Hyrule Adventures 2

It's raining, and it's cold. A little green-haired thief by the name of Seth tramped through the mud, the wind whipping at his patched clothes. At a particularly violent gust his cloak finally rips away from the cracked clasp, leaving him to stare numbly at his shaking hands. The puddle he's standing in soaks through his boots, and he suddenly feels so horrible that he wants to break out crying there. The psychic thief stumbled into an alley, hugging himself and staring at the ground, the rain and wind beating at him mercilessly.

At one point a young couple hurried past him, the girl giggling as her umbrella was blown from her hands. "Leave it, I'll get you another one," her boyfriend said as he covered her with his heavy coat. He was laughing and smiling too.

Why can't I find the courage to smile like them? Lately, every time I try I... He supressed a sob, sliding down the grimy wall he was leaning against and kneeling on the wet ground helplessly. I'm such a mess. What do I do now?

You could just go home, stupid.

I can't. I dragged myself out this far for the first time in years. If I turned back now-

Go home. Come back when the weather's nicer. Why'd you go when it was pouring like this? Idiot. What's the point of being psychic if you ignore what you see?

I don't know... I guess I figured I deserved to suffer like this. And I can't go home. Sovelis and Arrika'll want to know where I went and then I'll start- Seth choked for a second, his thoughts clouding his mind. The thief looked up at the sky, the rain coming down even harder now. He made up his mind, dragging himself up and out of the alley. After winding through the other alleys of the lesser district of North Castle, he finally stopped in front of a familiar one-story house. It looked exactly the same as the last time he'd seen it, the paint only more chipped and the windows had more cracks. The ceiling was most likely leaking in its usual 15 places.

He stopped at the door, hand inches away from knocking. He let his arm drop dejectedly, daring himself to back out now. How many years has it been? Not that many, but long enough.... Seth took a deep breath and knocked 4 times, the sound echoing around him as if he was announcing his presence to all the local residents. Someone opened the door; she had regular brown hair and freckles and was around 15 now. Another of his sisters.

"Karina."

"Seth...? Seth!" A second later his older sister threw her arms around him, hugging her younger brother tightly and not caring that he was getting her wet. "Where have you been? All these years, did you not care what you did to us by disappearing? First Rin, then you, then Jacob couldn't take it anymore and left, and now Sela-"

"Sela's gone?"

"Yeah, it was a couple months ago only, she-"

"Kari. Who is it?" A tall Hylian with spiky black hair appeared behind her, his eyes serious and his face looking older than he really was. "Seth?" He said incredelously. "What do you think you're doing back here?"

"I just wanted to-" Seth began, his voice halting and small.

"Screw up the rest of us? Mom's not here either, and neither is Sela. So get lost," Arunite said bluntly, taking Karina by the arm and pulling her back into the house. He averted Seth's eyes, finally saying, "Mom's finally settling down. I think she really is this time."

"You mean she-"

"Yeah. She's getting married in 2 days, okay? The new guy has no idea about you or Rin or Sela, and if you suddenly decided to come back he might not..." He trailed off. "Just understand, alright? With Sela gone I'm the oldest now, and been running the house for years. I've finally got a chance to go off on my own, become a ranger, and when I get enough money marry Sabrina and..."

"I get it. You don't want me back. That's all I wanted to know," Seth said, his voice low as he stared at the ground and the water dripping off his hair. He turned around and walked away, but then stopped and said, "You don't happen to know where Sela went, do you?"

"No. I've got no clue." Seth heard the door slam shut and he started to run blindly through the cracked concrete alleys, finally growing exhausted and collapsing under the splintered roof of an abandoned shop. There were thieves taking refuge inside, and they shooed him away until he settled farther along the wall instead. Seth felt tears run down his cheeks and he buried his head in his hands, wishing that he was someone else. Someone with a family that actually cared whether he lived or died.

OoC:
Aureliano takes out his sword and stabs the bad guy. lol Jk

IC:
Aureliano was walking in the pouring rain, until he saw a green haired boy run by. He thought it was odd seeing this sight, so decided to run after him. Aureliano could not catch up because of his wet and heavy armor he was carrying. The boy ran through different allies and walkways that made Aureliano's head spin. He would catch a glimpse every now and then, but the boy would disappear from Aureliano's sight. Suddenly, he saw him collapse under an old shop. Aureliano decided to watch from a distance, ready to pounce if the thieves were to harm the green haired boy, yet the thieves simply shooed him away without giving him much thought.

Aureliano walked up to the green haired boy cautiously, not wanting to alert him. He kept his hand on his sword, however, just in case the thieves were to change their minds. He saw that the boy's face was buried in his face, and Aureliano knew he was crying. "Are you ok?" he asked tenderly, not wanting to step on any toes. "Anyhing I help you with?"

OoC: Man? Aurel, he's a bratty 14-year-old.

IC: "No, I am not," Seth said angrily for no reason. "I'm definetely not okay. And what the hell do you think you could pull off? You don't even know me, and you think you can just... rgh... damn it all!" he said, picking up a rock and chucking it against the opposite alley wall. Seth knew he should be grateful that anyone would take notice of him, but at that moment he hated the world. "I know who you are though," the psychic Hylian then said. "Go away and save a princess or two or whatever it is you think you're valiant enough to do, Aurel. Leave me alone!"

The boy looked up at the sky and started to wonder, of his own tales and memories, evoking once again periods of time from his childhood. He had naught to blame on - his past was not one filled with tragedy good enough to write a novel from: sure, he had been orphaned since a very young age - so much that he does not recall anything about his parents, just that they were from Hylian blood due to his heritage... and facing the facts, that was not much to go by. Still, his past fifteen years - at least as far as he can remember - he had been a fortunate child, being raised in a warm
Orphanage, having many friends and people who he could call a family. Sometimes, the Hylian was left to ponder on his decision of hunting down fragments of his past, not sure if that was the most correct action to take now. He had made new friends and adventurers he interacted with daily, so much that they could even be deemed his "family"... but by doing that, wasn't he being cold-hearted, leaving his other family of orphans behind? He wondered how Mike and Emily would be doing right now, facing this torrent that was given to them by the goddesses. Why was he always sad when it rained? Or did it rain when he was feeling down? Regardless of this little question, he gazed up at the skies, as if to find renewed confidence to keep travelling, fighting an Empire whose dark intentions fully escaped him, and, besides accomplishing himself as a renowned mage, try and find out who his real parents were.

Did I really make the right decision? - the junior mage asked himself countless times. Although he couldn't have stayed in the Orphanage nonchalantly, he was offered a job there as a tutor and friend to the other kids, and he wouldn't have to abandon anyone. However, he had decided on this path of life, met many friends and foes alike, but was it all worth it, just to satisfy his own selfish reason? He knew it that his decision was made and that he shouldn't regret it, but then why did he kept looking into the past? He placed his hands forcefully on his forehead, as if he wanted to tear it apart. Damn! I hate puberty! - he remarked, filled with hatred at himself and the world around him. And there he remained, his mind unsettled in various different issues left unsolved, thoughts flowing like the blessed waters that showered the Castle. The boy should have never visited the Orphanage today, was the final conclusion. And there he would have remained until the rain stopped or he sighted any friend of his, if he had not seen a young male, about his age, perhaps slightly younger, skid by with some haste, his most noticeable feature being the tears he shed during his passage.

"Huh?" - he muttered as he noticed the green-haired Hylian pass by, and a tinge of guilt overwhelmed him. Once again, in his own private dilemmas, forgot the third and final reason for which he left the orphanage. "No other kids should suffer the dark fate that we have." - he recited it once more, as to recall the words he had vowed to accomplish. And thus, on a dark rainy day, Tayro step forward into the road in pursuit of the young man that had dashed there just a few seconds ago, the rain flushing down all his prior worries. After a while, he found him down by a wall talking to an older man, treating him with apparent disdain. The elder youth knew not his reasons, but he did comprehend the hatred the green-haired psychic had at the moment, his pride being shattered. He understood that, having felt that same situation, and thus, disregarding the other man, approached the fallen thief and, in a sympathetic measure, extended his right hand outwards towards him, smiling. He didn't say a word, but he didn't deem it necessary: his big brother side he had acquired in the Orphanage was now in action.

OoC: Ohhhhh...sorry I'll edit it.

IC: Aureliano got pissed by this bratty 14 year old. "Who the hell do you think you are, talking to a fellow Hylian like that? You are aware that I can beat the snot out of you, right? And I'll save a princess when the time calls for it. So you better get your act together you little hooligan!" Aureliano screamed at Seth, overcome by his anger. Suddenly, a thought popped in his head: This boy knew my name.....he knew my name....he isn't normal. You just don't know someone's name. Then he called me Aurel, like Arrika. He knows something." Aureliano bagan to breath deeply and counted to ten, and he eventually calmed down."Sorry, I just haven't been having a good time either." Aureliano thought about his best friend Melquiades and his visit. "Anyway," he said, sitting next to Seth, "What's your name, and how do you know mine?"

Seth ignored the newcomer's attempt at friendliness and Aureliano, not really wanting to touch anyone right now. "I'm Seth. And why bother staying out here with me in the rain?" He asked both of them. "And yeah, I know Arrika. Can't believe she hasn't ranted on about me to you though," he said, trying to redirect his thoughts to something lighter. The thief's light brown eyes finally looked up, staring at Tayro intently. "Guess your life hasn't been a walk in the park either."

I didn't even mention Arrika. This kid must be psychic..." No, Arrika never talked to me about you. And honestly, I thought you were being chased, but since that is not the case and we have semi-formally introduced ourselves, I am obliged to stay here. Apart from that," Aureliano said lowering his voice, "those thieves don't look so friendly either." He stretched his cramped legs and unsheathed his sword, putting it next to him in a discreet motion. He looked around and calmed down. "Yeah, it is a bit difficult, but it is not worth crying over spilt milk, right? So, what's wrong with you?"

Aureliano then said loudly in his head to see if the boy was telepathic "YOU LITTLE PUNK!"

I hear you. You don't have to scream.
"Nah. I know them. They're alright..." Seth said, his voice trailing off. "...Why should I tell you anything?" Seth said, his anger firing up again. "You think you could understand? That you could relate to an idiot like me? I screwed up, I really did, I..." At this he banged his head violently at the wall he was sitting against as if to punish himself. "I'm-bangsuch an-bangungrateful idiot I just- bang left her there-"

"Stop banging your head on the wall, you look like an idiot." Aureliano simply said, watching the boy's display of anger. "I won't understand you until you tell me what is wrong with you, right? Let's start: who is 'her'? and why did you leave 'her', and how did you screw up?" Aureliano didn't know what to say in a situation where a teen is smashing his head on a wall. "How do you know I know Arrika?" Aureliano got back up and sheathed his sword, since Seth said the thieves were harmless.

" 'Her' would be my sister. Or was my sister. And I didn't mean to leave her! Okay, I did, because I forsaw she was gone anyway, but I was so stupid and just left her to that Wolfos anyway because of that and-" he started rambling, not much of it making sense at all. At least he had stopped banging his head on the wall, the pain finally reaching him. He held his head in his hands, everything spinning around him. Seth didn't want to look at Aurel when he rambled, the least of reasons being that the rain would get in his eyes. "It's not far from here, you know?" He said suddenly, his voice oddly calmer. The thief pointed down one side of the alley. "No one can tell what happened there... Just me. It's like she's cursed me in a way. I can't help but think of her whenever I come to North Castle. But it's been years, Rin, I'm sorry, so sorry-"

Aureliano began to think about Seth's words. Wolfos, her, gone, left her, Rin. He had more than enough information to figure out what happened. "So Wolfos ate her" Aureliano said. He was tired from the run and the rain, and wanted to find shelter. His legs were beginning to cramp up from the cold and the run. Aureliano stood up and stretched.

He then turned to Seth and said "Let's go then, I want to figure out the details." Aureliano was not sure if Seth wanted to talk about it, but he decided to give it a shot.

"Go where?" He said pathetically, hanging his head. "I can't go anywhere. I can't even go back home. I don't even remember where Thorne lives, and I bet I'll never see him again either." Thunder boomed and lightning flashed above them, causing Seth to whimper and curl up into an even tighter ball on the ground. "I hate thunder... make it stop..." His white scarf was now wet and muddy, his face streaked with a line of dirt across his left cheek. Aureliano seemed so happy and confident, the complete opposite of what the green-haired theif was feeling now. The thunder boomed again, this time a lot louder, and Seth jumped up and clung to Aureliano.

Aureliano noted the lightning and the rain and became annoyed. He was quite tired of the bad weather always reminding him of bad things that irked the human soul. "How am I going to stop it, Seth. Let's not be unreasonable because of stupid feelings." Aureliano told the green haired boy coldly. He wanted to find out the details because.......well.......he himself did not know. He personally did not care for this chump, yet there was somehting about him. Aureliano felt as if he had to stick with him at least for a while to get to know him.

Suddenly the lightning boomed and Aureliano found the boy clinging on to him. Aureliano could not decide what to do. Should he stab him, push him off, or curse at him and insult his masculinity by referring to him in a girl's name. He chose to put his calloused hand on the boy's green hair and told him, "It's alright. Calm down"

Seth caught on to Aureliano's inner thoughts quickly, mumbling, "Arrika's right... you're a lot different now..." He got up and stumbled further down the alley. He found the back door of one of the apartments and went in after easily picking the lock. The thief was certain to catch a cold now, and as if to ascertain that thought he sneezed loudly after sitting on the floor of the tiled lobby.