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

Started March 08, 2021 by @Cloudy_is_trying_her_best

tune

"You're welcome," Lani said in turn, offering a small smile. She moved to get another glass, pausing as Sky continued.
Ah. Lani should have figured that question was coming. She hadn't expected it so soon, but she thought she had a gentle enough way of explaining it. She closed the cupboard, figuring she could wait to get a drink after this.
"Well… I know what was presented to me," she started. "I know how your journey to defeat Demise began, and I know how it ended. I know how things went in between, for the most part, but not all of it. I don't know much about you as a person, though, and I would never claim to." Lani offered a soft smile. "I would like to get to know you, and the others, though, while we work to get you home."

Sky winced a little. That was… well, maybe he should have expected that she knew that much, especially with Demise, but it still felt strange that someone knew these kinds of things. LIke someone had gone through a journal or something–not that he'd ever been particularly good at keeping one of those–yet different. It wasn't as if Lani had known that those stories were about real people, so it wasn't really an invasion of any privacy, but it felt like one all the same. Sky worried at the inside of his lip a moment, debating about asking about that, but it was something he just needed to know. "Do… you know about his curse?" he asked.

Lani had been too forward, she could see it in how Sky winced. She needed to be more careful if one of the others asked the same. Though, she wasn't quite sure which game Legend was from- she might have to look into that later.
"I do," she said, voice soft. She couldn't help but give Sky a sympathetic look.

Sky felt his shoulders tense. Ah. "Oh." Sky's voice was barely above a whisper. Guilt and shame tore at his insides, and before he was fully aware of what he was doing, the thoughts that had been plaguing him since he met the group came pouring out. "I failed, I… everything they went through, everything they had to do and sacrifice, it's all my fault! If I'd been faster, cut it off sooner, none of this would have happened. We–we won't be able to rest, none of us, not unless it's broken, somehow, and…" Sky's breath caught in his throat, and he realized that his face was wet. When had he started crying? "Maybe I deserve it, for… for not stopping this, but them? They haven't done anything of the sort, and they'll…" Sky trailed off, looking into the glass again and watching a tear drop into the water.

He shook his head, looking back up at Lani. "But… that's my load to bear, isn't it? I'm sorry about that, you shouldn't have had to listen to that. I… shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry," he apologized again, swiping a hand over his face to wipe away the tears.

Lani watched as Sky let his walls fall, making her way over to him. She gently touched his shoulder with one hand, letting him talk, get it all out.
"It's okay, Sky," Lani said softly when he apologized, not leaving his side. "You were able to talk about what was hurting you, and that's something I would never turn anyone down for. It's not just your load to bear- you have people who care about you, people who can and will support you in this." She paused to take a breath, looking up at Skye again.
"It's not your fault this happened, Sky. You saved so many with what you did, no one… no one could have known what he was going to do. Gods… gods can be cruel…" Lani looked away at that, swallowing her own thoughts on gods. But some things just couldn't be broken, could they?

Sky leaned into the touch a little without realizing it. Lani was right, of course–He'd told Sun everything, obviously, and Groose never hesitated to offer a shoulder to lean on when the past was more than he could handle on his own; both of them were always there back home if he needed support–but he still felt guilty for involving her in his own emotional mess, especially when she had nothing to do with it.

And though he didn't quite understand, Sky caught that there was something Lani wasn't saying. Something about gods… he didn't push it, though; if Lani felt comfortable telling him about it, she would. If not, well, Drake seemed to do a good job of looking out for her. "…Thank you," he said. After a moment's deliberation, he added, "Don't be afraid to ask if you need someone to listen to your troubles, either." He gave her a small smile with the offer. Of course, he had no idea what she needed to talk about, but he–and the others as well, most likely–would be more than willing to listen.

(Idk if I'm moving this too fast but They? I'll post for when they come in, just want to make sure you're ready dslavn)

(yes They is good!)

Lani didn't mind helping Sky with this. She knew everyone needed it at some point, and that was okay. She had been about to respond to Sky's thanks when he continued. She fell quiet, then nodded with a faint smile.
"Perhaps, some day, if it becomes relevant. Hopefully, that day never comes." Lani left her hand on Sky's shoulder for a moment more, then turned to get herself her drink of water. Drake was good with helping her with many things, and she was for them, too, but… there were just some things Lani had come to understand her friend couldn't help with.

Sky nodded. "Hopefully," he agreed. He didn't really know what to say–what could one say, really, after just dropping all of that? Just switch to small talk? Goodness, he got secondhand whiplash from just thinking of it!

He wasn't expecting anything to happen to break the awkward moment of silence while Lani got herself a drink, and he was most certainly impressed with the fact that the device she used seemed to call up water out of nowhere, but before he could comment, there was a familiar sound. It was similar to a curtain opening, but Sky knew that wasn't what it was. He whipped around to see two figures emerging from a shadowy portal, not unlike the ones he and the others had encountered, just above Lani's counter.

"Whew, that took a lot of magic," the first one to exit the portal said, sounding a little breathless. He looked almost exactly like Four did, actually, only with dark hair and pale skin. And of course, his cat-like red eyes. "Honestly, without that boost from that asshoooo–oh, hey there." His eyes widened upon seeing Sky and Lani, but Sky's own eyes were locked on the second figure to step through the portal. He took a step backwards, a mix of shock, disbelief, and fear shooting through him.

"Wh–what? How–" He struggled to even get a sentence out, keenly aware of the fact that the Master Sword was still in the bedroom and he was completely and totally unarmed.

The other person looked at his ashen-gray companion with a smirk. "Well, looks like your Hero's here, Ghirahim."

(THEY!!!)

(THEEEEY)

Lani tensed as she heard the sound, head shooting up to look at the portal. She did drop her glass, the water running over it still. It didn't shatter, landing with a dull sound against the bottom of the sink. Surprisingly… she relaxed some when she saw who came through, the total fear that had filled her melting some. She turned the water off, hands going to her hips and looking to be more than ready to tell the newcomers off when she paused again.
Oh shit, oh shit, why did it have to be him?

Ghirahim let his eyes travel over the kitchen, letting them land on Sky with a smirk.
"So he is!" The sword spirit said, laughing as he followed. "Oh, this shall be fun indeed!"

Lani took a deep breath, speaking now before anyone else could.
"Would you get off of my fucking counter?"

"Hm? Oh, shit, sorry," the shorter stranger said, hopping off of the counter. He glided about halfway down, then fell faster and wobbled a little when he landed. "Whoa–that's… yikes." He steadied himself on the counter and swore under his breath. "Ugh, remind me not to do something that draining unless I absolutely have to…"

Sky, meanwhile, took another step backwards, arm going in front of Lani. His eyes darted around the kitchen, searching for any weapon he could use to defend the both of them when Ghirahim inevitably attacked. "I think… you and I have a different idea of what 'fun' is," Sky managed, even keeping his voice from shaking. Why is he here? How is he here?

The stranger looked between Sky and Ghirahim. "So… do you want me to explain, or do you wanna do it?"

Lani had collected herself, for the most part, watching the two newcomers warily. She looked to Sky as he held his arm up, then around. She moved more behind the hero as if hiding, taking his free hand in hers and pulling it back some with her. Her other hand went behind her to open a drawer. She pulled out the biggest knife she could find without looking, pressing it into Sky's palm while still keeping up the appearance of being scared. She'd seen these two plenty before, and she didn't trust them as far as she could kick them.

Ghirahim thought a moment, looking over.
"You do know that he won't listen to a word I say, hm? There's a lot of… bad blood." He chuckled some, looking at Sky with a wink.
"I have no idea why, though!"

(Shadow did actually have a redemption in the FS manga, if Lani would know about that haha. Though he does look a lot different here than he does in the manga. I can DM you pictures for a comparison if you want, as well as any clarification about Shadow you might need)

Sky squeezed Lani's hand when she grabbed his, in an attempt at some small comfort, then the handle of the knife she gave him. He narrowed his eyes at Ghirahim's remark. "Yes, I can't see why your attempt to sacrifice my girlfriend would be reason for me to dislike you," he shot back, not even realizing the absolute field day Ghirahim would have with the knowledge that he and Sun were actually a couple. "Forgive me for being irrational in not absolutely adoring you."

"…Yeah, okay, fair on both counts," the stranger said with a shrug. "Guess I'll start talking, then. My name's Shadow–well, my actual name is probably something way different, but that's all I can ever remember being called, so it's kinda sticking for now. Anyways. Don't freak out, but, uh, well, I used to work for Ganon–I don't anymore, though!" Shadow put his hands up in the air. "Honestly, that son of a bitch got off easy… Uh, sorry. Long story short, Link–you know him as Four–had kind of helped me realize that, 'Oh, shit! These guys suck and I shouldn't be helping them!' and so I helped the–him defeat Vaati, one of Ganon's big henchmen. Actually almost died in the process." Shadow frowned and paused for a second before shaking his head and continuing.

"Next thing I know, some bastard calling himself 'Dark Link' is telling me he summoned me to help him wipe out every incarnation of the Hero across time in order to resurrect an ultimate form of Ganon or whatever. The plan was to lie low, get whatever information I could and sabotage anywhere that wouldn't get me caught, then forward that information to you guys. But things changed. This guy wanted in on it, and then whatever the hell this is happened, and now we're here." Shadow looked over at Ghirahim. "I think that's pretty much it? You got anything you wanna add?"

(Yee, Lani just doesn't know whether to go with game, book, or a mix for what's happened, so she ain't assuming aha)
(And a dm would be nice I love talking about these guys)

Ghirahim had stayed quiet as Shadow spoke, but the look in his eyes and on his face spoke loudly.
"You're dating?" He let burst out when he was asked if he had anything he wanted to add. He took a few steps forward, laughing some.
"Oh god, that is just too precious!"

Lani watched with weary eyes as Ghirahim moved closer, her hand on Sky's still.
"How exactly do we know this isn't a trick?" She had… somewhat of an idea as to what was going on, but she needed to be cautious. She looked at Sky, then back to Shadow and Ghirahim.

Sky flinched when Ghirahim started approaching. "I–yes, we are, n-not that it concerns you," he said. Sky knew what was probably going to happen, but he wasn't in a position to do anything about it. If he moved too suddenly, he might accidentally cut Lani. And he could try to tell Ghirahim not to lick him again, but… well, something told him that the demon lord wouldn't be too inclined to listen. At the same time, it was about all he could do to keep that from happening again. "Don't–don't touch me. Please."

Shadow looked at Lani and frowned. "Well, that's the problem. If Four was here, he could vouch for me, but he's not, so… I guess the only real proof I can offer you is that if either of us wanted you gone, we could've attacked and done it at any time. If we had any interest in bringing Ganon back like Dinky-boy, well, let's just say you and the others wouldn't be where you are right now."

Lani looked between Ghirahim and Sky for a moment, grabbing a knife for herself before stepping between them. Now, she was the one intent on protecting Sky from Ghirahim.
"You touch him I'll cut it off," she growled, not signifying just what would get cut off- probably whatever Ghirahim tried to use to touch the hero. See, she loved Ghirahim, if the shrine was any clue, but there was a difference between finding a scene in a game funny and the real, tangible trauma it caused in someone.

Ghirahim stopped his advance, hands coming up.
"Hey, I'm not here to fight! I'm just excited to hear those two finally hooked up, perhaps give a few tips~"

Lani looked between Shadow and Ghirahim, having to work hard on keeping a straight face when Shadow said 'Dinky-boy.' She let out a soft sigh, taking a moment to look at Sky.
"You probably won't like to hear this, but… I'm inclined to believe him," she said softly, motioning to Shadow before looking to Ghirahim. "Now, him? Nope, not at all, I would gladly boot his ass back."

As wrong as it felt to let someone else protect him–he was the Hero, he should be protecting others, not being protected–Sky appreciated Lani defending him and getting Ghirahim to back off. He didn't relax, however–knowing Ghirahim, it could very well be a trap.

He looked over at Lani when she spoke, electing to ignore Ghirahim's comment about 'tips' for the moment. Shadow had a point, it was clear he was more than proficient in dark magic–he could make a portal here, for goodness' sake! If he wanted to kill them, he probably would have done so long before any of this happened. Still… "Maybe… hm. You made that portal, right?"

Shadow nodded. "Yeah. But I know what you're gonna ask–and the answer is, unfortunately, no. I can't help you get home right now."

"And why not?"

"Well, y'see, that takes a lot of magic. More than I actually have. So when that asshole decided that he needed people here as well, he had to give me a boost." Shadow made a face, like he'd just swallowed something foul-tasting.

Sky wasn't sure he liked that. "So you're here on this… Dark Link's orders?" he asked.

"Yep. Doesn't mean we're gonna follow them, though."

"Hm." Sky thought on this for a second, then looked over at Ghirahim. "So, why did you want to work against resurrecting Ganon? Seems like something right up your alley."

Lani kept an eye on Ghirahim, slowly lowering her knife as she moved to Sky's side. She didn't trust him still, even if she did like him, and she wasn't going to just let him waltz in and threaten the people staying in her home.

"Oh, me?" Ghirahim asked, hand on his chest. "I'm just in it for the fun. I trust Dinky less than I trust you, and this isn't how I'd like things to go down to bring him back. "Besides! I figured it would be easier to talk to Fi without us fighting!"

Lani looked to Sky for a moment, then back to Shadow and Ghirahim. They, uh, they really shouldn't mention the fact Fi wasn't… available at the moment, if it meant Ghirahim would play nice for now.

Sky bit his lip at the mention of Fi. That was an awkward conversation for another time, though. He sighed. "I'm not entirely sure I believe you, but if the both of us truly want to stop this guy, we can call a truce. For now."

"Awesome, glad that's out of the way," Shadow said, placing a hand on his hip. He looked over at Lani. "Guess you're part of the team too, for now, huh? What's your name?"

"I'm Lani." The woman let the hand that held her knife fall to her side, looking between the three men in her kitchen.
"You know, I am quite glad this all happened when it did. If anyone tries to do any fighting in my house I'm going to blow a gasket." She offered a calm smile, which was just a bit scarier than if she had frowned.
"We'll have to tell the others about this in the morning, then, to make sure nothing happens."

Ghirahim raised an eyebrow, glancing between Sky and Lani. She had quite the bit of gusto, didn't she? The man was also slowly making his way closer to Sky as well, sliding over to his side.

Shadow dipped his head in a nod. "Definitely," he agreed, making a mental note to cross off half of the pranks he'd so meticulously planned out(well, he had to do something while pretending to gather information for Dink), at least for now. Wouldn't want to stir up too much trouble end end up getting kicked out, now.

Sky wasn't oblivious to Ghirahim's attempt to get closer to him. He made an obviously uncomfortable face and shuffled away from the sword spirit, fingers tightening around the knife he held. Hey, Ghirahim had said he didn't want to fight, sure, but Sky wasn't about to throw all caution out the window with him.

Lani nodded, looking satisfied for now. She moved over to the sink to pick her glass back up, wiping it off with a towel before filling it up. She was still parched, after all. She downed it rather quickly, almost like one would an alcoholic drink… Old habits died hard, then. Tired Lani was also much less bubbly than she was during the day- she just didn't have the energy.

Ghirahim offered the most innocent smile that he could to Sky, which wasn't saying much. He held up his hands, moving to pat Sky's shoulder…

The knife Lani threw just barely missed his fingertips, burying itself in the wall opposite of them.
"Did you forget what I said?" She asked calmly.

Sky's eyes were as wide as dinner plates for a couple of reasons. His knife was in front of him now, with his white-knuckled fingers in a death grip around the handle. He tried to ignore how the tip of it was shaking, giving his fear away. He didn't say anything, instead simply backing up away from Ghirahim and trying to stop his trembling.

Shadow looked at the knife in the wall, then back at Lani, then back at the knife, then back at Lani. "…Damn," he said after a moment, both shocked and impressed. He wondered where she'd learned to throw a knife like that, and if she'd be willing to show him. Not that he'd really need it, he was perfectly fine with a sword and his magic was more than good enough to win a fight once it re-charged, but he was a fan of dramatics and nothing said dramatic quite like throwing sharp objects at your enemies. Well–there were a few things, but hey, expanding one's arsenal never hurt.

Ghirahim's hand came quickly back to his chest when the knife flew past, looking from the knife to Sky to Lani.
"I wasn't going to do anything!" He said, backing up a bit as well.

Lani rolled her eyes, making a point to step between the sword spirit and Sky as she pulled the knife from the wall. She looked at Sky, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
"He's not going to be able to get anywhere near you," she said softly, just to him. It was clear as day how scared his was, and Lani wasn't just going to let him go through that alone.

Sky nodded slowly. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself. He'd be okay. It wasn't like he hadn't fought and beaten Ghirahim time and time again before, he could handle himself perfectly fine.

Then why was he so terrified?

"…I-I think I should go back to bed," Sky said, ignoring the whisper of 'Some Hero you are' in the back of his mind.

Lani nodded, looking just to Sky for the time being. She knew she wouldn't be falling asleep any time soon, but it would be best if Sky didn't have to be around Ghirahim anymore. She gently took her hand from Sky's shoulder. He could keep the knife, if it helped him feel better until he got to the bedroom and his Master Sword.

She turned then, looking to Ghirahim and Shadow.
"There aren't any free bedrooms left," she said, "You'll have to take the couch in the living room." She wasn't used to having… nine people in her house at one time, let alone spending the night.

"Fine by me~" Ghirahim had recovered from the knife throwing already, looking at Sky. He smirked, unable to help it when he saw just how scared the hero was. How had he ever been defeated by this brat?