Quest 01 (Open)

[newmemorywhodis]

i. Flotsam: Scouting from the sails
In any new place, Link's first instinct is always to go up. Get high, get somewhere he can see, and then paraglide to the next point of interest. Well, with no paraglider, he couldn't do the last part. But he could do the rest.

So Link will just casually climb up the mast of whatever ship he happens to be on. If there's a ladder, he'll use it. But if there isn't, he'll find a way to scamper up anyway. From there, he'll perch on the edge of the sails, looking out over the armada of ships that make up the Flotsam.

And if you don't spot him when it's up or - or feel like braving the heights to join him - well, he's gotta come down sometime. He might drop down next to you.

ii. Flotsam: Floating markets
Link can't afford anything here, but already he loves this place.

He's already mentally making a long list of things he wants to buy - that wickedly long spear! That exotic spice! The weird glowing rock that would probably be useful somehow! But it's the clothes shops that Link ends up spending the most time in. Something with a bit of protection would be best, but he can't help but also be drawn to some more decorative options. Like that nice flowy white blouse, that reminds him of the Gerudo style...

iii. Flotsam and/or the Vault: Sword practice
On the deck of one of the ships - or sometimes in the Vault's armoury, if he's feeling like a change of scenery - Link finds runs through a sequence of sword forms. They're smooth and practiced, leaving no openings or visible weaknesses in form. It's clear from the way he moves that these movements have been ingrained over many, many years.

When the sequence comes to an end, he lists up his sword and looks at it. It's not the Sword that Seals the Darkness. It's not even comparable to most of his other weapons. But it's serviceable enough. Link can fight with a stick if he has to - he can certainly make do with this.

Comments

[newmemorywhodis]

Alas, the compliment to the shirt just makes Link sigh. Because it is nice, but Link can't afford to buy it.

"No money," he says.

Though Id might be able to guess what Link had spent his precious funds on instead. Because on Link's back is a new sword and longbow. Link might want a new fancy wardrobe, but getting weapons has been the priority.

[fray]

For his part, Id has a greatsword strapped to his back, so it seems to him they have similar priorities. Improvising weapons can be useful, but it's far preferable to have something they can rely on in a pitched battle.

"Hm. Planning ahead doesn't hurt," he offers, though it may not be of much comfort. In all honesty, he'd given little consideration to fashion, but it probably would help them to blend in. "Could compare prices for later, too."

He'd observed members of the crew doing that back home. Shopping around, they'd called it.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link makes a soft sound of agreement. Id's not wrong - he does at least have a better idea of how much things cost, now that he's come here. Not just for the blouse, but other clothes as well - Link was going to need a few things.

He looks back at Id then, an inquisitive look on his face. "Are you looking?"

Was Id here to do the same thing?

[fray]

"Yeah, something like that." Id's here to browse, just not for clothing on this day. He's so accustomed to dressing as a soldier that anything else isn't quite natural to him, but he probably should learn.

They'll stand out less if they look like those around them, for one thing. Being better dressed makes them look less like servants.

For now, though, his purpose is something else. "Wanted to help the guy cooking our meals. See what can be gathered. I'm...not an expert with that sort of thing, but he said there's books." He also said one of the other groups was likely to have them, but if books exist, they must also be sold, right?

[newmemorywhodis]

Link straightens, as the blouse is practically tossed back onto the rack. Nevermind clothes; Id's just brought up a far more interesting option.

"Recipe books?" They were hard to find these days, in Hyrule. Many of them had been lost in the Calamity. There's a reason why much of what Link knew about cooking was learned from trial and error. But if he had recipe books...

[fray]

Id observes the way the shirt's tossed aside, surprised for a flicker of a moment before he remembers. That's right, Link really likes food. Really, really likes food. "I was thinking foraging guides... But they're related, right? Could find them in the same place."

Besides, he'd been hoping to get Link's input on how to go about collecting ingredients. Their first job together gave him the firm impression that Link is the right guy to ask about that sort of thing... And come to think of it, he'd probably be interested in keeping their supplies up, right?

"I don't know much about cooking, myself," Id admits what would become all too obvious with time.

[newmemorywhodis]

"You can find lots of ingredients in the wild," he says, nodding. Id was right: foraging was good or cooking. He tilts his head to one side, thinking. "Maybe...you want a compendium?"

Except, he doesn't know the word compendium in the local language. He's picked up a fair amount, but not that particular piece of lexicon. So he just says the Hyrulean word. Maybe Id can figure it out from context.

[fray]

Whatever that word was, it's decidedly foreign to him. Id isn't quite sure what it is, not with any degree of certainty, but it must be related to the subject at hand. Maybe it's a certain kind of book?

"If you see that uh..." Id visibly hesitates, he absolutely thinks he's not going to get it right, and he heavily debates trying before deciding it's not worth butchering Link's language. "One of those, maybe you can point it out to me."

Though considering they're both using a language that isn't their native one... They might benefit from learning some of each others'. It'd be like speaking in code, so far as the locals are concerned, wouldn't it?

For now, he points to a row of stalls some distance away. "Someone told me a merchant carries books somewhere over there."

[newmemorywhodis]

Right. So they had to find a bookseller, and then find a compendium - and a recipe book. Link had no way of paying for either of those things, but that was a problem to figure out later.

For now, he nods, and starts thinking about how to solve Task One: finding the book merchant.

He looks over to where Id pointed, before jumping up on top of several crates stacked on top of each other to get a better look. Apparently, he has found success - because Link nods to himself, before jumping back down and turning to Id.

"This way," he says, before running off.

[fray]

Link turns a few heads, but luckily for them, most people are occupied with their own business. Id mentally notes the guy will find higher vantage points when he needs them and hastens to follow, weaving his way through the crowd as best he can. Sometimes, looking nigh-perpetually intense avails him, and this is such a time.

Still, he has to hurry to keep sight of Link amidst all the people buzzing between vendors. The guy really covers ground fast, doesn't he? It's just like that time they were tasked with gathering leaves and mushrooms for...whatever it was they were used for. Not Id's department.

Eventually he catches up to Link, but only when he's reached their destination. "You're not much for walking, huh?" The comment is merely that, lacking for any criticism. Id's fairly sure if he ran full tilt he'd wind up slamming into someone along the way. "...They've definitely got books."

[newmemorywhodis]

These aren't the first weird looks Link's gotten. They won't be the last. He ignores them, and focuses on charging ahead.

Fortunately, Link does at least glance back occasionally to make sure Id is following. And then he shrugs. Walking is slow.

And then, he looks out at the stall. Or boat, really: this one looks to be a small ship docked to the side of the market, filled entirely with books.

"Yup," Link says. They do, indeed, have books.

[fray]

"Hopefully that means they've got something we can use." Id doesn't seem concerned about money at this very moment, and there's a reason for that. Not one he elaborates on at present, bending to look at a book that has plants drawn on its front cover and along its spine.

Only when the merchant looks directly at him and makes no effort to stop him does he actually pick it up to leaf through the contents. Gardening. Not quite what he was hoping for, so he gently sets it back into place.

One down, many to go. "Haven't seen this many outside a library before..." He muses as he selects another book to peruse, low voice thoughtful. Lilith had quite a few books, mostly concerned with subjects that were beyond him.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link hums softly in response, faintly wistful. Not so much for himself - Link is more of an occasional reader - but for Zelda. She'd love seeing all these books. She'd spend hours and hours here, wanting to take a big stack home with her...

But Zelda isn't here, Id is. So Link gets to work, scanning the spines until he finds something useful. Which...is where Link realises they might have a problem.

"...Can you read them?" he asks, after staring blankly at the titles on the spines of the books. None of which he can read. Link might have picked up much of the spoken language by now, but he's barely learnt anything when it comes to the written one.

[fray]

"Yeah. I'm better at reading than talking," Id pauses and answers without hesitation, believing it's entirely true. He's not a confident conversationalist in his own native language though, so it isn't a very high bar to clear. "Spent my downtime learning."

Being assigned as a guard had a few advantages, among which was a rigidly set schedule. It meant Id could plan time to study, and his literacy was deemed useful enough to permit, if not promote. That allowed him to read instructions and missives without assistance.

And he wasn't exactly shy about borrowing what was available at the time.

"What about you?" It seems polite to ask, rather than assume, even if the dubious way Link looked at the spines suggests a clear answer.

[newmemorywhodis]

Downtime? Link hadn't ever had much of that. They'd always kept a close eye on him, because he'd managed to get away at first. And honestly, Link just hadn't actually made much of an effort to learn the written language. It just...hadn't been a priority.

And now he was surrounded by books, and he couldn't read any of them. Not even the recipes.

There's a long silence, as Link stares at the spines which don't mean anything to him.

"...I can't."

[fray]

Id's own attempt at escape failed, yet his ability earned him some distinction...and some scars for good measure. That was assuredly meant to deter him, but what curbed further attempts was the thought of others facing similar correction when they tried.

Now here they are, perusing books. The normalcy of it almost feels surreal, but there's nothing for it but to press on. Id considers Link's reply with a thoughtful frown. Link had seemed so interested in the prospect of a recipe book, the idea he wouldn't be able to use it seems a shame.

"...Would you want a hand with it? I was thinking about asking you for some pointers anyway, so..." He trails off, unsure whether he ought to call it a fair trade or something else. Phrasing aside, being able to offer something useful in return is preferable to asking something for nothing.

So Id reasons, despite being that guy who will do something for nothing.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link looks at Id, feeling a faint flicker of hope.

"...You'd read the recipes for me?" When they found the recipes, that is. But at least if someone else did read them out for Link, he write them down himself, in Hylian. That's what he'd done for most recipes he knew anyway.

[fray]

"Sure I would, if you want." Id may have been thinking he could help Link learn to read if he was interested, but the guy could probably do that himself if he wanted to. Saving him some time in the immediate future's easy enough to do, and recipes shouldn't be hard to read.

He picks up another book, as they've still got to find recipes first. "I made some money doing odd jobs, so we just need to find it."

[newmemorywhodis]

"Thank you," Link says. And then he nods, turning with full focus back to the task once more - finding recipes.

He can't read the titles, so that makes things a little hard. But he knows what recipes should look like; knows how they're usually structured. So even if he can't read the words, he might still be able to make a good guess.

And there's the covers, as well - so he focuses on anything that looks like it might have something like food. Any book that looks likely, he opens it up to get a look inside.

Finally, he finds one that he thinks has recipes - which he brings back to Id, looking at him with a questioning look. Has Link gotten it right?

[fray]

If there's one thing Id's learned about Link, aside from how food is extremely important, it's that the guy dives right into tasks. He'd seen it with gathering and he sees it here too, as Link comes up with a find before he does.

What Id had found instead was apparently a whole pile of romance novels. Not what he's in the market for, and he sets another down just as Link returns with something else. He turns promptly to read the title. "Hm. Bread & Cake: from Savory to Sweet. The bit underneath says it's different dishes you can make with those, so... Definitely a recipe book."

Thick as it is, there must be a broad variety of recipes in there. Id's never thought about creative uses for bread, so it's news to him.

[newmemorywhodis]

Bread! And cakes! Link's eyes widen.

Yes, he's definitely keen to try those. He gazes at the book with renewed interest.

And then hops back to where it found it, looking back at Id as he gestures towards the shelf.

"It was here," he says. Maybe there are others in the same place?

[fray]

Id trails after him to peer at the bookshelf. Sure enough, there's a wealth of books on the subject of cooking. "...Yep, more recipe books." So many more than he might have anticipated, in fact, considering where they are. "Still want to find something that'd tell us what's safe to gather here, but I can get us a couple of these."

He phrases it that way because while he may not fancy himself a cook, he's keeping in mind that he'll be the reader.

Id skims over the array of spines, then pulls out one he thinks would be particularly useful on Flotsom. After flipping through a few pages and seeing colorful drawn illustrations of several dishes, he offers it over for Link's inspection. "This one's seafood, how's it look?"

[newmemorywhodis]

Well, Link can't read any of it. So he can't really tell how good it is. But he glances through it all the same.

"Pictures are nice," he offers. "Ingredients are probably easier." Because for seafood, they could just go looking off the side of the boat for much of them. But Link didn't yet know how easy it would be to find the things cakes and bread needed, like flour.

[fray]

It seems the thing to do, Id reasons. Letting Link weigh in on something he'll ultimately get the use out of feels right to him, even if it's only based on what kind of dishes are included. "That's true. Never been fishing, but we're out at sea." All the time at that, from what he understands.

"That first one mentioned crab, even," he mentions as he glances over the selection again. Some titles repeat, others reference fine dining, which is probably beyond their means. "This one's breakfast foods, this one's some regional stuff I think? More fish, baking, this is soups, stews, and...whatever chili is..."

As Id reads each title and summarizes, he taps the books accordingly so Link can know which is which. Since the guy said he didn't have a particular favorite, it seems like the simplest way to let him decide what he'd prioritize.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link stares intently at each one, as if by looking at it hard enough he will magically develop the ability to understand them. Which one to get?

"Seafood book," he says after a few moment's deliberation. The rest sounded interesting, and Link wanted them too...but if he had to pick one, the seafood book was what they'd get the most use out of.