azume | with knowledge comes great responsibility

with knowledge comes great responsibility

[What an absolute ordeal all of that was.

Today was certainly one hell of a day, that's for sure; they've managed to take care of another Guardian and gain it's trust (or at the very least, something resembling it), they managed to find Candice and manage to...well, maybe not get her back in a state that's altogether wanted, but ensure they managed to get her at least into a place where she could possibly regain herself. It will likely be a process, as such things are, but they've done their best, and they should have no regrets.

The center is definitely going to be a welcome reprieve for all of their suffering, at the very least. The Kompot is certainly more than enough to likely get everyone warmed back up and in a stable condition, along with the copious amount of blankets the locals have provided. They've got the time to rest and get ready for their next adventure.

Rest well, ye merry band of travelers. You've earned it.]

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You said you spent your whole life preparing for that thing showing up.

[He's assuming that didn't exactly go like you'd planned.]

[ It's a nightmare to relive this, a waking horror that still stands with them. Walks with her. But she swallows and... she nods. ]

It had been foretold when I was still very, very young. And so my training began around the time I was six. [ . . . ] It began but... but I had no talent for it. The spirits were ever silent to me, the gods not honoring my devotion no matter how much I prayed and how long I lingered. The power to seal the darkness, my destiny - by the time the Calamity arose, I had not awakened... it.

That isn't your fault.

[It doesn't sound dismissive. Kind of...concerned, in the sort of weird way that implies he's not used to being concerned about people, but not dismissive.]

I'm not saying not to blame yourself, because again, not my place. You're gonna be upset about it no matter what I say. But just...as a thing, an objective thing, it's not your fault.

[ . . . ]

The other preparations the kingdom made - the Divine Beasts, the Guardians... it was prepared for them as well. [ She swallows, her eyes leaking tears now. It's not her fault? It's... there's so much more she could have done, she can't help but think that even now. ] It somehow took control of them. It sent manifestations of itself to trap - to trap the Champions in their beasts, and assert control of them. And the guardians then turned on the people of Hyrule. Link and I - ... Link helped me to escape.

[ She inhales and... ]

At the time [ Does she still feel this way now? She's not sure. Surely right in this moment, yes, she does. ] ... I felt as if I left them there to die.

[He makes a small noise at that, just to indicate that he's heard her; he's thinking it over, though, that much is clear. Trying to figure out words.]

I'm pretty sure this is where I'm supposed to tell you that dying there wouldn't have solved everything. That it wouldn't save anyone, that it just would've made things worse for everyone, you know? But I think you get all that already. You know that, you've been over it, you're trying not to feel like shit about it anymore because of it.

But even if it wouldn't have fixed anything... I dunno. Maybe I'm a bad person to be talking about this stuff because of how I live my own life, but I get wanting to do everything you can, and even if you die, you die because you wanted to. Because you chose to stay with your friends and your family and help instead of running. So there's not really shame in wanting to stay, either, I guess? Even if it wouldn't have helped, I get where you'd want to.

[ There isn't shame in... She swallows, and she nods. ]

... It was- ... It's clear now it's all over that it was necessary. Link and I are - were the most vital components of defeating Calamity Ganon. The destined hero and the destined princess. [ But to say it was necessary, no, it doesn't help her guilt at all. It- honestly, she hates it. She hates all of it.

She left them to die back then and her last talk with her father was an argument. Even if she says it, she just ends up inhaling, holding a soft sob in a bit. ]

...Yeah. Yeah, I know.

[Just... He'll reach out a bit, though he hesitates for a moment, fingers curling inward toward his palm before he just kind of does what he intended anyway, laying one of his hands lightly on Zelda's shoulder and just...awkwardly rubbing it a little. He doesn't usually do physical contact if it can be helped, especially not in non-violent contexts, but... Once in a while he makes exceptions.]

[ No yeah she's definitely crying more then. Her face falls into her knees and she sobs. Because of her father. Because she misses Link. Because this is one of the first times, all of this, she's gotten time to think about all of this.

And the touch is...

Nice. ]

[He'll keep it up, then; it's...awkward, but honestly if this had been six months ago -eight months, they've been here for two months now - if this had been back when he was still in Edonia and shooting himself up full of C-virus because who even gives a fuck anymore, he probably would be panicking right about now.

But as it stands he just kind of keeps doing what he's doing, and after a long moment he'll leave her damn shoulder alone and just kind of pet her hair for a bit, okay.]

[ You better not be getting blood in her hair!!

But no, she keeps this up and she really does appreciate the touch. Saber here, who she also is leaning against reaches out an arm to pat her on the shoulder too. ... Still wants to lick more of Jake? That said, for Zelda's part...

She eventually will reign it in enough to inhale. Jake... Jake already knows they won, so she probably doesn't need to add that in the end there? But maybe it's - hmmm.

... Yeah, she has no idea what to say other than to thickly say, ]

Thank you.

Hey, don't mention it.

[He'll. Leave her hair alone after she seems to settle down a bit - oh my god Saber no please- ]

It's not gonna make up for shit, saying that it's going to be all right. But at least now it can be, you know? Eventually. ...I kinda had to have someone drill that into my head at one point.

[ What if she licked his head... she can pat his head with her tongue.......

But as for Zelda... ]

Before I arrived, I had actually said something not all that dissimilar to Link. [ She laughs a little, again wet sounding. She pulls her sleeve up to wipe her face a little more. ] ... Perhaps that is part of why it weighs with me. I had expected to start to be able to rebuild.

We'll get you back so you can do that.

[...]

You want to save this world first, though, yeah?

[ She nods without hesitation. ]

... For all I miss Hyrule and him, I do not know how I could face him, if I stepped away from this.

[Damn, if that isn't a mood.]

Yeah, I think I'd disappoint Sherry pretty bad if I just left now, even if I could. So it looks like we're in this whole world-saving business together.

I'm glad to hear it.

[ Jake is... Jake is incredibly reassuring. Probably the most reassuring to her, in a lot of ways. She's gotten a much closer group of friends than she's felt since - well, since those days here. ]

... Besides, Link could manage it once. Perhaps I can do the same. To - show off, just a little.

[The laugh that gets out of him is quiet, but it's there, and that's what matters.]

Hey, look at you - he's gonna so fuckin' proud of you, you know that?

[ In truth, he's likely worried now and... well, especially with how he is now to see her again he'll probably do something goofy. But she allows herself the moment of it, her cheeks color, but a laugh coming through her features. ]

Wouldn't that be something.

You'd deserve it, you know.

[...]

I'm not just saying that, either, I mean it.

[ He reassures her of that so soften, but she sort of thickly laughs... ]

We both would, if we actually save this world.

Ah, come on, I'm not doing half as much as the rest of you guys are.

[ She shakes her head. Her response... ]

It's true you don't often enter the thick of it, but you're as considerate as anyone, perhaps more so. [ . . . ] Perhaps it is simply that I spent to much time with Urbosa or Daruk, but I actually find your more crass kindness more comforting than Emmeryn's more saintly demeanor, sometimes.

[ It's a bit of a guilty confession. ]

[...Yeah, that's...]

Don't tell her I said this, but- ...Don't get me wrong, Emmeryn's really nice, but I can kind of see why Jupiter kept calling her full of shit to her face? It's not that I don't believe she's genuine, because she is, but she's kinda...out there...

[ . . . I mean ]

She reminds me of how I always remember my mother. But my mother died when I was six...

[ So like. Before she was overly discerning. ]

...It's kind of the same for me, actually. With regards to Emmeryn. I was a bit older when she died, but yeah.

I'm not too sure how much I like that.

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