"On Two Pasts and an Apple"
Dreyza
"What in the world is that?" I asked.
Tiki turned, munching the fried fruit-like thing in her hand. "Mmm?"*
I decided to repeat myself, this time pointing to her snack. "I said, what in the world is that?"
Tiki swallowed, wincing only slightly. "Oh, this?" She held up the buttered arch of fried fruit. "It's a piece of fried apple. The vendor over at the square was kind enough to give me some."
Oh, man… I thought as I gazed upon this still-steaming delicacy-on-a-stick. That looks pretty good…
In fact, I almost didn't here my own stomach go Grrrrrwwwwl!
Tiki laughed lightly. "Here, would you like one?" she asked, holding out the small basket in her other hand.
Blushing, I nodded. "Thanks." Taking a skewered apple slice, I bit in—and almost instantly recoiled. "Ah! Hot!"
"You have to blow on it first, Dreyza."
"O-Oh, okay…" Hufffff… Hufffff… Crunch! "…Mmm!"
Aside of the apple (duh), fried bits, and butter that flowed over my tongue and down my throat, there was this strange new taste—something that, according to Vaire, comes from the bark of a certain tree…
I swallowed. "Am I tasting cinnamon in there?"
Tiki nodded. "A fitting spice for this treat, is it not?" the manakete asked.
"Mmm… Maybe I'll have one more," I decided. "…Once I finish this one, of course." Hufffff… Hufffff… Munch, munch, munch…
I guess I looked a little silly, eating a fried apple like that, since Tiki chuckled at the sight of me.
"What?" I asked.
"O-Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that you remind me of an individual I once encountered in Marth's time."
I frowned. "What kind of 'individual'?"
"Well, the memories of that person aren't that clear anymore, but I know that they, like you, carried a metal contraption on their left wrist. They also only appeared during Marth's struggles, and left once they were over."
Metal contraption. I smiled. Blu had mentioned how wierd the names people kept coming up with were, especially for ZeroDrives.
And the struggles of the Hero-King Marth, eh? Only one guy I know who may have run into him.
That's what went through my head ad I Mmm-ed thoughtfully. "Well…maybe you can ask Bluefield about that. He and his colleagues were around waaaaay longer than we are."
"Really? What about you? How long have you acted as a Zero?"
"'bout two years now. Funny thing is, that's about when my friends and I first met big bro."
Tiki tilted her head. "Really? Were you and your brother separated at birth?"**
"No, it's…way more convoluted than that," I said. "But I know more about what happened to us then, and we've put it behind us, more or less. Doesn't mean I'm ready to talk about it yet."
Tiki nodded, understanding. I guess some painful things happened to her, as well. "Ah. Then I won't force you to tell me."
"Thanks," I nodded. Sometimes, I'm grateful that people will respect my privacy. "Now, onto my second apple…" Hufffff, hufffff… Munch!
With that, we continued our walk through town, voices babbling and murmuring like a river around us.
* I'm pretty sure it's rude for the Voice of Naga to talk with her mouth full. Though, maybe it applies to Zeros, too? Not sure. —D
** That definitely wasn't how it happened. Not if the interrogations we conducted on the perps are true. —Burna