Mark
He had to admit, he had certainly royally fucked up.

*"Fuck."*

It came out barely a mutter- the teenager was practically melting. Course they'd been passing through the Zora domain at the time and happened to stop by a pretty impressive lake. Except that he *Hated* Water.

Oh boy.

Shadows seeped from the teen as they wander the area idly, before seemingly giving up and entirely collapsing at the shore, slamming his hands into the ground.

"WHY. WHY. *Why now."* The last one came out a softer whisper, before he finally sat back, looking at his hands. Shit, they were a mess. So long of avoiding the four and suddenly it couldn't do that anymore. How in the world were they going to respond to the questions? It'd been alive plenty long, it just didn't... Face them.

He *Really* Didn't know what to do now.

It was getting a lot harder to breathe. It had to be the sun right? Stupid light. Always made him fall apart. Shakily, the figure reached for his bag, tugging their umbrella out and popping it open. They just sat there for a second, hugging the handle while keeping themself covered, trying to remember how to breathe.
Amanda
Flying wasn't something that had been very easy for Clancy- not since he'd been pulled from the Depths, starved and stricken with gloom sickness. In the months since, he had steadily been recovering, regaining his strength, but even with the Demon King's vanquishing, his sickness remained in some capacity- a constant drain on his energy, leaving him heavy with fatigue.

He couldn't do as much as he used to.

Until today. It had been so sudden, but he'd found himself feeling far lighter than before. Like his energy had been completely rejuvenated. Even with the tension that began to fill the air afterwards, he felt... Invigorated. He needed to take to the skies. He needed the fresh air. Under the excuse of scoping out the situation, Clancy took flight once his granddaughter was safely with his son.

He'd caught sight of the figure below, as the umbrella popped open, and it caught his attention. Flying lower, he saw, too, a young Hylian...? A Hylian that seemed to be in some sort of distress. Brows furrowed, and he descended upon them, landing with his talons in the loamy sand at the edge of Lake Ruto.

Golden brows eyes locked on the teenager before him, and he observed for a moment longer before he tilted his head, speaking up softly. "Are you alright, young one...?"
Mark
A *Very* Noticeable jolt. He was definitely not expecting that. "GODDESS- WHERE DID YOU COME... From-?"

Oh, a rito. He wasn't entirely familiar with those but they had heard of them before- the strange bird humanoids...

It's grip on the umbrella tightened at the comment, a small hiss escaping them at the question. "I don't want your *Pity.* I'm- fine-" 

He spat the comment out but trailed off at the lack of breathing he was capable of right now. That's... Bad. Bad? Well he wasn't exactly used to the whole being somewhat human thing. Feelings weren't an easy thing for them.

It holds up a hand, sharply inhaling. "Gimme. One second. I can't-"

Their grip on the object tightened, nearly snapping the umbrella in two. Great. First accidentally revealing their identity to the stupid sheet of paper, and now someone *Saw* Them? That bodes terribly for the future. Not to mention the looming threat of the Ganons... If *His* Ever showed his face somehow?

A shiver at the thought. 

"I'm... Fine." He grits his teeth, responding after a moment to think. Vulnerability was not an option. They'd been on their own *This* Long... They couldn't afford to open up again. That was how people got hurt.
Amanda
It was almost familiar. The defensive anger, the walls being put up near instantly... The tension in their entire form. It reminded him of his son, when they'd first found the lone fledgeling... He held up his wings for a moment, showing himself to be unarmed at the moment. "My apologies, I didn't intend to startle you."

His brows furrowed, and he blinked once, slowly. They were very clearly *Not* Fine, in fact it seemed to be having trouble breathing. An anxiety or panic attack, perhaps... He kept his distance, but he spoke up again, gently.

"Steady now... Try breathing in for four seconds, hold it for seven, then exhale for eight. In through your nose, out through your mouth."
Mark
"You didn't *Startle* Me. I don't get scared." Anymore. The grumbled response was only half-hearted, anyhow- he was losing the energy to come up with any witty responses between trying to keep himself calm and being on guard in terms of a new person. 

When he started suggesting breathing patterns, the figure stiffened. The shadows around them flickered, as if debating disappearing entirely, but... Maybe they'd never see this stranger again. What was the harm in staying *One* Time?

It shuffles slightly, loosening the grip on the umbrella and trying to shift into a posture that made it slightly easier to breathe. Okay. In for four. Hold. Exhale. 

He was... Probably fine. What a mess.

He huffed softly, inhaling again. It was getting easier, at least. "Who... Are you? Aren't the zora the ones who hang around here? You don't *Look* Like a fish."
Amanda
*Don't get scared...* Everyone gets scared, Clancy thinks, but doesn't say. He could tell when someone wanted to put up a facade, trying to keep a brave face... It was easier, to pretend you weren't scared, than to admit vulnerability. Especially when one was young...

His expression softened a little, watching him as he stiffened up, before shifting, finally starting to breathe. *Good.* He nodded, breathing along with it, as some form of guidance.

"Aha, certainly not a fish..." Clancy chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm Clancy, from Rito Village. I'm here with my family on a little vacation of sorts, you see. Might I ask who you are, now?"
Mark
"A vacation? With everything that's going on?" Shadow shifted to sit more criss-cross now that he was calming down a bit, disbelief evident. The umbrella still hung over their head, mainly as a source of comfort for them. He wasn't a big fan of sunlight. 

"Mmm..." Should he give his name? Was that a smart idea? In a very childlike manner, the boy stuck his tongue out, crossing his arms and going:

"Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy?"

After a pause, however, the teen heaved a loud sigh, leaning forward to lean on a hand. "You. Can call me Shadow, I guess." 

They definitely seemed uncomfortable with the name though, shifting slightly. Being defined by that name... It bothered him now. Because it wasn't who he was anymore, he supposed.
Amanda
"Ehh, well, vacation is the easier way to explain it. It is more of a... Complicated situation." Clancy gestured vagely with his wing, glancing aside. He knew the Yiga clan made his son incredibly paranoid, with how close they'd come to the village... That traveling out here was to try to ensure their safety, in his own way.

The initial response to the name question prompted a blink and a bemused chuckle from the Rito, but he soon tilted his head when they gave him a name to call them... A name they seemed very hesitant about.

"...Are you certain? I can call you something else, if you'd prefer."
Mark
"Complicated, huh?" He leans back with a small sigh. "That sure as hell summarizes my life real well too right now."

Should he *Really* Give a different name?

"Mm.." The teen hums in thought, hugging his legs for a minute. Wasn't the whole point of independence supposed to be developing his own identity? He squints at the rito from under their umbrella, before finally shrugging. "I don't really like that name, it was just given to me. I prefer Monochrome, but just Mono works." He reluctantly states after a pause. 

It certainly seemed to be calming down, at the very least. The distraction was helping.
Amanda
"It seems it's a word that describes many things at the moment." He agreed softly, shifting his stance on the shore and shaking some sand from between his talons.

The teen finally gives him a name, a name they prefer, and he finds himself smiling gently in return. "Monochrome. It is a pleasure to meet you, then. Don't worry- there's no judgement in choosing your own name. If you don't like the one you were given, you can always change it."

His son had, after all.
Mark
If you don't like the one you were given, you can always change it.

Was that *True?* Was it that simple?

"Sounds dumb. What're names for if you can just change em on a whim?" They grumble in response, though it gradually shifts into more of a mumble to himself than anything. 

It drags the umbrella closer, peering out from under the shadows. Sure, it could stand in the light. But that didn't mean he liked it. 

He absent-mindedly kicked at the sand with a foot, staring at the parchment paper that ever-so taunted them laying next to a rock. They'd rolled it up before throwing it at the ground in frustration. 

".......That stupid thing is cursed." It finally softly mutters.
Amanda
"A name is supposed to represent *You*. If who you are has changed enough that the name you were given no longer feels right... Then there's no shame in changing it. It's not dumb at all." Clancy glanced aside, down at the parchment on the ground.

He recognized it easily. He had one of his own, after all.

"...Ah. Yes, that parchment can be troublesome at times... I've enjoyed being able to communicate with the wider world, but it's also... Had its drawbacks."

He tilted his head.

"...Might I ask what trouble it's brought you...?"
Mark
"Huh." Was all he said in response, admittedly a bit lost on the ideal. It was still somewhat... Comforting, though. It certainly validated their want to take on a different name to those they trust. 

When asked what trouble it brought them, however, they hesitated. He shuffled slightly, before opting to shove the umbrella into the sand so it stuck up above him as he flopped onto the ground with a groan. 

"Oh, no biggie. Just the people I've been avoiding ever since I got here because they've all been convinced I'm dead this entire time finally figuring out I'm alive or whatever, and now I have to face the guy that I *May* Or may not like a little more than expected except for the fact that he technically betrayed me! And then I redeemed myself or whatever and died for that exact reason, only for Ganonbitch to revive me thanks to some dumb dark mirror that lets him bring us from the dark world to the real world and DEMAND I continue with the plan!"

A very quick inhale.

"Soooooo I was pissed and then the princess convinced me that I could technically be good and didn't have to be evil and stand in the heroes shadow- oh, by the way, that's why I said shadow, I'm like a reflection of the heroes but evil or whatever- and THEN! I broke the mirror specifically to help them out but that was my life force too so I died *Again* And then—"

The teens ramblings abruptly cut off as he sat upright again, eyes shifting from a neutral gray to a red. 

"I... Don't want to talk about how Ganons minions responded after that. When you can't exactly be permanently killed so long as the heroes you shadow are also still around, and an entire group of evil people **Hate** You-"

It spits the word out, before its shoulders slump. 

"Er. I just. Don't really know what to do. I've been on my own for this long because I didn't want to live in their shadow anymore and I thought they'd be better off without me. But Vio *Looked* For me! I can't believe... He looked for me."