Greenery. Trees. Sunlight. All things that had been seemingly absent from the world for generations. There were even birds flying around somewhere just out of sight, true birds of feathered beauty, far distant from the bedraggled scavengers that ruled the sky in the further parts of Hyrule.<br/><br/>Armoured feet gliding of the ragged grass, the Zora forged on. She had been searching for a place to lay her head for at least a few hours these last two days. Weariness dragged at her eyes and limbs, causing some small measure of her iron self-control to flag. Her weapons hung away from her hands, out of reach should they be needed. A thicker than usual tussock caught on her metal sabatons, lending sudden resistance to her stride, which in turn caused her to overbalance.<br/><br/>A rather fancy way of saying that she tripped and fell on her face.<br/><br/>Spitting both curses and grass, the Zora pushed herself to her feet, looking for all the world like she wanted to murder an innocent tussock of grass whose only crime was growing too thickly in the wrong place.<span style="font-style: italic">Damn your idiocy Rajaala! Focus your mind, you stupid girl!</span>The mental self-rebuke flittered across her conscious mind like a flaming brand, scoring away the remaining vestiges of tiredness for a few moments as she brushed away the remnants of her ungraceful fall in order to continue onward.<br/><br/>Rajaala stalked onwards for a few more minutes, driven entirely by anger at this point in her exhaustion. Pointless, useless anger that served only to tire her more. As the steps were taken the insidious feeling crept its way back into her muscles and mind, looking to drive her to collapse where she stood. A good ten minutes passed in this state before anything changed, irate obstinance meeting harsh fatigue.<br/><br/>The change that came was sudden and entirely unexpected, trees giving way to gold and green. The small clearing before her sat in a shallow depression, a figurative oasis of thriving green. Something about this place felt... regal. Like some kind of lost holy place. Which means that there in the middle... was a Triforce. Of course. The place was empty, for now, and the three triangles gave a sense of safety here, like being cradled by a mother.<br/><br/>Rajaala stumbled her way out of the middle of the clearing to the far fringe, under the shade of a pair of conjoined trees. There she lay her gear almost lovingly down on the ground, before removing her helmet and using it as a makeshift pillow. With her being as tired as she was, there was no question that it was as comfortable as a royal bed. The Zora was asleep almost as soon as her head stopped moving.<br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/>Rajaala awoke with a start, cool shadows flickering across her vision. There was no noise. Nothing, beyond the breeze. And yet something, some instinct that demanded to be acknowledged told her she was no longer alone. She sat up slowly, body aching in not-so-silent protest. Her gaze took in the clearing and everything in it. The man in green caught and held her attention.<span style="font-style: italic">Perhaps the hero? Come again to save us?</span>A short glance to her side told her that her equipment had been moved, stacked neatly against the tree to her right. He knew she was here, that much was evident. He seemed to be speaking with the plants that dotted the clearing, turning to them individually and addressing them as if they were people. Mad most likely, probably dangerous considering his garb, yet strangely non-threatening. He had every chance to kill her, yet he had not. She resolved to stay a while and listen to him, see if there was any sense in talking to plants in this day and age.