A Troubled Soldier 01

[theriflespiral]

I: Delivery to Elysium
Elysium-the-city was far larger than Natalia had first assumed. Not that this was a problem for her-- a day or two among the rooftops, and she would know this place as well as anyone who lived here.

For now, though, she was momentarily relying on a map she kept carefully tucked away, and an address on a box with a memorized order form (and countersign, and counter-countersign, easily handwaved).

Being a delivery girl was hardly a novel cover, but it was precisely because such things were ubiquitous that it was easy to slip into the role as she came around the service entrance. Add perhaps a touch of bitter expression at the cold-- she didn't even have to try for that one-- and things would, hopefully, work just fine.


II: Blames Her Tools (Vault)
Natalia, after spending the better part of a day hitting targets from as extreme a range as the Vault could afford, was now overhauling her rifle, first cleaning the inside of the barrel with a cloth and a cleaning rod, and then disassembling it, screw by painstaking screw.

The casings were drying on a separate cloth nearby, with the scent of soap and water, waiting for an oven to finish getting up to the proper temperature.

It took up an entire gunsmith's bench, between the disassembly and the casings waiting for annealing and rolling and fitting and loading, but there was something to it. A peace, in an artisan's craft.

She looked at the tool rack above her and clicked her tongue.

She would have to go hunting for that particular tool.

Okay. Smooth hair. Stand properly. Act like you're supposed to be here.

Time to go among the other workbenches. Or workshops, if she had to.


III: Wildcard
Bug Natalia because she looks suspicious or because you need something.

Comments

[theriflespiral]

"... As you say, then, Link. Regardless, I'm sure it has proven useful." And then, only adding to how awkward both of them are, she hastily adds, "Natalia Koutolika."

"I... Apologize, for offending you."

[newmemorywhodis]

"Not offended," Link says. Just because a few of her assumptions weren't quite on the mark, didn't mean he minded them. If anything, the sheer amount she'd been able to deduce was impressive.

Maybe Link shouldn't have tried to correct her.

Or maybe he just shouldn't have told her; words were never Link's strong suit. And for as much as she's been able to observe, she doesn't have all the facts about what Link can do.

Not yet, anyway.

"...You know melee weapons?" he asks.

[theriflespiral]

"I am well-versed in several," Natalia says, "Though I have mostly focused lately on sharpshooting. I could give you the list, or, I could go see what's available and pick one to my liking."

In truth, she hasn't used the long-spear or quarterstaff lately, and her pugil practice has been pretty rare so far; while she's confident in her ability in them, if it was for the highest level she would likely have to resort to the two-weapon short sword and knife style she'd been improvising. Still, she could give just about anything a go once she understood its spacing and principle.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods, and then walks over to the nearby rack of weapons. He doesn't ask for a list - she can pick whatever she likes from what's available.

Strangely though, Link does not choose to draw the weapon on his back; a Sword with a purple hilt shaped like two wings, a yellow gem embedded in the centre. He leaves this blade untouched, and instead picks a wooden club.

This is a demonstration, not a fight with an enemy. He doesn't want a weapon that would cause real damage.

[theriflespiral]

Of all things, she grabs the curved wooden blade, most like an officer's sabre or naval cutlass. She takes a moment to pace it, view it fully extended, turn and twist its motions in her hand. She hums. "It will do."

Then she selects a much shorter stick for her left hand in the same way... Before pausing and putting it back. "No. Not quite."

A free hand might be useful. Or she might be setting herself up for failure.

She handles it firmly, like the tool designed to sever someone from their life that it pretends to be, and keeps most of her profile behind the blade, turning her head to look Link in the eyes.

She salutes with the blade, returning easily to the guard position.

[newmemorywhodis]

Pulling his shield from his back, Link returns her salute with a nod. Shifts his feet into a ready stance, and faces her.

He makes no moves to attack her first. What he does do however, is watch her very closely. For what he wants to show her, getting the timing right is everything. But for that, he's going to need to learn how she moves.

He's going to need her to strike at him.

[theriflespiral]

Opponent is armed with a decently long sword and shield. You are armed with a cutlass, a shorter chopping weapon intended for use on the tight quarters of a ship's deck, and a free hand. As expected of sword and shield, they are likely about to attempt to beat or parry your weapon off-line and strike; therefore, the approach is...

The first few attempts are-- to Natalia-- obvious feints, intended to judge more carefully Link's spacing and what he considers a good place to use a shield bash.

When it becomes obvious that he's not going to rise to the bait-- that she'll have to commit-- she aims for a lunging mid-line strike that suddenly sinks down towards the thigh, aiming for-- if these were real blades-- a desperately nasty leg-cut.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link's shield is up, but he uses it solely to block and defend. In another place and time, another battle, he might choose a more aggressive approach.

As she makes her strike, he doesn't block at all - but still he doesn't return an attack. Instead he dodges, hopping one side to let her weapon slide past. And he watches - taking note of the movements that telegraph her attack, the distance she can strike, the speed with which she moves. And most importantly, he watches for the right moment within her movements - the moment that's the perfect time to strike back.

Next time, he'll be able to find that moment. So for now he remains on the defensive, waiting for that moment to come.

[theriflespiral]

Defensive! Trying to maintain better spacing for longer reach, Natalia mis-reads. But...

She pivots easier than Link can side-hop, and, instead of going for the forward leg, this time she charges in to full contact, using her empty hand to try and pull away his shield arm and her shorter reach to better defend against the counter-attack in close quarters. If she can get hold of the shield, she can get past it by controlling the shield-arm... Though it means her own awkward defense of her free hand and shoulders.

[newmemorywhodis]

Well, that's not what Link needs.

And he doesn't need to lose his shield either, so while she grabs at his shield, he pulls it back - while striking out with the club towards her free hand. Then he leaps back, practically somersaulting away until he can continue to circle around her at a distance.

At least he's seen her charge now. He's still learning how she fights, what he needs to watch for…

[theriflespiral]

The parry is difficult and awkward, trying to defeat the strike from his left with the wooden cutlass in her right hand. She has to interpose the 'blade' across the center line, and while she does manage it, she has to take two steps back to get properly back into stance.

Now she's feinting and striking more regularly, getting the measure of his spacing and trying to bait attacks. Thankfully, with her shorter reach, she has to be aggressive, or she knows damned well he'll just use his greater reach to slowly pick away at her.

[newmemorywhodis]

Turns out she's not quite right; he's not going to slowly pick away at her at all.

Because by this point, he's had a chance to get to know a bit about how she moves, how she fights. Not exceptionally well, but enough for what he needs. As she strikes, he continues to dodge and hop and avoid her strikes - until she makes one strike that she's repeated a few times now. And this time, Link manages to dodge at just the right moment.

And then suddenly, for just a moment he's moving impossibly fast.

It's just like what happened before, when he was falling through the air. But now he's on the ground, and it's with the club that he strikes. He lands an entire sequence of hits, all within what can't be more than seconds.

And then at the end he hops back. Pauses. And says: "See? Not for assassination."

[theriflespiral]

To her credit, she does manage to parry one, two, but by the third strike her cutlass just cannot keep up with the onslaught, and she hasn't the time to step back. The full force gets her at chest, back, shoulder...

"That's... My loss," Natalia says, not betraying any of the pain on her face. Still... "It's impressive. Using the moment of recovery on a missed strike to have the time to activate the technique... That would have been multiple deep cuts."

[newmemorywhodis]

There was a reason Link had chosen to fight with a club rather than a bladed weapon; he knew exactly how much damage he could do. And he hadn't hit at full strength - but neither had he completely pulled his punches. She was a warrior, like him; he wouldn't disrespect her by treating her like she couldn't handle a hit.

Now, he nods. Yes, with a bladed weapon - and against a true enemy - this particular technique could do some serious damage. Not only had he won battles with it, there had been times when it had turned around a fight entirely.

Then, he reaches into the small pack at his side, and pulls out a honeyed apple. He holds it out towards her. She might not be showing her pain on her face, but Link can make an educated guess regardless. And hey, food always makes him feel better.

[theriflespiral]

Is... is that a roasted apple coated in honey? She's not entirely sure she can take that level of sweetness, and she's not entirely sure how Link is handling it without getting honey all over his hands.

Not only that, is it-- it's still warm? How in--!?

How did any of this make sense?

No. No, she was going to figure this out if it killed her. Even Ether clearly had reasonable, understandable laws for how it interacted with the world, just as ki and psychic powers did, and the idea that this was just a special exception was clearly ridiculous.

But... To do that...

She was going to have to eat it, wasn't she?

She was going to have to find a way to eat this without making a mess of her hands. "... Thank you."

Okay. Okay. All she had to do was be careful. Open the pouch with her mess kit, jab the entire thing with a fork, and treat it like a candy apple. She'd heard of them before! She'd never gotten to eat one, but she'd sure heard of them!

"... I have... Never had one of these before," she managed to admit, before biting into it.

... Softer than she expected.

[newmemorywhodis]

Strictly speaking, it might be Ether - but it wasn't Ether as it appeared naturally in this world. It was Ether replicating abilities that came from Link's home.

And even in Hyrule, no one really had an explanation for how korok enchantments worked. Why the strict limit of weapon and shield slots, but a practically unlimited amount of apples? How did meat exist inside for months without rotting? Why was dancing necessary for improving the enchantment? Link had no idea. He didn't question it; he just used it.

(Zelda had had more than a few rants on the subject, however.)

Besides, right now Link cares much more about the fact that Natalia has never had a honeyed apple. Until now, his expression has been largely blank-faced - but when he finds out he's introducing her to a new recipe, he brightens. Looks at her with keen expectation. Does she like it?

[theriflespiral]

The first thing she'd noticed, after the texture, was the contrast in sweetness between the apple and the honey. The honey sort of hit you in the face with how sweet it was, and had scents related to the flowers that had been pollinated; while the apple itself was mellower, with a hint of savory and none of the tartness she had thought to expect at first.

Weren't most apples tart? Ah, but the roasting itself probably broke down the acids in the apple... It's very different than the hard candies she got from Ilphyl on Flotsom.

Slowly she managed to swallow it down, still not quite sure what to say, but at the same time genuinely grateful for the food.

Not that the rest of the Corsairs starved her; rather she hadn't set up a proper schedule and there was always more to do.

It... Was a food, to be sure.

It was also wildly different from anything she'd had. "It's... Very sweet. Other than that... I am. Unsure."

[newmemorywhodis]

Oh.

She doesn't like it?

Link...deflates. Just a little.

He also starts pulling out several other foods from his pack, apparently determined to find something that she does like. In short order, he pulls out: some sauteed nuts, glazed vegetables, a mushroom risotto, a meat-stuffed pumpkin, a seafood paella, an apple pie, and a cheesecake.

All of these are placed on top of one of the nearby crates, before Link looks back at Natalia. Surely she must like at least one of these?

[theriflespiral]

"It's... Not bad, but... I..." Oh God, how to put this.

oh no

Oh no that's too much. Now she knows why mother warned her about elves, in a world where they did not exist. "That-- it is--"

"I definitely cannot eat all of that, though I understand your nerves--" It clicks. Oh God. She does. She does understand. "-- Your nerves. You are. Nervous around people."

Suddenly, the taciturn nature transformed itself in her mind. "Like. Me, in some ways. I... Also have difficulty expressing myself. Knowing what I feel, never mind putting it into words."

"So when this isn't... the best thing I have ever tasted, you worry I despise it. Which. I do not. I have had to eat far worse. As, I imagine, have you."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link stops. Blinks. Nervous? He's not nervous, is he? He just...doesn't really like to talk all that much.

(Although then Link thinks of a time over a hundred years ago, when the expectations of other people had felt like a constant pressure pushing down on him. When he'd been so concerned about saying something wrong, that might make people worried, that he ended up never saying anything at all. When words felt like something forever stuck in his throat.)

Link's ear twitches, as he looks away for a moment. He feels oddly...seen, in a way that isn't exactly comfortable.

Then he makes a soft noise of agreement; yes, he has had far worse. Many a dubious meal has Link cooked and eaten in his time. But he still wants to be able to give her something she likes...and he never actually intended for her to eat all the food. So he reaches down to lightly touch one of the plates, and says, "...Pick one?"

[theriflespiral]

"..." Ah, yes. Picking one. ... Well. The one that would be most familiar is the paella, and, sure enough, the taste of fish is... Grounding. She sits on the crate as she eats, this time with more gusto.

"My..." ... She couldn't really call them her 'parents'. She didn't really remember them anymore, but she knew they weren't the fishers from Kamchatka known as the Koutolikas now. Those fishers had planned to escape, to where she wasn't sure. "My handlers were fishers, before we and most of the fishing village we were in was..."

She tapped at her neck, where friction and electric shock had discolored it in a band. "... For some reason, the Empire did not care about this. They seemed to think they knew something we did not. About the village. I think perhaps about me."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link brightens a little then, when she picks one. He then selects the apple pie for himself, before shoving the rest back into his pack. Apparently, Link just walks around with a veritable collection of fully cooked meals on him at all times.

But his expression turns more solemn, as she begins to talk.

"You still like fish?" he asks. "Even though the Empire..."

Link trails off. She didn't name specifics, but whatever they were, he's sure they weren't pleasant. They all know what the Empire does to people.

[theriflespiral]

"What, you think they had us fish? Tcheh." She shook her head. "No, we were more useful farming dirt and potatoes and onion on some far-flung floating island. Who cares about ocean, yes?"

She eats slowly, stirring the paella as she talks. "And despite that, they weren't bad little peasants, my handlers. But everyone in village, they spent much time concealing who and what we really were."

"... I think maybe our noble, he found out, because he wanted to 'see our skill for himself'." She scoffed again. "Of course my handlers pick me for the very first hunt.

"I'm sure you can imagine what happened to noble and his hunting party then."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link blinks. He must have missed something in her explanation; he'd thought she'd said the Empire had put her in a fishing village. He's silent for a long moment, trying to piece things together. Read between the lines, and understand.

(He misses Zelda. Zelda was always better at talking to people. She knew what questions to ask, how to make them feel at ease. And then Link could just hang back, and listen, without being expected to help the conversation continue.)

"Your village was hiding Outlanders?" he says slowly. "The nobles didn't know?"

[theriflespiral]

"My village were all Outlanders. Many of us from same fishing village back home, in Siberia. We seemed human enough, didn't look or act unusual. They didn't know..." She paused. How much could she say? "Didn't know what we didn't tell them. So. Treat us like particularly expendable serf. Gift to go with bad joke of far-flung island.

"Anyway. Too late now. It's been months, Empire probably burned the place when I had the audacity to win, and taxes stopped coming." She mechanically shoved the rest of the paella in.