His sleep was short and dreamless.
Cana awoke the next morning to the feeling of Loftwing down on his back. He sighed, almost mistaking the soft feathers for his bed in his semi-conscious state. The light stung as it flooded his groggy eyes, squinted to protect themselves as he shifted up and off the bird. The world around him started to take shape… this was an islet, Skyloft's distinct silhouette plainly lit by the rising sun. "Hey boy, you holding up?" he looked down at his Loftwing, who was just pushing itself back onto its feet and shaking the stiffness of its joints. "Of course, you can't tell me," Cana responded to the silence, giving his arms a good stretch. The bird then tilted its head forward and expanded its wings, mirroring its master and feathers revealing the strong updraft; perfect for a day of flying.
Only then did the weight of day's event hit him again, swiftly dampening his mood. With a depressed sigh he remounted his Loftwing. Digging his legs deep in for flight, Cana let out a quick click and thrust his heel into his bird's side, driving it forward and soaring into the open sky. Flying was a bit of a difficult sensation to describe, especially on a Loftwing, but Cana took to it better than most. His hair flying back as he moved through the air, like short wisps of black smoke. That's what he liked best, feeling his hair try to blow away, and it was well worth the occasional breath of cloud-dust, and on any other day would have downright enjoyable. But today Skyloft approached far too quickly, the people below taking on distinct shapes and going about what was clearly more than their daily routines. Cana lead his Loftwing to the diving platform around the plaza by pulling gently at its neck, wings pumping closer to his face as the bird let itself down.
"Good boy," his fingers stroked the underside of the mount's neck, lightly rubbing the downier feathers there as his feet settled back into the feeling of having solid ground beneath him. The latent connection between Loftwing and master probed at his mind, silently informing him the creature enjoyed his affection before watching the noble beast return to the air, a pulse of air blowing past his face as it flapped away.
For the moment the plaza remained mostly empty, though Groose and his pair of lackeys where hanging around a low standing wall ; joking amongst themselves like friends do. They didn't bother to look as Cana passed by, trying to focus his eyes on the trees as he stewed in his own thoughts. The air smelled earthy, a sign that the pumpkin harvest was coming soon, the heart flowers and stamina fruit already in bloom. A perfect day just to take a walk he thought relaxingly, wandering up the river shore. A cluster of gossiping housewives hogged the bridge and incessantly chattering. He wandered past the Bazaar, the normally vibrant building closed up for the Ceremony. He even took a short trip up towards the Academy, Instructor Horwelle playing with a small Remlit. The Academy itself loomed oppressively over him, but second the The Goddess's statue In the hearts of the city. He gave the build a wistful yet slightly pained look as he tried to pass as quickly as possible, one hand on his hips the other hanging loosely. Yet before he he pass the sound of wood thudding to the floor came from the sparing hall, causing him to stop just long enough to catch...
"Ehem," somebody cleared their throat just off to the side. Cana turned his head to catch the source of the sound.
"Hello Karane," he tossed out passively, recognizing her presence. "Can I help you?"
Smiling innocently, Karane shifted her stance, the breeze blowing up the hem of her tunic slightly betraying her sassy intentions. "Actually, there is. I'm glad to see somebody finally noticed. " For a moment, there was silence, the two just looking at each other with Horwell cooing to Mia in the background.
"Oh," the insinuation of her tone and the look in her eyes finally dawning on him. He drew one of the great wooden doors open, catching the slight bob of fiery hair as Karane nodded. He motioned towards the door, watching the schoolgirl walk before stopping at the opening to give her a wide smile.
"That's so chiv…" she managed to stop herself; biting her tongue mid-word. "Gentlemanly of you. Certainly more than some people who passed today." She did look a bit bitter as she emphasized the word, matching Cana's expression at her miststep.
The door stayed open, neither of them moving until Cana decided to break the awkward silence. "I don't mean to pry, but shouldn't you be down in the plaza?" He inquired, his free hand smoothing out the light wrinkles in his longshirt. "The Ceremony should be starting pretty soon. I can't imagine you'd want to miss it" There was another conversation going on down by the sparring hall, but Cana couldn't see who it was. One of the voices sounded a bit like Pipit's, but he couldn't bet sure.
"You'd think so, but there's been a bit of an issue with Link's Loftwing. The exam has been delayed until its solved. Looks like he's working on it right now, in fact." Cana could see the older girl looking over his shoulder, seeing something he coulden't. Straightening her back, she walked into the building looking as though she haden't been inconvenienced at all. "If you can though, you really should try to catch the Ceremony when it does happen. Its quite a show of knighthood they put on out there."
Though she showed no outward sign of realizing her mistake, he didn't give her a chance to correct herself. "Perhaps I will," his voice growing flat and emotionless as he suppressed a frustration flaring up inside. "I suppose I need something to get a bit excitement in my life." With that the door closed as he continued on his way, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Acadamy as possible.
On his way back to the plaza Cana finally managed subdued that anger; forcing it down with a few deep breaths, but still it smoldered. For what seemed like the umpteenth time he mumbled to himself in defeat, "Why in the sky. Just when I think I can get away there it is... " Passing the river once again, the women having broken up their gaggle, he speed walked over the bridge, trying to pass by the people mulling, excited crowd without drawing attention. However, he did notice at least one person who wasen't part of the spectators; sprinting towards the caves just across the lake. Hopefully they remembered to take a weapon, Cana silently wishing him luck as he reflexively rubbed his thigh. It's dangerous to go into the caves alone.
In the darkness of the Chamber of the Goddess, a soft cerulean light pulsed into existence. It cast a glow over the room, barely enough to illuminate the world behyond the pedestal that was its source, but the entity inside diden't care. Optics was but one of dozens of the sensors she was equip with; the others easily picking up the slack during this brief flicker into awareness. Calmly, free of the burden of will, the instructions and thoughts flowed effortless through her brain.
Chronological trigger 001 engaged the entity thought to itself as its senses slowly starting to take in the world around it; sight covered in a thin sheen of purple. Open area dimensions- 100x100x25 ft. Oxygen level- Breathable. Light levels- Substandard. Additional Illumination recommended, but not required for normal activity. The light pulsed rapidly, almost as if alive, yet made no sound. Environment hospitable to human life, now awaiting chronological trigger 002. Estimated time of activation, Twelve hour. Re-entering sleep mode
Then, as quickly as it had come, the moment of consciousness passed. Her pulse slowly faded out and the light went with it, leaving the her body and mind shrouded in darkness.
"Come on Link!" One voice shouted from atop The Light Tower. "You can do this!"
"Show that fool your tailfeathers Groose!" Another chimed in from bit further back in the crowd.
The town had mustered around the plaza over the course of the past few hours, eager to see the Wing Ceremony. Even though it took hours; Instructor Orwelle handling the situatation masterfully despite the increasingly impatient jeers, eventually everything was in order. The participants all stood at the ready, still with anticipation, lips pursed for the inevitable whistle. Karane was there, watching carefully but still sparing a few glances around, eyes never quite going over Cana. The young man had sat himself down among the heart flowers, snacking casually at a piece of stamina fruit as he bounced the conflicting urges to watch until the end or retreat to somewhere more quieter. The cheering stopped, everybody's eyes moving towards Orwelle as he raised his fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle, the Academy students dashing forward like men possessed. Diving off the platform, the reappeared only moments later atop their Loftwings much to the delight of the crowds.
Quickly, the birds started to flap off into the distance, chasing the minuscule glint of gold, diving and weaving in a sort of dance that the crowd chattering in excitement and almost everybody crowding closer to the edge of the city to get a better view of the action. Groose's golden Loftwing and Link's Crimson seemed to stay close the whole time with neither willing to give up on the statue. Taking other chunk off the plant, Cana watched intently, trying to sort through the jealousy he was feeling.
"Cana," a softer voice spoke, never really touch his ear but more floating past. "That is your name, right?"
Turning his head, even with his eyes slightly glazed Cana recognized the face almost immediately. How could he not: it was the Headmaster's daughter Zelda, leaning over him and adorned in the ceremonial cloths for those chosen to represent Her Grace. A fitting role for the closest thing Skyloft had to nobility. "That's me," his voice was a little empty, uncertain how to feel towards the popular girl's approach."What's up?" He rotated the fruit absentmindedly, head tilting slightly so he could still catch the action.
There was a hint of something in Zelda's eyes; warm pity or confusion he couldn't say, but she only missed a single beat before going on. "I needed to just get away from it all and reset a moment. Things have been so busy this week I just... need a moment of peace." She sat down a few feet away, resting her hands on her knees and looking him over. "You sure know how how to find privacy, don't you? Not really in the spirit of things this year?" She was clearly trying to express sympathy, but to Cana's ears it came across as condicending, setting off something in his head.
"No," his reply was short and simple, looking out longingly at the dueling Loftwings "Can't say I am." In the distance, Link almost got his hands on the statue, but appeared to be blown off by a stray gust, a sound of disappointment coming from the crowd alongside many cheers. "After all, watching is usually less fun then doing." He sounded a bit jaded, eyes leaving the contest only sparingly to meet with Zelda's. It appeared as though she tried to speak , but was drowned out by a roar from the audience, leaving her to wait for a moment to move before she spoke, the voice coming from his side.
"That's true," Zelda sounding a little disappointed, casting her gaze on the wide cloudscape. "I mean... there's so much out there to explore, right? So much to do," she sighed, shaking her head. "Don't spend all your time feeling sorry for yourself though. Sure, not everybody is destined to be a knight, but there's got to be something worthwhile for you. ."
In the end, it was Link who won, presenting the statue back to the instructor in his typical silent fashion. Cana had watched as the competition thickened, something starting to fly through the air between the Loftwings. The whole crowd had been boxed together at the top of the Light Tower by the end, cheering their lungs out as it came down to the wire. Link must have jumped off the Goddess statue sometime later too, as was tradition, but nobody showed up for that. Nobody was allowed to see him do that.
However, a few hours later nobody had seen them anyways.