( closed-ish ) tawol athodu

[lucubrates]

Who: BOTW Zelda, Nier, some CR
When: Mareuer 7th
Where: The coven, Zelda's cabin
What: Bonding, knighting, Ser Nier
Warnings: n/a right now but I'll update if necessary!



X

prompts will be in top levels to keep things organized and easy to follow!

Comments

OPEN

[lucubrates]

[ She's nothing if not punctual, so Zelda keeps things to a schedule to allow for an easy, enjoyable time. She does decide, ultimately, that if Nier is going to bond with her and his word is true— in order to help rebuild Hyrule, he will need some sway with a title. It's one that she feels, for nostalgia's sake, should be a celebration, and so she does send out small invitations. Shy as she is, she's still Hyrule's crown princess, and while her cabin lacks the pomp of the castle, it is still her home.

As far as a knighting ceremony goes, it's quiet, with less focus on a sword and more on Zelda reciting things from memory with her hand held out. Anyone who attends is asked to sit outside a circle, because this, too, is her own sort of bonding ceremony.

Once that's over, you're free to ask questions, rifle through her things (she has an embarrassing journal to read!) and there's probably a dead shade some odd feet away deep in the woods to poke. Mostly, she'll be thanking people for attending: These are meant to be celebrations, after all. ]

[arturiarex]

[ Saber finds the cabin very pleasant. Its not a castle or a palace, but it doesn't need to be. It feels as if suits Zelda and suits the situation. More than anything, Saber's pleased to be there for the ceremony. It's a bit different from the knighting ceremon she performed a hundred times, but it still tugs at her heartstrings a little. Echoes of home, recreated and transformed in this new place.

She actually has a bit of a smile on her face when she approaches Zelda after all is said and done. ]

That was well-done. And now you have a knight.

i'm sorry zelda

[mensrea]

[ At some point after the ceremony, he makes an excuse to Jonas and inconspicuously slips away from the celebration to investigate the cabin. Why? Because Stiles is a nosy little shit who just can’t help himself, that’s why. And so, he wanders from room to room with aimless intent. While he doesn’t go through drawers, he otherwise has no sense of shame; when he spots the journal, his eyes light up in delight. Jackpot. If it’s unlocked, Stiles will waste no time in skimming the entries. If it is locked, he’ll attempt to pick it without leaving any evidence of his misdeed behind. ]

please... never apologize

[lucubrates]

[ She really should have expected this, or prepared for it. Wayward heroes with self-doubt coloring their spirits have a habit of prying into her private thoughts, and this is no different— the diary in question is unlocked, if only because she rarely let people into her abode. Stiles' curiosity is rewarded with pages upon pages of her thoughts and notes, scribbles of a flower in the margins. Really, the girl should look into bullet journaling.

Of note, there's a fair few entries about Nier— unsurprising, in truth.

"I met a man called Nier last night. He is a vampire, and prefers to feed on animals over people, it seems. I found him in the act of feeding and he seemed as if he were cold; I removed my coat and offered it to him. The winter chill is still here, the ice sticking to the grass in the mornings... I realize now, that since he is a vampire, the act was ultimately useless. He saved my life, but refused to let me go home. He seemed a horrible brute, picking me up and carrying me all the way to his apartment where he refused to let me go without a good night's rest... I suppose I cannot blame him for showing concern, as I have no idea how long the Shade had been stalking me. If it had followed me all the way to my cabin, not only is my security quite vulnerable, but my magic has all but gone from me. Is it strange to think of someone as both a savior and captor? Yet, it is what it is. I only regret contacting Jonas so suddenly in the night. I fear letting him worry too much about me, there is a great deal of danger in my life... Both behind me and before me."

The entries about him seem to follow a similar pattern, though it seems Zelda had thought for some time that the man named Nier hated her. There's a few things of quick note that may stick out.

"I had thought he hated me, but he promised to rebuild Hyrule with me. He had at once claimed that it mattered not to him that I am the Princess of Hyrule, and only that I am myself... Now that I am accepting this role, the Gods have allowed me to meet someone who seems me as someone who can be my own. How strange and cruel to hear these things now..."

"I find myself seeking his company quite easily now, the discomfort having ebbed away as quickly as it came. He does not speak at length of himself but the things he does say are insightful and easy to connect into a grander picture. At his heart, Nier is someone who will always take care of others before himself... I wish to see that change, if only to support him myself. If that is something he will permit me to do, then I would do it gladly."

Of course, as Stiles knows, that has come to fruition with a bonding.

But there's mentions of him and Jonas, too, quite at length— it seems the princess has a great deal of fondness for the two of them. A scribble of a spider crawls across one page, and beneath it sits a paragraph.

"Though I know little of Stiles' truth, he is easy to be around and I find myself growing more and more relaxed in his presence. His kindness is oft brusque in a way. I fear he is trying to keep me at a distance, but I shall learn more about him in silence, if I must. If our shared dream comes to pass, he shall manifest as an Arachne. I fear for his changes, but he is not weak. Perhaps I trust him too much or too little, but there is no in between... He reminds me a great deal of Revali, but he has the spirit of a hero. I know this for he trusted me with that bat pup...

But above all else, he is someone I wish to be a friend to, and to know. His mysteries may be deep, but of all the people in Aefenglom, in Hyrule... Stiles is one of the few people I believe I can find common ground with. As if I, too, can simply make friends with someone."

A shorter paragraph notes, "His name isn't Stiles, apparently. How mysterious! I imagine he does not do this on purpose. He insist there isn't anything grand about him but... In truth, he reminds me a bit of Link... not in mannerism or speech, but it seems as if something is over his head. Perhaps some day he shall share what is in his heart with me. As a friend to him, it is my greatest wish to see him smile with a light heart..."

At length, his name and Nier come up the most, as well as Jonas'. In fact, the first entry that mentions him is quite to the point:

"It is not that making friends was impossible for me, but that as the Princess of Hyrule, living in the castle did not always lend easily to it. Jonas is the first person I have met that is been a friend to me because of myself... because of Zelda. The difference between his treatment of me and many others' upon finding out who I am is quite easy to notice... It is both a comforting feeling and yet it highlights the chasm between myself and others, one that I wish to cross with more confidence. I spent some time with him taking pictures, something that others in Hyrule did not have much fondness for. Having a shared hobby certainly helps."

But another paragraph, shortly after the entire Thing involving a Shade notes yet again, "It is curious that I found myself contacting him so easily and quickly... I shall make it up to him soon, in any way that I can. Perhaps some personalized clothing. I am used to embroidering my family's crest into such things but in this instance I must consider what he might like. I wonder who I could ask that?"

One last entry sticks out, if he noticed the woman who looks strikingly similar to Zelda. "My ancestor and I shall be before all these friends I have tomorrow. I wish only for people to view us as two separate people... I wish not to sully her great accomplishments with my failures, and it would be a shame to tarnish the Hyrule family name here. In Aefenglom, I only need say what is necessary...

To the people I have told the truth, I wish it does not burden you as it does me. I worry that she is disappointed in me. Her victory ruined by my own actions..."

This morning's entry?

A drawing of the same flower. Next to the journal, he'll find the live version of that flower, potted. ]

[mensrea]

[ It’s a rare occurrence for Stiles to actually feel any semblance of guilt over snooping. Today, the earnest and sincere words throughout these journal entries have him cringing with shame. He doesn’t trust easily, has formed a dark, resigned, and cynical view of the world and its people after experiencing hell. Yet he finds himself questioning those views now after having read sentiments this pure. Fuck. Stiles flinches back the burn of tears, embarrassed by his reaction, and takes out his own notebook. There’s no way he can pretend he didn’t read these entries, convenient though it would be. The need to…to respond somehow, even if it earns him her censure, has him hurriedly writing down in his notebook, a page that he then tears out and slides into her journal. After, wiping at his face, he returns the journal to where he found it and exits the room.

When next Zelda opens her journal, she’ll find that slip of paper. On it is a drawing of a spider holding out a flower that looks suspiciously like the potted one. Below that is simply a name, the first time he’s given it to anyone in Aefenglom. “Mieczysław Stiles Stilinski.” ]

[unyieldingmarch]

[This sort of...ceremony...is a little odd to Edelgard, given her own bonds...but then she isn't bonded to any knights. And has grown up in a very different way. She settles in silently, watching and waiting, not saying a word to anyone.

What she does do is approach after it's all over is get up and approach Zelda with a small parcel under her arm.]

Congratulations seem to be in order, Zelda.

[coherer]

(stiles ditched him to take the longest dump of all time, apparently, so jonas lingers out of the way in something incrementally more classed up. marie antoinette has an eye for fashion, and he couldn't exactly put down her ideas. because he's a fucking pushover.

zelda finds her way to him, prompting jonas to look away from a weird, weathered painting. points to it, pulling a face.)

Nice. (emphasizing the gaudy frame with a rap of a knuckle, before turning to her altogether and approaching with an immediate extension of his hand to proffer a shake.) Thanks for the invite. That was like, the coolest ritual I've ever seen performed. All the others have been weirdly satanic. My alchemy professor's a bit "off."

(if she's open to shaking his hand, he's turning it into a gentle pull. time for a hug from this oversized loser.)

Seriously. Congrats.

[sageprincess]

[It's a little surreal, if she's being honest. Even outside of the fact that this is her millenia-removed descendant she's watching, and that they look even more like mirror images when they're both clad is Hyrulean blue.

It's been so long since she's attended anything like this. The cadence of her descendant's words is familiar as she recites oaths and vows that sound so well practiced, but she likely wouldn't be able to repeat them if she were asked to do so, so far removed she has been from the pomp and circumstance of courtly life. Her mind wanders to a million different little things as the ceremony progresses, but she ensures they are kept all to herself, quiet and intent as she observes.

She doesn't approach her immediately after all is said and done; she allows the various friends she's so quickly made to have their chances first and keeps herself back, not wanting to risk taking anything away from those who this celebration is truly about. Only once the majority have had their turn at the princess' ear does she step forward.]

That was a lovely ceremony.

[Not... that she has much to compare it to, but she does seem genuine in her approval. It was quiet and meaningful, and that's more than enough, here and now.]