The sun was still high in the sky, beating down in heat against the lands of Southern Hyrule. Waves of heat were rising in the distance, distorting the view of the world. Mirages were not too uncommon, but they often led travelers astray even on the old traveled roads. At least, they would if one only trusted their eyes. Maev'oria traveled across the sands, leaving a trail of dust behind her as her carpet hovered off the ground. Her legs crossed over one another, leaning forwards to carry the carpet ahead. All her belongings stacked behind her in a pretty oversized backpack. If one didn't know any better, it would appear that she was simply heading to another town to ply her fortune telling trade. Nay, today she was following a vision. A prophetic dream during the night had her following her destiny, or at least as much as one could. All that she can truly remember from her latest dream, is the sight of a figure wrapped up in ropes, laying on the side of a road as the sun beat down upon them. With no further context to provide evidence to whom this figure was, or where they were, she simply just started traveling. If her dreams granted her the sight, she'd eventually come across them. Perhaps not today, nor tomorrow, but eventually. Fate and destiny were not something one could easily avoid. These thoughts dominated her mind as she traveled, idly ruminating on the nature of destiny when fate seemed to have a sense of humor. Just as she was thinking she might stumble upon the figure some other day, a tied up man suddenly came into view. Hoofprints and wagon tracks lead off straight into the distance, although even with her foresight couldn't judge how long it had been. Maev and her carpet came to a stop right at the edge of the road as she slowly stood up to her feet. "Well," She began, grabbing a small knife from one of her many fabric pockets. "It seems fate smiles upon you today, that you shall not- Ruairi?" Her dramatic prose faltered immediately upon recogizing the Rito, not expecting to even remotely see him anytime soon. It had been plenty of years, but it was hard not to recognize someone as distinctive as they were. Her eyes widened, and her third eye fluttered open from behind her bandage in alarm. "You can explain what happened, as I cut you loose."
The heat of the sun had sapped what energy Ruairi still had left. The wind that occasionally blew through the sands had mostly managed to erase the signs of his mighty struggle as he still lied face down, tied up just as tightly as he had been when those awful criminals left him on his own. In fact, they had started to feel even tighter, if that was somehow possible. His wrists had started to feel raw from all the rubbing as he has trashed against his ropes. With both his hands and legs tied behind him, movement had provided to be extremely difficult. He hadn't even really managed to flip himself over – not that it would help him much right now. His throat was parched. It was hot. He had screamed his throat raw before, and now he was just quiet. He couldn't hear their sounds anymore – he couldn't really hear anything but the soft rumble of the wind. Deserts like these always were so quiet, with barely any traffic. What rotten luck was it that the Rito had run into bandits who saw him as an easy mark? What rotten luck was it that those had been the only ones who had taken this road, without a single other soul around who could have heard him and come to aid him? The wagon was gone. Daffodil was gone. How far could they have gotten? It's not like the wagon could move that fast, not on this sandy road. It was heavy and the ox was built more for strength than speed. If he could free himself now, could he still catch them? Could he run after them? If he had the energy. If he wasn't so thirsty. If he wasn't so tired… Ruairi had closed his eyes for a moment, and the slightly louder woosh in the air wasn't even noticed – and the fact that it was growing louder as it came closer similarly went unnoticed. Only once he was touched did he stir, though the hoarse croak he let out was the only thing he could voice. Did they come back to finish the job, or was he saved?! The ropes being cut did help him assume the latter, and he could finally flip himself off his stomach and cough out the copious amounts of sand in his mouth. The light, loose garbs helped with the sun, but they hadn't done much to protect his mouth from the ground now that he had spent so much time there. He drew in a few gasps of air. He hadn't realized how his chest had been compressed this whole time – and that made him realize how his tongue wasn't just dry but still covered in sand, so the Rito sputtered and spat the rest of it out to the best of his ability. He couldn't have been a very attractive sight, but right now, miraculously, he didn't care much about that. It took a moment for his eyes to focus and his mind to remember the words that had been spoken to him, as he looked at the face of his savior… "…Eye lady?" He croaked – if any outsider would have witnessed this moment, it would have been easy to assume it was the dehydration and other potential issues from the heat getting to him. Perhaps those still were a part of the equation, bringing him back into a time long since passed. Should he have recognized her so easily? It had been a long time. "They took Daffodil…"
On one hand, hearing him speak had her letting out a sigh of relief. He was still conscious, if a little loopy. On the other hand, being referred to as 'Eye Lady' had her rolling her eyes quite dramatically. It was certainly nice to be recognized at the very least, the last time she had seen the man he was just a little one. She'd slice through another tied knot of rope when he finally mentioned they had taken someone. Who were 'they'? Who was Daffodil? She certainly had many questions, but none would be answered with his face still in the sand. As soon as the ropes were cut free and she was able to pluck him from its restraining clutches, Maev wouldn't hesitate to hoist the Rito up into her arms protectively, a soft sigh spilling from her lips. "Hush now, little child. We shall get back Daffodil, none shall hide from me forever." Presuming he wouldn't fight her protective embrace, she'd carry him over towards her carpet before simply sitting down atop it once again with him sat down in front of her. "But you need rest, shade, water, and food. If we had the time, I'd set up my tent and let you rest properly. But, unfortunately, it seems destiny calls for us to act now, less we lose any hope of tracking down the wagon." She began to dig into her belongings, pulling out a large thin white cloth he could use to keep the sun off his skin and a large canteen filled with water gently pressed against his hands. Maev's arms would then suddenly link through the large straps she had for her backpack as she crossed her legs and the carpet began to magically float off the ground just a few inches for now. "You rest, I shall follow the tracks. Understood?" Her lips twisted down in visible concern, not wanting to pressure the poor man after such a traumatizing experience. She could only imagine how Ruairi must feel at the moment, dehydrated and possibly suffering from heat stroke. "Just relax, my dearest. Maev has got you now. Drink, I have plenty of water with me. You can tell me all about what happened when you have the energy to think once more."
Ruairi let out a groan as he was picked up like a child. This certainly was not the first time this particular Gerudo had done this, but back then, he was so much smaller. But now, he was an adult! Even still, she towered over him, and his body was so light that she probably didn't even have to put any effort into it. "…nnotachild," he mumbled a feeble resistance, but he did not physically try to get away. Maybe he couldn't, maybe he didn't have the strength… Or maybe he was willing to let it happen, carried like a babe off the scorching sand and onto what felt like… A carpet? In the middle of the desert? The Rito's eyes had closed for a moment, but he took another look, uncertain if a camp had suddenly materialized out of nowhere. But no. It was just a carpet. …A carpet was good enough now. He was wrapped in a cloth, but what really snapped him out of his stupor was what was shoved into his hands. He could feel it, the liquid sloshing inside, and wasted no time in greedily gulping down the fresh water like his life dependent on it. Honestly? It probably did. His tongue was so dry it felt like it couldn't even feel the water in his mouth, trapped in some kind of a bubble that didn't allow it to touch anything. But oh man. It felt good. How could just water taste so good? How could it soothe his throat so and cool him down from the inside after all this unbearable heat? This was it. This was all he needed. Ruairi had perhaps just barely managed to hear what had been said to him as he drank the canteen empty faster than he ever had. No amount of water would be enough for him! …Or so he had felt at the time, but after he waited for a moment, he realized his thirst had been quenched and how his stomach just felt bloated and heavy. And the carpet was definitely floating. "It's–" He cleared his throat with a few coughs. Even if the Rito had managed to drink, it still seemed like it took a moment before his voice returned. "It's no time to rest! They took Daffodil!" He continued with his earlier spiel, now with much more gusto as his eyes focused on the Gerudo lady's face. He looked fierce, like his eyes were burning. What had her name been again? Mae, Mev, Maw… "Eye lady! We gotta catch 'em! Now!"
