A Visiting Zurgythingy...

As Sheik greeted the X'rghthu before them, Link blinked as she noted that she felt that she knew him from somewhere. That was odd… they didn't know any other aliens the same species as Zurg, so he wasn't quite sure where they might know him from. Even so, the longer he looked at him, the more the young hero realized that he definitely seemed familiar to him as well. It was just… a feeling he got…

As soon as he heard the alien chuckle though, Link couldn't help but jolt the slightest bit in surprise. His blue eyes widened as he focused the voice that sounded just like a certain robot butler he knew… and although he could tell whose voice it was from the laugh alone, when he started to speak, that definitely confirmed it. This was Lawrence!

"Ha?!" Link exclaimed, and as soon as Lawrence finished speaking, he couldn't help but stare in disbelief as well. This was… wow, this transformation was incredible! It reminded him so much of his own transformations with his masks yet at the same time, it seemed… just a little different. He noted that his appearance had changed for a while, and as Impa echoed the fact that it was there friend here, Link's stunned expression shifted into a happy grin.

"Ha-ha-ha, wow Lawrence, that's amazing!" Link took a few steps forward, curiously regarding the robot-turned-X'rghthu. "I definitely wouldn't have guessed it was you… it's really good to see you, though!"

Tatl herself had chimed in surprise as soon as she heard their visitor's voice. This wasn't quite the same as the transformations she herself was used to seeing, but even she had to admit that this was pretty interesting. Bobbing her glow at Ciela's own words, even as her Link's curiosity was piqued even more with them, she added, "Yeah, you seem a LOT like him, but definitely a lot like yourself too." Maybe this was simply what the butler would have looked like had he been born a X'rghthu.

Sheik did not know exactly where she might have met this visitor before, but the longer she looked at him, the deeper the sense of familiarity she had sank in. The instant that he began to chuckle though, she couldn't help but gasp in surprise as she heard a voice that she knew very well. "Lawrence!"

Laughing a bit herself, the disguised princess moved to pull down the collar of her Sheikah tunic with her left hand, revealing a broad grin as the butler spoke. He noted that he had changed forms for a time as well as that he was in fact their robotic friend, and Impa soon followed with a confirmation that not only did they have a surprise visit from him, but that he had surprised them further with his present state. "Ha-ha! This is a great surprise!"

Whilst her two best friends stared in disbelief, Sheik looked the robot-turned-X'rghthu up and down, noticing that much like how Link and Link greatly resembled each other without looking identical, so too was the case for the transformed Lawrence and Zurg himself. Glancing back up at his taller form, she noted, "That's not a bad look for you."

Sheik turned to Ciela as the Spirit of Courage voiced her own questions, finding that she had outright asked what she herself had been wondering. She wasn't quite sure why or how Lawrence had transformed, although regardless of the way that the Breach could be rather unpredictable, she did have a few guesses. Considering just how calm he was, the change did seem to be on purpose… and if that was the case, no matter how long it lasted, she hoped that he enjoyed his time in another form.

Nodding in agreement with the two fairies, Sheik stated, "Yeah, I agree with Ciela and Tatl. Even under all of that, you just… seem like yourself." She knew he was definitely still himself on the inside, but it was neat to be able to see that even with his outward appearance having been transformed.

The general reaction seemed to be one of delighted surprise, and Lawrence smiled as best he could beneath that veil. He thought the three of them would react something like that, but to see the looks on their faces made it all the better. Just the young innkeeper's reaction almost had the butler laughing again . . . the Hero of Winds was always so expressive about things!

One of the fairies seemed a bit concerned, though, so he moved to clear that up firstly. "Don't worry, Ciela. I simply wanted to know what it was like to be one of Zurg's kind, and so I had this transformation done. Nothing untoward has happened here at all. If any of you would like to take a closer look, to make sure this is real, I do not mind." Kids would be kids, after all, and he expected some experimenting.

At Sheik's compliment, Lawrence felt a bit of warmth rising to his cheeks again, and was glad said blush couldn't be seen very well due to the veil. His reply didn't manage to hide it nearly as well, however. "... Zurg also seemed to agree with you. He said I looked quite handsome in these robes..." He really wasn't used to getting complimented on his looks, and thinking back on what the monarch said made him just a little hot and bothered.

Shaking it off after a moment, the butler focused on the rather interesting point they all made. "Well, I am quite glad I still seem like myself, in spite of all this . . . some others that have gotten transformations tend to let their new forms go to their heads."

Once Lawrence dropped the mysteriousness and let Link, Link, and Sheik know who he was, Impa was certainly amused at the reactions of her three charges. As to be expected, all three of them were very surprised to learn that the X'rghthu before them was in fact the butler, but right alongside that, they were happy at the surprise of him dropping by the inn.

Around the older Link's staring and Ciela's quick flurry of questions, Lawrence was quick to let all of them know that it was a temporary and voluntary transformation. As the younger Link voiced his own surprise and Sheik noted that this was a good look for the butler, Impa was glad that her friend seemed to take the comment so well, in spite of the shy reaction it brought about. Laughing softly for a moment, she soon stated, "Your true appearance is just fine, but I would have to say that Zurg had it quite right."

Impa could not help but nod at the added remark about others who had let previous transformations go to their heads. That certainly brought back a number of memories, both of direct encounters as well as learning of events after the fact. Shaking her head a but, the Sheikah noted, "Sad but true… I don't think that would ever prove the case for you though, no matter what this week brings about."

As Link, Link, and Sheik took up Lawrence's offer to come get a better look of his current form, Impa simply looked on. The three kids might have all been wise and experienced beyond their years, but they were of course still kids, and Impa was always happy to see them have the chance to be such. And after all, exercising curiosity just happened to be one of the best aspects of it.

The moment Lawrence said they were free to have a closer look, Link materialised at the newly transformed X’rghthu’s elbow, eyes still wide with amazement and now pointing one finger out so slowly you would have thought he was reaching out to touch a priceless piece of glass. When his fingertip being on Lawrence’s upper arm didn’t cause him to vapourise, the boy’s face broke into a grin. “Hooooh!”

Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat went his hands as he patted the arm up and down. There really wasn’t anything robotic or metal feeling under that sleeve at all! Once he reached the end of the arm, he tilted his head, stooped a little and lifted Lawrence’s hand to check the hands. The innkeeper proceed to poke at the hand then measured it against his own. This was so fascinating! He always wanted to have a closer look at Zurg’s features but had been reluctant to ask for it since he doubt the ex-emperor would appreciate the curious scrutiny.

“Physically, you look different but there is undoubtedly an air of familiarity and yourself.” Was it the way he carried himself? The posture? They weren’t too sure but it was definitely there and shines out even more once they realise who he was.

“Eh,” Link sounded and waved for attention. “Aah. Um.” Link gestured at Lawrence, made a pained expression while holding his chest then gestured at him again.

“Did it hurt to transform?” Ciela translated whilst nodding in agreement to his remarks about other people’s reactions to transforming. They had haven’t seen anybody who had transformed but they had caught some words through the grapevine about them. They don’t know the stories and reasonings behind why they go through with them but their transformation choices certainly raised Link’s eyebrow and the fairies’ wings.

Link's happy grin relaxed a bit as Lawrence confirmed that he had just wanted to know what it was like to be one of Zurg's kind for a little while. That made perfect sense, and he was glad that it was something like that that their friend had got to choose on his own.

In short order, his older nametwin was right up beside the butler, having zoomed past his own closer spot to him. Whilst he let the Hero of Wind take care of most of the patting for Lawrence's arm, by the time he got to his hand, Link was right beside him to inspect it as well, also moving to hold his own hand up next to it. Wow… so THAT'S about how big a X'rghthu's hands were… and his past observation had been right! Just like a Zora, they didn't have any fingernails!

"This really is neat," mused Link, exchanging a grin with the older boy before continuing with the close study of their friend's transformed state. At catching Lawrence's remark about his appearance in the robes, Link chuckled a bit and nodded at Impa's words before noting, "They do look pretty comfy!"

A moment later, once Link began to mime his next inquiry, the younger Link looked to his friend, guessing roughly what he was set to ask before Ciela put his actions into words. Indeed… did it hurt to transform?

That was a very good question actually, and one that the Hero of Time had started to ponder himself. He was well-versed with his own transformation masks, but despite the involuntary cry that each of those elicited from him each time he donned them, suddenly inhabiting the body of a Deku Scrub, Goron, Zora, or the Fierce Deity never hurt. Turning back to Lawrence as he waited for his answer, Link mentally ran over some of the sensations of his own transformations to see if he might be able to relate to it. Forms were one thing, but suddenly switching between his younger and older ages? He never really felt that given the way that the Master Sword worked for him.

Sheik might not have been able to see Lawrence's smile outright, but she could definitely sense it, and that in turn caused her own grin to grow the slightest bit.

Looking back to the butler as he began to answer the questions Ciela had voiced, the disguised princess nodded as he explained that the transformation was of his own choice, that he had wanted to see what it would be like to be the same species as Zurg, and that yes, everything had been okay so far around it. She did not quite let out a sigh of relief at that, but she was pleased to confirm it nonetheless.

At Lawrence's invitation to take a closer look at his form, Sheik followed after Link and Link showing all of the curiosity but not quite the same level of open enthusiasm around it. She did take the chance to get a better glance over him now that she was a bit closer, and she soon smiled a little more at his statement about his appearance in the robes. Nodding along with Impa and Link, the disguised princess noted, "I'm glad he did." Robot or X'rghthu, he did have a nice look about him, and the robes did definitely seem comfier than one might think at first.

As her two best friends began to look over Lawrence's hand, Sheik studied it for a moment before circling around his other side, thinking once again that this really was an amazing transformation. She took special note of the appearance of his horns, once more noting only the slightest of difference between Zurg and himself. The horns were a prominent feature of X'rghthu, and she could only imagine what a difference they were to the butler.

"You definitely do," assured Sheik at Lawrence's assessment of the point they had made about him seeming like himself. At her guardian's own note, she added, "I'm afraid I've heard secondhand about some of those cases." As for the butler's own, another thing the disguised princess was curious about was the question posed by the older Link. She couldn't imagine that this transformation would hurt, but it was most likely a very bizarre sensation when he experienced it.

Almost as soon as the invitation to take a closer look had been given, suddenly there was a Wind Waker Link taking Lawrence up on the offer. The boy started with one experimental poke, first of all, and when that seemed to work just fine, set about patting the butler's arm up and down. No, nothing metal or robotic here for the moment, in fact his arm would feel quite soft and cuddly. There was a good bit of muscle beneath the softness, though he wasn't quite as bulky as Zurg.

After the innkeeper was satisfied with that, it was time to compare hand sizes, at which point the other Link came closer to do so as well. Ordinarily, Lawrence's hand would still be bigger than the boys', but not by much. Right now, though, it dwarfed the two heroes' outstretched hands. Even he was a little surprised by that, still not entirely used to the difference.

The butler had to try not to chuckle at the older Link's pantomime, but when Ciela translated he had to think back a bit on the answer. "Hmm, it did not hurt, at least not during the transformation itself. It was almost like a gentle tugging all over my body. Now, when the spell completed, I did fall victim to sensory overload but that was to be expected, given how drastic the change was. I passed out almost instantly, so at least I was not in that state for long."

Then there were the comments on the robes, to which Lawrence had to add his own qualifiers. "Well, these are quite warm; I didn't have to wear anything like a coat on the way here. However, this much fabric is quite heavy . . . I imagine some of you might have trouble moving around in a set of robes like this. These are also Zurg's, so they aren't quite a perfect fit, either."

Impa smiled warmly as her three charges made quick work of closing the distance to Lawrence so that they could better inspect his new form. Whilst Sheik took to studying the current X'rthgthu more with her eyes for the time being, the older Link was soon poking and patting at the butler's arm, just in time for the younger Link to join him in inspecting his hand. Lawrence's hands had always been bigger than those of her three charges as well as Impa's own given their design, but it was still rather interesting to see just how much larger they were by comparison. The Sheikah raised an eyebrow at that observation, still thinking to herself just how interesting it was to note even the simpler differences between his true and current forms.

As Lawrence moved to describe the sensation of transformation itself and the ensuing sensory overload that he had experienced, Impa nodded before stating, "I see… that's very interesting. What you felt during the transformation makes perfect sense, but I am still very glad that it did not hurt at a ll. I had been wondering about the sudden jolt to your new senses, but even though you passed out, I'm just glad you were all right from that."

It made sense that the robes were quite warm, but considering that it was still January, that was likely a very good thing regardless of the thermoregulation of X'rghthu. Soon enough, not only did Lawrence explain that the robes were about as heavy as they looked, he confirmed that they were in fact Zurg's. Impa had been guessing that since he had first arrived, especially given the slightly large fit of them, but although the topic had not come up just yet, she was glad that her friend was able to note that before she herself could inquire about it.

"I can see how it would be rather heavy… I might be able to move around in it, but cumbersome fabric can have as many disadvantages as it does bonuses. Regardless of their weight, I'm just glad Zurg had something good for you to wear." It wasn't the dapper tuxedo that was part of his metallic frame, but this was still a rather good look for the butler.

This was amazing. He really didn’t feel like a robot at all. He was also a little bit more squishier than he thought Zurg’s kind would feel. Seeing how tall and solid the ex-emperor had looked, Link was under the impression that his kind must all be remarkably beefy with rock solid muscles under all the robes but Lawrence’s arm was rather soft to touch whilst obviously hiding some good bit of muscle underneath. The younger Link soon joined him on examining the hand and they both look fascinatedly at the lack of fingernails.

“Hum,” sounded the boy as Lawrence described the sensation of transforming as a gentle tug all around the boy. He tried to think of something he might had experienced that was similar to that sensation. Warping at the end of boss battles in the Great Sea might be the closest, he’d imagine and even then he was sure it was still different in some aspects.

The mention of sensory overload made Link pause momentarily. It was to be expected that different kind of beings would have different senses. Just like the Hylian’s slight more sensitive hearing and considerable resistance to temperatures - the latter trait being a whole other level for Sheikahs. Oh dear, he hoped in his curiosity, he haven’t hurt Lawrence. He almost wanted to lift the sleeves of the robes and check if his arm patting had left bruises. He wasn't sure if he had gotten more sensitive to touch or not but it had been thoughtless of Link to had reached out like so. His light hold of the X’rghthu’s hand had been gentle but he relaxed it even more now. “Ha...” he sounded, casting an apologetic look up to Lawrence.

“I hope you were at home when the change occurred then. I wouldn’t think walking through the streets would be pleasant when you had just passed out and you’re trying to get used to your new senses,” Ciela said then, as Link’s apologetic look soon turned into a focused stare on their friend’s veil. The stare was accompanied by a pointing at the innkeeper’s own jaw, followed by the clicking of Link’s teeth as he mimed a chomping motion. “Er… I guess, he’s asking what’s it like to eat as Zurg?”

“Aa,” Link nodded.

Link knew very well that Lawrence's hands were already bigger than his and Link's even when he was in his true form, but it was still impressive to see just how massive they were now. Even more, from the glance he had got from his older nametwin's poking and the way he himself moved to gently pat the butler's arm, he marveled at the sheer difference there as well. He knew that he wouldn't feel any of the normal metal right now, although he wasn't exactly sure if he'd expected his arm to feel so… well, soft. He could definitely feel the muscle underneath it, but his arm felt kind of like that of a Goron.

Nodding as Lawrence moved to describe the sensation he had felt during the earlier change, Link noted, "That sounds kind of like what happens whenever I put on one of my transformation masks. I think it happens a little more quickly, but it's kind of a sudden tug that doesn't hurt at all." He supposed it might feel a little different if he was more fully transforming into those respective forms, but either way, he was glad he never had the intense sensory overload that the butler had experienced. "Wow… was it even more intense than you thought it might be?" At least Lawrence had not been out for long, but he had to admit that he was curious about Ciela's question too.

Glancing between the Spirit of Courage and Impa, Tatl asked, "You passed out, huh? I bet waking up was a shock."

Link looked over Lawrence's robes again as he noted more about them, right before blinking in curiosity as Ciela translated Link's next question. Now that was bound to be interesting, especially since he was pretty sure that whilst recharging helped out for regaining energy, eating had to be an entirely different experience.

Sheik was fascinated at catching the differences in Lawrence's frame that both Link and Link were noting, and only once she had a good chance did she move in to carefully place her hand against that of the butler. She raised her eyebrows a bit as she realized just how much larger his hand was in this form, right before she grinned a bit at seeing how her own fingers were still a little longer than those of both of the young heroes. It made sense with her own growth spurt of course, but even around the kids' own occasional comparisons of height, hand sizes, and the like, this was still neat to see… and it was certainly a bit more interesting with the comparison to the hand of the current X'rghthu.

The disguised princess kept her focus on Lawrence's outstretched hand as the younger Link shifted to inspecting his arm, soon gently placing her other hand on the top of it as she turned it a bit to get an even better look at it. She had seen various transformations both in Hyrule as well as on the Breach, but the level of this one definitely fascinated her. With a nod as Lawrence confirmed that the transformation had not hurt, Sheik soon smiled at Link's own note of his transformation masks. As far as the sensory overload was concerned, she looked up to the butler before stating, "I can imagine it was rather disorienting, but you seem to have adjusted without too much trouble. Were there any sensory differences that really surprised you?"

At catching Ciela's note about where she hoped the change had been, Sheik couldn't help but chuckle a little sheepishly. "If he was at the place I was thinking of, he might not have been at home at all… were you, Lawrence?" There was definitely more than one way to be transformed on the Breach, but given the nature of this one and clues that he had already mentioned, the disguised princess had a strong feeling that she knew just where he had gone to experience this change.

Letting the butler's hand go for the moment, Sheik glanced to Link as Ciela translated his next question. She knew that food was something X'rghthu had to be careful about, but even so, how did eating as one compare to the occasional bit of Energon? "And adding to that, have you enjoyed getting to experience eating?"

At seeing the innkeeper looking apologetic after his comment about sensory overload, Lawrence shook his head. "Oh no, I'm perfectly all right now, Link. The only things no one should touch at all are my horns; that patting just now didn't hurt me. That was nothing compared to that bear I ended up having to fight this morning..."

Of course the other children and fairies had more questions, and the butler focused on Ciela and Sheik's questions first, as they were somewhat related. "No, it was not at home, I went to that shaman's place in the business district. I did come prepared, of course; we flew my shuttlecraft there, and I brought Zurg along to watch over me in case I passed out as I expected to. He brought me back home, and I awoke on the couch not long after that." Noting Tatl's comment, he nodded. "Yes, waking up was quite odd indeed, though I acclimated fairly quickly after that."

"The most surprising change were these horns." Lawrence pointed at them for emphasis, going on to explain. "I knew my audio sensors paled in comparison to Zurg's horns, but I did not realize just how much of a difference there was. When Jo first greeted me in her typical tone of voice, it seemed terribly loud, startling me quite badly. Zurg applied a sort of wax to them afterward, which helped dampen the worst of it. Even now, I can still hear things from quite far away . . ." He tilted his head slightly, as if listening for something. "... like whoever seems to be doing something quite strenuous on their bed. I'm not sure how far away that is, but it may be on the next floor."

Then finally there were the questions about eating as a X'rghthu. The butler did have to admit that before he ever watched Zurg eating, he had to wonder how it was done as well. "Eating is quite interesting and enjoyable, actually. You wouldn't think so, but these 'teeth' in front can actually separate. Chewing doesn't work exactly like it does in other organics, but it can still be done." He thought back to dinner the night before, hoping the next thing the monarch made for him was just as good. "I am quite happy to be able to finally taste Zurg's cooking, and his native cuisine at that. Jo tries the X'rghthu recipes she can tolerate, but there really aren't many that are compatible with humans..."

Impa smiled a bit as Lawrence mentioned the bear that he had encountered, as she had a very strong feeling that that was only going to further pique the already high interests of her three charges. The sight of the three of them curiously checking over their friend was definitely a sweet one, and best of all, it was difficult to tell who was enjoying this exchange the most.

As the butler confirmed that it had been the shaman that he had visited, Impa listed as he detailed the basic sequence of events that carried him from the shop back to his home. She expected nothing less of a well-thought out plan between him and Zurg, and she was glad that their preparations had paid off in full.

The horns were always an impressive feature of the X'rghthu, both in appearance as well as in function… as for the latter, Impa found that to be especially interesting. Both Sheikah and Hylians themselves already had remarkable hearing, so all four of them here were certainly able to relate to his new experience with heightened hearing. They each naturally possessed an excellent sense of hearing, one to the point where they could hear the quietest of sounds, noises from even a few rooms away in some settings, and even special messages. However, even with that, as far as picking up more elusive things was concerned, they typically had to consciously focus on such. It was something they were all used to, but instead of having to catch every single sound no matter what the circumstances, it was still a trait they were each grateful for.

At Lawrence's note about hearing some vigorous activity atop a bed, Impa blinked before focusing her own keen hearing in an attempt to pick up the sound. Considering the likely action and the direction that the sound was coming from, the Sheikah soon caught just the slightest hint of it before she let out a soft sigh. "No, it's on this floor, and I think I have a good idea of who it is." Regardless of the odd time of day, it was strange that that was the room in question, though… especially since its resident was normally very quiet. At least he was not usually so loud as to require the Head of Security to place a noise dampening ward around his room the same way she'd had to for the Akir brothers.

With a quick glance to her charges, Impa gave them a look that silently told them not to think too hard or get too concerned about it. Turning back to Lawrence, she stated, "Sharp hearing can have its downsides as you experienced with Jo, but overall it is a very useful trait. We've each had more than our fair share of instances with it." That stood both on the Breach as well as back in Hyrule.

Once the subject turned to eating, Impa smiled as Lawrence began to describe more of the less obvious traits of his current physiology, finding this all rather fascinating. To hear her friend sounding so happy about being able to try not only good food but even some of Zurg's own cooking made her especially glad for him, and she hoped that he would get to experience many more fine meals throughout the coming week.

Link's eyes widened. He fought a BEAR?! In his new form? His eyes then swept up and down Lawrence's new form, trying to spot any signs of wounds but the robes kept him too well covered for any to be visible. He did not look like he was in pain so he must have fought the bear and came out of it unscathed. Link let out an impressed whistle. Just like the younger Link was able to, Lawrence could leap into battle so soon after the transformation happened. Hum, would this innkeeper ever be able to do something like that? One part of think think he could, after all he’d been through so many islands and encountered so many things, surely he could handle whatever life decided to throw at him? Another side was rather doubtful. What if...he was turned into something he was completely unfamiliar with? Not so confident in that. Lawrence did a very brave thing, taking on a wild animal so soon after turning into a X’rghthu.

“Zurg carried you?” Ciela echoed, glow and wings tilting a little as she conjured up a birdseye view of the city. She didn’t know whereabouts this shaman was based but they were definitely not in the residential district. The city wasn’t massive but it wasn’t exactly small either so to carry somebody from one district to another was impressive. There were taxis but she wasn’t sure if it would comfortable for two X’rghthus considering their height.

“Ha...” sounded Link at the mentioned of the horns, his hands reaching back out poke at Lawrence’s new muscles again. He was actually hoping to have a touch of the horns but if they were sensitive as he said then he suppose that was out of the question.

Ciela jerked up a tiny notch in the air at what Lawrence said he was hearing. If it was what she thought it was… oh Farore, Impa was confirming it too. Nope, Ciela was not going to attempt to see if she could hear it too. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Her Hylian partner, on the other hand, glanced at Sheik and the younger Link, scrunched his brows together in fierce concentration and the tips of his ears lifted a little as he strained to detect these noises of strenuous bed activities. He also tried to figure out who would be close enough to be heard by the hearing sensitive. His brows knitted together and with all his concentration, he could pick up something like furniture moving but even that was very faint especially when the noise from the streets were much closer.

Who was it? No wait, the more important question should be WHY would they do strenuous stuff on the bed of all places? Surely extreme exercising would be better at a gym, on a mat on the floor or at the Olympic Stadium. Or… maybe they were attempting to move the bed? In which case if it was strenuous then they’re not very strong… maybe he should offer help? Aa, but that would be awkward. How exactly should he offer help without sounding like he was a busybody? Link can hardly knock on the door and say ‘Hello, heard you moving stuff from the lobby. Need help?’

No, better to stay here and pretend he didn’t overhear anything. Which was just fine because finding out about Lawrence’s new form was MUCH more interesting than furniture moving.

The teeth could separate! Link almost wanted to dig for a cookie in his office and offer their friend one just to see this eating business in action. He had never seen a X’rghthu eat before. “Ha,” said the boy then quickly scribbled a message on his digiglass. “Would you have the same allergies to Zurg too then?”

What was the ex-emperor allergic to again? Link knew it wasn’t seafood, that was for sure.