"Well, I'm formidable at book reading, but I lack, shall we say, physical skills."

Ashei sniggered, covering her mouth with her hand. Shad's eyes widened and he ducked his head, looking quite flustered.

"I'm sure you have some physical skills," Link said kindly, smiling at the older man. "You just need to exercise them more."

The tip of Shad's ears had turned red, while Ashei continued to laugh to herself, pressing her palm harder against her traitorous mouth.

"Ashei? Shad?" Link asked, adopting his usual adorably confused face.

Telma giggled a little from the bar, and waved her hand dismissively at the teen. "Don't you worry about those two, honey," she said with a small fond smile.

"I believe Ashei is laughing at the sexual implications of Shad's comment," Rusl said evenly, not even uncrossing his arms. "Good to see you again, Link."

None of this was helping Link's confusion, but he smiled as his friend from his village spoke, nodding his head in greeting.

Ashei had calmed down a little, but she couldn't help herself from winking suggestively at Shad, a smirk on her face. "I'm sure Link would love to help with your physical skills," she said.

Shad coughed and twiddled his thumbs, staring down at his feet to avoid the eyes of his companions.

Link nodded in silent agreement, a smile gracing his face. "Do you have a sword?"

Ashei snorted with laughter, while Shad only shook his head shyly and made an attempt to look up at the green-clad teenager.

"You can use mine," Link said. "Your hands aren't as big as mine, so you'll probably have to use my smaller sword."

Managing to ignore Ashei's now crazed laughter, Shad let a small smile slip onto his face. "Oh dear, are you sure you wouldn't mind? I'd really hate to be a bother."

Link shook his head and began to head for the door.

"Now?" asked Shad with wide eyes. He scrambled to his feet, knocking their map clear off the wooden table. Ashei rolled her eyes and set it back on the table as Shad followed Link, looking pretty unimpressive next to Link's wiry form.

*

"You're holding it wrong," Link chastised, walking over to where Shad was clumsily swinging the sword around, tripping over his own feet and stumbling every time the weight of the sword swung to one side. The pathetic looking dummy, made of wood, a bucket and a pumpkin head, seemed to be mocking him, baring no marks or any indication that Shad was hitting his target.

The swordsman placed his hands over Shad's on the hilt of the sword and slid his hands further apart, placing one near the base and another closer to the top. He released his hands and stepped back, looking at Shad critically with his hands on his hips.

"Stance isn't right," Link mumbled, mostly to himself. He moved closer and grabbed Shad's waist, shifting his body into a better position. With his body pressed against Shad's, he tried to move the other man's stance. "Don't just stand there; part your legs and evenly spread your weight. Aim with precision, and put power behind your swings. Put this foot back a bit." As he spoke, he gently guided Shad's right leg back so one foot was further back from the other.

Shad ignored the strange fluttery feeling in his stomach at Link's closeness, and listened as best as he could, doing what the swordsman instructed. He stood in his new stance, looking noticeably less stupid, and more like he knew what he was doing.

Link nodded approvingly as he stepped back, and Shad swung again, this time striking the sword into the dummy's pumpkin head. He stumbled back from the force of the sword hitting the vegetable, but he wore a small triumphant smile as he drew the sword back to his side.

"Better," said Link, smiling softly at Shad. "See? It's not that hard."

"My, my, you really are a modest fellow," Shad said with a chuckle. "It may not be hard to hit a pumpkin on a stick, but you're fighting all kinds of dangerous foes. I admire your fighting skills."

"I-uh, admire your reading skills," Link said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

Shad laughed. "No need to be polite, Link. I know my academics are hardly useful in these times."

"No, really!" Link insisted, looking a little panicked. "You're so smart. I admire that; if you didn't notice, I don't have a lot going on upstairs." He laughed at Shad's open-mouthed expression, and took the sword back with a smile. "I still don't think I know what Ashei found so funny. Did I do something?"

Shad gaped at him. Rusl had basically spelled it out for him, and he still didn't get it. He was very innocent for such a great hero. "While I was talking about your sword-fighting skills, I suppose physical could also be referring to... well, more romantic things, like Rusl said," he explained, ducking his head with a blush on his face.

"Romantic? Like a kiss?" Link asked, tilting his head like a clueless little puppy.

"Er, yes. And more," Shad agreed with a cough.

Link nodded slowly, and then a smile lit up his face. "Oh! I'm sure you aren't lacking those physical skills either," he said reassuringly.

Shad stared blankly at him, hardly believing his ears. "Oh dear, Link, I wouldn't know," he said, more than a little flustered. "I've never... I don't... I haven't tried."

"Really? Me neither. I guess I hugged Ilia a few times, but there's supposed to be fireworks or something, isn't there? She said you're supposed to feel warm and fuzzy, or have butterflies in your stomach," Link explained, sounding oddly serious.

"Yes," Shad agreed. "The 'butterflies' feeling often relates to an attraction to the person, or, a crush, you could say."

"Have you ever felt like that?"

Shad recalled that weird fluttery feeling he'd had when Link had his hands on his waist, their bodies close together. As he delved deeper into thoughts of the feeling, he realised he wanted that closeness again. He wanted to feel the warmth and even the fluttering.

He seemed to have developed a crush.

"Yes," Shad said quietly. "I was beginning to think I wasn't attracted to anybody and then... suddenly, I realised."

"Who was it?" Link asked curiously.

"Is," Shad corrected. "Not was, is."

"Who is it?" Link asked, still curious but with a small smile on his face.

"Link, I shouldn't be holding you up," Shad said, glancing up at the sinking sun. "You're a busy fellow, correct? I believe Ashei suggested you go see Auru."

Link opened his mouth to protest, but he suddenly saw sense in Shad's words. He was right, Midna wanted to find the Mirror of Twilight, and he needed to see Auru in case he knew something. It wasn't much of a lead, but it was the only one they had.

"Okay," he agreed. "See you later, Shad."

"Thank you for your time, Link," Shad said politely, and turned to head back to the doors into Castle Town. "Telma says you are welcome in the bar any time."

Link watched him go with a slight frown. He couldn't help it; he was curious now. Who would such a proper and smart man like Shad be crushing on?