A red and blue flash darts thoughout the open Hyrule Fields, winds spiraling where he turned, at times even uprooting the grass where he ran. Time did not stand still when he ran, instead going faster, and soon enough, the entire landscape had been covered in darkness, lit by the moon's ivory light.

And, even with this extreme speed, he stopped, standing upright, not affected by his earlier momentum. He was much different compared to the other people of Hyrule. His skin was a dark blue, compared to the light blue of the Zora. His muzzle was peach, same with his arms, which ended in white gloves. He wore a robe-like suit, red and white, long sleeves, but short at the bottom, letting his legs be seen almost completely, covered at the top by short-like covering. He also wore red and white shoes, kept on by a golden buckle, seemingly undamaged by his earlier running. His hair is styled like spines, seven in all, that point downward.

Sakiko grumbled something about extreme poverty and hunger as she walked through the Hyrule Fields. Ok, she was a little lost. Just a little. Sakiko was trying to find herbs and specimen for her studies in magic, but she...wandered a ltitle too much. Her silver hair fluttered behind her as the slight breeze passed by. She stood in the moonlit darkness, her pale face almost glowing. She was about to make a turn when her sharp eyes caught the site of a blue-ish looking man...or...was he a man? Sakiko gaped, her eyes growing wide. She had never seen such a creature before...was he of the Zora?

The little man looked around where he was, looking for something, before scatching behind two little triangles pointing up on the top of his head. They were his ears, appparantly, and as everyone knows, Zora do not have ears. Not able to find anything on his first look, he turned around, to find a scholar looking at him from afar. He smiled, his expression brightening, as he walked over to her, a sharp change from his display of speed from before.

Once he made his way over to her, he looked up at the scholar, to make up for his height of only three feet. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I think I'm lost. D'you know where I am?" he asked, before holding out a golved hand for her to shake. "M'name's Maurice, by the way." he said, introducing himself happily, though he gritted his teeth as he said 'Maurice'.

Sakiko had watched warily as the strange man came towards her. She was about to grab her staff to prepare for a fight when she had noticed that the man was smiling. Easing her tension just a bit, she shifted her position warily. She didn't want to be rude, but she couldn't help but stare at the new stranger before her. He seemed unusally short, as he had looked a lot taller from a distance. Sakiko stuttered for a moment before she grasped the gloved hand in her pale ones and shook it weakly. The young mage stumbled over her words stupidly,

"Hello, Maurice...m..my name is..Sakiko."

She breathed in, and bit her lips. Ok, she was definitely being rude. So what if someone looked a bit...a bit...different? She smiled back at him and said,

"Sorry, I've never seen anyone like you. I would like to help you out, but I'm a bit lost myself. Sorry to be nosy, but where are you going?"

Sakiko silently inserted another question to herself, and what led you here?

The man smiled a bit more, about to answer, but he closed his mouth. His face scruntched into a look of thought, one gloved hand scatching behind his ears. "You know, Sakiko, I'm not very sure myself. I just start running, and I lose myself in it. The adrenaline rush, the feeling of the wind, it's all so...so perfect." he said, smiling warmly, compared to the friendly one he had before. He was really into his speed, you could tell.

Turning back to look up at Sakiko, he spoke to her. "So, what leads you out here?" he asked of her, wondering why a scholar, not exactly known for their physical strengths, would be out here.

Sakiko nodded, her dark gray eyes turning silver. This was a certain trait she had, which she didn't like. Her eyes would turn the color of her emotions, and this made her face too readable. The young mage agreed,

"Yes, I know what you mean about...wandering. I was gathering herbs when I became lost myself."

She turned her face to the dark sky, the moon's soft light touching her face gently. Sakiko frowned, then said,

"It's getting late, and I'd really hate to camp out here."

Sakiko shifted her weight and rubbed her eyes. She turned her focus to her blue acquaintance and asked,

"Forgive me for asking, but what...exactly...are you?"[/i]

Maurice didn't look offended by her question, as if he was asked that almost hourly. He held a gloved hand out before his face, as if studying the material that made it up. "Well, I'm sure it's alright for me to say that I'm alive." he said as a joke, then answered seriously. "Well, according to every single thing I know, I'm a hedgehog. Every doctor has told me that, no matter what I look like." he said, not exactly believing himself either.

He began to walk around, pacing as he was apparently thinking over something. "You know, I think I have an idea that'll take you back to the Castle Town, where you'd be able to stay the night." he said, looking back to her. "Do you happen to have a green gem with you? It's diamind shaped? I hear all the adventurers have one." he said.

Sakiko stifled a giggle at Maurice's claim to being a hedgehog.

"You don't...look like one..."

The young mage looked at Maurice quizzically, then bit her lips.

"Do you mean the Farore's Wind?"

She slumped her shoulders and scowled. She stuck out her hand into the wind and waved her hand to and fro.

"Well, it's not exactly a gem, it's...an...energy, type thing. But yes, you're absolutely right. I should probably..."

Sakiko smiled and shrugged.

"Maybe I can solidify it...here, give me a moment."

The young mage furrowed her eyebrows, staring intently at the moonlit darkness. She extended one hand forward, biting her lips. She had never done this before, but it was worth a try...especially when she was so tired...

Sakiko raised her extended arm slowly, creating a small marble-sized light of dark green. She was about to grasp her hold on it, when the round object burst into a tiny spark, casting eery wisps of smoke before completely disppearing. Sakiko felt a sharp pain on her hand, and cringed.

When the light and smoke had faded away, the young mage examined her hand, which was shining with... blood. She swore quietly, ashamed at her incompetence in soldifying Farore's Wind. I had...lost my focus and concentration...

Maurice stepped back as it exploded, looking back up at her with a bit of a worried look. "You must really be tired." he said, walking a bit closer to look at her wound. "I got something that might help that." he said, reaching into one of his pockets to take out a bandage. He wrapped it around her hand, nice and firmly, before finishing and looking up and smiling at her. "Well, unless you think you can make it to a town, you're stuck out here with me." he said with a smile.

Sakiko stared at the bandage, applied with skill and swiftness. His adroitness in addressing the wound led her into series of gloomy thoughts. How many times did he get wounded that this skill had become second nature to him? How many wounds underwent this healing...? Sakiko sighed and murmured her thanks. Her sudden cheerfulness in meeting a stranger died away, subdued by her failure.

"Well, Maurice, if we're stuck here together, might as well make it interesting, right? So...tell me, are there any like you? Do you have any family? I'm interested."

Maurice smiled. "Well, there are others. A whole lot of us, I have to say. I live in down south, on an island covered by forest, called Knothole." he said, "My mom and dad live there, as well as my uncle. They're like me, though my uncle is a lighter shade of blue. I have an adopted brother, who actually found his family recently, but we're still thick as thieves.".

Scratching his head once more, "Well, aside from that, we've got a little monarchy down there, and do some trade with Hyrule. I'm friends with the princess, and we're part of a small group of heroes who are supposed to defend the island from monsters." he sighed. "Sadly, ever since the rockslide, and the Gohma attack up near Ruto, I haven't been able to get down there. I'm worried about them." he said, for the first time seeming sad.

Sakiko nodded at Maurice with understanding. She whispered softly,

"Yes, I know what you mean...about...being away from family, not knowing how they are doing. But you know,"

The young mage glanced up at the inky night sky and shivered, wrapping around her gray robe about her. She continued with a bitter laugh,

"I've never really got to know my parents, because they left me at Opegaria, my aunt's care. And unfortunately, my aunt is now long gone."

She glanced at her surroundings, everything blurred by the darkness. Sighing, Sakiko took out a piece of tiny cloth from her robes. She waved her fingers around it lazily, as she had done this magic for many times. Her cloth grew larger in size, turning into a blanket. The young mage flopped it down unto the ground and sat down. She looked up at her company and patted the empty spot beside her, asking Maurice if he would like to sit down.

Maurice looked wide-eyed at the act of magic Sakiko performed before him. Once she had finished, and patted the spot on the blanket next to her, asking him to sit, he did, smiling at her still. "That was a cool trick, Sakiko." he said, "How long have you known something like that?" he asked, before realizing her earlier words. "Oh...I'm sorry. My dad, mom, and uncle, as well as a good lot of the adults of my home were kidnapped for some ten years. It was just me and my friends back then. But, recently, we were able to save them." he said, looking away with sorrow.

"And ever since that rockslide, I've been running around here, waiting for that...hammer thing that people are looking for." he said, looking off at the far-off Deku Forest. "I've had to learn to live alone, seeing as most don't want me to be at their inns. But, then again, that means I don't have to spend much money.", he sighed, "Wish it did, though. Since I don't buy anything, I just run around with my wallet wide open, letting the ruppees fall into the grass." he said, now holding out the full bag. "Only way I've found to spend my time."

Sakiko chuckled lightly, her silver eyes sparkling in the dark.

"Well, I tend to avoid large groups of people in general. I usually travel by myself, so I too have adapted to lonliness. But it must be hard on you, to be a pariah like that."

She rubbed her cold hands on her cheek, staring at the plants softly billowing beneath the blanket. The young Hylian murmured admiringly,

"It must've been difficult, having all the adults of your home be kidnapped. But it was brave of you to rescue them."

The mage dropped her hand from her cheek and stared at Maurice incredulously, seeing that he was holding a large bag of treasure. She raised her eyebrows and gaped, then started to laugh.

"You are...so strange! Lemmee see."

Sakiko made a motion to go for the bag, not really believing that it was full of ruppees.

Aureliano was walking around in search for his lost shield, until he stumbled into a single rupee on the ground. He picked it up and walked forward, and spotted Sakiko with.....with.....a hedgehog? He walked very carefully in their direction, but saw that Sakiko was not alarmed at all, so Aureliano relaxed. I guess I should be more courteous. If he saw me treading around like I did, I could have hurt his feelings." he thought to himself. He noticed the hedgehog looking guy had a sack that appeared to be filled with rupees.

This must be his!"

Aureliano walked over to the hedgehog looking guy. "Hello, my name is Aureliano Buendia!" he said, offering the rupee to the guy, "I believe this is yours, and if it is not, keep it, for I have enough to get around." He said this in an afable tone with a grin on his face. "Hello again, Sakiko. " he said directing his word to the mage, "you look nice today."