A Short Hike (Open)

[Sav'saaba]

A breeze rustled the leaves of his captor, and the tiny bells stitched onto the shaman's get-up jingled as Yaku swayed gently along. That ligneous vine really wouldn't budge, still snugly wrapped around his leg like a jealous lover.

For someone possessing a circulation, this would have posed a serious predicament, Yaku considered over his quiet, muttered recital of the Fleet-Lotus Sutra to quell the rage of the tree's corrupted spirit. The shaman had picked verses that he guessed a nature spirit would like, the ones that mentioned eternal forests and nourishing rain and radiating light, and it seemed to have done the trick, in that the Evermean had finally settled down to burrow its roots into the soil, sore thumb as it was between all these other, exclusively, spruce trees.

Even if the Sutra verses would have proven to hold no power, reciting them had at least given him something to do -there are only so many ways to appreciate miles of grass and dirt moving steadily under you. Magic was returning to him, be it in small increments, and if he could continue the chosen approach, he was confident he could cleanse the evil once his power was fully replenished. Perhaps by next day's twilight.

"Pardon me, are you perchance in any need of help?"

To the best of his current abilities, Yaku turned himself towards the direction of the voice, finding the inquiry came from a young lady. What luck he wasn't wearing robes today!

"Oh, hello! I didn't see you there," he returned and waved in greeting, the momentum of his movements propelling him into a lazy spin.
"Don't come closer. This tree is dangerous." he warned when he registered her advance. It would be a right shame to have to usher the soul of such a young thing to the spirit realm, especially on such a nice day as this.

"Well, I was a bit careless, I think. I was waiting to see if it was going to let me go, but it doesn't seem like it will."

Two weak spells or so, that would be all he would be able to squeeze out in this state. That wouldn't do, not with this one.

"You're kind to offer your h- oh, 'scuseme," he continued, not able to see the lass anymore, having spun 180 degrees around his axis. "I don't suppose you have an axe?"  he called into the empty air, before correcting himself, "...Even if you did, you really shouldn't come any closer."

That was a dead-end. So much for his little plan of biding time, because he could sense the corruption flaring up again and with a vengeance, now that the continuous drone of recited scripture had halted. 

[El]

"Even if you did, you really shouldn't come any closer-"

THERWRP!!!

A hiss. A chill. A scream. Action, and quickly after: destruction.

A blade keened with immediate intent had cleaved the air clean in two, slicing right below the very tip of Yaku's drooped hood and a few errant turquoise hairs before slamming hard - deep - into the Evermean's lower trunk. One firm strike, confidently swung. Zero hesitation. Yaku's gravity swayed and his world tilted, the once almost-picturesque tranquillity of their conversation promptly shattered by a guttural cry. It was ghastly - oddly hollow - but all too brief, for as it reached its echoing crescendo its volume splintered along with its form, bulks of animated wood abruptly rupturing from the inside out. Leaves scattered. Vines unfurled. Branches squealed and stretched their bony fingers in one last death rattle.

Down, down Yaku fell-

-thudding snug into Gao's arms.

The behemoth of a Sheikah cradled the smaller Hylian against his chest with one burly bicep: his other hand still gripped firmly around the shaft of his halberd. Tension still pulled him taut, the muscles of his thighs as he remained in his landing squat bulging with a rush of adrenaline that throbbed too at his heart.

Gao drew a deep, shaky breath.

Only to sigh with it. "Miss," He began, ignoring his captive for a moment to frown up at the young woman he'd pounced in front of. A severity - completely unmasked, and very much raw - gnarled his features into a vice of frustration. He looked close to furious, the edge of it all dampened only by the fact that his panic had curdled so oddly with his relief and had yet to settle. "As much as I commend your level-head and bravery, that hadn't been an invitation for you to investigate personally. It may not be my place to scold you but-... please- PLEASE do not just-........ Just-...." He gritted his teeth. ...Would he really have done any different? To accurately gauge a threat you often had to approach it after all. A begrudging grumble shook in the pits of Gao's throat: if he had a spare hand with which to massage out the tension at the bridge of his nose, he would've.

Then, finally, he looked down at the stranger in his arms, brows lifting slightly at the rather peculiar spectacle only to then squint with intense scrutiny. Huh. He almost thought he recognised some of those symbols. And were those SKULLS he was wearing as part of his attire...? Not that Gao could really say much in regards to skeletal accessories.

"You were also remarkably calm, given the circumstances." He complimented, in the tone of an accusation.

Another long moment of staring. More thoughts. More suspicions. More curiosity. Eventually the flickering flashes of emotions which raced through Gao's crimson eyes settled on concern in the end, "How's your head?" He sighed, again. This time he gently released his halberd onto the grass and used the back of his spare hand to press against Yaku's forehead - testing his temperature. "Do you need a few minutes of peace to let the bloodrush settle? Should I lay you down? Are you injured anywhere else?"

[Emily]

He cradled the man against his CHEST?? The sight of Gao holding this new person so close and so tenderly, even in the midst of such an overwhelmingly aggressive action was a bit too much, and Ariadne felt a slight flush coming on. She did her best to mask it by digging around in her pack until she found her notebook and a pen, and began ferociously scribbling all the things that she had taken notice of.

In the notes, she included a little sketch of what the tree had looked like, a writeup on the ghoulish sound it had emitted when the halberd cut through it, and even described some of the symbology present within Gao and Yaku's persons. All throughout, she continued stealing glances at the pair, the animal-like fierceness around the edges of Gao's personality, the soft, introspective aura around Yaku. If she were so creatively inclined, Ariadne was certain she could create an entire storyline centred around this dynamic. Perhaps someone already had.

As a consequence of this new dreamworld, completely having forgotten about duty and dignity and the need to be well on her way toward Zora's Domain, Ariadne only halfway paid attention to Gao's swift reprimand of her actions. "Mhm, mhm," she said, distracted. "Prolonged inversion by way of trapped foot, could result in..." she tapped her pen against the paper as her eyes darted around, taking in nothing that was actually around them, "compression of the heart and lungs, blood pooling in the cranial cavity, loss of sight and asphyxiation."

At this point, her eyes properly refocused upon Yaku, previous neurotic energy seemingly dissipated by the introduction of a medical puzzle. "Subject appears... remarkably fine. Are you experiencing any shortness of breath, dizziness, or lightheadedness? I have things in my pack that could help."

[Sav'saaba]

There was very little left in this world that could surprise him. This valiant rescue, however, could definitely be written in ink on that short list. His stomach had lurched with the momentum of the both sudden fall and stop, and he found himself yet again a captive, caged by the grasp of a towering, absolutely ripped guy. Who maybe could stand a bath and some soapy suds, but the shaman was not going to judge -not only was there little that could surprise him, the same went for things he would find offensive.

In his burly saviour's admonishment of the girl, there was an echo of Yaku himself; in much the same way, he had told his little girl off when she had smuggled into her bedroom a lone bokoblin that she had been feeding in secret over the summer, because his ears were so floppy and he seemed so hungry.
The monster had been the solution to the riddle of the scantily stocked larder, its shelves decidedly more empty only hours after returning from the store. This girl seemed to give as much of a care as his own daughter had to being scolded.

Reflections in a murky pond.
He stifled a chuckle behind a hand, or he would have, had he been able to free his arm from being squeezed between a well-developed bicep and rock-hard abs. He blew a few strands of hair out of his face, or maybe it was the fur his captor seemed keen to deck himself out with. And spat a stray wood chip or two out his mouth.

Was the girl his ward? The man had called her miss, so it did not seem there was a familial bond between them, despite the parental concern displayed by the Sheikah.

'What can I say, I'm a stoic type.' Yaku shrugged while being fussed over by the big man, a corner of his mouth pulling taut as he choreographed a dance around the scattered, plentiful thorns of suspicion that he could catch his hide on. The scrutinizing, quizzical quality to the gaze of the crimson irises that had met with his own had not been lost on Yaku.
The perceptive ones were simply the worst.

"Besides, the vine tightened its grip every time I struggled.' he tried in an attempt to explain away his behaviour.

The Sheikah touched his forehead -oh, now that was a problem. Upon the contact Yaku flinched, shying away as much as he could, guided by the knowledge that body heat was something so accustomed to that even the slightest deviation from the norm would be picked up upon. The man's gentle concern over his well-being would melt his heart -if only it wasn't so intrusive.


How his head was? No complaints, yet he decided to pretend otherwise so as to not raise further suspicions.
"Bit woozy, maybe." he offered, and squirmed himself more upright in the Sheikah's strong grip to maintain some semblance of dignity.

Making a point of taking cadent, regular breaths, he continued to answer the questions, "I'm freezing my ba-' oh, the kid, right, thankfully she seemed fully engrossed by something- "...backside off, but apart from a few nicks and scrapes, I'm fine. Those will heal."

No they wouldn't- if there were indeed injuries, however minor, he'd have to seek out a Zora healer or someone trained in their arts to have them mended.  Deception and smokescreens were matters he took neither pride nor joy in, but when it came to the specifics of his corporeal condition, it was honestly for the best.

Suddenly the girl piped up, as if snapped out of reverie, rattling off terms that made him instantly wary of her.

"No, no, thank you, but that's quite alright," he tried to appease with a simpering smile, "if I can, uh, sit down for a spell, I'm sure I'll be right as rain."

Dinraal strike him down, how was he getting out of this one?

"Tell me, who do I thank for coming to my aid?" he addressed both, perhaps not entirely unpremeditated to draw their attention to something else.

"Word around the Stables is the Princ...," -no, wait- "Queen Zelda is organizing an effort to start rebuilding Castle Town. Are you on your way there?"

And he was going in the exact opposite direction that they were, surely.

"I suppose I should introduce myself, too. My name is Yaku."

[El]

Gao's relentless grip lessened as the man visibly struggled within his hold. It was a subtle, reluctant type of release, gradually diminishing but never fully relinquishing its captive.

Part of the reluctance was simply out of concern: the Sheikah's eyes carefully observing Yaku for any oncoming symptoms of shock, half-expecting the stranger to faint back into his arms at any moment now. The other half of his reasoning... was tough to put into words. It had been born from the tickling of his instinct, an invasive itch that niggled at the back of his mind, sounding alarms which had no names - just feelings. Between Yaku's abnormally lacklustre - nay, outright cold - body temperature, to the tiny little telltale signs of just 'something' being off, Gao continued to find himself erring in that muddy, confusing, icky middleground between caution and concern. His jaw tightened. His nose twitched, as if having physically caught the scent of something suspicious.

Yeah... Yeah, 'suspicious' was a good word for it. But just because a fellow was odd that didn't innately mean he was malevolent.

For now.

Besides, Yaku's reasoning and logic was very sound. It all made sense. And as much as Gao would - and had often - bet his life on the validity of his instincts, he'd be an idiot not to acknowledge how regularly it curdled with over-analytical paranoia.

"Pleasure to meet you, Yaku - the name's Gao." The burly Sheikah withdrew, offering the new acquaintance his complete freedom. He still knelt beside - well, behind - him though, just in case the fellow really did suddenly get whacked with a fainting spell. "Though I suppose our first meeting could've happened under better circumstances." A small, gruff laugh escaped him.

Notably, he didn't introduce Ariadne.

Though speaking of which, Gao's attention then slid back up to her, his eyebrows lifting with belated bemusement. He hadn't initially pegged her down as the doctor or healer sort, but if her incredibly educated assessment from earlier was anything to go off, it was clear that field was her expertise - or one off. It made a bit more sense now why she was travelling alone in this part of the Kingdom.  An extra level of impressed respect emerged in his esteem of her.

"I was just escorting this young lady to her next destination, since we were heading the same way." Vague. Leaving out details. His gaze lingered in silence a touch too long upon Ariadne's, before pulling away and back to Yaku in thoughtful contemplation. "...Perhaps you could join us for a little while? After your respite. I can't say it seems like a good idea to leave you alone out here so soon after your accident.

"But in saying that-" Gao paused, a slim but earnestly warm smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. A small, barely discernible laugh huffed out through his nostrils. "If you'd rather we leave you to your own company, simply say so." He offered. "Far be it from me to insist on my concern if it's not wanted - no need to be polite."

Gao wasn't a guard. He wasn't a soldier. He had no official status or military background to brag of, no connections to higher authorities, nor any oaths that bound him to action. Heck, he couldn't even call himself a merc at this moment in time, and even then there was evidently no wealth to be earned in this endeavour. (Not through any noble means anyway.)

Whatever Yaku was - or had been up to - or was prone to doing, the scholar decided it was none of his business. As long as he meant Ariadne and himself no harm, he could damn well do whatever he liked.

Plus, he was evidently capable in some manner or another. No ordinary man came out of a prolonged 'tussle' with an Evermean and still had enough clarity of mind and health to converse and act as he did now.

[Emily]

If she had to choose, Ariadne would have preferred to do a more thorough checkup on Yaku. He had hung upside down for some time- who could know how long exactly it had been before they had arrived- and the likelihood of internal damage that might not be immediately noticeable to the patient wasn't unheard of. That being said, she refused to be the type of healer who would just ignore someone when they wanted to make their own choices. Her Rito teachers had time and time again insisted that people be allowed to make their own choices, even when it might harm them. In response to his request just to sit for a moment, she nodded, "Of course. If you need anything, just let me know."

Ooh, how interesting, Queen Zelda was going to begin rebuilding Castle Town? That was certainly a tempting offer... and it was pretty close. She looked back toward the floating castle. How exciting it would be to participate in something like that! But if she didn't write her father from Zora's Domain sometime in the next week, or goddess forbid if the expectant mentors wrote that she had never arrived, she would certainly suffer severe consequences.

Fortunately, Gao had begun speaking while she was thinking about it. He certainly wasn't a moose- she was beginning to second-guess that characterisation. Perhaps he was a somewhat-tamed wolf. A creature of the wild that was perfectly friendly and amenable when he wished to be, but she had seen the speed of his strike on the... living tree thing. And how it had taken him a moment to come back down from that. But no, that wasn't exactly right either, because he was quite friendly, and clearly cared about protecting the others around him. Maybe he wasn't comparable to an animal, he was just Gao.

Anyway. "I'm Ariadne, it's nice to meet you Yaku," she added on after the Sheikah had finished. "I second the invitation for you to tag along with us. If you're heading toward Castle Town, stopping over at Woodland Stable might be a good idea. It's only a short distance past the bridge. That's where I was-." Oh, oh! She realised what Gao was doing when he had made eye contact earlier. But of course, now it was a bit strange to not just finish the sentence. Right? Yeah, yeah. Definitely. Yeah.  "well, it's where I was heading. Of course- if you don't want to, everything Gao said. No worries."

In fact, she was beginning to feel some weariness herself. It had already been a pretty long day- she had to start early to make it all the way from one stable to another without a horse. Maybe she should have brought her horse. A stable closer to Zora's Domain would have escorted her back to Snowfield without any extra charge. But, eh, it was hard to decide to just do that, Hiccup deserved to be with her family. Ariadne sat next to another of the trees in the grove. An evergreen tree. Because that's the only type of tree that was supposed to be in this glade, anyway. It was nice to take a break anyway.

[Sav'saaba]

When the beefcake who had introduced himself as Gao had fully released his hold, Yaku let himself sink cross legged onto the dirt, and began to  rub down the leg that had been in the Evermean's stranglehold as if suffering from a bout of pins and needles - no, the wrong one, he grasped, and quickly switched to massaging the other, the bells on his attire chiming as he did.

"Thank you, Gao and Ariadne. I wish I could offer you something more substantial for your help than just my gratitude, but I'm afraid I've lost my pack a ways back," he stated, pointing a thumb back over his shoulder.

"Chances are a bokoblin has run off with it by now." Amusement quirked the corner of his mouth.
Another notch on the tally stick; the thing must have barely any wood left.
Yaku had no need for the provisions typical of a traveler, and while he tended to keep at least some rupees on him, as the brightly-coloured hexagonal gems often proved the slickest of social lubricants, that unfortunately was not the case now. The last of his modest amount of green rupees had been spent on a handful of dry beans, some yarn, two buttons and a piece of burlap -items that had served a fine cause.

"May the beast make the best of use out of it." Yaku snickered, the wish punctuated by a shrug.

Join them?
Questions would arise as inevitably as the sun would journey across the sky, and it had bred in him a prudence about the company he would surround himself with, because keeping the living at an arm's breadth was often the path of least resistance. But the shaman would readily admit that when presented with a kind word, or an earnest smile, like Gao's and Ariadne's, he found himself hardly immune to it. Should he throw caution to the wind, just this once?

Something about these two he found so pleasant that his apprehension was bleeding away, although he perceived a degree of distrust in Gao's conduct.
He couldn't blame him.

If only the shaman's magic reserves been more vast, then Yaku would have cast on them a ward, to protect from what prowled at night,  and sent the duo off on their way.

Alas.

However, if he joined them, he could provide a safeguard against the massed grinding of joints that were no longer joined by gristle, the clicking bones only partially covered by necrotic flesh, their once marrow now replaced by evil resentment.

A lone Stal was laughably feeble, but more times than the shaman cared to count he had encountered travelers that had fallen like sudden sighs halfway to their beds, swarmed and slain by a gaggle of the pitiful revenants in a careless moment. Seeing Gao and Ariadne safely to a Stable was a courtesy he owed them at the very least, he convinced himself.

"I would welcome the company, if you'd have me. I could stock up at the Stable. I'm not much of a warrior, but there's safety in numbers, isn't there?" he said, shrugging out of the long sleeved tunic to inspect the freshly-made hole at the tip of its hood, prodding a wiggling finger through it, before bringing it towards an eye to squint back at the travelers through the hole, and chuckled.

"Bugger. That needs mending. Mind, I'm not saying that I doubt that you're perfectly capable of making short work of whatever threat throws itself at you,' he said as he lowered the garment into his lap and glanced sideways at Gao, aware of the Evermean having been reduced to smithereens in one fell swoop. A spoken out loud acknowledgment of the other's strength and a white flag if there ever was one, or so he hoped.

'Oh! I should tend to it.' he gasped, as if startled by a realization, and got on all fours to crawl to where the monster had fallen, away from Gao.
Sitting down on his knees, Yaku fumbled with a small pouch on his belt and from it produced some dried leaves and two pieces of flint. Soon something,smouldered before him atop the remains of the Evermean, a white smoke rising lazily from the small pile as he clasped his palms together and bent his head, quietly reciting verses that he remembered better than words spoken but an hour ago.

Destroying the physical vessel of a malevolent spirit was a good way to stop it from inflicting immediate harm, but that did not mean it would be gone from this world, nor would keep it from insidiously taking possession of and corrupt anew.

When the ritual was done, he found Ariadne sitting near, her legs curled up underneath her and her back against a tree. As Yaku regarded her, he acknowledged that before, he might have had her pegged as younger than she actually was. Twentysomething, maybe? That would make more sense, considering the knowledge that she seemed to possess.

Despite the earnest curiosity about his companions' stories that had risen in him, Yaku knew well that asking questions would invite counter questions, so instead he focused on trivialities, like taking note of the flower in Ariadne's hair.

Delicate as it was, there were early signs of it wilting, the edges of its petals beginning to curl in on themselves, and discolouration setting in. Putting a hand against the tree, he leaned in uncomfortably close over Ariadne, eyes meeting hers to keep her attention more on him instead of what he was going to do, half-expecting to be grabbed by the scruff of his neck by Gao in the next moment.

"Pretty. Its colours suit you." he murmured as he lightly touched the flower, rubbing a petal between thumb and finger, siphoning an infinitesmal fraction of the tree's ample life force to the flower. In a few breaths, it would begin to perk up, its leaves reinvigorated and petals turning as brilliant as they were at first bloom, but instead of waiting for that, Yaku pushed himself quickly off the tree and backed away, once again honouring the concept of personal space.

His mentor would have killed him for interfering in the natural order of things so frivolously. Then again, given the chance, she would have killed him for something much worse long ago already.

It was decided: he would tag along and guide them to their next destination. Wasn't that the exact job description of a psychopomp, after all?

[El]

So he'd lost his provisions during the Evermean tussle. For a brief - but all-consuming - moment Gao contemplated the nearby geography, eyes glazing with distant thoughts as his mind unravelled maps, piecing together a myriad of memories in the effort to locate potential 'blin camps that overlapped with forested terrain. The fellows who got most of their materials from scavenging rather than hunting. The areas where Evermean tended to appear more regularly. The distance Yaku could have travelled. If the pack could have rolled down any hills or if fast-moving rivers were nearby, if a bokoblin had already torn the bag apart to make a new loincloth or if the rupees within had been picked off by magpies or if the food would've had time to stink and attract wolves or-

"May the beast make the best use out of it."

...

A barely discernible sigh of relief huffed from Gao's nostrils. Well thank all the goddesses for that.

While a wiser man probably would've played the fool, this Sheikah would've felt downright awful if he'd pretended he wasn't familiar with the wilds and their adorable monsterfolk. It wouldn't have been his first time locating a lost item either. But, for all the tight twinges his heart gave him, he was admittedly delighted that he wouldn't have to feel compelled to go on such a wild goose chase in this instance at least.

With an awkwardly strained smile Gao scratched at the side of his neck. If it's of any extra comfort, Mr.Conscience, his blatant disregard of his losses means there probably wasn't much TO lose. And indeed, Yaku appeared the sort of man who knew his way around survival and how to make ends meet off the land when necessary: an assumption only strengthened by the peculiar sight of him-.... praying(?) over the Evermean's corpse as it smouldered into ash.

Ah.

Aaaaah~! It made sense now! The curious tattoos, the decorations on his garb, the pointed hood and the beads around his ankle: he must be a shaman, or something akin! What an incredibly rare occurrence! A chance meeting with someone of this profession, with no appointment and no great threat looming imminently overheard (not to jynx it) was more unusual than a batch of wild, golden apples or a Blupee sighting.

The Sheikah clasped his chin in thought, his smile scarcely visible over the broad terrain of his knuckles as he observed the spectacle with a glint of silent delight. Delight, which sadly, was shortly-lived. No sooner had that bud of inspiration begun to sprout were its blooms then dashed, hurriedly crushed below the hooves of caution when the stranger slithered up into Ariadne's personal space.

Very quickly Gao was reminded of that one time he'd broken a wild boar's neck, having spotted it charging for an unsuspecting younglin of a Bokoblin as she foraged for berries. In hindsight a running swift kick to the side of the head was probably an extreme measure, but panic did strange things to a man in the heat of the moment. Heat which-... was currently uncalled for, Gao.

His first curled whiter under the pressure of increased tension, but he did not stir from his position. Observing was enough, for now, the keened blades of his eyes tracking the situation as it unfolded. While one part of Gao seethed with the horrid idea of a hostage-threat, the larger - more pacifist - part of him acknowledged that this could potentially be a sweet moment that Ariadne welcomed. Maybe she'd be happy to flirt with an odd man they'd rescued from a tree...? .............. It wasn't his place to intervene - unless requested.

Then, much quicker than Gao realised he had been hoping for, Yaku finished whispering his sweet nothings and withdrew, allowing the man to release a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. For a split second the scholar even thought he saw the flower in Ariadne's hair as changed, somehow... but perhaps it was all just a trick of the light. Admittedly he hadn't paid it much attention before to recall all its details.

...

....And now you're supposed to speak, Gao. Words. Use your words.

The buff beast of a Sheikah awkwardly cleared his throat. With a discomfort that made him inwardly cringe, he forced apart the chokehold that caution had petrified him within. Manually brushed down the raised hackles. Consciously pried open the locked fingers. His facial muscles were confused, twitching as they struggled to decide which of the many thoughts he'd had in the past few minutes were the best - and wisest - to settle on.

"I gotta admit, I didn't expect you to agree to the invitation." Gao confessed, eying the shaman with open curiosity. Something told him that too many questions - if really any at all - would not be welcome though. So he huffed a small, breathy laugh and looked away, running a hand through his hair as he instead regarded the sun's position in the sky.

"Looks like we still have quite a bit of time if you both want to rest a bit longer? There's no foreboding weather either, so it should remain dry for a few more hours yet at least."

His nose twitched then, an attempt to track incoming petrichor intercepted by the pungent and invasive aroma of burnt wood. Again, Gao's eyes slid back to the smoking remains of the Evermean. A wry smile twisted his lips. And then out it slipped, a proposition he hadn't even properly mulled over yet, taking flight unbidden and without permission- "Perhaps we might have the opportunity to work together in the future, Yaku, if you are open to the idea?" He muttered.

He didn't trust the man. Yet. But he'd be a bigger idiot to let this opportunity pass him by completely. "I suspect there is some overlap in our fields, and yours is one I haven't had much chance to study - effectively, that is.

"Ah. Right. I'm a monster zoologist by the way - not a bodyguard or hunter or anything like that." He chuckled, hurriedly adding on that clarification when he realised how things may have appeared. In all honesty the thought of being regarded that way made him feel a little uncomfortable, his brow crumpling, though he supposed it wasn't necessarily a BAD thing to portray such a fierce character.

"I realise you may prefer to work alone," He continued, attention turned back completely upon Yaku now: he wanted the man to understand he was serious - sincere - even if he decided to just brush him off with feigned ignorance and a laugh. "-But if you find the chance of a partnership at all profitable for your own endeavours I'd be happy to assist."

[Emily]

((Apologies if the tone or pacing of events is slightly off, it's been a minute since I've written. As always, I will happily edit if requested/needed!))

Just as she found herself off her feet, Ariadne felt as if her focus was recycled into the people around her. So far, she had settled into the normal routine of getting to know a stranger at the stable: basic introductions, unrelenting friendliness (so they'd be more inclined to rent out a bed for the night) and no actual connections. After all, someone visiting the stable was never going to stay, they were passing through and wanted some nice, welcoming strangers to make those few hours more accommodating. But she was now realising that this was a different social situation altogether; these two men might not be treating her like a peer due to the age difference, but neither was there the casual dismissal of a temporary stopover. Perhaps this could be an illuminating partnership for her as well, temporary though it may be.

Her newly-motivated studious attention, combined with the still-lingering doubts about Yaku's state of health, allowed her to note his small mistake. She appended confusion to the list of concerns, but quickly dismissed it. It wasn't necessarily confusion on his part- he'd been hanging upside down for some time. It was possible both legs were somewhat numb from the journey, and this was absolutely not cause for concern. Besides, he'd refused treatment, so there was nothing more to discuss.

Far more interesting than that moment, of course, was Yaku accepting their company as far as Woodland. And far more interesting than that was what happened next. Yaku's strange ritual was entirely unfamiliar to Ariadne, something seemingly far from the snowy fields of Tabantha wherein heretofore she had spent her life. Despite its alien qualities, the ritual spurred in Ariadne a great sense of curiosity and interest. What had he done? Why? What had he burnt? She wished she still had the notebook out, but it would surely be offputting to have some new person stare at you and take notes.

Immediately rewarding the lack of intensive notetaking, Yaku turned his attentions to Ariadne and approached. He was perhaps closer than she would like, but part of being on the road was learning other customs. What if this was how things were done in some faraway place like Hateno or the very edge of the world- Lurelin? Far be it from her to insult someone just because she was unfamiliar with their- oh no, he pulled away quickly. And all he'd been interested in was the flower in her hair, a flower that, should she be entirely honest with herself, she had forgotten was even there. Well, that was interesting. "Thank you," she replied, clearing her throat. "I found it next to some of those strange rocks that fell from the sky islands.

"Actually, hey," she said, holding a hand out toward him while rustling around in her bag with the other, "if we're taking a break, I'd be happy to patch up that hole for you." Completely ignorant of the flower's returning life-force, she removed a small sack of sewing materials.

It was at about this moment that Gao spoke up, confirming the interest in a break. He also proved significantly more interesting once his area of interest was revealed. So, she had found herself among two people, one of whom prayed over dead beasts, and the other of whom studied and cherished them. Their conversation, if one were to occur, would be of significant interest to her from an educational standpoint. And, if Yaku were to be so kind as to temporarily surrender his garment, Ariadne would spend the break keeping her hands busy, all the better to keep her mind focused on the conversation that would be happening between him and Gao. After ten or twenty minutes, she'd return it to him with a pretty good mending job. Not only was sewing going to be an interesting parallel skill to her chosen profession, but mending and reusing clothing was a necessary skill out in the middle of nowhere, and one she'd learned well. If he chose not to surrender it, of course, that was his choice and she would not press it.

Either way, after twenty minutes, she would stand up, stretch, and return the great pack to her back. "Alright lads," she would say, "the road's just ahead, and from there it should be an easy hour's hike to the forest. And hopefully there'll be no more nasty surprises about."

[LuckyBlackCat]

Dusk was falling, casting its shadows over Woodland Stable. Outside, a small crowd gathered, murmuring and staring at a most unusual sight. Even the goats in the pen bleated, their curiosity drawn towards the nearby well. An eerie green glow, along with echoes of splashes, emanated from it.

"Y'know... Y'know that shtory, huh?" a young man slurred in a hushed voice, gripping his mug of courser bee mead as he leaned closer, while still keeping a safe distance. "That one 'bout the traveller who got beat to death by thieves and dumped in a well? An... An' now he takes out his grudge on those who shtill get to live? Looks like ish true!"

Another youth snickered. "Nah, there's no way that's a Poe. Gotta be someone pulling some kind of prank."

"How d'ya know, eh?" a third whispered. "I've heard there are all sorts of shady cults who keep out of sight, doing ungoddessly rituals to summon spooks. Who's to say we haven't found just that? And if you're so sure it's some harmless little joke, why don't you go take a look?"

The man balked, stepping back. "As if there's any need to! If you're so brave, and if you're such an expert, you go first!"

On they bickered as the sun made its way down, the theories growing wilder and more gruesome, the late evening bringing the strange luminescence into sharper relief.

...

Blissfully unaware of the stir she was causing, Claria leaned back in the water, the sound of its rippling resonating off of the earthy walls as she flexed her fins. The journey here had been fairly easy, being mostly downriver, but while she waited for the apprentice she'd been tasked with accompanying, she'd figured she should take the opportunity for a quick swim.

Ok, it had been a little more than a quick swim - she'd become the main light source in the place, the soil and the small pool illuminated in soft green. Better than sitting there in the stable until her scales grew dry, or having to make small talk with strangers, but the student would likely arrive soon, if she hadn't already. Ariadne, she'd been told the girl's name was. A young Hylian seeking to train with the healers. And Claria could very much attest that the healers merited their reputation - they were the reason she was still here.

She adjusted her scale mail and began her way up the ladder - only for a commotion to break out above her.

"The Poe! It's moving, it's coming this way!"

"Ehhh! Let's get out of here!"

Poe? Pausing halfway up the ladder, Claria grimaced, dimming her glow. Hylia damn it, she really should have thought about how that must have looked from the outside.

[Sav'saaba]

[OOC: I'm so sorry about making this thread grind to a halt for so long and for this lackluster post. I figured to move things along. I'll hold off a little so Emily and El have a chance to post if they want to before I do again~. If not, let me know. <3]


"Hm, is that so? " he said by way of small talk to Ariadne's remark about the flower, suspecting this was the first time she had stumbled upon a Sundelion. "Maybe you should hang on to it." he suggested breezily as he settled down across from the young woman, thanking her for her kind offer of making repairs while handing over the damaged garment. Ariadne was bound to find out about the recently discovered plant's properties sooner or later, if her vocation was indeed what it had appeared to be.

Out of idle curiosity, he regarded deft fingers go to work with needle and thread, Ariadne's features set with all the delicate concentration of a sawbones, and he wondered if she would pull back together and stitch up the edges of an open wound the same as she did the cloth, unaware he was letting the mechanical effort of breathing fall to the wayside again. The sound of Gao clearing his throat before speaking up served as a fine mnemonic however, and Yaku suddenly inhaled sharply as he refocused his attention on the Sheikah. Of late, he really had not been spending enough time among the living.

If Gao had been surprised by Yaku agreeing to accompany them, then Yaku was doubly so by this, as it turned out, monster zoologist expressing an interest in a joint venture.

"My endeavors?" he echoed uselessly, so thrown off by the proposal, and he feared that Gao had the wrong idea of what those entailed. Half the time he did not even know himself; prettying up a murderous, sentient tree as a chiming decoration had been pretty new for him, too.
"My endeavors, huh..." Yaku repeated again and chuckled softly, as he rose to his feet. "I do what I do to help others," he shrugged and locked eyes with Gao, an enigmatic grin curling his lips, "so I suppose I'd be willing to help you, too." He patted the bigger man once on the arm.

He was not sure that he could; Gao really did not come off as adequately cold and stiff, nor had Yaku picked up on any curses or magical afflictions ailing the Sheikah.
By design the shaman would mostly move between places when the world was asleep, so as to avoid encounters with  the various species of 'blin, as he wouldn't stand much of a chance against a mob of Bokoblins or even a lone Moblin. But their ensorcelled bones clicking in the night and held together only by malice, now those were a whole different story.

He decided not to go into the matter further, for now, because Ariadne handed him back his good-as-new tunic and soon they would start the final push to Woodland Stable, having convinced the others of his being well enough for the trek.

As Ariadne had predicted, the Stable drew into view shortly, its massive wooden horse head for a roof puffing lazy trails of smoke above the smattering of old trees they were now passing through. The aesthetics of the franchise were pretty on the nose, and Yaku never made an effort to try to keep the different establishments found across the kingdom apart. Much like how every Stable looked the same, so was something else: there were animals. Lots of them.

The shaman's footfalls slowed, and he watched the backs of his companions as they moved onto the Stable's premises. Some hack bard was sawing passionately away at a fiddle, but the yammering was not quite loud enough to drown out some type of disturbance up ahead.

[El]

Gao felt the hairs on the back of his neck bristle. Not with a chill. Not with unease. But with-... discomfort? Annoyance? It was a feeling difficult to place, but one which nonetheless didn't sit well with him. Like a cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way, the intent might not have been malicious but that didn't make the reception any more pleasant.

...Was he being looked down upon?

There was a tone to Yaku's response that raised more questions than answers, something about it was meandering, lost, only for it to cycle back around into some-... oddly charitable statement that shortly followed a self-righteous proclamation. The whole thing was cryptic and frustratingly vague. Charity. Gao wasn't against it - he'd had more than one instance where he HAD to accept it - but his stomach still prickled with distaste, especially at the way it was plated and delivered, punctuated with a brief bop to the bicep. The same muscles which tensed his jaw reached up to flare his nostrils. If Yaku didn't want a partnership, he simply should've said so.

But maybe he was taking it too personally, reading between the lines when in truth they were just motes of dust and splattered ink: a sloppy miscommunication born between strangers, rather than backhanded insults. Either way, Gao would not press it again. He decided it was just the shaman's way of politely declining and quietly huffed out a sigh, dispelling the knotted lil mess of thorny frustration as quietly as he could while the group got ready to depart.

He remarked on Aradine's sewing skills as they walked, complimenting her on the polished result she'd achieved in such a short amount of time. It was clear he was impressed. In fact, it looked like he was probably on the brink of enthusiastically asking for some tips on the subject when a commotion up ahead derailed his thoughts. The Woodland Stable had drawn into view and with it came the clamour of an erratic fiddle and the squealing of panicked patrons wailing on about a-... poe?

For a split second Gao's eyes slid back towards Yaku, his head having to turn more than he anticipated once he realised the stranger had slowed his stride. He was intentionally hanging back - keeping his distance.

...Odd.

But who was Gao to question the methods of a shaman, he supposed, with a small, self-effacing quirk of his lips. Thinking about it, the poor guy probably came across faaar too many red herrings. Poe this, poe that, my son's possessed, that wagon is cursed, don't cross that stream at the crack of dusk or your favourite pet will die. ...Yeah, Gao would probably get tired of all that real quick too.

That wasn't his role though.

"Calm yourselves, lads!" The Sheikah hollered, lengthening his stride sure and swift until he'd broken away from Ariadne and Yaku entirely. "You'll injure yourselves, letting the panic get to your head like that." He clasped a firm hand down on the shoulder of the most flustered drunk, rooting him in place before casting his attention towards the well in question - the subject of all the unsettled blathering.

True enough, the glow from within was bizarre. All the more so because of the time of day.

Curiosity cocked his head to one side, perking an eyebrow, but rather than alarm or fear he felt pity. Poor creature. Whatever it was, all this shrieking outside was probably unpleasant. Besides it couldn't be THAT large, given how small the well's opening was: certainly not Boss Bokoblin size at least - so manageable.

"C'mere you lil' fluffy buggers," Gao then chittered, clicking his tongue at the goats as he snatched the drunkard's half-eaten bowl of nuts and fruit peel. "Keep your cute snouts out of every curious cranny you come across, for Hylia's sake."

They balked and bleated but eventually acquiesced to the temptations of a shaking bowl of treats. Soon enough the Sheikah had his hands full trying to protect his crown jewels from the ravenous mob, his concern over their wellbeing quickly lost to a string of curses while he twisted this way and that, keeping the prizetray up high and out of reach: his once imprisoned drunkard friend lost with a cry to tides of pale fur and crashing horns. For now, anyway. "Yeah, yeah, I can bite too, you sassy twat!" Gao snarled, playfully barring his teeth at one goat who began chomping at his trouser-leg. All the while he kept one eye on the well however, observing in his peripheral how the ethereal light shifted and resumed emerging from its restful depths.

[Emily]

Knowledge of social interactions led Ariadne to worry about some manner of tension developing between Gao and Yaku, Ariadne was pleased that they seemed to hit it off exceptionally well. She spent the time walking between their rest stop among the immobile trees and Woodland Stable silently marvelling to herself at how stress-free everyone seemed. They both even enjoyed her sewing skills, which was honestly kind of gratifying even if she wasn't entirely sure if they were just being polite. But actually no, all things considered she was pretty confident in her ability to sew something like that.

She had been to Woodland Stable with her father before, making the approach nothing too new. Still, it was always amazing to see the forest island to the north and the imposing Death Mountain ahead of them. She'd always wondered what it was like on Death Mountain, a place that had been waaaaaaay too hot to approach for most of her life, and then under the control of mind-control food afterward. Perhaps someday she'd be able to go up and see Goron City... though the idea of being anywhere near open pools of lava wasn't the most comforting.

She recognised the smells even before she noticed the screechy violin. Someone was making a proper meal on the grill- if she wasn't mistaken, there were plenty of vegetables and... some type of bird maybe? It was hard to tell exactly, but regardless. Dinner would be a pleasant experience. And ooh! She could probably get her travelling companions some sort of discount or free food and board because they'd helped her get there! Stable folk always stayed for free of course, it was the Code after all, and it would be super impressive to Gao and Yaku if they suddenly had a nice bed and food without it costing anything. Gao seemed like he always slept on a pile of Bokoblins, and Yaku was hard to read, but seemed like he was familiar with sleeping on the ground under the stars. Maybe they could sleep in the Malanya bed if it wasn't already reserved. She wondered if either had slept in a Malanya bed before- or if the experience would be too weird if they tried it for the first time.

Regardless, they arrived and she conveniently missed both the commotion at the well and the commotion with the goats and also honestly the fiddler far too enamoured with third position on the E string. With a quick "One second, let me check in here," she broke from the group at a slight jog and entered the tent, waiting as this Wester Lester came sidling up to the counter. "Why howdy there, Ariadne, happy to see you made it safe and sound."

"Hi Wester," she responded, leaning in conspiratorially and hoping neither of her travelling companions would be able to hear this. "I came across a couple travellers on my way here, a big guy named Gao and a not as big guy named Yaku. They've been great help to me and I was hoping I could get them free room and board for the night as thanks."

Wester's genuine smile quickly settled into the customer service smile she had seen her own father wear several times. "Ah yes, I see. I don't suppose I could just give them double pony points for the night instead."

"Awwww come onnnnnnn Wester, pleeeeeeeease? I promise I'll never ask you for anything ever again."

"Will you help out with chores tonight?"

"Deal, but only after they go to bed so they don't know I did this."

"Deal."

They shook on it, the super secret Stable handshake that looks like a normal handshake but both people involved in it know there's something more going on. And with that, Ariadne turned back around and exited the tent to find she had missed quite a lot on her way in, so singularly focused was she on the things she needed to take care of.

[LuckyBlackCat]

By the sound of it, the entire demon realm had broken loose above. More panicked yells. A cry of "OI! GET YER FILTHY HANDS OFF OF MY SNACKS!" The bleating and stomping of goats. Someone cursing like a seasoned Lanayru Sea sailor. Horses whinnied, undoubtedly spooked by the commotion, and a dog started barking.

"Oh for the love of Naydra..." Claria's voice echoed, which wouldn't help matters any. Cringing, she resumed her ascent and hauled herself over the edge of the well. "Poe? That's a new one."

The moment she emerged, a young man who drunkenly stumbled around reaching for his stolen snack bowl - held high in the air by someone struggling to distract the goats - startled and toppled, landing on his rear end and spilling the contents of his mug all over himself. Dodging a headbutt from an errant goat, Claria rushed over and helped the youth up, who looked rather shame-faced now he'd realised the error of his judgement. "Are you alright? Nothing to panic about, last I checked I was still among the living."

With a nod and a mumble, the guy sidled over to where his two friends stood chuckling and teasing each other. A stablehand hurried to the pen and began to soothe the goats, while another tended to the boarded horses. The chaos was starting to calm, but still... Claria's lights faded a little, a reflex that kicked in whenever she wished she could disappear into the furthest reaches of the Depths. A shudder ran down her tail. It was difficult to say who was more embarrassed, her or the inebriated youth.

Straightening her back, putting up a cool and professional air despite her blunder, she swept her eyes around the small crowd. Aside from the drunken trio and the workers, others had gathered - the burly and gruff-looking man in the pen, a turquoise-haired Hylian in shamanic garb who kept a slight distance, and a young brunette in loose-fitting clothing who'd just walked in on the whole fiasco from the stable. "Apologies for the... confusion." Tugging at the back of her tunic's large collar, she strode within earshot of the stable owner.

"I've been assigned to accompany a young lady by the name of Ariadne to Zora's Domain for an apprenticeship," she explained. "Does anyone know if she's here?"

[Sav'saaba]

A shaman can see things that most can not. And sometimes, they see things much more accurately for what they truly are.
How utterly blind most were, instincts oblivious to the blue flames fitfully fluttering in the periphery, or to the mischievous spirit of the forest perched on a roadside effigy, lured by offerings of fruit and trinkets.

An old skepticism was roused in Yaku by the alarm of the Stable's present clientele; he could usually sense a Poe's presence like a hound turning its snout to the wind.
Still, it prompted him back to a brisker pace and he moved onto the Stable premises proper, having lost sight of Ariadne and Gao already.

A peal of high-pitched barking froze him on the spot as a tricolor Hylian Retriever charged at him, but finally stopped at a close distance. A guttural growl escaped from behind the ivory gleaming in the light, the animal's hackles abristle and tail tucked tight up to its belly.

"Millie, no! No! Bad girl!," a girl clad in Stable uniform cried as she scrambled from grooming a horse to grab the snarling canine by the scruff, keeping it from lunging at him.

"Don't..." Yaku gently told the stable girl, "Don't scold her."

"Sorry, mister. I don't know what's gotten into her, she is usually so sweet," the girl apologized as she soothed the dog.

"She's scared. I must smell of monster to her. I had a run in with one earlier today, " he explained as he started to move again with deliberate care to give a wide berth to Millie, now calmed by the girl's petting, although the retriever's glare never left him and her mouth remained tight.

"I'll keep out of her way."

Thus was the reason for his hesitance just a little earlier. What his fellow Hyruleans often seemed to lack, animals did not; sensitive instincts would always pick up on something about him being wrong. No wonder the temperature had nosedived several degrees between Gao and him.

Speaking of the hulking Sheikah, it looked like the monster zoologist was winning hearts already, though perhaps less so with the man whose nosh he had swiped to be fed to the goats. To Yaku's relief, the perceived Poe situation resolved itself like morning fog on a sunny day when from the well, a Zora lady emerged, tall and bioluminescent. Yaku chuckled and shook his head as he leaned back against a fence.

Zero bolted horses, and fifty-fifty chance the cuccos would still lay their eggs in the morning if he made himself scarce now. Pretty good odds, for once.