The sun was just starting to peek back over the horizon as Mallara stumbled into her home, the door kicking up a cloud of dust as it swung open. Her head pounded as she adjusted to the light, trying to make sense of last night's party. It had been such a delightful night, the best one she could remember since she'd lost Pipit's father a few years ago. A light burp escaped her throat, the aftertaste of the night's binge tickling her tongue once again, chuckling a light in delight. She would have to get this place cleaned up eventually; she'd promised her son she'd do it a week ago, but certainly a little nap couldn't hurt.
Then, she noticed that there was somebody lying in her bed.
That wasn't a particularly rare occurrence in Skyloft. Like nearly all of the area's history, the reason behind the tradition was never really discussed or even thought about. If you found anybody who actually cared, they would probably say it started sometime around when the Remlits started to become a bit "testy", justifying people entering whatever house happened to be closest as sunset came. After that, nobody really locked their doors; people just walked in and laid themselves out on your bed for a few hours. Besides, considering how little people slept, it was rarely an issue.
Walking over, the sound of her footsteps muffled in the carpet of dust, Mallara rested her hand on the figure, who's body lay wrapped underneath the top quilt. She felt them stir for a moment, drawn a bit closer to reality, before she pushed down, causing Cana to roll over and open his eyes, still wet and groggy from sleep.
"Oh," she sighed , almost relieved. "It's only you Cana. I was worried that Pipit might have come over to visit."
Still half asleep, Cana shook his head and tried to bring his mind into focus, arm flopping out to brush over the Goddess sword, propped up against the bedframe. "Ms. Mallara," he yawned as he sat himself up, hand gripping itself around the handle of the sword. "I apologize for intruding. "
"Oh, don't worry about it," she dismissed, smiling as she kneeled down to rest herself. "It wasn't as if I was at home anyways. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for the dismal condition. I've just been so busy lately..." Her voice trailed off as her head feel to her shoulder, sleep battling with her eyes before they twitched back open, catching on the sword. "Cana," she wondered curiously. "I hadn't been told you got into the Knight Academy. Your father must have finally gotten over himself."
Though the statement sparked the anger at the back of his mind, Cana quickly forced it back down before responding. "Actually," he confessed, lifting up the blade and resting it on his lap. "This isn't a knight's sword. My father's still fairly firm on that account." He stopped their, not sure what else he could safely tell her, but she just looked him in the eye quizzically for a moment, before turning back onto herself.
"Oh well," she shrugged, getting off her knee and just leaning onto the bed, eyes turned up to the ceiling. "Can't win them all, can you?" She paused for a moment, as if to take a breath, but ended up sneezing instead, the sound spreading and kicking up even more dust. "This bedding really could do with some fresh air," she was obviously thinking aloud, before she turned over to Cana and yawned. "Would you be a dear and take the quilt out for a beating? I've been out all night."
The look on her face was genuinely tired, and tinted with an almost teenage ditziness, that he found it a little hard to resist. "Alright," He stood up, sliding the sword back into is belt before sticking his hand underneath the quilt, checkered purple and green, pulling it out and starting to fold it over his hands, working it down to a manageable size before storing it away. "You need this back soon?"
Mallara had set herself into the bed by then, curling up like a sleeping child. "Just give it to me next time you stop by." She yawned as her body worked its way down. "I'll have the place cleaned up by then." Her breathing started to slow, but as Cana walked over to the door, she managed to get out one more thing. "For the sword, just take Pipit's spare. I'm sure he won't mind." Sure enough, a worn leather scabbard, plain but suitably size, hung undisturbed on a peg, dusty as the rest of the house. Hardly even thinking about it, Cana reached for it, gripping around the supple bindings before slinging it over his back, the sword creating a comforting pressure on his back after it was placed inside. The door parted in his way as Cana walked out, eyes meeting with the sun as the city spread out before it.
The change in the mood of the city was almost physical. For some reason, everything seemed darker; the clouds above where that much thicker, the bird statues that much duller, and even the people seemed to have darkened, the few who were out moving in a shuffle, without the excitement of sense of purpose that they'd had but yesterday. The reality of death returned to him, mind reflecting back on Link's life; the childhood games he'd enjoyed with both him with the rest of the children, all the times he'd flown his Crimson overhead, the time he'd gotten himself stuck on top of the windmill. Dozens of emotions tugged heavily at his heart, causing him to just stop in the middle of the road, thinking, before something probed into his mind. A voice.
"Master," Fi projected into his thoughts, the sword on his back starting to feel warm through the thin scabbard. "Please proceed to the beacon signaling the break in the clouds. We still have our mission to accomplish."
The rest of the citizens seemed to be slowly moving towards the graveyard, a torch still burning in that direction though the sun was already lighting the city. The funeral… could he really miss the funeral? Yet, Fi was right; he did have a mission to accomplish. So, steeling his will and tightening his fist, he moved on, not even needing to say anything.
The light was still shining as he came towards the plaza diving platform, the wind having picked up significantly since the previous day, blowing firmly into his face, shirt billowing. "Come on boy," He called out to the air, catching the forlorn glances of some of the others as he dashed forward, a bit of sunlight breaking through the clouds above as he dove, fingers to his lips as he let out a blast of three whistles in quick succession, the air blowing up past him before he saw a flash of burgundy, has legs spreading out so he could grip down on his Loftwing as it dove past, warm and vibrant despite the chilled air. The feeling of flight wiped away all the confusion, the depression and the darkness, and replaced it was familiar exhilaration, the pillar of light raised in challenge as he grew closer, the thickness of the quilt adding yet another layer of comfort. A quick jab to the side sent his bird forward with a hard pump of the wings, the break in the clouds almost just below him, a thickness of living green all he could really make out. Smiling, a reserve of courage welling up inside him, he jumped, yelling happily as he fell, feet pointed downward and the quilt to his chest. If this didn't air the thing out, he didn't know what would.
He couldn't tell how far he had fallen, all his clothing and air fluttering up above him. The forms below started to take on shape; trees and grey stone and hills, before he realized what exactly he was doing. "Uh oh," he squeaked as he flung himself into a panic, feet flailing as he tried to slow himself down, but to no avail. Mind raising, he thought, fingers gripping into the weave of the quilt, before it flashed in his brain like a sputtering fire. Hands tightening to fists around the two sides of the quilt, Cana let the cloth go, opening above him as the air rushed in, feeling himself start to fall more slowly as the ground came up, the greys become more pronounced wrought iron fences and stone pillars. Finally, much to his relief, his plummet slowed to a light fall, feet landing roughly yet manageably on the solid stone, the thrill of being alive calling him to kiss the ground. He still had dignity though, and settled for a wiping of the sweat from his face, looking up at the pillar of dust glittering in the sunlight above him.
It wasn't long though until her turned to the world around him, the great growths on the pillars beside him. "The surface," he whispered to himself, running one hand down the rocky face of a wall. Oddly enough, it didn't seem to be the mythical, wondrous place he'd been told about in story books. The grass was green, yes, and he could tell it was huge. Yet, there where trees and rock and bird statues, just like above the clouds. Still, it was enough to take in his attention, especially when he wandered over the fence, gripping to the rough, rusty bars an into the spiral pit below, deeper than anything he'd ever seen. There where gusts of upward wind and heart flowers and stamina fruit, things he was familiar with, yet there was something else at the bottom, small and grey. It was, strange.
"Fi," he drew the Goddess sword from its new sheath, looking into the metal. "Fi, come out. You've got to see this."
There was little delay before the girl flipped out of the sword, materializing in the dimmer light of the surface world. Despite what he'd told her, she focused her sight on him, floating still and silent as if waiting for him to speak.
"Fi," he repeated himself, letting his eyes wander over the area. After a moment, she seemed to duplicate his action, taking in the world for herself. It was a peaceful silence; not horrifying like in the Chamber nor awkward like at the plaza, but simply a time where he was content to live in this new world, a place he would be a good long while. "Isn't it beautiful?" He asked her, taking a few steps to his left.
"Visual survey indicates this area is aesthetically pleasing, Master," Fi's words rung through the air, hanging for perhaps a bit longer than they should. Her eyes turned to him, although he was focused in another direction at the time, and she averted her gaze before he looked at him. The fences blocked all but one direction, the grassy path circling around the pit, and so, after tucking the quilt away for later, Cana started to walk his way down it, eyes forward as he whistled a silly little tune under his breath.
Scanning data banks for information on currently entered functional situation
Fi glided behind her Master intently as he moved forward, his sword arm tense and eyes ever wary, though his ability of vocalize at the same time suggested a lack of anxiety that would positively contribute to his probability of survival. Yet, that was not the only thing being processed when she saw that. It was comparatively a very small bit of data, almost undetectable if it hadn't just taken up a little more space in her mind, matching to the stimulus she had recorded last night. Though looking on, she raced mentally to seek out any mention of this stimulus her Creator might have endowed her with
There is no data present at this time…
The process stopped itself as her senses focused in on her Master, absorbing all her attention as a great Deku Baba sprouted from the ground, slavering its unique sap. Master Cana had raised the Goddess Sword up, pointed straight at the beast, beating at the head seven times, the bulb recoiling but returning each time. Again, as she routed all of her power into recording data about this creature and this fight, so that she might be more useful to her Master in the future, another program managed to snatch away a piece of those resources, sending out another unidentified stimulus. The sword came down once more, slicing through the stem and the beast's mouth, splitting the bulb in two and leaving it to flop the ground, a single green rupee releasing itself from the head.
Deku Baba, she recorded, her Master leading them forward towards the great doors of an overgrown building, the start of the spiral downward just to their left as her pushed at the stone. To destroy, place cut at same angle as open mouth. This will cause lethal hinge and tissue damage.
The record was hastily stored away as she approached her Master, looking down on him as his back arched to move the door, again, revealing the muscle mass behind his coverings. She did not even try to push back the stimulus this timesimply taking the pleasant tingle for what it was.
"Fi," Master Cana turned back to face her, eyes and face scrunched slightly as she became aware of her slightly abnormal stance. "Are you doing alright?"
This time, she welcomed the stimulus, even trying to hold onto it as she declined to continue the search. "Yes Master," she bowed humbly, floating to his side as he took the first step into the door. "Indeed, I find my current state to be significantly improved."