Och, haven't done this in quite the long while. not at all in this story, I
don't think. bad thing there, me droogs. Zelda's not mine, but Danté,
Lumille, Tulo, Mayaw. all of them are. So you can just adore my bum for it.
***
The rocks by the beach had never seemed colder to Danté as he sat, nibbling at one of the small fish he had stolen from his mother's cupboards. The glowing orange sky brought out the silhouette of the Zora Hall beautifully as Danté gazed numbly. He had not even said goodbye to her. He had not said goodbye to anyone... no one, except his Uncle Japas.
Japas had simply been staring at the stage of the Zora Hall when Danté had finally found him. They had sat on the small balcony overlooking the hall for over an hour, talking quietly, neither one saying what they really wanted to. Japas and Danté both knew just how much they meant to the other. When Danté finally stood to begin packing his few belongings, Japas stood and hugged him tightly without saying a word. Danté had thought that would be the last time they ever met.
He had been just about to swim out of the Hall, small pack in hand, when he was proven wrong as he heard a call from behind him. He had turned to see Japas running towards him, with... Danté's eyes were wide. Japas running towards him, with Danté's guitar in hand. Japas had skidded to a stop, panting as he leaned on his knee with one hand, holding the guitar out to him in the other. Danté stared a moment, then took it silently, fighting back tears. He hadn't taken it with him at first because the guitar was really his Uncle's - Danté had just been borrowing it as he saved for his own. Danté had always felt something swell inside him when he played that guitar, because his mother had told him it was a very special gift from one of Japas' best friends years and years ago... and now Japas was giving it to him. Danté had choked out a quiet 'thank-you', and Japas had looked up from his panting to give him a small wink. Danté had turned and left without another word... he had known that if he stayed a moment longer, he would never have been able to leave.
Now Danté sat on the rocks, his small dinner finished, still gazing at his old home as the sky deepened in colour. He did not relish the idea of sleeping on the sand, as there was the danger of Like Likes and Leevers. He looked around, trying to find any sort of shelter for the night. He saw nothing. Standing, he decided to look further down the beach, to see if anything came up. As he walked, he saw two Zora removing clay pots from small stone pillars. He walked quickly toward them.
'Excuse me, do... you...' Only after he had begun to speak did he remember his exile.
One of the Zora straightened from his packing.
'Yes?' When he recognized Danté, he smiled. 'Oh, Danté! Good to see you, lad!' He clapped Danté on the back, and Danté recognized him as Tulo, one of the few Zora he was on rather good terms with. Danté knew that when Tulo returned to the hall that night, all that would change forever.
'You too!' said Danté, in a falsely cheerful tone. He cleared his throat, and tried to sound more natural. 'Tell me, Tulo, what's all this?' He asked, indicating the clay pots with a vague wave of his arm.
'Oh, this is a little game Mayaw and I have been running for a while now. We were reading some old books a while back, and turns out this game was huge maybe 20 years ago. Some guy was really good at it... won every time... what was his name again, Mayaw?'
His wife looked up from her packing and frowned.
'I can't believe you don't know yet, Tulo.' She said, shaking her head. 'But then again, it was only the guitarist from the best Zora band in over a century... you know, nothing huge.'
The Zora scowled at her husband and returned to her packing. Danté glanced down and saw a shimmer of - his heart skipped - silver, purple, red, blue, yellow... The shimmer of money. He looked back at Tulo when he began to speak.
'Sorry, sorry. Geez, honey, lighten up.' He turned back to Danté. 'It was... Niko or Mikaw or something like that... you know, guitarist for the Idio-Dos or whatever.' He said carelessly, shrugging.
'No, no, NO!!' bellowed Mayaw, moving at Tulo. 'How many times have I told you?? Mikau from the Indigo-gos!! Don't you ever listen??'
As she continued her serenade, Tulo made a face at Danté over Mayaw's shoulder.
'Uhm, uh, so what's the game, Mayaw?' asked Danté, to spare Tulo any more beating.
'...and you KNOW I love them, you could at least TRY to... hm?' She turned to Danté. 'Oh! Well, you stand here - ' She shuffled Danté over in front of the centre pillar - 'get your fins ready for firing and shoot them! You have to try to break all the pots with one shot. If you win, you get 100 rupees! Well, 90 since the player has to pay for the broken pots.'
She smiled happily, and poked his ribs.
'Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, try!'
Danté then saw that while his wife had been speaking, Tulo had unpacked and placed a round of pots. He grinned.
Danté knew he needed this. He needed money to live, and he didn't know how long it would be until he got another opportunity like this. He crossed his arms, and took aim, one eye closed. When he was sure it was aligned properly, he let go and prayed. He didn't have 10 rupees to pay for the pots if he lost.
Next he knew, his fins were back and 90 rupees were being pressed into his hands, Tulo and Mayaw clapping and laughing their congratulations.
What he didn't know was that he had another audience... an audience of five redheads, all dressed in purple, with veils, spears, and a thirst for treasures none could quench.
***
All Danté saw was a flash of steel and the swish of a veil before full darkness surrounded him. He struggled to breathe as a rope was tied around his neck, sealing the rough bag around his head. As his arms thrashed, thin but callused fingers clamped around his ankles and he felt rough rope binding them together. The same happened to his wrists moments afterward. Next he knew, smooth wood was pressing against his back and he could hear water splashing all around him. He cried out through the cloth gag tied around his mouth. He had barely begun his second cry before he felt something blunt and hard collide with the side of his head. After that, all he knew was darkness.
***
'Good job, girls. 90 rupees. An excellent catch. I suppose he was in the Spider House?'
'Yes, Aveil. That fisherman got us another one.'
Silence for a moment.
'He truly has been invaluable to us...'
'...Miss... Miss Aveil, don't you think it's time we, well... you know...'
'We rewarded him, Lumille?' The voice had a slight edge to it.
'Well... well, yes, Aveil. That's seven he's gotten us now, and gold knows how much... well, it's not in his business of fishing to do this sort of thing normally, you know that.'
Silence again, longer this time.
'... I know.' A throat being cleared. 'Send three of your best girls to him tonight. I don't care who it is, just as long as they let him have his way with them. If he's not satisfied tomorrow morning, I'll send you to him for a fortnight, Lumille.' More edge to the voice that time.
'Y-yes, Aveil. Right away.'
Scurrying footsteps. A sigh.
Danté squinted as he sat up. His head throbbed. He inspected the sore with his fingers and found he had a lump there the size of an egg. He groaned. As he moved to stand, images suddenly flashed through his mind. The fisherman's hut. André... his name was André. André giving him a small meal by firelight. André leading him to the Spider House, letting him stay there for the night. Then he slept. Then... Danté's heart was pounding. Then he was taken. The sack on his head, the ropes, the wood, the water...
Danté realised he was in a clean but drab, perfectly square room. The walls were plain grey steel, and he realised there was a window behind him. A barred window. Danté looked apprehensively down through the bars. What lay beneath him confirmed his deepest fears.
Lush carpets covered one end of the room. Piles of gold and jewels littered the floor, with decorations of wood carvings and feathers adorning the walls and ceilings. The whole room gave off an aura of wealth, power and intimidation, but it was nothing compared to the fear its inhabitants instilled in Danté.
Five gerudo pirate guards patrolled about the room, all dressed in the same uniform : purple clothes, veils, spears. Only one woman in the room was different... her hair was longer and better taken care of, her clothes were blood red, and she seemed to be wearing double the wealth in the whole room on her ears and fingers alone. She lay, staring into space on a lush red loveseat that sat at the head of the room. Danté knew who she must be -- Aveil, the one he had just heard commanding the guard called Lumille. He knew she must be the leader of the pirates.
She terrified him more than any creature of the night could.
***
The rocks by the beach had never seemed colder to Danté as he sat, nibbling at one of the small fish he had stolen from his mother's cupboards. The glowing orange sky brought out the silhouette of the Zora Hall beautifully as Danté gazed numbly. He had not even said goodbye to her. He had not said goodbye to anyone... no one, except his Uncle Japas.
Japas had simply been staring at the stage of the Zora Hall when Danté had finally found him. They had sat on the small balcony overlooking the hall for over an hour, talking quietly, neither one saying what they really wanted to. Japas and Danté both knew just how much they meant to the other. When Danté finally stood to begin packing his few belongings, Japas stood and hugged him tightly without saying a word. Danté had thought that would be the last time they ever met.
He had been just about to swim out of the Hall, small pack in hand, when he was proven wrong as he heard a call from behind him. He had turned to see Japas running towards him, with... Danté's eyes were wide. Japas running towards him, with Danté's guitar in hand. Japas had skidded to a stop, panting as he leaned on his knee with one hand, holding the guitar out to him in the other. Danté stared a moment, then took it silently, fighting back tears. He hadn't taken it with him at first because the guitar was really his Uncle's - Danté had just been borrowing it as he saved for his own. Danté had always felt something swell inside him when he played that guitar, because his mother had told him it was a very special gift from one of Japas' best friends years and years ago... and now Japas was giving it to him. Danté had choked out a quiet 'thank-you', and Japas had looked up from his panting to give him a small wink. Danté had turned and left without another word... he had known that if he stayed a moment longer, he would never have been able to leave.
Now Danté sat on the rocks, his small dinner finished, still gazing at his old home as the sky deepened in colour. He did not relish the idea of sleeping on the sand, as there was the danger of Like Likes and Leevers. He looked around, trying to find any sort of shelter for the night. He saw nothing. Standing, he decided to look further down the beach, to see if anything came up. As he walked, he saw two Zora removing clay pots from small stone pillars. He walked quickly toward them.
'Excuse me, do... you...' Only after he had begun to speak did he remember his exile.
One of the Zora straightened from his packing.
'Yes?' When he recognized Danté, he smiled. 'Oh, Danté! Good to see you, lad!' He clapped Danté on the back, and Danté recognized him as Tulo, one of the few Zora he was on rather good terms with. Danté knew that when Tulo returned to the hall that night, all that would change forever.
'You too!' said Danté, in a falsely cheerful tone. He cleared his throat, and tried to sound more natural. 'Tell me, Tulo, what's all this?' He asked, indicating the clay pots with a vague wave of his arm.
'Oh, this is a little game Mayaw and I have been running for a while now. We were reading some old books a while back, and turns out this game was huge maybe 20 years ago. Some guy was really good at it... won every time... what was his name again, Mayaw?'
His wife looked up from her packing and frowned.
'I can't believe you don't know yet, Tulo.' She said, shaking her head. 'But then again, it was only the guitarist from the best Zora band in over a century... you know, nothing huge.'
The Zora scowled at her husband and returned to her packing. Danté glanced down and saw a shimmer of - his heart skipped - silver, purple, red, blue, yellow... The shimmer of money. He looked back at Tulo when he began to speak.
'Sorry, sorry. Geez, honey, lighten up.' He turned back to Danté. 'It was... Niko or Mikaw or something like that... you know, guitarist for the Idio-Dos or whatever.' He said carelessly, shrugging.
'No, no, NO!!' bellowed Mayaw, moving at Tulo. 'How many times have I told you?? Mikau from the Indigo-gos!! Don't you ever listen??'
As she continued her serenade, Tulo made a face at Danté over Mayaw's shoulder.
'Uhm, uh, so what's the game, Mayaw?' asked Danté, to spare Tulo any more beating.
'...and you KNOW I love them, you could at least TRY to... hm?' She turned to Danté. 'Oh! Well, you stand here - ' She shuffled Danté over in front of the centre pillar - 'get your fins ready for firing and shoot them! You have to try to break all the pots with one shot. If you win, you get 100 rupees! Well, 90 since the player has to pay for the broken pots.'
She smiled happily, and poked his ribs.
'Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, try!'
Danté then saw that while his wife had been speaking, Tulo had unpacked and placed a round of pots. He grinned.
Danté knew he needed this. He needed money to live, and he didn't know how long it would be until he got another opportunity like this. He crossed his arms, and took aim, one eye closed. When he was sure it was aligned properly, he let go and prayed. He didn't have 10 rupees to pay for the pots if he lost.
Next he knew, his fins were back and 90 rupees were being pressed into his hands, Tulo and Mayaw clapping and laughing their congratulations.
What he didn't know was that he had another audience... an audience of five redheads, all dressed in purple, with veils, spears, and a thirst for treasures none could quench.
***
All Danté saw was a flash of steel and the swish of a veil before full darkness surrounded him. He struggled to breathe as a rope was tied around his neck, sealing the rough bag around his head. As his arms thrashed, thin but callused fingers clamped around his ankles and he felt rough rope binding them together. The same happened to his wrists moments afterward. Next he knew, smooth wood was pressing against his back and he could hear water splashing all around him. He cried out through the cloth gag tied around his mouth. He had barely begun his second cry before he felt something blunt and hard collide with the side of his head. After that, all he knew was darkness.
***
'Good job, girls. 90 rupees. An excellent catch. I suppose he was in the Spider House?'
'Yes, Aveil. That fisherman got us another one.'
Silence for a moment.
'He truly has been invaluable to us...'
'...Miss... Miss Aveil, don't you think it's time we, well... you know...'
'We rewarded him, Lumille?' The voice had a slight edge to it.
'Well... well, yes, Aveil. That's seven he's gotten us now, and gold knows how much... well, it's not in his business of fishing to do this sort of thing normally, you know that.'
Silence again, longer this time.
'... I know.' A throat being cleared. 'Send three of your best girls to him tonight. I don't care who it is, just as long as they let him have his way with them. If he's not satisfied tomorrow morning, I'll send you to him for a fortnight, Lumille.' More edge to the voice that time.
'Y-yes, Aveil. Right away.'
Scurrying footsteps. A sigh.
Danté squinted as he sat up. His head throbbed. He inspected the sore with his fingers and found he had a lump there the size of an egg. He groaned. As he moved to stand, images suddenly flashed through his mind. The fisherman's hut. André... his name was André. André giving him a small meal by firelight. André leading him to the Spider House, letting him stay there for the night. Then he slept. Then... Danté's heart was pounding. Then he was taken. The sack on his head, the ropes, the wood, the water...
Danté realised he was in a clean but drab, perfectly square room. The walls were plain grey steel, and he realised there was a window behind him. A barred window. Danté looked apprehensively down through the bars. What lay beneath him confirmed his deepest fears.
Lush carpets covered one end of the room. Piles of gold and jewels littered the floor, with decorations of wood carvings and feathers adorning the walls and ceilings. The whole room gave off an aura of wealth, power and intimidation, but it was nothing compared to the fear its inhabitants instilled in Danté.
Five gerudo pirate guards patrolled about the room, all dressed in the same uniform : purple clothes, veils, spears. Only one woman in the room was different... her hair was longer and better taken care of, her clothes were blood red, and she seemed to be wearing double the wealth in the whole room on her ears and fingers alone. She lay, staring into space on a lush red loveseat that sat at the head of the room. Danté knew who she must be -- Aveil, the one he had just heard commanding the guard called Lumille. He knew she must be the leader of the pirates.
She terrified him more than any creature of the night could.