TLoZ ~ Daybreak Desires (Darian & GeneticMess)

[Darian]

(DING! Amazing what the headshot sound is like in BOTW.)

The archer fell off the tower howling in pain as an arrow lodged in it's thick skull. Nusso's practice had paid off! But it seemed nikell needed some more...

She'd replaced her shield recently, and quickly dodged to the side as the beast took a wild swing at her. Nikell cut into it with a textbook, if a bit sloppy, combination of slashes. Then, as it was staggering, she leapt at the second Blin, still snorting under the effects of the stink shot.

Knocking the Blin to the ground with the attack, Nikell attempted to finish off the beast, but had to turn around to block the first blin, who had caught up with her.

"eh?" she blinked noticing that the archer was no longer there before having to focus on the blin before her. Then she yelped as the blin she'd knocked down flailed, quickly overcoming the effects of the scent when something had attacked it.

Two on one... not a good situation.

[GeneticMess]

He had no time to celebrate his feat in marksmanship.

Nusso was hurrying to prepare another shot, unable to look up for what felt like forever. When he was ready, he immediately took aim at whatever he could. Seeing a flailing Bokoblin cornering Nikell against another, he held his breath as he let an arrow fly at the monster’s head, hoping his aim was true...

[Darian]

Nusso's practice had paid off yet again, as hitting a struggling enemy on the ground with an arrow wasn't easy... but his arrow slammed into the beast's shoulder, which caused it to shriek and writhe.

Nikell did see the second arrow hit the downed blin, but quickly shifted her focus to the upright Bokoblin and drove it off again, this time her combination of slashes bringing it down to crash onto to ground. It didn't rise again, and this time when Nikell leapt upon the last Bokoblin and drove her blade into it's chest with her entire weight.

She panted for a few moments, then looked up to scan the treeline.

"You there, Nusso?" she calls out.

(I plan on having Nikell seeming... cocky and Naive here. She was certain she could handle it, and doesn't think she needed Nusso's help. Granted, she's probably right, but it might be taken as a sign that Nusso chose the wrong hero. And, she's risking her life for a kite. For some stranger. Not a good thing in an agent of the crown.)

[GeneticMess]

((Good idea. He's probably less than thrilled that she was going out of her way for a kite in the first place, and her attitude probably won't help.))

As she acknowledged his presence, Nusso slid down from the dead tree's top, landing on the rough soil and putting away his bow. "Yes. I followed you out here in case something happened... and something certainly did happen. You almost got done in by a camp of Bokoblin." He was irritated, but mostly relieved that Nikell wasn't harmed, or worse, eaten. "Just get that kite so we can get back to town."

[Darian]

"Hey, I had this completely under control!" Nikell seems a bit miffed at Nusso's words. She grabs the kite and takes a moment to look it over, brushing a few specks of dirt off. "Whew! Looks like they weren't too rough with it! It should fly just fine... with a bit of repairs. only a couple snapped struts..."

Only after she's sure the kite is safely stowed in her kit does she start walking back toward town.

"You know, I've fought Bokoblin before. They're really no big deal. I think I've killed at least 10 of them, you know! plenty on the way here." Nikell rolls her eyes at Nusso, obviously annoyed by him... hesitates. "Okay, maybe I've never fought more than one or two at once before, but I still had everything under control."

[GeneticMess]

((Sorry! I don’t mean to keep dipping out like this, I thought I replied last. Don’t be afraid to give me a nudge if I take too long in the future, please!))

After patiently/impatiently waiting for her to start walking back to town, he walks by Nikell’s side. Ugh, at least that was done with. He looked down at her as she tried to boast and reaffirm her abilities... but... what if his aim wasn’t true? What if he wasn’t fast enough? What if he had somehow lost track of her among the bazaar’s crowds, and she went into the desert without him knowing? His heart ached a bit fearfully as he imagined the worst.

“... Look. Just... maybe you should learn when to fold them. If you got badly hurt or killed over a dumb kite, I’d...” Nusso sighed, looking down at his feet uncomfortably.

[Darian]

(I have troubles of my own, man, no worries. Sorry I took so long myself. I try to give a player three weeks of Silence unless I get an idea in my head. I've been pretty quiet myself some times.)

"Dumb kite?" Nikell glared at Nusso. "This is a big deal to that kid, and that town has enough trouble and tragedy to deal with. If I can do a little thing to make things better, I will."

The girl cocks her hip and pats her shield. "I'm not gonna back off from some Bokoblin, and I can handle that much. Aren't you supposed to be letting me handle things?"

[GeneticMess]

He looked back at Nikell with a troubled, somewhat irritated look. “I understand that, but being in one piece so you can retrieve the ruby later is much more important, Nikell.” Nusso sighed, feeling oddly agitated over this. “Yes, but I can’t just sit boy while you jeopardize things over a dinky kite.”

[Darian]

"Dinky- were you even listening- gah!" Nikell fumes and throws up her hands. "Whatever! Listen, I don't know what the heck is going on with this whole hero and prophecy thing! And I don't really know what it is I'm 'Jeopardizing' just by helping someone out when I'm waiting for night to fall!" Nikell waves her arms to the air quotes.

She glares at Nusso now. "And I promised I'd help out Geepo, just like I promised I'd help out Zelda by getting the Ruby. I keep my promises."

The girl turns with a huff and starts walking off. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I can handle walking back to town to give Geepo his Kite back. It's a little banged up, but it's better than if I'd let it get tossed in the fire. "

[GeneticMess]

((Do you want him to argue the point forward or let it go? Just wanna double check.))

[Darian]

(Whatever you feel like. I was planning on having this be a short argument, but I think I can do more if needed. I'm trying to show that while she might be stubborn and very slightly over-confident, Nikell has a big thing about doing good and keeping promises.)

[GeneticMess]

((Okay, I can keep it short. I wasn’t sure how much of a divide this was supposed to put between them, but he’s just getting more and more afraid of how much everything’s riding on her. Nusso feels somewhat helpless and powerless to truly do anything if she failed, making him overcautious.))

“Y-your life! Hyrule itself!” Nusso snapped a little, pointing at Nusso and breaking into an angered, cold sweat. “I can respect keeping a promise, but not when it can get you killed over a d-dumb kite!” He says that last part before he can stop himself... he watches her break away from him as he stands where he is for the moment, panting before yelling back to her. “Don’t do anything stupid until I get back!”

Nusso... feels like a jerk. He didn’t mean to get so worked up, he just didn’t want her getting hurt... if she was the hero. For a moment, his faith in her wavered before he told himself he knew better. After a minute or two of thinking things over, he walked back to town. He needed to find Nikell, apologize for lashing at her like that, and explain things to her so she could better understand her duty... even if they were things the Sheikah clan purposefully withheld from her.

[Darian]

"Don't have to, you're taking all the stupid with you!" Nikell shouted over her shoulder, waving casually as she left him behind.

(Heh... truth be told, doing stupid/suicidal things is part of the whole hero job. I'm sure they'll BOTH figure that out soon enough.)

Nusso would have a chance to see Nikell happily returning the kite to Geepo the young Goron, who takes it back to his brother. The older Goron promises to fix the kite, and is more grateful his little brother is talking to him about his problems. He promises to pay Nikell back one day, but she laughs and waves it off.

Nikell makes it a point to talk to all the townspeople and at least hear out their troubles for the rest of the day, and helping them if she can. Thankfully, there's nothing as dangerous as fighting monsters, though Nikell does take a nasty tumble chasing after an old lady's cat from the rooftops. Still, she bounces back easily enough. Whenever she does spot Nusso when she's doing these little... side-quests, she gives him a pointed glare.

Still... perhaps Nusso should lay low until the evening, which is when he's supposed to talk to the 'Spirit Serpent' posing as a sister at the temple. Unless he wants to spy on what... Amanna is up to. Or pester the Zora, but it's not like Nusso's THAT incautious right?
(You totally can bug Amanna if you want, but expect to get hit on and possibly vored. If you want to see her sexing up the locals, just spy on her. Or, you know, do both. You can even skip it if you'd like.)

[GeneticMess]

((He’ll especially have to learn that sooner or later, lol.))

Nusso can never catch up with Nikell when she’s not doing chores for others. Luckily, she doesn’t do anything dangerous like he feared, but she clearly wasn’t happy seeing him every time he considered approaching her. Eventually he gave up on the matter, some regret and bitterness being bottled up inside him over the matter.

He mumbles some Sheikah curse words to himself, some which have largely fallen out of use, but he still remembers from reading old scriptures. Nusso just decides to scan around town for any trouble, anything that could potentially interfere with getting Nikell into the mines. For a moment, he considers seeking Amanna... but what good would that do him? None. None at all.

((Oh yeah, he’s totally going to stumble upon her. I say both; he sees Amanna getting dirty with locals, gets turned on by it and can’t help but spy, and then gets caught. From there, she can hit on him, vore him, or do whatever else she likes. I imagine he’ll tell her to let him out so he can visit the Spirit Serphents (not mentioning them specifically but close enough), and that gets her to keep him for much longer, making him miss helping Nikell get into the mines.))

[Darian]

(sorry this took so long... been distracted, and haven't been playing zelda... not that I don't love it, but... too many games, too little time. All types of games...)

The largest attraction that could be laid in Gorudo Canyon was it's hotel and spa. While not as exotic as the jungles of Nikell's home, the Gerudo knew how to make a tourist location, and the Gorons knew how to make volcanic hot-springs. The combination worked out well, when the town was bustling with customers and travelling merchants.

But now it seemed that that they were closed. Apparently there was a risk about some of the deeper lava cracks getting damaged in the mines and that would be bad. But... for some odd reason, steam was rising from one of the smaller bath-houses. Was... the owner letting someone use them?

[GeneticMess]

((I understand, don’t worry about. Funny enough, I’m in the opposite position. I haven’t played any Zelda games for months, and just recently started playing BoTW again. Not like there aren’t a bunch of other games for me to play, too...))

He eventually passed by the grand (for a craggy mining town’s standards) hotel and spa, withe the bath houses on the side and run like a separate business. Nusso hadn’t heard of the place closing, and a nice, warm... but quick and not distracting dip in a hot spring sounded all too tempting.

Nusso approached the one steaming bath house first out of curiosity. Was this the only one working...? He looked all around it, wondering if there was a window or some point of view to confirm... and not to snoop or get a peak at some Gerudo women.

[Darian]

As Nusso approached the window, he would hear a gerudo woman talking to the guest using the bath.

"-not much, but with the main springs shut down, all we have is the wood-fire bath. You've got priority usage, according to your species hydration needs, but... please be mindful of the other guests." She said, shuffling around the bath.

"Oh, so very accomodating! I am so very appreciative..." and oh boy, Nusso knows THAT voice. "But I can be a little messy. Are you sure you don't want to stay and watch me marinate in this cauldron you're tending so carefully?" Amanna's in the bath-house...

"It really wouldn't be appropriate, ma'am..." The gerudo attendant tries to wave her off... but Nusso knows that won't stop the big Zora.

[GeneticMess]

Staying out of sight of the window's frame, he could barely leer inside, but could hear the voices with a bit more clarity. As soon as he recognizes HER voice, he considers booking it, but his curiosity keeps him there. What was she doing here? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good... Hylia be damned if he was going to let her scheme up a theft of the Spiritual Stones once more right under his nose.

Nusso shuffles over to the side of the bath-house where the, quote-unquote, "action" was happening. He wasn't prioritizing getting a view, instead making sure he could hear whatever was going on in there.

[Darian]

"Oh, I can't think of better company." There's a soft splish of water... apparently Amanna is stirring it with her hand, lazily. "No need to be worried about the curfew. I'll be heading out to the mine in just a few hours, to keep an eye on things... It'd make the work so much more easy with a proper warm-up..."

"Mmph, you're that confident in your skills... forgive me for being skeptical about a zora in a semi-volcanic mine." The Gerudo is attempting to put on a stern face, but Amanna is not deterred.

"Believe me, I can take plenty of heat." Amanna purrs, her arms wrapping around in the attendant. "And there's nothing hotter than gerudo girls..."

"And just what makes you think I'm like the taste of fish?" The attendant carefully stops Amanna's wandering hands... but doesn't push away.

"How often do you get to sample such a dish..." Amanna asks in response... "and how often do you get to play with someone bigger than you are, mmm?"

[GeneticMess]

She was... going to do something in the mines? Tonight of all nights? That concerned Nusso enough to peek through a window with his head very low, looking on with a troubled scowl... and ignoring the naked bodies, not at all obscured by steam.

But as he watches on, he felt himself warm up. Not from the heat of the bath house, but from growing arousal at the unfolding scene. He got easily aroused, as much as hated to admit, and now was no different. It’s what influenced him to linger around and watch on longer than intended, finding himself spacing out at the sight of Gerudo racks and Zora curves...