text; un: maou (really more of a photo post)

[owarifool]

[ Those scrolling past their feeds on this fine day will find themselves greeted with an image post. A singular image, in all its glory(?)...



That's it. Just that picture. Of abs.

Just abs. ]

[[art by lempika]]

Comments

[owarifool]

[ ... Yeah, that had to be him. ]

Link, I take it?

[ He didn't mind the staring that much, but... what kind of person just does that? He had to admire it, being a Fool, himself. This guy might even be on a different level than even Kipposhi was... ]

[botw]

( ah! he's been caught... well, it was bound to happen. link is pretty much making it as obvious as possible that he's been staring, right? the fact he now gets to see the whole picture as it were is nice though. )

Yeah.

( guess it means he can't not slowly reach out to maybe touch it... )

And you're Kipposhi...?

[owarifool]

[ Don't touch other people's abs unsolicited, Link, thas rude. ]

The one and only. You seem the curious type, that's for sure.

[botw]

( he gets close but does not touch! still a nice midriff tho. )

Is that a bad thing?

( backing off, link grins and shrugs. )

So you're a Demon King... hm. I don't get it.

[owarifool]

[ He sort of expected a remark like that. This guy clearly wasn't from Japan, or even really "human" in the same way Kipposhi assumed most were. Close enough, he supposed, but it was obvious he wouldn't quite get why the title mattered. ]

Impressions are everything. If you carry yourself as a Demon King, people will start to treat you as one.

Am I literally the Buddhist deity my title comes from? No. I'm not literally a demon, or a king, but I am all of that in a figurative sense. I am the flame that burns my name into the hearts and minds of the people, and leaves my legacy like a scar on time.

[botw]

( he speaks in such a grandiose and convincing manner, and link doesn't doubt kipposhi's convictions. not even in the slightest! )

So would you believe that I'm a hero?

[owarifool]

Well you can't just wear a label, you have to act the part, too.

[ Kipposhi hummed, adjusting the visor of his cap before scratching at his chin. ]

And right now, you more come off as a bumpkin than a hero. No offense.

[ Not that Kipposhi was doubting him. The guy had a sort of blunt earnestness to him that made it easy to believe what he said. But just what sort of 'hero' was this Link? He had to admit... he was curious. ]

[botw]

( 'act the part'... well, he'll stay quiet on that. boasting about saving his home, warding off the most dangerous being in his world? that's not something anyone else can say but it's also not him to say anything. )

Bumpkin? ( a frown, as he idly scratches his chin. ) I guess.

( outside of the domains, the hylian kingdom is villages. idyllic and beautiful ones, so... )

I'm happy with that.

( and it allows him to be lowkey. until action happens, that is. )

[owarifool]

[ Kipposhi could only laugh in response, clapping a hand against Link's shoulder in a patting gesture. ]

Alright, alright, I can respect that! It's not as if bumpkin's can't have ambition, and you did describe yourself as a hero...

So, Link, walk with me, talk with me, tell me what it is that makes this hero bumpkin's blood rush, huh? What gets you excited?

[botw]

( he's never been asked something quite like this before, but he suspects his answer will be appropriate. )

Food.

( and then link laughs nervously, before rubbing the back of his own head. )

Paragliding. ( then a pause: ) Have you ever leapt off a mountain before?

[owarifool]

[ Kipposhi gave a full chested laugh. Well he couldn't be surprised by "food" as an answer. Whether that meant this Link was a voracious eater or a chef himself, it was intriguing enough. But paragliding? That struck a whole different chord.

Mostly because it sounded dangerous. ]

I've lead an army charging down a mountainside before, but never leapt off of one. Sounds thrilling!

[botw]

An army...

( this young man has titles that match someone who could lead one. but as the words escape his lips, he also wonders: )

... you called yourself a fool. That doesn't sound very complimentary.

( hands behind his back, link scuffs the ground with a boot. )

And you don't seem to be one.

[owarifool]

In truth, "Fool of Owari" was something others called me, that I learned to embrace.

[ He gave a small chuckle. They came to a crosswalk, the signal letting carriages on the byway pass by first before they could continue. ]

You see, I'm not an idiot, I'm not that sort of "fool". What I am is someone who refuses to let themselves be shackled by "common sense".

[botw]

( watching the carriages go by... this is certainly all new to him. but not necessarily a strange thing; common sense would be to let faster and bigger things go by first, right? )

I didn't think you were an idiot.

( just to, you know. make sure that he knew that. )

It's smart to think of more than one possibility. Can't you just call yourself... um... free?

[owarifool]

I could, but that's not really the point. [ Kipposhi raised his finger, gesturing to the side of his head. ]

The trick is to take something someone thought was a weapon against you and turn it into a strength. Who can insult me as a Fool when I embrace being a Fool, hm?

[botw]

Ah...

( link slowly rubs his forehead. kipposhi is a strange person, but definitely not mean-spirited! that much he can tell. he's not sure whether the tactic of playing the fool but not being the fool is... completely sound, but who's he to say it doesn't work? link's own methods can be pretty unconventional and he knows it. )

... what happens if no one insults you?

( blinks a few times. )

[owarifool]

Ah, it's way too late for that conversation. Plus I'm definitely the kind of guy that rubs some of the more wound up types the wrong way.

[ Kipposhi chuckled, rubbing at the back of his head. ]

But I guess that means you're not used to making enemies, huh?