#aoc verse

@mightiestbanana sent: "none of that is true, and you know it!" THE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING Meme

The battle had been abrupt. The Seer, as the Yiga called him, had descended upon their group without mercy—but they were not without strength. They held power, Link's sword and Zelda's light, and they had numbers, and they could win—they would win.

It was why, when The Seer suddenly pulled back his creations, ceased his attacks, and smiled upon them, that Zelda knew something had gone terribly awry.

His laughter was a horrid, mocking sound, shaking his head as though he were entirely too amused. "Master Kohga—Lord Ganon is so very pleased. You make a rather competent spy."

"What?" Impa had been the first to react. Members of their party and the Yiga's began to shout over one another, hurling accusations and insults and threats, but The Seer only laughed and laughed and laughed.

"You may kill her," he finally said, his voice booming over the chaos. "Lord Ganon has offered the Princess as your reward. Go, my friend, take your revenge, enjoy it—"

You may kill her.

Zelda felt her skin grow cold.

"Don't you come near her!" Impa spat as Link's back suddenly filled Zelda's view, "You traitor! I knew we should have left you in that forest! I knew you were lying!"

"None of that is true, and you know it!" Master Khoga hurled back, but it did not seem to be toward Impa. He was speaking to Zelda. She felt his eyes upon her even through the mask, his voice echoing in her rampant thoughts.

Conversations by a fire.

A walk down a dirt path, blood dripping beneath his mask.

He came to them, he asked to help, he told them—

"No...Impa, Link, this is a trick—"

And there was the laughter again, sickening, patronizing. "Oh, Your Highness...did you think you'd made a friend?"

Zelda turned to look at The Seer over Link's shoulder, and for a moment, it nearly looked as though he pitied her. She felt her shoulder stiffen.

"Enough!" She called, a hand to her chest as she raised her voice, "The Yiga are under my protection, you will not—"

"Don't be stupid," The Seer snapped and sneered. "This is war, little girl. And it will not stop until you and that pig father of yours are dead. It is the only desire your Yiga Clan has possessed, long before our battles began. It was all they could speak of—they will hold you down, slit your throat, break your bones one by one, and cut you down into tiny pieces—that was always the plan."

His expression pulled back, calm and composed once more. "A bit gruesome, for my taste, but to each their own."

They will hold you down,

Zelda recalled hands that pinned her to the ground.

Slit your throat,

Fingers that dug into her skin, and she couldn't breath, couldn't move, could only see flashes of paint and mask, of blood red and bone white—

Cut you down into tiny pieces—

And she was trembling, and oh, her instructors had always said never to show fear, never weakness, but she was trembling and shaking and her eyes were wide with horror—

That was always the plan.

You stupid little girl.

"Oh, and, Master Khoga?" the Seer spoke with a smile in his voice. "Do have fun."

It was his rotation to cook for the camp. Link decided a good, thick vegetable soup would be best; quick, easy to gather some fresh ingredients nearby, and could be spread across large numbers. Which was good now that their size had grown. They hadn't planned on so many additional mouths to feed...

Probably best to add some potatoes in there, too, Link thought, peeling and chopping and tossing them in with a certain tranquility that only came when it was just him and a pot of simmering food.

Too bad the moment had to be ruined.

After a pointedly blank stare, Link closed his eyes and tried to block out Master Kohga's voice—which was tricky, since it was pretty dang loud—before returning to his potatoes. Two more, maybe three—Master Kohga wasn't leaving. Alright, then...it's fine. Whatever. Just focus on the soup.

@watergraced8 - ❛ thank you for everything you do.❜ [ for your AOC verse]

She had just taken care of things on her end, in the aftermath of some monsters ambush to a military camp tucked away in the wilderness like many other outposts scattered across the land.

While Hinamori had gotten the last, of all the present soldiers, patched up and ready to go back to keeping watch, teal hues diverted to the Zora Champion, who happened to have been here to repel the beasts.

As for the ancient woman, she has been just out on a walk, really. Turns out taking walks certainly helped when she took the decision to help against now retreated ennemies.

''Come now, there is no need for thanks'', as much as the gratitude is appreciated, mind you, Hina, as per always, remains humble & level-headed in the face of compliments/praises.

She had been quiet after the final battle was over and won. Calm. Gave commands where needed, saw that their injured were tended to, counted their dead—but when she turned and saw Urbosa arriving to them, alive and safe and whole, there was nothing calm or quiet that could remain inside of her.

"Urbosa!"

She bolted to her with the speed of a small child scrambling to their parent (and isn't that precisely what she was?), barreling into her arms, clutching her. Alive. Urbosa was alive. Thank goodness—thank goodness—

She heard her words, seeping deep into her chest, and gripped her tighter. Zelda did not speak, could not speak, her voice would garble and choke on tears the moment she tried—

and thus, she stayed in the woman's arms silently, taking in her familiar smell, her warmth, the safety of her arms. Alive, alive, alive—

Until, finally, she was able to look up with a smile.

@topbanna8 - " I'm a hoarder. A bit of a hoarder. " [ for AOC verse]

Hm, yes.

She could tell that much with the room's sight. Hoarding behavior is a bit of a wild card though, depending how long one will litter stuffs around.

But this?.

These won't be lasting long enough to project unbearable amount of foul smells.

Hinamori stared at the stacks of bananas and a small chuckle, not the mocking kind or anything remotely negative, is audible. Then, with an innocent head tilt, as though calling him out, her attention shifts to Kohga.