#oasisborn

It isn't something he's TRYING to show . . . doubt, vulnerability. Just the opposite, actually, given the way he keeps his CONFLICTED expression turned AWAY from her. The Dark King has always faulted him for being too emotional, too quick to prioritize his feelings rather than brush them aside and GET THE JOB DONE, but who, truly, is at fault when it was the Dark King's very magic that birthed him ? If his desire was to create a heartless, unfeeling monster, then mayhap His Lordship shouldn't have GIVEN his creation a heart in the first place.

Dark would never pose that argument, though, for he has faced enough repercussions for his failures without the unwise idea of going against his Master.

cont. from here / @oasisborn

     The guy has a kind face. Open and smiley — but not too smiley — and the horse by his wagon seems hale enough for a decent pace. He calls Aidan friend as he approaches, points at the sight Death Mountain makes of the northern horizon when questioned where to, and shakes his head when a pouch of rupees is brandished his way. "Don't go breaking anything back there and we're good," he laughs.

     One of the better deals Aidan's cinched in a while, really.

     But then the merchant asks, just as he's finished settling into the cart, "You don't mind company, yeah?"

     "Huh?" Aidan asks back, because that's the sorta thing you'd want to hear before reaching an agreement like this.

     Company, as it turns out, is someone who was here before he was. She comes tall, armed, and vaguely unimpressed. That's what he assumes the look she gives him before she climbs on means, at least, which— yeah, alright, fair. Guy pulled something of a fast one on the both of them and they're not exactly in any position to complain about it.

     Nice change of pace, though. Aidan's been mostly alone for a good stretch of this round's circuit; he's not seriously opposed to having a temporary travelling buddy who won't be too occupied for more than aimless talk.

     "Mornin'," he greets in return, raising a hand from where he's crossed his arms to wiggle his fingers in a small wave. Is it technically afternoon? Anything before lunch counts as not-afternoon, surely. "You'd take right. Goin'—"

     "Alright back there?" cuts in from the front of the wagon before he can say anything else, and he redirects his sentence to call his assent. Aidan waits a beat for the Gerudo to do the same if she wants, before he continues.

Over. It's finally over.

Though the destruction is immense, and the dark clouds still retain their reign over the skies, the Dark King, finally, has been vanquished. He'd cry, were the moment not so inopportune; what benefit would there be in shedding tears if escaping ONE death, by the hands of his now slain and buried Master, only lead to another ?

For now, he'll rein it in. Let his eyes cloud over with tears, wipe them away, and bask in the moment as best as he can.

" If only there were a means of memorializing this moment... " He whispers, more to himself than to Nalya. He only seems to remember he's somewhat responsible for HER escape, too, when she speaks up rather than abandoning him there to his thoughts. Surprising, that she's stuck around--- he'd tried to slice her neck open not too long ago. Let bygones be bygones; it's a new day. A new era.

" There is an underground passage that will put us right near the entrance to Castle Town. It is... by Master Ga--- "

Dark cuts himself off, appearing... CONFLICTED for a moment. The Hero had not granted him his FREEDOM just for him to turn around and continue referring to that TYRANT as his Master. Old habits, though, die hard... but, in time, mayhap they would perish right alongside the one he no longer swore himself to.

" The organ. It is by the organ. Come, I will show you. "

Shipping Meme - [ ACCEPTING ] ;;

// Oh man, talk about a HUGE nostalgia trip! Back in my 'I don't know what I'm doing' days, haha, but Dark has changed so much, and I'm sure Nalya has, too, so I'm eager to see how different their dynamic is this time around.

let ray yell about our muses / accepting / @oasisborn

oh, i absolutely want! i know we've only just started testing the waters with these two, but already i see a connection in their respective craftsmanships — which aidan would genuinely be so stoked about! he's always happy to find and discuss lines of work with a fellow smith/armourer; bonus points that she's also something of a jeweller!! if they ever get around to a forge together or anything, you can bet he'd insist on seeing her technique ( and would be happy to showcase his own for observation ). while he does travel everywhere, he spends more time around lanayru, tabantha, and hebra over the years re: refining his craft, so his work is influenced moreso by those niches than any other. it'd be interesting to see how his creations would differ from nalya's!

okay but also. if the travelling together thing ends up being more long-term than a simple wagon ride to eldin — which i feel aidan would badger his way into "just until they get bored of each other" ( spoiler alert: he does not get bored and that's enough for him to stick around sldfkjd ) — cuisine sharing! music sharing! cultural exchange! given that he can't enter its heart, he's only ever stayed in kara kara bazaar when visiting the gerudo region, so he'd be eating anything she has to share from her town right up :)

" Can I help you with something? "

She caught the woman staring a while ago. Try as she might to ignore it, pretend to busy herself with her own business in Castle Town, her patience cracked under the pressure of her discomfort with the throngs of people skirting around her paired with the feeling of this woman's eyes following her from place to place.

andor sentence starters. // accepting

Arched ears perked at the little proposition, and Elvóthien's features were quick to brighten considerably. How long had it been since she had a real, proper night out amongst friends? Much, much too long in her modest opinion. Most oft was she cooped up in the confines of the bar, working late through the night and into the wee hours of morning. She needed the rupees, though, and was usually more than happy to pick up any and all extra shifts that Telma was willing to throw her way.

But...maybe Elvóthien could allow herself to be selfish, just this once. One fun night out surely never hurt anyone. Besides, Nalya somehow seemed to be privy to all the happenings in town.

❝ And what, pray tell, will this fun entail, hm?❞ She really couldn't help but to tease, if even just lightly. Really, whatever the other woman had planned, Elvóthien was more than happy to join in. ❝ A festival coming to town? Live music, dancing -- a performing troupe of some sort coming to town, perhaps?❞ Pointed ears nearly wiggled in excitement with each thought that quickly rolled off her tongue.