both were silent.

there were ways for kicking and screaming.

The answer was not for long.

Alex had a tendency not to worry about Midna. She was a big girl, figuratively, but she could take care of herself, princess or not. She had a tendency to run off, do her own thing, and he had learned rather quickly that to try and contain her was a pointless effort, so he simply let her do as she pleased, and figured that she could handle any consequences that came her way. There were times when she could be caught off guard at least. The little spat with that Fress was proof of that. Really, was he indicative of all the Twili or was he just a special example? Alex figured he'd have to meet more to make sure. The idea that they were running around though and no one knew however, he found a little unsettling.

That and everything he'd learned. She was a princess. He still found it rather hilarious just how much she clashed with Hyrule's image of a princess. Of course, he never really bothered to give such a lofty station the respect it deserved in Midna's case. Really, if she wasn't correcting him then, he figured she wouldn't really care if he didn't bother to observe tradition. But there was more to that incident. Apparently they could shift, which meant that the imp he'd gotten to know wasn't the... well was it the true Midna or was the imp the true Midna? Maybe it just depended on what she considered to be her true self. Identity and "I Am" and all that crap. Still, he was curious about the other form.

Still, her peace would not last. He noted one thing; for the first time since he met her, she landed to stand on her own two feet. Better yet, she did this at the edge of a bridge over a river. Really, the opportunity was obvious. So, as casually as he could so she wouldn't expect anything, he simply approached the imp, clasping his hands behind his back. ... This was before, in one fluid motion, he reached out to grab the apple dangling at her side, because he wasn't so cruel as to let her lose that, and used the tip of his foot to nudge her forward and hopefully off the bridge and into the water. He figured she could fish herself out, and if not, he'd always dive in and go get her. The river wasn't nearly as strong near the capital compared to Zora's Domain.


... She could swim, right?

both were silent.

there were ways for kicking and screaming.

Of course, she went in with a loud splash, and there Alex stood at the edge of the bridge, watching it all happen with an amused grin. He tossed the apple up and down, saving it for when she got herself out. What, did he really believe that she would? He did. As convincing as she tried to be there were a few obvious tells that she was trying to pull a fast one. The bubbles eventually stopped, and he figured that she had either gotten back into his shadow by moving through the shadows of the river, or she was still down there, and would resurface once it was clear that he wasn't falling for it. Really, Alex could be a tough crowd at times, but when the person in question could magically fly, it made drowning a little less... believable.

He should probably get something going for her to dry off once she decided to make herself known again. Placing her apple into his vest to give it back once she came out, he walked off the bridge and back along the grass, picking up small pieces of wood here and there that could make a small fire. Gathering some stones together, he made a makeshift fire pit, lit the tinder up with the tip of his staff, and watched as the fire began to blossom to life. Really, all this without jumping in to see if she was okay? Man he was just the worst. Maybe she should have gone with Fress instead, at least Fress would have valiantly dove in after her, clothes and all.

Of course, to Midna, it might be a question of whether he bought the drowning thing, or whether he just didn't care. Of course, if she saw that he reached back into his vest and pulled out the apple before holding it out as if expecting it to be taken, well it might answer her question. Maybe.

both were silent.

there were ways for kicking and screaming.

He had saved the apple out of kindness, so no, he really didn't see her flinging it at his head. Alex let out a yelp of pain at the contact; that was way harder than he could have figured from her as he clutched his head. Alex head it for a moment, as he just looked at her. "Well, excuuuuuse me, princess." He began to defend himself from not immediately rushing in to save her. "Just because you suck at drowning doesn't justify using food I saved just for you as a projectile." Really, he could have just let it wash away in the river. He should have! If he had known she was going to fling it at his poor head, then he totally would have let it float away!

If she was going to be pouty then she could at least take some notes and learn to get better at this whole faking a death thing. "People don't go under that fast. It usually takes a bit for water to fill the lungs enough." He remarked, pausing for a moment before realizing just how absolutely morbid his words were. "Don't ask me how I know that." He clarified. Really, he didn't like, dispose of bodies for fun, but in his line of work there were some things that you just saw that you could never really remove from your memory, and that was one such thing he couldn't get rid of.

"And you can fly." He was also quick to point out. This was her fault for being so bad at drowning! Really! "If you really wanted to get one over on me, you should've flipped me over the bridge as soon as you got out." Although in fairness, she had gotten him good with that apple. He looked at it for a moment, wonder if he should cook that thing over the fire. She wouldn't really mind, would she?

both were silent.

there were ways for kicking and screaming.

Now the sarcasm was just rude. He hadn't resorted to-- well okay, maybe he had resorted to sarcasm. But still! Rude! So Alex just pretended not to notice the sarcasm, and instead scratched his chin, as if genuinely considering her question before he finally came back with "Anything stopping you from turning that hair of yours into a pair of wings?" In fairness, when they first met she did turn it into a hand to strangle him with. And she used it again to grip the apple. Who was to say she couldn't use it to form into wings or something. Her hair was weird. Pretty to look at, but man was it weird.

And then she started shivering and sneezing. Damn that was fast. Alex quirked an eyebrow at that, wondering if this was a joke too. Really, he hadn't expected anything like a cold that quickly. Part of him thought it was actually another prank at first, but she did seem a bit more miserable. So then, how should he respond to this? Was she just going to try and prey on his kindness in order to beat him with more fruit? Well, there was one way he could get one over on her. Now that he thought about it, it was an excellent idea! He kept an impassive stare as he nodded to himself to initiate the plan.

He shrugged. "Oh fine, come here." And then he just grabbed the imp, pulled her over, and held her to his chest like a kid holding on to their favorite teddy bear. His arms around her belly, and her arms draped over his hands. If she was going to be so cold and shivering, then he'd help warm her up! After all, it was only the proper way to treat a princess, right?

both were silent.

there were ways for kicking and screaming.

You try and show a little kindness and it gets thrown back in your face. Really! Here he was, trying to keep Midna warm, and she slipped out with those shadow powers and reemerged under the fire screeching at him. Alex mockingly bowed his torso just a little. "I apologize, your highness, it was rude of me to forget the pillow and the nightly serenade." Did she get a nightly serenade? He figured that royalty often got something like that when they wanted it. Really, who in the world was going to refuse a request from the Royal Family? He knew that in Hyrule it'd be better to just hang yourself and get it over with.

"Plus isn't it the dream of every princess to be swept into the arms of a handsome man?" He said as he pretended to swoon just a little. There were always the stories of the hero coming along to save the princess. That didn't even get into the story of the Hero of Time. Supposedly the man was such an unwitting playboy that by the time he had finally settled down only then did he realize he'd broken several hearts by accident. He grinned. Tonight was a good night, getting clocked by an apple or no. He'd have to needle her about what that Fress said at some point, but they could ease into that.

He shook his head, tsk tsking as she declared that she wasn't a toy. "I don't know about that toy bit though." He remarked, wagging his finger. "Sometimes when you're asleep I pull that hair of yours and you say there's a snake in your boot." Well of course that blatantly wasn't true, but he was willing to humor the idea of it. Midna being one of those toys that you just pull a strong or something and off they go.

both were silent.

there were ways for kicking and screaming.

"I'm human, Zelda, the princess, is Hylian." He corrected. That's right, she really wasn't from here, was she? There was no way that she could have known. He was the only person of this land that she had bothered to interact with. "You can tell by the ears. Humans have rounded ears like so," He said as he brushed some of his hair back to reveal his rounded ears, the trademark of a human. Letting them fall back into place, he pointed at her. "Hylian ears are more pointed - like yours." Then that wasn't even getting into the Gerudo. Gods above, they could be identical to humans. You had to watch out for the accents and mannerisms, and how would he even begin to explain that?

So he switched to another answer. It was all he could do. The subject of their royalty anyway. "From what I have heard, yes and no." The history of the princesses and queens named Zelda were a rich and varied one, but there always seemed to be a general trend. "In the stories, most definitely. Zelda was always a princess who, while active, wound up being saved by the hero of that era. Pampered and privileged, the most beautiful maidens of their day. Wise yet naive, merciful yet ruthless." He paused. "Many killed in their name, many died in their name, to monsters and the darkness within the hearts of men." A Failed Revolution could still be catastrophic.

But that brought it back to this Zelda. The most recent one anyway, long may she reign. "This one is far more proactive but..." Well, "We've never had one that left her own people to die." Of course, it was to be understood and accepted. The village was basically lost from what he had come to understand, and she was the only member of a divine bloodline. Ordon could be rebuilt, but to lose Zelda was to lose Hyrule. "But I guess that's what's expected. Ordon was a village of humans. To the Hylians, we're considered more of a... side project... of the goddesses, while the Hylians were the actual children." Still, it left an undeniable taste of bitterness on his mouth.

But things moved on to a different subject once again when he actually bothered to turn to look at her and noticed... the helmet was gone. "That looks weird." He candidly observed. It really did, there was no denying it. "I'm so used to that helmet of yours it's weird seeing you without it." Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he'd ever seen her without it. The rest of the time, she always had that thing on her. He'd just made it as much of "Midna" as any part, so in a way, she just wasn't complete without it.

both were silent.

there were ways for kicking and screaming.

Oh that wasn't nice was it? Man she was catty tonight. What had gotten into her? Was it the shoving her off a bridge? Was it prodding Fress just a little to see how he felt? He still wondered if he should even bring that up, but if Midna didn't notice it herself, then Alex figured him saying anything would have changed that. "I didn't say bad." He held his hands up defensively with a chuckle. Turning away a little as the water droplets splashed him. "I've just never seen you take the helmet off before. Imagine if I just suddenly went around not wearing a shirt." Really, it would just be absurd. It wouldn't be bad necessarily, especially in summer, but it'd be weird.

He crossed his legs and seemed to relax. It must have been a humorous site for any passing by. A human completely at ease and an increasingly irate imp sitting not too far away. "So there's something on Hyrule." He remarked. Was it his turn now? He stayed silent, thinking of the perfect question, then gave another grin. If Midna was going to keep her title as sass queen she had to be ready to push back. "Should I expect that all of your Twili be like the one we met earlier?" He was of course, referring to Fress. Unless he was the only one who came, then it would probably be only a matter of time before he met more. They'd come for their sovereign.

But Fress was the fascinating one in that he was the first besides Midna. Now he had another example to go off of for these Twili. Granted, the first impression wasn't the best, but that also led to the sense of fascination. One would have wished to project an aura of power, domination, and control. To show the other that you were not something to be pushed around, but respected. To be able to so easily needle the fox boy, or the Twili, as well as nearly come to blows, well, it was a good thing Midna had intervened when she did. Plus it'd give him some insight as to how connected with her people she was.