Outside North Castle, Dogura sat on a high branch of a tree, about fifty yards from the castle. Its days like this that make me want to just sleep. Dogura watched the clouds stream overhead across the blue Hyrule sky. Such a beautiful blue... Dogura had his dagger out, and was carving something out of a piece of wood. Suddenly, something interrupted the silence of the moment. "Sensei! What are you doing up in that tree?" Dogura winced. "Well, I was relaxing." Alex grabbed a branch, and pulled himself up. More shouts from below: "This is no time to relax, the tournament it going on right now!" Dogura looked up into the clouds. "Its the perfect time to relax, now leave me alone."

Alex grabbed another branch, and pulled himself higher. "Don't try to climb this tree Alex." Dogura called out, taking another chunk out of the wood he was holding. "Darkin says the tournament happens only once every year! You can't miss the fighting!" Dogura sighed, as looked over the side of the branch. The boy was fairly high now, and was deciding which branch to grab next. "Maybe you've forgotten. I'm in the fighting." Alex grabbed another branch. "I haven't forgotten, but I think you have. What of the second round starts, and you're not there?" Dogura held up his piece of wood. It was beginning to take form, and it looked slightly like a raven.

"Don't worry, round two doesn't start until later. I can judge the time by the way the shadows are pointing." Alex frowned. "Don't be so proud sensei, everyone can do that." Dogura smiled. "Then what time is it?" Alex fell silent. "Well, I'm an exception, but thats an old trick!" Dogura laughed, and sighed. "You're just too much kid." Dogura glanced over the side, and his eyes widened. "How did you get this high??" Alex was only six or seven branches under Dogura now. "I'm a natural born climber, don't worry about me." The samurai sighed, and turned over. "Dead branch." Dogura muttered, as a snapping sound was heard, followed by a shout that faded, and turned to a thump that shook the tree. "You alright kid?"

"Never been better." the boy said weakly...

"Hello Dogura! How are you doing today, my friend." Sovelis called up at the samurai that sat in the tree above him. "Who is that?" he asked, pointing at Alex as he leaned on his staff. "Is that your student? I had heard that you had taken on a pupil. I have also taken on a student. She's Kasei's grandaugter...Aria." Sovelis said. "Come! Let us talk, Dogura! This is a peaceful day. You and I have not had much of a chance to speak since Kayrin disapeared..." Sovelis said as his face seemed to grow sad at the thought of Kayrin.

Dogura stopped carving for a moment, before he recognized the voice, and resumed. "Ahh. Sovelis!" Dogura called out, not taking his eyes off of his work. "Thats Alex, and he is indeed my student, although I'm ashamed to say it."

"That hurts sensei!"

"Oh hush, if you would stick to my training program, you'd be a better warrior in no time."

"What do you think I am, Iron man? That program is murder!"

"Perhaps I am expecting a bit much out of him. He is from another dimension after all, where the only way to defend yourself is a shining metal pellet launcher."

"Its called a gun sensei..."

"Well excuse me for not knowing of multiple dimensions! Sorry about this Sovelis, I honestly don't know how he found me here."

"I can still hear you sensei, I'm standing right next to the tree!"

"Shut up for a moment! Jeez, this kid I swear. He's just like me when I was his age."

"Then why are you complaining?"

"I thought I asked you to shut up, the adults are talking! Anyways, did you succeed in your match Sovelis?" Dogura asked, this time turning his head.

"That Link kid never showed up." he said (he just loged in today...GAH!!!) "So...Wher are you from Alex? I'm from a world called Earth." Sovelis said as he looked around. "Dogura, guns aren't the only way to defend one's self where I'm from. Some people still use knives....but only when thy murdered or robbed people..." Sovelis said as he sat down under the tree, pulling his canteen out and sipping from it.

"You're from Earth??" Alex called out, now a bit interested. "What part are you from?" Dogura raised an eyebrow. You're also a resident of his world? How did you get here? Well, that aside, I'm surprised he didn't show up. With a name like Link, you'd think he'd want to make it proud. After all, being named after the Hero of Time is quite an honor."

OOC: Aww man, you're kidding me! That sucks! You would have won, but still.

"Get back here you!"

Came the yell, from the young Sheikah, Worru. The fights had gotten boring after his own, and he would rather see his opponent's next fight rather than stay. So, with this realization, Worru had left the castle town to try and train with his Shadowmeld, which, even though it was an innate ability, he had never used it before, and it had cost him the fight. So, while he had sat in the shade, trying to meld with the shadows, some young hooligans had come up and threw rocks at him.

So, here we have Worru, wildly slashing through the air with his sword, Swiftspirit, as he chased the kids, who were suprisingly faster than him, even with his enhanced agility. "If I had any magic left, you would be on fire by now!" he yelled, as one of the kids, who wore a red bandana, yelled back, "You couldn't hit the broad side of a Biggoron!"

But, just as Worru would have tried to make a witty reply, he found himself running into a kid, much like him, except this one was human. His sword, would it have been in his hands still, would've been messily buried within the left ear canal of this kid, though, luckily for him, it was buried in the tree, about two-thirds in.

Slowly lifting himself up, his body aching from the fall, Worru muttered under his breath. "Damn kids..." he said, before looking down at the human who's chest he was sitting on. "Sorry, man, I wa-it. Aren't you that kid that Dog-man teaches?" he asked, changing his sentance midway as he remembered the kid's face from before.

OOC: How was that? And, he landed on Alex, just so you know.

Alex once again was flat on his back. Today just isn't my day... He thought, getting back to his feet. "Dog-man?" Alex asked, seeming a bit frightened. "You mean to tell me that gene splicing has found it's way to this dimension too? Maybe I'm just a little dizzy from the fall." Alex pointed up the tree, and then let his arm hang at his side.

"I fell from that branch way up there. Dude, my back is killing me..." Alex suddenly stopped. They don't say 'dude' in this dimension do they? What if he thinks that I insulted him? "Umm... Thats a popular slang term where I come from..." he muttered, before staring at the man strangely. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

Sovelis turned to Worru. "Well, how have you been?" he said as he looked at Alex. "My Earth is a different Earth than your's" he said as he laughed when Worru landed on Dogura's student. "He said Dog-man, as in Dogura, he was kidding with him Alex...Dog-man....that's a good nickname for our friendly Samurai!!!" Sovelis laughed as he looked at Dogura. "Whatcha think, Dog-man?"

"Yeah, that's true, it's the name I made up for Dogura. It-Wait, who are you talking to? Please don't tell me..." he said, looking up at the tree, where he saw Dogura in the tree. He went over to Alex, and whispered, "Does he have any swords on him?" he asked, fearfully. He knew that Dogura was good with weapons, much better than himself, in fact. Then again, a drunken Miniblin would be better with weapons.

Saber walked dejectedly thruogh the crowd. He had left after Dogura's match--He didn't see the point in watching the other fights, all of his good friends had fought already. He looked up again, scrutinizing a gliding bird as he reflected on that last thought. Are Rose and Dogura really the only friends I've made in Hyrule? I really need to get around more...then again, if I didn't take so much work, I would have more time to socialize...but I have to keep hunting...

He thought back to his fight, a glum frown clouding his face as he seemed to relive the painful elemental attacks that had ripped through his body mercilessly time and time again. I should have trained in resistance more...although I really didn't have time with all my jobs...He stopped walking--he had been so deep in thought that he hadn't realized where he was going, and he found himself out in the Courtyard. He felt his acheing legs scream out to him and winced, his mind replaying the fight to him from a different perspective, as if he had been in the audience. All he saw was a scrawny brown-haired guy running around and healing as he was pelted with black balls of energy, never fighting back. How pathetic...

He didn't even care when he felt the familiar hand crush his shoulder in a hearty greeting. Burlo always seemed to find him somehow, so he wasn't surprised when he heard the drunk say, "Whass'a matter, mate? 'S ain't 'bout da tourney, 's it? Herd 'bout yer match. Tough break, eh?" Saber started to walk again, wanting to be left alone, but not finding the strength to run. However, Burlo never was one to take a hint, and pursued the mercenary, trying to offer support. "Well, if anyt'in, ye learned dat ye need to work on yer resistin'." The drunk spun Saber around, winking at him behind his shaggy hair. "I kin help ye wit dat, mate." Saber rose an eyebrow, intrigued. "Meet me here in a few hours, I'll show ye." The rotund man called out the final sentence as he waddled off, waving cheerfully.

Saber was out on the bridge now, and after watching Burlo leave, he turned to head off, then saw Alex by the tree with some of the adventurers. Crap, the kid probably got them annoyed...doesn't he ever spend time in his own world? Don't his parents care that he disappears like that? He thought angrily as he sped to the tree.