sageprincess | TFS INBOX

[Zelda blinks a few times, rapidly, trying to will her brain to keep up with the sudden burst of energy both standing in front of her and tickling at the back of her neck. It's a good kind of energy - bubbly and excited and maybe just a touch anxious - but even so, the half-coherent thoughts Minako sputters spurs a reaction that might be considered a little unusual from her goddess.

Her eyes go wide with alarm, and in the next moment she's stepping to Minako's side, pushing back that mane of golden hair to peer at the back of her shinki's neck. There's no sign of blight there, however, no evidence of an ayakashi transformation being imminent, and so after a moment of study she breathes out a sigh, letting Minako's hair go and stepping back into Proper Personal Bubble Space.

(Really, it says a lot about how comfortable Zelda's become with physical contact around Minako that she doesn't even ask any questions before doing all of that, but still. It's probably a little weird.)]

Forgive me. I just had to check something. What did you remember, exactly? Something from your past?

[ It's a rather odd reaction, especially since things don't easily connect in Minako's mind. Nothing seems weird about the memory since it's not like she went digging for it - she just.. woke up and it was there, like she found it in a dream or something. So even though she obediently tries to stand still more than she was doing just now when she was all bouncy, the look on her face is a bit quizzical as Zelda reaches for her hair.

Did she do something wrong? Zelda seems relieved for some reason, but Minako expected to be met with similar - although maybe slightly less over the top energetic - enthusiasm as she has right now.

So part of the enthusiasm seems to momentarily deflate. There's a hint of scolded puppy about the way Minako looks right now. ]

Um.. yeah. I woke up, and suddenly there was a moment I remembered from what must've been the time when I was still alive.

[And immediately Zelda has regrets about everything. Not that she can really go into detail about why she had been so concerned a moment ago-- damn the God's Greatest Secret, and damn her own social inadequacies! Together they've caused her nothing but trouble from day one.

So she flounders a bit, struggling to think of a way to fix it when she sees Minako's disappointment, and eventually decides on taking her shinki's hand, squeezing it in a way that she hopes is reassuring, and draws her out of the doorway and into her room proper. It only takes a few steps to reach her bed, where Zelda takes a seat, looking to Minako attentively.]

Would you tell me about it?

[She imagines that's what Minako came here to do, before Zelda rained on her parade a little, so...]

[ The squeeze of her hand is fairly reassuring, although it'd most likely take a little bit for her mood to build again. Having that much excitement being sent down the drain all at once was a lot, after all, and even though Minako doesn't look downright sad, she does seem more subdued than a few moments before as she follows her goddess.

It's exactly at moments like these where she starts overthinking things - to the point where she wonders if she should sit down on Zelda's bed or not. In the end she opts not to, standing there and looking at the other as she nods. ]

I was falling off.. it was hard to tell what exactly it was, since the memory feels so short and frantic. But it was a tower-like structure, and I was being held up by someone who held my hand. A guy with long, silver hair and a crescent moon on his forehead.. His name was Artemis, apparently. I called out his name in the memory.

[ Which is super weird. It's not as if in theory Minako didn't know she probably forgot all about people who used to be really important to her, but experiencing it for real is another matter entirely. ]

He called himself my partner.. and he helped me transform.

[Zelda chews on the inside of her cheek as she sees the hand holding isn't enough to bring back Minako's spirit by itself-- though that doesn't mean she's going to let go even as Minako opts to stand. She looks up at her shinki with a furrowed brow and a worried expression, but she listens intently.

... "A crescent moon on his forehead." She's... seen that before, but it wasn't a man with silver hair who had it. It was a girl - a girl with hair just as golden as Minako's and the biggest blue eyes she'd ever seen. Her terrified face was the last thing she saw before waking to find she had been assigned a new shinki. ... Her terrified face was the last thing Minako saw before losing all her memories.

--Focus, Zelda. Now's not the time to think about that which is lost. Her eyes narrow slightly, but at the same time she runs her thumb over Minako's hand in an attempt to soothe.]

"Transform"? In what way?

[This Artemis must have been important to her, to say he's her partner. That's what Minako tends to call herself in her relation to Zelda, after all. But she doesn't really know how to go about tackling that particular problem (that's for the emergency mass text system to handle), and so she focuses on the other mystery this memory presents.]

[ Something about that question coupled with the soothing movement on her hand makes Minako steel herself a bit again. Right, isn't this the important part? No matter how odd Zelda's reaction was, Minako does remember just how excited she was. Not even as much to have gotten some memory of her life back, as much as she was excited over finally maybe knowing how to access her power now. And that means she might finally be able to use it! And protect Zelda much better! What's not to like about that?

So come on, Minako-- throw a little bit more energy into it! After mentally giving herself a kick in the butt, she nods. ]

I'm not sure yet, since I didn't see it in the memory. But don't you think it's about accessing that weird power I felt before? I didn't try it out yet since I wanted to make sure you'd see it too, so.. [ She gently pulls her hand out of Zelda's, but only since it'd seem hard to demonstate it otherwise. ] I'll try it now.

[ And because Minako just really can't wait a moment longer after her earlier excitement, she throws a hand up in the air. ]

Venus Crystal Power.. [ It's like a yellow-orange light starts shining out of her, like it's coming from her very soul. ] .. Make Up!

[ ~~A transformation sequence plays~~ The light grows even bigger until it's blinding, and when it fades away, Minako is in a different outfit-- and even looking slightly different, somehow almost a little older, even if it's just due to the aura she gives off. ]

[Admittedly, Zelda is a bit more skeptical about this whole "transformation" thing than Minako is from the start. Well, Zelda's more skeptical about everything than Minako is as a general rule, but this point is especially poignant given what she knows about Minako's insecurities regarding not being good enough as her shinki and so on. A "transformation" implies becoming something else entirely, and that is not something Zelda wants at all.

But she doesn't argue. She sees a bit of Minako's usual pep come back and she bites her tongue, refusing to deny her of her excitement a second time. She folds her hands in her lap when Minako releases hers, and nods when she says she's going to try it now that Zelda's here to watch it.

To say she's not expecting what follows next would be an understatement. The light that shines from Minako's being is so brilliant it's almost painful, and Zelda has to fight a bit to not flinch away from its radiance. "Transformation" isn't quite the right word, she thinks. This is a transcendence, one that will leave spots floating in her vision for a while after the light fades. But that's not important, what's important is--]

Minako...! [Abruptly, Zelda stands, eyes wide with awe as she glances up and down her shinki's new form.] Minako, look at you! You're--

[The soldier from her vision. They really are one in the same. But when her eyes trail up to the symbol emblazoned on her forehead, and she pauses, just for a moment.]

You are... still Minako, right?

[SHE'S SORRY SHE JUST-- SHE WORRIES SO MUCH...]

[ THERE DEFINITELY IS A LOT OF WORRYING GOING ON OVER THERE.. But Minako herself doesn't feel worried - not even for a moment. This is what she's been wanting to be able to do for a long time now, after all, and.. it doesn't feel strange. Maybe it should feel strange, since she can't remember any time she's transformed other than in that memory, but it just feels normal. Familiar. Like this is just something natural.

So she just smiles, looking down at her outfit and admiring it as if she's seeing it for the first time.. since she is. Technically. Outfit changes aside, she really does feel more powerful, more confident.. Maybe this is why she was feeling so bad before, since she was missing something that now feels like such a vital part of her.

The only thing that draws her attention away from looking at herself is Zelda's voice, making her head snap back up to look at the other.

The surprise doesn't make much sense to her at first, since nothing feels weird, but when she thinks about it and sees the expression on her goddess' face, she can kind of imagine why Zelda might be worried.

So she just smiles warmly and proudly, nodding. ]

It's just me! [ Minako spreads her arms before making a 360 degree turn. ] So no worries! I feel the same as a moment ago, just more... powerful? And kind of happier? Just imagine, I didn't know I was surpressing all of this for the longest time! It feels like such a relief!

[Minako smiles, and Zelda's concern... doesn't vanish immediately, admittedly, but it does ebb away in bits and pieces, like a jagged stone buffeted by the tide. She's been waiting for the other shoe to drop, expecting some kind of catch, but maybe, just this once... there isn't one? This is a genuinely good thing that happened, something Minako is overjoyed about even beyond her usual high energy, and there are no drawbacks to it at all.

Finally, Zelda breathes a sigh of relief, and allows herself to smile in return.]

... You definitely look happier, too. And I am happy for you as well, truly. I know this has been bothering you for so long - I do not know if I can imagine relief you must feel right now.

[She can only get the tiniest bit, shared through their bond as god and shinki, and she's certain that's next to nothing compared to the real thing. With that said, she looks Minako up and down again, and now that she's accepting that maybe everything isn't going to blow up in her face right this minute, her curiosity starts to get the better of her. The princess has visibly perked up a little when she asks her next question.]

Do you feel as though there are any other powers you have awakened to now that you have assumed this form?

[Is it time for magic experiments? It might be time for magic experiments.]

[ It's not as if Minako wasn't already happy a moment ago - she was already excited enough about finally knowing how to have access to her powers instead of being left with the frustration of knowing there's something there, but also not knowing anything about it or how to use it at the same time. But the more Zelda seems at ease and approving of the situation, the wider Minako's smile seems to get, spreading from ear to ear. ]

Yes! I can feel the energy flowing through me.. It's as if I'd just have to stretch my hand, and--

[ She does so as she says it, her arm stretched out, her finger pointing, and the words come to her before she even realises it. Before she can even consciously think of them, they flow out of her mouth due to sheer reflexes. ]

Crescent Beam!

[ Despite not consciously intending to use a power just yet, a beam of light - thankfully not too big yet - does burst out of her finger, heading quickly straight in the direction she was pointing..

... and hitting a vase, making it burst into pieces.

For a moment Minako seems almost amazed by what happened, especially since she didn't know what she was using just yet, but then it seems to hit her.

The vase.

Oh no.

Her face almost comically turns from slight surprise to end-of-the-world-shock, and then she starts to blush as she looks more frantic. ]

Z.. Zeldaaa..! [ That's definitely a childish whine. ] I didn't mean to..!

[ Please don't be mad at her for ruining the vase.. ]

[Okay, so. Maaaybe asking that question while still inside wasn't the best idea she's ever had. Zelda flinches as the sudden burst of light is followed up by the tell-tale sound of porcelain shattering. Then, for a brief moment, there is silence and awe, and she blinks owlishly at the remains of that vase of flowers.

Goodness.

But silence never lasts long around Minako, so her wonder has to be put on hold in favor of comforting her poor shinki as her whine pierces through the quiet.]

What-- no, no! Minako, it's all right! [She reaches out, putting a hand on her shoulder. The reassuring hair petting that follows might imply that the Princess of Hyrule may have broken a fair few vases and other fragile things herself in her day. Impa really wasn't paid enough.] It is just a vase - a object. I can get another one, if I want. How could I possibly be worried about something as inconsequential as that when you are learning you can do such spectacular things?

[Some might say Zelda's a bit too indulgent of Minako's Minako-ness. She would tell those people to stuff it.]

[ Minako looks ready to keep freaking out, or to even escalate the freaking out, but it all seems to pause for a moment when Zelda's hand reaches Minako's shoulder, and the hair petting seems to make it melt away entirely. The fussing disappears, stilling the girl.

It's not just the gesture that calms her down instictively like she's some kind of dog - no, it's moreso the words Zelda is saying. A pink blush spreads across Minako's cheeks until it practically reaches from ear to ear, and the look in her eyes as she looks at her goddess is almost uncharacteristically bashful. ]

You.. really think it's spectacular?

Of course I do. I think everything you do is spectacular.

[She says, and it's open and warm and honest, all those things Zelda finds it so hard to be sometimes. But here and now, it comes to her easily. Because a long time ago, she told Minako she was going to have to leave, and Minako smiled and said she would stay by her side regardless. Because her temple was quiet and lonely, and Minako brought life and light and a whole lot of glitter into it. Because she was haunted by the ghosts of her past, and even without any powers to speak of, Minako squared up and told those ghosts they had better leave her alone, without knowing anything about them or what they've done to her.

Minako is what's truly spectacular. These sparkly light powers are just a bonus.]

But this "Venus Power" certainly puts the spectacle into the word, does it not? [She follows, seeing the odd bashfulness on her shinki's face and wanting to soothe it as she's done so many times for her goddess.] Let us get some breakfast, and then we can head outside to try it out some more, all right?

[ Minako just feels her heart melting into goo - though a good kind of goo - more and more at those words. She doesn't know if it's due to those specific words, or if it's because it's Zelda saying them to her, or if it's due to some other reason.. but somehow they make her feel so happy.

It doesn't feel entirely unfamiliar, hearing those words. Deep in her heart it feels like there's been someone who said them before, even if she can't recall who, nor can she recall a specific situation. The words just feel warm and nostalgic in all the right ways, to a point where it's almost overwhelming. For as much as Minako ramps up her ditziness on purpose most of the time, she still lives for those moments when people discover something warmer or deeper or more useful underneath, confirming that it's there even when Minako herself often worries it isn't.

Not that it should be a surprise hearing those words from Zelda, who has been nothing but kind to her all this time. If anyone would tell Minako she's spectacular, it's her, no matter how much more spectacular Minako thinks Zelda herself is. One day Zelda will have to return to her own world, and it will be incredibly painful and bittersweet, but Minako will smile for her and hopefully be able to stand on her own legs without needing this reinforcement all the time by then.

But for now she's grateful to bask in it. ]

H--Hmm!

[ Her eyes water a bit, but she refuses to let the tears spill, even when they're happy ones. Instead Minako quickly moves to latch onto Zelda's arm in both a display of affection and a way to make her near-tearing up less visible. ]

Let's eat a lot of yummy things, I need fuel for the laserbeams!

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