route_1065 | (no subject)

(no subject)

Who: Kiki (

broomwithaview) and Forest!Link (

clawshot)
Where: Violet City, outside the inn.
When: Saturday, March 3rd
Summary: A surprise gift exchange between friends!
Rating: ...G for Ghibli.
Log:

She'd waited for what felt like ages for the warm little egg to hatch. The worst had been hiding it from him, making sure to tuck it into a pile of blankets beneath her bed where he was sure not to find it. She'd been so excited when it had finally begun to glow, hoping that she would lead the horse out to him, look, I got you a horse, just like the one you told me about!

But this wasn't a horse. More like a pony, and even then--maybe Kiki could ride it, but not Ordon. She was disappointed, not to mention kicking herself for not asking about the relative sizes of Ponyta. And she'd already asked him to meet her out here, so she really couldn't go back on her plan, now. The little horse looked so happily earnest, and it--she--hadn't done anything wrong, so why should Kiki deprive it of a good master? And if Link didn't want her, well, Kiki would take responsibility for her actions.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

When Kiki had asked to meet, Link was just about finished with his work for the day. Since they'd settled in Violet, at least for the time being, he'd found work. And being the sort that couldn't say no to anything, he was getting run around town by the innkeeper, and she hadn't yet found a task that he didn't complete. That only meant more errands, and Link was halfway up a tree to collect some kind of berry when the alarm on his gear went off.

Surprised, he glanced around before he remembered what that noise was and shook his head. Technology really was a baffling thing, he still couldn't get used to it. While the gadget continued to beep, he slid down the tree and hurried back toward the inn.

"Okay, so remember, you have to behave," Kiki reminded her charge, and the little Ponyta perked up and tossed her head proudly. They could totally do this.

Amendment: they could totally do this unless Link was utterly underwhelmed.

Kiki held on to the makeshift lead rope, tied to the makeshift halter she'd created out of leftover cord; not that the little animal needed any of it, as she seemed rather docile. As Link came rushing to meet them, she straightened her shoulders.

"Link! Over here!"

She put on a cheerful smile, realizing the sudden apparition of a horse would require little explanation.

It didn't take long for Link to close distance, slowing to a stop a few paces away from Kiki. Well, Kiki and her new friend, from the look of it. He couldn't help casting a curious glance in the direction of the horse, pondering for a moment or two whether it was actually on fire...

But if it was, it seemed to be in no distress at all, so Link looked back to Kiki. At least, until he remembered that incessant beeping and tugged his gear out of his pocket to fiddle with the thing. He'd had to get help just to turn the alarm on, he had no idea how to turn it off.

If the noise kept up he couldn't very well carry a conversation though.

Oh, goodness. He didn't like it, judging by the way his eyes landed on it, gently curious and...worried? Oh, well, she supposed the pony was on fire. And what was that ringing noise? Was that his pokegear?

"How did you set an alarm if you don't know how to turn it off?" Kiki demanded, letting go of the lead rope to go help her friend. A quick button-press later, and the sound stopped. She stepped back, smiling.

"There. Much better."

"The innkeeper set it up for me..." Link supplied, observing with some wonder just how easily she was able to get that noise to stop. Perhaps he needed to invest some time in mastering the functions of that device. Otherwise he'd be relying on help constantly. "Thank you."

Hopefully next time he could figure it out before it became problematic.

After he pocketed the gear he gestured to the horse beside her. "You caught a new pokémon?" He hadn't seen flaming ponies in the area, but this place was rife with surprises.

She let him slip the device back in his pocket, shifting gently on her heels as her attention turned back to the ponyta.

"Ah, no, she's...for you..."

Oh goodness this was a horrible idea whyyyyy.

After he'd told her about Epona, an incredibly fortuitous call had gone out to the network, announcing eggs. Kiki hadn't a clue what a 'ponyta' was, but the picture she'd been sent had gotten her hopes up. If only she'd though to ask for the size...

The Ponyta nickered gently, lowering her head and peering at Link through her mane of fire.

Link's eyes widened at that revelation, looking from Kiki to the horse and back again. "You got a pokémon for me?" Repeating what she'd already said was all that came to mind at first. Kiki had been quite kind to him all around, so it wasn't as though it was strange coming from her, but getting him a horse...

Well, once he recovered, he smiled. "Thank you." It was all he could think of to say, but his gratitude carried in his voice. And then as he looked to the horse, he added, "She's a fine horse."

As a farm hand, he was pretty sure he had an eye for these things. Link started to reach out to touch the Ponyta when he remembered something he had in storage with a small jolt. "Ah, that's right. I had something for you."

There was a final moment of hesitant pause, before Kiki broke into a wide grin, eyes widening. The Ponyta, for her part, puffed up proudly.

"Really? You think so? That's--that's great! I'm so relieved."

That went better than expected, at any rate. Kiki giggled, petting the little horse's head before handing the rope over to Link...that is, until he moved away. Her eyes trailed after, head tilting.

"Huh? For me...?"

She couldn't help a small flutter of excitement. What could it be?

Edited 2012-04-27 04:21 (UTC)

Link paused and nodded. "Yes, let me just get that - I'll be right back." And with that, he hurried off toward the Pokémon Center.

When he reached the doors he slowed, though he still moved through the building at a brisk pace. The slow part, for him, was always poking at all the buttons on the PC. He had some idea of what he was supposed to do, but he didn't use it much, looking over the menu options thoughtfully before finding his box.

And like magic, there was the wiggling pink-and-cream egg he'd stored. It was amazing to think it hadn't changed at all, but he didn't have time to marvel, dashing back out the door to rejoin Kiki.

Once he was near enough, he held out the egg for her to take. "Here."

She watched him go off, a bit bewildered. Beside her, the Ponyta remained, still amiably tethered, both of them looking down the road where he'd gone. They glanced at each other, before the little horse tiredly let herself down into the grass. At a lack of better to do, Kiki settled beside her.

She knew Link still had trouble with the computer--to be honest, she often did, too. The devices they used here were a lot more complex than the telephones and televisions back home, but Link didn't even have that. It made her wonder what kind of wild, untamed world he lived in. She knew about his farm, of course, and some strange creatures there, but a lot was a mystery. She supposed she'd have to ask, one of these days.

He came back not too longer after, barely out of breath from the run. He held out an egg--an egg? really?--that shook and twitched under his palms. Dropping the Ponyta's lead (it wasn't really needed, anyway), she took it from him.

"Wow. What is it?" Cream mottled with pink spots, it was small and hot, and looked just about ready to hatch. How long had he been keeping it?

"If I timed it right, you should see pretty soon," Link replied, glad he'd made it back before the egg hatched. Having limited experience with eggs, he hadn't been entirely sure whether he'd be able to carry out this idea, but he really did want to surprise her.

That and...he wasn't entirely sure whether she'd like having a pink cat, but he had to hope so. After hearing about her cat friend back home, Link had a feeling that it might be nice for her to have a cat in this world as well. It wouldn't be quite the same, but when Link looked to the Ponyta Kiki had gotten for him, he had the idea that perhaps they'd had the same thoughts.

Kiki could feel the thin shell quaking beneath the pads of her fingertips, so she cautiously put it down in the grass. It wobbled, tipping against her calf. She looked up at Link for a moment, hoping he was sharing her excitement. He had timed it well, she was impressed.

After a few more blundering shakes, the creature inside seemed increasingly determined, and the shell began to glow from the inside. Scraps of shell fell off in thick flakes, vanishing in a shower of sparks just as they hit the ground. More scrambling followed, more shell exploded outwards, and eventually, triumph: the hard casing broke completely, exposing a shivering little kitten in the dewy grass.

Kiki sat, dumbfounded, as her new kitten looked up at her and mewled.

A cat. Well, of course he'd get her a cat, if she'd thought of getting him a horse...but her thoughts caught on the knot in her throat. She reached for the little animal with trembling fingers, remembering, as if in a dream, all the times she'd held Jiji just like this, pressed against her beating heart.

Poor Link. She really didn't mean to let him see her cry.

"Ah-" That certainly hadn't been what Link was aiming for, associating Kiki's tears with distress. When he'd first met her, he remembered the overwhelming nature of their circumstances and how difficult it had been for her. Had getting her a cat been the wrong decision?

Link first knelt and then sat on the grass, unsure what to make of her response. She was holding the little Skitty close, it was true, but she seemed sad...

Uncertain what else he might do, Link offered the same gesture from the day they'd met. He lifted a hand and placed it on her head, hoping it'd be some sort of comfort. The other Link was better at these sorts of things, he was fairly sure of that, but he was no less concerned for Kiki's well-being than his counterpart.

It wasn't that she meant to be a bother--quite the opposite--but she didn't expect to have such a strong reaction to a kitten. A kitten who certainly didn't deserve to see the very first human of its acquaintance cry. It peeped anxiously, licking the salty tears as they trailed down her chin. She just missed Jiji so terribly, and of course crying wasn't going to solve anything, she needed to stop, but...Jiji had always known what to do. He'd always been her compass, her guide; that was the role of the familiar. With him by her side, she wasn't completely on her own, she was safe and home no matter where she was. Without him, she felt like the scared girl she was.

When she felt Link's hand come down, she hiccuped, peering up at him through watery lashes. She squeezed the Skitty, and it squeaked in response.

"O-oh...sorry..."

Her voice wavered, so she leaned into his hand, not unlike a cat. Eventually, the tears abated, and she quieted again, feeling ashamed. She tucked the kitten closer to her neck, where it snuggled.

"I'm sorry. Thank you, it's a great gift. It's just...I miss Jiji a lot." She rubbed her eye with the heel of one hand, swallowing. "Guess I should've thought of that, huh? You must miss Epona the same."

Kiki was right about that, he did miss Epona. All of his experiences battling monsters in the Twilight had even allowed his horse to talk to him, in a language he could understand. They'd been close even without that, and he knew Kiki and Jiji had a special bond of their own. Being able to communicate always, he could imagine she was accustomed to that companionship all the more.

"It's...she's important, but it's a little different," Link had to hope that his choice of words might be reassuring, pondering what to say for a while before he continued. "Epona and I have been separated before. I'll be glad to see her again, but Jiji was always with you, wasn't he?"

So it made enough sense that she missed her feline companion, and that it was hard on her. Kiki was also younger, and that had its impact too. This world forced them to deal with a lot of things; missing friends was really no exception to that.

"Don't be sorry for missing someone important."

His words washed over her, bringing her back to reality with a soft twinge of guilt. No, she didn't expect his situation to be exactly the same, and from his description, he didn't find being away from his horse quite as taxing, but then, Epona wasn't his familiar. Hadn't known him since he was born, hadn't grown up with him. She was a normal horse, benign and mundane, not like Jiji who could predict the rain or know just how big to cast the circle, every time.

"Yeah," she answered, petting the Skitty's head. "He's kind of like...a brother, now that I think about it."

She set the kitten down, watched as it tried with great effort to climb back up her folded leg. Managing a bare smile, she aimed it at Link.

"I'm just sorry if it seemed like I didn't appreciate your present. You know--" she trailed off a bit, putting one finger on the kitten's head and watching with endearment as it butted its head up against it, "I think this is something I needed."

"It's okay. I might not always be the best judge. Back home, people just told me what they wanted." Link managed a small laugh at that, aware that people in this world were very much the same. Not Kiki, and not his fellow Link, but there were no shortage of others who asserted their needs quite clearly. "Not being asked for things outright, it's...different. But I'm glad this worked out."

He watched the Skitty soak up Kiki's attention and couldn't help but be reminded of creatures back home. Epona included, of course - she was his partner as much as Midna was and he couldn't have gotten as far as he did without her. Those bonds really were special, it made him wish he could meet Jiji someday.

"I like it best when you smile," that was said with a pat to her hair before he withdrew his hand, glancing toward his new Ponyta. "You and Li-" he paused, finding it awkward still yet to call the other by name with her in particular, "-Sky, you make this world a nicer place."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only