Scene #7036: Still Better Than Asking That Owl

Owner	Pose
Raphael Cousteau	Hyrule Castle Town is a relatively peaceful place, most of the time. It closes at night, opens during the day. It houses a variety of people. And today, despite the goodwill of the Three Goddesses, it houses one person in particular, temporarily: Inspector Raphael Ambrosius Cousteau, of the Revachol Citizens Militia. To his credit, it's not that he's causing trouble, per se. It's just that he's snooping, more than anything. Asking uncomfortable questions like 'Where would I find books on the conflict between the Hero of Courage and Great King of Evil', and 'What's the sociopolitical history of Hyrule'. Sure, inbetween, he found a pursesnatcher, proved that a woman's house was not haunted, but instead children were playing a nasty prank, and at one point got the lowest score in recorded history at the bow-shooting game. But that's not the problem here, is it? The problem is that this man in the black sweeping coat, white rectangular markings shining oddly in the light, unceasingly smiling in the most sad, but charming fashion, and stomping around acting semi-heroically has absolutely nothing to do with the Great Prophecy, but he's injected himself into it enough to know something vital to the Kingdom of Hyrule. And inquiring minds might want to know.
Tetra	A certain Hylian adventuress has spent her afternoon similarly; however, she has a bit of a different goal in mind. She's tailing someone. Someone who's not making it particularly difficult, really. For the past hour or so, Tetra's been tailing Raphael, just watching him at first. He seems... well, not terrible, by any stretch. Nosy, sure, and bewilderingly terrible at archery, but... Perhaps this won't be so hard after all. She follows him onto a side street, and calls out to him. "Hey. You're that cop from Friday, aren't you?" She leans against a wall, looking casual. Like she wasn't following him. She might be trying a little too hard at that, really.
Raphael Cousteau	Tailing the Inspector is a strange set of contradictions unto itself. On the one hand, he's embarassingly imperceptive. He clearly hasn't noticed Tetra this entire time. On the other hand, at one point he stopped at a broken fence, stared at it for a while, and out loud detailed to seemingly nobody that the damage was comparable with a wagon with metal-trimmed wheels, carrying a load of approximately two tons, located the vendor in the market who had the fence, and convinced him to go pay damages. Then he downed a bottle of wine, and kept wandering around for a while. Eventually, obviously, even the adventurer's patience runs out, and he's caught in an alleyway and finally confronted. While he moves with a start, that smile..doesn't move. Can it, even? "Ah, you're..." He taps his head a few times, thinking to himself. ENCYCLOPEDIA: Tetra. She said it was Tetra. AUTHORITY: You are a -cop- and she is trying to get the drop on you. Call her out on it and show her you won't take it! SUGGESTION: Talk about what she's doing. Let the name drop later. Barely a second passes outside his own head, before he resumes talking. "You were there with the robot, yeah, I remember. I took you for an adventurer kind of lady. Surprising to see you wander around after a man like me."
Tetra	Good lord, it's like following a cat. Not that she's ever done that. Nope. "I'd hate to be predictable," replies Tetra. "Didn't mean to startle you, though. My apologies. I'm glad to run into you, though... I had a couple of questions I couldn't exactly ask at the time. Had some... problematic company with us." "Want to find a place inside?" she suggests. "It's a nice day out, though. we could walk and talk if you want."
Raphael Cousteau	ELECTROCHEMISTRY: Oh, hey guys, just going to point out here an attractive woman wants to go find a place with us. This is a great idea and can only end well. HALF-LIGHT: 'Being murdered' is not 'well'. She has a weapon. Be ready. SUGGESTION: Questions, huh? You don't really know a lot about -her-. That's a problem. Keep an eye on that. Raphael shoots a couple of finger guns at Tetra, before looking around. "Alright, sure. I could sit down for a spell. Anywhere in mind? You'd know this town better than I, right?"
Tetra	"There's a little cafe about a block east of here." She jabs a thumb in that direction. "Come on, I'll buy you a cup of coffee or tea or something." She takes the lead, passing in front of him and expecting him to follow her. She doesn't seem particularly wary--she looks back now and then, but mostly to make sure Raphael hasn't wandered off, like she might a cat. Once they arrive, she orders herself the largest size coffee they sell, with just a splash of cream. She waits for him to order, and sits down with him. "So. Yooouuu mentioned an extremely important bit of information down there."
Raphael Cousteau	For what it's worth, he's easily keeping up with Tetra. She can even go at a reasonable jog, and he keeps the pace. He's quite good with whatever he's focusing on, at the very least, even if he stops at one point to stare at something in the distance. ELECTROCHEMISTRY: Coffee? Caffeine's -bad- for you! Ugh. LOGIC: Actually, we'd really appreciate it. Being more awake would be nice. He orders a coffee with heavy amounts of sugar, as some kind of internal compromise, and settles down. "Well, that's part of being a cop, you know. Sometimes you learn important information." He clicks his tongue, tilting his head in a way that almost, -almost- seems endearing with that smile. "Now, of course, part of being a cop is the protection of private information."
Tetra	"Of course. Now... that's the problem." She takes a drink from her mug, holding it in both hands to warm them a bit. "How is the location of part of the Master Sword 'private information'?" She arches her eyebrows. "Sure, the Hero's destined to find it. But knowing where part of it is makes things easier. One less thing to track down, and it'd help us figure out how to repair it." Another drink. "And hell, if you don't trust me, I could go find Link and you can tell him directly."
Raphael Cousteau	LOGIC: Easy peasy. We just tell her the truth about what we did with the information. SUGGESTION: No. That gives her the information. We don't -trust- her yet. Get more out of her first. There's a long drag of his coffee, and the Inspector leans back. Both hands behind his head, for a moment. EMPATHY: I'm gonna go out on a limb here. This actually isn't a trap. She does -want- to help. SUGGESTION: Don't be adversarial, then. No need. "...Well, it's an important thing," He says. "And it'd be pretty irresponsible to let just anyone know." There's a conspiratorial nose tap. He shifts his body somewhat, roughly mirroring Tetra's posture. "But you're saying you could just 'go find' Link? That's pretty impressive."
Tetra	Tetra smiles just slightly at that, sipping thoughtfully at her gigantic coffee. She hms, placing her mug on the table. "That's smart, you're right. You don't know me. And if you'd spilled the beans down in Yosefer's little workshop... well. Let's just say that asshole wizard is one of the last people who should know." Her shoulders drop slightly, relaxing. "It might take me a bit to track him down, I admit, assuming I didn't just raise him on a public echo. But I know roughly where he lives." She glances aside, then down. "Look. The army's busy with monsters and Ganondorf. And you've seen how people are about this prophecy bullshit, sitting on their asses and waiting for the Hero. He shouldn't be doing this alone, and he sure as shit shouldn't be the only one from his own goddess-damned world on this quest."
Raphael Cousteau	RHETORIC: 67% Find a flaw in Tetra's argument. +1 Already warned about this -1 Know she legitimately wants to help ... [:.][.] "Hm. I mean, that all makes a ton of sense, honestly. The army's busy, and Link -definitely- shouldn't be doing this alone." He nods firmly, pausing a moment, before his shakes his head. LOGIC: OK, so, let's put it all together: Tetra wants to help, the army's busy, Link shouldn't have to shoulder the burden. So, in -conclusion-... LOGIC: Uhhhh..okay, I got nothing. Maybe just get her to clear it up. "...Why should I tell you in particular?"
Tetra	(All right. Think, Tetra. The fact that you're a Triforce Bearer is out the window, and you hadn't thought this far ahead. What about...) Tetra touches the red insignia over the left breast of her chestplate, an open eye shedding a tear. "Do you know what this symbol means, Officer Cousteau?" she asks, looking meaningfully at him. "This is the symbol of the Sheikah Tribe, which has been tasked with the protection of Hyrule's royal line since the kingdom's foundation." "I don't wear it out of idle fancy. I am Sheikah, though not by birth. I've been trained in the Sheikah ways... and for the safety, protection, and well-being of Hyrule as a whole, I feel that it is my duty to aid Link in his mission." She's dead serious as she explains this. (A bit weak, and annoying if I need to properly back it up, but hopefully it'll suffice.)
Raphael Cousteau	The Inspector rubs his chin thoughtfully, thumb stroking through one of the obnoxious lamb chops on his face. He squints a little at the symbol, nodding slowly. "So...you're wearing a /symbol/ of a tribe...that you're not actually born into." There's a slow, cautious nod. "And you -feel- it is your duty to aid him. So, noone from this Tribe that has been -tasked- with the protection of Hyrule's royal line--which, if I understand correctly, the Hero of Courage is -not-, gave YOU the task of aiding Link, who, again, is not the charge of the Sheikah Tribe to begin with?" He leans in, swigging back the rest of his coffee in one go. RHETORIC: End it. "...So, even if you're not bullshitting me about the meaning of that symbol, it's a sign of a tribe you're not part of, tasked with an unrelated duty, that you yourself weren't actually given, so I should give you a mission-critical piece of information instead of just giving it to the guy who needs it himself?"
Tetra	Tetra purses her lips, flustered as she testily replies, "I was adopted. I would hope such a thing exists where you're from, as well! And as for the rest..." Her shoulders slump slightly, ears doing the same as they redden a tinge. "I suppose you would be correct. I've been tasked by no one, and Link--prophetic status aside--is not a royal. Not even a Triforce-bearer yet, I'm to understand. And... no. I don't need the information, myself, personally." She takes a long drink. "As I said. If you don't trust me with this, I will help you to tell the man who needs it. My only desire is that he receives this information, whether through me or you. That is why I'm here to speak to you. To make sure that what you know will get to him."
Raphael Cousteau	There's a long moment of thought, and Cousteau looks into his empty mug. He swirls it a bit, staring. "...huh? Yeah. I don't think she's legit either." Is he talking to the radio? No. He's talking to his coffee mug. "Right? It makes absolutely no sense for someone from an ancient secretive ninja tribe to have their ancient, secretive ninja tribe symbol on their breastplate, I agree." Yep. That's a coffee mug. ESPRIT D'CORPS: The Paladins are absolutely not interested in having your mission-critical information given to this obvious fraud. SUGGESTION: Well, isn't there anything we can use her for, here? REACTION SPEED: Target practice. Raphael now leans forwards, elbows on the table. Fingers weave. "Hmm. I think you're going to have to give me more than that. Again, even if you -were- part of a secret ancient ninja tribe, and just really bad at it..why would you know how to find Link in the first place?"
Tetra	Tetra frowns, staring at Raphael as he converses with his coffee cup. At the question to her, she simply raises an eyebrow. "He's mentioned it before. He lives in Ordon Village, it's not exactly a secret. The delay would be that I don't know what HOUSE he lives in. I'd have to ask around."
Raphael Cousteau	Raphael looks back down into the coffee cup as Tetra speaks, thoughtfully rubbing his finger along its edge. "Huh..." He muses quietly to himself. DRAMA: My liege, when thou dost rise, might thee flare thy coat out a bit? r And so he does, pushing his chair back with a dramatic sweep of his patrol coat. "Well! I guess I'm headed off to Ordon Village, then. Thanks for the help, citizen Tetra!" He extends his hand to shake hers, without the slightest trace or hint of irony in his voice.
Tetra	Tetra shakes his hand, and is about to go back to her coffee when she realizes something. "--Oh! Wait. You, uh, might want a map." She pulls a small roll of parchment out of her pack and hands it to Raphael. It's a reasonably detailed map of Ordon Province. "I know there's at least one warpgate in the area, but I don't know how close it is to Ordon Village itself." Well. That was a bit of a shitshow. But at least Raphael knows where to find Link now...
Raphael Cousteau	Raphael does those finger guns again, taking the map. "Well! I really appreciate that. I'll see you around, alright? I'm glad we had this talk." He walks out the door, after that, with a swagger in his step. Tetra is clearly the unequaled master of diplomacy and negotiation.