[video]

[sky_child]

[ The screen snaps on, revealing the youthful face of a pointy-eared teen looking...not at the camera. His head is tilted at such an angle that one of his red earrings is visible, as is a great deal of hair. It's matted down in the back, as if he's only just taken off a hat he's worn for a while. The top of his beige shirt is just barely visible, but the purple-and-green hilt of his sword is in plain view--and occasionally taps the screen.

Eventually he sits up, his exceptionally thick eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his lips tugged down at the edges. In a second, his expression changes to something more...guarded. ]

Um...

Has anyone seen a girl named Zelda here?

Comments

[sky_child]

I--

I'm by my room. Room 3-16...

[ He's Not Sure If Want, but he can't think of a better idea. ]

[action now!]

[ocariness]

[ Yeah they're sorry about that, SS. It's a really trippy situation all around. Link gives a sort of semblance of a bow before the feed cuts and, in a few minutes, you have someone actually about as short as you. Nice right.

... They're feeling pretty sheepish about all this, but now's no time to get tight-lipped, so... ]

... Skyloft's Hero. I am sorry if this seems... confusing.

[ Ahh, where do you even start with something like this? ]

But... you have encountered time travel at least once, correct?

[sky_child]

[ All he can do is nod.

Seeing this individual in person, wearing that tunic, carrying that sword...

It makes him feel slightly better that this person's around his height, but. Not by much. ]

[ocariness]

[ This would be easier if they both knew about talking? But ooooh well. And it wasn't so... weird. Anyway, Link sheepishly rubs the back of their neck. ]

... It is... not dissimilar to time travel. Time... can go many ways. To put it simply, imagine where you are right now, the present from your perspective, is a river, and you stand at the mouth where it begins.

I stand in the middle of the river, downstream from you. Still others after myself, further downstream, and so on. Time is very much like this. The people who took us... have the ability to take anyone from any point in the river. You, from my perspective, would be my past.

I, from your perspective, might be the future, but to me, it is the present. ... Does... this make any sense? I know it is a lot to take in, but I assure you it is not as complicated as you may at first think. Time is... something I know well, to be honest.

[ The explanation is simple enough; but... Link's still kinda really worried this version of Sky might... not understand, or might not get it, or may dislike them, and--

Oh.

... It occurs to them that they don't even know about the Hero of Time. THEM. ... Square one, huh? ... Well, that's fine. If this is how the Goddesses deem it to be... ]

[sky_child]

[ Link stares blankly at the other person for a moment.

And then-- ]

















What's a river?