Natalie walked up to the house before her slowly. She seemed to be taking her time, the look of indecision was clear on her face. The setting sun lit up the house making it look comforting, but her muscles were still tight with worry. This is ridiculous. she thought to herself. Why can't I just reach out a hand and knock. she shrugged as she raised her arm up, What if its the wrong house?! Oh god! They might think I'm a lunatic she lowered her arm again and turned to leave. Wait! she stopped herself. I need this. She sighed and turned back to the door once more but before she could stop and knock she tripped and knocked over a pot standing near the door. She quickly turned to stop it causing something else to fall over. The noise could be heard all down the road. She stood rooted to the spot her long hair fell over her shoulder hiding her beat red face.

"Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble!!"

Dogura lowered his magazine, and sighed. "Seriously Darkin, you're only making tea, get over it." The rito waved his feathered hands over the kettle as if working magic. "Oh hush! Making tea is an art..." Alex emerged from the hallway, training sword in hand, and snickered. "Yeah, sure, just like watching TV is a work-load." Neither the samurai, nor the mage seemed to get the joke, and Alex stood by the doorway. "A courtesy laugh is always appreciated!" He obviously didn't understand that a TV hadn't been invented yet. Nobody had time to ponder the situation, for a noise broke the silence. A crash. Everyone jumped at the noise, and Dogura quickly made his way to the door. He swung it open, and found one of his clay pots smashed wide open on the porch.

"Why you litt-" He stopped mid sentence, realizing it was no stranger. "Azalea! I haven't seen you in quite a while!" A confused look wiped over Alex's face. "You know her?" Dogura smiled. "Yeah, we met once or twice. But she hasn't been around." Alex nodded. Darkin stuck his head out the window. In a womanly voice, he yelled "Teeeeaa's reeeeeadyyyyy!!" Dogura slammed the door on his beak, and then, opened it back up. "You yelled in my ear!" He shouted to the mage, who was now face down on the floor. "Won't happen again... tea's in the kitchen..." He mumbled the side of his beak.

"Dougra!" she said surprised as she quickly stood back up. "I'm so sorry, I...yeah" she said pointing a finger in the direction of the pots and then she began fiddling with her dress. "Sorry, I will pay for them of course." she said as she began rummaging through her bag looking for some money mumbling something about how clumsy she was.

Dogura held up a hand, signifying for her to stop. "Don't worry about it, I'm... financially stable." He said, smiling in the back his mind. Cell Sky gave me so many rupees... I'm literally set for life... Alex knew what was coming next, but couldn't escape fast enough. "Alex, clean up this mess." The newly dubbed nomad sighed, and disappeared inside to gather up the dustpan. Darkin stood up, and glared at the man. "If it was me who'd have broken a pot, you would have kick my feathered as- MPH" Dogura had the rito in a headlock. "Shut your beak, and bring some tea out." The rito wrestled free, and sighed. "Why am I still friends with you, you grumpy old goat." Dogura turned, and shouted back, "Its because you need a bodyguard, and I'm only 27!" Darkin laughed from inside. It was obviously an inside joke, because anyone else would have seen this as a regular argument. Dogura turned back, and looked down at the pot. "So Azalea! How have you been? Its been far too long."

"Yes it has." she said smiling "I've been fine, just wondering around trying to gather memories. It didn't go to well though so I came back." she sighed thinking, then she mumbled "You never know how much you like a place until you leave." It was true, she hadn't know anything when she first arrived yet she still couldn't help but like it. All throughout her travels she was being draw back her because she had realized she had memories here. Of course, there were not very many but she had the most here. "I gave up on my past," she sighed looking down. "Now its time for the present."

Dogura looked out at the blue sky. "I know how that is... I once traveled away from Hyrule, for a few months actually! I ended up missing everything about this place." Dogura sat down on the edge of his deck, just next to the stairs that lead from the deck into a grass. "And you're right about one thing, but you must have realized you were wrong about the other." Standing up, he walked out onto the fresh-cut lawn, and leaned on one of the new training posts that he had set up for his apprentice. "If you continuously look for memories... you may never find them. You'll only end up as lost as you were when you began searching. This is a new chapter in your life's story Azalea." He turned and smiled.

"Its time for you to make some memories."

Dogura stared into the forest and it's mysteries. "You're absolutely right. To live for the present, is to exist. I live every day of my life so that I may return to my past. I want so badly to return back home to my kingdom of origin. But the south passage has been under construction for as long as I can remember living in the north. My friend Norog gave me a loan to build a house here, because it was too expensive staying at the Inn all the time. I'm glad I settled down where I was, and made the most of the hand I was dealt. I made good friends. And great memories. I'm convinced that anyone that puts their mind to it can do the same." Alex emerged from the house, mumbling something, and knelt down to sweep up the fragments of the previously shattered pottery.

Natalie looked at Dougra and listened as the words formed in her head. She was looking at him but it was almost as if she was very far away, lost in the words Dougra spoke. "I couldn’t agree more." she said breaking out of her thoughts smiling. "Well what do you know, you much smarter then you look." she laughed joking. "So you have been away from home for awhile?" She wondered if she would ever be able to go back, wherever it was. "Do you miss it?" she said quietly, looking out at the sky.

OOC: He doesn't look smart? You obviously haven't seen my stats, and my INT of 8 XD

Dogura half smiled, taking the comment as a compliment. He knew he was a bit smarter than the average man. After all, being a prince, he was raised not only to excel in combat, but also studies. It was also one of his habits to study vigorously on anything he came across that he didn't know. "Yes, about 10 years ago in fact. My home of Shadowclaw, a small, but prosperous empire, lies near the southern edge of this continent. I left at age 16 or 17... I can't recall exactly. I left for adventure... to test my skills against Hyrule and it's children. I left to make a man of myself. I thought I would return after a year... I didn't know that a construction project would start. It prohibits anyone from returning south." The samurai watched a cloud roll by that vaguely resembled one of the symbols on Shadowclaw's flag.

"Of course, I still haven't returned. At age 23, I received word that my mother had fallen ill to a Hyrulian sickness. She died from it." He looked down into the green grass, that was blown ever so gently by Farore's winds, as was the trees that loomed overhead. He looked up into them as well, and smiled slightly. "I wasn't able to attend her funeral... nor have I ever payed my respects to her grave. But I like to think that she's smiling down on me from heaven." Dogura looked up into the sky, and smiled back. It was nice blue, but over the trees, a darker blue, almost a purple hue brewed in the clouds. "Looks like rain..." Dogura said, now a gentle smile forming on his lips. "... I like rain. It reminds me of the rainy nights that my mother would make cookies, and she would wrap me up in a blanket... and we would talk about things. I miss my home very much. And someday... hopefully someday soon... I'll return to Shadowclaw. And all the people I loved. My kingdom..."

OOC: He looks smart (well how I see him) she was just joking.

IC: "Wow." she said quietly. She turned and looked up at him; a small sad smile crossed her lips. "You will, I mean I can't be sure of it but I am most sure that someday you will return." She pictured a crowd cheering as their prince returned home at last. All the smiles on the peoples faces. Natalie looked down at the ground before looking back to him; she smiled at him as if he too had just seen the thought. "I know you will, because unlike me, you remember and will not forget." her smile faded for a moment but then returned. "And you have hope." Two things Natalie knew she no longer had, but then again as Dougra said, there was still hope. There was still hope for the new memories, and new future. She was quite for a moment as she thought of what it must have been like to leave thinking you would return in a year and suddenly you didn’t know if you would ever be able to return. "I'm sorry." she said. It was strange how she could do that. She could not remember having done anything like it, yet she could feel what it would have felt like. It was just part of her she could feel other people’s pain or joy just by looking at their expressions, or their movements, or just simply by being told the story like now. She looked up at the rain clouds and smiled.

The samurai's smile widened. "I can almost hear my kingdom now... The busy streets. The playing children. The bustling market square, and eastern plaza's gambling hall." Dogura looked off into the distance. "It always was noisy in the eastern plaza, due to the gambling hall, which was conveniently right next to the tavern." Suddenly, a thought occurred to the samurai. I wonder what has become of my home. Both my parents have died, and I left long ago... did they... did they preserve it? Its a past king's home, they must have turned it into a memorial...

After convincing himself of this, he understood how the young woman felt. "Sometimes, I would like to forget..." he thought of the day he left. He stared at the woman for a moment. "Azalea... I'm sorry...." He whispered, almost beginning to cry. He of course wasn't talking to the Hylian next to him. Rather, he was remembering of that day that would haunt him all the way to today. Dogura sighed, and leaned back on the porch. "Can I ask you something?" At that moment, Darkin returned outside, carrying two small glasses of tea.

He handed one to Azalea, and one to Dogura. "Here you go! Freshly brewed tea!" Dogura's eyes brightened. Tea would do him justice. "Why, thank you Darkin!" Dogura raised the cup to his lips, and took a sip. "Just perfect, as always! You should consider opening up a brewery Darkin!" The rito squealed with delight. "You mean it?" Dogura rolled his eyes. "Of course I do, but don't give it too much thought." Dogura chuckled, and took another sip. The clouds rolled by. Such a beautiful day doesn't often come around in Hyrule, however they were in abundance as of late.

Natalie was looking at him curiously as Darkin handed her the drink. She wasn't sure if he would still ask her what he wanted to, and she wasn't sure if she should mention it. Instead she looked at him with wondering eyes that burned with curiosity.
Suddenly she remembered the warm tea that was in her hand and the delicious aroma finally broke her thoughts and she took a small sip. The warm liquid tasted wonderful as it slid down her throat she took another sip and let the heat spread to her stomach. "It's delicious!" she commented taking another sip. She looked back up to catch Dougra's eye to see if he would answer the raw curiosity within then.

Dogura sensed tension. He looked at her, a bit perplexed. "Is something on your mind?" He asked nonchalantly. He knew very well that something was bothering her from within, thanks to his mental abilities. "If there is anything you want to talk about, feel free to speak up." He took a sip of the tea, before Darkin appeared on the porch. "Why thank you Azalea!" He said delighted, as he returned to the house, beaming all the way.

OOC: Couldn't think of much more to say XD

She cleared her throat and looked at him stunned, how did he do that! "Well, I...was wondering," she cleared her throat again looking down and fiddled with a piece of her hair. Suddenly her confidence returned and she looked up. "I need to learn to fight." she blurted out in a rush. "You seemed...rather capable, and I don't know anyone that well, so I was wondering...if you had time of course, and you definitely dint have to say yes, I mean don't feel like you have to," she had her hands raised in defense. She took a breath and lowered them, she let out a sigh. She could feel her cheeks burn red with embarrassment. She looked into the trees and thought about making a run for it. She looked back to him with a faint smile of embarrassment. "Would you teach me?" she said each word slow and clear, and sighed with relief at finally saying it. She looked up at him, eagerly waiting for the answer.

The samurai closed his eyes, and heard her out. His Hylian ears perked at the request. His eyes widened a bit, and he couldn't help but let a warm smile cross his lips. "I-I..." he couldn't help but stammer at the request. He had one pupil already. However, Alex had only asked for training because he was Dogura's biggest fan. Azalea however... she was only met as of recent. He felt honored that anyone would want to train under him for reasons other than fandom. Even if he wanted, he probably couldn't have refused this request. "I... Alright then. I suppose you could always train alongside Alex." Alex erupted from the house, and threw his arms in the air. "Finally, somebody to share this hell with me!" he threw his arms around the woman.

"Its gonna be so awesome having a training partner!" He jovially skipped around the porch, and disappeared back into the house. Darkin then emerged from the doorway, and winked. "I'll be sure to make another training post, and add another weapon rack." Dogura raised an eyebrow. "Were the both of you listening?" Darkin nodded happily, and followed Alex inside. Dogura looked to Azalea, a bit worried. "This will be by no means easy for you. I won't make your training any easier than Alex's just because you're a woman." The samurai looked at her, wondering if she would be able to handle the rigorous training that he forced Alex to endure... or if she would skip training sessions to explore Hyrule like her new partner.

OOC: I Accept!

She let out a long breath not realizing she had been holding it. "Thank you so much!" she sighed. "You have no idea how much this means to me." she laughed as Alex hugged her; clearly she wasn’t the only one who was happy. She turned to Dougra as she listened to him. She struggled to make her face strict, she felt her eyebrows pull together, but this was all she could manage, the large smile stayed. "Dougra!" she said in what would have been an outraged tone if not for the relief and joy she felt. "Did you just mention something about my being a girl affecting my training?" she grinned at him with an eyebrow now raised. "Because your right, you should not have to make my training any easier then Alex’s, in fact, you might have to make it more difficult to fit my abilities." she laughed jokingly. She knew Alex would most defiantly beat her at anything...for now anyway.