(no subject)

[handholding]

Who: A very frightened boy with a sword and YOU!
Where: Plaza
When: 8/23 - afternoon
Style: I'll start with action tags, but follow whatever
Status: Open!

[It had to be a dream. It had to be.

He had only closed his eyes for a moment, after all, with his head rested against Yorda's narrow shoulder on that strange glowing stone seat. And when he had opened them he was someplace entirely new. Gone was the Castle in the Mist and the stone walls that had become so familiar to Ico in such a short amount of time, replaced instead by...

Well.

He wasn't sure what it was.

But there were people, actual people, living souls in such strange clothing, laughing and talking as though there was nothing odd or wrong about their presence. And everything was bright, but not in the way the sunlight filtered through the trees and beyond the stone walls of the Castle in the Mist. Bright in a way the young boy couldn't describe and didn't understand.

In fact he didn't understand any of it. Which was why it had to be a dream. It just HAD to be.

Except that he felt very much wet, and very much cold, and those were all very real sensations that told his brain that he wasn't dreaming.

And for the first time since laying eyes on the sinewy, dark form of the Queen, Ico felt fear. Fear from his surroundings and the people that hadn't even taken notice of him yet. He stood near the fountain still dripping wet, staring for a good long time with a much too large sword gripped in his hands, just waiting for one of them to turn in to a smoke man and come lunging at him. None of them did, but that didn't stop him from eventually turning and trying to run in order to find a place to hide until the dream was over and he could wake up.]

Comments

[fistfullofmagic]

[Of all the things Dhaos could have expected when going for a walk, little boys running into him was not one. The impact doesn't even put him off balance. As he stares down at the child - horns; the boy has horns - he thinks that he should be used to unusual things happening by now, especially at this time of the month.]

...Are you alright, little one?

[handholding]

[Ico hit the man with a grunt, stumbling back in surprise. As soon as his balance was regained, he stared up... and up... and--

Ico gasped. He was so tall. Not even the tallest man in Toksa could have been as tall as this one! Not only that, but Ico had never seen blond hair before, and it looked just as strange and foreign as anything else in the strange city he didn't understand.

He must have been a giant! Had the smoke men become something else entirely? ... perhaps this was another trick from the Queen?

So he reacted the only way he could think to - by being defensive and swinging the much too large sword up, pointing it at the giant of a man.]

Where is Yorda?! What have you done with her?!

[fistfullofmagic]

[Dhaos reflexively jumps back from the sword, though he relaxes a bit when he notes that it doesn't appear to contain any form of magic he can sense. The boy is clearly a newcomer, cold, wet, and rather obviously frightened.

He raises his hands, palms turned upward in what he hopes the boy recognizes as a gesture of peace.]

I know not who "Yorda" is. If she is here though, I am sure she is safe.

[handholding]

[Ico continued to glare, even after the hands went up. He had been a very trusting, open boy before being taken to the Castle in the Mist, and while that trait had not fled entirely, it was being overridden by fear and a burning desire to find Yorda again, and quickly before the Queen could get to her first.

But the giant said he didn't know who Yorda was. That couldn't be the case if he was an agent of the Queen.

He lowered the sword, slowly at first, but then with a sudden drop and a clang. There was something else new going on - fatigue. True, exhausting, ill-feeling fatigue. He had never felt it before, not even after a full day's work in the field, but all at once he was aware of an aching in his joints and a pounding in his head.

He stumbled a little, but refused to take his gaze off the giant.]

... this isn't the castle?

[fistfullofmagic]

[The prince slowly lowers his hands back into his cloak, careful not to make any sudden movements. A castle? Was this boy perhaps a knight in training...? No... he seemed far too frightened and suspicious for that. A commoner forced into an unpleasant situation perhaps? If the horns were unusual for the boy's people, this was likely the case.]

It is not. This is... [He looks upward for a moment, almost seeming sad.] ...a very long way from either of our homes...

[handholding]

[Ico followed the giant's gaze, up and up until he could see the "sky" that made up Vatheon. He let out a loud cry and stumbled backwards, falling to the ground with a clearly shocked and upset expression.]

W-what... ?! What sort of magic is this?!

[fistfullofmagic]

I know not the exact nature of it, but the barrier allows this city to exist under the ocean.

[Dhaos returns his gaze to the obviously distressed boy. Slowly, he crouches down to the horned child's level, offering a hand up and a reassuring smile.]

...But I imagine this is a bit much to take in. I can explain more once you are no longer cold and have had your energy restored.

[handholding]

Nn...

[He groans, putting a hand to his head first and wincing before hesitantly taking the man's hand. His grip was weak, thin arms trembling more now that he had been shocked so badly. It really was a lot to take in all at once.

Afraid as he is, though, being dry and feeling better does sound like a good idea. He nods slowly.]

[fistfullofmagic]

[Dhaos gently pulls the boy up with him. Once he's sure the young one is steady on his feet, he removes his outer cloak and drapes it over the boy's shoulders. Then without a word, he makes his way towards the coral, keeping his stride slow enough to allow the other to keep up.

When they arrive, he places his hand on the Lamufao, motioning to the boy to mimic him.]

[sonlight]

[Chibi hadn't expected to be startled out of his nap so soon. He was so sure he had found the most perfect hiding spot in all of Vatheon, but judging by the way it was so suddenly invaded by this strange kid, he apparently thought wrong! He sits up with a small yelp and spins around, having half a mind to bark his head off at whoever dared trespass on his territory, but... hmm. This kid...

It's been a long time since Chibi felt a terror this strong.

Quickly moving from angry to sympathetic, Chibi whines softly and shoots him a curious look. What's the matter, dude? Did you break your mom's favorite vase or something?]

[handholding]

YAHH--!

[Chibi's yelp is met with one in kind as Ico wheels around to face the noise, holding the sword out defensively until he realized it was...]

... a dog?

[The sword lowered slowly, Ico still a bit suspicious of the creature.]

[sonlight]

[Yikes! Seeing the weapon, Chibi thinks it's best to play it safe and try to show he means no harm. He bows his head as low as it will go, hoping the "sparkly puppy eyes" trick will help bail him out here.]

[handholding]

...

[Ico just... stares for a few minutes, more than confused at what he was seeing.

Slowly, though, he crouched down and set the sword on the ground next to him, watching the puppy with growing curiosity.]

[sonlight]

Roo? [All right! He takes the opportunity to move a little closer, slowly of course. Carefully.]

[handholding]

[Hesitantly, Ico held his hand out, fingers down for the puppy to sniff at.]

Just... a dog...

[He sounds so uncertain, as if he's expecting Chibi to turn in to something else the moment he looks away or lets his guard down.]

[sonlight]

[Well, he's not just a dog, but Chibi is thinking mysteriously smiling at that comment might not be the best choice of action right now.

He does indeed sniff at the boy's fingers (and decides they don't smell all that great, bleugh), then brushes the top of his head against them.]

[handholding]

[All things considered, once Ico is a little more settled, he'll probably handle the whole god thing pretty well.

For now, though, no. Just be a regular dog. His poor addled mind might not be able to take much more than that.

And hey, be nice, he was kind of climbing around a dirty old castle for days before this. He's a little dirty even after getting soaked on arrival.]

... h... heh...

[He lets out a nervous laugh, but welcomes the nudging with his own pets.]

[replicatedcourage]

Are you okay?

[It's the first thing Sola has said to anyone in person since he'd been remade by Zelda. Yes he'd poked around the network a little, mostly in concern for the now vanished Signless and Psii (who he misses terribly. He's been staying away from the hive other than to water the flowers and care for the bees. It just makes him sad without his Trolldads there).

Right now he happens to be sitting on a bench, trying to simply focus on enjoying a fried squid skewer instead of the ridiculous number of other things that threaten to make him want to curl up in a ball again. At least, he was until he noticed Ico.]

Did you just get here?

[handholding]

[Ico jumped at the voice, wheeling around with the sword to face the speaker. There was something about the stranger that reminded Ico of the smoke men of the castle, but he was far too solid to actually be one. Plus, he moving in to attack.

That didn't do much for Ico's fear, though, and he kept the sword leveled at Sola.]

W... who are you?!

[replicatedcourage]

I'm Sola. I'm not going to hurt you so you can put the sword down. You're in a place under the ocean called Vatheon.

[He looks Ico up and down appraisingly. His colors are all wrong, but he does have horns...]

Are you a Troll?

[handholding]

[A troll? He'd almost be insulted, if he wasn't so freaked out. He shakes his head frantically, but after a pause he does lower the heavy blade, tip hitting the ground with a quiet clank! noise.

He stared at the boy for a moment longer, frowning. There was a hint of distrust there. It was strange for some one to have a name so close to Sol Raveh, the sun god of his people, to seem so... dark.

But he spoke words aloud, unlike the smoke men of the Castle in the Mist who could only touch him through his mind, and for the strange feeling coming from him, Sola did have surprising kindness in his eyes.]

... how... can I be under the ocean? That's impossible.

[replicatedcourage]

No it's not! Look!

[The Hylian points up at the ceiling of the dome encasing the city, colorful fish visible in the filtered sunlight streaming down from above.]

Pretty neat, right? The bubble keeps the water out so we can breathe!

[handholding]

[Slowly, Ico tilts his head back, looking up and up until he can see the fish moving through the sea above them. He gasps and stumbles backwards, sandals catching on one another until he falls back.

He can't stop staring, mouth agape, trying to form words but finding none to even try and describe what he's feeling right then.]

[replicatedcourage]

[The Hylian makes an attempt to catch Ico as he goes tumbling backwards but only succeeds in dropping on the cobbles beside him.]

Ow, damnit.

[He's just gonna sit here and rub his lower back. That hurt!]

[handholding]

Ah--! I'm sorry! Are you alright?!

[That was really not what he meant to do. He crawls over to Sola, trying to see if there's any noticeable injuries even if he can't really do anything about it.]