shoulder. The woman offered a smile, closing the door behind the other as they left. She let out a long breath, leaning on the door. Turning, she did her best to find some normal enough clothes so she didn't look like a lunatic.
She came out in a green shirt and blue jeans, the best she could do. She'd taken everything else off, running her fingers through her hair as she looked out the window to check if the others were coming. She was worried, for a moment, that they would decide to just camp out anyways because of what happened. She hoped to god that wasn't the case- she didn't need them to end up blowing something up.

They were not, in fact, going to blow anything up–yet. And they were on their way. Legend was still buried in his thoughts, occasionally grunting a short, absent response to something one of the others would throw his way. A hand on his shoulder caused him to start a little, and he looked up to see who it belonged to. Time's expression was unreadable, but there was concern in his eye. "Don't beat yourself up too much. You messed up, so work to fix it, but don't let it be all you think about," the Old Man said.

"Tch." Legend shook his hand off. It was easy for him to say, he was the patient one. Legend couldn't recall one instance of Time snapping at someone when they didn't deserve it, or going on an unnecessary rant about… hell, what would the Old Man even rant about? Masks? The moon??

"Hey, I think that's the van!" Wild pointed at the vehicle parked in front of one of the houses. "C'mon, they're probably waiting for us!"

Sky was more hesitant. "Or they could still be cleaning? Wild, wait up!"