Chapter 2 – Late night blues

Zelda was already drifting in and out of sleep by the time the bathroom door opened, letting off a low cloud of steam into the room.
Maybe it was something about sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, or maybe the seemingly endless questions still running her mind, but she just couldn't get herself to sleep.

Fiddling absent-mindedly with a few stray strands of hair as her eyes adjusted to the light, Zelda eventually pushed herself half-heartedly off the pillow to see Samus just finishing changing into what she could only assume was sleepwear; a pair of grey shorts and a pale blue vest reaching just above her stomach - both of which had very obviously been worn more than a few times.

She could also see how defined Samus' body was, very well toned but significantly... worn. From her position the huntress looked to be in perfect condition, but the way she hung her head and stooped her shoulders as she stood by the bed just screamed exhaustion. Before she could even stop herself from opening her mouth,

"You know, that really cannot be good for your shoulders... They have so much tension in them."

Samus bolted upright, shooting a cold glare down at her - but it seemed to melt slightly as the princess shuffled down to hide under her duvet. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it.

Samus turned away, shaking her head slowly.

"Go back to bed."

She couldn't put her finger on it, but Samus' voice wasn't quite cold. It lacked emotion, that much was certain, but it felt almost as though she was asking rather than telling.

"... I could help massage them out, if you like? Granted, I am not certified in it, but I would gladly-"

"M'fine. Go back to bed."

She decided against pursuing it; Samus seemed more than definite that she wasn't going to accept the offer, never mind talk about it.
Going back to bed didn't quite feel possible, even though her eyelids were growing heavy. She rolled onto her back, side-eyeing the huntress as she zipped up her bag. It was only as Samus took off for the door again that Zelda sat up, eyes wide with worry until she was forced to shield them from the outside light with her hands.
"Where are you going? Did I say something that upset you?"

Samus said nothing. She paused very briefly in the doorway, but it was only a moment before the slam of the door left Zelda alone once more.

It was under the merciless hollering of her 6am alarm that Zelda awoke the following morning to an empty room. Memories of the night before flooded into her mind before she could even rub her eyes, and the Hylian let out a weak groan of exhaustion at the idea of getting up. She had so many questions despite barely having even cracked open her eyes, and as she rolled her shoulders (inevitably wincing at every pop) the princess decided that today would not be laid to waste.

It was 7:30am by the time she had finally made her way out of the dorms towards the food court; crossing paths with a certain fighter pilot on the way.

"Good Morning, Fox!"
Zelda broke with ice with a warm smile that he gladly returned, accompanied with a half-awake mumble that sounded somewhere along the lines of "G'Mrnnrn Zlldr..."
She laughed faintly, and the two took little time in making their way to the court.

It was a large hall: the centre lined with precisely placed tables and chairs in kind, an open-window cafeteria style serving booth at the far end of the room and an array of tables with food from according universes and dimensions around the edge of the room. Half of them were in shapes and shades that the Hylian could only dream of in her wildest imagination, but seeing Fox pick and choose from random tables with a carefree grin was enough to give her the confidence to do the same.

The two ate quietly, sharing few words aside from the odd small talk questions or joke over how Falco still hadn't gotten out of bed to join them. A comfortable silence fell between them, but it wasn't long before Fox picked up on Zelda's unsure fidgeting once she grew lost in thought.

Their eyes met, and the vulpine twitched his ears with a slight nod – signalling for her to speak up.
"Samus left in the middle of the night." She blurted; voice surprisingly calm despite the urgency of her words, "I fear I may have upset her. She looked as though she were ready to get into bed, but then she walked out without a word and I do not believe she returned this morning, and-"

"Up 'til this season Samus roomed by herself. She probably slept in her ship or with the Pokémon on the lower floor."

Zelda blinked, stopping in her tracks. "Why would she room alone? Does that not that get lonely?"
Although Zelda knew first hand that the Pokémon were affectionate creatures on the most part, she was sure that conversation would be rather... lacking.

Fox nodded briefly, keeping himself distracted with the suddenly-oh-so-interesting window above Zelda's head. "Well, uh... Sam isn't exactly the most appealing to a lot of other smashers."

"Goddesses, what do you mean? Samus is far from such descriptions!" The princess leant forwards in her chair, dismay and confusion taking a hold of her.

Fox shook his head, "I mean socially. She isn't very approachable or open to closeness."

Zelda mouth formed an 'oh', sinking back into her chair with eyes cast to the ground. Straightening out her gloves, she gave an indignant huff.
"Then I shall have to fix this."

Fox snorted, shaking his head with what was almost a sad smile.
"No use. I've known the ol' girl since day one and she barely ever opens up to me beyond what's absolutely necessary."

Zelda perked up, but her eyebrow cocked sceptically.
"Samus opens up to you?"
It wasn't quite disbelief, in fact it was quite understandable considering the two were both technically pilots who worked primarily in outer space and had, indeed, been in this tournament since the very first day.
Fox shrugged, the tip of his tail curling in mild discomfort.
"I wouldn't say opens up, but Peach and I were fairly close to her when this tournament began."

Something clicked in the back of Zelda's head, and she suddenly felt rather foolish. It hadn't even occurred to her how friendly Peach had seemed the other day before her first encounter with Samus; even going as far as referring to her as 'Sammy'. Both Fox and Peach had used what could only be described as pet names – never mind getting out of it unscathed without any signs of being shot down for it. She felt an unfamiliar hot sensation well up in her stomach, and though shameful to admit she was quite sure that it was jealousy.
Fox squinted his eyes, observing Zelda's quickly changing facial expression. It had grown very soft, a distinct pink beginning to show in her cheeks. Unbeknownst to him, Zelda was lost in the idea of being able to refer to such a ruthless, armoured huntress with as soft of a name as 'Sammy', if not something even more personal. A name that she had given Samus. A name that Samus would only respond to when said by her.

"McCloud! There's a chick here?"

Falco's snarky tone ripped Zelda from her daze, drawing out a startled yelp. She suddenly felt very vulnerable, wishing only to let herself get lost in her thoughts, and although she rose to her feet with the same grace that the two pilots had expected, her tone was more hurried than she had planned.
"I must go. Thank you kindly for your company, Fox, and I hope to speak to the both of you very soon!"
She fled the room without a word more, leaving the two boys to watch her disappear off out of the hall. They exchanged wary glances, but quickly broke into an unruly fit of laughter. Falco shook his head, a mocking grin plastered across his face.

"I'll never understand women."

Zelda had already fled 3 blocks of unfamiliar doors and hallways, hoping to find her way back to the dorms if even only for a few minutes. She rounded a corner, but with a sharp and surprisingly cold blow to the face felt as though she'd just run into a wall. She fell backwards and landed on the floor with dull thud. She wasn't sure if the thin, rather unattractive shade of blue carpet was a good or bad thing to have broken her fall, but it only stole her attention for a short moment. Casting her eyes back up, it felt like every last hint of oxygen was suddenly ripped from her lungs. The unmoving wall that she had run face-first into was none other than the chest plate of the varia.

She'd run into Samus... quite literally.