Z-RP was created by NAVI. LEGEND OF ZELDA was developed by NINTENDO. All content belongs to its respective creators.
All images belong to their respective artists. All codes and scripts belong to their respective coders.
The skin was created by Alcove. Board Layout was made by NOVA for ZRP exclusively. Do not attempt to steal or emulate anything on this board.
A LEGEND OF ZELDA ROLEPLAY
Welcome to ZRP! We are an non-canon RP site with an original tale taking place within the
lore of the Zelda Franchise. While the events of this site are entirely non-canon, we take advantage of the canons of other
games to explain its story fully. As such, we are located within the CANON TIMELINE. Do you like what you see? If so, feel free
to register and join our story! If you have any questions, you can join our discord, located in our important links!
11/12/21 GUESS WHO'S BACK! Thats right, and we are cooking up a good ol reset for everyone. Please be patient as things will be a little empty as we archive. Pop into discord if you have questions.
Holler? Holler?! That dunder-head of a Sheikah! In this heat all he wanted to do was holler. This job was unreasonably intrusive at best, and meagerly rewarding at worst! There was no guarantee that he would find the scalper before he died!
Nayru dammit!
The head was already putting him in a bad mood. Reaching around his shoulders he would pull his cloak over his head, the blue, cotton shawl serving as a deterrent for the overwhelming suffering that he was participating in. And for what? As much as he moaned and groaned though, finding that scalper was of the upmost importance. If he really did have some powerful relic like a Hero's tool and it got into the wrong hands he could be in trouble! He'll put the blame on the muscle freak for leaving him to his own devices. It was hard enough to walk, let alone see with the sweat on his brow. Trudging through the crowds Nex found himself bristling with every passing figure and each shifting body. With expert grace he would weave, dodge, and parry any attempt make any sort of physical contact, accidental or otherwise. The thought of these vagrants putting their filthy hands on him, was enough to twist his stomach.
As he passed a stall his eyes would catch the glitter of rose baubles dangling from the posts of the makeshift shop. They weren't just any baubles though: gems, jewelry and all manner of decorative accessories a fish could get his hands on. To say Nex had an obsession with anything pink was woefully weak, even insulting. This man has once or twice spent the whole of his pay on a single object if it had enough pink on it. Rose quartz, coral blades, fuchsia clothes, roseate undergarments~! It wasn't difficult to draw him from his task.
"Excuse me... are those bangles made of coral..."
Elsewhere -- the hawker would notice the Sheikah's eyes. "You there lad, you look like a strong, virile subject. Would you like to give them a try?" The merchant had a pitiful looking training dummy beside his stall to show off his various weapons, many of which looked like they were spit out the back end of a Like-Like. The gauntlets themselves looked well made, though a bit worn from age. It wasn't possible these were the real thing though, right? But were one sensitive to magic near them they would get a distinct feeling of a magical aura emanating from them. They couldn't be real -- right? The drinks here must just be that strong!
With flowing silks and a long cloak of white draped over his shoulders one would forget that the Zora was native to the sea with the way he tread land so easily. The only reason it was quite obvious that he was a fish out of water was the way he left behind wet, sodden footprints in the sand as his body seemed to drip with every movement. The man never resisted the chance to take a dip in a pool of water, or in their case: a lonely ram's through.
"Would you hurry?" He bit, short of patience. "We'll miss the market rush if you drag your feet." Though he was known as Sinnie by many, there were a choice few who were given pass to call him 'Nex', a nickname from his delinquent youth.
With how well and proper the man dressed one could be forgiven for never coming to the conclusion that Nex had been quite the rat bastard growing up. He wore a worn satchel over his shoulder, partially hidden beneath his cloak to deter pickpockets, and in hand a soggy parchment. On his left shoulder sat a crow wearing a harness and tether, which was looped around a metal ring that snapped in front of the Zora's cloak. He had traveled all this way not for leisure, but the sweet embrace of the morning markets where rare and dubious goods often passed hands in order to find their forever home with collectors, criminals, and castaways. Nex was the latter. His blue eyes peered back to his companion, whom he had requested assistance from. A fish heading to a desert alone was suicide as the heat very quickly tired him out.
There were many things to see and do out here in Sonata Oasis. Not only could one find rare wares that were, more often than not, lost to the hands of time, one could get sweet treats and find curious beasts doing tricks for crowds. Rupee was always flowing and that sometimes meant scams were lurking in the shadows. The biggest scam going on this week was a Heroic Gauntlet. The hawker declared that it was nigh unbeatable, that it was a right of legendary heroes, but given the state of some of its balance poles and questionable color of the moat one needed to swim across there was great doubt that this was any sort of trial a hero would want to partake in.
A SHARK ON LAND, Traveling, treading, trudging, turning hands of the clock. Reaching up, grasping hard and not pushing down. The madness of his loneliness had become a life of complacent family values because the darkness had been suffocating, like tar sticky in the lungs. Kicking, struggling in a place he could not breathe: he climbed his way up and learned to believe.
Strange how the mind changes time and time again. Things once important now pale in comparison. Hand on heart. A promise, a word, and a voice. Hand on heart. A rhythm of hope and a vision of choice. Hand on heart, promising I'll never go - hand on heart - for reasons you'll never know. I promise, girl. Hand on heart.
It could hardly be believed when Nex took up such a role. It was not so much the doubt of his new family, but the concern over his temperament. He swore up and down he had gained much patience in his age, but as he scoured the library, papers being hurled and objects being ejected from the room with enough force such as to shatter them on impact on the opposite wall: it did not seem evident that he gained any chill in his upward growth.
The Zora had aged gracefully, as much as he could with a distorted concept of time as he had and a lacking sense of social decorum. His scruffy hair was grown out and more neatly kept than before and his body tattoos more conservatively hidden as his presence and time around books became a more pronounced part of his day to day life. He started his life as a traveling merchant, but, in time, he drifted into the work of a scribe. The work naturally progressed from his efforts in the archaeological fields and attempting to discovery a history now destroyed and ruined by the contemptuous wiles of men who thought to play gods. A natural course, right? With the Calamity came incompetency and as such: Nex found himself desperate to manage it.
"A hundred years!" He complained as he turned his desk upside-down, in the most literal sense, in search of a book. "A hundred years worth of time and you would think they could learn my cataloging system after a century and put the tomes away correctly! I don't care if you're illiterate, stay out of the library if you can't put it back!"
His granddaughter watched from the wings. She was lounging on a supple couch of velvet with her sword's scabbard laid over her thighs: legs kicked over the seat's arm as she watched his rampage. She had the very book he sought in hand, but felt it was perhaps better to stay quiet as she read. She calmly turned a page as he rushed past her: his graying locks flowing behind him like a cloak. His blue eyes rummaged the northern wall of shelves once more, assured he had returned his favorite book. It was a collection of Zora songs he had put together as a youngling during his time, however temporary, in service of the crown as a spear. He would bang his forehead against the shelf as he slid to his knees and slumped over. Waves of dread rolled off him in waves, causing the young woman to sink deeper into her seat, further behind the books.
A messenger of the Seekers would land on the lip of the library's window: a raven with a message around his neck. The man's granddaughter would stand to collect the letter and pet the bird, the book now tucked under her arm. "Come on gran'dad, how come it's so important to find? It isn't like you don't have all those songs memorized..." She'd put her finger to her lips as the Raven canted his head giving her a queer look.
Nex remained slumped against the shelf. He raised his hand, pantomiming his facial expressions with a flicking wrist as he remained in his prone state. "Because that is the last remaining cipher of the ancient Zora language I have at hand. We just received some rubbings of old Zora text..." He would sigh and pull himself to his feet.
The young girl looked to the raven, both flinching when the desk soon met with the rest of the debris in the hallway as a shattered, splintered mess. "H-hey, look what I found gran'dad!" She held up the book as she walked towards him with the raven's message. "And you got a message too!"
The air in the library has since calmed. All above the shelves were open rafters where the ravens roosted. Feeders laid out along the tops of the ancient bookcases. The Zora unfurled the missive as he took the book in hand. The young woman pushed onto her tiptoes, looking up towards the man as curiosity filled her eyes. She was unable to read the cipher he used for the missives. It was another contract from that fellow who fancied himself a Hylian. Calls himself Tingle.
"Honestly how many times must we deny this one's contracts before he gets the damn hint?" He would sigh and turn heel to leave the room. "Why is my desk out here?" He looked to his grandchild, who shrugged. "Nevermind that, come." He took her hand and headed off to inform the Lord Commander.
SHARPENED FANGS,Raised the spoiled child of merchants: his mother a homebody and his father detached by his broken warrior's spirit. He was educated in mercantile and negotiation techniques to be pushed into the family's business in hopes he would not follow in his father's footsteps and take up the sword. Neglect of his interests in youth pushed him to delinquency and so he joined the ranks of warriors to spite his kin. As a result he was tattooed from head to toe in various Ancient Zora ideograms to show his dedication, which were now hidden with makeup in his desire to set an example for his children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews. His temper waned with mood, something fed by a harsh and difficult childhood and adolescence causing him to suffer these highs and lows. He was cunning and deceptive, carrying a hidden blade to undo his enemies quickly and quietly. The Zora's love of history has driven him to join the Seekers in order to protect it from further devastation so that future generations could know their stories and lessons.
[attr="class","Vappfreeformtext"] [break][break] Tragedy was about all he knew and it only ended when he realized could not sell his own soul. [break][break] His Death: it began when he was born in the Zora Sea, but he was the only of his clutch to survive. He was his mother’s one and only Sinnie. She told him his name means: One who swims on the Darkness of the Moon, a poetic name that belonged to his great grandfather. But soon after he learned to count before he walked his merchant family was on the move. There they traveled to meet with his uncle so that his father and uncle could grow their business. His uncle owned a shop that sold antiques and his father made friends with everyone he met. It was only natural that his father become the salesman who met with every customer and knew everyone’s name. For a long time Sinnie had wanted to become just like him. But one day his cousin and him had gone fishing, but the foolish fries had decided to brave a Biri’s nest and Sinnie was scarred. The right half of his face lost its muscle function, the bite of a coral knife his cousin swung to fend off the jellies had cut him instead, right beneath his eye. When they returned Sinnie was blamed and his uncle locked him in his room, forestalling treatment of the wound, which was not tended to until his mother and father returned. HIs uncle had insisted the boy refused his help and put his cousin in danger. Sinnie’s father scolded him and heard not the pleas of his son. That is when Sinnie lost the pride he had for his father, who was more worried of his ties in his uncle’s business than his wellbeing. It was not long after that where his uncle and father went on a trip to the Goron’s land to trade, but his father never returned. His uncle said that he was lost in a whirlpool, but Sinnie knew the evil in this man and so he took that very knife that scarred his face and...he is now the prince of his family’s empire and there was no stopping him. He painted over the scar on his face with a tattoo, as red as the blood he spilled. The marking read b-i-r-i in the ancient Zora language. [break][break] His First Love was a woman with a bucket. It had a hole in it. He had met the Hylian woman as she attempted to play a song, taking a break during her chores. The bucket she collected water with had a hole at the bottom of it, so no water would stay. In her clumsy motions: the instrument fell from her hands and sank to the bottom of the river where the young merchant floated, pensive of his trip into Hyrule proper. He floated in quiet meditation where he would hear the discordant song of a pipe being played, only to rouse as it stopped, the precious belonging coming to sit by his head in the mud and sand. He came to the surface to return her instrument, and eventually they began to talk. He didn’t hate the music, and fancied this girl. He would desire to become a soldier so he could remain by his beloved so, in his love-struck adolescence, he trained against the wishes of his family. He had come so close to to carrying the spear of a proud Zora soldier, even tattooing his head-fins, but it was not meant to be for after he concluded his training he would be unable to find her. He desperately searched, butt none could claim knowledge of her. This was his first and last love. He would drag himself back to the family's business. After the heart crushing loss he could only find the ebb and flow of meeting customers a life consumed by self-serving persons whom he eventually swept beneath him. Body after body -- they served as pawns to his ultimate goal. He learned instead to trade and filled the growing isolation with an obsession of biri: collecting them as pets or specimen in his room throughout his youth. In hi drive to fill that emptiness he sought to become a biri. They lived in large and small groups. They had no purpose, no responsibility. They were perfect. And so he would become a biri and perfect his Magicka, mimicking their perfect defenses. [break][break] His Tragedy had appeared in the form of a warrior. He had bent the machinations of the cruel and heartless world as far back as he was able. He would once again meet with his lost love, only to be plagued by the darkness of her clouded psyche: her memories shattered by tragedy and he only remembered as the Zora who listened to her practice. It was crushing and he had lost another piece of his spirit that day. It was that warrior who had poked and prodded him: a Hylian who thought himself a hero. All he did was bite, berate and bitterly question the Zora as if he were the one who killed his father. As if he were the one to scar his own face . . . He was a merchant prince and this lowly warrior would dare question his prestige, his honor, his ...purpose in life. After everything he had lost there was nothing left for him. HIs stubborn pride would not let this man spread rumors and so his nigh infinite patience would snap -- he took his tongue. He was free from his lies. [break][break] His lost life had meant nothing to him. Only his titles and reputation had held any value. Then he met a Gerudo who languished his existence as much as he. They did not get along, and it was only she he trusted to tell him the truth in the most dire of circumstances. And so he asked her: was it wrong to avenge his father, to fall in love, and to cut out the tongue of the betrayer? And she told him earnestly. He was an idiot to care. It painted an intriguing picture on how she viewed his life. She had nothing, he had everything. And yet he could not have her. His money meant nothing to her, his prestige may as well have been a filthy handkerchief because his sins had been so easily washed away by her unaffectionate malcontention with him. So perhaps there was value left in his life had become something different and so he travels again as a merchant, not of death nor of antiques. What he sought were treasures to fill his cove and mount on his family’s walls so that they could forget the blood that stained their history because he now sought a treasure that could alter memories and undo evil. He wanted to purge his sins even if that meant he committed a few more along the way. So he would become a relic hunter, using his knowledge of trade to fuel his new obsession. And so the seas would find just one still swimming in the Darkness... [break][break] His true love was all that he coveted. His life was wishy, washy, and sometimes wholly whimsical. Maybe having a family meant constantly doubting your reality and demanding affirmations of affectionate so that you could prove to your heart that you did something right. He hardly wished to be like he was, nor did he dream of being like his father. What he wished to be was better so that he need not bring such hardships to his own thereafter. He no longer handled rupee, or traveled to beyond his will. He studied history rather than charting property. If his father could put down his warrior's will so could he turn away from his endless procuring.
[attr="class","Vfreebox"]
[attr="class","Vappfreeformbox"]
[attr="class","Vappfreeformhdr"]Inventory
[attr="class","Vappfreeform"]
[attr="class","Vappfreeformtext"]
SPELL OR ITEM NAME: [break][break] Shock: While such fora Zora seems ironic to specialize in electric attacks this ability is more akin to the shocking sting of the Biri he is so obsessively fascinated with. When threatened by a grappling hold Nyx can produce a sting of electricity over his forearms and torso, temporarily stunning his enemies. To use this ability he must not only be under duress, but in close contact with the aforementioned body parts. It is not a suitable ability for active combat, but more so acts as a deterrent from grappling. Because it can only be used in bursts Nyx cannot hold a sustained shock to do very much, if any severe damage to a person beyond stunning them. If he tries to maintain or prolong it he electrocutes himself in the process. [break][break] He must be touched on his torso or forearms. [break] He must be in active combat to trigger it. [break] It can only be used in close range. [break] It can only last three second per shock. [break] It cannot incapacitate, or kill. [break] He can hurt himself with it. [break][break]
RACIAL ABILITY: + Gills and Fins: Zora are able to breathe underwater without the help of blue dye or a breathing apparatus. [break][break] + Swim Champions: All Zora swim at ease underwater. They are fast, able to fit in narrow spaces, and can outmatch any other race in the water at ease. [break][break] - Weak to Electricity: Zora are not very strong against electricity - especially since it spreads like wildfire in water. It can be fatal if exposed to enough, and they will take much more damage than other races. [break][break]
This woman was foolish if she thought she knew his cousin better. The depict he was displaying was too much. It caused his heart to twist in utter delight. To think he was lying to these humans to stay in their midst. This was why Zora were not a good fit for the land dwellers. While they too have come to live upon the land there was just too large a gap between their kind. Humans were barely transformative in the ways they crafted their wears and sold their goods. They were leagues behind the skill that Zora had spent countless generations cultivating under the watchful eyes of the elder councils.
The elders...
Yes, Panos had become tired of following their every whim and command. Those spineless fish bow their heads to the outsiders, letting countries negotiate and speak with them on how they should change their ways. Once Panos believed them strong enough to resist the wiles of the land dwellers but more and more they are considering allying themselves with the very pestilence that keeps them bound to the shores. This was the reason. They didn't respect them. They forgot to fear them.
Panos' smile widened as his thoughts became black, scathing and boiled in his hatred. He hated it, more than anything. He hated that he did not have control, power, and authority over them and they thought they could have that pull over him. Weak, bony arms that were weighed down by the sea. Worthless! His arms dropped to his sides as his hands clenched into fists. His lips pulled back as his right hand came to rest on his hip.
"Surely you jest?" His thin brows knitted into a line as he lowered his head with golden eyes glaring up at Maude. A click was heard as he grabbed the scabbard of his sword on his hip. "You think you have the right to interfere with my family? He doesn't belong to you human!" Panos held his head high, stamping his slipper covered foot against the dusty ground. "It's enough you make me come all this way to buy your produce, but now you refuse to give to me what is mine by blood? You don't know where you stand, human. You should be on your knees trying to sell me your goods, but it seems your pride has been misplaced!" He spoke as if he was royalty, but he was a rotten king.
He was no King, he was a wolf that pretended to wear a sheep's cloak so he could get close to people.
"Since you would allow me to trade for your precious vegetable then I will be leaving, with my cousin." He turned his gaze to Nex. "Let's go cousin! They miss you back home and it is only a matter of time before the elders make a decision..." His smile would soften. "You don't want it to come to light do you? They won't let it slide if you refuse." As Pan spoke, Nex looked up, brows furrowing in confusion. "They know... they know what you did to her. I tried to hide it. But if you come with me we can silence them. You know I cannot do it alone." He held out his free hand to Nex as if enticing him into the darkness that seemed to follow Panos...
Nex stood with his focus glued to the ground. He was foolish to think he could be happy for a bit. It had been a long time since he was able to enjoy the silent solace of nature without having to fear who would be after him next. He fought the tears that tried to escape, his head low so that if any succeeded Maude would be unable to beholden to them and think of him as pathetic. Crying over such things seemed foolish. It was all in the past, it was a selfish desire to think that he could have a happy ending. He blinked his vision clear before looking toward Pan. He took a very dangerous position in which Maude may be in danger. He knew how aggressive Panos could be and he wouldn't think twice about hurting a Human or Hylian.
Nex quickly stepped forward and, if Maude allowed it, would move to stand in front of her. "Pan ---!" Nex's voice cracked as he tried to raise it.
He was always a soft spoken individual so the idea that Nex was even capable of raising his voice to another was some fever dream. He reached up and placed his gloved hand to his voice, the sun hat perched precariously on his head as he had shifted with haste, almost falling on his face. He was clumsy, to be sure, but he had lived long enough on land to out maneuver Panos. Of this he was confident. The moment he was able to put himself between Maude and Pan the purple-haired Zora would hold his movements. He spoke with an eloquence that only set Nex's blood on fire and decided he'd finish the job he started years ago and carve the undesirable parts of his body from his person. Unlike Panos who flaunted his scabbard which was encrusted with gems and jewels, rested perversely on his hip in the open: Nex hid his blade. He always made sure his blade was unseen before and after the act. Oft times he would face bandits who would think him only using his sharp fangs to disembowel his opponents, but he was sharply aware that he would not be trusted if ever seen to openly carry a weapon.
Panos would laugh as he held out his hand. Divisive man. How was Nex even related to him? The younger Zora looked back to Maude from over his shoulder, had she remained in such a place. "I...I'm sorry Maude. I caused you trouble...." He was a despicable guest. It was no wonder others did not wish him around for long. He would reach up to clutch his robes. "I guess...you'll want your hat back..." He reached up to remove the sunhat and return it to Maude. "I...I should have acted responsibly sooner."
"That's right!" Panos spat! "If you hadn't run off like a coward I wouldn't have to find you! Many people are looking for you too! What would your late mother think of you skirting your responsibilities!?" The man's words seemed to strike Nex with a measure of force as the jellyfish staggered back.
Shameless! He was shameless and deserved this scolding, but Panos was too much. He shook his head. "You shouldn't have troubled Maude.... It was my fault though. I took too much of your time..." He looked to Maude, back turned to Panos. "I'm sorry." His voice was quiet, almost inaudible.
Though his voice begged her for forgiveness his eyes and body pleaded for help. He reached out to take Maude's hand, his own shaking. Nex was not one to ever indulge in close contact and would avoid it when he could! His gloves were still a little muddy from his romp in the gardens and his boots pressed together with a nervousness that was visible in his trembling cheeks as he tried to force a smile. The poor fish was shaking all over. Panos was definitely a threat to him.
And he was becoming impatient to boot! The purple haired Zora leaned forward. "Hey, don't dawdle.... I doubt the human wants a murderer at her estate." Small as this land was. What does she even grow here aside from Pumpkins? Ah yes that's right ! "Besides you saw how she refused to trade the Pumpkin with me! It's obvious she is hesitant around our kind!"
Nex had been unaware he raised his voice so until it had left his mouth. The act caused his throat to dry and vocal chords tense. He could feel the burning sensation that had been created by the exertion. It trailed down into his lungs, leaving a path of devastation: shame, embarrassment, and fear that his reaction would be seen as unbecoming, that he would be less of a person for letting his anger get to him. He was half River Zora, after all. It was something that brought him a great deal of distress to be seen as a beast. His expression shifted, though quite minute as his facial muscles could only move so much at the current time. Farrah was convinced she could fix the damage he had done to himself, but he was not so sure. Though the way his face looked mattered not with how his chest felt. It was almost as if a bag of sand weighed it down. He knew how heavy they were as he used to train with them on the beach with another he had felt quite relaxed around. They never seemed to pass judgement on him and had a focus of self-improvement about them that Nex was compelled by their camaraderie.
He raised his gloved hand to his chest, gripping at the moist fabric until they let out a squelch, which wrung a few droplets of water from the loose cloth. As the water trickled down his arm it became difficult to tell if the dried tears in his eyes had simply been condensation from his hood which was now hanging behind his neck, slicking a few strands of hair on his neck in all sorts of directions. He was quite disarming in his looks. Though quite tall, a fair head more than Pan, he slouched and his figure was painted lanky by his loose, wet clothing. His unruly hair peeked out from beneath the sunhat of which he has come to neatly adore. Despite his predatory fangs, his mud-caked boots and sulking form one could easily mistake him for a grumpy farmer who had just chased down a few Guay from the crops.
Panos on the other hand .... well.
Nex blinked when Maude moved over to his side, his hands tucking away into his pants pockets. "You aren't even gunna ask what I did?" He sounded guilty, shoulders burdened by the pain of his past. His gaze turned to Panos who held out his hands, shrugging at his moping cousin. "I...killed her..." His gaze dropped and shoulders sank. Panos grinned and put his hand to his chest.
=======
"Allow me to enlighten you dear farm girl!" His voice was loud, grating and was like listening to a savant bash on a piano playing a classical piece with flourish. While beautiful all it did was ignore the environment for the song was played on every and all occasions! "This spineless Jellyfish is my cousin.... Sinnie." Panos seemed smug, proud of his declaration. "As the oldest in the family I'm his keeper. You see, miss farmer, he's run away from his responsibilities back home and I've been looking for him. What luck that you found him for me. Come no Sinnie, we should go ho--" But before Panos could finish his sentence a very sharp looking knife whizzed passed his head and embedded itself into the trunk of the tree, right at the side of the man's head.
Panos' gaze slowly drifted towards Nex who had his arm still outstretched from the throw.
"N-now, now Sinnie... is that anyway to treat family? Besides I-I came here to get you that pumpkin as a gift! They're your favorite!" It seemed Panos' white robes were on the verge of becoming golden. "As soon as the farm girl sells it to me!" He looked at her, glaring before he removed the blade. Turning it hilt forward he would offer it to Maude. "Listen, it's the best price you're going to get for the vegetable. What do you say?"
Maude would be right to assume Panos had the predilections of a noble, but even some nobles were trained in the art of swordsmanship, which was not a skill set designed for the fat, flab, and lazy individuals who sat around all day eating and drinking until the founts of wine dried. And while he was no zealous warrior like the Ocean Zora, he was a proud and powerful River Zora and would attempt to meet her grip with a firm -- smile. Oh yes it surely hurt to have the woman challenge his words with her brute strength, but to show weakness now was to submit to Maude that some human could outdo him, make him turn tail and run. But he was nothing if not a Zora with pride! He couldn't be held down but a silly thing like pain because it was pain that let you know you were alive! In fact as she held on, as her grip got tighter, he would take a step into her personal space. He was a Zora so, naturally, the man was a great many heads taller than Maude was. As soon as he was close enough he leaned forward so he could see the top of her head. Were she to risk looking up, the man would still be smiling, not once baring his fangs.
It was a strange contrast to Nex who was such a sourpuss, always frowning, but never resisted the chance to show off his teeth. It was like watching a scared dog versus beholding the grinning cat who ate the canary. It was clear that amongst the two predators that Panos would not forgo the chance of digging his claws into one's back if ever given the chance. His lips would part: the thinlines of flesh wet by the tip of his tongue which brushed along in the blink of an eye. He had gotten a taste of it: her bravado. But as quickly as he had crossed in, Maude would turn and depart, leading him towards the quarry he so sought. He rolled his shoulders and would tuck his arms behind his back. Those flowing robes of white created a picturesque painting that seemed better fit to have been lost to time in the depths of an ancient dungeon. Behind his back, underneath his robes, the man flexed his aching hand, his heart thudding in his chest as he relished in her absurd strength. If he didn't know any better he would have mistook her for a Goron. Those savages really knew how to shake hands.... How he reviled it!
"...I might have found another buyer for it.” As her words crossed his rounded ears the man would raise his hand from the wisps of close so that he could pluck a strand of loose, plum hair, and tuck it behind his ear. The exaggerated motion was followed by a poignant twitch of his slender brow.
"Excuse me, a buyer?" He sounded as if he would almost laugh, as if it was a comedic concept that Maude could ever sell to anyone other than him, that any would ever have the sense to purchase such a frivolously massive vegetable! The irony was immeasurably paced from his thoughts as he pushed away the flare of anger that rolled through his chest, squashing the near instantaneous rage born of the mere thought of being denied what was rightfully his. "No, no -- impossible. They could not possibly match what I'd be willing to offer you for those exceptional... hands of yours. After all they grew the very pumpkin I long sought." He pursed his lips, leaning back as he stared down at the woman, his head canting to the side ever so slightly.
She was playing with him, so he could surmise. He would not bargain with a human and flit away his precious little time. Whoever it was that challenged him, that thought they could stand between him and his intentions was sorely m i s t a k e n.
He came to a stop before the Great Pumpkin, his arms falling to his side as he beheld it. Yes. YES! This was it! His hands clenched into fists at his sides as his smile widened into a grin, but movement... Panos' expression fell as his eyes widened. The delicate slippers that clothed his feet slid against the dirt and mud as his left foot dragged back, leaving him barely balanced on his right. He felt a weight come crashing down in his stomach, which was about the only thing that kept him stable in this moment.
========
Nex has been left to his own devices. Normally the shark would feel utterly alone when on his own, but today he felt strangely full, and it was not just because of breakfast. For the second time in almost a decade did Nex sleep soundly in a bed amidst the solemn silence of the night. He had become wholly nocturnal in his travels. The sun burned his scales and the night hid him from the monsters, allowing him to wear a mask so he could hide his broken spirit from the judgemental gazes that slowly broke him apart from deep inside his own mind. He did not thrive this way. He missed the warm waters of the early mornings and the tepid walks in the late afternoons. Ever since he had lost sight of his future it had become a pestilence hardening his heart. It ruined him, he ruined himself by losing faith. He was in pain, but he slowly let go of it all, even if some of his memories still made him feel like an imposter in his own skin.
The shark-toothed Zora stared at the pumpkin with a thoughtful gaze, as if he could see within it, something no others could. It was a simpler time where he could just enjoy sitting on the banks of rivers and eating a sweet melon that had been cooled in its flow. He raised a finger to tap on the sturdy, orange rind, smirking a bit to himself, shaded by his new hat, which he fashionably set atop his hood. His mouth parted as he felt the twisted coil around his heart snap. Tears began to stream down his cheeks as his forehead came to rest on the cool skin of the impossibly large gourd. It was cool...
"Like the river on that night...." He had to let it go.
Damn you Nayru! Damn you for making the rivers, the seas, and the smallest brooks.... Maybe if she had forgotten to create them-- he would have had nothing to travel and could have grown wings and never met his first love. But if such a wish came true then he would have never met Farrah. He sighed, sulking a bit as he pressed his cheek against the hefty fruit.
He felt uselessly childish, wanting to be spoiled and live a family life like he had done so long ago. "Ah... I want Maude to make me a pumpkin pie...." With face all smooshed against the farmer's pride and joy: Nex would hear voices over yonder, face further contorting as he tried to pinpoint the sound from against the shapely rind, mind dancing about the warbling distortion with lazy consideration.
Pressing his hands onto his knees he pushed to stand, eyes widening as he staggered back, fully cutting over his own feet and tumbling head over heels with his back ending up in a thick patch of mud. His lovely sunhat would have been tossed up and off his head, into the air as the Zora groaned, his mind reeling from the sight of Panos standing beside Maude. She betrayed him! She was like everyone else, falling for that pedantic posturing philanthroper's pretty face, charming and full of rotten fish! As the hat fluttered down from the air and landed on his exposed stomach the panicking fish began to calm. All around him bubbles would pop and hiss from his frantic flailing, fumbling fruitlessly for fear of failure. Abandonment. Betrayal... His heavy breathing slowed as his limbs relaxed. He was able to pull his back from the mud with a snap. Reaching for his precious hat the Zora stared at the woven straw covering before he pushed back his hood, placing it back atop the crown of his head. After a moment Nex would push to his feet, the back of his cloak dripping with mud.
Right -- Maude gave him the hat, not because she was some generous, back-talking gift giver. She was as spiteful as him, and trusted him as far as she could spit. But -- they drank together so he also knew well of Maude's honesty and how quickly she was to grow tired with people who showed off. If anyone strutted about like a cat in heat it was his witless fink of a cousin. Finding his spine the Zora stepped forward.
"Go away!" Nex barked in a way that Maude had been unlike to ever hear.
The man was not wont to raise his voice under any circumstance. More often than naught he would bite down, mumble, or even remark in a passive-aggressive manner. It was clear the fish was quite distressed, hackles raised as he all but hissed at the smirking squid. It was like seeing water and fire standing on a lake of oil.
Falsehoods came in many shapes and sizes. Colors too. The cobalt haired man was certainly an example of it. He presented himself as this dark and dreadful sinner who has done naught but harrow the lives of those around him when it comes to case the opposite was true. He'd no sooner trip an old lady crossing the street than threaten a long man for his coin purse. He's save kittens from danger and stood between a long Gerudo woman and a hive of villainy despite the odds. Calling Nex anything but a dutiful citizen was a cold hearted lie.
He has doubted others to the point that they question their oaths. He had scorn those who carry a zealous love for the Goddess of the Sea where he could find no reason to trust whom he had felt abandoned him. Nex was a withered, untrusted man who found more reason to deny the appetites of the wretched than feed the grateful few who blessed his existence. It was hard when you felt that it was your fault that your family had fallen to pieces....
But Nex was extra ordinary. He liked to drink and jab incessantly at those he felt safe enough around that they'd be more inclined to ignore than strike him, and he lived pumpkins! There were few things Nex could eat, a shark gripped by a lame jaw could hardly call himself himself voracious predator. But he still loved to delight on chewy, textured foods that gave the feeling of crunch!
A roasted pumpkin was firm, yet soft. Pumpkin soup was warm and satisfying! Pumpkin cake was chewy and moist! Pumpkin could be many things, never be boring, and taste good! A pumpkin this big could make ten cakes, easily.
He turned his gaze up to Maude, the shark parting his jaws as his face screwed up in an incredulous expression. "You grow them, you should know!" He spat, expecting an expert to see. "You can do anything with a pumpkin. Carve its gourd for storage purposes," a pumpkin did make a fine soup vessel. "You can make a infinite number of meals, both sweet and savory and never worry about a chipped tooth!" Indeed the gummy predator delighted in being able to eat anything pumpkin. "But most of all you can always get back on your investment as it has the seeds ready to just make more!" Infinite pumpkin.
While Nex adored Maude's pumpkin she'd be off to answer the door. He'd not dollop as he had no interest in going back inside when for a moment.
That meant taking off his hat.
As for Panos there he was, in all his glory! Rings of silver and gold, baubles and trinkets that put the Queen and King to shame. Silk robes hung loosely from his shoulders, his body lightly caressed by the loose fitting cloth. He held out his hand, as if expecting Maude to fall to her knees. He held his head high and spoke with a confident tone that seemed to oppose Nex's very existence. He was the mirror opposite to the younger Zora. Nex was half River and half Ocean so his personality was tempered by his mother's grace and he indeed seemed to have his father's patience, but Panos was full Ocean Zora and he considered himself the cat's meow, or in this case Naryu's gift to man.
"Oh, Maude, how wonderful to see you again." He felt likewise towards the farmer and if he never had to see her again he would count his lucky stars more numerous, but he had to. She had escaped his clutches before. "I've come to bargain, for it seems we had little time together that day in market and well with so many busy bodies around it was impossible to speak to you on a personal level concerning your handsome goods. Tell me Maude, have you found a buyer for your produce this season...?"
Nex would reach his gloved hand gloved hand up to the brim of his new hat. His. Maude wasn't getting the hat back. His worn boots ground into the dirt, the Zora's disheveled robes looking as if moths had at the ends of them. It was a desperate contrast to his uniform during the ball which was a brilliant white with gold and decorative seals that displayed his family's crest. One wouldn't have thought Nex of any rank with how he dressed. He was not given to display his wealth or seemingly care for it. He seemed happy plodding around the dirt and traveling the wilds of the Goddesses' world.
He looked to Maude who seemed taken aback by his belief. After all they never talked at length about her methodology of husbandry. Anyone could say they owned a farm and grew food but have no inkling on how to do anything short or reaping its rewards. He looked to her and canted his head.
"Well you never talk about yourself. One could hardly blame me for not knowing." He expressed with a bored looking crook to his brows. He slumped over to look her in the eye. "After all drinking is for relaxing, not reminiscing." And he had a point. They never talked at length about their pasts.
Perhaps they would have more of an understanding as individuals had they deduced the many similarities in their beleaguered family lives. But they have a whole day for that. Once his hat was straight the Zora tucked his hands into his pockets and moved to follow Maude. He would listen, taking no particular interest, but he was nothing else if not polite. Raising his hand he would interject here and there.
He'd first regard her interest in dirt with his knowledge of plants that grew in only water, suspended by the fluid alone. Her discussion of crop rotation turned the Zora to bring up a memory of water currents and how if the water flows in rotation he didn't see how dirt shouldn't be treated in the same way.
"It's too bad they couldn't breed my temperament out of me. They say I'm most like my father in my patience... that I let everyone walk over me." And while on the surface Nex didn't seem the sort to let people use him as a placemat, if one thought back to their encounters he was quite easily manipulated into situations. "I was once convinced to delve into a sleeping volcano where I encountered a Dodongo, but I suppose that's what spurred my interest in these eld, unexplored regions. There's a history there." He'd infer.
Now Nex was not an excitable person. If anything he was easily bothered and ruffled like a wilting fern at the touch of someone's gaze. But upon seeing the majestic gourd he was taken aback, quite visibly! His brows shot up on his forehead and his good eye widened. He was circling the gorgeous gourd with general gumption as he gazed upon the glimmer rind. When Maude turned to ask Nex was seemingly gone, but at a second glance one would catch the fish in the field.
"How?!" He was upon his knees, with arms out as if attempting to measure the circumference of the gargantuan treat. "You, how can you have had this all this time?!" It was like watching a man discover the relic of his ancient gods in the hands of a pauper forgotten by society. "I've been looking for a pumpkin of this magnitude for years...." So it seemed Maude had that which Nex had been questing for.
But as Nex praised the holy divinity of fruits a knock aggressively rapt at Maude door. Panos has come hunting the fragile farmer in search of her growing skills. Her denial of service had sent the villainous merchant on a murderous rampage in search for the great and legendary quarry: the Great Pompkin.
His legs felt heavy as he made his way to the table. It was like dragging stones in his boots, but his feet were bare and he felt an uncomfortable chill on the soles of his feet each time it made contact with the floor, a feeling that crawled up his back and into the base of his skull. His hand continued to rub at this uncomfortable feeling. He could not describe it, but it was not pain. It was a tension he had only felt one time before and it was in the sodden era of his youth where he was an ignorant fry who thought he understood the concepts of love and romance. By this age now he was more aware of himself as a person and of the mistakes he made. He was aware of the things he said to push people away and the lengths he went to maintain his solitude. Sometimes his actions backfired and he made others feel that he hated them, but in truth he hated himself.
For a long time.
He blamed himself for his father's death and he blamed himself for his mother being ostracized from his extended family. Though he was aware that a considerable amount of her distancing had come from the fact that River Zora and Sea Zora were not the kind to see eye to eye. It made him fully aware of his place amidst their oligarchy and that despite his ability to sell a man's own mother back to him they could never accept him for his father's decision to fall in love with one from another tribe. The wooden spoon would stir about the meal, pushing the curried meat into the rice as he pushed down the consuming anxiety that would come after such an assertion. Who would not be afraid of being left all alone? Who could relish in isolation....
Someone who was hurt by those he loved of course.
But he far from relished in it! It shielded him, it protected him! It did everything he thought a mother was supposed to do. And he could not have been -- so wrong. He was thrown to the wolves by his own ignorance that anyone had owed him an explanation or understanding. It was his job to create these opportunities but -- his mouth became dry at the thought of talking to others and in the end he just accepted the blood of the lies he told himself. It was a curse he placed on himself and it hurt and it made him incomplete. But Farrah: she had seen his worst sides and had never turned her back to him. He was callous and she laughed. He was angry and she shrugged. He had never meant to scorn her. He was hurt, he was afraid and never thought he would be allowed to change.
When she leaned forward he turned his eyes up toward the Gerudo, his own cobalt eyes glazed over by his embarrassment and imprisoned behind the cage of his dark hair that hung over his face hiding the scars of his past. Even still that bright red tattoo stood out against his pale skin and clearly marked the punishment he wrought upon himself for the sins of his kin. His left hand moved up to rub at his jaw. It didn't hurt anymore, but it still pained him to know that he looked so angry all the time. He was just sad though he didn't feel as lonely anymore. His mouth pursed, as much as it could as he was, before he turned to glance to her, unable to turn his whole face to the woman. His right hand gripped tightly over the spoon as his leg bounced beneath the table.
"C-can you?" He didn't want to stay broken if it meant he'd be unable to kiss her again. There were so many thoughts going through his head but what truly resonated with him were her previous words. "Even if I change, you won't disappear and leave me in the middle of the ocean?" He pushed his seat out and moved to stand to his full height. Turning the slouching male seemed to loom over the smaller Farrah. He had spooned some of the curry into his mouth, holding the spoon between his fangs. "I'd like to kiss again -- when I can move my jaws...I wouldn't want to hurt you." Those sharp fangs could tear into flesh and split crab shells. As weak as they were now there was no telling what his lack of control over the weakened muscles could do to her.
He tapped his hands against his sides before he lowered himself to pull Farrah into a hug. His grip would tighten if she allowed it. He didn't want her to see the tears that began to freely fall from his eyes. He still had his pride as a Zora. "I can't be the one to hurt you anymore if you say such things Farrah. If I'm to love you I can't hurt you, you know? I've been such a piece of shit..." He was such a hard person to be around and he had done so out of choice. "I'm sorry. If you'll accept it, I love you too."
Farrah Abad ● 881 ● I guess this is the fish in the sea you picked. Weird.
Curry, huh? It was spicy, but he didn't mind the spice. Not that he was one of these fellows obsessed with addressing their machismoism and consuming the hottest pepper fruit they could get their hands on. His digestive system had a rough enough time contending with his rampant alcoholism. He was glad it would be something easy on his jaws too. In his age he has become envious of the sorts who regularly munch down on still raw crustaceans and shuck clams with their jaws alone, of course that was only the gaudiest of Ocean Zora who showed off such skill. River Zora were too proud and used stones and knives like giant, annoying otters. He made his way too the door, reaching up to brush his gloved hands through his hair.
Door, the bloody door frame. That was what Nex walked into as his head turned to face Farrah with such a snap you would have thought him an owl. The crunching sound of his shoulder hitting into the wooden frame caused him to double over, mostly from the surprise as he leaned against it for moral support. Emotional support. It was his support for the moment as he held against it, acting as if he had simply tripped, which was more common than you think. He was, quite literally, a fish out of water most of the time. Getting Nex to walk in a straight line was harder than getting him to name ever bar he has ever had a fight in.
He raised his hand to his chest, mostly because his shoulder hurt, but definitely trying to keep his heart from wrenching out of his ribs. "W-what?" he bubbled a bit, reaching that hand up to wipe the corners of his mouth.
He thought he was foaming, but he wasn't. It just felt like he was having a heart attack, They say Zora at his age were prone to overstimulation and were known to just unexpectedly foam and embarrass themselves but he was sure that was a lie Pan made up and he was shitty for believing it, even if for a moment. Why would she want another? Well not that he minded but it was also something super intimate and wasn't once enough? Did he have that type of commitment deep in his icy heart? No definitely not ice. He was going to puke and he was relatively sober. His expression seemed to sink as he sulked against the wall.
"....cause..." He murmured at first. "Cause if I didn't I thought you'd leave me!" He seemed to raise his voice and realized. He shrunk down into his robes, tucking his hands into his pockets. "I had this bad nightmare sometimes that if I didn't kiss you if you'd ever ask you'd leave me...." Albeit with all of his shit stolen and in the middle of the ocean, but those were unresolved issues with his mother of no concern to Farrah.
He huffed and made his way to the dining area to settle down so he could eat. "W..." He fiddled with the spoon. "We can kiss again if you want, but I don't think I'm good at that kinda stuff." When he said that he reached up to rub the paralyzed side of his face. He was pretty self conscious about it. "I don't move real normal."
Farrah Abad ● 561 ● He wants to be a good kisser but he's a guppy!
Nex had a difficult time falling asleep without the rain. When he was young his mother would carry him up near the surface of the ocean on rainy nights near the lagoon so he could hear the rainfall. It was always a comforting memory that he had once scorned and yet when he pained most it was the first memory seeking to soothe him. It did not rain in the desert and the sweltering heat made him yearn for the sea, yet he was committed to his path because he had been coming this way to trade for years now, but as a result he would lose days and weeks of sleep because it rarely rained in the desert and was always freezing at night whereas the ocean was always warm... Laying on that bed had sunk him into its warmth and drew him back into a peaceful state of him he only had when it rained.
Sleeping light simply came with one's environment and the ocean was a dangerous place, the river having its own risks. One had to be ready to jump in the saddle and ride away. Yet Farrah's place was quite cozy. It was obnoxiously pink like her and many of the scents were familiar ones. It smelled like her. His spine felt light as his hands became heavy against his chest and he soon found himself drifting away. His body allowed it because despite his complaints of the contrary Farrah wouldn't purposely abscond with his goods and leave him for dead in the middle of the road. Despite his accusations, despite his wanting to not believe there were any left in this world to care for him...
He could almost recall the song he heard on the river that day. That girl with a hole in her bucket.... But for some reason he could not. Faint notes became more distant and replaced with the soft hums Farrah was wont to do when they sometimes rode together. It was dreadfully grating on such long trips, yet he never hushed her or bequeathed her to stop. Why was that? Well, stupid, he berated himself.
You like her.
He felt something hovering over him, his lips curling back as if to put his monstrous fangs on display: but the native sneer was simply a result of his squinting features as he tried to force his tired eyes open. She was hovering dangerously close to his face, his brows pinched down in his usual scowl. His heart was racing as his mind roused. The words she spoke crawled through his ears, causing the back of his head to itch. Was that a threat? One could nearly see him bristling like a cat set forth by a vicious hound. But what was this kind of play? He was the shark! He was the predator! He also smelled food. His pupils focused, well the one did, as his gaze fully focused on her face, her lips in his peripheral.
"What?" What the hell indeed. "Who the hell do you think I am?" What was he some contrarian?!
He had already been through this nightmare! It was a dream he often had that he relinquished his sanity to on the rare full moon. Farrah would hover over him and demand such a thing and he could not give such a costly reward! The dreams often ended with him naked on a surfboard in the middle of the sea, absconded of all his material goods and without any shade upon his back. Perhaps that was his subconsciousness' recompense for his cowardly withdrawal. No way!
"What?" He barked again. "No way!" He reached up in an attempt to grab her shoulder to pull himself into a sitting position. Whether she held her own as he pulled up or she was pulled down by the surprise of his sudden, uncoordinated movements, he moved so that he could glare right into her face. He parted his jaws once more, a complaint at the tip of it before he pushed forward to take action over her threat and kiss the girl.
It seemed like something straight out of a dream, or in Nex's case a nightmare. Everytime he said no he would end up alone in the middle of the ocean. So if opportunity wanted to be an asshat he would grab it by the stones and drawn in his own incompetence. It wasn't as if he could not love, he merely feared the repercussions of it.
Unable to hold himself up from the sheer hunger the idiot fell onto his back and wheezed. "Hungry though." The kiss was short, but it was there, it wasn't the crazies! "What did you make?" He rolled over to stagger himself out of the bed. "Honestly I didn't know you could cook!" He was sure they'd both starve out in the wilds since he mostly ate dried fish and jellied squid.
He stood and looked to Farrah, waiting for her to answer.
Nex has quite a large family unit. Obnoxiously large, contentiously extended. When he was young his family has been everything to him, but as he grew he began to see the lengths each one had taken to disadvantage the other and how the depths of their blood was tainted by rupees. Their gain was so absolute that even when the Zora sought to relate to fries his age he would find them coiled and twisted in the greed bound to his ancestors by the priority of survival amidst the increasing population of Hylian and Human encroaching on their environment. Merchants, after all, owned the land. It was in such that they became distant from their corrupted ways of attacking travelers and territorial disputes that broke out over shrinking patches of river. The family unit has become the sole operators of their land and this the more family one had: the more riches and river, River Zora could claim for themselves. And thus the child became a tool of the transference of power than the pride of lineage.
Nex's mother was a Sea Zora. Their mentality stretched as deep as its depths. They had many cultures and many considerations amongst their clans and with enough space their empires rose as markers of pride built upon the blood of hierarchy. While neither seemed preferable Next had been much attached to his mother's ways. Thus with the cunning of a River Zora and the ancient knowledge of the Sea: Nex carried himself to the land his ancestors had had and began to slowly build his empire. To succeed where his father had failed.
He would push to stand, being sure to slide the chair back in. His face was sunken, expression drawn down by a mostly depressed system of muscles which could no longer draw up the right side of his face. His fangs peeked out from his lips, mouth parting as a questioning 'huh', rumbled from his throat. Canting his head as he adjusted his soggy roves he would nod.
His soppy hair, still drenched from his earlier escapades in Maude's tub, curtained over his forehead and stuck to his cheeks giving him the look of a wandering vagabond. "Yeah...?" He looks akin to those fabled demonic creatures which took the shape of men in order to lure the unsuspecting to lake or bog in where their guise would wash away like rain before they were dragged down as the gnashing teeth of a horse clamped down onto their arm before they were dragged into the abyss where it would consume the liver of their prey. "Sure I'll look at it." His tone made the response sound noncommittal but he could have easily said no, and little stopped him from such, before wandering off.
But, if nothing else, Next was polite and acted like the guest in the house he was, save for tracking water everywhere but letting a Zora who preferred to maintain his moisture levels into your house, well you were asking for it to rain indoors. Agreeing the Zora turned on his heel and moved to follow the blunt-eared human. When she suddenly came to a stop he would nearly rumble back to prevent bumping into her. He didn't want her to react instinctively and break his rib or something. The very thought caused him to raise his hand to his side and rub at his torso, grumbling as she moved passed him.
Had she forgotten something?
He watched her vanish around a corner, curiosity diminished by his anxiety. His hands tucked into his pockets as he pushed his feet into his boots, which he properly left at the door. He let out a sound, quite a strange sound, when Maude placed the hat on his head. Reaching up his gloved finger tips touched against the dried straw which had been woven into a suitable cover. Normally Nex just wore his hood pulled over his head, though that did nothing to protect his eyes from the brutal rays and he did eventually dry out. Opening his fang filled mouth the fish would gasp out at the strange display of concern. He slouched and tucked his hands into his pocket before he followed Maude out. He kind of liked the hat, but it was still quite strange. Why would she share something so meaningful with him?! Was she out to get him?! He grumbled and followed her out.
"Honestly I didn't think you actually farmed. Figured you just pay others to do the work for you." He assured, but was he teasing her? It was quite likely. "So what is this big product you have?" He was interested to see what it was, if it kept him outside in his brilliant new hat.