A Short Hike (Open)

[El]

The excitement that sparkled in Ariadne's eyes was almost infectious. Gao had already been to Zora's Domain himself a few times - on passing, brief occasions - but there was something about the way Claria described her home which made him grin with open delight. It was hard not to sound poetic when trying to paint a picture of that beautiful place, and he could only guess at the fantastical, glittering imagery the young woman's imagination must've constructed in response. Not that she would be disappointed - that much Gao was certain.

Damn though, this wasn't even her first apprenticeship, eh? The former being at Rito Village no less! This little Hylian was really zipping around the kingdom, conquering each race's knowledge for her own. Calling it commendable would've been understatement! Luck may have had a hand in the start of one such arc of study, but to successfully complete it and then secure another on the other side of the realm? That sort of thing wasn't handed to folks on a platter, even if she turned out to be a prodigy. You had to care, and you had to work hard.

"I'm starting to think maybe I should redirect my concerns," Gao amended with a warm chuckle. "Perhaps it's the Zora I should be worried will get overworked. You're quite the formidable champ' in the making aren't you, young miss." Sincerity spread his grin even wider. Despite the levity of his jest, it was blatantly obvious from the gleam of his teeth and the crinkle of his crimson gaze that he was genuinely impressed.

Then Claria poked him with a concern of her own and the Sheikah guffawed. It hadn't actually crossed his mind that HE would get overworked. Honestly he rather relished the thought of being able to put his physical abilities to the test and really grind out some tough labour. It wasn't everyday a man could do such a thing and produce some actually helpful, fruitful results for the greater good of the Kingdom.

...Hopefully he'd eat better than today while he was at it though. It was important to fuel for such things.

While the Zora spoke of her hopes for continued peace between the races, their food and drinks arrived, sliding onto their table with a satisfying clatter of dinnerware and cutlery. The delicious aromas of it all hit Gao in the stomach like a Goron's boulder of a fist. His mouth immediately watered. A hard swallow grated down his throat. Eugh how he lamented over his choice of meal! SOUP! MERE SOUP!!! WITH BARELY ANYTHING TO CHEW UPON! ...Though tomatoes were very nutritious. Nonetheless he knew through the tightness of his gut - as it threatened to gurgle up a riotous storm of embarrassingly audible displeasure - that it would not sate his appetite. Alas, it must do for now.

...Maybe he could imagine he was eating a pizza too.

He wasn't jealous of Ariadne at all. Nope. Not one bit.

...Ha.

You're the one who put yourself in this position, Gao. Suck it up.

Ignoring the strain that had crept into his smile, the Sheikah leaned forwards to collect his spoon like a bear fumbling with the tiniest sardine it'd ever seen. Careful. Slow. But ravenous. Desperate to make every unsatisfying mouthful as sumptuous as possible by savouring each droplet. HE DIDN'T EVEN ORDER ANY BREAD!!! Table manners had never been Gao's strong suit, so he wasn't used to such a painfully slow moderate pace... but it felt wise in the moment. And before he knew it his mindset had shifted from a relaxing meal to pass the time, to a trial that tested the limits of his self-control.

He wasn't so absorbed that he wouldn't continue to converse though! On the contrary he'd be happy for the distraction, chiming in humorous quips and curious questions when the situation arose: sometimes asking more about the medical field with genuine intrigue, or exploring more about Zora culture - whatever opportunity his eager scholar's heart could seize. It'd become obvious to Claria and Ariadne both - if they weren't too distracted themselves - that Gao was very careful not to share much about himself however. Artfully, time and time again he'd dodge the limelight by giving only the briefest - or dullest - of responses, only to then redirect the conversation upon his companions instead. He presented no invitations or promises to see either of them again either, despite how warmly he now openly regarded them both.

No. Gao's job here was done. (Though perhaps not as quickly as he thought! If Ariadne successfully guilted him into staying the night with the knowledge of a free bed she'd wrangled in his stead.) All in all this had proved to be a satisfying but Short Hike, with fresh faces he was sure he'd think on for many more weeks to come. It was evident that Ariadne was in good hands now and honestly, even if the young lady came across obstacles in the near future he had confidence she'd overcome them well.

[Emily]

Quite embarrassingly, especially given that she had promised herself she'd look cool as hell when she finally met a real Zora, Ariadne's eyes shone with excitement at the prospect of waterfalls. Claria hadn't given her quite the level of information she was hoping for, probably because she was used to talking to people who had seen a waterfall at some point in their life, but it was still quite the prospect. She could, of course, imagine it in her mind, water falling from cliffsides to the lake beneath, though she had no idea the specifics.

Though water was a much more dangerous prospect to those who lived in the mountains proper, she had still never been around so much while outside. Sure, the stablefolk bathed, but it required someone going to the stream, pulling up some water, then heating it in a large cauldron over the cooking fire and putting it in a basin. The heating was dreadfully important, what with the constant freezing temperatures everywhere. To live in a place where water might be a bearable temperature without heating was beyond her imagination.

Claria seemed quite knowledgeable about Zora culture, which made sense. Ariadne herself, of course, had absolutely no idea what was important to Hylian culture. She was, again, raised in a barn, by people who themselves were also raised in barns. But if she had grown up in one of the great Hylian cities, she could imagine herself being more interconnected into that sort of thing. And Claria was so cool, there was no doubt in Ariadne's mind she was someone extremely important to the Zora. And if she wasn't, she should be.

The food arrived. And some sort of monstrosity sat before her eyes. Ariadne was taken aback- what was this gigantic, steaming circle of far too much food for any one human being to take in? She looked up, first at Claria, then at Gao, then back again, her eyes questioning if either of them had known this was what this was going to be like. But she instead gave a little laugh, and chose to respond to the things being said. "I don't plan on overworking myself. It doesn't help anyone if I collapse before being able to heal the people around me.

"Uh, by the way, would either of you like some of this? I didn't know it would be so... much."

"I'm starting to think maybe I should redirect my concerns," Gao was saying. "Perhaps it's the Zora I should be worried will get overworked. You're quite the formidable champ' in the making aren't you, young miss."

She grinned at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Quite so." She would miss Gao, if he were really leaving them at this point. It was nice to have someone around who clearly understood her self-belief to the point of sharing it. "Just you wait, I'll be the best they've ever taught."

Even as she ate her first piece of the pizza- kind of Wester to cut it into these little triangle-like slices- and knew she would follow it with another, Ariadne would continue attempting to get her compatriots to share in it with her. Though they were constantly needing to extract a few extra rupees from travellers passing through, Stable culture was centred around sharing things, and she didn't feel comfortable having the largest share of food entirely to herself.

[LuckyBlackCat]

Both Ariadne and Gao wore the same fascinated expression at the description of Zora's Domain, wide eyes gleaming. Although Claria had wondered if she'd underdescribed her home and its intricate stream system to someone who, judging by the question, had never seen a waterfall before, it seemed she'd succeeded in giving a satisfying answer.

By the time the food and drinks arrived, the once-tense atmosphere had calmed considerably, the three of them at ease. Well, except for Gao, whose smile grew taut with visible regret at the sight of his modest soup portion, dwarfed by the enormous, cheese-coated, puffy-crusted pizza in front of a rather startled Ariadne. Right away, the apprentice-to-be offered to share the monstrosity of a meal.

Tucking into the mushroom and cranberry salad drizzled in tangy citrus sauce, Claria considered politely turning down the offer - with some exceptions, such as lotus seed bread, she wasn't too keen on most cooked foods. However, considering Gao's rumbling belly and his recently-displayed intense aversion to being offered anything, she nodded, if only to make him more comfortable about accepting a slice or two himself. "Thank you, just one slice though." She gave Gao an encouraging glance as he savoured the tomato soup, presumably either to make it last or to match Ariadne's pace with her much more substantial dinner.

"I'm starting to think maybe I should redirect my concerns. Perhaps it's the Zora I should be worried will get overworked. You're quite the formidable champ' in the making aren't you, young miss."

"Quite so. Just you wait, I'll be the best they've ever taught."

At Gao's jest and Ariadne's self-assured affirmation, Claria returned their grins with a small smile of her own. Being accustomed to a culture of reserve and restraint, it wasn't often she saw anyone display such open confidence, other than King Sidon - he'd admire such an attitude. "Securing two apprenticeships is quite the feat." She raised her mead glass. "To new beginnings and successful studies."

As the trio dined and conversed, the string of events that had made for an awkward start was all but forgotten. With the travels and tasks that awaited all three, the past was behind them, and they had the future to look towards.