[Emporio has been in the 'new world' for a number of days now.

It isn't as if he didn't expect a new world. If anything he desperately hoped for it. Anything would be better than a reality and time where all he knew died and were replaced, and the villain won.

For that matter, Pucci had been fairly eager to have him dead and gone, so, another reality was best.

And Pucci himself had warned about it- take away the man at the wheel and who knew what time's next run would bring. He just...

Didn't expect it to be This different.

Emporio came to in a room resembling the lower portion of a house. A cooking pot burning, candles flickering. It was rustic. Cozy.

And outside that, he realized that it, like many other such homes, no longer existed. This was ruin- ruin surrounded by tents, and people, and...

...the people as well seemed 'rustic'. Armor, tunics. Their ears, long and pointed. A ruinous castle, standing afar.

And that was just day 1.

It does not take Emporio long to realize this is a very different world, and he is once again alone. Fortunately, having dodged the gaze of American prison guards, dodging those here is mostly easy. There might be passing glimpses, but he always disappears right under their nose, seemingly into a wall.

Zelda being Zelda, she likely won't stop at that though- if she runs quick enough, she'll identify the ruined wall Emporio disappeared into. Indeed, identify the wall, and she'll find a long, vertical crack- more of a seam perhaps- that begs to be inspected.

And, well.]

H...hAHHHH...

[Assuming she does That, Zelda will find herself in the ghost of one of Castletown's many common houses, a round eared boy in strange clothing falling back in shock.]

( Indeed, she doesn't just stop at that. She intends to get to the very bottom of all the rumors that have been circulating around the area. So, she follows him -- keep distance between them as to prevent startling him.

At one point, she almost loses sight of him, barely catching the way that he seems to disappear into the ruins. She stops in her steps then, looking to them with furrowed brows. He... disappeared? But, how? Was this the magic that others spoke of?

Inspecting the ruins closely, she cups her chin in thought before making her way forward to indeed inspect that seam. Had that been there before...? No, it couldn't be. She would have remembered either exploring such things herself or reading about it.

Regardless, she'll make her way further into those ruins -- stopping when the ruins seems to no longer be ruins at all. A quiet gasp of her own escapes her. )

What... is this...? It's.... almost as though time itself has healed this building.

( The sound cuts off her thoughts, and green-colored eyes finds the boy she had been following before. )

... I apologize if I startled you. I mean you no harm.

[As one who has spent much of his life gauging the threat levels of others- or rather, how threatening they will be to him- it is perhaps to Zelda's credit that Emporio did not immediately bolt and attempt to hide elsewhere. There are many, many ghost rooms available in this place (including the Castle actually), and if he were to be spotted entering them all then Zelda would have quite the sight before her indeed.

As it stands, he instead presses himself against the wall, not unlike a cornered cat. He swallows, eyes wide, and words lost to him for until Zelda has finished speaking.

And when he speaks, it might be a slight surprise- after all, a few days of observation are plenty for this-]

Y...you're the Princess the campers...n...no, soldiers...you're the one theu talked about, aren't you..?

[Fearfully, he remains backed away.] Th... ...It's a ghost room. They're everywhere here...but...

...

What...what do you want with me..?

( Ghost rooms... It's something rather curious sounding. That much is for certain. However, before she asks more about it, she wants to address his reaction to her. He seems so startled... But, if she hadn't pursued him as she had, then she may not have had the chance to speak with him like this.

Her tone is quiet when she speaks, brows furrowed in concern. )

Please, it is not my intention to frighten you. Only those who wish to help rebuild the kingdom have been stationed near the castle. There has been concern from the soldiers here after seeing someone so young take shelter here.

( She only wishes to help. If this child has no where to go, then she can at least help him find somewhere safe to stay. There are still some monsters roaming about Hyrule, after all.

She offers a small smile. His question won't go unanswered, but she wants to help him feel more at ease. )

I am indeed the princess of Hyrule. It seems that you may already know my name. May I have yours?

[It was admittedly a guess of course. The soldiers and many others have no shortage of love for their Princess, and so it's a name that has come up in their conversations time and time and time again. He's listened, he's watched, and ultimately Zelda dresses too differently from anyone he's seen here to not have taken the guess. ...He's honestly glad the guess landed correctly. It'd be sort of embarrassing otherwise.

It does at least put him at ease a little, that smile though. His nervous nature makes reaching any state of calm difficult, but it's enough to at least oblige in one thing-]

E....Emporio. ...My name is Emporio, [he says, and for a moment all he can think of is his first encounter with Jolyne- quite a different person even going off of nothing but the hearsay of rebuilders, but even so he'd answered Jolyne's request the same way he answers Zelda now.

With a swallow, he admits one more thing-] I didn't-

I didn't mean to take shelter here. I didn't come here from-

I just woke up in one of these rooms..! [And after all how could he know where to go from there?]

Emporio. ( She repeats softly. She does hope that she is helping to put him at ease, but admittedly... she doesn't exactly have experience with children. At the least, he seems to be willing to speak to her more.

She pauses when he speaks again. He woke up in this room...? Was it magic that he himself couldn't control? He had mentioned a ghost room, so she doesn't think it's a complete surprise to him. )

So, you appeared here without meaning to. ( She concludes out loud. ) ... Where exactly did you come from? It would not be an inconvenience in the slightest to take you home.

[A small nod. She's said it correctly, which certainly helps somewhat. He nods again, to confirm Zelda's conclusion. The only trouble is...

..Emporio swallows, his throat dry with unease. Remembering what happened at home, how things ended at home, well.]

I...

[He hasn't talked about it. Who would he talk about it with? He hasn't thought about it. When was there time, in a strange world where he had to survive. It was the perfect distraction, the perfect way to avoid thinking about the worst. About-]

...I don't think there's a home to go back to...

[Tears were welling the moment he started to try and speak, but by the time he can speak at all, they're overflowing.

He didn't have to think about it until now, but here he is. Thinking...

...about being alone again.]

( I don't have a home to go back to.

Those words make Zelda chest constrict painfully. It's a situation that she knows so many people suffered back when Calamity Ganon had attacked Hyrule... It's strange to see that someone so young has been left without a home now that so much time has passed, but that in no means doesn't make Zelda want to help him less.

No, she must. What good is it to be princess if she can't help a single child?

Her expression softens, looking thoughtful for a moment. She has questions, but this was no place to ask him them. Finding proper shelter and a warm meal should be her priority right now.

She slowly reaches, offering a hand for him to take. )

... While I do not know the details of your situation, I hope that you can trust in me enough to guide you somewhere safe. These ruins are no place for a child. There are still monsters wandering about outside.

Will you take my hand?

[He almost says, 'it's safe here'. A ghost room is as safe as he makes it, provided none witness his flight.

He almost says, 'then where?' Where, when he knows no place here, knows no person here, or at least not Truly.

Even so, living like this again has been tiring. Before, he had never had a purpose to grasp. Living was living, and to think of the future seemed almost possible.

Then for an instant of time, the future 'existed'. A place beyond where they stood now- a place outside, where living meant something other than surviving.

And then it was gone, and he was 'surviving' again.

Emporio's hand trembles as he reaches forward, and slowly his electric burned palm meets Zelda's own.]

O...okay.

...I...I'll trust you.

Thank you.

( She offers the words gently. He's offering his trust. She knows that he's scared and he's in a strange place -- that he likely doesn't know anyone here. But regardless, he's placed himself in her care. )

There are stables nearby. ( She begins to guide him out of the ruins, keeping a close eye and ear out for any potential monster attacks. ) They provide shelter and beds for wary travelers.

[Stables...? Like...hold on.]

Like...communal beds..?

[He means of course, a shared room with multiple beds. And indeed, that is what the stables use. They're simple places after all, points of refuge and gathering. Even many Inns haven't reason to wall off individual rooms these days.

It's clear the idea makes him anxious though. Not enough to argue- he follows behind like a puppy, cowering at any sound and anxiously looking this way and that for danger.

But it does leave him anxious.] ....okay.

....I haven't really seen a horse up close, I...I guess.

[He's trying, really, to hype himself up. It's not...working exactly, but he's trying. He said he would.]

( It feels as though it's been a long journey, and one full of its share of mysteries as well. There had been talk of someone who had resembled a hylian, but one in particular clothes and with strange ears -- as if they had hailed from another kingdom entirely. After speaking to him directly, Zelda had come to learn that that may have indeed been the case. There were many things about him that didn't sound familiar to her -- the existence of those who were called shepherds and those called seraphim. It was almost as though he may have been from another time -- or place entirely.

After all, wouldn't such things be in the history books that she studied so often?

Whatever the case may be, Zelda had taken it upon herself to see things through with him. If he depended on to the degree that he spoke of, then it was important to help him in whatever way that she could.

As of right now, they had set up camp for the night. It was quite a way aways before they would reach the next town or stable. With Calamity Ganon's defeat, the roads were far safer now than they had been in the past. Camping would be safe -- but, she would keep her wits about her just in case.

She watches as he looks over his book, green-colored eyes studying the worn contents before looking back to Sorey. )

That book must be especially precious to you. It hasn't left your side since the moment we first met, Sorey.

[It's been, well. A lot. Sorey is no stranger now. To ending up somewhere new. To traveling and all. He's still figuring out this place, still learning his way around and getting to know everyone. Had met up with Zelda, traveling together now to the next town. He is quick and efficient in setting up camp with her, easily working together to delegate tasks, setting up the bedding, the fire and supplies.

He sits with his book, reading over it and pausing as she comments on it. He shifts, leaning in a little closer to show her if she wants to have a look. Whether or not she might be able to read and understand the writing, there are also some illustrations, from the book itself and some evidently added by Sorey himself as well.]

Hm? Oh. Well, it's important. To me. The Celestial Record. It tells the stories of the previous Shepards. And I made notes myself too, adding to it, about ruins I've come across and what I've figured from exploring them.

You did call yourself a shepherd back when we first met. If there is a record of them in your history... I may have underestimated just how important it is for you to return to your home.

( She needs to help him as soon as she can. If the shepherds of his world are important, then it's imperative that they continue to seek answers. Then again, perhaps she's letting the influence of her own goals cloud her judgement. It's difficult to tell when Sorey seems as laid back as he does... )

But, I cannot help but wonder... Is the name shepherd a title that you've inherited, or earned...?

( She can't help but ask. It'd be a lie to say she wasn't interested in learning as much as possible about where he's from. She's never had the chance to learn about something like this. )

I'm not the first, no. They're depending on me. To help deal with the Malevolence. As for the title....I guess. Kind of earned? It's complicated.

[In a few ways. But he tries to explain as best he can. Starting from the beginning, when he first went to Ladylake and made the deal with Lailah to take on that duty. That role. That responsibility.]

Because I grew up among the seraphim, the elemental spirits, I guess you would call them? I can sense them. I can see and hear them, when most other humans can't. So I was able to see and hear Lailah, a fire seraphim in Ladylake. I drew her sword and was able to agree to become the Shepard. So it isn't like there is a lot of options for anyone else to take on the role.

( She listens closely to his words, her interest growing with every passing second. Beings that only he could see, but those that are of good heart... How peculiar. Their homes may not be so different from one another, after all. )

... Your role as the shepherd may be similar to that of the chosen hero. It is the hero's duty to seal away that which has threatened Hyrule decades ago -- and it is only that chosen hero whom can use a sacred blade from this land, too.

( She thinks of Link, her expression fond for a moment. )

Bearing the burden of such a difficult task is admirable... It only makes it all the more imperative that we find a path back to your land.

The chosen hero? Maybe? It does sound similar. But -- yeah. If there was a way I ended up here, there has to be a way to get back somehow. I just hope Mikleo and the others are all okay while I'm here.

[Mikleo and Lailah are probably really worried. Wondering what happened to him. Sorey is trying to not dwell too much on that. To not wrap himself up in guilt and fretting over how Mikleo must be worrying over him. He has to focus on what he can do. What he can do from this end. In getting home.]

... He's a hero chosen by a sword to stop a great evil. If there is anyone suited for the role, it is him. He's courageous and would stop at nothing if it meant saving others.

( There's a fond look on her face, a small smile as she speaks of Link. )

Mikleo? Is he one of the seraphim you spoke of?

That does sound familiar. Similar. I guess I'm the same. I grew up reading about the Shepard. The stories and records I could find and hear about. Mikleo too, we researched, explored ruins together and all. He's my childhood best friend. A water seraph.

[He hasn't seen Mikleo or any of the others here. Assuming something isn't impacting his sense, he should be able to see and hear the seraphim if they are around. Even if others might not be able to. He glances down to the book, the Record with all the marked pages over the years.]

A friend who shares in your passion for history must make pursuing your research all the more encouraging. And to be a seraph on top of that... Perhaps I'm wrong in assuming that the both of you had been traveling together.

( The more he speaks, the more Zelda wants to help him. She isn't sure what she can do, truthfully... But, she was in a situation where she felt that way before. She was too late when she could finally do something at the time. It's nothing she wants to face again. )

Yeah! We'd run around exploring ruins together, hunting, reading, sharing what we figured out or read. And yeah, he came with me when I left Elysia. I didn't intend to bring him, but he wanted to come along too. To keep an eye on me I guess.

[Sorey was rather hopeless at times on his own. Without Mikleo there to guide him, to temper his instinctive trust and openness, his gullibility and being so sheltered in not being raised around humans. He's a lot better than he was, but still, there's reason Mikleo wasn't about to let him go off on his own, certain others would take advantage of Sorey and his helpfulness, his trust and all.]

Elysia... I recall you speaking of Elysia as your hometown. While I can understand it being difficult to leave that which you know, I'm certain that you were able to learn more during your travels.

( Zelda can't even imagine it... She's traveled Hyrule more than once by now. While it was out of obligation, those experiences were enriching. )

... I myself traveled alongside with a knight myself. Though it was initially out of duty for himself, I would not deny that he's become more than just a companion. Link is... a dear friend of mine.

Amazing, aren't they.

[A bunch of tiny little specks in the dark night sky. Stars that stretch farther than anyone could ever imagine. Beautiful and so far away. Weird to think that Caelus is often roaming around those stars in a giant train but...]

But they're prettier from down here. Get any closer and you'll probably burn up.

[Ha ha. How poetic.]

( Zelda has taken the time to study and gaze at the stars herself, but she's researched them enough to know that very little is known about the stars themselves. Perhaps someday, in the far off future, things can be different...

She gazes upwards at the stars, rememorizing the different constellations that seemed to paint a story for the both of them. )

To put it lightly -- I find it fascinating that you have been able to see the stars up close yourself. Are they really so hot that they'd be considered dangerous....?