I'm not short! (Open to one ._. )

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair huffed and puffed as he trudged through the streets of Castle Town. "How dare they call me a squirt! I'm not even that short, just young! I've fought my fair share of monsters, dammit!" He muttered angrily to himself. He couldn't believe a merchant had the audacity to turn down his service because of his age. All he wanted to do was buy a simple hunting dagger, but he was denied, and harshly.

Just because I'm a little on the young side, I get treated with prejudice when it comes to adventuring. You would think people would want all the help they could get! I mean, I'm not even all that far away from becoming a legal adult! I just feel bad for Kokiri adventurers; they look young despite their age. Then again, that means people probably treat them like adults by default...

He continued the angry rant in his head past that point, but it became mostly undecipherable. As he stomped onward, he accidentally bumped into someone (this is you ), and stumbled backwards, eventually falling over.

((I NEVER start threads, so I apologize beforehand if this is lame or if I did something wrong ^^; ))

[Finn Rider]

i'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero

nothing more than that, that's all i really am

Despite his ragged appearance and bulky size, Finn didn't attract a lot of attention. That was how he liked it. He kept his cover down and his hands in his pockets; he didn't bother anybody and nobody bothered him. It was a simple, mutual understanding between himself an a majority of the population of Hyrule that this was how it worked. He only really ventured into Castle Town when he got an itch for work or when he needed food. Right now, it was a little bit of both. There were only so many days he could spend in Faron Woods without getting a little stir-crazy, after all.

So the bear minish was just strolling along the streets, looking for odd jobs and something to snack on when this little kid bumped into him. Well, pretty much everyone was little to Finn, considering that he was almost six and a half feet tall, but that was besides the point. The boy fell over, and Finn, his brow furrowing in concern, crouched down and extended a gloved hand to help him up.

"Hey, kid, you alright?"

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Perhaps if Alistair wasn't already in a bad mood, he would have noticed the genuine act of kindness being displayed by the stranger. But there was one word, one simple word, that set him off. And it was that one word that would be repeated in his mind a few times as he tried to register what had happened.


"Hey, kid, you alright?"
"Hey, kid, you alright?"
"Hey, kid, you alright?"

He promptly stood up, dusted himself off, and looked up at the man. "I'm not a kid!" He shouted. "And you should watch where you're going!" He knew it was his own fault. Well, he would have known it was his fault if he took the time to look at what had happened. Instead, he decided to be angry at Finn, even though he hadn't really done anything.

[Finn Rider]

i'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero

nothing more than that, that's all i really am

His irritation wasn't really visible. His eyebrow twitched slightly, his narrowed eyes gained a slightly feral look. His subconscious was attempting to calm itself, really. It had been a week since he last flipped out, which was the longest lull in... well, since it had started. His mind had grown comfortable, and it wanted to stay comfortable.

Consciously, Finn knew none of this. He was worried about the kid... and about himself. The boy seemed upset, and Finn couldn't handle upset. It make his stomach all twisty and turny and he just wanted to run in the other direction. Still, he could stick it out for a bit longer.

He stood back up and looked down at the boy who hand fallen, holding his hands up in the universal gesture of peace. "Jeez, kid, calm down," he said, not registering that it was the word 'kid' that had pissed the boy off so much to begin with. "Just tryin' to help out, that's all."

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair stood there for a moment as his anger slowly bubbled over into sadness. "I'm not a kid." He pouted. "I've fought more monsters than most of the people in this town... which I guess isn't saying much... but still." Sure, most of those monsters were small, but saying that now wouldn't help his case at all.

He pointed towards Finn. "But you wouldn't know about that, would you!" He said, the anger returning. "You're so tall, people are probably just like 'Oh, wow! He must be some kind of hero!' You probably got all sorts of cool things! I bet you're like twenty-something, and nobody even thinks about calling you something like squirt!" Alistair shouted, enraged. Well, not necessarily enraged. He was merely throwing a tantrum, which didn't help him prove that he was mature in the slightest.

[Finn Rider]

i'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero

nothing more than that, that's all i really am

His brow furrowed slightly, his eyes and the lines beneath them deepening. His breath drew shorter, his fists clenched. The effort to stay calm was obviously taking a toll on him, but his subconscious kept telling itself that this was just a kid, that getting angry and destroying everything within a five-mile radius just wasn't worth it.

Nervously Finn tugged his cover down, floundering for something to say. He didn't want to make the boy more upset, because then the bear would end up running away and looking like an idiot. He adjusted his uniform, played with his dog tags, shuffled his feet; eventually he just awkwardly patted the angry kid on the head, not quite sure what else he could do. "Tall is what happens when you're part bear, so..." he said, trailing off.

Yeah. Not the best at comforting people.

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair watched as the man shuffled awkwardly for a moment. Maybe I should forgive him. I mean, he didn't really do anything in the first place. He was about to come to his senses, but then Finn patted his head. "Don't pet me! I'm not some domesticated animal! You can't just pet me at your leisure!" He shouted. In the middle of his rant, the fact that Finn said he was part bear didn't really register.

((OOC: Short post is short D: ))

[Finn Rider]

i'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero

nothing more than that, that's all i really am

He shoved his hands in his pockets, fingers unconsciously moving towards the hilt of his well-worn survival knife. The man was tense, that much was obvious; his jaw was tight, his feet stomping every so often as if to work the anger out of his system and onto the floor.

It didn't work.

As soon as the last syllable had left the kid's mouth, Finn's fist was out of his pocket and headed straight for the angry boy's face. The punch wasn't really all that strong, and although the bags and lines beneath the minish's eyes had darkened and become even deeper, his rage was nothing compared to other times he had flipped out.

"I don't know what the hell you want me to do, kid!" he shouted hoarsely, stomping a foot in his frustration. "Make up your goddamn mind already!"

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair stumbled backwards a step or two after he'd been hit. He's fought before, so it's not like one punch would instantly knock him out or anything. And he may act like a child, but no tears rushed to his eyes. His first reaction was to quickly grip the hilt of his sword, but he realized that this was one person in the middle of Castle Town that he had annoyed to no end.

He stood there for a minute, looking at Finn. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out something sharp, thrusting it towards the man. "I want you to take these rupees and buy me a hunting knife." The answer to his question was there all along. Ask someone else to buy it.

[Finn Rider]

i'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero

nothing more than that, that's all i really am

That was possibly the first time he had ever been shocked out of flipping out.

Memories of what had just transpired already slipping from his mind, Finn blinked at the kid, tilted his head, and blinked some more. Buy him a knife? He didn't have a problem with it, as long as the kid didn't use it to murder him or whatever. But why...?

The minish fished his own knife out from his pocket, flipped it so that he was holding it by the blade, and held it out to the teen, a puzzled look taking over his features once more. "Something like this?" he asked, all anger totally gone from his voice. "Why didn'tcha just buy one yourself?"

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair looked at the knife with gleaming eyes. "Yes~!" He looked the blade up and down, admiring it. His voice had changed to a more childish tone, rather than an angry one. "Something like that please!" He exclaimed.

"Why didn'tcha just buy one yourself?"

He sighed. "I tried to, but the merchant turned me down. That's why I was stomping around, which made me bump into you." He awkwardly said as he scratched his head. "And... uh... Sorry about that." The needed apology was finally spoken. If he had just said that in the first place, this whole mishap could have been avoided. But what's done is done, right?

[Finn Rider]

i'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero

nothing more than that, that's all i really am

Jeez. Wasn't this kid just flipping out about how mature he was, and now he was spazzing over a knife? Talk about bipolar. Not that Finn was one to talk, but he wasn't exactly aware of his mood swings, so he didn't really count. But whatever. The kid wanted a survival knife? He'd get him a survival knife. It wasn't a huge deal; Finn had no idea why the shop guy would refuse him one anyway. Money was money, right?

Finn shrugged at the boy's apology. "I don't really care," he said, sticking his knife back in his pocket. "It happens, right?" Yes, because Finn hadn't just punched a teenager in the face. Nope, not at all.

He waved away the kid's money and walked over to a merchant selling knives, supposedly the one who had turned down the teen. After a brief, business-y conversation, the display of Finn's own knife, and the exchange of rupees for a dagger not unlike Finn's, the minish walked back to the kid, handed it over hilt-first, and let out a loud, jaw-cracking yawn. He blinked a few times, tilted his head, and grinned slightly.

"So you fight monsters, right? What's your name?"

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair watched as the transaction took place. He almost felt jealous about how easily Finn could buy the knife. I bet a guy his size could have just demanded for the merchant's inventory and he would have gotten it. It took all of his willpower not to jump around in excitement as the knife was presented to him.

He took the weapon in his hand, twisting it every-which way, examining it from every angle. Although he was more than exited, he made sure to handle the knife carefully as to not embarrass himself. To him, it was more than a knife. It was a victory. A triumphant purchase that wasn't made by him. "My name is Alistair, and I like to think that I fight monsters." He finally replied after fully looking over the blade. "And who might you be?"

[Finn Rider]

i'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero

nothing more than that, that's all i really am

It was nice when he got to relax like this and have a conversation, come out of his shell a little. He didn't spend much time around people, so he was an awkward guy, but he got along alright. Even with kids, apparently; at least this Alistair wasn't trying to stab him or anything. That was a step up from when he was a kid.

Finn nodded and tugged on his cover as a way of greeting the teen, his small grin broadening slightly. "Nice t'meet you, Alistair. Finn Rider, superhero extraordinaire... well, I try to be, anyway. That doesn't work out so well sometimes."

Seeing the kid so dang happy over the knife made him... well, happy inside. Still, he was curious... "Why d'you need that thing, anyway? It's not exactly overly useful when you're fighting monsters."

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair didn't hesitate to strap the dagger to the inside of his boot while he listened to his new companion. Superhero Extraordinaire, eh? Sounds interesting. He straightened his back again to face Finn.

"Why d'you need that thing, anyway? It's not exactly overly useful when you're fighting monsters."

He barely hesitated before he answered. "Well, with a hidden weapon on me, I won't be in as much danger if I get disarmed. Also, this little puppy would be really easy to throw if I was in a pinch. And what if I got caught in some kind of net or rope trap? Whip this baby out and free myself. Pulling it out to threaten someone instead of having to unsheathe my sword is a plus, too." If there was one thing Alistair was serious about, it was combat. Sometimes he got a little too into it, then he starts rambling about it.

[Finn Rider]

i'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero

nothing more than that, that's all i really am

Finn blinked, rather in awe of the kid's devotion to his swordplay... fighting... stuff. It was admirable, especially for a teen like him. Finn was stuck inside all day when he was fifteen, so he couldn't exactly do stuff like that. It made him somewhat wistful; but then, he was a monstrosity of a bear now, and could knock the crap out of pretty much anyone, so he supposed that made up for it. Somewhat.

"'s pretty cool, kid. I'm not a swordsman m'self; I'm the kinda guy who knocks 'em out and walks away." Speaking of which... why were his knuckles aching? He couldn't recall punching anything... maybe he bumped into a wall when he went to go buy the knife. Yeah, that had to be it. He wasn't the most graceful of people, after all.

Still, it was worth asking. "D'you remember me hitting anything recently? My knuckles hurt for some reason."

Talk about short-term memory loss.

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

At this point, Alistair didn't really mind being called kid. Now that he was out of his rage, he realized that Finn was a pretty nice guy. Maybe he would be lucky enough to see this guy in action on a quest some day. He could imagine the scenario in his head, but decided not to, seeing as how it would distract him from the conversation in progress.

"D'you remember me hitting anything recently? My knuckles hurt for some reason."

He thought Finn was joking, so he answered in a lighthearted manner. "Other than me? I don't think so." When you think about it, the events that took place here were pretty abnormal: A bear minish punched a raging teen who then asked him to buy him a dagger, and then they began talking like nothing had happened. And that's it for the sitcom-style summary for those of you just joining us.

[Finn Rider]

i'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero

nothing more than that, that's all i really am

He blinked again, stared at Alistair, stared down at his knuckles. He punched a kid? Why in the world would he do that? And if he did that, then why would he forget about it? Nah, that was just ridiculous. Alistair was just messing with him.

... Right?

A totally, without-a-doubt confused look on his face, Finn's gaze shifted from the teen to his hands and back to the teen, his brow furrowing as he tried to figure this out. He wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, so the next sentence that came out of his mouth wasn't really awe-worthy.

"I... punched you?"

[ALISTAIR LUOR]

Alistair looked at Finn with a blank stare. The closest thing that came to mind while describing this expression, if you could even call it that, was the ._. face. The punch probably hadn't left a bruise-Alistair never checked-but that doesn't mean Finn should have forgotten.

"Well, yeah. You seriously don't remember?" He was amazed that Finn could have blanked out. Then again, he was angry. Alistair knew first hand that you might not remember everything you do when your angry.

[Finn Rider]

i'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero

nothing more than that, that's all i really am

Alistair was making a ._. face? Well, Finn was making a ._. face right back. He was completely mystified at the idea that he had punched a teenager. A teenager! Of all people! It was just ridiculous, honestly. So ridiculous that he half-thought that maybe the kid was messing with him.

But that still didn't explain why his hand felt like he had punched something.

"Erm... no," he said, squinting at Alistair. Finn forgot things a lot anyway, but this... this was just weird.