[Calibrations] It's dangerous to go alone, take this

[newmemorywhodis]

WHO: Link and you!
WHERE: Link's Calibration room
WHAT: Calibrations
WHEN: June 10th to July 10th
WARNINGS: CW for death in the pool memory

On first appearances, Link's room is the inside of cosy little cottage.

There's rustic wooden furniture - that will appear to many as old fashioned - and Link is humming away as he cooks something at the small corner that serves as the kitchen. Propped up on the wall next to Link and the kitchen is the Sword the Seals the Darkness, a blade that many will recognise as the one that has been a constant presence on Link's back.

Draped over the back of one of the dining table chairs is the Champion's tunic, a distinctive blue garment. Sitting on that same chair, hidden partially by the fabric of the tunic, is the Sheikah Slate, a rectangular device that's sitting on one of the chairs. Atop the table itself sits the Thunder Helm.

In one corner, there's a small bookcase. On the shelves are a few assorted objects: a massively large scale, and a whistle.

---

There is, however, something odd that happens in this room. Sometimes, if you tilt your head at just the right angle or look out of the corner of your eye, the appears of it shifts - like a lenticular image. The cottage will be gone, and Link won't be humming away at the kitchen anymore. Instead, it will be a mysterious underground space, lit by soft blue glowing lights and faint orange constellations on the walls.

In the middle of this space is a small pool, or perhaps a kind of tub. It's filled with a bright blue water - and inside, as well, is Link. He's completely under the surface, dressed only in a pair of boxers, eyes closed. He's not moving.

To one side of the chamber, a picture hands on the wall.

On the other side, a pedestal - out of which grows a single silent princess flower.

---

And if, while within the mysterious underground space, if you tilt your head and gaze in just the right way again, there will be another shift. This time, it's strange in a different way. Large sections of the space seem to be just...gone, leaving behind only a blank white nothingness. In between those blank spaces are what is perhaps stone walls, something that might - maybe? - look like a room in a castle. But the details that do exist are so fuzzy and indistinct, it's hard to really tell.

There are a few pictures on the walls. But they feature only people with blank, featureless faces.

No matter what you touch, or interact with, there are no memories to be found here. And Link isn't anywhere to be seen at all. From this place, he is absent.

Comments

[butterfly_kiss]

This isn't her first night, which is what makes the arrival slightly less jarring for her. She's had another, she remembers it, and so she considers the little cosy cottage for a long moment, trying figure out what this place was.

Clearly it was Links.

"Making more of your... enhancing drinks?"

It seemed like he was cooking something after all.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link shakes his head. He's not making elixirs, he's just cooking.

"Fish pie," he explains, stepping briefly to one side so she can see the fish. A hearty salmon; Link wants this meal to be good. Maybe because the only food they have available while awake is...not.

[butterfly_kiss]

Oh, now that she's definitely interested in.

"Wish I could have some," she says before moving around the room to look at it. "I enjoy fish in things, quite a bit."

[newmemorywhodis]

"...You can." Does Link know he's in a dream? Maybe, maybe not. Or maybe he just doesn't see being in a dream as a reason to not be able to eat.

As for the room, it looks largely normal. Like an actual house, if one rather more rustic than what Tae is probably used to.

Unless, of course, she happens to tilt her head in just the right way. She might notice another layer of the room, flickering in and out and she looks.

[butterfly_kiss]

Oh, she does tilt her head the right way. That's just her luck. And she gasps in reaction, freezing.

"What in the world?"

[quark_assassin]

This is a pleasant dream to start with. It's so nice that Dustin doesn't even question it; his powers make dreaming an especially vivid, sometimes unpleasant affair, and without his powers he doesn't even remember going to sleep in the first place. Therefore, this is normal and everything is fine.

That doesn't stop Dustin from acting with his characteristic cautiousness. He makes sure that the door closes quietly behind him, drinking in the small room with a few flicks of his eyes. Curiosity draws him towards the table, but the implicit knowledge that this isn't his space keeps him from touching anything, not yet.

Curiosity is redirected elsewhere. "What are you making?" Dustin hears himself asking Link's back. It does smell really fucking good, whatever it is.

[newmemorywhodis]

"Sausages and creamy mashed potato," Link says. Which means bangers and mash essentially...even if that's not what they would call it, back in Hyrule.

Dustin can, of course, sit at the table if he wants: there's two places set up, ready for dinner.

[quark_assassin]

'Bangers and mash' isn't really a familiar name for Dustin, either, but the concept of sausages and mashed potatoes living next to each other on a plate is hardly alien enough to turn him away. It sounds delicious, actually. His mouth starts watering, and in his Calibrations bed, Dustin is probably drooling all over his pillow.

"Can I help with anything?" he asks. His feet take him a few more steps towards the table, a hand resting on the back of a chair, but he hesitates. Clarity slowly seeps in. "...Am I...supposed to be...what am I even doing here?"

[newmemorywhodis]

Link shrugs. He doesn't really need help; at this point, all the prep work has already been done.

And if Dustin wants an explanation for what's going on here...well, Link was never going to be a great person for that.

"...Having dinner?" he says.

[thepurpleone]

It's a sad thing that this is the most Donnie's ever been in other people's rooms or houses. While he feels only a little awkward for intruding, curiosity is quick to get the better of him.

The place is, well, he supposes this is what people might call 'quaint.' It's actually rather nice, despite its lack of electronics. And someone's home, cooking? Nice!

"Huh." Donnie steps further into the space, allowing himself to relax a little.

[newmemorywhodis]

Despite the fact that Link hasn't met Donnie before, the most his unusual appearance gets his a curious head-tilt to the side. Sure, Link hasn't met a turtle-person before - but his world has bird people and fish people and rock people. Turtle people don't really seem that unreasonable, really.

"Hi," Link says, keeping his focus on his cooking even as he looks over his shoulder at his visitor. Unfortunately, he's not cooking a pizza. Instead, it looks to be a kind of meat stew.

And despite Donnie's initial assessment, there is one piece of electronics. But being on the chair and half-hidden by Link's tunic, the Sheikah Slate might be a bit hard to spot.

[thepurpleone]

He's looking for computers and TV screens, maybe some track lights or a stereo. But when he finds himself greeted, Donnie looks over at Link again. Well, it'd probably be rude not to acknowledge the apparent owner.

"Oh uh. Hey." He starts to step closer as he catches a whiff of whatever's cooking. Pizza may be their family preference but they eat other things!

Once he heads over by the dining table that tablet does finally catch his eye. "Ooh-!" He's a teenager and has been sorely deprived of his phone and the internet, of course he is going to go for it.

[newmemorywhodis]

Alas, Link's world is still several years away from the glorious invention of pizza.

But hey, there is a shiny tablet. One with quite a curious design too, far from the sleek minimalist designs that will become popular in other worlds. But the moment Donnie grabs it, he sinks into a memory.

Darkness.

Then there's a light, and a woman's voice. Muffled and hard to hear, at first. But then it grows stronger. She's calling his name.

"Open your eyes," she tells him.

Link does so, and the light becomes a bright blue light above him. He's surrounded by a bright blue water, water which is soon draining away. "Wake up, Link."

He sits up. Near-naked, with only some undershorts on. He looks around the strange underground space he's in, before hopping out of the now-emptied pool. Strange constellations on the walls, glowing with orange lights.

There's a door in one corner. Next to it, the pedestal. It glows with a blue light as Link approaches, then the center of it raises up - and a rectangular device emerges from within.

"That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it," the woman's voice tells him. "It will help guide you after your long slumber."

Link takes it. Holds it in both hands, as the screen lights up. But then the door beyond is opens, and Link exit through it. In the hallway beyond, there's a few chests - in which he manages to find some thread-bare clothing. He puts it on, even though it doesn't really fit him.

At the end of the corridor, there's another pedestal, glowing orange. The woman's voice speaks once again.

"Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way."

As Link does so, the pedestal glows blue. The next door opens. And...there's light. Real sunlight. Link has to hold one hand in front of his eyes, as he walks towards it.

"Link...You are the light - our light," The voice says. "That must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now, go..."

He heads towards the light. Climbs up the rock, that blocks the way. And then...emerges out into the sun, and runs across green grass to the edge of the cliff.

There's a wide, massive world beyond him.

[ashwantstobattle]

Later, Ash will wonder how he can feel so hungry in a dream but for now, all he's concerned with is the the fact something smells delicious and he's practically starving.

"That smells amazing..." He comments as he moves over towards Link, stomach grumbling.

"Pikaaa" Pikachu agrees from where he's perched on Ash's shoulder. How did this ten year old and his electric mouse get here? That's not important. What's important is that they're both. So. Hungry.

Ash pauses a moment though and glances around. This place looks nothing like the houses he's used to back home. Not that it's a huge thing on his list but there's not even a television.

[newmemorywhodis]

“Hi,” Link says, glancing over as Ash appears. Out of the oven, he pulls out just what is smelling so good: a big, sweet, apple pie.

There’s a content, pleased look on Link’s face as the sets the pie down on the table. There’s just one thing left, now, before they can eat.

“Needs to cool.” So no tasting just yet.

[ashwantstobattle]

Ash and Pikachu stare at the pie with what seems like stars in their eyes until the words 'needs to cool' ruin everything and they both let out identical sighs of disappointment. It looks so good.

"Yeah, okay..." Ash responds sounding rather deflated. He shakes it off easily and glances around.

"So, is this where you live?" He asks, taking in the décor.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods. Yes, this is where he lives.

As Ash looks around, there’s a few items that might catch his interest. The Sword. The tunic, and the Slate half-hidden under it. The Thunder Helm. The whistle. The large scale.

Which will catch Ash and Pikachu’s interest?

[ziedrich_bearer]

The cottage is... quaint. And he liked it. IT was so removed from what Gladio thought of as home was warming in its own way.

"Nice place. This yours? Looks like somewhere to retire to."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods. Yes, this was his place. He’d bought it and everything. Got Bolson to put in all the furnishings.

Though he didn’t think of it as a place to retire to. It was just a place to be…home.

He hadn’t had that, when he woke up.

At the kitchen, he keeps his focus on his cooking. It’s Emma good - like something Gladio would like, in fact.

[ziedrich_bearer]

Which would probably amount to some sort of meat. Gladio's a meat man. He moves for now to look at Link and watch him cook.

"You look good at this. Iggy's like that too. You keep reminding me of people."

[newmemorywhodis]

It is, indeed, meat, meat, and more meat. Good meat too, hunted from a Water Buffalo.

"I like cooking," he says, as he turns some of the meat. It'll be a little while yet though - so in the meantime, Gladio is free to look around the little cottage.

[tempredmental]

[Keith looked around at the cottage.]

Huh... this is nice.

[Better than his shack...]

Is this your house back home?

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods. Yes, this was his house!

He pauses in his cooking briefly to look at it. As usual, there's not much in his expression - but there's still something of a content, happy air to him. This is Link's home. He had to scrounge up so many rupies and pieces of wood to buy it, and to get in all the furnishings. But he did, and now it's home. His home.

As for what Link's cooking - well, it smells good. Like something that Keith would like, in fact. Whatever kind of food Keith likes, as long as it's something Link knows how to make - well, that will mysteriously just happen to be what he's making.

/finds a list of BotW recipes just for this thread LOL/

[tempredmental]

A nice cut of meat with some spicy peppers always made a good pepper steak, and Keith definitely wasn't going to turn that down. It smelled delicious.

"I'm not interrupting dinner, am I?"

haha I do the exact same thing when Link is cooking XD

[newmemorywhodis]

Spicy peppers make so many things better. And it made you feel nice and warm too, which Link always appreciated. Especially in colder areas.

At Keith question, Keith gets a faintly amused look. "Yup," Link says breezily.

Though he is, of course, joking. Because said dinner is also for Keith. There's no way Link's not going to cook something for his guest.