Navina breathed in the warm, fresh desert air. Finally. No more incompetent captains, freezing blizzards, or white wolfos. Just the familiar terrain of soft, desert sand. Why anyone would choose anywhere else to live was simply ridiculous. She smiled, looking at the colossal dome of the Arbiter's Grounds. For some reason, this place brought her great comfort, and not just because it was situated in the desert. The fact that she knew that countless ruthless and deserving criminals met their ends in this prison satisfied her more than most things ever could. Historians and liberals would argue with her over it, of course. Her lip curled subconsciously as she thought about the amount of people who protested against harsher convictions for criminals. If it was up to Navina, hands deserved to go off for people who stole. People who violated the goodness and trust of others surrendered their humanity as soon as they committed the crime. Good and honest people didn't deserve to live among those who treated them like dirt. She had come here - for once - on a personal adventure, but only because she was tired of making flashcards of criminals to memorize. She needed a break, but more importantly she needed a reminder of why she kept doing the things she did. Exploring a prison would be the perfect one. Navina's eyes narrowed, hearing footsteps in the sand behind her. She turned, keeping her hand just above her sword in case she needed to draw it out quickly.
As a lone, single Kikwi waddled through the desert, happily humming a little tune, he decided to take inventory. He had his staff, his vuvuzela, his spells (very important given that he'd been hearing strange whispers on the wind about odd occurrences featuring, among other things, loss of some spells and abilities and the acquisition of new ones through mysterious means even his gifts could not discern), and half of a foggy, ill-formed and perhaps sun-baked idea where he was going and what he was doing here. On top of that it was possibly sprinkled with what most people would call madness. This Kikwi, Ronaldo Kawager, called it insight. So here he was in the blazing sun, amidst incredible dunes of sand and.... more dunes, walking towards he-didn't-know-what. But he was getting closer, as the Great Voices had directed him as such. They also directed him to do things he couldn't quite understand, but sometimes creative liberties had to be taken with their guidance. When the structure came into view, he scarcely paid any attention to the woman who looked to be possibly out for blood. Instead his eyes showed that same vaguely-insane shine, and he stepped forward a little to take a closer look. An awed "Ooooh," escaped his lips, as he inspected column after column, aqueduct after aqueduct. He knew that despite its exterior being... well, ruined, these were the remnants of something great. He heard clouded messages of the place being some form of unpleasant place, perhaps to do with punishment, but it was really quite pretty for that. "Marvelous, isn't it?" He asked the Gerudo warrior that he had once ignored, smiling with almost unnatural serenity as he pointed to the Arbiter's Grounds.
Navina looked down at the... Kikwi? Her defensive stance dropped. She had the sudden urge to bend over and squeeze it, but she realized that would be the literal worst idea. Also very rude. They just all sort of looked like stuffed animals. What adorable little critters. "Of course," she responded, looking back at the builing. "... There's nothing more architecturally beautiful than a well constructed prison." Her heart swelled for a moment, suddenly imagining the now desolate building filled to the brim with prisoners and convicts, clamoring out for freedom and spending the rest of their days in complete and utter confinement, kept away from the civilized and respectable people in society. She sighed. Bliss. She assumed the Kikwi was not admiring the building for the same reasons she was. "We don't have any like it these days," Navina said, sighing. She doubted her wishes for a Hyrulian Panopticon would be fulfilled any time soon. If Navina was being honest, she was looking forward to a lonely, solitary expedition through the prison. She sighed, her civility getting the best of her. "... I assume you intend to venture inside, correct?"
Ronaldo's eyes brightened. "Why yes, I do!" he said with a friendliness and warmth that was almost certainly unnecessary. He did so love it when someone came along who didn't ask such silly things like "why are you here?" or "what are you doing?" or even "why did you feel the need to insert your vuvuzela in the Fairy Fountain and blow?" It was too often that he was asked such things. "So I presume you are here for that, as well? Would you like to enter it with me? Ah, my name is Ronaldo, by the way," he said, doffing a non-existent hat as he bowed. After all, whether he was here on business that may or may not have been important for things that were far beyond his comprehension or not had no bearing on who he was, and he thought that if nothing else, he was a gentleman. But even as he thought that, he began pondering the situation. She, too, was impressed by the building, but the way she phrased her comments made him believe she found it so less as a show of architecture and knowledge of a bygone age, and more because of its function and apparent efficacy. He filed that little conjecture into the back of his mind. Perhaps it may be useful in the future, he thought.
Navina smiled at the Kikwi. If she was going to share her alone time with someone else, at least they weren't rude about it. She nodded in response to his question and when Ronaldo gave her his name, her smile widened slightly. Strange name for a Kikwi. "Navina," she offered, returning the bow. However, she did not doff a non-existent hat. Alas. "I don't see any reason for us not to travel together." Navina was right, nothing about this Kikwi really pegged him as being malicious. Navina would still keep an eye on him, of course. The gerudo began walking towards the entrance of the building. As she entered, her eyes struggled to adjust to the dark halls of the grounds. As soon as Navina stepped into this place, she felt a chill run up her spine. The sun had been blazing in the desert and in comparison, these shadowy and empty ruins were much cooler. She was certain that she would adjust soon enough. She looked down to confirm that Ronaldo was still with her before looking up into the dark room again. Her eyes had finally begun to adjust and she looked around. It was a large entrance way, a double door at the end of it. Tattered, old banners hung from the crumbling walls. Cracked tiles littered the floor. Navina breathed in deeply, the air noticeably stranger and more pungent. She slowly moved around, taking in the details. She also carefully turned a few stools right side up. However, as Navina moved to a pile of broken and mangled wood, the wood began to shake. Navina stepped back, pulling out her short sword. A moment later, two Bubbles burst from the wreckage. Navina swiped at one, but it deftly dodged her blow. She cursed. Damn flying skeleton heads.
Ronaldo tutted as the Bubbles flew out from the rubble. Really! They could give someone quite a scare, that way. "No sense of civility, some monsters," he chided gently, readying his staff as the Bubbles darted about. One of them chattered in what Ronaldo could only interpret to be a menacing manner. Ronaldo disapproved greatly, and wagged an irritated finger. "Now, that's not very nice... shall I just cool your head a bit?" The Bubble dared the tiny, insignificant creature to do something, and dove in for an attack. And this was precisely what the little Kikwi was waiting for. Ronaldo unleashed a bite-sized blizzard from his palm as it lunged, a move that this Bubble had quite obviously never expected nor was prepared for. After a few seconds exposed to the blistering cold it froze solid and, instead of ending its charge with a satisfying collision with Ronaldo's face, as it undoubtedly had hoped for, it ended with a dull thunk on the floor. At this, Ronaldo took his staff and, with a form that would behoove a pro golfer, smashed it with a mighty little swing. The frozen bubble flew through the air, and though its compatriot did not face a humiliating death by the skull of its comrade, it brought a satisfying end to one of the little monsters.
Navina jumped out of the way of a diving Bubble. What an awful creature. She grimaced, wanting nothing to do with its hexes and jinxes. She quickly struck the Bubble with her sword, knocking it away from her. Her eyebrow cocked when it didn't immediately slice into two before realizing.. it had definitely hit her. She grumbled, putting away her sword. Useless. She instead readied her shield, watching the bubble. When it dove again, Navina quickly shot forward, slamming it against the wall and rubbing it down until it was nothing but rubble. She grinned. Easy. Navina stepped through the door, assuming that there wasn't much else in this room. Besides, there was much to do. No one wanted to get stuck in this place after sundown. The room was large, obscenely so, and Navina couldn't help but gawk. Not at any sort of magnificence, but because of the excessive amount of sand currents seeping through the room. Navina grumbled. Of course, there were platforms scattered throughout the great quicksand lake... but still. There was no way that this sort of current was possible without some sort of magical aid. Navina knew sand. She was a Gerudo. "So," she said, looking down at the Kikwi. "What's your name, sir?" .. Navina... Navina just sort of assumed it was a dude.
"Hmm? Oh, I assume you mean my full name, madame?" Ronaldo asked this question distractedly, eying the sand. He didn't trust it. He had only so little mass for it to swallow. He absently tossed a bubble from his Capture Staff over it and watched it skip. Then he swung again to pop it. "Well, I am the one and only Ronaldo Kawager! I wander these lands in search of the wild and wondrous. It is, once again, a fine pleasure to make your acquaintance." Throughout this he punctuated his sentence with grandiose and exaggerated movements, ending with a flourish that seemed altogether too large for his tiny Kikwi body to contain and leaving himself in a pose that might have inspired awe in young children, but ridicule in near anyone else.
(( tfw I forgot one word before "name" thats 5am 4 u... I apologize )) "I apologize," she said, covering her mouth and stifling a giggle and watching the Kikwi pose. "I... work for the guard, you see. It makes me feel safer knowing I'm not traveling with someone who's name I recognize." Navina went through Ronaldo's full name in her mind. There was no way she could have forgotten a name like that if it appeared on her docket. Her demeanor visibly softened. Ronaldo was in luck, Navina greatly enjoyed his flourish, finding him rather cute Even if it wasn't the impression he intended to give her, Navina couldn't help but worry about something so innocent seeming in a place like this. She looked him over again. He was obviously well equipped, but... Navina glanced out at the sea of sand before her. She knew she could make it across with no issue, albeit after tiring herself out after jumping around with so much armor on. She tentatively stepped on the sand and she found herself sinking slow enough that she could probably walk across if she walked quickly. "Are you going to be able to cross?" She said, backing up onto the solid platform.
"Well, ordinarily I'd say no. My legs are a little short, after all," he said, gesturing to his feet. "Ahh, but... Maybe..." He muttered something to himself, looking at the sand again. Experimentally he kicked a pebble into it to see how quickly it sank. Then he tried a slightly bigger one and watched that one equally intently. He handed her his Capture Staff. "This makes bubbles. If you just swing it a bit, you'll see. And if I'm in a bubble, well, I bet I can move a lot faster!" He was also willing to bet that it would even sink slower, if he could keep it rolling. He had never tested this, mind. But nothing would get done if they couldn't try off-the-wall plans! Thus the brave little Kikwi stood ready for the projectile, sticking his tiny chest out in front of him. "So... fire when ready!" he said eagerly.
Navina took the Kikwi's staff. She stared down at it, and then back up at him. She had been observing the Kikwi create bubbles, but how was one supposed to break it? There were more questions of safety running through her head than Navina would have liked to admit. But, she supposed that the Kikwi infront of her knew more about his own staff than she did. With a sigh, Navina fired the wand. Moments later, the Kikwi was enveloped by the bubble. Navina sighed, wondering how this would help... until she touched it herself, finding it quite solid. She grinned, and began to push the bubble in the direction of the quicksand. It landed with a plop, and to Ronaldo's credit, she saw that the bubble sunk much slower than a living being would. She assumed that Ronaldo would be able to get across like a giant hamster, and began to ready herself to begin jumping from platform to platform. She stick behind Ronaldo and always watch him to be sure he was safe. How kind. As they began to approach the end of the sand sea, Navina spied a pile of bones situated next to a sword and shield begin to shake. Her eyes narrowed, and moments later a Stalfos had materialized. Great.
Ronaldo supposed he should have been more worried about impending aggressive skeletons. But he knew that the bubble was sturdier than it looked. So instead of doing what most people would do, and slow down, Ronny hastened his steps to speed the rolling up. The Stalfos had little idea what to make of this, but sidestepped the little ball of fluff barreling at it at high speeds. The bubble crashed against the wall, putting not-insignificant strain on it. Ronaldo, though, did not stop doing what he could from inside it. "Nyaaaahhh!" he taunted, hopping up and down and otherwise provoking the wrath of the bony foe. The Kikwi did not know if this succeeded in angering the skeletal warrior, but it was certainly quite distracting. Whether from curiosity or actual frustration, the Stalfos took a swing at the bubble, its weapon repelled by the remnants of the bubble. Ronaldo didn't know how long, approximately, it would last after being smashed into the wall the way it had been, but it would probably be enough for a suitable distraction.
Navina watched the Kikwi smash against the wall, standing on a solid platform in the sea of sand one away from the Stalfos. She took out her sword and shield, waiting for an opening. Once she saw one, she kicked off her own platform and landed onto the larger one the bones had materialized from. The Stalfos had been distracted by the Kikwi, but now he'd have to contend with someone who also knew how to use a sword and shield. She circled around it, waiting for the beast to lunge at her before making her first move. When it did so, she struck it hard in the neck with the back of her sword. The bones crumbled to the ground and Navina grumbled. She quickly jumped back and let the Stalfos reform. The Gerudo instead opted to stab at it without much fanfare or special technique. The creature never discovered that she picked up on its fighting pattern, and she was able to defeat it easily after a few more rounds of dodging and weaving. As if by magic, as soon as the Stalfos was defeated, a waterfall of sand parted nearby... revealing a door. Navina smiled. Places like this really were special.
"Ah, goodie. Oh, could you just swing that staff down once more?" At this instruction, the staff's hold over the Kikwi was broken within a moment, as easily as it had begun. "Lovely. Shall we go on?" The little fluffy being's tone was light and happy, one that spoke to the warmth of the tiny body. As they stepped through the door, though, the warmth again faded into that seemingly ancient analysis. The first and most obvious thing was a sheer ledge. Though they couldn't make out much of what was on that level, there were clearly two torches on either side of it, yet unlit. In addition, the room had a door to either side of them, as if daring them to do something.
Navina swung the staff, releasing the Kikwi. It's not like she had much of a choice, but she wasn't a jerk. She would have let him out regardless. She nodded, appreciating his light tone. She had adventured too much lately with pessimists. It was refreshing to hear a jovial voice. As Navina followed the Kikwi, she analyzed the room. The ledge with the torches she would ignore. There were other doors to visit, and frankly she was not in the mood to solve a puzzle if she could just walk through one of the side exits. She walked to the right side of the room and attempted to open the door. Locked. She grimaced before walking over to the other side. Locked again. Great. She sighed. This room had no merit in Navina's mind. It didn't show her the beautiful cells and the winding corridors where prisoners used to roam. She wanted out of here as soon as possible. There were sights to see. Navina wouldn't be able to jump up onto the ledge with all of her armor on. Navina glanced at the ledge, and then glanced at Kikwi. "I think we need to light the torches," she said. "I can lift you.. although... I don't have any matches."
