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Flowing Serenade

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    While you sat, you wondered about your friends' recent strange behaviors, the eerie chance encounter with the witches and shadow girls, and Cremia's mysterious illness. You were so absorbed in thought that you hadn't noticed a homeless Goron has been walking around the perimeter of the park... Or the black leather jackets coming and going consistently from seemingly random streets. You did not notice the purple t-shirts and hooded sweatshirts with elegant and intricate "B" emblems on the fronts and/or backs. Nor had you consciously noticed the garish yellow tuxedo that stepped out of a limousine, or the cyan bandannas and wristbands that huddled together beside sports cars. 

    All that, which marked the local riff-raff, suddenly started standing out after the Goron's umpteenth lap around the skate park. You had sat there for so long, engorged on thought, as if in shock - and quite rightly so - that the scenery around you had started to turn into a story of self-evident lies, drama, and mystery.

 

    The afternoon had slipped right underneath your nose. But for a moment, of sudden lucidity, you felt like you could see through reality; as if a divine force compelled you to act on, and solve, the many Hyrulean problems you encountered. Your eyes widened with consciousness as you watched some more, now with intent.

    A Black jacketed thief had picked the Yellow Tuxedo's pocket, whom had come to launder money with a Purple Brawler as part of a reward to his gang for "cleaning up" the Cyan Racers up north in Mafia territory, which had moved in on the Black Thieves' claim and forced them out into the west, outside of town and opened their turf up for the Mafia.

    Even though it took most of the day for these events to transpire, even though you had paid no direct attention to any of the events until now, so caught up in your own recent experience, you were suddenly and mysteriously aware of all of this... Though you had no genuine proof that what you thought you saw was truly real, you felt it in your Heart to be true...

    ... and then, as if on cue, the Goron took off his perimeter path to approach you, standing directly in front of you, almost menacingly, just waiting for you to look up at him.

    You feel scared for a moment and slowly look up to meet the homeless Goron's eyes… no, his belly. You had to crane your neck back to see his grin. The fear melted quickly away when you saw friendly eyes and a sly grin, just as the Goron spoke "Hi! My name's Link. You homeless, too, kid?" It was the beginning of evening now, when you looked around and noticed many derelict Hyruleans approaching the park one by one from all directions and noticed the smell of hotdogs coming from under the bridge behind the Goron Link. You shook your head to answer the Goron and looked behind him, where you saw a line forming from under the bridge.

    The Goron's smile beamed; happy to help anyone down on their luck, even if they weren’t homeless too, and saw an opportunity to explain the situation to someone who wasn't up to date. "Ah, the homeless feed. Great people, they come out here every evening and cook up some cheap grub for those of us who have no money. They even accept original Rupees as exchange, not just that fake paper stuff they have now, with the pictures of the royal family on them and stuff. They seem real grateful for those Rupees."

    You fetched a 5r bill from your pocket, sporting an elegant Princess Zelda on the front.

    "Yeah... They don't care about that stuff, no real value for what they do, feeding people. They don't reject it though - I'm sure they buy more food with it, but they don't seem to want any funny money. I suppose they have a better use for the Rupees, you think?" The Goron continued as he sat beside your bench with a merciless thud.

    "You've been sitting out here a real long time for someone who isn't homeless. You got anywhere to go? You're sure to be hungry! ... Tell ya what, I'll give you the rundown on how Downtown Hyrule works... ... If you bring us back a couple hotdogs each?"

    You smiled and got up, getting in Line.

 

    It was a long wait, for so many people had shown up. You'd had no idea that so many people in Hyrule were homeless or drifters. Fascinated by the hospitality of the group serving food, you are feeling eager to see them, who they are. Only a few people left ahead of you before you could make out their faces. 

    A familiar looking young Hylian girl about your own age and an older tattooed woman with stark white hair, who looked Hylian as well, were busy going back and forth between a van with supplies and the tables they had brought along to set up. Featuring a small propane stove and paper plates and plastic silverware, they'd put out buns and condiments for people to self-serve before they handed out the 'dogs. You slop mustard, relish, ketchup, onions, and chopped peppers into four buns while the person ahead received hotdogs from the Hylian woman. Now that you're next, the Hylian woman exchanged places with the younger girl who was coming back from the van with more hotdogs to put into the boiling pot. You feel that she is incredibly pretty. So much so, that you forgot you were in line for food, for a moment, and did not understand what she meant when she asked, "Four?"

    You blink a couple times. "You look like you must be really hungry! Better make it five!" She was so kind, and put a fifth bun on your plate, filling all 5 of them with hotdogs. She smiled at you, even with her eyes, and made you feel so strong and important in that brief moment.

    You beamed at her, smiling back with your eyes too, before getting bumped ahead by the impatient line behind.

    The Goron, Link, was waiting patiently and watching you, the Hylian Link, the whole time, which you just noticed while carrying the 'dogs back to the bench. "Ooh! Extras from Zelda, huh? I done saw that! Lucky kid, you are! She must like you!" He teased; you blush a little and grab a hotdog. 

    Goron Link left it at that and fulfilled his end of the deal, "Alright, kid. homeless or not, you got a lot to figure out if yer gonna hang around Downtown for long times like this. Lucky I'm here protecting this here park! Else the Purple Brawlers might see fit to make an example of ya and kick you around. They consider the industrial bloc by the river to be their turf, and have moved into the commercial buildings across the street, recently. If nothing else, that church right across from us will be safe for you. No one goes in those places anymore unless they still believe in the Three Golden Goddesses. Doesn't matter what you believe though, the place is still protected from on high. No Brawlers, Mafia, Thieves, Racers, or Moblins ever go in there if they are not innocent, themselves." He ate one hotdog, in one bite. "mmf, not bad for being rock-free..." he grumbled to himself. "So, first thing's first, kid: Stay well away from the Purple ones with those fancy B's emblazoned on their colors. They are working with the Mafia, those ones wearing those awful yellow tuxedos. You might want to keep your distance from them too, but they won’t even notice you unless they think you are in possession of something of value to them. I heard a rumor that they own Hyrule from the underground, manipulate the Moblins and other monsters and that's how they booted the thieves out of northern Hyruletropolis... But anyone who knows the stories knows that they would have to belong to Ganon for that to be true! Ha! haha!" he laughed at the notion that Ganon would use anything but his own monsters, and ate his second hotdog in one bite just like the first. You were barely half way done with your first.

    "Well! That's that, I guess. Unless..." Goron Link licked his lips and grabbed his tiny belly - so small for a Goron! "You gonna eat that?" he asked about the fifth hotdog. You hold up the plate and offer both hotdogs to the Goron, who takes that as an indication of payment for more advice.

    "Then you need all the information you can get, huh? Guess the next thing you want to watch out for is the Racers. They race against the Mafia, who have a few guys in yellow jumpsuits. It's kind of a big deal at the stadium to see them compete, but that's only the side you're 'supposed to' see. What goes down on the streets is much more dangerous and full of violence. Street races is how the mafia picks the winners and losers. All betting at the track is fixed from the start. The mafia doesn't care about the racers' turf, just the drivers; the ones skilled and stupid enough to get involved at the track in the stadium. The Cyan Racers, on the other hand, are as mean and tough as the Brawlers. Both sides fight for territory. Like I said, the Brawlers recently took some commercial turf near here. Was Cyan territory last week. Might be Cyan again next week." He ate both hotdogs in one bite. The food didn't seem to be worth his time, like gulping down air. He looked miserable, disappointed by the food instead of fulfilled by it.

    You remember the rupees you'd put in your satchel with the bottle and pulled out the large purple one. The Goron's eyes widened as if he'd just witnessed a miracle.

 

    "JUNKFOOD!!!" he shouted. "It's no Rock Sirloin, only just better than candy, but I'll tell you anything you want to know if you can keep 'em comin'!" Goron Link hopped up and stomped a happy dance, shaking the ground beneath him, then held out his hands expectantly. You hand over the sizeable rupee, and watch, incredulous, as the Goron eats it. As if grinding it into a thousand pieces, he gnashes and chews.

    Smaller brown rupee shards sprinkled off as well as one blue rupee and 3 small green rupees.

    "YA-HOO!" He shouted triumphantly, "First real food in a week! No one has brought in any rupees this big for a long time! Anything purple or bigger is actually nutritious for a Goron! Used to be, once in a while, folk would give Zelda and Impa some rupees for their service, and they would turn around and feed 'em to me when they turned purple! A Goron can’t survive off of the same food everyone else can! Which is also why you'll never see a Zora down here at the feed. I stick around 'cuz I'cn keep the violence out. I might be starving, but no one but a Goron can beat me! So as long as I'm here, the homeless feed goes on as scheduled, the Brawlers and Racers leave everyone alone, and since no money is exchanged, the Mafia never cared to begin with. ... And cuz you fed me a wallop of rock candy today, I'll start you off with a great tip. The Thieves in black, and they sometimes wear leather jackets, are homeless just like the rest of us. I told you about the Mafia kicking them out of their old turf, right? Guess they had something valuable? Beats me, but they are not as bad as they look. Rumor has it they're working with the Gerudo clan, out in the desert. One of 'em, looks like a ninja, comes around here once in a while, but never talks; stays as out of sight as possible, and leaves as invisibly as they come. Seen 'em see me seein' 'em once, and they disappeared into the traffic. Guess they don't like bein' seen! Ninjas... But I seen this one doin' trade with other thieves, so they must be the same team, huh?"

 

    Goron Link rubbed his belly some more and smacked his lips. "I don't suppose you know where you can get more of those? I don't care for the green ones, and the brown aren’t even good tasting. You can keep most of the crumbs if you want." He said, picking up the blue "crumb" that fell off his purple meal. "The Moblin police make sure to remove any and all shrubs and stray rocks from the city, leaving me with nothing to scavenge for..." and he chomped the blue rupee. "It'f wheirfd." he said, with his mouth full. "I don't understand why they'd started doing that, because now I might have to leave and go live in the desert! Getting rid of me can't be their sole purpose!! It’s just a skate park!"

(❤️❤️❤️½)

    You pull out the rest of your rupees and handed them over, smiling. Goron Link stomped about and praised, then gobbled them right up, leaving no "crumbs". You pick up a handful of brown rupees and the three green rupee "crumbs" left on the ground from his purple 'crumbs', then nodded in departure, and slowly walked home, taking in the environment; keeping watch on the activities around you, eyes open for the first time. You sat at that park well past sundown before realizing the time.

 

    When you finally get home some time past 22:00 that night, your mother was waiting at the kitchen table, worried sick. You'd opened the door and tossed your satchel beside it but your mother was in a joyous panic, "Oh, Link! You're home! I was so worried about you! Where have you been all day? I got a call from Cremia saying you'd been a big help at the ranch, but that was all I've heard from you since! That was twelve hours ago!" She ran up and squeezed a worried motherly embrace around you, then sighed with both relief and regret.

    "You're growing up fast... Too fast for mom to keep up with you anymore... I guess it's time you got some more freedom, huh?" She said with a smile but a heavy heart. "Your allowance isn't going to be enough for you anymore, and I thought of you when I saw this Olde Hyrulean style wallet. I was so worried about you, but I thought it through. I think the wallet helped me come to the conclusion that you're going to be an adult someday." She continued, speaking more for herself than for you. "I think you'll be better able to learn about growing up with a bigger wallet..." She said handing it over. "It's not much, but I'd feel better knowing you had something to stay in touch with your 'mommie'..."

    Inside it was a GameBoy. You stare at it for a while before pulling it out. "You can only call home right now, but if you bring it to me later, I'll add your friends' numbers, but you need to only use it in emergencies. Okay?" You stare at it a moment longer before looking her in the eye and nodding in affirmation.

    At the dinner table, a cold plate of pasta sat on the table in front of the chair you would have sat in that evening. "You can still warm it up, it will still be good, I had it covered when you didn't show up for dinner." She said, as she was ascending the stairs. "I'm going to bed, and so are you, as soon as you finish eating, washing up and changing into your jammies." You smile and roll your eyes - both sarcastically amused, and genuinely happy. Plus, the pasta was great, and just exactly what you needed.

 

    The next morning, you are abruptly awoken by a familiar game tune coming from an unfamiliar location. You fumble around the desk and find the new phone. It was ringing at 6:00 AM. You open it up and put it to your ear, but it had gone silent and nothing happened. It made another sound, just a sound, not a tune this time, right in your ear. You studied it a moment and saw, on the tiny GameBoy screen, "1 new text". So then you fiddle with it and find the text.

    It read:

    "I forgot to explain it better: You cant actually make any calls except emergency calls - you can text me, and when i add your friends' numbers, you can text them too. but phone calls are limited to me and emergency services only. - going to the store, we're out of eggs and batter. be back soon!

~mom"

 

    You groan loudly and roll over back into bed, lie still for a moment, groan some more, and lazily sweep your feet over the edge of the bed and slouch. You rub your forehead and groan yet again as you begin stretching your arms out behind you and leaning from one side to the other, and groaning, protesting this hope-dashed awakening; having hoped you could have slept in. Hopping out of bed, you reach for your toes and then arc your back and fall against the bed. Then you lay awkwardly a while, leaning against the side of the bed a moment before shoving the new phone into your pocket and heading down the stairs.

 

    There was still cereal and milk in the cupboards, so you make yourself a quick breakfast, but taking time to enjoy it. You're finishing your food shortly before your mom returned with groceries. While mom put away, some fruit and bread, you help put the eggs and batter away, and your mom noted the cereal was still out, "Since you've already eaten, no eggs and waffles for you! Put the cereal away, hon." As you grabbed the cereal, a Moblin siren could be heard approaching, and a squad car coming from downtown sped past the neighborhood, lights flashing, chasing a speeder. 

    You stared out the window, while your mother wrenched her hands together, worried. "I might know I have to let you go, but a mother never stops worrying for her children, Link." She approached from behind, "Promise me that even though I'm going to let you make your own decisions..." she put her arms around you, "Promise you'll stay safe. Promise you'll let me know you're alright every night. Send a text with your new GameBoy at least once a night." She hugged you a long time before you left the house.

 

    You were walking north, headed for downtown, several blocks from home, maybe a quarter of a mile, when you passed an elderly woman who sat, hunched over, with a torn blanket acting as a shawl over her back, on the curb at a busy intersection. As you get close, you can see she is holding torn cardboard with bold black letters "Need Food, Anything Helps". You place a hand in your pocket and grab some money, but hesitate, recalling what the Goron had said about it not having "real value".

   You hesitantly pulled out roughly 13r in paper money and held it out to the old woman. She snorted and coughed, but said nothing, taking the money. You could now see she was much older than you had originally thought, as if she was as old as time itself. You awkwardly open your new wallet and look inside. The old woman abruptly belted "So what! ...Don't care about ME at all; do ya!" She was glaring.

    You withdraw the 3 green rupees with a certain tinge of melancholy, and the woman's expression changed, softened. She watched the rupees intently, her eyes widening as you hand them to her; as if she'd been given mana from heaven. She smiled a toothless grin and put the rupees away in the folds of her clothes, happily cocking her head side to side, as if retracting her previous venom and forgiving herself. "I spoke too soon!" she giggled in her raspy voice. "Today you will have Okay Luck. Watch out for your friends next week!" She spoke cryptically. You try to ignore it, but feel good for helping the old woman out.

    Downtown, the skate park is empty this early in the morning, but beginning to attract attention. The patrolling Goron slept, curled up like a rock, under the bridge. Traffic was only beginning to pick up in the streets, and you can see your friend, Krystal, walking high above, across the main bridge and on her way down to the main street. You bolt for the bridge, hurrying to the intersection to meet her. She sees you and her eyes widen with her smile, "Link!" she called out as she dashed toward you.

    You met up at the intersection and Krystal excitedly spoke while you caught your breath, "What are you doing way out here so early? I don't think I've ever seen you downtown so early like this before!" You grab your GameBoy and open it up to show her the text you'd gotten for a wakeup call. "Oh wow! You finally have a phone too! You have to text me! Here's my number-" she started showing you how to save her number and abruptly noted the message about input lock, "Oh, looks like you can’t just text me, gotta confirm it first... and its passworded, so I can’t do that for you... Did you do that, or your mom? No sweat, I'll write mine down for ya." She smiled.

    Abruptly after she exchanged her note with you she blurted out, "Hey! Come to the shop with me! Someone dropped off the coolest thing I've ever, ever seen! Just this weekend! You'll want to check it out before someone buys it any day now! I wanted to show you so badly that I’m surprised I forgot to mention it earlier!"

 

    You accompany your friend to The Trading Post, a store her mother owned in the mall, which Krystal ran and managed when her mother wasn't there. Which typically accounted for morning opening time and generally helping with everything after school got out - and during the summer, there were days when Krystal did the whole job alone, from opening till closing. The two of you had first met there as small children, before Krystal was old enough to help out around the shop, when your mother had brought you in to pick your own birthday gift. You'd chosen a small tan ocarina, but had to fight with Krystal for it because she felt it rightfully belonged to her. In the end, she agreed you could have it and "gave it" to you, as a token of your establishing a new friendship, and have shared it ever since... Currently, Krystal kept it in a glass display by the register and took it out to play once in a while.

    When you arrived, Krystal held up a finger, asking for a moment, and ran through all the opening duties. She unlocked and turned open the mall gate barring the store, flipped on the light switches, checked the register and safe, did a quick bank inventory, and, finally, sat behind the register, smiling at you. "This is going to blow your mind. I want you to buy it... if you can. I've been holding on to it all week, no one's checked it twice but I can’t just give it to you, ya know. But... This one is pretty amazing." She said, pulling out a large glass heart. "Some old lady brought it in here, asking for a silver rupee! Can you believe that? I thought she meant 100r cash, but she looked at me funny, trying to explain what a rupee was! I tried not to laugh at her, and then I had to explain that we don't exchange rupees and the best I could do was money. She seemed real angry, but was happy enough to take the 100r I offered..." she trailed off intentionally, "Which... is why I can't just give it to you, it’s hard to keep the shop open these days, and as much as I want you to have it, I can’t keep it on hold for free. Not that you knew till now... but... If you want it, you'll have to either buy it, or pay the holding fee, 10r per day. The lady said it was called a 'Heart Container', and was worth more than she was asking, which seems funny since she was so happy to take the money, regardless." 

    You frown and think hard. 

    You knew you still had almost enough to buy it from your allowance, but were short by about 20r. you pulled out this cash and counted it. Krystal smiled huge "I'll let you pay it off! That is plenty!" She said, grabbing it out of your hands, mid count, on the spot, without shame. You recoil offensively, but do nothing - more an act than actual offense.

    "I'll just pull up a tab for you. I know you're trustworthy, so i won’t tax you for it either." She winked, as she filled out some papers and handed over the Heart Container. You hold it up and look inside the glass. The red heart inside immediately glowed gently, and in the center you could make out the symbol of the Triforce etched into the red material behind the glass slowly light up.

    You focus on studying the pattern of the Triforce and notice one triangle begin to glow solidly and softly, turning from glowing red to gold.

(❤️❤️❤️❤️½)

    Krystal saw the dim light and started to ask what it was when it flashed bright and caught her question a squeak in her throat. The Triforce inside had grown to the full size of the red inner heart, and in the empty center displayed visions of one of your Spirit Link's past adventures; a young girl with cropped green hair sat on a tree stump, playing a wooden ocarina, looked up and met your eyes. She smiled and waved, and the Heart Container disappeared. Krystal didn't see anything except a flash, a strong glow, and then - then nothing! The whole thing disappeared entirely! She breathed heavily, trying to form a single word, "Whhh" struggling, but not hesitating for even a moment, "Wh-hha-aht?!" She was staring wide eyed. She couldn't move or speak, that was all she had left. 

    You are not far from her state of shock either. 

    Had you not woven words with Gerudian witches in the woods, nor awakened to dirtier dealings downtown and discussed the details with a derelict Goron, you'd have been utterly freaked out by this. So, as such, you were able to find some stability with one hand, oblivious yet calm, and lean against the counter Krystal sat at with the cash register. You just stare out into space behind her, as if some fixed point light years away had your undivided attention.

    The two of you sat in silence for a long time, unable to comprehend what had just occurred, neither of you having applicable words to speak, and only questions could form briefly in mind before creating more questions that could not even be asked much less answered, let alone grasped.

    A frustrated customer waited for two whole minutes before politely clearing her throat, recapturing Krystal's attention from her shock. The lady bought a trinket and left, muttering under her breath about the service. Krystal's return to reality was alone, and she nudged you to join her. You blink a few times and stand upright at the counter. 

    "You have no idea what happened do you?" Krystal finally asked, almost nonchalantly. You can only shake your head, still dazed. You notice someone sitting in the mall outside the shop as you shake your head, and slowly return your gaze to an occupied mall bench. A chill runs down your spine when you notice the purple T-shirt underneath an unzipped black hoodie, but no specific thoughts could form on the matter. 

    Krystal breaks your concentration, "This is going to be a rough day, Link, I think I need to close up and just go home... I can't even think. Not... Not after seeing... that..." Her thoughts were evolving mid-sentence and she looked to the floor and toyed with her toes. "Would you mind if...? Can you walk me home?" Without even thinking, you nod, still too shocked to recall, off hand, that you have never even seen where she lives, let alone been invited to her home.

    Across the river, a few miles from the ranch, you and Krystal silently stroll beside each other, one caught up in worry, the other in contemplation, yet both of you unaware of being followed. Krystal tugged on your shirtsleeve when you came up to an intersection and stoplight. "I've... never brought anyone back to the house with me before..." She started, unsure of how to finish. "You... you were..." She struggled, sighed heavily, and looked away, then quickly changed tactics, "You met the forest witches! ... It’s the only answer. They trusted you to help Cremia, so I have to... I can trust you too. I should expect you think I'm a terrible friend all these years having never truly trusted you, huh?"

    You place a hand on her shoulder. She turned to meet your eyes, and you gently close them and shake your head. When you opened your eyes, tears came down Krystal's face and she hugged you. "I live in the forest,” she said into your shirt, “why don't you lead the way? If you think can find the witches again, that is." She smiled, and dried her tears (and her nose) on your sleeve - as a prank but also to put herself in a better mood.

    You recoil animatedly, but didn't actually care since you knew she needed to smile, and so played along; and smile she did.

    The smile kick started the journey as Krystal nudged you into the river park beside the 3-way pedestrian intersection where you'd taken pause. "You know the Double LR is roughly east of here, so just keep going northeast till things look familiar. Normally I'd take the trails, but..." She looked around and then whispered "I think we're being followed... plus I want to see if Koume and Kotake remember me..." You abruptly stop and look around. "shhsh!" Krystal whispered, "Keep walking...!" You bent over to adjust your shoes, trying to look as nonchalant as possible, then continued.

    After nearly 2 miles of pathless forest, small unkempt trails started winding and braiding through the forest, and Krystal picked the path to walk. "We're close to the ranch. Does any of it look familiar, Link?" Your response was clearer to you than to Krystal as you picked up the pace and started marching. You recognize the path the fairy had led you, and began to jog... Not only retracing the steps, but the pace you took as well. "Link! Hey!" Krystal called out from behind, "Wait up!" She said as she began to chase after.

    As you neared the Witches’ Hut, Krystal had sudden second thoughts: "wait, maybe I should..." She started to mumble as Midna and Twila emerged from the camouflaged forest home. "That's not Koume and Kotake...!" She whispered sternly. You smile back at her and emerge from the forestry, holding up a hand in a frozen wave for the twins. "Link...!" Krystal "shouted" in a whisper.

    "Who's your friend?" Midna and Twila mutually asked. You turn around to smile at Krystal, who hesitantly approached, then, with a combination of courage and anger, approached Midna and Twila directly. "Where's Koume and Kotake? They've lived here all my life. I've never met you two." The twins exchanged a glance mixing concern with doubt. "We've lived here with our aunts all our lives and we've never met you-"

    Kotake emerged on her broomstick from the tree home, half cackling; half scolding, half teasing. Uncharacteristically, plain speaking, she carried on. "Enough! None of you children remember each other because you were too little!" Koume, rather, used her magic to appear beside her sister with a puff of smoke and a cackle. Kotake turned to glare at her. "It's no surprise you'd forget! Such rivals you were!" Koume spoke, ignoring her twin's glare.

    Both Koume and Kotake then looked toward you and greeted you simultaneously, "Hello, Link."

    All of you went inside the tree home, and were greeted with the sweet and pungent smell of brewing potion mushrooms. "Cremia is doing well, no? We must apologize, my sister and I. It’s tragic." Kotake began, followed by Koume, "You see, Cremia is one of very few remaining Hylians who are sensitive enough to be affected by the subtle workings of magic." Taking turns talking, "We had maintained a long and lasting friendship with her after we showed her how to make her own potions, but as the years went by..." They swapped, "... The mushrooms ran dry, and we've been searching for them all over the forest, to give to her, without a problem... until three years ago."

    Twila and Midna cut in, "That's when a lot of strange things started happening; here in the forest, in corners and dead ends of Hyruletropolis, around the depths of Lake Hylia and it shores, in the Gerudo Desert Wastes, and even deep within Death Mountain. Here, the forest denizens have taken to eating up all our mushrooms and uprooting as many bushes as they can find. In the desert, our family has stopped contacting us; the last thing we heard was they were run out of their home and left to survive in the wastes. A lot of activity in the last three years has left our dear aunts terrified of the implications." Their concern for their aunts was both touching and insulting, to which Koume snapped, "Terror nothing! We're not scared, just concerned!" Which Kotake argued, "Concerned enough to stay locked in our home in the woods and staying well out of sight!" They began to bicker, hovering on their broomsticks, shaking spoons at each other, heading back to the cauldron. "Witch!" one snapped as they dispatched the brew into separate bottles, followed by "Hag!" from the other. Twila and Midna both turned to each other and agreed, "Don't ever let me get like that!" simultaneously.

    Back outside, Twila and Midna hovered over the dead and ashen fire pit, Krystal and Link sat across from each other around it, and the four of them chatted about what they were going to do. No one could come up with any answers, and Krystal remembered she needed to get home.

    "We'll take you." Said Twila and Midna. "Thanks, really." Krystal started, "But we'll be fine. Take care of your aunts. Link will take me home. Right, Link?" She finished, nodding to you: Nodding to her. You all waved to each other, the twins retreated into the house, and you and Krystal disappeared on the trails leading back to her home. "We should hurry. Lead on… That way." Krystal directed.

    Deep in the woods, the trail started to become overgrown, and Krystal stopped you. "Hold on. We're almost there, but this is where it gets tricky. We have landmarks we have to remember to find the house. No visible trails lead there." Krystal took the lead and beckoned for you to follow her. You passed a few hollow and creepy-looking trees, wrapped around a boulder, which hid another tree, just off an overgrown path from another nearby park - a fishing-hole.

    She wound around the warped trees, then the larger fat tree, which blocked the view of a small slope into an underground chasm behind it, leading further off the beaten path and well beyond sight. As you descended behind the tree, they out of your sight and you out of theirs, a Purple Brawler emerged from behind while he lost sight of your path. He stood around awkwardly, looking for the two kids he'd just lost. He peeked into bushes and around large boulders, scratched his head, then belted out loudly and angrily in defeat before pushing along the trail in hopes of finding his target.

    "What was that?" Krystal said, looking back toward the distant but sharp and angry outburst from behind you. You look back a moment, turn, and shrug, then push on. The tiny chasm was easy to enter from behind that fat tree, but the ceiling began to close up overhead almost immediately. You were in more of a crawl space of a tunnel than a mere crack in the ground and had to crouch in places. "If we kept to the trail back there, we'd eventually wrap around back toward the river. Great fishing spot that way. There are also Forest Zoras who live near there. They seem to keep to themselves, but are said to be very dangerous if provoked. No one knows much else about them though, not even Ruto." The tunnel-chasm began to open up ahead and sunlight poured in, along with shadows of branches. Tapering into the Earth was a giant rock jutting in like a sheathed dagger, leaving the exit with a steep climb.

    "Careful here, it's easier leaving home than coming back!" Krystal giggled. She veered to the left and used a thick vine to stabilize her climb up the steep rock face, then tossed the vine in your direction when she got to the top, "It's easier on the side, but as long as you keep ahold of the vine, you'll be fine." She said, gesturing to the left side she'd climbed, then climbed down on the other side. When you reached the top, Krystal was nowhere in sight, while a large log cabin sat in the middle of a sunny glade, surrounded by thick stone and fat trees, submerged in a steep bowl-shaped depression in the Earth. One way in, one way out. The front door sat ajar and you suddenly feel an irrational tug of panic in your chest. You quickly clamber down and run to the front door with haste.

 

    You bolt through the door and fall over Krystal, rolling into her mother and knocking her to the floor as well. Krystal fumed, more confused than furious, "Link! What was that all about?! You just knocked my mom to the floor!" Her mother began laughing: A rounder, curvy woman with long, braided, green hair, and a nearly identical face to her daughter. Krystal grinned and stood up, offering her hand to her mother so to help her up as well. You stay on the floor, too embarrassed to get back up.

    "Mom; this is my friend, Link. We met-" Her mother interrupted her with a stiff, upright open palm. "I remember Link, you two first met when you two were too little to remember. It's nice to see that you've reconnected and become friends again!" She smiled. Krystal was sarcastic “At the shop? On his birthday?”

    "Oh! My name is Saria XI.” Her mom distracted “The women in our family have all been named after our ancestor, because she had been a Sage of the Forest Temple and I'm the eleventh generation. Krystal's father named her... Before I had a chance to explain any of this, so we left it at that..." She trailed off. Krystal hugged Saria, "It's okay mom! I love my name as much as I love yours!" Saria smiled halfheartedly then realized Krystal was explaining something important before everyone found themselves on the floor. "Oh! what was that about closing the shop early, Krys? You've never had trouble with customers befo..." Krystal interrupted, "It wasn't a customer, exactly... But... Something happened to distract me, and without focus, it will be all of the customers. So I figured it'd be better off if we closed early, rather than have bad service all day."

    Saria was still confused and becoming a little upset, "I don’t understand. What could have possibly distracted you all day long? Was there an electrical short in one of the light switches, or the register get stuck again?" Saria folded her arms, "You know how to fix the cash register, dear..." Krystal was getting impatient, "It wasn't anything technical!" and she looked over to you, in hopes you could bail her out. Her urgent look was enough to do the trick, though for the wrong reasons. Her mother snickered, "It's okay, I'll let it go. Just don't make a habit out of it, okay? Maybe you can teach Link how to run to shop together?" She winked. Krystal suddenly realized that her mother was trying to hint at something, and she groaned long and loud, "MOOOO-oooooooo-OOOOMMMM!" Then pushed her mother into the kitchen, "Link, you know the way? I think you ought to go home..." She vainly fought herself from blushing. 

    You smile and wave at them on their way into the kitchen, leave the cabin, close the door behind you, and take in a deep breath. 

    You stepped off the porch and looked into the trees and skies overhead. Another sigh of relief, then took off at a steady pace.    

    You backtracked from the cabin to the crevice, back to the overgrown path, and cautiously peeked around the tree and boulder. When you were sure no one was around, you hurried down the path, toward the ranch, running as quietly as possible. In your haste, you catch up with a furious and shady fellow and slow down, trying to keep your distance. The man stomped and shouted “quietly” at himself as he trudged along, so you held back and waited, giving the man ample time to put distance between you.

    More casually now, you take the paths' scenery and atmosphere in as you stroll, enjoying the feel of the woods. This casual pace made the departure trip thrice as long as your arrival time, and the sun was careening into the west, nearly exhausting the afternoon. Emerging from the woods close to the ranch, you could see a group of Brawlers gathering by the intersection where you and Krystal had entered the Woods. Waiting to see what they were doing, you assure yourself they weren't a threat only after several of them dispersed into town and only two remained, casually jeering at traffic. After waiting so long, you finally travel back across the bridge, into downtown.   As you passed the two remaining Brawlers, you hear one of them mutter something about you being "a little green punk." Up ahead, on the opposite end of the bridge, you could just barely make out a dark figure hopping over the railing and vanishing. You run ahead to get a better view, then slow down and watch once you are close enough to make out the Ninja wrap crawling alongside the edge of the bridge. You watch; fascinated by the grace by which this mysterious person leapt from the bridge into the trees nearby and vanished toward the skate park. You run ahead again and followed the bridge across the side path to halfway across before you were confronted by a museum separating the bridge path to the main intersection by the front of the park from the street below, bordering the rear. You hurry down, here, to the park, but could make no sign of any mysterious Ninja in the area. Goron Link on patrol, the familiar blue van under the bridge had just arrived, and several (newly) familiar faces started to show up from around downtown for the free food. You decide to stick around and people-watch again. You wander over to the other end of the park from the bridge, on the empty end, and get comfy in a quiet corner bench.

    Goron Link stopped to chat with a couple on a stroll, Zelda hurried back and forth under the bridge, no signs of brawlers or mafia, the sun was starting to light the dusk horizon with orange and yellow hues, and no signs of Ninjas either. You decided to stretch out and stood up in front of the bench. Doing a few stretches; forward bends, side twists, and deep breathing. As the couple departed from Goron Link, he raised his hands in a cheer and let out an audible "yahoooph!" as he gobbled up a small gift. You smile to yourself, and touch your toes, and inhale deep.

    The park breathed and sighed as people came to eat and dispersed slowly into the falling dusk. You remained mostly by the park bench all evening, and approached the van under the bridge only at the very end of the feed. Impa was washing the fold-out tables off and gathering up any napkins, utensils, plates, or other resources left behind as Zelda loaded them into the van or threw away rubbish. You walk around one table, toward the van and wait as Zelda loaded a box of canned chili into the back. She heard your approach and turned around to face you, standing awkwardly beside. 

    You stared at each other for a moment; and Impa noticed, waiting for Zelda to return. Finally, she approached, and formally introduced herself and Zelda, "Hello, Link. You've grown a lot since we were all last together. I am Zelda's attendant, Impa."

    Zelda noticed herself staring at you and interrupted Impa, "I don't suppose you'd remember me either, I barely remember you, when we were so little..." She trailed off. "My name is Zelda, we were all really little when all our parents last met together at the Double LR. I remember you, Link, and our friends, Ruto, Krystal, Malon, and the twins, Twila and Midna... I think Marin is the only one of us old enough to remember anything more than that though." Impa had resumed the cleanup while Zelda talked.

    She mentioned playing games with each other at the ranch long ago, drinking fresh milk straight from the cows, chasing cuccos, and expressed enjoying the wonders of meeting horses for the first time. No more than 2 minutes in, Impa cleared her throat and indicated toward the tables and gas stoves. Zelda politely excused herself, but you helped by carrying the collapsible tables into the back of the van.

    Impa thanked you for your help and entered the driver's seat, while Zelda lingered to talk. "Thank you for the help, Link. I hope you can come help us tomorrow evening; I can give you Impa's cell number so you can stay in touch with me.” You take the number she wrote down and waited awkwardly. Impa broke the silence and called for Zelda.

    You wave goodbye as Zelda climbed in, waving back, and they drove off. Before you could, or perhaps would, turn around to return home, a cyan racer sped past and followed the van a moment before revving past them and disappearing. You look back in the direction the car had come and noticed some Cyan Racer jumpsuits walking toward the park from the formerly Brawler shops across the street. Goron Link had noticed too and approached you under the bridge. Gently, but sternly, he said, "Relax, kid. They're just leaving. You should go home too."

    There was solemn gravel in his voice.

    You headed back toward home while fiddling with your new phone, sent a text to mom with the time and your location, then sent another asking to add Krystal's and Zelda's phone numbers to your contact list along with at least Impa’s number. Along the trip home, you notice the same old lady with the blanket shawl walking out of a small store, near home, and decide to take a look inside. The shop owner was a kind, stocky man with shiny widow’s peak forehead, lustrous blue hair on the back of his head, and a happy demeanor. He turned and greeted you right away, revealing a large yellow fox mask. "Hello, kiddo!" he nearly boomed from behind the mask, perhaps trying to startle the kids who came in or just thinking he needed to compensate more than necessary for his voice behind the mask.

    Still loudly, but muffled, "You have the look of a smart kid, so I'll tell ya a little secret!" He placed the reverse side of his hand beside his mask, pushing it aside to show his mouth, and leaned in as you approached the counter, lowering his voice theatrically. "There's a magical mask salesman coming to town soon, an' he'll be setting up shop in here. I've got a special deal to promote him by giving away this free mask!"

    You smile and put out your hands, but the shop keep continued on, pulling back and letting the mask fall over his mouth again. "But there's a small catch, you see. I need to make a living here, yeah?" he spoke up again to compensate for his muffled voice. "I can't give too many away for free, so it's more like a job... I'm passing the torch. You want the mask; you just gotta wear it and try to sell it. If you come back with the money, I can either let you keep the same mask for free, or give you a new one to try to sell. How do ya like that?"

    After rolling your head back and forth in thought, you nod and reach for the mask from the man. He then introduced himself as Kafei, relinquishing the mask and stroking his newly revealed and strangely blue beard, "and that is the Keaton Mask. It represents the tricky fox from old stories. Maybe you remember some of them?" Then he asked if you were here to buy anything from his shop. You decided you had to look around some more and see what there was. You notice small and medium bottles, a wooden sword and shield practice set, a Large Olde Hyrulean Wallet, and a Traditional Hunter's Tunic: Medium and Large Sizes.

    As you started to leave, Kafei asked, "You see anything you like? There's a special discount for employees, you know? Sell the mask, alright?" He said. Smiling, you nodded and left for home, wearing the Keaton Mask. You traveled the short trip home, entering the house, when you received your answer to the text about your friends. It was yes.

 

    "Oh good, you're ho-WHOAHHHEE! WHAT ARE YOU?" The mask frightened a sudden response when your mom emerged from the kitchen, so you took it off. You both sat on the couch and laughed. It was 'payday' and you received your allowance of 20r. Your mom took your GameBoy and entered the requested information, then thanked you for giving her a time and location update. "... and since you're proving you can be responsible..." she said, as she gave you two blue 5r bills, " your allowance just got a 5r raise and one-time-today-bonus." You two exchanged a hug, then she had asked about the mask before you retired to bed while she was mentioning something about a Keaton story she grew up with where he had tricked a man into becoming a Scrub, and the Deku-man used a circle of bushes and trapped Keaton there.

    The weekend had arrived and the slow weekend mornings in Hyrule meant everyone usually slept in or stayed indoors until lunchtime or later. You took advantage of the vacant mornings every weekend to practice Parkour, waking up extra early today for some reason. Probably due to all the excitement about the new Zelda box set, and your own coincidental experiences as of late.

    You were up before the sun had even begun to creep out from behind the horizon, and crept about the house softly, so as not to wake your mother; downstairs to the fridge for some milk, quietly pulling handfuls of cereal out into a bowl, and putting the milk back, ever gently closing the fridge as to make no sounds. You ate as quickly and quietly as possible before taking off. Out the front door, on the front step, you held your breath as you slowly close the door, as if taking an hour wasn't quiet enough. You stretched yourself out as you walked, taking extra long strides and walking extra slow, toward downtown for your Weekend Free Run. You looked forward to each run, but this would be the first time going into the city. Usually you'd either run laps around your house or just go to Ruto's house and back; or just stay and hang out with your friend. Perhaps it was just the recent drama and stimulation, but you were feeling extra adventurous and decided to explore downtown beyond the mall and skate park.

    Halfway there, the familiar blanket shawl obscures a misfortunate soul, hiding behind a tree, asleep. You wadded up and left some of that "worthless" money for her, both 5r bills. You felt a sense of pride when you walked away, and smiled.

    You decided you were close enough to downtown to begin really warming up and started jogging. Your travel time drastically changed the morning for you. For one thing, you'd have been running from the house from the beginning if you were going to Ruto's, but because you were not as familiar with the downtown maze of streets, you'd need all the energy you could get; at the expense of this morning lull, you realized. Once the sun started announcing himself you felt pressured to begin your delayed run. Your increased pace wasn't satisfactory, you wanted to run already!

 

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Bolero Flambé

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