She was a fool to think she'd be allowed to. How could she when her mind was racing like it was?
It was being awfully reckless, too. With running around the way it was, one would think that it would be careful of metaphorical crashes. Running into metaphorical walls or getting stuck in metaphorical- no, literal bad places. But it wasn't. It was going a mile a minute and it was going in the complete wrong direction.
Her mind took the implication that she killed the few people she liked and ran with it. Things that had nothing to do with it suddenly had everything to do with it, and she was stupid for not having noticed them before now. She realized her own isolation was a good thing, and she never should have strayed, and had managed to even convince herself that this was unfortunate because she liked having friends.
It was both true and untrue, because she did like the friend she had, she just couldn't fathom having multiple that expected things of her. Then again, they clearly wouldn't get the chance to expect things from her, because she ended up killing them.
Zelda herself had done so much for Tya though…
On top of being world's most antisocial bitch, Tya had difficulties doing a lot of things she needed to do. Eating, for instance. She'd forget for days at a time. Bathing. Brushing her hair. Getting out of bed at all. And while Zelda's bossiness wasn't for everyone, anxiety often won out against depression because she knew if she didn't do something, her well intentioned friend was going to come and make her do it anyway. It was a motivational thing, in an odd way. To have Zelda there ready to scold her, because then it was a race to see if she could make her proud instead.
She hadn't by any means cured Tya. All of Tya's problems remained, but she helped, and she was gentle with her even if it didn't always seem it. That was part of what had driven Tya from her bed that night. The fact that even when she was the most difficult in not wanting to do a damn thing aside from sleep, Zelda had dragged her out and saved her from withering away in her bed.
And now Zelda was potentially off withering away beneath the clouds or some outcrop or somewhere that wasn't here.
She couldn't stay inside for the night, that much was clear to her. She'd stripped off her dress in favor of something more compliant with the flight she'd take immediately upon being provided enough light to do so, and grabbed her sailcloth once again. Securing it like the shawl she often used it as, she darted out again.
The only thing Tya could think to do, was go for the goddess statue. It was where she was waiting, it was where Link returned. They'd clearly been somewhere around it, so maybe it was the best place for them to land after whatever catastrophe had gotten them to this point. It was a walk, that was for sure, and it would be a dangerous one at that, but Tya was quiet and moving. There were hostile creatures about, most of which flying overhead, and while they did get dangerously close to nipping at her, their temper was combated by fear that made them flee from the big thing they were trying to attack. She only needed to swipe at them a little to show them who was boss. She ended up with a few cuts on her arms but that was far from unusual.
Unlike the ones she inflicted on herself, she might need to clean these, though.
It was as Tya neared the walkway up to the statue that she realized she wasn't alone, and not in the same way she'd been 'not alone' throughout the walk. Something else, something bigger, something far more friendly. Link, actually.
He was awake and he was heading in the same direction she was. It was strange to find someone else braving the night, but Zelda was just as much his friend as she was hers, so it came as little surprise that he wouldn't be able to sit still and hope for the best.
For the first second after seeing him, she thought to call out to him and get his attention so they could at least do whatever they were going to do together. The joint effort might help.
But then her suspicion spiked as, instead of going to the main clearing before the colossal statue, he dipped to the side, hanging close to one of many walls in disrepair around the statue.
Misplaced paranoia aided her in abandoning her current quest to go… She didn't know. Probably stand at the edge of land and mourn? It was probably better this way, but through the suspicion she couldn't parse this fact. All she could do was wonder what Link could be doing and why he could be doing it.
Her mind was admittedly unfair. It seemed to have been that way all day, with how quick she was to hope Link had been abandoned earlier. It was quick to jump to the conclusion that Zelda's disappearance was clearly his fault and he was off to do something that involved it right now.
Her evidence?
There was none.
At the very least, Link was smarter than her in the fact that he'd thought to bring a weapon along. Yes, her fire in itself was a weapon, but she had only the most basic control over it and had never actually been in a fight that warranted the use of it. But tonight was becoming more and more about reckless stupidity and a regrettable lack of forethought. And riding that same train of thought, she followed him at a distance.
One of few positive things that came inherently to Tya, was the fact that she was very quiet. It didn't always serve her well, because at work especially, she wound up spooking people that didn't hear her approach and thus forced an apology she was too impatient to give and didn't at all mean. But in this particular case, it was very helpful.
That was up until Link had to pull himself up onto a ledge- something he did with ease, but Tya, not so much.
She grimaced at the short cliff that was a few inches over her own height. Her hesitation turned out to be for the best, at least at first, because after a few steps forward, there was the very distinct growl of a remlit. She froze, glancing back to be sure it wasn't her that was about to get mauled. And while it was a relief, she really dreaded the fact that those poor creatures had such a temper that could get them hurt.
Jutting rocks served as her anchoring points to hoist herself up. It was a struggle, but she managed it just in time to hear the squeak that indicated the remlit was subdued. Unfortunate, but needed. As Link continued on, Tya passed by, fighting down her urge to check and be sure it was alright lest it wake and turn it's hostility on her. She didn't see any blood at least, and that was all she could use as consolation as she hurried to follow after Link again. This pathway was murderous on the girl apparently, and from the distance she followed him, she couldn't help a touch of jealousy over watching Link topple each obstacle with ease. The next that brought her pause was a jump from this side of the land to the next, and she did not have faith in herself to land it like Link just had. She watched as he effortlessly leapt from one piece of land, back to a higher point on the mainland, and let out a huff at the fact that she was going to be required to try this twice. Or maybe just the once, because she somehow felt she was going to see Zelda sooner rather than later just with the first attempt.
Maybe that would be for the best… Perhaps if she fell beneath the clouds too, she could survive and search for Zelda in what little time she had left.
To her partial dismay, she made it, but not without scraping her hands and knees up in the process. She mouthed out an annoyed 'ow' as she grimaced at her bloodied palms, but that was not the worst part of the situation at hand. Once again, she forced to pause, but this time, it was something a touch more unnerving than the creatures of the night. This time, it was by a flicker of blue that Link seemed to have his eyes on. Hope needlessly sparked but was quickly snuffed out by the realization that what she saw was cloth rather than feathers. It was bright for a moment, like a flourish of a dress before it disappeared.
She stopped and stood.
She could go back, yes.
She probably should go back.
She very much did not want to go forward, that was for sure.
The thing that Link was following was... Well... It's grace was aided by the way it hovered over the ground rather than walked, and it was, at least from her view, elusive and hoping to be followed. If that wasn't 'cliche urban legend luring prey in' material, she didn't know what was.
She didn't know a lot about ghosts.
She really didn't want to start now, to be entirely honest. The concept of something unseen or- in this case- barely seen, was jarring. Uncomfortable, felt suffocating like something could so easily find its way into her body and control her. She didn't like that idea.
But there were now numerous things in her head- a fortunate yet unfortunate distraction from her worries over Zelda, though not by far.
Was this what they had been following earlier? Was this what had caused the problems of the day? Why was Link here following it now?
There were more, but her curiosity was easily spurred, kicking her body into action before her mind could say no. She followed a few steps, froze, tried to fight herself, tried to go back but followed a few more, and that was all it took to cement this decision. The sight of passageway opening up, one she'd never seen before, allowed all of her curiosity to overcome her. Ghost or not, she couldn't give that up, and thus rushed to dip into the doorway. She had no idea whether or not it would close behind them, but she knew god(ess)damn well she wasn't about to chance it and find out.
She slipped into the doorway, back to the wall, and held her breath with anticipation to be caught. But Link was distracted, and she took that chance to instead hide behind pillars that circled the room.
The inside of the goddess statue… she hadn't expected it to be hollow. She really didn't know what she'd thought; she never really had thought about it. But generally sculptures started out as slabs of stone, did they not? How did someone even carve out the entire interior of something so massive without risking the integrity of the structure? It was amazing, and what was more amazing was the door that had opened. In her rush, she didn't really take it into consideration, but now inside, she realized that it hadn't opened but disappeared.
And now here she stood after following a boy and a ghost into an ever revered statue. This was marginally more interesting than a textbook.
...Maybe she was high.
The thought that she was either inebriated or asleep while wildly inaccurate, was once again becoming preference. It was a matter of being overwhelmed again. If she had to choose between social overstimulation and this, she would have chosen this ten times over, but that didn't mean she could handle it.
There was so much to look at.
The walls were carved with such a beautifully admirable intricacy. The bottoms of the pillars were etched with Hylian design- old, old Hylian design. Even the floors… It was all stone and yet none of it melded together in a way that was boring. It was all striking in different ways from each corner to the very center.
A circle was made in Hylian design, and the stone there was polished. Time had lessened its shine, but in comparison to the matte stone outside of its border, it almost looked like water. In the center was a pedestal, and from that pedestal, was a sword. A sword that she so desperately wanted to examine.
The beauty of the blade was blocked from view by a flurry of blue and purple fabric. The aura of magic pressed on Tya like static on her skin, and she watched as it shimmered on the air around a growing form. It faded out, leaving behind the form of a woman, her metallic skin hued by rows of torches that ignited in her presence.
She didn't seem so ghostly then, not when Tya was looking directly at her. Unsettling still, though perhaps that was due to the etchings of a face she had though her features were dull and creaseless, unused, expressionless.
She balanced herself on billowing material, the wind keeping her afloat present only around her, it seemed. And as she hovered, attention on Link, she spoke with a voice hollow and breathless- a sound contained and echoing distantly off the metal of her body: "I have been waiting for you…"