Babble - Beyond Dimensions

Chapter 2: The one where they give you a flattering name

This day was not going as planned. Actually if one were to be honest, the last few months were not going as planned. Starting with running into different incarnations of the hero's spirit through interdimensional travel due to plotting of Dark Link instead of the peaceful life he had at Lon Lon Ranch with his beloved wife, Malon. But Link – or as he had been renamed Time due to sheer inconvenience of having nine different hylians running around all wearing the same name – could not get himself to regret any of the precious time he had spent with the other heroes, for they had become a big family (and he got to meet one of his descendants long before he even had his first child, which was a bonus).

What brought him to the current day. They had switched to Wild’s Hyrule just the day before (which was a bit inconvenient – with the portals they could at least choose when to change worlds and it was not good at all that they still switched worlds randomly on top of that – it usually messed them up a little) and had just eaten breakfast and packed up when a young hylian ran through their camp screaming hysterically on top of their lungs. Even more inconvenient were the horde of Bokoblins chasing the…well, he absolutely could not tell the probably teenager’s age.

And due to a very inconvenient language barrier they knew literally nothing about the kid. Could not even properly assume their gender, lest they were wrong and that would be…not good. This was something Time had learned thanks to his Zelda and it was a lesson he would probably never forget.

It was not that they hadn’t tried to communicate with the person. They had tried talking in over ten different languages and about 20 different dialects, even tried to use sign and the only thing that they succeed in was that the stranger babbled on in three different kinds of babble. Which was frustrating, really. Because not even the language option on Wild’s Shiekah Slate could recognize the teenager’s talk. If it even was talk, which Time slowly started to doubt.

On top of all of this the kid had not left after they had defeated the bokoblins for them. Like a cat that would just take one look at someone and say: “Yep, you’re my servant now, I’m gonna keep you” the kid persistently stuck around.

Not that they had tried to get rid of them purposefully, not at all (okay, Warriors maybe a little, but the kid punched him after all), it was simply too dangerous for a person who didn’t know how to fight monsters (because unarmed hylians the kid could fight just fine) to stick around them. They might or might not have paid one of the hostel owners in the nearest town to keep an eye on the kid and to keep them there until someone who knew the kid would come to get them.

Wasted money, it turns out. The kid was too stubborn to stay away and instead of staying in the relative safety of the town they had taken to following them. Which was not good, because first of, the kid was a danger to themselves (not even knowing the most basic dangers Wild’s Hyrule offered and toddling in front of the gaping maw of dead more times than anyone wanted to count) and second, they could also be a danger to them, if Wild's stories about travelers were to be believed. Which was not good at all.

They had taken a break on midday their travels to the colder regions, where they had heard in the town that a portal had shown up, to rest and eat lunch.

And so while Wild was cooking, Legend and Hyrule had left to scout out their environment – Wolfie with them, Sky was sleeping and Warriors sat there, watching and glaring at the kid. The kid meanwhile ignored him and was theatrically babbling and gesturing to Wind, who was either a very good actor or truly interested in what the stranger had to say, even though he could – just like the rest of them – not understand a word the kid said. Then they suddenly brushed in one of their hand motions against one of their long and slender ears.

Instantly the kid shut up, eyes as wide as saucers. Then they slowly touched their ears up and down, while wordlessly opening their mouth and doing a pretty great impression of a fish.

Four, who was sitting next to Time and also watching the interaction of Wind and the kid, jutted down a quick note in the journal he currently used to note everything about their newest companion, a violet glint in his eyes.

Seeing Time's eyes upon him, he explained: “I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with them, because there is something entirely alien about them. My current running theory is that they were an animal turned hylian. Their reaction when realizing their ear shape adds to that theory. That or they are simply some other race turned hylian or simply amnesiac, even worse than Wild had been.”

“I don't think they used to be an animal, they would have had least most basic survival instinct, amnesia or the other race is more likely. Add sudden age up to the list, maybe they used to be a toddler” Time added, nodding. “Good work, keep it up.”

The unresponsiveness of the kid meanwhile seemed to have worried Wind, because he was waving a hand in front of the stranger's eyes and they had yet to even blink. Searching for help, their youngest member looked at Time: “Time, what should I do? Babble is not responding!”

“Babble?!” Four sputtered out, eyes a mix between red, blue and violet. “I had not meant that name seriously when I suggested it.” Wind frowned at that: “Well, they need a name. After all they are going to stick around. I cannot see them leaving after what they did in the hostel.”

The hostel incident, as it had been named, was when they tried to leave the kid behind. The well-meaning owner had held the kid so they could leave – the kid had, upon being unable to get loose started babbling on top of their lungs which really was not a pleasant experience, especially because it sounded like they were scolding the Links. And upon still not being let go they had started to fight the poor hostel owner until they let go. It was not a good incident. They all had been banned from this hostel for a lifetime.

Time repressed an involuntary shudder.

“Alright, Babble it is” he finally agreed at Wind's pleading puppy dog look. Four seemed to be caught between joy, horror and pity at that, eyes a multicolored mess. Inwardly Time wondered why that was, but seeing as the changing eye-colors did not seem to bother their smallest hero as he hadn't mentioned it, it was probably nothing to worry about.

Babble meanwhile blinked and found themself back into reality. Sheepishly shrugging to the worried questions of Wind the kid simply continued the story they had been telling until Wild called that lunch was ready.

Well, that was good. Time was slowly getting a little hungry, though he would rather eat a poe then admit it out loud. And Babble seemed happy about that, too, having understood that there would be food despite not understanding a word said.

And after lunch they would have to continue their journey to find the portal. They had to figure out what exactly Dark Link was planning and how to stop it – kid or no kid. They would surely figure out a way of how to babysit them while still continuing their quest.

And goddesses, poor Babble, guess that's what they would be called from now on because that name already stuck. He was sure the kid would either laugh or try to kill them all once they found it out.