B l a c k o u t [Ryst]

[Ayameru]

Can you keep up the pace

Aya couldn't believe it until she actually saw it firsthand with her very firelight eyes. There really was a city in the sky. Up until now it had been nothing more than a tale told by her folks back at home. The denizens of the sky were an ancient race that could have possibly been there since the creation of Hyrule itself.

Her fiery eyes danced with joy and wonder, glancing at how the propellers at the bottom of the platforms that supported it's weight were rotating. At such high speeds, she could only imagine that one false slip, and it was chop chop~ She shuddered at the grim thought before pushing her thoughts away to the real reason why she came here.

Her hair whipped wildly within the rush of the wind, which proved to be quite powerful at such sustaining heights. Every now and then, she would be tossed, and turned up in the air from a random gust of wind. How did they survive up here with such hostile winds? She had to take into consideration that feathered wings were meant for higher levels of flight than her fairy wings. Nonetheless, she defied the wind's incessant whistles as it blew, and whisked at her. She fluttered on over to what appeared to be the entrance to the City. A gold arch way laid in front that looked like a threshold between a cross bridge to a building right in front of her. She squinted slightly trying to endure the gusts of wind, but her petite frame did not have enough mass or muscle to out stand nature's natural force.

She took a tumble in the utmost ungraceful manner, landing on her side, losing her balance. "Mighty winds of Farore," she grumbled underneath her breath, getting up from her inelegant fall, and dusted her attire. It was as if the wind was snickering at her out of spite, tempting to throw her off again, but she hasten her pace across the stone walkway that lead to one of the majestic, egg-shaped buildings. An amused thought ran through her head wondering if Ooccas laid eggs~

Like you're dying for this?

[Ryst Seraphine]

He hadn’t left the sentries much to go by, but he had certainly left them with an accurate description of her. Fairy. Red. Those were essentially his directions to the guards who kept a watch on the open blue yonder. And as soon as one of them spotted someone fitting that exact description (and obviously the person the Lord meant, all things considered) a messenger was sent with haste to inform him of her arrival. All of this happened before she even touched down on the walkway; such was the efficiency of the guards in the City. They had to be. An unprepared attack could be devastating.

Because of this effective system Ryst was able to get there in time to meet Ayameru at the gate. His guard was there shortly thereafter—the very presence of the girl awoke the Vagrant Prince and he raced over, purposefully making it hard for his escort to follow. It was customary in the City. The Oocca Lord was fine with it. The Vagrant Prince found it weighed him down, so he was done with the escort as soon as need be. Which was immediately. Out the door and take flight, arrive at the gate to meet Red.

And to arrive in time to see her take a topple thanks to the wind. Ryst couldn’t help but grin like a child when he saw it, wondering whether he should tease her about it or let her keep her dignity and not mention it. Once again it was an impasse between the two sides of the Oocca. The Lord saw it polite and tactful to allow her dignity a chance to repair. The Vagrant Prince . . . well the Vagrant Prince did not.

”Careful, it’s a bit further than any of the mountains in Hyrule,” he said as he walked out to meet her, glancing over the edge at the land far below, clouds drifting under the rotating blades. In her presence he suddenly got a rush of feeling as he remembered their last meeting, particularly how it ended. He may have stolen her first kiss, but she picked up the art very quickly, it seemed. That last kiss was quite memorable. Tragic yet romantic, and quite mischievous. Exactly what he’d expect from the adventuresome fairy. ”Almost enough thrill just looking down, isn’t it?” Almost.

[Ayameru]

Can you keep up the pace

"That's a bit of an understatement," she commented. Looking back at Feathers in the very same attire she met him in back in Snowpeak brought a smile across her lips. It didn't take him long to meet her at all being the first person to greet her upon arrival. She mused at how precise his punctuality was. Out of the corner of her eye, it was only then that she noticed the guards stationed around the buildings. There was no way anybody in all of Hyrule who could take on the City in the Sky even if they wanted to. An aerial raid would be considered suicide with such a formidable security the city had, and locationwise it was quite remarkable. "Not even close. More like a tease," she smirked.

The way she saw it, you'd have to be on the edge in order to feel the thrill of it, just that little difference made it more invigorating. Just looking felt like a tease, an eye-candy of sorts, and it swept through your senses coercing temptation to plant those ideas in your head to begin with. Aya performed a bow before the Oocca Lord, precisely at a forty-five degree angel. Not too low, and not too high; just the right measurement to give a simple curtsey of respect to the ruler of the skies. Rising her head up, she found herself thinking back at the last meeting they had together. Her firelight eyes dancing with mirth enjoying everything about that night. Everything~

She could swear that as soon as she returned back to her living quarters after that night, she could still feel the smooth curves of his lips meeting hers. How her lipstick on her lips after kissing him was slightly smudged, probably leaving on his lips a gentle tinge of red that night~ She thought a lot about what he said, his experience explained the mentality people go through after receiving their first kiss. Aya could not find herself thinking too much about the kiss itself, but rather the person who stole away her kiss.

The grey feather that Ryst gave her was furnished into an earring, dangling off of a tiny link as the soft feather was tucked in between her hair. Every now and then, she could be found, reaching up to the feather, and stroking it. A new habit Ani found to tease Aya relentlessly of~ With the passing of the days after that night, the fiery fairy spared a thought for him here and there as she ventured across Hyrule for anything of particular interests.

Until one day, after looking at the grand spectacle of Death Mountain in her view across Hyrule Fields, she decided that she wanted to go higher. She knew then and there that it was time to visit the City in the Sky. A place where no fairy has dared try to make a pilgrimage to for the sake of keeping their wings in tact. Aya held no fear of the potential dangers for someone with small wings such as her rising to the top. "I hope I have no kept you waiting too long of my arrival," she spoke whilst brushing some of the strands of her hair behind her ear, revealing the earring.

Like you're dying for this?

[Ryst Seraphine]

It was unfair how many sweet words she inspired in the throat of the Vagrant Prince, and how those words had to be stifled. She was not the kind of girl you showered with compliments, not the kind of girl you frequently called beautiful for the sake of her ego and because that was how courtships went. Word games went far with women when you knew the right ones, but Ayameru was different. Actions spoke much louder than words with her, so all those sweet words got tucked away for later use, filtered out like drops of water from a leaky faucet.

Kept him waiting? He’d only been a few days back from the ball, truth be told, but it seemed like weeks. His first order of business upon returning was checking to see if she’d arrived before he had. His second order was making sure he was informed the instant she arrived, day or night. Fortunately enough Ryst’s guard was efficient and had done exactly as required, and there Ryst was, there to greet her. Was he waiting long? Yes. Was it a painful wait? Truthfully, yes. Was he going to admit this to her?

Nope.

”The wait’s been tolerable, I suppose,” he replied nonchalantly, stretching the truth as much as he dared. He was still there, so tolerable was appropriate, if not a bit of an understatement. But that was neither here nor there. She tactfully revealed to him the earring she had made out of his feather and Ryst couldn’t help but grin. ”Oh how the women will weep at the sight of that fine piece of jewellery.” It was true; he was a king and unwed, so the women essentially lined up to be paraded by him. Subtly, of course. Ryst paid them no heed as they were always so boring.

Ryst looked back at his guard waiting at the gates, and smirked. ”Let’s go for a fly,” he said and, without giving her any chance to react, reached forward and pushed Ayameru off the edge of the platform before letting himself fall after her. There was no better way to see the City in the Sky than flying through it, after all. Sure, there were walkways, but it was designed for Oocca, so there were entire sections one could only fly to.

Of course few people flew under it considering the means by which it was held up, but that would just make things interesting, right?

[Ayameru]

I'm only getting started

It wasn't as if sweet words were a problem with the fiery fairy. For most of - if not all - her life, she's grown up under the mentality that she was but a shadow in her sisters' beauty and glorious. She did not belong with them in their glamorous lifestyle, or deserved to be praised on how beautiful she truly was. Aya never considered herself beautiful because nobody has ever told her so.

Ani was the only exception to this fact, always showing the redheaded twin that she too, held something special. That being different wasn't a bad thing~ She was comfortable with the callouses on her hands from many years honing the skills it took to wield a sword. The dirt that covered the bottom of her boots from endless travels across the earth when she felt the lack of need for her wings, were a sign of her wayward growth whilst traveling across Hyrule.

To be quite honest, Aya went through a classic example of a girl going to see a boy. Speficically, the boy she likes~ Quite a lot. She tried her hardest, and trust me, she really did to hide her new found insecurities away from her twin. Unfortunately, Ani read her like an open book, and laughed at Aya's sudden change in character. What kind of changes were we talking about? You know, like how a girl goes through her entire closet just to pick out the perfect outfit on her first date? Or wearing her hair up in some kind of fashion? Then completely change her mind at the last minute, and go through an entire wardrobe change? Yeah~ The fire fairy had been doing that in the past couple of days, and getting cosuling from her sister.

Would she say anything of this strange behavior to Ryst? Hell no! She would rather be tossed over the edge of the suspended platform than say anything of the sorts.

"Tolerable, you say?" she inquired, "Did you miss me?" She was only teasing. Although she wouldn't openly admit to it, she did a lot of thinking of him during their time apart. However she was rather proud of piercing her ear for the earring she made. She was rather curious as to what the Oocca male would think if he saw his feather being worn as a piece of jewelry. His grin gave her comfort that the charcoal feather was most suiting for a girl with flaming red hair, and blazing eyes. "Really now?" she flashed a confident grin, "It has been treated as treasure ever since."

That certainly wouldn't be a problem since that was practically what it was for her. That didn't even include the fact that it was the Oocca Lord's feather, but rather, it was Ryst's feather. A personal attachment, giving to her as a gift, or rather, a prize from their last challenge back at the ball. It was only but a few days past, yet the memories were still fresh in her mind.

However her reminiscent would be cut short as Ryst proposed an offer to fly through the city. By the time she processed what he had said, it was already too late, as she felt his hands shove her off the edge of the suspension of the building. As she fell backwards, she watched as Ryst followed her down, and that cocky grin of hers returned back onto her lips.

She gasped in surprise as she expanded her fairy wings, batting them against the opposing force until she had air beneath her wings. She trusted Ryst would unfold his great grey feathers as well as she barrel rolled herself in mid-air so she was flying frontward. She glided past one of the grand buildings suspending by the platforms, noticing the propellers underneath that kept the city at such sustaining levels. The blades were evenly spaced out to catch wind in perfect amounts to hold up such outstandingly great mass such as the buildings.

She took a dive down to take a better look at the works. Oocca technology was fascinating. Hyrule's got nothing on what the sky holds. Her long crimson hair flowed like streams of ribbons once more within the wind. Like wildfire blazing a trail of heat, like the fireworks that shot off within the sky the night they raced each other.

An idea was forming~

I won't blackout

[Ryst Seraphine]

Ryst made certain she had caught herself before he, too, expanded his wings. The great grey ones didn’t have to beat furiously to battle upward, as they simply caught the air and he glided around. However they did pose their own problems. Fortunately enough the Oocca all had the same wings, so the entire City was designed for them and those problems. As Aya found herself studying a fan, Ryst circled around, gave a couple flaps, and landed on a platform used as a perch for maintenance workers.

There was a dangerous glint in her eye. Even the Vagrant Prince had to look down at the giant whirling blades and back up and hope she wasn’t thinking what he thought she was thinking.

There was reckless and then there was foolish.

”What do you think?” he called out over the roar of the blades and the rush of the wind. ”Few people come down here. Maintenance workers mostly, anyone else would be stopped by guards for their own safety and, well, the security of the City.” Tourist information, mostly. Of course he was allowed down there. No one was going to stop the Oocca Lord in the ageless dwelling of the Oocca. It just wasn’t right. Of course the guards would probably follow them down soon.

”Come on, there’s more to see yet!” he called out, flying away from the perch and further under the City. The propellers and stuff were neat, but he’d had his fill of them. He didn’t know how they worked and didn’t exactly want to go tampering with them. Despite how reckless she made him feel, genocide wasn’t on the table. However there was more under the City than giant whirling blades, as Ryst led Ayameru on to where all the water in the city went.

A giant waterfall cascading downward to Hyrule, where else? Sure, they could recycle it, but screw recycling they had magic. Fountain water, rain water, all the water combined together into a roaring waterfall surrounded by a great cloud of mist before falling down into the lake that had been created on the land below. Ryst found one of the maintenance perches and landed, wondering what they could do here that would exhilarate Ayameru. She was fun to be around, but sometimes one had to be creative when wooing a lady as extreme as her.

[Ayameru]

Can you keep up the pace

Watching Ryst perch on a platform above, she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking at the moment. She blinked. Did he think that she was going to do some kind of dangerous stunt on involving the blades? Aya valued her life far too much to even cross such a thought. Even she knew when the gambles were beyond her capacity of playing.

Though she was curious, but her idea would probably seem a little boring. She wanted to count how many blades the fans held up to support the entire city~ She nodded hear head understanding the explanation. It amused her that she was getting the grand tour of the city, and her escort was none other than the ruler of such a magnificent area.

She shrugged. Aya followed Feathers enjoying the feeling of doing a barrel roll in the middle of the air~ Then again the entire feeling of resisting gravity was such an amazing feeling. Nothing to support you, or hold you down to the ground; freedom at it's finest. A small puff of clouds passed right by her, she smiled softly, lowering her hand to poke at the plushy looking cloud, only to have it dissolve into a million little pieces.

Her firelight eyes flickered brightly at the sight of a waterfall flowing down from the sky. She could only imagine that if the lightning was right, the Ooccas would have their own personal rainbow they can view anytime they wanted. It was certainly a different experience than living on the ground. For the first time in her life, she felt like she was entering a whole other world than the one she was living in. It was nice to set a change of pace~ To enjoy something at a different speed than what you were normally going at. For the most part, she had been living her life on fast forward, it was hard to remember some of the small things that happened before. She would probably remember them somewhere along the lines later on.

She followed Ryst over to another perch. A curious smile graced her lips as she approached him, ruffling his hair playfully, before providing a bit of space between them. "Is it really ok for the ruler to be giving a grand tour of the city to someone like me?" she asked, "Didn't know you were going to go all out~"

Like you're dying for this?

[Ryst Seraphine]

Ryst blinked. All out? This wasn't quite all out. This was more a joy tour of the underside of the city, a place most people avoided because it was similar to the sewers down below. A little less dark and dank, but since the giant islands that composed the City were blocking out the sun, leaving the only illumination coming from iridescent stones placed along the perches and by major valves and the likes, one could see the comparison to the sewers quite easily. Still, even the sewers of Hyrule had their hidden wonders, and up here it was more majestic.

Actually when he thought about it, Ryst wondered what exactly he was thinking, bringing a girl down into the 'sewers' like this. But then there were worse places, like the actual sewers of the City (the tunnels and pipes that filtered and brought the water here), where he could take her. Ryst shrugged. "I wouldn't call this the grand tour. The grand tour might take a couple days, between things like the parks and our great library. While Hyrule busied itself with its strife and prejudices, I've been spending most of my rule turning the City into a bastion of civilization."

Not everyone saw it that way, of course. He had struggled the entire time because some people were caught in the past. Old timers and traditionalists didn't want to let go of the ways of the past as Ryst modernized the City. But then the goings on of the Oocca and the courtly games weren't something Ryst thought would interest Ayameru. Then again if she were going to become my queen she might have-- he thought, then caught himself. Queen? That was a little imaginative at the moment, wasn't it?

Then again when you were dodging fireworks and sliding down a mountain with a person you tended to get to know them a bit quicker than normal. There was an odd intimacy to the adrenaline rush such acts brought about. Ryst considered this, then shrugged away the thought. Let's not bother ourselves with the future, as right now was the present. Ryst looked over at Ayameru, the thoughts he'd been having reflected as a fondness in his eyes, before asking, "Do you want to see the actual City now?" They had immediately gone under the City, so the question was followed by an entertained laugh.

[Ayameru]

He wasn't serious was he? Aya did her share of blinking a couple of times. Surely a full tour around the city couldn't take them more than just a day alone, did it? The redhead didn't realize how big the city truly was. Then again when, you were raised in the most secluded parts of a forest, you didn't see much of cities around those parts. The little fairy didn't think too much about it figuring out that wherever you go, no matter what you saw, it all comes down to the simple knowledge of accepting that there's difference in everything. It provided diversity, and new types of culture are formed from ideas, and foundations to provide better living habits for everyone.

Aya couldn't tell the difference between stuff here in the sky. Not that it really mattered, it all looked pretty, but then again she was pretty positive that this place had it's dark sides like any other place. Coming from a Lord who knew the ropes insides, and outside of the royal court, Aya could only imagine what kind of wealth of knowledge he knew about his own territory. "So how's that working out for you?" she asked, "Sounds rather tedious. Betcha get all sorts of conflicts."

It goes without saying for most things in life to be honest. You couldn't truly appreciate the joys of peace without having to struggle one way or another. Aya knew firsthand of what it meant to struggle for getting what she wanted. It's basically been ingrained in her head that struggles will come naturally, and she'll be willing to accept any challenge that'll come her way. However there was but one challenge she was having a bit of trouble with: Ryst Seraphine.

She admired, and adored the dangerous Vagrant Prince. A side of him that had to be locked away for the sake of his peers, but once it came out, she saw a face probably not many has seen before. A smile he wore so comfortably around her, playful, and full of life. Though there was the responsible, and proper lord ingrained into him as well. A side she wasn't all too familiar with. It reminded her once again of the distant worlds they lived in. Was there even a feeble change for someone like her to be apart of his world? The fiery fairy wanted to know all of the sides of the same person~

Her thoughts were quickly pushed to the side. There was no need to start brooding. If she started to brood, she feared she wouldn't be able to control her emotions, and that would ruin her day together with Ryst. What was he asking her again? Oh yeah~ Seeing the actual City now. Her firelight eyes flickered brightly as she flashed a smile. "You bet~! Race ya to the top," she said at the last minute. Her fairy wings began to flutter hastily before placing a wedge between them. "Ready? Steady~ GO!"

And with that, the fire fairy took off like a fireball, leaving behind a trail of glittering crimson fairy dust behind~

[Ryst Seraphine]

Leave it to the fairy to add a little spice to the situations. A simple challenge, one very similar to their last endeavor together, but then that could be said for everything. Things can easily be simplified when one looked at it too broadly. Last time they'd raced to the top of a tower, now they were racing to the top of the City. They were different things. Ryst blinked for a moment as he registered her challenge, then grinned. She had taken a lead, revenge for the trick he'd pulled on her at Zelda's castle.

"I'm taking the same prize as last time!" he shouted at her as he jumped off the perch. He extended his wings once more and let the air catch them, expand them. She had a lead and the ability to fly upward very easily, but they were in Ryst's territory. This high up there was plenty of room to gather speed through diving, and it wasn't hard to maintain that speed. He jumped off the perch and dove downward, then twisted back upward and flapped his wings.

"Do you even know that way?" he called as the burst of speed allowed him to pass her, though she was still higher than he was. He flapped some more, hoping to gain enough lead in distance that he could rise without losing much ground. The difference between their wings, the two kinds, really did come into play when the two of them were racing. Ryst glanced over his shoulder to where Ayameru was flying above him.

And let his eyes linger too long, missing a flap and losing some of the ground he'd been struggling to gain. He cursed at himself for getting starstruck and began to work again. Needed to focus on the race. Needed to gain that ground. The rotating blade they had passed (there quickest way above the city was back to the gate she had arrived at) was quickly approaching, and Ryst began to plan.

[Ayameru]

Aya felt quite content with the thought of them racing again. Nothing like sprucing up a small challenge that the two of them could enjoy together. Just like the first time they met, and the time they encountered each other at the masquerade. It was funny how one simple thing as proposing a challenge such as racing could bring two worlds together. Like there wasn't any difference between the two at all. Just good fun sportsmanship both of them could enjoy~ Like nothing in the world really mattered except living for the moment.

The Temperamental Flame had to roll her fiery eyes as he shouted his wager. Another kiss? Please, that would be the last thing she'd ever give him again. Though she didn't realize it herself but when he said that a smile graced upon her slender lips. The feeling of the challenge caused a rush of adrenaline pump straight into her veins. A wicked grin escaped from her mouth as she turned back to give him a reply. "If I win again, you're taking a bird bath in Lake Hylia, butt bare!" she placed down her wager.

Now that would be a hilarious sight to see. Aya's maturity wasn't on what you could consider sophisticated levels. Whether he acknowledged the proposal or not didn't really matter to her, the race was still on, and the fairy girl intended to be victorious. She had to admit that the difference up within the sky was entirely different from the ground below, and it was still astounding to the fairy that her wings could sustain such levels. It only reminded her that she was probably stronger than the average fairy~

Her scarlet eyes flickered brightly as she watched Ryst pass her from below. Her eyebrows furrowed as she chased the Oocca male to gain back her position as leader of this race. She noticed right off the bat that he was getting distracted by something. Good! Be distracted.

"You won't get away that easily!" she proclaimed, whizzing up on his tail~