▲ Target Practice

[darkmastersword]

[He's spent a good portion of the afternoon gathering arrows here, there, and everywhere, stacking them in a large pile fifty paces from a couple bales of hay supporting a target he dragged out onto the field. He doesn't know how many he has exactly. It doesn't matter. There are plenty, and they'll do. Most of them aren't in the best condition, but

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[jewel_of_hyrule]

[The fire catches her attention, even from a distance, and Jewel follows the smoke trail out onto the field with some interest. Its purpose eludes her, but it doesn't altogether matter, she supposes.

She sees Dark on the ground. It's been ages since they spoke, so she makes her way in his direction with mild curiosity. He's responsible for this, then? How very odd. She wonders what his reasons are, and yet somehow, she doesn't feel entitled to ask.]

It's been a while, Dark. How are you?

(ooc: Hi. I'm really glad you stayed.)

[darkmastersword]

[He keeps staring at the fire, wishing he'd saved an arrow or found a stick or something -- not that he could get close enough to the bonfire to poke at it anyway. He can poke at it when it burns down later. For now, it's wild and raging, and well... it's what he wants. After all, he can't set just anything on fire.

[Does he know that voice? It's kind of familiar...]

I'm all right. I'm still alive.

[ooc: Thanks. I'm here for now, anyway. I haven't really decided yet.]

[jewel_of_hyrule]

About the best any of us can say, I'd surmise. But it's good to see you.

[She sits down beside him and watches the flames.]

There's something oddly cathartic about your bonfire. I'm not sure what, exactly, but...it's satisfying on some level.

[darkmastersword]

I guess it is. I could be dead, after all. Haven't seen you in a while.

'Course there is. It's always fun to watch stuff burn, and somehow I doubt any of you would appreciate it if I went around burning down buildings. So this works. [Enough, at least. It's a large fire.]

[tehnrija]

[Fire and flame and smoke and ashes. Zelda recalls all too well the night of the castle siege. How many homes of the innocent were burned down with the approaching darkness? As the princess remembers, the shadow runs.

Her mind is racing just as fast. How did that fire start? What was set ablaze? Was anyone hurt?

He hears what Zelda hears: wood crackling, walls crumbling, people running and screaming in terror.

The Sheikah comes to a halt once the source of the fire is within better view, but still a safe distance away. Blood red eyes carefully scan the area surrounding it. ...There, a figure in black?]

[darkmastersword]

[He doesn't notice anyone nearby. He's too focused on watching his fire and trying to drive away all of his bad memories. ...and he has plenty of bad memories, too, both from home and from this place.]

[He shifts a bit, taking the bow he dropped before and putting it with the rest of his gear before turning back to the fire.]

[tehnrija]

[Several steps are taken, approaching the figure in black from a blindside. Zelda doesn't seem to want to be anywhere near the fire, though... Sheik stops eventually, to quell the princess' anxiety and unhappy memories.]

Will you just let it burn out?

[darkmastersword]

[So... someone's here. He turns, not so much to see the figure as to make it clear that he's watching.]

Yeah, I am. That's my plan, anyway. I set it, and I'm going to watch it burn.

[cyan_princess]

[Archery is something Ruto has, slowly, grown fond of. And thus, seeing this dark incarnation of Link utilizing arrows has piqued her interest, and she watches from afar. He has good aim, something she rather grudgingly admits to herself. If only she could hit targets like that...

And then she sees the hay set aflame, and blinks. She's a little surprised, a little taken aback. Boldly, she walks over nearby him, folding her arms. Her tone isn't accusatory, but perhaps a bit bewildered.]

What was that for?

[darkmastersword]

[He looks over and oh, hello, Zora. She looks kinda familiar, but he's not sure why. It doesn't really matter, right now, though he has to wonder why she seems so perplexed by a fire. Yeah, it's a big fire, but a fire is a fire.

[He glances back and forth between her and the fire and smirks.] Isn't it obvious? I wanted to watch it all burn.

[cyan_princess]

Why? That seems kinda pointless.

[Destruction for the sake of watching it burn... It doesn't make sense to her, how someone could enjoy beholding that. She has never been fond of flames, truly; being a Zora, her element has always been water.]

Don't you have anything better to do? [Tact, however, has never been her element.]

[darkmastersword]

Clearly you don't understand the appeal of a good fire, then.

[Maybe it's because he spent so much time wet and cold that he appreciates fire. Or maybe it's just in his nature to like it. Either way, he's very fond of flames, but that much is obvious.]

Anything better to do? No, I think this is perfectly fine. [He looks over at her and grins.] What would you consider "better"?

[darkmastersword]

[Someone's here? Oh, he knows that voice. He turns around and grins.]

Yeah, I might have gotten a little carried away, but whatever. Nothing wrong with a big fire, right?

[darkmastersword]

[Dark grins again and then pats the ground next to him.]

If you feel up to enjoying a good fire, then go right ahead. I don't mind company at all.

If I'd known you were nearby, I would've waited to light it off.

[severs_twilight]

[An arrow sings just shy of four feet from Dark's seated form and embeds into one of fiery targets.]

[His aim's improved.]

[Lowering his bow Link strides a few steps closer, stopping once he's at the fifty pace mark. He stares at his arrow, watches it bend with the fire's heat. It's satisfying, somehow.]

Mind if I join you?

[darkmastersword]

[He turns towards the man -- been a while since he's seen him, and didn't they meet at a fire last time, too?]

If you feel like watching a fire, I don't mind. Always nice to know someone appreciates the sight of a good fire.

[severs_twilight]

[He raises the tip of a nocked arrow to point at the blazing target and places King Bulbin's face in the middle of it. Ever since that hazy dream the faces switched on and off: sometimes a creature from old Hyrule, this time a monster from home.

The arrow flies, and strikes the left side of the target. Missed.]

[Link pulls a small, disgruntled look.]

The fire makes it harder to hit... when the wind blows it makes the target look bigger [He gesticulates to demonstrate] but then smaller, sometimes. [And again, but smaller, and then he lets his empty hand and bow drop back to his sides.]

It's a good challenge. [He grins, self-effacingly.]

[And it's too weird to say from the get go.

He'd been wanting to run into Dark again, after the Kakariko fire. But the man wasn't exactly as conspicuous as the heroes, so it'd had to wait.

And now it was weird. Manly weird.]

[darkmastersword]

[Dark laughs at that.] Yeah, I guess it is a good challenge, if you like that kind of thing. Personally, I just like watching things burn, and I had plenty of arrows to waste. Besides, the Fortress has plenty of targets; no one will miss one.

[Not that there's anyone out there to miss anything at all anymore. He can imagine what Nabooru and the others would say about him "stealing" one of their targets, but he doesn't want to. It's just another memory he'd rather not remember now.]

You've been practicing.

[He doesn't really know what to say considering what happened last time they met. They weren't on opposite sides, but they weren't exactly on the same one, either.]