[ text ]

[sky_child]

It's taken me too long to post this. Sorry about that.

Anyway, my school, the Knight Academy, showed up in the city weeks ago. I've been trying to get everything in order and save up some money since then so I can open it to the public. I think it would be a good place for people to learn things like swordplay and archery, especially since we have a sparring hall dedicated to practicing swordsmanship. There's a few rooms available for people who want to stay there. It's not a lot, though. Three of them are already taken, so I have...five left. We have a kitchen, so anyone who likes to cook can work there. Oh, and teachers. If you're interested in teaching swordplay or archery, I'd love to hear from you... I don't have a lot of money to offer, but I can give you something, at least.

If you're interested in anything I wrote, just respond to me here. Thanks!

Comments

Re: [Video]

[sky_child]

[ I-it's not Link's fault he has all the verbal eloquence of a silent protagonist! ]

All right... Hang on, let me go outside.

[ A lovely walking sequence later, Link's standing outside a stone building with a cautious look on his face. ]

Does this help?

[Video] -> Action

[strangerfromthedesert]

[You and him both, really. (Well, he did speak a few lines in his games at least...) Though don't mind him too much, that's how he always looks. But you'll surely get used to that if he actually spends some time at the Knight Academy. ...Maybe?]

... It does. [The feed cuts after another second.

In no more than 20 minutes, Zero can be seen approaching the Academy from an alleyway. He stops in front of the building, giving it a once-over. It definitely looks different than the rest of the surrounding area of Hinoto-Ri, so locating it wasn't hard after all.]

This is the place, huh?

Re: [Video] -> Action

[sky_child]

[ Give Link a second. He was busy zoning out, waiting for Zero, and is currently staring at a patch of flowers outside the building. ]

...?

Oh. Yeah...

[strangerfromthedesert]

[The place had an earthly air to it, a great contrast from the setting of both here and what Zero traveled through for a year. Which reminds him... he turns his head a bit to address the one in green, seemingly ignoring their daze.]

You said the Academy "showed up" here one day?

[sky_child]

[ He nods. ]

It's happened to a lot of other people. Buildings or monsters that were from their world just showed up one day.

[strangerfromthedesert]

Monsters... like the robots that want me dead. They showed up last night.

[His eyes slit briefly as he says this. It won't be the last night.]

I'm here to take part in practice. I'd like to take up your offer on teaching, but I'm not as good as I used to be.

[sky_child]

I don't have any teachers yet...

If you want, you can practice with me? I'm not a teacher, but I'm pretty good at swordplay.

[strangerfromthedesert]

That'll be fine.

[He begins to walk towards and possibly into the building if it's open without further introduction, as if that short exchange was enough to decide on things.]

[sky_child]

There's not much to see in there...

[ But he doesn't stop Zero; he merely tags along, holding the door open for him.

When he enters, he'll see a wide corridor made mostly of wood, with a kitchen to his right. ]

That's the kitchen.

[ Helpfully! ]

[strangerfromthedesert]

[He looks on as the door is opened for him. Strange, most doors where he came from opened for whoever was nearby unless locked. He makes no mention of this though, and continues on. But when the kitchen is brought up, he speaks up while walking past it:]

I don't eat. Don't worry about my expenses, I'm not human.

[sky_child]

Oh. Well. Do you need a room?

[strangerfromthedesert]

No, this is too far from the center of the city. [Not that he'd want to take up a spot someone else could use.] I'm here to see the sparring hall. Do you use non-lethal weapons for practice here?

[sky_child]

...we use logs sometimes...

[ So the answer is "kind of no not really" ]

[strangerfromthedesert]

[He turns his head to stare at Link. It's not meant to be menacing, honest]

I'd prefer not to damage your property while I'm here. Or your person.

[sky_child]

Don't worry about me. I can handle myself.

[strangerfromthedesert]

[He says nothing, his stare lingering for a moment longer before he moves forward again to continue through the hallway.]

[sky_child]

Uh--if you want to see the sparring hall, it's outside. The only thing left to see upstairs are more rooms.

[strangerfromthedesert]

[If only they were already outdoors, then a gust of wind could breeze by while Zero stopped in place.]

Very well, lead on then.

[He couldn't help but feel slightly curious about the place, even so; wood and stone architecture gave a largely different aesthetic quality than metal, junk, and sand. Which would have him paying more and more attention to the detail of the building as he would leave.]

[sky_child]

[ Link leads him out the main building, across the lawn to a smaller building just across. As usual, he holds the door open for Zero, letting him into a wide room the size of the building itself--save for a door leading to a storage room in the back. On both sides of the room sit three upright logs with different markings on them. Some of them have slashes going across the center, others vertically down the center, while others have diagonal slashes. ]

This is the sparring hall.

[strangerfromthedesert]

[It's roomy, not very tall in height but more than enough ground to work with. The beams up above catch his interest briefly. The objects on both side of the room were the first thing he noticed as he was led in though, and Zero turns his head to one side, both to address Link and them.]

These were what you meant before? "Logs"?

[sky_child]

[ He nods. ]

What? Never seen one before?

[strangerfromthedesert]

Can't say the last time I've seen them or a forest in my own time. The world I came from is almost as barren as what's outside the city.

[He looks over the slashes on them for a moment.]

Do you have a spare sword?

[sky_child]

[ Link seems utterly speechless about this. His home didn't have a lot of trees...but no trees at all? That sounded...awful. Like an eternal desert. ]

I... There's one in the back room. Hold on.

[ He walks to the back room, emerging a few seconds later with the practice sword. It's not flashy, but it's sharp. ]

[strangerfromthedesert]

[Zero accepts the sword, turning it over a few times.]

The blade is light. It doesn't feel much heavier than what I'm used to.

[Really, he was expecting the blade's weight to feel off-balance compared to the hilt, but it doesn't take much to re-adjust after a safe swing or two in the air. The Reploid looks over to Link.]

So the logs are the usual form of training?