Shoot for the S t a r s // Link

[Midna]

There was something rather simple about the country side of Hyrule. A small village laid within the forest depths, where a population of under fifteen or so lived within. The community was friendly, active, and worked hard for their keep. Children played together in groups of three to four laughing, or gossiping over the latest news happening outside their village. Everything was... ordinary. Midna began to question herself if it was a good idea to be looking around these parts. Regret was starting to sound like a good emotion she was having at the moment~

There was absolutely nothing here!

Though her presence around the village was anything except obvious. A child or so may notice a shift in the shadows, but shrugs it off as his imagination. Shadows didn't move freely in their realm, so it wasn't surprising if someone caught something suspicious then automatically assume it was all in their head. How ignorant people can be~

By the time dusk cracked near the western skies, Midna found her way on over to the ranch. Once again nothing out of the ordinary, no anomalies, no out of place phenomenons, no nothing! Just honest workmen tending to their labor, harvesting the fruits of their job or so to speak. It was much too peaceful for her liking~

Turning her eyes on over to the goats grazing on the grass, dwelling carefully within the shadows to mask her presence, a sinister smile graced her lips. Taking in a deep breath, she let out a bloodcurdling scream, and the crowd went wild. By that, the goats were instantly spooked, and began running around rampant in a state of fear.

That felt good, she thought. All the frustrations were taken out in one single breath, and look at the fun she started along with it!

Midna then just kicked back, relaxed, and watched the chaos unfold~

[Link]

It was always the goats.

Link had been working hard that day, though it was mostly simple work. Clean the trough, the barn, check the harnesses, fix a broken board on the fence that surrounded the goat pen, all the ordinary work a farmhand should expect. The fact was he spent his entire day around the goats, and was looking forward to finishing up and getting home, or seeing some of his friends. Anything, really, so long as it wasn't goats. But even Link has his off days when nothing seems to go right.

A scream echoed through the evening sky and the goats went crazy. Link's automatic reaction was to ready the bow he made sure to carry on him at all times. There were few ranches as busy as Ordon Ranch, and because of that they saw a lot more trouble than other ranches. Link liked to be ready. He readied and arrow and ran into the field where a few other men were working to gather all the goats as they ran around the field. If that got too out of hand they could have a legitimate stampede to deal with, and when the goats stampeded people got hurt.

With the other men handling the goats and generally unarmed, Link took it upon himself to investigate the cause of the panic. With his arrow ready he approached where he thought the scream had come from and looked about. Shadows danced across the field from the swaying trees as the sun hid behind them. There were innumerable hiding spots for some mischievous Bulblin to hide, or for some ambush to be set up. One foot in front of the other Link watched as many as he could, looking for some sign of movement, some sign of unrest.

Some sign of anything, really.

It was a scream, however, so someone may be hurt. He decided to call out, in hopes of an answer. "Hello?" What if someone had been ambushed already and taken away by those Bulblins who liked to cause so much trouble? Or worse. News came of calamities across Hyrule that could easily spawn other kinds of horrors. Still, with an arrow ready Link traced the fence for something out of place.

[Midna]

Oh, how delightful~

The ranchers were surprisingly quick when they heard the noise, and went out to calm the heard in their panicked frenzy. She loved the strained expressions painted across their faces as they tamed the beasts one by one. The dutiful workers saw it as nothing more than added work on their part. They probably saw more than their fair share of hecklers harassing their poor livestock here and there.

Nonetheless, it was a rather refreshing turn of events for the twilit woman, loving the disorder caused by her own hands. Nothing was as entertaining as watching people try to handle difficult or troubling circumstances. How they solved problems that weren’t their own. Then again some weren’t as fortunate as others, and got knocked down by the goat’s mighty horns. Even Midna flinched just watching the impact. That had to hurt.

A demented smile graced upon her impish lips. She watched within the sanctuary of the shadows as the wranglers manage to get most of the heard out of their state of fear, but her attention was drawn elsewhere. She spotted a lone warrior with a bow out and ready most likely searching for the perpetrator in charge of the mess that had been made. Her smile widened deciding to humor the boy for a little bit~

“Is that all you have to say?” she mocked him, “Just ‘hello’? My, what ignorance. If it were me, you know, I’d go with somewhere along the lines of, ‘Who goes there!’ or at least something a little more dramatic. Heehee~”

This was going to be nothing short of fun.

[Link]

When nothing was apparent in the skirts of the field Link began to relax a little. Then, however, a voice spoke up from the shadows. His instant reaction was to draw the bowstring all the way back and take aim for wherever the voice came from. The problem was the voice didn't come from anywhere in particular. Link spun around and scanned every little nook and cranny, ever shadow as best as he could. Normally his astute eyes would spot the shifting shadow, but the wind blew against the tops of the trees and that gentle sway caused every shadow to shift the same.

Arrow still at the ready Link began to consider his situation. It was not a bulblin, that much was for certain now. They wouldn't be able to hide from him this easily, nor would they sound so coherent. This was something else. A woman. But where was she? Was she the one who had screamed. Link spun around again and took a few careful steps toward the edge of the field where he thought the voice might have come from. It was really hard to tell without any real visual cues.

Alright then, get her talking and pinpoint the voice, Link thought to himself as he lowered the arrow a little. "Who goes there?" he asked, decidedly playing into her games. Ignoring them would do no good; she wouldn't talk if she had no reason to mock him. Link calmed his breathing as Rusl had taught him to and focused his attention on his ears, waiting for her response as muscles tensed up. It would be quick, he had to be ready.

[Midna]

Just when Link thought that all was calm, Midna would, and most certainly shall, put a damper in his hopes. The little imp couldn't help but cackle as he searched high and low for any visuals she may have given off. However, he was at a loss, without having an exact location he knew she had him at her mercy. In her eyes, he looked nothing more than a cautious wolf baring his fangs at the slightest sense of danger. He had every right to~ Midna could be dangerous, if she so pleased, but enough of that matter.

He began to play her little game.

"Good boy," she teased, "Now you're starting to sound like a hero."

As a reward, Midna moved within plain sight, a free moving shadow approaching the young Hylian. The sun by now had hidden itself within plain sight, but the skies were still lit with a twilit glow. Just enough light to sustain the visuals, but not enough to threaten her being. Perfect~ Midna decided it was safe to come out for now~ Shadows began to grow as her form ascended from the earth from her shadow, and appeared before the young man was an imp.

Just an imp~ Nothing more, nothing less than what appeared before his very eyes. Her lone crimson eye poking out from her helmet danced with amusement waiting for the boy to try something. Anything. She flashed him a fanged grin as her feet dangled in the air from which she floated about playfully.

"Well, aren't you going to shoot?" she half-asked, half-mocked. She crossed her arms over her chest as she bobbed her ponytail slightly. "I'm right here, boy. Or perhaps~ Am I not the one you want?"

[Link]

Link's eyes found her as soon as she revealed herself. He swung the bow around and lined up the shot, but didn't take it. She wasn't a bulblin, so there was no need to shoot on sight. Bulblins were particularly nasty like that and needed to be driven off. He kept the bowstring pulled back as he watched the little imp step out of the shadow. How did she hide away from him like that? He should've seen her. There must be some magic at play there.

Link relaxed the bowstring when she started talking. Hero? Link had no desire to be a hero. He was a farmhand. Why would he even want to sound like a hero. The arrow was taken away from the bowstring and slid back into his quiver, the bow lowered to his side. He kept it handy, but not ready. He still wasn't entirely sure about this one. He had never heard of anyone who could dwell in shadows, not in this area anyway. There were rumors. But there there were rumors of all sorts of things popping up across Hyrule these days. Link wasn't sure what was fact and what was fiction.

"Why'd you scare the goats?" Link asked quite simply, as that was the most pressing question, the reason he was even having this encounter. "And who are you?" What are you? He wanted to ask that, but if she could talk that would be a wee bit rude. Link decided it was more important to find out what she wanted from their herd than anything.

[Midna]

"Why?" she repeated his question, "Why! Out of good sport~ That's why!"

Midna's sense of humor was nothing short of dark. She enjoyed it all up until the very end. The chaos that ensued, and how the struggling ranchers scuttled about like cuccos with their heads chopped off. Disorder at it's finest when fear is struck in the hearts of the weak. It was all in good sport, of course~ Nobody got killed because of it now, did they? Nope.

The Twilight Princess was merely messing around with them to cleanse away the boredom. After all, she had to make her presence known otherwise, people will start stealing her credit in the trouble making department. That was a big no no~

Hero was nothing more than a taunt. To get a rile out of the boy, and see how well he was taking with the way she was toying with him. He surpassed her expectations with flying colors. She liked him~

Oh yes, she liked him a lot.

"You humans are quite the obedient types," she teased lightly. "Never faltering on a moment's notice when something goes wrong."

Her impish giggle escape from her lips. When he asked her of her identity her lone eye poking out from her helmet widened slightly. Her scarlet colored orb flickered with mischief as she danced in the air slightly. "Me?" she pointed to herself, exaggerating a bit, but she would not deny she liked his attention. "My name is Midna. M-I-D-N-A~ Got it memorized?"

[Link]

Link watched the cartoonish motions of the imp, the motions being exaggerated by her bizarre proportions. Imp was the best word for her, though only by comparison. It was really starting to nag at Link as to what she actually was. He decided to tuck that away for now and keep up his guard. Foreign blue imp lady startling the goats was not a reason to start getting friendly, especially with one so clearly mischievous. He took a careful step toward her, looking to get a better view.

Midna, she was, and she was very strange.

Link was intensely aware of the bow in his hand. It was the only weapon he had handy, and who knew what kind of magicks this imp had available to her. He didn't really have any defense against magic, so he had to be ready and quick with his arrows, as he still wasn't sure of her intent. Good sport to her was scaring unaware goats into a frenzy that could very well end with a stampede and people getting injured. Clearly the two of them didn't share the same sense of sportsmanship. "Midna, like midnight. That's easy enough," Link said in response to her question. Such a strange encounter Link doubted he'd forget the name any time soon. "Where are you from?" Another valid question, since it was quite obvious from everything about her that she was not from around there, or even from Ordon as Link knew it.

[Midna]

"Very good! Aren't you just the brightest thing!" she cooed, clapping her hands as if praising a child who go an 'A' on their spelling paper. However her jokes, and teasing quickly came to a halt the second she heard his question. Where was she from? She tilted her head slightly to the side staring him down with an obvious look that screamed not from around here. Except the fact that if she went with such a sarcastic remark it wouldn't do the description justice. No, Midna was not only from a whole another place, but from a whole another world entirely. For a moment her expression turned serious, but she didn't hold it for long, quickly replaced with a devious smirk.

"What if I told you I was an alien?" she asked coyly, "and that I come from a whole another world entirely?"

She wasn't off by a long shot on her description, but she thought it might be humorous to entertain him with an alien rather than go into the finer details. Technically, she was from another world entirely, so that would pretty much be considered an alien now, wouldn't it? He was cautious. His hands carefully clutched onto the bow he held within his hands, and Midna could sense the doubt that was welling up in him. Link was put in a muddle of what to do with the imp, and knowing is after all, half of the battle.

[Link]

Link narrowed his eyes dangerously as he listened to her. She was talking to him with a condescending tone. That tone of hers just grated on his nerves. He didn't even know what she was, and all he had was a name as per who she was. There was no reason for her to talk to him like that. Those sharp blue eyes glared and the corner of his mouth curled slightly in what could be described best as a snarl, an almost ferl expression. Almost canine in nature.

The news that she was from another world was a bit of a shocker, though Link quickly reeled that in. She was toying with him. There was no other world for her to be from. She was just having some fun and trying to get a reaction out of him. There was an easy answer to that. The bow came up quickly and Link had an arrow against the string faster than the eye could blink. The arrow was pulled back and fired, flying true to his aim to dig into the ground just in front of where Midna stood.

"I'll say it again, where are you from? Enough games," Link growled, another bow coming to the line. He wasn't there to play around. He was a hardworking farmhand, he had other duties than stopping an imp from playing with goats. "And why are you still here?" His eyes never left the imp, but sighted her down the shaft of the arrow. The next one was clearly aiming higher, not for the ground.

[Midna]

"Oh my~ Aren't you scary," she teased dangerously. The way he glared daggers at her was quite delectable to say the least. His frustration was quite invigorating, and Midna's dark sense of amusement couldn't get enough of his attention. His emotions were true, and earnest like looking into the deepest sea. Yet the edges were jagged with sharp points, but Midna wasn't afraid of the boy. Oh no, in fact, she adored how easily the youth was riled up. It made him an open book for her to read page by page.

Her deep red eye flickered for a moment when he drew the string of his bow back, and fired a warning shot. She let out a gasp as if she was surprised he would do such a thing but it was only an exaggerated taunt. An evil expression was painted across her features as she waved her finger to and fro, letting out a small 'tsk tsk tsk'. To add further emphasis, she shook her head as her ponytail holding her sunset locks bobbed back and forth. "Believe what you want to believe," she snickered.

She flashed him a fanged grin before waving her hand slightly. The arrow that was show at her feet was soon enough floating in front of the imp. Pointing her finger at the Hylian, the arrow quickly shot off in his direction, ready to pierce him straight front on the bridge of his nose. Midna snapped her fingers before the tip could even reach five centimeters in front of Link. Soon enough the arrow disappeared, being broken up into twilight particles until it faded from existence, showing the boy how futile it would be to shoot her. "Someone just can't seem to get enough of me," she joked darkly.

Though her manner turned a little more serious... a little.

"If you're that curious, I suppose I could fill you in a teeny bit~ I am seeking out anomalies across Hyrule," she explained, "Word has it that someone or some group took an item that's precious to me."

That was all she was going to give him.

[Link]

Link watched as Midna continued to work at riling him up. He was not enjoying this encounter, in the least. This imp was getting on his nerves on an outstanding level. He grimaced and glared down the end of the arrow, wanting so much to release it. Something inside of him told him the arrow would never actually hit, but it didn't stop Link from having the urge. But Link was not a cold-blooded murderer. He wasn't about to shoot someone even if she was annoying. He didn't have to tell her that.

She lifted his arrow from the ground and shot it back at him. Link tensed up, but saw through the trick quickly. There was a glint from his left hand as he straightened his posture and stared the arrow down, watching as it dissolved before it even hit him. She was all about mischief but hadn't done anything to hurt him yet. If she wanted to, she could've attempted so many times, but she was just playing. He was bringing her too much glee to simply kill like that. Link had made a brave gamble and was right.

Which meant he had figured something out about her, anyway. But her answer to his inquiry just added more questions where one had been answered. That wasn't going to get him anywhere, and he wanted to get back to work on the farm. The bow was lowered to his side again as he knew it wouldn't do him any good--she could control arrows, it seemed, so what was the point? "And what would that item have to do with scaring goats?" he asked suspiciously.

[Midna]

"You're thinking too small dear," she hummed, "I told you before, that was sport, something out of pure fun. The item I seek holds tremendous power. Power that was sealed away long ago by your world's guardians, the Light Spirits. Or... was." There was a bitter pause when she finished her sentence. The meaning behind her explanation furthered by her prior answer followed up by her words this time around. Why was it taking so long to find the rest of her treasure?

She had to push away her selfish thoughts for now and keep her attention on the boy undivided. Midna couldn't help but find herself adoring the poor boy, who couldn't seem to find the nerve to just walk away from her - let alone raise that bow to strike her with an arrow. It wasn't that she didn't take in the factor that he could have shot her right then and there, but she trusted her instincts that he wasn't the type to just shoot someone down without a justifiable means behind it.

"If it falls into the wrong hands, I could only imagine the weight of catastrophes that shall pile up on top of what's already happened in Hyrule as it is," she explained with a playful tone. Midna was really getting a kick out of this either way, but we're digressing from the main topic at hand. "And who knows how long it'll take before your precious farmlands becomes a battlefield, you know?" she inquired; attempting to incite a feeling of foreboding into the poor dear. She could only imagine the the thoughts that would bloom inside that little head of his. There was so many things going on that was ridiculous to keep up with everything as it was, but Midna didn't waste time trying to use any opportunity she could to bring herself closer to getting the Fused Shadow back.

Whatever the means in order to obtain, she assured herself. There was nothing wrong with being selfish if it meant it benefited the greater good, and while she held no real care for this world personally, if it meant saving something in the end to gain her treasure than so be it. Then again, that could work the other way around, another catastrophe could end up happening because of acquiring such an artifact. Whatever! She wanted it back dammit!