I've had... both cream and sugar, I think. No need for the whipped cream. [How would there be any room for the coffee?? She smiles in amusement at Cisco's question.] Oh, somehow we manage. I used to drink tea when I needed to wake up a little. And if you were really desperate you could ask a potions master to make up a stamina elixir for you.
[She raises a finger, pointing it at Cisco in a 'don't even think about it' manner.]
But I wouldn't recommend that. Those are intended for warriors, and you would be bouncing off the walls.
[Quieting down to listen to Cisco's explanation, she can't help but feel that it all makes sense. The city would be limited to normal resources. Even in Hyrule, you had to go into the wilds to find things like wood, wild game, gems and minerals.]
That makes sense. We used to do similar things at home... you would go out to certain areas to find what you needed. Everyone would travel to Eldin if they wanted diamonds or rubies, for instance. And our searches for the Sheikah technology took us all over.
I know gold, but are palladium and lanthanum kinds of metals?
Oh, so like basically an arcane energy drink? Gotcha.
[ He beams, flattered at how Zelda anticipated he was going to say he wanted to try one of those stamina elixirs, and and amused by the way she had responded, teasing and friendly. Despite her warning, he is absolutely thinking about it. He can handle a lot of caffeine, after all, and the workshop has very sturdy walls for bouncing against. ]
See, I'd never done that kinda thing before I came here. I was so bad at it, when I started. I'm lucky Rey came along, 'cause she's taught me a whole lot about scavenging.
[ There's a fondness in the way he talks about Rey that makes it clear they are friends, rather than merely coworkers. If Zelda decides to come around for science or tech lessons, they'll probably run into one another at some point; and even if not, Cisco never misses an opportunity to say nice things about the people he cares about. ]
Yeah, they're metals. You gotta have lanthanum to make the alloy you need for carbon lighting, and a bunch of other stuff, and don't even get me started with palladium.
[ He'd be happy to ramble for hours about all the various components that he needs to build his tech, and their unique properties and drawbacks. But even he realizes there are more important things to address, first. ]
So is Eldin, like, a country? I gotta admit, I'm kinda curious about your world. Sounds pretty different to what I'm used to.
[Zelda's seen those supposed energy drinks in the grocery stores. The cans are so luridly designed that she's been too suspicious to try them. Who would really trust a drink labelled 'Thunderblast' anyway?]
Is Rey a friend of yours? [She smiles a bit, thinking she knows the answer already. It's evident that Cisco cares about this person.] It's definitely not an easy thing to learn. I wouldn't say I'm skilled at it either. Link knows exactly how to find useful things in the wild though.
[It continually astounded her what Link would come back with after brief forays into the woods or the fields. Half of it inevitably would end up in the cooking pot.]
I see... they would be useful resources to find then. [Nodding at Cisco's question, Zelda explains further.] It's more like a region; Hyrule is the name of the kingdom, and Eldin is the area around Death Mountain. I can show you a map if you like.
[ Cisco is absolutely that person. There is probably a six-pack of cans somewhere in this very workshop with 'Thunderblast' or 'Chaos Punch' on it. If college and building a particle accelerator hadn't gotten him thoroughly addicted to alarmingly high amounts of caffeine, then working on Team Flash certainly would have. All those robbers and arsonists and ancient forces of evil attempting to wipe out the city just had no respect for a healthy sleep schedule. ]
Link's the guy you know from home who's here, right? I feel like I already asked this, but were you two friends before you showed up? Or was he more like an acquaintance?
[ Cisco imagines that even if it were the latter, the two of them are probably getting closer at quite a rapid rate. Being flung suddenly to the same moon in another universe would do that to you. Cisco had learned that, with Eddie. Of course, they'd known each other back in Central City. Worked together. Eddie had saved his life; Cisco had watched him die. But they hadn't been friends - not really. Not before they found each other here. ]
Yeah, Rey's a friend. And she works for me, technically, but it's not really like a boss/employee thing. She's practically my little sister.
[ When Zelda offers to show him a map, Cisco doesn't disguise his excitement. ]
Hell yeah, I'd love that. Also, Death Mountain?! Is there someplace called Death Mountain, for real?! I mean, if that place wasn't sinister before, it definitely is gonna be now. That's some straight-up 'Mount Doom' shit...
[Zelda brightens when talking about Link, regardless of the strange circumstances between them. It is indeed a solace to her that the knight is here in Riverview. She could get by on her own if she had to, but it's a relief to know she doesn't have to.]
Yes, we are friends. I've known him for a while now. We used to work together, you could say.
[And it had taken long enough for Zelda to overcome her hostility to count Link as a friend. She isn't likely to back down on it now, no matter how much the boy might really remember about her.]
In fact I used to travel with him while looking for ancient technology. [He was her guard, as matters would have it. It doesn't seem like the right way to speak of him now, though, so she refrains from describing it that way.] It's nice that you've grown close enough to think of her that way, just from working together. You must get along very well.
[A giggle escapes her at his excitement over Death Mountain.]
Yes, it's really called that! It's easy to die there if you aren't careful. Death Mountain is a volcano, you see... the air is hot enough to cause your skin to catch fire if you don't take a fireproof elixir before visiting.
[Which implies that yes, people still go there despite how death-tempting it is. Beaming, Zelda unhooks the Slate from her belt and switches it on. She taps through the screen panels until she finds the one she's looking for, then holds the Slate out to Cisco. The device looks very much like a tablet, despite the ornate designs on the back.
On the screen is a map, and Zelda points to the region marked 'Eldin' in the north-east corner.]
This is Eldin, and you can see the circle of lava where Death Mountain is. [She glances up at him, attention snagging on the name he used.] Is Mount Doom somewhere else you know?
We do get along well. She's an easy person to get along with. I'll have to introduce you sometime.
[ The situation had, of course, had been a little more complex than just two people working together with compatible personalities. For a while, Rey had been very much on her own in this place. No one she knew had arrived, yet, and when Cisco had first met her she was friendless, lost, and lonely. But, of course, he's not sure if Rey would really want anyone to know all that, so he keeps it to himself.
His eyebrows shoot upwards when Zelda says the air gets hot enough for people to just catch fire, and he lets out a whistle, impressed and terrified in equal measure. When she hands over the Slate, he takes a moment to turn it over in his hands, feeling the weight of it, looking at those designs, and then turning his attention to the map itself. For a few moments he is just looking, before he says, voice a little distracted: ]
Your world looks beautiful.
[ He sees the rivers running throughout, indications of roads, elevation, and the whole thing is so balanced, so lovely. Because he's examining the map so intently, he almost misses Zelda's question, answering initially with a mere: ]
Hmm?
[ A moment later, though, the words sink in, and he can't help but laugh, eyes bright as he shakes his head. ]
Naw naw naw, nothing like that. It's from a book! Well, a few books, and a few movies. It's a big evil volcano in a faraway place where the heroes have to go to destroy this evil ring. I can lend you the DVDs sometime, if you want. It's a real classic.
[Genuinely. It would be a good experience to meet others who were used to travelling around looking for things. Plus, if she's a friend of Cisco's then Zelda imagines she must be a nice person as well.
Her smile softens a bit, and she gazes down at the map as well. As always, she lingers over Central Hyrule where the castle is.]
It is. There's a lot of beauty in Hyrule, even now. When I get back there I'd like to see it all again. It's been some time since I was able to travel.
[Longer than she wants to think about.]
I'm afraid I haven't heard of either. DVDs or movies. Are they ways to tell stories?
[ It's a vague way of asking, and Cisco tries to phrase it so that if Zelda wants, she can answer with a mere yes or no without getting into it more. But he is curious. Hard not to be, when the first time he spoke to Zelda she mentioned that her world had gone through a potentially-apocalyptic crisis. He wonders if it is something like the Hunger, that he'd heard so much about from Taako and them. Or something else entirely...
But her comfort was more important than his curiosity, so despite how much he wants to know, he doesn't push. And when she says she hasn't heard of movies, his face lights up, a bright and beaming smile. ]
They are! DVD is just a kinda container that has a movie on it, or you can watch 'em a few other ways, too. One of these days, when you got an hour or two to spare, we have got to go see a movie together. And you can bring this Link guy, if you want. I'll invite Rey, too. Make a whole party of it.
[ He realizes that he hasn't exactly answered her question, or really explained just what it is he's so enthusiastically inviting her to. ]
They're a little like plays, if you've seen any of those - with actors, and costumes, and scripts and all - but filmed on cameras and then cut together, with music and CGI and... well it's kinda one of those things that's easier to just see than have explained to you.
Yes... because of that. Now that the Calamity has passed things should hopefully return to normal.
[Zelda is truthful when she says she hadn't been able to travel. The real reason behind that is complicated, and so she doesn't explain it just yet. There's so much bound up in how she spent the last hundred years and what brought her to that point that unpicking the knot to someone unaware of the circumstances seems daunting.]
Oh! I think I know what you mean. I have seen something like that in the store windows. [Things like television displays.] Like a moving photo, right? I haven't seen one of them though.
[She can't help but be touched by Cisco's ready invitation. He's so friendly, it makes her feel right at home, even in an odd place like this.]
That sounds fun. I'm sure Link would be happy to come. Though perhaps he's already seen one. [She's thoughtful for a moment, tugging at a strand of her hair.] Link has already been in Riverview once before, you see.
[ Cisco is left even more curious than he was before, but considering it has a name like the Calamity, he thinks maybe it might not be something very cheerful for Zelda to talk about. He can always ask more questions, when they've gotten to know one another a bit better. For now, he wants her to feel welcome, so he drops it, with a mere: ]
I hope so, too.
[ Cisco is already brainstorming what sort of movie might be a good bet to show Zelda to introduce her to film. Nothing too violent or outrageous or confusing. A musical? Perhaps a kid's movie - nothing patronizing, but something that ought to be relatively safe.... ]
Well, that's the good thing about movies. Even if he's seen one, chances are it won't be the same one.
[ Cisco rubs the back of his neck, a little awkward and a little nervous about what he's going to say next: ]
So can I ask a really dumb question? Like super dumb, but hopefully not offensive?
[ Better just get it over with. Cisco sucks in a quick breath, asks: ]
Are you, like, an elf?
[ He can't assume, just because of the ears! Perhaps she's something else altogether. And it's better that he knows now what to call her, rather than casually referring to her as an elf at some point only to realize he's said something exceptionally rude. ]
And I know I haven't seen one at all, so at least there's that.
[Now she's really curious about what movies are like. If it's like a play, it could be anything, though she's tempted to go back to those stores and peer through the windows again. See if she can observe one in the wild, so to speak.
Zelda nods with encouragement when Cisco wants to ask a question, only to find herself nonplussed at the actual query.]
Am I...? I'm sorry, did you say 'elf'?
[She has to check - the word is a new one to her.]
[ At least it's not the worst scenario - that she came from a world with elves, or had heard of them, and was offended by the comparison. Cisco, thinking fast, digs his phone out of his pocket, unlocks it quickly, and clicks through to pull up Taako's instagram. It is, helpfully, full of selfies. He taps on one that shows off his friend's ears (Lup is there, too, conveniently). The visual aid was easy - the explanation, less so. ]
I was asking 'cause, um, these are my friends, see, and they're elves, and they've kinda... your ears are more like theirs than like mine.
[ Hastily, he tucks back his hair, turning a little to show off his comparatively small, rounded ears. ]
So I didn't know if elves was... what people like you called yourselves, in your world. I'm... people like me call themselves humans, in my world.
[Peering at the photos on Cisco's phone, Zelda suddenly understands. It isn't as though the difference in ears has gone unnoticed to her - it's that she had finally gotten used to it, and come to understand it was considered normal for humans in this place. Those first few days had been a strange time, wondering whether she should ask about the shape of everyone's ears or keep quiet in case it was rude.]
Oh, I think I met him. [She points to Taako.] During the fireworks when I first came here.
[Cisco's nervousness is apparent, so Zelda shakes her head, trying for a reassuring smile.]
My people are called Hylians. But it's all right - I can see why you asked. They do have similar ears, though none of the people of Hyrule are called elves.
[She pauses, before these last few weeks of wondering catch up to her and she finally ventures what she's been thinking.]
I actually... had never seen anyone with ears like yours before I came here. I was worried that asking about it would be inappropriate.
[ Somewhere those elfy ears must be burning, because no way is Cisco going to restrain himself from talking about how awesome his friends are even when they're not around. That's just the sort of person that he is. Cisco's relief that Zelda isn't offended, and that she's even met Taako herself, is palpable. He puts his phone away, sighing and then laughing with leftover nervousness. ]
Hylians. Got it.
[ Unlike elves, and martians, and vampires, and a bunch of other types of people he'd met since coming here, 'Hylian' is not a name he's heard before, but Cisco's got no problem adding it to his mental list. Just another thing that makes Zelda's world intriguing to him. ]
Dude, that's exactly how I was when I first arrived. I had about a billion questions but I was pretty sure that at least half of them were disastrously rude. There is just no non-awkward way to walk up to somebody and go 'yo, you've got wings, what the hell!'
[ Cisco, being Cisco, had mostly just asked the rude questions anyway - the same as he had to Zelda just now - but there had been a lot of discomfort and embarrassment to go around. ]
There's a lot of people on this moon from Earth, though, so here's the deal: any time you've got a question about humans like me, or about Earth, even if you think it might be totally inappropriate, you can just ask me, alright? I'm officially volunteering to answer anything, at any time, no questions asked or judgments made. Hand to my heart.
[ And he sets his hand over his heart, just to prove how serious he is in this offer. ]
He seemed nice, though admittedly we didn't speak for long. It was when I first got here.
[And people with her kind of ears are few and far between, so Taako had stuck out in her mind.]
It may be that Link and myself are the only Hylians here. I haven't met anyone else who's heard of us. [She giggles a bit, covering her mouth at Cisco's wing fiasco.] Oh no - did that really happen? What did they say?
[It's a sweet thing for Cisco to offer, and Zelda's expression softens. There was a lot in Riverview that was beyond her understanding, though she certainly aims to fix that soon. But to have a genuine offer like this was just more personal.]
I really appreciate that, Cisco. I don't know how many questions I might have; I haven't really heard much about Earth so far. I'll definitely call on you first though, as soon as I have any.
They were very patient, considering. I guess I kind of had this really obvious 'idiot newbie' aura, and they were sort of used to it by that point. Turns out there's folks with wings called Aarakocra! Couldn't spell that if you had a gun to my head. Nice people, though. Least the one I met was.
[ He's honestly lucky that he hadn't run into anybody who was too bothered by his near-constant stream of questions. And it feels good, now, that he can make the offer he does to Zelda, so she doesn't find herself in the same position. Nobody likes being new, after all. ]
Well, now you know we've got movies but no magic, and we have mad tiny ears. That's sort of the two main things, really!
[ A joke, clearly, from the way he smiles, but in truth it's hard to know where to begin. ]
How long do Hylians typically live, and I realize that's kind of a bonkers thing to ask, but the reason is that humans get up to about a hundred years, but elves can live for... shit, I don't even know. Thousands? Taako's like, a couple hundred years older than me, at least.
That's fortunate then. One of the peoples at home have wings - the Rito. So I don't know that I would have thought to ask about it.
[Of course, she's thinking of the Rito, who were a bird-like people. If she had seen what looked like humans wandering around with wings, she would fill up with questions extremely fast.]
They must be. I know I think they're important. [Her lips twitch; it's hard keeping a straight face.] If you're not careful though, I'll need to ask you about how movies are made and their history too.
[Ah, that question. It's simple enough to answer, even if Zelda's own situation is... abnormal. She taps her chin.]
It's about the same for Hylians, maybe a bit longer. I have a friend who is around a hundred-and-twenty. She's ... quite elderly. [There's a pang in her heart as she notes this. It had been such a shock seeing Impa again when she remembered her as a young woman.] It's the same for most of the other peoples except the Zora. They can live for centuries, though I don't think any have reached a thousand.
So it isn't just Hylians? There's other kinds of people, too? [ The fact that he even has to ask the question is pretty telling; the implication is clear enough, but even so Cisco explains: ] On Earth we only had humans. There were stories about other sorts of people - elves, aliens, whatever - but as far as anybody knew they didn't exist.
[ When she threatens, jokingly, to ask him about film history, Cisco doesn't seem fazed at all. In fact, he just smiles, says: ]
Oh, I'll tell you all about that stuff. At least, as much as I know. I'm an enthusiast, not an expert.
[ Cisco detects a small hint of that sadness, when Zelda mentions her elderly friend, but he assumes it comes from just missing her. Zelda was clear about Link being the only one from her world here. She's not been in the Quarantine very long; the sting of being separated from her friends has got to be still fresh and painful. Cisco's smile softens, becomes sympathetic. ]
I always think... that's gotta be strange. People living side by side who have such different lifespans? Kinda depressing to think about.
[ He certainly tries to avoid remembering how, over the years, he's going to become an old man, and Taako and Lup probably won't visibly age a bit. It's too distressing, if he lets his mind linger on the facts too long. How long after he dies, the twins will still be young, for elves. ]
There are. Hyrule has five peoples, including the Hylians. They all form part of the greater kingdom. I've heard stories of other people as well... legends, really, from the distant past.
[The Twili of the Twilight Realm, the Kokiri of the forest. Such people were lost to the mists of time, as far as she knows. She breaks into a smile again at Cisco's ready offer to tell her about how movies are made.]
You would still be more of an expert than me.
[Zelda lapses into a pensive silence for a moment, turning over Cisco's words in her head. There's much that others consider strange about Hyrule, that she never would have thought so on her own.]
It's always been that way with the Zora, as far as I know. King Dorephan has ruled Zora's Domain since at least my grandmother's time. But... I think I do understand it a little. What it must feel like for them to see the rest of us come and go so quickly.
Link used to visit the Zora all the time when he was growing up. He knew the Zora princess, Mipha. She told me once how strange it seemed to her, that he grew up so quickly.
[ Cisco nods, seeing how that fits in with the rest that she'd told him of her world - how it had possessed advanced technology in the ancient past. Judging by the map, and the way Zelda spoke about it, there were vast distances that might be difficult or time-consuming to traverse. He wonders about those other people's, what happened to them, but from the sound of it Zelda might not know.
Besides, he's much more curious about: ]
You do?
[ How could she understand it, after all? She'd just told him that all the other peoples had roughly similar lifespans. So it's not just a question of a scale, where the Zora are the most long-lived, but there's some other group who live shorter lives than the Hylians. No, it must be something else... ]
A princess? I mean... you said Hyrule's, like, a kingdom, right? So... it's sort of a whole monarchy thing you got going?
[She stops short, realising that she's alluded to something difficult to explain. With a trace of regret, Zelda gives a soft reply.]
I do. But that's a long story.
[One she might tell Cisco someday soon, if he's truly that curious. For today, she chooses to move on to his second question with a nod.]
That's right. Hyrule's royal family rules over the entire kingdom. Each of the peoples have their own leadership though, and it differs. The Zora have their own monarchy. The Gerudo have their Chief. All pledge allegiance to Hyrule's king or queen however.
[And... well, it feels dishonest not to mention her own part in the hierarchy when it's under discussion.]
[ Cisco had always found it interesting, how in so many of the peoples who came to this place, there were certain facts of body language and tone that seemed to be universal. So he can tell, he's hit some kind of nerve. That whatever this story is, it's not just long, but complicated, and painful, and probably deeply personal. Something about the way Zelda's eyes go distant, like she's not really seeing the lab around her, for a moment.
So he doesn't push, or crack a joke. Just accepts the change of subject without protest or comment.
But he is still thinking about it, still wondering what the explanation could be. So he misses it, for a second, when she says- ]
Hold up, for real?
[ Cisco's met more than a few people in this place who come from worlds that have monarchies, but meeting someone who is royal themselves is way different. He stammers for a moment, caught off guard, not sure what to say. ]
You're like... a for real princess? Of... of all of it? You?
[She has to crack a smile at that. One day she'll work out the right balance to take in giving her title and not wrong-footing the people she speaks to.]
Yes, me. I'm sorry I didn't say so earlier, but-- I didn't really think it was necessary in this place. I'm no different from anyone else who ends up in the Quarantine.
[ She may be smiling, but Cisco is still reeling. It's not even meeting a royal person, necessarily. He's met so many types of people that he would get over that sort of a surprise fairly quickly. Instead it's that this particular girl is royal. She just seems so... what? Friendly? Down to earth? Approachable? In any case, not any of the things he would have expected, but perhaps that's just a sign of his narrow-mindedness. ]
Hey, you don't gotta apologize... I mean. I get it. In Hyrule, everybody probably already knew, right? So you didn't have to do the whole, 'Hey, I'm Zelda, I'm a Pisces and I like long walks on the beach, oh and by the way, totally a princess!' spiel.
[ Her explanation that it doesn't make much difference now that she's here is an interesting one. Humble. ]
Probably means you were raised a lot different, though, right? I mean, I'm just guessing here. Like I said, we're not really on that whole monarchy thing where I come from, but in all the stories and stuff, there's a whole lot of towers and tutors and expectations and rules.
[ But there's something else. Cisco knows that, not everyone, but a lot of the people who end up here were isolated in their own worlds. Most people that the portal chose were feeling disconnected, from the people around them, from their homeland, from their lives. Had Zelda been feeling like that? Was it because of that Calamity, and the aftermath, or was it because of this? Her rank? Maybe this place is also an opportunity, for her to be just like everyone else. ]
Guess that's not too different from having strict helicopter parents, though, when you really think about it.
[That's exactly it - she's never had to tell people before. And when she realised no one here would know her by name or look alone, she simply decided not to mention it. A small part of her has always wondered what it would be like to truly be normal, a person of no importance. The Quarantine lets her do that.]
They did, yes. I was being introduced as such long before I could do my own introductions, so it's definitely different here.
[Zelda chews on her bottom lip, wondering how to answer. She knows her upbringing was different from virtually everyone else's in Hyrule for those exact reasons. But how different would it be from other worlds? She isn't sure.]
Well, my room was in a tower, and I did have a lot of tutors. Hyrule doesn't really have organised classes like they do here... the schools and universities? [Which she thinks are a great concept that she'd like to try sometime.] As for whether I was raised differently, I was. That was the same at home too, compared to everyone else.
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no subject
[She raises a finger, pointing it at Cisco in a 'don't even think about it' manner.]
But I wouldn't recommend that. Those are intended for warriors, and you would be bouncing off the walls.
[Quieting down to listen to Cisco's explanation, she can't help but feel that it all makes sense. The city would be limited to normal resources. Even in Hyrule, you had to go into the wilds to find things like wood, wild game, gems and minerals.]
That makes sense. We used to do similar things at home... you would go out to certain areas to find what you needed. Everyone would travel to Eldin if they wanted diamonds or rubies, for instance. And our searches for the Sheikah technology took us all over.
I know gold, but are palladium and lanthanum kinds of metals?
no subject
[ He beams, flattered at how Zelda anticipated he was going to say he wanted to try one of those stamina elixirs, and and amused by the way she had responded, teasing and friendly. Despite her warning, he is absolutely thinking about it. He can handle a lot of caffeine, after all, and the workshop has very sturdy walls for bouncing against. ]
See, I'd never done that kinda thing before I came here. I was so bad at it, when I started. I'm lucky Rey came along, 'cause she's taught me a whole lot about scavenging.
[ There's a fondness in the way he talks about Rey that makes it clear they are friends, rather than merely coworkers. If Zelda decides to come around for science or tech lessons, they'll probably run into one another at some point; and even if not, Cisco never misses an opportunity to say nice things about the people he cares about. ]
Yeah, they're metals. You gotta have lanthanum to make the alloy you need for carbon lighting, and a bunch of other stuff, and don't even get me started with palladium.
[ He'd be happy to ramble for hours about all the various components that he needs to build his tech, and their unique properties and drawbacks. But even he realizes there are more important things to address, first. ]
So is Eldin, like, a country? I gotta admit, I'm kinda curious about your world. Sounds pretty different to what I'm used to.
no subject
[Zelda's seen those supposed energy drinks in the grocery stores. The cans are so luridly designed that she's been too suspicious to try them. Who would really trust a drink labelled 'Thunderblast' anyway?]
Is Rey a friend of yours? [She smiles a bit, thinking she knows the answer already. It's evident that Cisco cares about this person.] It's definitely not an easy thing to learn. I wouldn't say I'm skilled at it either. Link knows exactly how to find useful things in the wild though.
[It continually astounded her what Link would come back with after brief forays into the woods or the fields. Half of it inevitably would end up in the cooking pot.]
I see... they would be useful resources to find then. [Nodding at Cisco's question, Zelda explains further.] It's more like a region; Hyrule is the name of the kingdom, and Eldin is the area around Death Mountain. I can show you a map if you like.
no subject
Link's the guy you know from home who's here, right? I feel like I already asked this, but were you two friends before you showed up? Or was he more like an acquaintance?
[ Cisco imagines that even if it were the latter, the two of them are probably getting closer at quite a rapid rate. Being flung suddenly to the same moon in another universe would do that to you. Cisco had learned that, with Eddie. Of course, they'd known each other back in Central City. Worked together. Eddie had saved his life; Cisco had watched him die. But they hadn't been friends - not really. Not before they found each other here. ]
Yeah, Rey's a friend. And she works for me, technically, but it's not really like a boss/employee thing. She's practically my little sister.
[ When Zelda offers to show him a map, Cisco doesn't disguise his excitement. ]
Hell yeah, I'd love that. Also, Death Mountain?! Is there someplace called Death Mountain, for real?! I mean, if that place wasn't sinister before, it definitely is gonna be now. That's some straight-up 'Mount Doom' shit...
no subject
Yes, we are friends. I've known him for a while now. We used to work together, you could say.
[And it had taken long enough for Zelda to overcome her hostility to count Link as a friend. She isn't likely to back down on it now, no matter how much the boy might really remember about her.]
In fact I used to travel with him while looking for ancient technology. [He was her guard, as matters would have it. It doesn't seem like the right way to speak of him now, though, so she refrains from describing it that way.] It's nice that you've grown close enough to think of her that way, just from working together. You must get along very well.
[A giggle escapes her at his excitement over Death Mountain.]
Yes, it's really called that! It's easy to die there if you aren't careful. Death Mountain is a volcano, you see... the air is hot enough to cause your skin to catch fire if you don't take a fireproof elixir before visiting.
[Which implies that yes, people still go there despite how death-tempting it is. Beaming, Zelda unhooks the Slate from her belt and switches it on. She taps through the screen panels until she finds the one she's looking for, then holds the Slate out to Cisco. The device looks very much like a tablet, despite the ornate designs on the back.
On the screen is a map, and Zelda points to the region marked 'Eldin' in the north-east corner.]
This is Eldin, and you can see the circle of lava where Death Mountain is. [She glances up at him, attention snagging on the name he used.] Is Mount Doom somewhere else you know?
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[ The situation had, of course, had been a little more complex than just two people working together with compatible personalities. For a while, Rey had been very much on her own in this place. No one she knew had arrived, yet, and when Cisco had first met her she was friendless, lost, and lonely. But, of course, he's not sure if Rey would really want anyone to know all that, so he keeps it to himself.
His eyebrows shoot upwards when Zelda says the air gets hot enough for people to just catch fire, and he lets out a whistle, impressed and terrified in equal measure. When she hands over the Slate, he takes a moment to turn it over in his hands, feeling the weight of it, looking at those designs, and then turning his attention to the map itself. For a few moments he is just looking, before he says, voice a little distracted: ]
Your world looks beautiful.
[ He sees the rivers running throughout, indications of roads, elevation, and the whole thing is so balanced, so lovely. Because he's examining the map so intently, he almost misses Zelda's question, answering initially with a mere: ]
Hmm?
[ A moment later, though, the words sink in, and he can't help but laugh, eyes bright as he shakes his head. ]
Naw naw naw, nothing like that. It's from a book! Well, a few books, and a few movies. It's a big evil volcano in a faraway place where the heroes have to go to destroy this evil ring. I can lend you the DVDs sometime, if you want. It's a real classic.
[ Then, with dawning realization: ]
Hold on, you have heard of movies, right?
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[Genuinely. It would be a good experience to meet others who were used to travelling around looking for things. Plus, if she's a friend of Cisco's then Zelda imagines she must be a nice person as well.
Her smile softens a bit, and she gazes down at the map as well. As always, she lingers over Central Hyrule where the castle is.]
It is. There's a lot of beauty in Hyrule, even now. When I get back there I'd like to see it all again. It's been some time since I was able to travel.
[Longer than she wants to think about.]
I'm afraid I haven't heard of either. DVDs or movies. Are they ways to tell stories?
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[ It's a vague way of asking, and Cisco tries to phrase it so that if Zelda wants, she can answer with a mere yes or no without getting into it more. But he is curious. Hard not to be, when the first time he spoke to Zelda she mentioned that her world had gone through a potentially-apocalyptic crisis. He wonders if it is something like the Hunger, that he'd heard so much about from Taako and them. Or something else entirely...
But her comfort was more important than his curiosity, so despite how much he wants to know, he doesn't push. And when she says she hasn't heard of movies, his face lights up, a bright and beaming smile. ]
They are! DVD is just a kinda container that has a movie on it, or you can watch 'em a few other ways, too. One of these days, when you got an hour or two to spare, we have got to go see a movie together. And you can bring this Link guy, if you want. I'll invite Rey, too. Make a whole party of it.
[ He realizes that he hasn't exactly answered her question, or really explained just what it is he's so enthusiastically inviting her to. ]
They're a little like plays, if you've seen any of those - with actors, and costumes, and scripts and all - but filmed on cameras and then cut together, with music and CGI and... well it's kinda one of those things that's easier to just see than have explained to you.
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[Zelda is truthful when she says she hadn't been able to travel. The real reason behind that is complicated, and so she doesn't explain it just yet. There's so much bound up in how she spent the last hundred years and what brought her to that point that unpicking the knot to someone unaware of the circumstances seems daunting.]
Oh! I think I know what you mean. I have seen something like that in the store windows. [Things like television displays.] Like a moving photo, right? I haven't seen one of them though.
[She can't help but be touched by Cisco's ready invitation. He's so friendly, it makes her feel right at home, even in an odd place like this.]
That sounds fun. I'm sure Link would be happy to come. Though perhaps he's already seen one. [She's thoughtful for a moment, tugging at a strand of her hair.] Link has already been in Riverview once before, you see.
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I hope so, too.
[ Cisco is already brainstorming what sort of movie might be a good bet to show Zelda to introduce her to film. Nothing too violent or outrageous or confusing. A musical? Perhaps a kid's movie - nothing patronizing, but something that ought to be relatively safe.... ]
Well, that's the good thing about movies. Even if he's seen one, chances are it won't be the same one.
[ Cisco rubs the back of his neck, a little awkward and a little nervous about what he's going to say next: ]
So can I ask a really dumb question? Like super dumb, but hopefully not offensive?
[ Better just get it over with. Cisco sucks in a quick breath, asks: ]
Are you, like, an elf?
[ He can't assume, just because of the ears! Perhaps she's something else altogether. And it's better that he knows now what to call her, rather than casually referring to her as an elf at some point only to realize he's said something exceptionally rude. ]
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[Now she's really curious about what movies are like. If it's like a play, it could be anything, though she's tempted to go back to those stores and peer through the windows again. See if she can observe one in the wild, so to speak.
Zelda nods with encouragement when Cisco wants to ask a question, only to find herself nonplussed at the actual query.]
Am I...? I'm sorry, did you say 'elf'?
[She has to check - the word is a new one to her.]
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[ At least it's not the worst scenario - that she came from a world with elves, or had heard of them, and was offended by the comparison. Cisco, thinking fast, digs his phone out of his pocket, unlocks it quickly, and clicks through to pull up Taako's instagram. It is, helpfully, full of selfies. He taps on one that shows off his friend's ears (Lup is there, too, conveniently). The visual aid was easy - the explanation, less so. ]
I was asking 'cause, um, these are my friends, see, and they're elves, and they've kinda... your ears are more like theirs than like mine.
[ Hastily, he tucks back his hair, turning a little to show off his comparatively small, rounded ears. ]
So I didn't know if elves was... what people like you called yourselves, in your world. I'm... people like me call themselves humans, in my world.
[ He's making a real mess of this, isn't he? ]
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Oh, I think I met him. [She points to Taako.] During the fireworks when I first came here.
[Cisco's nervousness is apparent, so Zelda shakes her head, trying for a reassuring smile.]
My people are called Hylians. But it's all right - I can see why you asked. They do have similar ears, though none of the people of Hyrule are called elves.
[She pauses, before these last few weeks of wondering catch up to her and she finally ventures what she's been thinking.]
I actually... had never seen anyone with ears like yours before I came here. I was worried that asking about it would be inappropriate.
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[ Somewhere those elfy ears must be burning, because no way is Cisco going to restrain himself from talking about how awesome his friends are even when they're not around. That's just the sort of person that he is. Cisco's relief that Zelda isn't offended, and that she's even met Taako herself, is palpable. He puts his phone away, sighing and then laughing with leftover nervousness. ]
Hylians. Got it.
[ Unlike elves, and martians, and vampires, and a bunch of other types of people he'd met since coming here, 'Hylian' is not a name he's heard before, but Cisco's got no problem adding it to his mental list. Just another thing that makes Zelda's world intriguing to him. ]
Dude, that's exactly how I was when I first arrived. I had about a billion questions but I was pretty sure that at least half of them were disastrously rude. There is just no non-awkward way to walk up to somebody and go 'yo, you've got wings, what the hell!'
[ Cisco, being Cisco, had mostly just asked the rude questions anyway - the same as he had to Zelda just now - but there had been a lot of discomfort and embarrassment to go around. ]
There's a lot of people on this moon from Earth, though, so here's the deal: any time you've got a question about humans like me, or about Earth, even if you think it might be totally inappropriate, you can just ask me, alright? I'm officially volunteering to answer anything, at any time, no questions asked or judgments made. Hand to my heart.
[ And he sets his hand over his heart, just to prove how serious he is in this offer. ]
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[And people with her kind of ears are few and far between, so Taako had stuck out in her mind.]
It may be that Link and myself are the only Hylians here. I haven't met anyone else who's heard of us. [She giggles a bit, covering her mouth at Cisco's wing fiasco.] Oh no - did that really happen? What did they say?
[It's a sweet thing for Cisco to offer, and Zelda's expression softens. There was a lot in Riverview that was beyond her understanding, though she certainly aims to fix that soon. But to have a genuine offer like this was just more personal.]
I really appreciate that, Cisco. I don't know how many questions I might have; I haven't really heard much about Earth so far. I'll definitely call on you first though, as soon as I have any.
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[ He's honestly lucky that he hadn't run into anybody who was too bothered by his near-constant stream of questions. And it feels good, now, that he can make the offer he does to Zelda, so she doesn't find herself in the same position. Nobody likes being new, after all. ]
Well, now you know we've got movies but no magic, and we have mad tiny ears. That's sort of the two main things, really!
[ A joke, clearly, from the way he smiles, but in truth it's hard to know where to begin. ]
How long do Hylians typically live, and I realize that's kind of a bonkers thing to ask, but the reason is that humans get up to about a hundred years, but elves can live for... shit, I don't even know. Thousands? Taako's like, a couple hundred years older than me, at least.
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[Of course, she's thinking of the Rito, who were a bird-like people. If she had seen what looked like humans wandering around with wings, she would fill up with questions extremely fast.]
They must be. I know I think they're important. [Her lips twitch; it's hard keeping a straight face.] If you're not careful though, I'll need to ask you about how movies are made and their history too.
[Ah, that question. It's simple enough to answer, even if Zelda's own situation is... abnormal. She taps her chin.]
It's about the same for Hylians, maybe a bit longer. I have a friend who is around a hundred-and-twenty. She's ... quite elderly. [There's a pang in her heart as she notes this. It had been such a shock seeing Impa again when she remembered her as a young woman.] It's the same for most of the other peoples except the Zora. They can live for centuries, though I don't think any have reached a thousand.
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[ When she threatens, jokingly, to ask him about film history, Cisco doesn't seem fazed at all. In fact, he just smiles, says: ]
Oh, I'll tell you all about that stuff. At least, as much as I know. I'm an enthusiast, not an expert.
[ Cisco detects a small hint of that sadness, when Zelda mentions her elderly friend, but he assumes it comes from just missing her. Zelda was clear about Link being the only one from her world here. She's not been in the Quarantine very long; the sting of being separated from her friends has got to be still fresh and painful. Cisco's smile softens, becomes sympathetic. ]
I always think... that's gotta be strange. People living side by side who have such different lifespans? Kinda depressing to think about.
[ He certainly tries to avoid remembering how, over the years, he's going to become an old man, and Taako and Lup probably won't visibly age a bit. It's too distressing, if he lets his mind linger on the facts too long. How long after he dies, the twins will still be young, for elves. ]
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[The Twili of the Twilight Realm, the Kokiri of the forest. Such people were lost to the mists of time, as far as she knows. She breaks into a smile again at Cisco's ready offer to tell her about how movies are made.]
You would still be more of an expert than me.
[Zelda lapses into a pensive silence for a moment, turning over Cisco's words in her head. There's much that others consider strange about Hyrule, that she never would have thought so on her own.]
It's always been that way with the Zora, as far as I know. King Dorephan has ruled Zora's Domain since at least my grandmother's time. But... I think I do understand it a little. What it must feel like for them to see the rest of us come and go so quickly.
Link used to visit the Zora all the time when he was growing up. He knew the Zora princess, Mipha. She told me once how strange it seemed to her, that he grew up so quickly.
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Besides, he's much more curious about: ]
You do?
[ How could she understand it, after all? She'd just told him that all the other peoples had roughly similar lifespans. So it's not just a question of a scale, where the Zora are the most long-lived, but there's some other group who live shorter lives than the Hylians. No, it must be something else... ]
A princess? I mean... you said Hyrule's, like, a kingdom, right? So... it's sort of a whole monarchy thing you got going?
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I do. But that's a long story.
[One she might tell Cisco someday soon, if he's truly that curious. For today, she chooses to move on to his second question with a nod.]
That's right. Hyrule's royal family rules over the entire kingdom. Each of the peoples have their own leadership though, and it differs. The Zora have their own monarchy. The Gerudo have their Chief. All pledge allegiance to Hyrule's king or queen however.
[And... well, it feels dishonest not to mention her own part in the hierarchy when it's under discussion.]
I am Hyrule's princess myself.
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So he doesn't push, or crack a joke. Just accepts the change of subject without protest or comment.
But he is still thinking about it, still wondering what the explanation could be. So he misses it, for a second, when she says- ]
Hold up, for real?
[ Cisco's met more than a few people in this place who come from worlds that have monarchies, but meeting someone who is royal themselves is way different. He stammers for a moment, caught off guard, not sure what to say. ]
You're like... a for real princess? Of... of all of it? You?
[ This is just too weird. ]
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Yes, me. I'm sorry I didn't say so earlier, but-- I didn't really think it was necessary in this place. I'm no different from anyone else who ends up in the Quarantine.
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Hey, you don't gotta apologize... I mean. I get it. In Hyrule, everybody probably already knew, right? So you didn't have to do the whole, 'Hey, I'm Zelda, I'm a Pisces and I like long walks on the beach, oh and by the way, totally a princess!' spiel.
[ Her explanation that it doesn't make much difference now that she's here is an interesting one. Humble. ]
Probably means you were raised a lot different, though, right? I mean, I'm just guessing here. Like I said, we're not really on that whole monarchy thing where I come from, but in all the stories and stuff, there's a whole lot of towers and tutors and expectations and rules.
[ But there's something else. Cisco knows that, not everyone, but a lot of the people who end up here were isolated in their own worlds. Most people that the portal chose were feeling disconnected, from the people around them, from their homeland, from their lives. Had Zelda been feeling like that? Was it because of that Calamity, and the aftermath, or was it because of this? Her rank? Maybe this place is also an opportunity, for her to be just like everyone else. ]
Guess that's not too different from having strict helicopter parents, though, when you really think about it.
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They did, yes. I was being introduced as such long before I could do my own introductions, so it's definitely different here.
[Zelda chews on her bottom lip, wondering how to answer. She knows her upbringing was different from virtually everyone else's in Hyrule for those exact reasons. But how different would it be from other worlds? She isn't sure.]
Well, my room was in a tower, and I did have a lot of tutors. Hyrule doesn't really have organised classes like they do here... the schools and universities? [Which she thinks are a great concept that she'd like to try sometime.] As for whether I was raised differently, I was. That was the same at home too, compared to everyone else.
[And then... she blinks, confused.]
'Helicopter' parents?
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