lifenet | stones of far (out) speech, 7/20

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stones of far (out) speech, 7/20

Hello? [ Comes a voice new to the "network." It's young, feminine, and maybe British-esque, if you have to pin it down. ] Is it true that everyone on the island - on the islands, I think - can hear me?

[ It's the kind of tech that the Sheikah might come up with, like a more advanced version of the Gossip Stones spoken of in Hyrule's history. ]

Are you able to respond? If so... oh, I would really love to learn more about how these devices function. I'm happy to meet with you in person, or to speak by using the stone in order to receive a more "hands-on" lesson.

[ She giggles a little, clearly delighted by the opportunity. Who wouldn't be excited about something like this?? ]

But I've forgotten myself. I am Zelda, and I thank you in advance for anything that you might teach me.

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[He cracked a small, nervous smile.]

Princess?

[Oops, he hadn't had that information. He'd hung around Noctis all his life and didn't care that he was a prince, but this was different. She was a princess, not a prince. He couldn't smack her on the ass and then ask if she wanted to play "King's Knight".

Stiffening up, he tried to put on his best royal behavior, bowing ever so slightly. Honestly, he was pretty clueless. He'd only seen Noct's dad once so his royal etiquette lessons had been lacking.]

S-Sorry. Didn't know that. Ah, umm...

[He scratched the back of his neck. Oh, right, he was here to show her the mana pool stuff. He stepped aside and gestured towards it.]

You wanna try?

It's no trouble. I am not the princess of these islands, so you are welcome to call me "Zelda."

[ Formality is hardly the most important thing here, and she has a solid sense of priorities. ]

Yes, please! [ The question distracts her entirely, and she steps up to the mana pool. After a pause, though, Zelda glances back at him with a more nervous air. ] ... How do I do this, again? I offer it a flower...?

Such a pretty name...

[He sighed dreamily, almost getting lost in his thoughts.]

O-Oh, yeah! I'll show you.

[He dug out his camera quickly, skipping to pictures taken on the islet before he turned it around to show her the screen energetically.

Ok, the picture was of a baby brown chocobo. But the islet and mana pool were in there, too!]

This is what it looks like. If you toss one of these flowers in there and think of it, you should end up there. You just gotta let it know where you wanna go.

Thank you, Prompto. [ She smiles earnestly, hands clasped at her front. When he pulls out the camera, though, she's distracted... ]

Oh! What-...? [ When the photos appear on its screen, she's even more floored. Zelda gasps softly, eyes wide. ] This... can process still images? Capture them, that is? I've only ever seen one device capable of that, but what you have is no Sheikah Slate.

Not sure what one of those looks like, but this is a camera. You can hold it if you want.

[He offered it cautiously to her. This was like a part of him.]

I've had it since I was little.

We have a device in Hyrule that can capture moments just the same as your camera. [ She doesn't take it, not wanting to break what is clearly a precious object, but Zelda does smile appreciatively. ] Does it only take images?

Yeah...

[For a moment he almost said "That's what it was made for", but that didn't make it sound very special. There was the slightest pause as he switched thoughts, smiling again. He tried to fluidly bring the camera back towards himself when she didn't accept it.]

Actually, I like to think of it as having the power to capture memories. You know. Great times with friends. ...New members of the family.

[The chicks. After all, it's who was in the pic.]

Yes, I understand. That's just what we did with the Sheikah Slate. [ It makes her want to have a camera of her own, or to at least have the Slate returned to her. ] It's a wonderful use of technology, isn't it? I hope that it can become more common where I came from, someday.

[ So that everyone can capture memories, just as he's said. ]

I assume it isn't so rare in your realm, though?

There aren't many Sh... Sheekah Slates where you're from?

[He tilted his head slightly curiously.]

Cameras are pretty common. There's all kinds of them. I, uh... I could teach you how to use one. Or something. Maybe. Sometime. If you wanted. I don't think there's any other ones on the island, though.

No, not anymore. There must have been many more in the past, but now there is only one that remains.

[ Not like his camera, then. She smiles brightly, still peering at it. ]

I would love that, if you really don't mind. [ He's been nothing but kind to her, a complete stranger, and so she perks up even more. ] Thank you. How can I ever repay you for all of this?

Lost technology? Did something happen?

[He could at least guess that much.]

O-Oh, you just being you is payment enough!

Oh, no. It's just that... well, I suppose they simply stopped making them, and so many of them were lost over the years.

[ She smiles, tilting her head. ]

But, it does provide us with an excellent opportunity to study them. [ beat ] I can tell you more, but... would you mind if I tried to travel through the mana pools first?

Ah man, that would be a major bummer.

[He stepped back awkwardly, making some space for her.]

Oh! Yeah, of course! Don't let me hold you up.

All right. [ She nods, glancing to the pool. She envisions the place that Prompto had shown her on his camera, holding the flower, breath caught. ] ... Here I go, then.

[ And, with that location still in mind, she tosses the flower into the pool, and - ]

Oh! [ Zelda gasps, surprised and delighted. This power is incredible. To be in one place and then another just by the use of these pools, and their magic...

Remembering herself, she steps away from the pool and waits for Prompto to arrive, excited to be able to enthuse about the experience as soon as he arrives. ]

[He waited a moment, and fortunately it looked like everything went well. He popped in seconds later, trying to give her time to at least look around.

The islet they went to was one of the better built ones thanks to Gladio. After a brief moment of being there, he was excited to try and show Zelda something good and pointed towards a small home up a ways from the mana pool, but still very close by.]

That's my home!

[He announced it so over-excitedly that he awkwardly tried to bring it down a notch, with a smirk and nervously rubbing the back of his neck.]

Just in case you wanted to know or something... We've got a shower, too!

I see it. [ She smiles at his enthusiasm and laughs lightly, though not cruelly. ] Are there other homes available to live in? ... I imagine they've all been filled, if there are truly so many others who live here.

[ A shower, though... Hyrule isn't advanced enough to have showers, but she understands the concept well enough to know that it means cleaning herself. ]

I imagine that must be a rarity in this place. [ She says wonderingly. ] How did you-... How did you create it?

Yeah. Not sure if any are available... But don't worry, there's always room for you!

[He'd make sure of that if he had to.]

Gladio used wood and clay and stuff to build it up and then make a solid tank. ...I helped! We've gotta manually fill it, and we need to find fresh water we can fill it with instead of hot water, but you can use it anytime you want.

Is there anything I can get you...?

Thank you, Prompto. Really, you've been so kind...

[ Gladio must be a friend, she assumes, and nods. ] You all must be very talented to have built something like that. I could never do such a thing.

[ Both because of a lack of knowledge and general arm strength, probably. ]

No, I don't think so. [ beat ] I wouldn't mind a bit more of your company, unless I've taken enough of your time already...?

[Giddy with excitement, he could hardly stand still. He had to hold back trying to brag that he was talented, wanting to impress. He was trying to formulate what he thought would be an appropriate response when she asked for more of his time.]

Ah, no! I always have time for you. Anything you need. We could get water, or food, or I could show you around, or... or there's animals! We could find a home for you, maybe?

I think I ought to find some place to live, if you really don't mind. [ All the other options are appealing too, honestly. ] While we look, maybe you could tell me more about the animals that live on these islands?

S-Sure! We could walk around and see if any of the homes still look open. I don't visit them all, to be honest... Usually too busy.

Aaactually... I think there's a shack down here that isn't used?

[He glanced towards the southern part of the island. While many of the homes were filled or being used, there were some buildings he didn't notice much activity in. He trotted towards the southernmost shack.]

The animals are weird. My buddy has a big cat plant, and my other buddy has a little fire bird, and there's a bunch of puffy birds that we keep to farm and stuff... There's a lot of dangerous things on the island, too, so you should stay with other people. You don't want to get caught off guard by yourself.

[He stopped in front of the shack and cautiously peeked inside to check.]

...Looks empty.

"Too busy?" What do you normally do here, if I may ask?

[ A shack isn't. Exciting, exactly, but it's better than having no roof over your head at all. Zelda is a princess, but she's practical. ]

I hope that I can see some of these animals sometime. They sound fascinating...

[ The shack isn't bad. It isn't a castle, but it's livable. Zelda admits a smile, glancing toward Prompto after she takes a look around. ]

You really don't think that anyone would mind if I... spent some time here?

Help collect food and supplies and stuff. I try to make sure we've got lots to cook with.

[He was carefully balancing between trying to impress and not trying to sound like he was bragging.]

I wouldn't mind if you stayed here! You could visit the animals anytime you want...

[Biting his lip for a second, he raised his hands in a 'wait' motion, backing up and trotting off to head back to his own home. From there, he went and found his near-adult muddy brown chocobo inside, leading him outside. Nooot quite as cute as the fledglings Gladio and Iggy had, but those were their chocobos. They had some makeshift straps that he could use to help guide Coco, but he didn't have to try too hard. By now the bird had learned a bit about following and coming.]

This is Coco! He's my chocobo. You can pet him if you want...

I think that I should be all right here for a little bit. [ She'll be living with CT and Wash soon, not that she's aware of it now. ] I would love to visit the animals in the meantime...

[ When the chocobo arrives, Zelda gasps lightly, brows lifting with surprise. ]

Oh! He's very cute! [ Gingerly, she reaches out to pet the enormous bird, face splitting in a delighted smile. ] You said that his name is Coco? He seems so sweet...

He's totally awesome. Raised him from an egg.

[And, living in close quarters with people most of his life, Coco was extremely tame and more than happy to be pet. With a shake of his head and some fluffing of feathers, he stayed mostly in place.

His eyes darted anxiously towards their home.]

We've got some more... Some chicks, inside of the house. They're Gladio and Iggy's chocobos, but I'm sure they won't mind if you see them.

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stones of far (out) speech, 7/20

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