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.
[ Her room was really in a tower, huh? That's some Disney shit if he's ever heard it. But he listens, aware that as wild as it all sounds to him, it was just life for Zelda. There's probably almost nothing that their backgrounds have in common; and yet there's no mistaking that he likes Zelda. Likes speaking with her, getting to know her.
When she's confused, Cisco smiles: ]
Oh! Right, sorry. It means... the kind of parents that are obsessed with their kids and stay all up in their business all the time. Who think the sun shines out of their kid's ass and get them all these tutors and ballet lessons and all of that shit. But the downside is they gotta know where their kid is every second of every day, and they're always micromanaging them, never giving them an inch of freedom. They expect them to be perfect, and when their kid does well, they get a huge ego boost for themselves or whatever.
[ And, well, it seems only fair that since he's asking questions about her life and business, that he say something about himself, even if it's just brief. ]
So kinda the opposite of mine.
[ He rubs at the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward after that personal admission. Not really a great way to segue into the whole 'my parents didn't give much of a shit about me' thing. Cisco doesn't really make a habit of talking about them all that much. Time to redirect the conversation gently away from all of that. ]
Anyway, uh. I promise I'll still treat you normal, even though you're a princess. If that's, like, what you want.
Edited (sorry for all the edits!) 2018-04-22 13:10 (UTC)
[She can't help but reflect on her own father as Cisco explains. Some of it sounds true - not giving her any freedom to make her own choices, expecting her to achieve things that she simply couldn't. But thinking she was perfect? No, that wasn't like Rhoam at all. She finds herself shaking her head unconsciously and stops herself.]
I don't think it was too dissimilar... [Zelda looks up at Cisco, noting the awkward shift.] I am sorry if this brought up something uncomfortable for you though. Parents... are not all that simple.
[In many ways. Maybe that's too real for this conversation, but she doesn't want him to think she's unsympathetic. She smiles then, grateful for the change of subject.]
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no subject
[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.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
[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.
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
[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.
no subject
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?
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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?
no subject
When she's confused, Cisco smiles: ]
Oh! Right, sorry. It means... the kind of parents that are obsessed with their kids and stay all up in their business all the time. Who think the sun shines out of their kid's ass and get them all these tutors and ballet lessons and all of that shit. But the downside is they gotta know where their kid is every second of every day, and they're always micromanaging them, never giving them an inch of freedom. They expect them to be perfect, and when their kid does well, they get a huge ego boost for themselves or whatever.
[ And, well, it seems only fair that since he's asking questions about her life and business, that he say something about himself, even if it's just brief. ]
So kinda the opposite of mine.
[ He rubs at the back of his neck, feeling a little awkward after that personal admission. Not really a great way to segue into the whole 'my parents didn't give much of a shit about me' thing. Cisco doesn't really make a habit of talking about them all that much. Time to redirect the conversation gently away from all of that. ]
Anyway, uh. I promise I'll still treat you normal, even though you're a princess. If that's, like, what you want.
no subject
I don't think it was too dissimilar... [Zelda looks up at Cisco, noting the awkward shift.] I am sorry if this brought up something uncomfortable for you though. Parents... are not all that simple.
[In many ways. Maybe that's too real for this conversation, but she doesn't want him to think she's unsympathetic. She smiles then, grateful for the change of subject.]
I would like that. Thank you, Cisco.