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Description
Episode 2: Message For Zelda

*

* *

It had been precisely eight days, fourteen hours, and thirty-nine seconds since Pocket Fi had been gifted to her master Link. Thus far, he was no longer tardy for his knightly lessons, he had attended a party held by Midna—no special occasion, she was just a very social butterfly—and was now on a regular sleeping schedule.

Pocket Fi truly excelled at her work and charted a palpable twelve percent increase in Link's positivity and attitude; he was already an optimistic fellow and thus any improvement was a victory.

At this moment, Pocket Fi had been tasked with something of great importance; she was to deliver a message to Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle.

The tiny assistant flittered through the grassy hills between Link's house and the castle. She had originally insisted on delivering the message posthaste but Link persuaded her to take her time and enjoy the outside. Truth be told, Pocket Fi was indeed enjoying the sun on her metal body...

And then the storm came.

It had come quickly, even against Pocket Fi's calculations regarding the weather. She would see to it that Fi and Princess Zelda adjusted her capabilities in that regard, but first she had to push through the harsh gales and heavy rainfall that now stood between her and the task to which she had set out.

“I will not fail you, Master,” she said. The wind would hardly bother someone of average size, but for Pocket Fi, it was a struggle to stay aloft and keep from blowing away.

The thunder rolled and crashed against the horizon. Sunlight had been blotched by dark clouds, leaving only flashes of lightning to guide Pocket Fi. Her crystalline eyes blinked away the rainwater and focused on a nearby tree, its mighty branches blocking most of the precipitation.

Huddling close to the bark, Pocket Fi's determination never faltered. She would complete her master's task whether she had to face harsh weather or vicious beast. Fortunately, the only beasts nearby were a nest of songbirds higher up in the branches of the tree.

There were three of the avian creatures in the nest, one adult and two chicks. The adult was struggling to hold the nest in place against the wind while the poor chicks squawked and chirped in fear, and for good reason. The fall would be fatal. The adult bird's talons were slipping against the damp straw and twig holding his nest together, his chicks teetering on the edge. One more gust and they would tumble out of sight if he did not secure their nest.

Pocket Fi had been programmed to obey her master's every command—with certain redundancies to prevent unauthorized usage or a sudden shift to evil—but she also had a subprotocol that meshed well with the very essence of Link: Help those in need.

Blue and violet cloth arms wrapped around a likely bit of twig and tugged hard. Fighting against the wind, she and the adult kept the nest from moving any further but also could not force it to budge in the other direction towards the cavity in which it had originally resided. The thunder roared and bellowed, frightening the chicks all the more. One hopped closer and closer to its parent for comfort and warmth, but the wind was not kind.

Pocket Fi watched as the chick teetered and ultimately went over the edge of the nest. At its currently velocity, it would strike the ground in less than seven seconds with a seventy percent chance of bouncing off the branches on the way down.

Pocket Fi reached the chick in three seconds, cradling it—almost half again her size—on her way back up to the nest. Leaving the adult to hold his home was an educated risk, one that Pocket Fi did not take lightly despite the timeframe.

As her mind was mechanical in nature, Pocket Fi saw seconds as hours, hours as weeks. Her perception could adapt to mortal senses of time but the default thought process allowed for detailed and thoroughly examined choices before a mortal could even blink.

The adult was granted mercy and the wind died down just enough for him to pull the nest back into its hole in the tree, allowing Pocket Fi to see what had caused the dislodging in the first place: The hole had been flooded by rainwater while the adult had gone in search of food.

Pocket Fi set the chick down beside its sibling. The hole was still flooded and the adult held his nest still, and so Pocket Fi dived into the water towards the opposite side of the entrance. Her pointed head struck the softened wood and she began to spin faster and faster, chipping away at the interior until she finally popped out the other side.

Water drained from the new hole and the nest at last rested securely, though Pocket Fi created a memo to revisit the location once the weather cleared so she could plug the hole and prevent rot and decay. After waiting thirty seconds to be sure the chicks would be safe in their home, Pocket Fi gave both chicks a kiss on their fluffy heads and resumed her journey to fulfill her important task.

*

* *

As Princess Zelda was in the privacy of her chambers, she had shed her formal regalia and lounged comfortably in loose pajamas. She sat by the lit fireplace with a steaming cup of tea when she heard it.

Tap tap tap.

Hiding a kunai between her fingers, Zelda held her breath and waited.

Tap tap tap.

It sounded like metal on glass, but not heavy. A sword, even a dagger would make a louder clink. Zelda made her way cautiously to the window from which the tapping was loudest. She peered out and saw nothing but moonlight, until she glanced down.

“Pocket Fi?” Setting her kunai down, Zelda hurried and opened the window for her new guest. “This is a surprise, albeit a pleasant one.”

The little assistant floated inside and shut the window behind her, and then shot into the fireplace for a moment. Rainwater now steaming off her metal body, Pocket Fi stood on Zelda's lap as she returned to her spot by the fire.

“Greetings, Your Grace,” said Pocket Fi. “I have come bearing a message from Master Link.”

Zelda nudged her finger against the tiny Fi's head. “You came in the middle of a storm? Surely Link could have waited until the morning.” She poured some still-hot water from the kettle into a spare cup. “Please, warm yourself in this.”

Obliging her hostess, Pocket Fi lowered herself into the makeshift hot tub and smiled dreamily. While she was an assistant, she did have her own personal likes and dislikes. At the moment, she definitely liked a hot bath.

“I am indebted to you, Your Grace. In truth, I had left while the sky was clear. It had begun to rain as I was on route.”

Zelda nodded, reached for a marshmallow from the nearby bowl, and popped it into her mouth. “I see. What was the message? I confess myself intrigued, Link always seemed like a man of few words.”

She looked up to see Pocket Fi floating beside her cheek. “He is,” said the pocket assistant, and then she planted a soft kiss on Zelda's cheek.

“...” Zelda flushed, touching the kiss spot with fair fingers. “That's the message?” At Pocket Fi's nod, Zelda found her own lips had betrayed her in a bashful smile. “You came all this way just to kiss my cheek?” Pocket Fi nodded once more, her head tilted in a birdlike show of curiosity.

“Was the message unclear?” she asked. “I apologize, I must have made an error during the initial recording.”

Zelda held out a finger on which Pocket Fi could sit. “You made no error, little one. I just... I am unsure how to process the emotions I feel from such a message.” She shrugged. “I shall think on it later. For now, I have a message for you to deliver to him upon your return.”

“I would be honored, Your Grace. What is the message?” Zelda's full lips lightly pressed against the cheek of Pocket Fi.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“What is the message?”

Zelda had to stifle a giggle. “Oh, you are very much like Fi. The message is what I have just done, a kiss on the cheek for him once you get home.”

Pocket Fi nodded, floating off Zelda's finger. “I understand now, Your Grace. I shall deliver the message posthaste—”

“In this weather?” Zelda asked with a hand gesturing to the stormy outside world. “I certainly think not. As my guest, I insist you remain here until the storm has passed.” She gestured to the cup with a warm smile. Pocket Fi returned to her tiny hot tub, returning the smile with one of her own.

“I calculate a ninety-seven percent chance that Master Link will understand my delay,” she said. “I am grateful for your hospitality, Your Grace.” Making herself comfortable, she closed her cerulean eyes and sighed blissfully. “I am also grateful that you and Creator Fi gifted me with the capacity to enjoy and feel sensations. This feels extremely comfortable, particularly in comparison to the cold rain outside.”

Zelda nodded, holding a marshmallow for her tiny guest. “I should think so. I enjoy warm baths myself after stressful days as Princess of Hyrule.” Pocket Fi took the proffered confection, easily half the size of her head. The resulting image caused Zelda to nearly double over; Pocket Fi's cheeks were now engorged and looked positively adorable especially in conjunction with her spot in the tea cup. “Oh, I do love you, Pocket Fi.”

Swallowing the sugary treat, Pocket Fi smiled up at her. “I love you as well, Your Grace.”

Description
Episode 2: Message For Zelda

*

* *

It had been precisely eight days, fourteen hours, and thirty-nine seconds since Pocket Fi had been gifted to her master Link. Thus far, he was no longer tardy for his knightly lessons, he had attended a party held by Midna—no special occasion, she was just a very social butterfly—and was now on a regular sleeping schedule.

Pocket Fi truly excelled at her work and charted a palpable twelve percent increase in Link's positivity and attitude; he was already an optimistic fellow and thus any improvement was a victory.

At this moment, Pocket Fi had been tasked with something of great importance; she was to deliver a message to Princess Zelda in Hyrule Castle.

The tiny assistant flittered through the grassy hills between Link's house and the castle. She had originally insisted on delivering the message posthaste but Link persuaded her to take her time and enjoy the outside. Truth be told, Pocket Fi was indeed enjoying the sun on her metal body...

And then the storm came.

It had come quickly, even against Pocket Fi's calculations regarding the weather. She would see to it that Fi and Princess Zelda adjusted her capabilities in that regard, but first she had to push through the harsh gales and heavy rainfall that now stood between her and the task to which she had set out.

“I will not fail you, Master,” she said. The wind would hardly bother someone of average size, but for Pocket Fi, it was a struggle to stay aloft and keep from blowing away.

The thunder rolled and crashed against the horizon. Sunlight had been blotched by dark clouds, leaving only flashes of lightning to guide Pocket Fi. Her crystalline eyes blinked away the rainwater and focused on a nearby tree, its mighty branches blocking most of the precipitation.

Huddling close to the bark, Pocket Fi's determination never faltered. She would complete her master's task whether she had to face harsh weather or vicious beast. Fortunately, the only beasts nearby were a nest of songbirds higher up in the branches of the tree.

There were three of the avian creatures in the nest, one adult and two chicks. The adult was struggling to hold the nest in place against the wind while the poor chicks squawked and chirped in fear, and for good reason. The fall would be fatal. The adult bird's talons were slipping against the damp straw and twig holding his nest together, his chicks teetering on the edge. One more gust and they would tumble out of sight if he did not secure their nest.

Pocket Fi had been programmed to obey her master's every command—with certain redundancies to prevent unauthorized usage or a sudden shift to evil—but she also had a subprotocol that meshed well with the very essence of Link: Help those in need.

Blue and violet cloth arms wrapped around a likely bit of twig and tugged hard. Fighting against the wind, she and the adult kept the nest from moving any further but also could not force it to budge in the other direction towards the cavity in which it had originally resided. The thunder roared and bellowed, frightening the chicks all the more. One hopped closer and closer to its parent for comfort and warmth, but the wind was not kind.

Pocket Fi watched as the chick teetered and ultimately went over the edge of the nest. At its currently velocity, it would strike the ground in less than seven seconds with a seventy percent chance of bouncing off the branches on the way down.

Pocket Fi reached the chick in three seconds, cradling it—almost half again her size—on her way back up to the nest. Leaving the adult to hold his home was an educated risk, one that Pocket Fi did not take lightly despite the timeframe.

As her mind was mechanical in nature, Pocket Fi saw seconds as hours, hours as weeks. Her perception could adapt to mortal senses of time but the default thought process allowed for detailed and thoroughly examined choices before a mortal could even blink.

The adult was granted mercy and the wind died down just enough for him to pull the nest back into its hole in the tree, allowing Pocket Fi to see what had caused the dislodging in the first place: The hole had been flooded by rainwater while the adult had gone in search of food.

Pocket Fi set the chick down beside its sibling. The hole was still flooded and the adult held his nest still, and so Pocket Fi dived into the water towards the opposite side of the entrance. Her pointed head struck the softened wood and she began to spin faster and faster, chipping away at the interior until she finally popped out the other side.

Water drained from the new hole and the nest at last rested securely, though Pocket Fi created a memo to revisit the location once the weather cleared so she could plug the hole and prevent rot and decay. After waiting thirty seconds to be sure the chicks would be safe in their home, Pocket Fi gave both chicks a kiss on their fluffy heads and resumed her journey to fulfill her important task.

*

* *

As Princess Zelda was in the privacy of her chambers, she had shed her formal regalia and lounged comfortably in loose pajamas. She sat by the lit fireplace with a steaming cup of tea when she heard it.

Tap tap tap.

Hiding a kunai between her fingers, Zelda held her breath and waited.

Tap tap tap.

It sounded like metal on glass, but not heavy. A sword, even a dagger would make a louder clink. Zelda made her way cautiously to the window from which the tapping was loudest. She peered out and saw nothing but moonlight, until she glanced down.

“Pocket Fi?” Setting her kunai down, Zelda hurried and opened the window for her new guest. “This is a surprise, albeit a pleasant one.”

The little assistant floated inside and shut the window behind her, and then shot into the fireplace for a moment. Rainwater now steaming off her metal body, Pocket Fi stood on Zelda's lap as she returned to her spot by the fire.

“Greetings, Your Grace,” said Pocket Fi. “I have come bearing a message from Master Link.”

Zelda nudged her finger against the tiny Fi's head. “You came in the middle of a storm? Surely Link could have waited until the morning.” She poured some still-hot water from the kettle into a spare cup. “Please, warm yourself in this.”

Obliging her hostess, Pocket Fi lowered herself into the makeshift hot tub and smiled dreamily. While she was an assistant, she did have her own personal likes and dislikes. At the moment, she definitely liked a hot bath.

“I am indebted to you, Your Grace. In truth, I had left while the sky was clear. It had begun to rain as I was on route.”

Zelda nodded, reached for a marshmallow from the nearby bowl, and popped it into her mouth. “I see. What was the message? I confess myself intrigued, Link always seemed like a man of few words.”

She looked up to see Pocket Fi floating beside her cheek. “He is,” said the pocket assistant, and then she planted a soft kiss on Zelda's cheek.

“...” Zelda flushed, touching the kiss spot with fair fingers. “That's the message?” At Pocket Fi's nod, Zelda found her own lips had betrayed her in a bashful smile. “You came all this way just to kiss my cheek?” Pocket Fi nodded once more, her head tilted in a birdlike show of curiosity.

“Was the message unclear?” she asked. “I apologize, I must have made an error during the initial recording.”

Zelda held out a finger on which Pocket Fi could sit. “You made no error, little one. I just... I am unsure how to process the emotions I feel from such a message.” She shrugged. “I shall think on it later. For now, I have a message for you to deliver to him upon your return.”

“I would be honored, Your Grace. What is the message?” Zelda's full lips lightly pressed against the cheek of Pocket Fi.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“What is the message?”

Zelda had to stifle a giggle. “Oh, you are very much like Fi. The message is what I have just done, a kiss on the cheek for him once you get home.”

Pocket Fi nodded, floating off Zelda's finger. “I understand now, Your Grace. I shall deliver the message posthaste—”

“In this weather?” Zelda asked with a hand gesturing to the stormy outside world. “I certainly think not. As my guest, I insist you remain here until the storm has passed.” She gestured to the cup with a warm smile. Pocket Fi returned to her tiny hot tub, returning the smile with one of her own.

“I calculate a ninety-seven percent chance that Master Link will understand my delay,” she said. “I am grateful for your hospitality, Your Grace.” Making herself comfortable, she closed her cerulean eyes and sighed blissfully. “I am also grateful that you and Creator Fi gifted me with the capacity to enjoy and feel sensations. This feels extremely comfortable, particularly in comparison to the cold rain outside.”

Zelda nodded, holding a marshmallow for her tiny guest. “I should think so. I enjoy warm baths myself after stressful days as Princess of Hyrule.” Pocket Fi took the proffered confection, easily half the size of her head. The resulting image caused Zelda to nearly double over; Pocket Fi's cheeks were now engorged and looked positively adorable especially in conjunction with her spot in the tea cup. “Oh, I do love you, Pocket Fi.”

Swallowing the sugary treat, Pocket Fi smiled up at her. “I love you as well, Your Grace.”