[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.]

( She shakes her head. )

I suppose so, but... there will be more than one bed for the both of us.

( Judging by the question, he does seem a little uncomfortable with the idea of sharing a bed... Would camping be easier? Zelda is accustomed to both at this point. )

Truly? ( Zelda asks softly at what he says next. ) ... They're gentle, loyal animals. And intelligent, too. As long as you treat them with kindness and show them that you mean well, they'll do the same in return.

R-right!

[Note to self, he thinks, the open rooms with many beds idea is normal here. Maybe camping Would be easier all the same- but both things ultimately are foreign, and he ultimately stays quiet on the topic. The fact that she'll be there, at least, helps a little. He isn't going to simply be dropped off at a stable. If anything, a lack of walls means that if something happens, one can easily leap up and rouse the other.

It'll be alright then. It-What On Earth Is An Alligator]

( Zelda doesn't fail to notice how silent he is as they walk together. She turns her head a bit towards Emporio, frowning quietly in thought before she speaks again. )

Are you nervous? ... You would not be blamed if that is the case. However, there are many kind people in this kingdom who will be happy to help you.

A...a little, [he acknowledges, nodding slowly.] ...Even just hiding in the ruin, everything was bigger than most things I'd ever seen. Looking outside meant I could see farther than I thought was ever possible. I just...

...I don't know what I'm supposed to do now. I...

[And that is where the boy breaks down again.] ...Everyone was gone..! Everyone was gone, I was supposed to finish it, but now I did, and everything's different..!

( His words are more than enough to make her stop in her tracks, turning towards him and lowering herself to his level.

She hesitates for a moment -- just a second or so before she places her hand on his shoulder. She... doesn't know if words of comfort will help right now, but she wants to try. She doesn't have the heart to just leave him while he's so upset like this. )

... I do not know of the situation back at home for you, but you are no alone. We will find a way for you to go back home -- together.

Edited 2023-07-29 10:12 pm (UTC)

[Emporio stops as Zelda does, watching as she stoops down. The hand on his shoulder is reassuring, but her words, unfortunately, make him realize that for all he said he did not explain.

The boy swallows, and nods. His words feel trapped- caught in honey or fly paper, but despite it he forces himself to speak.] I-

...Princess Zelda- I...

[Say it, he thinks. Say it, say it, say-]

...I don't think there's a home to go back to...because I watched it end.

I don't...I already have more here, than I had left there, [he chokes out, shaking his head.] I'm sorry- I...

I know you're trying to help..that you want to help, but something like that...

...I should probably just find footing here, [he acknowledges with a sniff. In a sense, it's what he was already trying to do.]

Edited (NO NOT ME SPELLING AGAIN !!) 2023-07-30 02:42 am (UTC)

( She listens closely, and she can feel her chest constricting with each choked sob -- each word he says. For someone so small, he's been through so much. She knows what it's like to lose a home. But, for a child so small to be witness to that, and then be in a completely foreign world?

Zelda can't even begin to imagine the amount of pain that he's in, muchless how lost he feels. It's no wonder he was so hesitant to take her offer for assistance to begin with.

She leans down then -- enough for them to be face to face, a hand going to his shoulder. )

... No. It should be I who should be apologizing. I did not know that you had been through so much. I am sorry. I know that... losing that which you hold dear can be more painful than can be put into words.

But, it is not a pain that you need to face alone. Nor should anyone.

[[ooc - i had to ask myself so many times what the living situation even for canon lookout landing is and went 'ooh right' .. 'thats just a Large base camp']]

[There are few words that can be said in response to such grand support, without immediately cheapening it. Emporio's eyes are still red and puffy, and the boy can't help but wipe at them near periodically, but Zelda's voice and support is like a beacon of light.

Perhaps appropriately so.

The boy nods, then, and with a slightly stuttered breath says-] Okay-

[It sounds more like a squeak, but it's something.]

Y...you said we're going to a stable..?

[It makes more sense than any base camp nearby- right now no doubt, the soldiers and citizens of Hyrule are still doing their best to even somewhat clear way for any settlement. Lookout Landing might be under construction, but it won't likely be ready to actually house anyone.]

[RIGHT.... Maybe we can get to the point where it was built dsfiidasofsa]

( She offers a small smile once he seems to calm down a little, albeit it's sympathetic. He's been through so much.... Far too much for a child to go through, especially alone. If she's glad for anything, it's the fact that she's pursued him.

She nods her head, offering a hand for him to take. )

Yes. It is not too far from here. After you are able to rest in a proper bed, we can begin to make our way to Hateno village. A dear friend of mine has opened his home to me -- and, I know that he would not want you to be without one, too.

[And Emporio, as testament to the trust he's slowly letting himself place in her, takes it. It is a scarred hand, which only serves to emphasize what tragedies have been survived. Perhaps if she's familiar, she might recognize the feel as the sort of marks made from coming in contact with electrified water- or perhaps not.

Link has Definitely done that at least Once,]

A friend of yours..? Um...what's he like..?

Link is...

( Zelda pauses for a moment. It isn't that she doesn't have the words for him. On that contrary, she has more words for him than she can say. But, to summarize.... )

... The most courageous person I've met. He'd stop at nothing to help others if they need it, even if it means that it would be dangerous for him. He's someone pure of heart -- who only has good intentions for others.

[It sounds...] He sounds... ...a lot like someone I knew, [he admits, looking away for a moment.] I hope at least... ...I hope he stays away from danger a bit better than her, though. Uh....

J- just to keep you from worrying, at least! He's probably pretty strong too if he's like that...

( Emporio's words are enough to make her stop for a moment. The way he words what he says, she can't help but think that it brought up something that may have brought him further pain. That wasn't her intention. )

My apologies. I hadn't meant to cause you any further pain.