vatheon | Happy birthday!

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Happy birthday!

Who: Zelda and Duke
When: Backdated to right after the bitties curse
Where: Duke's hut
Status: Closed

[Zelda knew that Duke's birthday had been the week previous, but since he was stuck as a child without his memories for the duration, she'd opted to wait until afterwards to bake that cake for him. As soon as he headed back home after the curse, she set about preparing it, not showing up until a few hours later. She's carrying a box when she gets there, looking fit to burst.]

Duke?

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[It sets her at ease quite a bit to see him contemplating something, even something small like what she might have put in the cake. Curiosity isn't something depressed people often display. Setting her cake to the side a bit, she reaches out and rests a hand on his knee.]

Have you been feeling better?

[ Duke is about to answer yes, because most of the time he's been feeling much better. But it was most of the time, and he blinks at her hand as he tries to figure out why it was not all of the time.

Well, he still felt bad about things that he should have reacted better, differently to, or known, but those were back at the usual bad levels - and thus normal and part of the 'most'. What was preventing the most from being all? Scrounging through his thoughts-and-memories comes up with a few times of seeing Guy and Zelda together and having some sort of uncomfortable-negative feeling... but that didn't make sense. She was clearly happy to be around Guy and Zelda was his friend so he should be happy and...

It just won't get mentioned. He needs to know that feeling before he says anything. ]

... Most of time. [ He can always say some people leave him feeling confused when he talks to them at the Host Club, because that is true as well. ]

I'm glad.

[She draws her hand back, returning to her tea and cake, happy to sit in relative quiet with Duke. Being around him is calming when he's feeling like himself. It's safe. It's hard to believe it's been almost a year already since she met him as a sphinx. So much has changed, but a lot is the same too - here she is, still giving him food and chatting at him.]

That cat you found is really quite cute. Are you going to name it?

[ Chatting at is fairly accurate - Duke is paying a bit more attention to internal things right now. Mostly comparing feelings he knows to this unknown one.

Is she glad because he's feeling better? If he remembers correctly, that makes a great deal of sense. She had been fairly distressed when he'd been feeling.... less than well.

As if summoned by mention, the cat wanders over. ]

Am not certain he appreciates 'cute'... do not tend to name animals that... Adopt me? [ They usually claim him, after a little bit of food sharing. Its not the other way around.

The cat would like some of Zelda's cake - or just the frosting. ]

[She is very glad that he feels better. Since the frosting has quite a bit of dairy in it she's not surprised that the cat wants some, and she offers a fingertip with frosting down to it.]

Does he have a name already, then?

... He might. [ Duke turns to the cat, who doesn't respond until after Zelda's finger is clean of frosting. ]

... Some humans refer to as Moon, and would not mind that continuing. [ Answer gained, he turns attention inward a little more. There was something he just.. couldn't place about the negative feel, something that made it stranger than some other negative feelings. Maybe he should start comparing positive ones; he'd never gotten this feeling from watching Elucifur with Entelexeia, so what was different... ]

Moon it is, then. See how that frosting settles, all right moon? I am not sure if it is good for cats or not, but if you don't start feeling sick you can have some more.

[She's not entirely sure the cat will understand that many words, but there's no reason to not speak to it as if it does. Zelda sets back to eating her piece of the cake, glancing up at Duke and smiling a bit. It's nice to just spend a little time with him again out here. It's quiet. Maybe that's what he'd needed.]

[ Moon stares at her like he knows its perfectly okay to eat more frosting, but saunters off. Duke registers that she talked to the cat like she would talk to anyone, and absently wonders if he rubbed off on her, or if she always talked to animals like that. There's a warm feel associated with that thought, but he's really focusing-

... That.. would be it, wouldn't it? Duke goes still, focusing almost entirely on internal things. He'd thought that the feeling to Zelda was the same as the feeling to Elucifur but... they weren't. It was the stronger-form of 'Friend', that was what he felt for Elucifur, at least that was what it felt like when... he wasn't sure who to compare it to, but he was very sure that he and Elucifur had been friends- perhaps best of friends-

But compared to the feel with Zelda, there was... something to Zelda's that wasn't there with Elucifur's and he can't quite place what it was. He is fairly sure that "friend" - even if Zelda had reached that 'best of friends' level - would not feel different simply because Zelda was a young woman (Hylian), rather than a male Entelexeia. It was different and similar and somehow... more.

... Oh. That.. was...

... moderately frightening and entirely inappropriate and he should... go. Only if he went then Zelda would follow, because that is what has happened every time he's tried to avoid people so perhaps he should do this a little differently and try not to make it obvious and... he was already doing a bad job with that, wasn't he- ]

[ Doing his best to hide that he really wanted to curl up in some corner and possibly hit himself repeatedly in the head, Duke reaches for the tea. ]

Likely not wise to have too much; milk is not best for adult cats. [ This is a betrayed look that he misses from the cat. How does he get her to go... ]

It looks like he disagrees with you!

[The subtle shift in his demeanor is something she mostly brushes off, Duke has always been moody. The long period of silence wasn't strange either, he frequently gets quiet for no reason. She doesn't mind it, it's just how he is.]

We give cats milk back in Hyrule, but I have noticed that Lon Lon milk seems to have a lot of properties that regular milk does not. I could not find any cream cheese made from Lon Lon milk, so I'm afraid the frosting is just regular dairy after all. Sorry, Moon!

[ Duke denies being moody, moody implies its not for reasons and there are totally valid reasons behind his silence and shift in demeanor. ]

Like it, just that.. time spent as kitten often leaves with a slight allergy. Nothing terrible, simply.. could be a little messy. [ He eats more of his slice and.. could that be a way to get her to go home? ]

Is good, however... [ What was the word used often. ] A little .. rich? Perhaps mostly the frosting....

[ He's trying to say he's not too sure how much more he can eat right now... ]

Do you think? I enchanted the box, so you can put it away if you can't finish it right now.

[Why would being finished with the cake mean she has to leave? Duke would be better off spilling tea all over himself and pretending it's bath time.]

If you are finished eating, though...

[She takes out one last thing. A book, clearly hand written.]

I realize I was not able to fully explain magical music before, and I have not been able to find a book on it in the library, so I wrote it down properly. I thought you might like it.

[Zelda knows what order to do things in. First you feed Duke, then you give him the books!]

[ But that could hurt and then she'd want to stay around to help him with burns-

.. Oh. Wonderful - He is interested, but he's uncomfortable because feelings and..

Yes, that is the right order of operations, because now he's opening it and completely ignoring the tea he'd just gotten himself. ]

May.. have to look into instruments....

I think something mobile and not particularly delicate would suit you. Perhaps a wood flute?

[Or an oboe, or maybe an alto clarinet... no, both those instruments are a little more delicate. Duke could probably also play an ocarina, they're sturdy enough.]

[ Zelda.

Are you saying he can't keep things safe? Or something about sound being delicate, he can't tell. ]

[She more means that his outdoor lifestyle doesn't suit a delicate instrument.]

You could also try the ocarina if you like! Link is asleep right now, so I have it with me.

[ Like things with strings, he could understand that.

... sob why is he getting interested in things that will keep her around. Why is she good at getting hm to want to talk?

Maybe because he usually doesn't want to hide quite as much as he does right now... ]

Ocarina is a...?

Here.

[She takes out the Ocarina of Time. It's an instrument as steeped in magic as her harp.]

This is an ocarina.

[Since there in the forest, she plays the minuet of the forest briefly to show him how to play it before holding it out.]

[ Zelda you are a horrible person who doesn't seem to realize how horrible you are-

But he will study her fingerings and sort of gingerly mimic the pattern before...

.. Okay fine he'll try. It sounds weak at first because how much air is he supposed to use... ]

There you are! We could try playing the Sun's Song if you like. On that instrument it will work for sure, and it's fairly simple.

[She remembers his fascination with that one, as well as how much the birds enjoyed it.]

... Did sound so.

[ ... Does this mean he has to pass the ocarina back?

now its even more awkward- ]

[She's done her best to force herself to stop thinking of Duke that way, so Zelda doesn't display any awkwardness when he passes it back as she plays a few rounds of the Sun's Song, filling the room with a warm light.]

Would you like to give it a try?

[ Yes, he would. But also he would not, and it is very hard to decide on which. He does like spending time with Zelda, but...

Perhaps fortunately, he doesn't have to figure out an answer because Moon jumps up on their table, and proceeds to roll himself out in this warm golden light.

The result is that the tea Duke had gotten is going to make a nice mess on him. Although he does get the book out of the way in time. ]

Perhaps... another time...

Ah!

[Zelda barely avoids the spill herself.]

Yes, maybe another time. I'll see you soon, Duke.

[She waves cheerfully and starts heading out, having no idea that he'll basically consider that a threat in his current mindset.]

[ Why, Zelda, why?

Duke holds the book out of the way, grabbing his shirt and.. well, he'll use that to clean up.

Once he's fairly sure she's away, he reaches toward Moon, and takes the cat up in his arms and burries his face in fur like he had often while a child.

He would like that, yes. He enjoys working with magic with Zelda, or just generally being about her... but..

No. He can't. He will find things to be busy with and avoid her and...

And then she can be happy with Guy, without him making a mess of things. ]

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Happy birthday!

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