youre_smashing | no what is this

[Huh look at that chick she totally looks like his super awesome buddy who got murdered.]

.......wait.

[No. No that's... totally actually her. Holy whaaaaaaaat?]

HEY!

[Smooth opening line.]

Uh.. wait. Hi. I mean Hi. Uh. Are you....? Yeah.

[Is this going to be like all those times Tails showed up without remembering being here before? Because frankly that would probably squish his little Echidna heart.]

[What. That's just not possible, because very clearly this chick is in one piece and not murdered at all. WHAT FOUL SORCERY IS THIS BULLSHIT.]

...Hm?

[She's giving you a good look, man.]

Am I, what? Have you never seen a woman before, kid?

....yeah. Yeah, I have.

[Oh. So. That was the case. damn.

....damn.

No time slip, no strange miraculous last second save from the jaws of death. No happy reunion.]

...You just look like someone I used to know s'all. Uh. Welcome to the Academy.

[Her eyebrows lift.]

Is that so. I didn't know more of my kind were venturing out and about. I don't suppose you're one of the lucky guys for the nightly meal ticket, are you?

[Those poor unfortunate guys who are most likely sex slaves until they manage to escape that prison of sometimes frightening women.]

Oh. I've had kinda a history with your people. Uhhhh. Not THAT kinda history. But, I'm pretty good friends with the Gerudo people.

I'm Knuckles the Echidna.

[He extended a hand for her to shake, not sure how he felt about this. Maybe this just meant he can make friends with her all over again. Which was kind of great. But kind of terribly, terribly sad at the same time.]

[She stares at his hand for a few moments and finally takes it with a firm shake.]

Nabooru.

[Then a pause.] So if you're not a bedmate for the girls, what are you? We don't often take too kindly to men who aren't benefiting us in some way.

Long story. Your King and me used to pal around when he attended here. Ganondorf was pretty much like a Brother to me for a long time. He went back home to try and get some better lands for you all. Then, when he came back, I wound up letting him move a bunch of the younger Gerudo to the Island I own.

[Probably a lot for her to take in for her first five minutes on campus.]

So you could say I provide a lot of benefits to the Gerudo. Just not THOSE kinda benefits.

My king? [She cocks an eyebrow. Whatever else he's said is something she puts aside, because wow. Her king. She hasn't heard that for a while. She's got no love for the guy. Not after what he's done.]

The only thing he's a king of is what not to do with his people. [She lives her shoulders in a shrug, however, and tries to let it roll off her back.] I didn't know he made friends with talking animals, but then I guess he's capable of anything.

[Holy alternate timelines, Batman. Hearing her talk about Ganny like that was just.... weird. Like really, really weird.]

Uhh. Yeah. We were really good buddies. I lost a bet to him and it kinda went from there.

[He'd skip the part about impromptu school wide dance parties where they all just wore speedos.]

....I should probably just get this out there. You and I were buddies too. You came here for a good few years and we were really good friends. You and my Fiancee, too. You're... gonna get a lot of folks acting like they know you if you stick around. You taught dance here.

[Exactly HOW much he should tell her, he wasn't sure but hell. It's not as if this was a secret that was going to be kept for long either way.]

...you also got murdered. So. That's....

[Probably a good indication of why he ran up to you with no idea what to say.]

[Infodumping much?

She doesn't say anything immediately. Rather, she just listens and considers calling his bluff, but it sounds so drawn out and she's heard some pretty crazy things in her day. Just about every scheme out of Ganondorf's mouth sounded damn insane, so some of this almost sounds like a cakewalk.]

Well, did you get the guy?

[Who murderered her, of course. Excuse her if she's not taking this completely seriously, because Knuckles sounds like a whack job.]

[Hey he's got a lot to say OK it was like five years worth of stuff]

...nope.

[And boy does he look conflicted about it.]

[Well. That sucks.

Nabooru shakes her head.]

Show him to me and I'll make him eat steel.

[She looks serious about it, too. Sort of.] But the past is the past, right? Can't imagine what it'd be like to meet another me. Or one with such a history.

Yeah. The past is the past.

[Doesn't he know it? He's still trying to get past the idea that if he'd just sat on his morals and killed Eggman one of the many OTHER times the guy acted up and pulled that kinda shit, Nabooru - His Nabooru - would still be alive.]

You won't meet her. But you'll meet a lot of folks she touched in one way or another. So... just warning you to be ready for that, I guess.

Well, it's hard to meet someone who's dead. [Brutal, Nabs. Even if you're talking about yourself from what must have been an earlier timeline.]

She sounds far too... charitable to be me. You sure it wasn't some other girl? All the Gerudo look alike. Hard to tell us apart, really.

It... can happen.

[He knew of people who had showed up here after apparently being dead.]

No they don't. Not THAT alike. Geeze, gimme a little credit. It was you. Maybe... a little younger? I dunno. It IS kinda hard to guess at age with you Human types.

[You get a little smirk, New Nabs.]

A little younger. A younger me.

[So foolish and stupid, probably. Which would explain the whole King Ganondorf thing. Not that he wasn't, because he very much was.

But still.]

I still sort of think you're full of it.

[She says it not maliciously.]

[Man. He's missed that. Her directness, her assertiveness. The world he lived in was poorer for not having her in it. Whether she remembered him or not.]

Yeah, you know what? I don't blame you. Some guy came runnin' up to me, talking about stuff I'd done but couldn't remember? I'd think he was bananas too.

[Just hearing him made her crack a grin because at least he wasn't taking offence to it. If he'd done her wrong, perhaps she would have felt more moved to insult him, but all he was doing was keeping her informed, which was probably better than she could say for a lot of other people she knew.

But it still didn't put aside the fact that the Gerudo simply weren't charitable.]

You actually ever had someone do that to you?

Not really. I mean, I've been in the position of having to inform folks about stuff they've done here before more times than I can even count - came here almost six years ago and I've seen folks come and go. Lots of folks. But never had anyone have to tell me about stuff I'd done in the past. Had to refuse bein' told about my future once but that's different.

...least I think it's different. Maybe not so much.

I don't need anyone to tell me what happens in my future. I already know what happens. I'm a successful woman and a much better leader than my former king.

[Okay. That's what she thinks will happen, but with how stubborn she is, who's to say she's not right?]

But whether it's the past or the present, the idea's not really different, just the timing and what's being said. Tell me, was my younger self intuitive or more naive? In your opinion. Sounds like you two were close.

We were. She was pretty intuitive - I always thought she was pretty wise. I mean, she knew a lot of stuff and she was a great teacher. And she had a great sense of fun, too - always a real great time when we hung out. Unpredictable. I liked that about her. Wasn't ever afraid to say somethin' unexpected. Looked at things in a different way. Spoke her mind. Didn't back down. Was someone to be respected and her respect wasn't an easy thing to earn.

[And if he'd ever thought to actually TELL her any of this while she was alive, he'd probably feel at least a little less guilty.]

...Would probably poke some fun at me for spouting all that stuff about her but whatever.

Sounds about right. Well. Sounds like me. I guess you're not actually yanking me around.

[Except she's terrible at conversations like this. God. Trying to empathise with people is really fucking hard.]

Still. Sorry for your loss. Even if it was me. Because that sounds really weird to try mourning my own death. Since it's technically not mine. But it technically is.

[She squints.] You get what I'm saying.

Yeah - I get you.

[Well, at least she believed him at this point. That would have to be enough for now.]

Look, if you're gonna stick around and you wanna get to know the place or whatever, I'm here. I'd be plenty happy to show you around.

[By some strange occurrence, Byrne himself is back on the campus. Why? Why not. Details. But he knows the Gerudo when he sees her, and at first he has to do a double-take.

But he can't always trust what he sees. She left once, bringing despair upon a man who had begun trying to open his heart once more. It's been a while since then, enough time for Byrne to repair his thick shell and stare incredulously at the woman before him.

There isn't much emotion in the way he speaks. His eyes aren't the cold glare he often gives to others, but he still seems distant. Not wanting to give into this illusion.]

So you've returned.

[She hears him and it immediately sets her edge. If not for how he sounds, then how he looks. Because Byrne really is a less than friendly appearing sort of guy. And just judging by what he says, he must be one of those Knuckles was talking about. Touching lives and what not.

Except clearly whoever she was in the past was a woman who touched this elvish man's life with nothing good, for he looks downright... Well. It's hard to say. He sure doesn't look happy.]

~~THESE ARE NOT THE DROIDS YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.~~

[Her response is calm and collected.]

And you are...? I don't believe we've met.

["I don't believe we've met." Of course. It's surprising to hear and yet... Byrne had been expecting something like that. That's how his life usually worked, isn't it? He tries to recall the first time they had met, years ago when he had first come to this school... Was it something like this? In some ways, perhaps.

But it's clear she doesn't remember him. It's probably better this way. He can't help but feel a pang of hurt, though. Yet another betrayal in his life.]

~~BUT WE MADE BABBY 2GETHER~~

[His facial muscles tighten slightly, and he closes his eyes, attempting not to show the frustration and hurt he knows would be prevalent. In the same flat affect he speaks again, holding back any emotion.]

No. I'm just a stranger.

[~~where the fuck is the talk about moonpies, carbon~~

Oh. It's another person who obviously knew the younger version of her that she's completely oblivious to. He's just less nicer than the red talking animal.

She cocks an eyebrow as she eyes him. Nabooru isn't stupid. Never has been. Never will be. (At least not in her opinion.)]

I heard a warning about people knowing me who I didn't know. And I heard about what happened. So you were either a friend, or an enemy who can't believe I'm alive and kind of unhappy about it.

[A warning about people knowing her. So someone had gotten to her first and informed her of her prior life here. Whoever it was likely didn't mention Byrne, or else if they did, he was given a much... different description than what he holds now.

He folds his arms and turns his head to the side. It's hard to look at her. It's easier to simply pretend that nothing had ever happened between them, that they had never met. Easier to pretend that perhaps he is an enemy.]

There's a fine line between 'friend' and 'enemy.'

[He shifts his stance, letting his left arm drop by his side as he opens his metallic fingers. But his tone is actually softer when he speaks next.]

But I'm not unhappy.

[He's not wrong. She doesn't know a lick about her past in romantic relationship terms. She just knows that Knuckles wasn't blowing smoke, as much as she was skeptical about it before.

What he finished with, however, makes her eye him closely.]

Huh. So you're. Happy to see me then.

[Which means they must have been on semi 'good' terms.]

[He doesn't know whether or not he's "happy" to see her. Happy that she's not dead, perhaps. But it's bringing up too many emotions that he simply shuts out. So all he can really confirm is that he's not "unhappy" at her appearance.

He regards her carefully. She's different in some way. Age would be imperceptible but perhaps she seems wiser somehow. It's the same woman and yet it's not.]

I'm happy you're not dead.

So you're... happy that I'm not dead, but—

[And the rest of that she was still trying to put together.]

—you're not happy to see me.

[Nabooru laughed heartily.] We must have been good friends. [In the way that 'good' was slightly sarcastic.]

[He wants to be happy to see her, he really does. But she doesn't remember him, and he doesn't even know it's her. She had been killed, he watched her die in his arms. This can't be actually happening.]

I...

[It's easier to turn her away, right? But she's not running. She's exuding that similar charm that initially drew them to one another.]

I am happy to see you.

[It's not entirely convincing, as his affect is still mostly flat, though his voice is quieter. But he still flickers his eyes away, still hurt that they are strangers once more.]

We knew each other in some capacity.

[She's not completely foolish, though Nabooru has once or twice played the fool. Byrne's reaction doesn't escape her. Not the way he looks aside. Not the way he takes his eyes off of her.

His words echo between her ever so slightly pointed ears and she can't deny the curiosity they spark. What capacity. What capacity?

But she doesn't ask, because a part of her feels the implication. She must have meant something to him. It's a shame she's not the same woman.]

Then I am very glad that we are reuniting.

[Even though she's not the same person. But this version of her seems older and wiser. With some slices of sarcasm and smirking charisma.]

[Those words may be sarcastic, but maybe not. With Nabooru it's sometimes hard to tell. Byrne had somewhat understood the nuances when he knew her, but now she's just a stranger again. But there's a softness that indicates that perhaps the words are genuine. And it actually gives him a small pang of hope.

He looks back at her, his eyes a little more relaxed.]

Tell me... What was the last thing you remember before you arrived here?

[If she seems older and wiser, different from the woman he had met years ago, then perhaps things have gone differently in her life. Comprehending how it's even possible is far beyond him now; the two are separated by so many centuries of time and yet together that he just doesn't even bother trying to comprehend.]

The last thing I remember, hm...?

[Nabooru folded her arms across her chest with some thought.] The last thing I remember...

[Briefly she looked past him as she put her thoughts together.] The Hero of Time came to my rescue, it'd seem. Ironic, considering I was so certain I'd be the one saving him. But I guess I can't be picky.

There's this guy, though. We're going to get rid of him. The Hero, me. All of us. Back there, anyway.

[This is something new, some part of Nabooru's story that he hadn't heard from her.

There's slight surprise from him, widening of his sharp eyes.]

"This guy"?

[Byrne has a sneaking suspicion. Bittersweet, somewhat, since it follows the legend, but ultimately means her demise. But it's her destiny, and he had come to accept it mostly.]

I believe I might know who "this guy" might be. He hasn't been around here for a while, though.

[A familiar face? Here? At least he wasn't alone. But how was this possible?]

...Nabooru?

[That was a void she hadn't expected to hear.]

The Hero in Green.

[When was the last time she saw him? Knitting her eyebrows as she eyed him, she figured it must have been when he helped her awaken as the Spirit Sage. What an interesting turn of events.]

Destiny at it again?

Maybe.

[Seeing that she recognizes him too, he feels confident enough to sheath his sword.]

How are you here? The last I knew, you were in the Sacred Realm with the other Sages...

I wish I knew.

[She shakes her head and she does the same. Sword in its scabbard, her posture relaxes.]

How are you here?

I don't know either. Princess Zelda tried to send me back in time, but I ended up here.

[His expression softens a bit as he looks at her.]

...I'm glad to see a friendly face here.

[If Nabooru could look soft, she probably would, but perhaps too much has happened in her own life for her to do any such thing. Doesn't mean she doesn't smile, however.]

Yeah. Looks like I'll be here for a bit, so you won't need to feel quite so alone. At least for a little anyway.

I don't mind that.

Do you have any idea where this is? I can tell it's not Hyrule, but that's all.

[She shakes her head.]

Not in the slightest. All I can tell you is that apparently some people know me, or knew me, so I guess this isn't the first time I've been here. And talking animals exist. And elvish guys.

I mean, I saw a guy who looked kind of like you. Sort of. A little darker, I think. Like if you and I had a kid.

[Yes. She really just said that.]

[Did you really now. Well it wasn't lost on Link, who was starting to picture that dark mirror of himself from the Water Temple, right up until that last bit.]

R-really... I guess there's all sorts here.

But if you've been here before, I wonder if that means I've been here before too. Or whether anyone else we know might have been here before.

All breath halted in his chest as he spotted her form moving through the courtyard, a simple thing he was so sure he had lost the privilege of seeing ever again. For a long moment, he was under arrest by his own shock.

It was no uncommon occurrence for those who had gone to return once more, and after Nabooru left the world Pit clung to the hope that she would too, just like all his returning friends who departed while still alive. It was a hope laced with a tremendous fear for its unknown futility, because he had no idea whether those who had passed on in this realm were able to come back. That hope was all he had. Were they gone forever? He wanted to see her walk before him and slay that fear just by moving and speaking.

She was alive. That fear she knocked dead.

Everything he was made of could burst right there and end him, too. That was the power the mere sight of her had over him. When she looked like she was going away he grew very afraid it would all turn out to be a hallucination, so he slammed his sandals against the cobbled pathway in a mad rush to reach her.

"Wait! Don't go!" he cried desperately.

She heard him quite plainly. So even though she turned to go, she found herself glancing back over her shoulder.

A boy. What she saw was a boy. And usually when she thought of boys calling after her, she thought of a young version of the Hero. But the boy who addressed her was nothing like the one she was accustomed to. Too young to be of any use for anything. And she supposed if she made attachments to any, she had no desire to start recruiting them to add to the growing pile of men at the fortress.

"...Mm, yes?" she asked him, lofting an eyebrow. "Is there something that you need?"

He skidded to a halt just before her, looking at her like he wanted his soul to jump out through his eyes and into hers. The reply she gave him was so casual, so unnatural that it prompted him to wonder if she was just teasing him or if she didn't hold the same gravity for this reunion as he did. It made him look a little more lost.

Frantically, he replied, "Need? All this time, I..." In a fit of the feelings whipping around inside him, he made a grab for her hands. With even greater poignancy and with fighting back tears he added, "I needed you!"

no what is this

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YOU FART

WHAT NO U

NO I WAS TOO FAST

OR WAS I TOO SLOW?

ONE OR THE OTHER

OR BOTH

YEAH I GUESS SO

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I got busy...