SIDON

Sidon had spent the last few days in a volcano, one of which included being strung up over a lava pit.

So now Sidon was absolutely planning on staying in his tank, where the water was cool and most importantly, it was water, because he was honestly feeling like he just may never be properly hydrated ever again.

He would, of course; he was just being a bit dramatic about the whole thihng, but if anyone needed him, he'd be there where there was water and plenty of it, and he was even thinking about skipping his class today, that how desperate he was for this sort of revitalization.

But, by Hylia, did this feel so much better!


[[ because it was just stuck in my brain! Door closed, but post is open for all your Sidon needs, and I shall cease my spamming of the FL now <3 ]]

It would seem that Prince Sidon was in for a whirlwind of adventure today! And he would certainly not complain, in part because he really hadn't developed the speech abilities to convey verbal messages yet, but mostly because even though he was just a little hatchling, he still had a big heart for such excitement! He'd woken up that morning in a terribly large tank that provided a challenge straight away, because while it was nice to have so much room to swim around that morning, he eventually wanted to get out, and climbing to the top, he peered down at the long, long drop to the floor.

It took him a while, wriggling a little with anticipation and indecision, looking around hopefully so that his sister might show up and guide him, but he was on his own in this one, it seemed. He had to be strong! He had to be brave! He had to go ahead and leap...!

"Oof!"

And land not too gracefully right on the floor, shaking his head a little and rubbing his poor bottom that he'd landed on. Clearly, he could stand to work on his style there! But it was just a temporary set-back, because he'd done it! Ha-ha! Eagerly, he pushed himself up to his feet, scrambling slightly, and then rushed over to the door, pumping his little arms as he ran and being careful not to trip over his dragging headtail.

Now. The door! Sidon gaped slightly, blinking up at the knob, which, while not nearly as tall as the tank, was still pretty far up there, and he reached up for it, but to no avail. He tried again, this time straining as much as he could, standing up on his very tippy-toes, reaching, reaching....! Nothing! He settled back on his feet flat with a huff of frustration, a little pout, and then he took a deep breath. Never give up! That's what Mipha would say. Don't give up, Sidon! You can do it! I believe in you! And, with that little pep talk coursing through him, he nodded, gave his fist a bolstering pump, and then tried again, this time, jumping up as he reached for the doorknob...

...and still couldn't reach it.

Oh, fishscales! This pesky tall door! But Sidon was not going to let some silly tall door get in his way of adventure, oh, no! He was just going to have to keep trying!

And keep trying he will, amid many jumps and hops and reaches and little frustrated grunts, but he was not giving up!


[[ someone please help him. he is...so smoll. although work related SP likely until later ]]

[[ and I do have a contingency plan if no one else shows up, lol, so he's not completely trapped! ]]

When Prompto had thrown the idea out to Noctis and the others of throwing the prince a quieter, more intimate sort of birthday party, especially to make up for the extravaganza that had been the Insomnia celebration, he had to admit that this was not what he had in mind. But, at the same time, Noctis could barely complain, because how many Lucian princes could say they got to celebrate their birthdays on a completely different world, hanging out with cool new aliens, and diving down waterfalls at amazing heights? He'd take that over a parade and a fancy ball almost any day. And it was fun, hanging out with Prompto's friends from school, getting to finally meet that other prince, being able to just get away from Insomnia for a change and just soak of the sun of a different land and wonder if this is what it was like for most seventeen year olds when they had birthday parties held by their friends who went to weird multidimensional high schools in a far distant galaxy.

Well. It was probably about as close to normal as he was going to get, anyway.

And when they were all finished running around and just having fun and taking in the splendor that was Zora's Domain, they settled in the Seabed Inn, there there were actually beds they could all sit on and was relatively the driest place in the joint, to sit down with some food that the Zora had gone out of their way to actually cook for them (good thing none of them were allergic to seafood!), as well as the sad attempt at a cake that Prompto had made that at least managed to taste better than it looked (not that it would be that hard). And then? Presents.

Even though Noctis has insisted that no one needed to get him presents, because he had, like, anything he'd need.

Of course, any sort of modesty about it went right out the window once he'd carefully opened the gifts that had been so beautifully wrapped by Nina, taking care not to disturb all her effort in the process, and he saw what it was.

"....is this a....fish?"

"And it sings, too, dude!" That was Prompto, leaning over to push the button and treating everyone to a rousing rendition of 'Take Me To the River.'

There were...no words. Literally. No words. Noctis may have tried, but it just sort of came out in confused little sounds and murmurs. "P...Prom....uhhh...wha...?"

"And there's more!" he added, shoving the much squishier present at him, the one that held THE ROMPERS.

"...whu?" said Noctis, eloquently, as he unrolled one of the rompers and took a look at it, while Gladio nearly had to cling to Ignis from laughing so hard.

"Oh, man, Noct," he managed to get out. "You are gonna look great in that."

And that's when Gladio got hit in the face with a romper-missile, as Noctis pulled out another. "So are you, big guy. There's four of them."

"...four?"

"Four."

There was...a pause.

"Prompto! What the hell!"

Ahhhh, good times. Prompto was fairly certainly that if Gladio got within an inch of him, he was definitely getting tossed over the side of the waterfall again, but, oh, the look on their faces, captured perfectly, of course, with a click of his camera....woooorrrtttthhhh iiiiiiiittttt!

[[ *mods all the NPCs from a different account, mwa ha ha!* I promised a reaction post, and so voila! Mostly establishy, but definitely open for those getting their party on with the princes, if'n they like or are able. Thanks a lot, work, plague, and hurricanes!! >:0 ]]

Sidon's infraction that lead him down the dark path to being a bad, bad toy may have been a small one, especially compared to some of the other activities done in defiance of their cheerful oppressors around the island, but, for him, it was a big one. Yesterday, he'd finally done it. He'd given in to the temptation to swim, depsite being made of yarn and stuffing, which were not very good materials for being in the water, and he'd dove in. He didn't regret it, either, not even a little, though he realized if he went back to the land, all sopping and soaking wet from sea water, he'd be thrown in the Toybox immediately, to dry out and think about what he'd done...and probably much, much worse.

And so he stayed out there, away from it all, trying not to think about things like what he'd heard about Prompto confronting Nina (Nina! Of all people! A bad toy? He couldn't believe it! Prompto must have absolutely lost his mind!). And, for the most part, it was lovely. Incredibly lonely, but he felt so free out here, so much more comfortable, everything was starting to just get so confusing and unpleasant up there on land...

But then there was...the most curious thing. Keeping an eye out for interesting and fun treasures that might be littering the sea floor was something Sidon liked to do often, because one never knew when they might find a delightful little trinket that would make a wonderful gift for someone's very special treasure-loving girlfriend, but the pickings around the island at the moment were abysmally slim. Nothing shiny or sparkling that he could find, and those were his favorite things to find for Vette. But there was something...else. He might have completely missed it as a rock, it was so small!, but there was an interesting curve to it that beckoned him for a closer look, and he picked it out from the ocean floor and gave it a closer look.

Why, it was a doll of sorts! Shaped like the stout little statues of Hylia found all around Hyrule, really! And there was a picture painted on it, that, if he he was not mistaken, was the very same causeway to Fandom Island! How very curious!

Sidon pushed himself up, breaking the surface, to get a better look at it in the light and ponder it a little in a space where he didn't have to worry about running out of air. "How utterly fascinating!" he murmured, to himself, since he was, after all, in the ocean. "I wonder if this might mean something. Perhaps someone has lost it? Maybe...."

His thoughts trailed off a little, head tilted curiously. It seemed significant, either way, and, though he had been avoiding any sort of secret activity because he definitely didn't want to be called out and caught as a bad toy, he was soaked through to his stuffing and there was no avoiding his Bad Toy status now. Perhaps he should see if anyone knew if there was any significance to it. At this point, it was either give it a try or stay out in the ocean forever.

Which didn't sound too bad, but it was ever so lonely out here...

He'd perhaps give things a more thorough search, to see if there were any other similar little dolls nearby, before setting out and risking being caught to see if perhaps it could be useful.

[[ mostly establishy, as he is in the OCEAN, but, ohmygod, if you have someone who would totally be out there, too, hit him uppppp ]]

Well, Vette had detention today, but while she was engaged in that (and Sidon, try as he might could not understand exactly what it even was for the life of him) had his own task to pursue in the meantime. So, just as Vette was expected to be at detention at...'ass o'clock,' Sidon was at the Portalocity Office at pretty much the same time, bursting in and greeting them all with far too much enthusiasm for...'ass o'clock.'

But he was just so charming, with that smile of his, that they didn't seem to mind too terribly at all once he got started, complimenting everyone on how lovely and competent they all looked on this fine, fine day. And, surely, they were the only ones on the island that could help them with planning a lovely little last minute trip to this place he'd been hearing so much about, Nar Shaddaa, and, oh, have they been there? No? Oh, that seemed like a shame, perhaps they should consider going some day, where was the last place they had gone on their free time? Oh, yes, that place sounded absolutely wonderful, please tell him more! Oh, you had slides? Oh, fantastic, yes, of course he would love to see and hear about every single one...!

And once that was over and the gnomes were just a little astonished that not only did someone ask them about their travels for a change, he actually seemed genuinely interested, and even asked after their children, their ambitions, all sorts of things! But lest they not get distracted, since he had come in planning on a trip, they started to arrange for the details. There was the matter of which Nar Shaddaa, naturally, since there were many different portals and pathways to that particular galaxy, which opened the door for Sidon to mention that, well, he was actually planning to take this trip with someone else, his most wonderful and incredible girlfriend, who was from there, and she was hoping to show him around. Perhaps if they just checked the records, that would leave them to the correct time and destination.

But therein, of course, was the problem. It was all very complicated, and Sidon listened carefully to the details of why it was, quite frankly, impossible, but he was clearly not here to take no for an answer. "Oh, but there must be some sort of mistake!" he declared. "Surely, a capable and brilliant team such as yourself would not be so quickly dissuaded by such a small little blip? Perhaps, if we try our hardest, we can work through it together. I know you can do it! I believe in you!"

Well, with that vote of confidence, they could hardly deny the prince at least the effort, and, while they were looking into it, he regaled them with more stories and asked them about their own stories, keeping the mood just so bouyant and pleasant, and when their next attenpts reached more of the same problem, he kept his encouragement strong and determined. "You can do it!" Sidon pumped his fist again and again. "Never give up! I believe in you! We can get through this together!"

And how could they stand to disappoint their bold new friend now? So they doubled-down, started to explore new avenues never before considered, flying through all the portal-problem-possibilities. There was a big board with photos and documents, theories strung together with string and pushpins, phones were ringing off the hook, memos passed from one hand to the other, all while Sidon kept cheering them on with unfaltering faith.

"I did it!" a small voice eventually chirped up, beaming as she stood from her station. "I cracked it! We can get her through!"

"Ah-ha!" Sidon beamed, practically bouncing over to her and pumping his fist once more. "Wonderful! I never once doubted it! I knew you could do it! How absolutely clever and incredible you are! Truly remarkable! Yes!"

That poor little gnome was going to be floating on air for a week after all the unabashed abulations.

So now all they needed was the person herself.

Sidon glanced at the clock to see just how much time had passed since they had all started working on it.

...however long did this detention thing even last??

[[ mostly for that most incredible, wonderful, magnificent girlfriend, but he is there literally all day so if anyone's coming on through the portalocity office and wants to say hi, please do! ]]

A challenge had been issued. And if anyone thought someone like Sidon would do anything but fully rise to meet that challenge with aplomb and gusto....well, then, clearly, they did not know Sidon. He supposed he could have waited a little later in the day, understanding that it was the weekend and some people (very rarely him!) liked to enjoy not having to be up early for classes or jobs or whatever else they had, but it took a great deal of willpower to wait even as long as he had. After all, each second that passed was an opportunity to lose that challenge.

And that simply would not stand.

Which was why there was a very large Zora at the door of Room 221 that morning, giving it a strong and hearty knock. "Vette!" he called out, before delivering another rhymthmic rapping on the door. "Vette! It is I, Sidon! The Zora Prince!"

She could probably hear that sparkling grin through the door, really.

"You must come quickly! We haven't got a moment to spare!"

[[ for that girl he kinda likes, though feel free to grumble. and NFB for distance after they hit that sweet, sweet portal, natch ]]

It was amazing how quickly four days could pass, especially when one was trying to fill those days with as many interesting things as possible. Add to that the fact that travel wasn't entirely convenient when trying to traverse across the land of Hyrule, and Sidon found himself already at the end of their visit without having done yet the one thing that was, admittedly, at the forefront of his mind the entire time: stealing away to a quiet spot in the mountains with Vette. As a communal race that didn't exactly believe in things like walls or privacy, young and amorous Zora had to be a little creative in their attempts for romance, but the landscape of their home made it convenient enough to find a quiet little body of water to escape to for an evening. Sidon had never even imagined he'd be planning out one of these rendezvous...not for a while, anyway!...and yet there he was. Amazing how much had changed since his last visit home!

Though he felt a little bad about leaving the feast a bit early, he headed up to the East Reservoir Lake by himself, slipping away while everyone was engaged, and he thought to make it a little more interesting for Vette to allow her to find her way there herself, having one of the hatchlings approach her during the party and hand her a carefully drawn out map that would send her on a bit of a tangentially winding path that would eventually lead her up the stairs of the large dam just east, past the East Reservoir Lake, and onto the rocky ridges there that looked over Zora's Domain, and that's where she would find Sidon waiting for her.

He had promised her the best view, after all, and after some careful deliberation, decided that this would be it. Not as much height as Shatterback Point, but it was closer, one could see some of the finer details of the graceful architecture from here, the soft lights reflecting the moonlight; if you listened closely, one might still be able to hear the conversations and excitement of the feast below, over the ever-present sound of rushing waters and fountains and waterfalls.

Yes, he thought to himself, this was the perfect spot. Especially if they managed to avoid any pesky stalizalfos or stalkoblins while they were up here. Though that certainly would make for an exciting interruption.

[[and this one's just for that girl he likes!]]

Early the next morning, after breakfast and arranging horses to make the trip far easier and swifter, the group set off across the Hyrule Field, to the northwest, toward the sweeping plains and steep mountains of the Tabantha Frontier, home of the Rito, Hyrule's proud and musical bird race.

It would be another long journey, but hopefully one well-worth the travel, with more than enough to captivate the visitors on the scenic and exciting path.

[[Day Three has really gone to the birds! *clears throat* OCD on the way is up!]]

Swept away bright and early that morning from the convenient (and thankfully snow-cleared) Portalocity office, Sidon and his guests arrived with ease at the base of the Ne'ez Yohma shrine, nestled behind the main courtyard of the magnificent Zora's Domain, nestled in the mountains of the Great Lanayru Spring and gleaming in the morning sun after a light rain.

"Everyone here?" Sidon asked, looking around before drawing in a deep breath of that fresh Lanayru air and sighing happily, pleased especially to see not even the slightly hint of snow. "Excellent! Welcome to Zora's Domain! Please, make yourselves at home! I shall go let my father know we've arrived; I trust those of you who've been here before can assist our newest guests in getting settled and finding their way around! Come on, then, don't be shy! Though...I suppose you might want to remove your shoes, unless you'd prefer soaked boots!"

With his typical dazzling, sharp smile, Sidon pumped his fist, and swung his arm to encourage them to follow him as he hurried up the steps, splashing through the shallow water that was literally everywhere. "Let's go!"

[[for the royal guests! OCD incoming is up! Have at it, for great Honda Days SP justice!]]

Thanks to Prompto switching shifts with him at the shelter and a bit of help from Nina, Sidon had much more to leave in room 221 today than just a simple note. He had, of course, been leaving a series of notes for her to find all through the week, inspired by his his Pay It Forward class on doing small things to make someone's day better.

Well, he may have missed the small part of that, but...he was Sidon! The Zora Prince! He didn't know the meaning of the word small!

As was clear by the transformation of the room. He'd taken all of Nina's suggestions to heart, draping the room with enough fairy lights, white ones like stars, soft yellow ones that would brighten and fade like sunset fireflies, pale blue ones, too, just because he liked how they looked. And there were flowers, so many flowers, wherever he could find a place for them, all of them red, since Nina had said it was Vette's favorite color (a fact that made him feel oddly proud, as if he had any choice or control of his own coloration). And throw pillows, those much more varied in style and colors, but all of them comfortable, arranged around a small, low-to-the-ground table that wouldn't get in the way too much but still made for an excellent presentation of the dinner he'd prepared. Not that there had been a whole lot of preparation to some freshly caught fish, some fresh fruit, and a few bottles of hot sauces that he was assured would the spiciest available on Turtle & Canary's shelves (a suggestion that came by way of Prompto), but he wanted it to look nice, and it did, especially with the candles that he'd stuck with because they just seemed like an expected thing, and a little box wrapped in red paper with a silver ribbon.

Overall, he was incredibly proud of what he'd accomplished, even if it did lack the charm of a small pool at the bottom of a waterfall around Ploymus Mountain. But there would hopefully that would be an opportunity for that within the next few weeks.

Assuming he hadn't completely misjudged the situation and gotten it all terribly wrong. He didn't believe that was the case...Nina and Prompto were nothing but encouraging and positive, they were Vette's closest friends and, he liked to think, his dear friends as well, so surely they wouldn't lead him astray. But he would be lying if he said that the thought wasn't still there, lingering, though he tried to banish it from his mind.

Now all he needed was his unsuspecting date, and there was little else for him to do but...wait.

[[for that girl he maybe kinda-sorta likes a little bit or something. room modded with permission!]]