Rebuilding Castle Town [Event] [Completed]

[Chaosome]

Malon gave a thoughtful hum and a nod in agreement to Gao's observation. Wise indeed. Or hungrier at the very least. "I've always enjoyed some good seafood dishes. Fish and veggies are plentiful so they make for quick easy meals when you're out and about." he would say as he scooped up a healthy ladle full of the paella before hitting it with some of the ground spicy peppers nearby. Quite a bit of them. While he conversed with the two he would idly stir the seemingly inordinate amount of peppers into his food.

With a beaming smile he would give Axel a nod. "Got it in one!" he would chirp before taking a bite of his meal with gusto. He couldn't blame people for not remembering his name. While one Rito among Sheikah certainly stood out, if you travel in different circles even in such a small village you're bound to miss a name or two here and there. But Malon had a drive, a need to impress others, especially the Sheikah. He stood out, he had to make sure it was for the right reasons. Granted sometimes that was easier than others, it wasn't his fault that ruins or caves were so interesting or that sometimes something shiny would catch his eye.

With another healthy bite of paella, Malon would sniff just ever so slightly as he swallowed. Another pondering note of thought escaping him as he pulled the empty spoon from his beak. "I take it you two have been helping... hmm..." another sniff and a nod. "Yunobo's crew?" There hadn't seemed to be any hint of water on the two, so it wasn't Sidon's crew. He was out and about with Tulin's crew himself so he knew it wasn't that. Not enough dirt around their shoes or the scent of pollen to have been working at the Cathedral. The scent of sweat told the bird it had to be either Riju's team or Yunobo's. Not that Purah's group were slackers and not working up a sweat, but as much as Purah was a stickler for results sometime she would make sure that her people weren't overworking themselves. The Gerudo and Goron were hardy, and the Goron especially didn't need nearly as many breaks as most Hylians or other races. So his proverbial bets were hedged on Yunobo's team! Not that it actually mattered in the slightest.

Before the bird bagged another blissful bite, or blithely broke the brief break in conversation, an unfamiliar voice beat him to the punch.

"Share." came the singular word. An offering? A command? It was difficult to say. But hey, free food!

Malon blinked in surprise, glancing down at the riceball placed upon his plate. So that's where they had all went! The Rito turned his gaze back up towards the Zora as he started walking away. "Thanks Mister! Much appreciated!" he chirped, giving the fishman a wave as he wandered away. With a lick of his beak and a happy little twitter, Malon scooped the riceball up and gave it a little toss into the air, catching the whole thing in his beak with a pleased hum. He wasn't a heathen, much, so of course he made sure to thoroughly chew at least. Though in his rice rimmed distraction he hadn't noticed Axel having scurried off somewhich way.

Tilting his head the Rito looked this way and that rubbing his chin with his now free hand. "Huh... I hope my table manners didn't chase him off..." Speaking of absences... the music had drifted away. Shame that... Wait that was why he got up to begin with! Beans.

[El]

'Never judge a book by its cover.' It was a tried and true approach to life that Gao should've been well acquainted with by this point, but even he was surprised by the turn of events. The behemoth of a Zora's approach was unprecedented, but not unwelcome, once he quickly realised where exactly this interaction was going.

He was... sharing?

A brick of guilt settled in the pits of Gao's stomach as it sunk in how exactly that must've come about: he had overheard them. Eugh. That left a bitter taste in his mouth. He wasn't a fan of snide gossipers - having been subject to many of them himself - so the idea of having evidently become one was a fact he found difficult to digest. As a result it was tough to control his expression as the Zora dished out the portions, an awkward grin weighing upon one half of his mouth throughout: especially when in his peripheral he noticed Purah of all people shooting a thumbs-up in their direction. But notably EXACTLY three riceballs were given: no more, no less. He wasn't trying to ingratiate himself by overdoing it, but nor was he being stingy either.

The shame in Gao's eyes softened when it clicked for him how similar this Zora was to the monsterkin he was so familiar with. His mannerisms. His gait. His clipped speech. All of it had a very primal quality to it. Gao felt no insidious disdain behind any of it, no budding grudge or elaborate plan. It was simply as it was - what you saw, is what you got. It all served a purpose and then that was that. He moved on.

...Though of course the scholar would never say all that out loud: not many folk would appreciate being likened to a monster. (Even if through Gao's point of view, it was far more of a compliment than most would ever realise.)

"Huh... I hope my table manners didn't chase him off..."

The Sheikah snorted, "I highly doubt that's the case." He assured, struggling for a moment to tear his eyes off the Zora and return them back to the eccentric Rito. Speaking of charming, this one had his own amiable qualities - he sure took things in his cheerful stride. For someone so reputably accomplished, Gao had half-expected him to be far more-... well, austere.  Or perhaps proud would be a better descriptor: he did vaguely recall some stories of mischief after all. "I don't think any of us lot here are that sensitive. Plus, it's pretty hard to adhere to any of that elaborate-shit in this environment anyway"

...Was Axel OK though...?

Gao had meant what he said in assuming that Malon hadn't been the cause of his departure: it was obvious the smith was struggling with some sort of technical malfunction. The sudden obliteration of the apple earlier had surprised him - even amongst everything else that had been happening at the time - but more stirring than that was how quickly his demeanour had plummeted. He'd scurried away with a quietly panicked haste that simultaneously increased Gao's concern while strengthening his hesitation to immediately give chase.

Pride was a silly, sensitive thing, but he could empathise with it well. It wasn't tough to understand why Axel's mood had taken such a sudden turn when you stopped to think about it: not having proper control over your own body must be all kinds of infuriating and at the same time, depressing. Often the only thing you could ever truly rely upon in this life was yourself: what did you do then when even that began to fall apart?

...But-...it wasn't PHYSICALLY painful for Axel at the very least though... right...?

Gao watched from afar as the smith struggled with his arm under the shaded canopy of a building's foundations, his brow furrowing ever deeper as the effort proved visibly fruitless. Ngh. How badly he wanted to intervene! But maybe, just for now, he'd allow Axel some more privacy: if things got any worse he'd step in then and hope he could help in some way.

Ah. But his lunch though! And it appeared - once Gao finally tore himself away from his many contemplations - that the crowds around him were beginning to disperse: the lunch break was essentially over. BUT AXEL HADN'T EVEN HAD BREAKFAST! Was he going to give up on lunch now too?!

"I'm impressed how quickly you managed to deduce we were part of Yunobo's crew though!" The Sheikah added. It was probably several beats much too late to continue the conversation with Malon smoothly - naturally - but it was an effort nonetheless.

Struggling a smile against the weight of his distracting concern, he clapped a hand down upon the Rito's shoulder. "Pleasure making your acquaintance, mate. Sorry I didn't twig your name straight away! Which sector are you working in? Perhaps I could apologise by way of helping you out for the rest of the day: a bit of change will do me some good too, 'variety is the spice of life' and all that.

"After I've made sure Axel gets his lunch, that is." Gao quickly added. "But I don't want to disturb him for the time-being. Let's enjoy our food before we lose the full opportunity to!"

With a nudge of his chin and a friendly grin, he motioned for Malon to follow him as he collected a bountiful plateful of various meats and snatched up also Axel's still barely-touched selection. With a casual gait he made his way over to where the Zora from earlier was seated: not so close that it was intrusive, but close enough that he could strike up conversation or join them if wanted. It was essentially an open invitation for company. Just like how Gao didn't want to butt his nose in where it wasn't wanted with Axel, he felt likewise the same for the brusque beast of a Zora.

"I still can't believe the extent of this lunch-spread though." Gao absently muttered. "It must've cost no small fortune." I hope the leftovers don't go to waste.

[Emily]

Event Post

Looking at what currently existed of the city, it didn't seem like much progress had been made. There were foundations, some cellars and basements had been dug out of the ground. In several places where there was no need for an underground element, wooden or stone frames had already been risen for buildings. Pathways were lined with tilled and seeded soil, saplings interspersed along the way. In fact, there were saplings all over the place, with many more to come. Indeed, it was only when looking at the project without context that it appeared little had been accomplished. Everyone in attendance had been there that morning, when the space was a flat field made up only of demarcating lines and ideas.

Through popular consensus, it had been decided that Castle Town would be a lush space, more of an artistic and magical community than the domineering city of a century past. Once completed, Hyrule would keep the capacity for a military, but less so than had been needed before. It would still have commercial spaces, but the Hyrule of today was not the one that existed before the Calamity. And their capital would simply have to adjust alongside the new reality that was post-Upheaval Hyrule. Abundant plant life, magical study, and a more laid-back lifestyle would highlight those differences.

The inn, dubbed "The Hyli-Inn" by a cackling Tulin, would ultimately be the only one in the city limits. More might end up existing outside the walls someday, but there were no plans as of yet. Though it had -possibly- been only a joke when suggested, Tulin's suggested name had caught on with his group, and seemed to be the official name by the evening. Already, several workers could be seen laughing with each other as they shared the information. Even Zelda had stifled a bark of a laugh when informed.

It was now decided that the Academy would teach magic to anyone who wished for it. After some discussion with Zelda, Lead Researcher Purah had decided to keep her Research Station where it currently resided in Lookout Landing. After all, the environment and light level could be controlled much more easily if your observation platform wasn't in the middle of a city. That would also allow them to do their limited research on Zonai and Sheikah tech in a safe, controlled environment.

The walls had been reinforced with wood and metal, with more stone being prepared to replace the destroyed pieces. The watchtower had been cleared, with progress finally being made on it. The smithy had come a surprisingly long way, given the extra effort needed to construct it. In fact, someone was already doing some work out of it, repairing and forging extra metalwork as needed. Even the cathedral had some progress in place, though it was mostly outlining and foundational work. All in all, it had been an excellent day, and it was with that spirit that Zelda once more stepped up onto a box to address the crowd.

"Thank you everyone for showing up today," Zelda said, "your participation is a tremendous help. When I first conceived of this plan, I feared that I would show up this morning and be alone. I reasoned with myself that the work needed to be done, no matter how many hands were involved, and that there was no failure in at least putting out the call." Those closest would notice that her eyes welled up slightly at this point, the slightest tremor in her voice. "Imagine my- imagine my surprise upon seeing so many of you in attendance. My fears, my doubts, all were cast away. You are the foundation upon which Hyrule will be rebuilt, and... thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart.

"The work isn't over yet. At the current rate, Castle Town will not be habitable for several weeks yet, and it will be years before all of our efforts here are fully realised." She had regained her momentum and composure by this point. A determined gleam had entered her eyes, as if she was pushing with all her strength to reach the people in this crowd, who had already shown up to help her. "But so long as we are all here, willing to put in the effort, that timeline will be met. The beginnings accomplished already have lowered the time required by half, if Hudson's estimates are correct. If you will stick with us, all of your needs will be met. We have plenty of beds, plenty of food, and even now there are farms being re-established outside the city to make this place more permanently habitable. We," she gestured to Link, Hudson, and herself, "will be here for the long haul. The Sages will be needed by their own people, but have assured me they will return periodically to assist with the construction. But if I am to be your queen, I will not idly sit by while asking you to labour fruitlessly. So, again, thank you. To those of you who will return, I will see you tomorrow."

She stepped down from the box again, and was immediately caught in a hug by Tulin. Riju joined the embrace next, and then Sidon, Link, and Yunobo. With that, everyone was shown back to Lookout Landing, where several of the buildings had been converted into lodging, with open space for entertainment. The underground stores were now full of food, and the old Emergency Shelter had been filled with kitchenworks. Carts were leaving the settlement, heading out to forage for more food. After all, they too were in this for the long haul.

((OOC: Thank you so much everyone for participating in the first major event of The Sinking Lure. This was way more of a success than I could have dreamed, and you've all made me so happy with the work you've put in over the last month. This is not the end for Castle Town's rebuilding, and it's not officially "built" yet, though it will be a lovely place once it's done. I will be locking this thread now, but another thread will be put in its place soon, to continue the relationship building that's been going on. It'll also allow any character development you're interested in pursuing through the work of building things. The Sages will, mostly, leave for the time being. Sidon and Riju are royalty of their homelands, while Yunobo is also the leader of Goron Village. Tulin will be hopping back and forth, but along with Purah will mostly stay with Zelda and Link throughout the rebuilding process. But for this thread, this is it! Success!))