[NETWORK] @Link; Day 007; afternoon

[tapferkeit]

[ There's something wrong with the network. Link, even if words like 'network' come strangely to him, is aware of it. He might not have participated in them too often, but he'd checked up on them every single night. With the gossip stone - phone - cupped in his hands, it had reminded him of listening to Navi talk during difficult nights.

Things seem strange, though. He'd flicked on a video feed and had watched the fuzz and snow and been sure something had been in there. It made him uncertain, reminding him uncomfortably of some previous days and their heavy, oppressive feelings.

He tries to clear the feeling by playing his ocarina, and he wants it to work for others, too. So, he dusts the snow from a piece of rubble and sits down on it, balancing the Gossip Stone on his knees and raising his ocarina to his lips.

Saria's Song is the best one he knows for that. It doesn't let him talk to his friend, or even to Navi, but it's a happy, bouncing song with lots of energy. It's just the sort of thing he wants, and hopes that it clears some of the unease that that strange figure and sound had made over the feed this afternoon.

The song is definitely affected by the broken up visuals and sound, but music is music, and he hopes it helps.]

Comments

voice;

[jinxings]

[ Despite the fact that there's obviously something wrong with the devices, Haku feels a little bit more at ease. No matter what kind of weird thing there's going on in this place, at least he managed to find Eiri - and just that fact in itself makes it feel infinitely easier to tackle things.

And while listening to half-broken up messages across this thing isn't exactly his idea of a good way of spending time, this broadcast in particular does catch his attention. Maybe it's since a part of Haku is still very much a child, so music draws him.

He doesn't know if it's another one of the people stranded here just like them or someone else, but-- ]

Wha[ static ] that?

voice;

[tapferkeit]

[ The static spits up again. For a moment, Link thinks it means that even the audio functions on these Gossip Phones were going down. He hopes not - he'd played his music in the hopes of cheering some people. If he couldn't do that...

But it's a moot point for now. He hears a voice in the static, and it's actual words. Not the faint crying and screaming he couldn't quite make out. He scrabbles to pick the thing up and fumbles with still cold fingers to answer. ]

Hello?

[jinxings]

[ There's a real voice - that's something, at least. At this point it's almost hard to determine whether it's a real voice or just something else that's messing up the lines along with the static, but still.. ]

The musi[ static ] Was that you?

[tapferkeit]

[ There's no mistaking it; that's a real person on the other end of the line. After the screeching and phantom voices of the past night, it's almost a painful relief. Link smiles and it's warm and genuine - probably the first smile he's given to anyone who isn't Zelda. ]

Yes. I - [Fccch] - ocarina.

[jinxings]

[ Ocarina.

It's not a word he recognizes, so he's instead assuming it's the other saying his name.. it's not like IDs always match up with names (Haku's own sure doesn't) and link is enough of a common word that it all fits together neatly that way in his mind. Even if it's an entirely wrong assumption to begin with. ]

Are you alone out there?

[ He manages to get out the entire sentence inbetween the static, but it still manages to creep a little bit into it, making the voice sound a bit more distant. ]

[tapferkeit]

... Yes.

[ As much as he'd like to say that he had Navi, her absence was pretty powerful. Even if he'd pushed his winter hat over his normal one, it still felt empty without Navi bundled up inside of it. Ah, well. ]

Looking for [ frssch] -da.

Are - [ ssstch ] - lone?

[jinxings]

No.

[ A word he can finally say with quite some relief. He's been alone up until now, and it's been absolutely eating away at him - especially since there was someone he was specifically looking for out in this cold, and it's only now he's found him that he can settle down a little bit more.

.. well, if it wasn't for these weird events, anyway. ]

Seems like [ static ]thing else [ static ] there though. [ Something inbetween the crackles of static, almost as if something is calling out to them inbetween the electronic buzz. ]

[tapferkeit]

[ The little spike of jealousy is impossible not to feel. Link doesn't get hung up over it though - he's accepted that it's ok to feel that way so long as he didn't do anything bad as a result. It would be so good not to be alone, though...

Anyway.

He nods in response to the static message. It's more for himself, since obviously Haku couldn't see it over an audio message. The things in between the static were... worrying. ]

That's why I [ frccch ] - on the ocari - [ schhh. ] - ght help.

[jinxings]

[ It's so hard to make out what other people are saying.. it's not like Haku hasn't dealt with some slight versions of this before on missions when communication systems failed, but never this bad. Not to mention the inclusion of words he doesn't know about only makes it harder.

Not that he still doesn't try, but.. ]

The music?

[ Since he's taking about something that might help.. and he can't think of anything else that's been obvious so far. ]

[tapferkeit]

[ It's infuriating to know that the static is probably making his messages difficult to understand. Thankfully, Haku seems to know what Link was trying to get at with the last one, so he nods. ]

Yes. It's - [ frrrch ] - gical, sometimes.

But - [ sssch ] - raction too.

[jinxings]

[ He's hoping so hard the other person didn't mean to say "magical" there. Maybe technological.. right.. that's totally it, right. He doesn't know how many times he wants people here to talk about magic, things are already complicated enough as-is. ]

I don't [ static ] if it did [ static ]hing.

[tapferkeit]

[ It's fairly obvious what he meant there - at least Link thinks it is. It sounded like 'I don't know if it did anything'. He thinks that's what it says. His ears drop as he gives a sigh, annoyed about it. ]

I di - [ frrrch ] -nk it would. Some other ma - [ fzzzt ] - n't use.

[jinxings]

If there's [ static ] something o[ static ] -ere..

[ He pauses for a moment, only the faint sound of sharp breaths being sucked in in the middle of the cold being broken up by static. ]

[ static ] might not be ab[ static ] stop it.

[tapferkeit]

[ This is so frustrating. Link rubs his hands through his bangs and gives another soft huff of annoyance. ]

[ fffsh ] -till try, at lea[ frrrch ]

[jinxings]

[ Trying. That's all they can do in this place, right? It feels so uncertain, and it doesn't give Haku a very good feeling, but he knows it's the truth.

So he lets out a small sigh before nodding. ]

Good luck.

[ At least that seems to manage to pass through relatively static-free. ]

[tapferkeit]

[ There doesn't seem much else to say - not with the static in the way. Link touches the ocarina under his tunic again - he'd tucked it away when he'd got a message - and considers. Only one person had responded to the music, but he'd seemed to be curious about it. Maybe... ]

[ frrch ] -nks. Want ano- [ fsssh ] - ong?

[jinxings]

[ He should say no to it, really.

After all, what's a song going to do? It's just a gong, broken up by static. Hardly even a song anymore.

But there's something about recent events, and even about events back home, that pricks at the edges of his mind just enough that he feels like it might be calming. That it might remind him of more soothing things than everything that keeps running through his mind. ]

Yeah. Su[ static ]

[tapferkeit]

[ That works for Link. He knows that the message will be broken and show only static for some time, but hopefully the music would be pleasant for the time it had. He decides to play a tune that's warming - or at least warming in Hyrule. Sheik - Zelda - had given him inspiring words along with this song, about bonds and strength. It seemed appropriate.

So he plays The Bolero of Fire. ]

[jinxings]

[ Haku leans backwards until he's lying down. He won't sleep, he knows it, but it's not like he's felt like going outside with all the weird issues with the communication network - it sets him on edge in a way he can't really rationalize to himself.

All he knows is that he doesn't want to think too much.

So all he does for now is just lie down and close his eyes, listening to the song along with the small flickers of static inbetween until it finally fades away and the connection cuts out. ]

[tapferkeit]

[ Link continues to play long after Haku has stopped responding. He finds the music soothing enough to play, despite his fingers beginning to ache with cold. It might only have been metaphorical warmth, but he felt less chilled as he played it, especially for another person.

When he eventually stops, he realizes that the connection has cut entirely, and gives a small smile before rolling over to sleep himself. ]