open 💀 fifth recording

[stillarhino]

Sender: Beat
To: Everyone
Subject: growin' up?

there anything that happens where your from for someone whos gonna be

[It takes a little while for this next part to show up on the page if you're watching this in real time.]

an adult?
traditions or just whatever
like what do ya do for it you know

Comments

[skyglider]

[Rather than respond, he closes the journal and heads straight to the warehouse. In the present, Link is in a much better state than he first arrived, both physically and mentally, but realizing that Beat is still here, that he hadn't vanished the way Alphen did, puts some urgency in his pace. He heads inside first.]

... Hello?

[stillarhino]

[When Link enters, he'll find that there are a number of slopes and ramps, that have been set up within the space. While a few things are already functional, it's obvious that the space is still a work in progress.

And up, on top of a half-built half-pipe is Beat, whose head immediately turns towards the door and the voice once he hears it. Without thinking twice, pushes himself off his seat, sliding down the inside of the slope, and makes it towards Link.

He stops a few feet from Link, looking at him up and down, as if trying to believe what it was he was seeing.]

Holy shit... You's really back.

[skyglider]

[He...he really is here. Goddess, he's barely changed -- for a moment, Link is too shocked to respond, trying to process it all over again. Four years doesn't feel terribly long, when you're living it every day, but in hindsight...so much has changed.

He's brought a small basket with some food, but he sets it down for now, bridging the space left between them and pulling Beat into a hug. They may not usually be hugging friends, but-- look, Beat is one of the best friends he's ever had. Four years changes very little, but being back here reminds him of how much he's missed the teen. So, for right now, he's a hugger. Deal with it.]

[stillarhino]

[Though the action surprises him, Beat doesn't move away from the hug. Before he knows it, his own arms wrap around Link as well, holding his friend in a tight bear hug.

While it may have only been a month for him in comparison, he'd missed Link more than he realized. Before arriving in the dream world, Beat already knew what it felt like to lose someone important to him. That feeling and helplessness that accompanied it was only exacerbated while in Songerein, in knowing that he may not see his friends again.

So having someone he's considered one of his best friends return and standing right in front of him felt like letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding in.]

You got no idea good it is to see ya.

[skyglider]

[It's not the same lengthy embrace that he and Zelda insisted upon when they each realized the other was back in Songerein, but nonetheless, it's how Link expresses how glad he is to see Beat. He lets go after a few moments, offering a faint smile, his heart feeling lighter than it has in days.]

I think I do, a bit.

[Beat may be the best friend Link has ever had, excluding some lifelong companions like Zelda, Sidon, Mipha. A bond like that sticks with you; he may have thought of his time in Reverein like a dream, but the lack of that friendship in his waking life weighed on him even in the friendships he maintains at home.

Still-- the passage of time doesn't go unnoticed. After a moment, he gestures around at the inside of the warehouse.]

You've been busy. This is really coming together.

[stillarhino]

[A low chuckle escapes Beat as they part from their hug, his mouth pulling into a grin wide enough to make his eyes close. It's almost hard for him to tear his gaze away from his friend when Link mentions the area.

Suddenly, he feels sheepish about it all.]

Yeah, been workin' on it for a coupla weeks now. Been wantin' a place like home so people can jus' skate an' hang out, you know?

[So why not do it himself? But that part is left unsaid.]

Can say the same for you, man. [Beat motions toward Link.] You got a new 'do, drip, an' everythin'!

[skyglider]

[Despite himself, Link feels a surge of pride at Beat's efforts. His dedication. Goddess, he's missed the guy. His head has been muddled with the plights of Zelda and Hyrule, but now that he's able to think a little more clearly... he's been feeling that for quite a while.]

It looks amazing. You've done well.

[He pauses at the other comment, looking down at himself for a moment.] Drip? But-- [but he's not wet... ah, wait, this is one of those odd things Beat says, isn't it? One of the things you just sort of go with.] It's been a while. Four years. [A grin, genuine, the most genuine he's sported in a while.] I think I'm older than you now.

[stillarhino]

[Link's compliment does not go unnoticed, immediately causing his cheeks to redden. The two of them may be close, but hearing things like that wasn't something Beat was used to. With a scoff, he reaches out to Link and shoves his shoulder playfully. Even simple things like that had been missed in the time he hadn't seen his friend.]

Yeah, well, you better come hang out when it's all done, aight?

[However, the mention of how much time had passed though catches him by surprise, obvious in the wide-eyed look on his face.]

Four years?! That 'splains why you look so different, yo!

[skyglider]

[Beat isn't the only one who had missed this; Link's friends in Hyrule have never treated him in a distant way, per se, but there has been a notable difference in how people treat the Hero of Hyrule after the fall of Calamity Ganon. A little more awestruck at the swordsman, perhaps, or timid. It's nice to go back to being just Link, at least for a while.

A strange knot tightens in his chest as he wonders if Zelda felt this way, being here so long ago. He'll have to sort out that tangle of feelings later.

For now, his nod in response is effusive.] I'll be here with bells on. Or rockets, maybe.

[Gonna make that happen. His expression turns a bit bashful at the observation, though; he rubs the back of his neck.] Different? I guess I hadn't noticed.

[stillarhino]

[Knowing that Link would be there was enough Beat. If anything it gives him something else to look forward to when he does open the place, which he hoped to do soon rather than later.

However, the explanation for how Link looked still hadn't quite sunk in, and he still looks bewildered by how much time has passed for his friend. It had only been what? Two weeks for him in comparison?]

Maybe you ain't! But holy shit, yo. That means you was home for that long, don't it?

[A part of him is a little envious, considering how homesick he's been feeling of late... but this wasn't about him. He's curious too, if he's being honest.] How's things there?

[skyglider]

[He nods to answer, but it's strange for Link, too -- how little time has passed here. Meanwhile his entire world has been upended: Hyrule in turmoil once again, his new arm, the impossibility of Zelda's presence here... How can it only have been two weeks? It's almost impossible to grasp.]

It-- hm. [He frowns thoughtfully over the question. Whether he detects any envy from Beat or not, it would be understandable; many of them would like to go home, as idyllic as Reverein is. Even he wanted to. Perhaps if he had been brought back right after sealing away Calamity Ganon, things would be different.]

It was good, for a while. [His expression may indicate that that has changed.] Things became complicated more recently.