He gasps for air, muscles aching in all the worst ways. Even as the cool dungeon wall attempts to soothe the searing pain in his back, he can't help but cringe and tighten up. Giant gashes tend to not feel too pleasant, no matter what's applied to them. When he first accepted this quest, he wasn't aware of just how dangerous it would be. Nothing really prepared him for the hardships of Lorule, or the challenges that awaited him -and as it would seem, coming in empty handed, sword ablaze, wasn't the best decision he'd ever made in his life.
A sound of footsteps catches his attention, but try as he might, he lacks the energy to wield his sword with any real gusto. Instead, he attempts to flatten himself against the wall and silent his cries of pain as the gash on his back presses against the cool stone. The footsteps approach ever closer, before stopping just before doorway. He sharply inhales, and braces himself for whatever or whoever is about to -no doubt- ambush him.
He's pleasantly surprised when a big purple rabbit head pops up around the corner, instead.
"Oh, Mr. Hero, I've found you!" The eccentric merchant decrees, his voice bordering between worried and ecstatic. In the blink of an eye, the purple-donned freeloader is beside the hero, hands firmly being kept to himself for once -and not grabbing at the rented bombs on the other side of the injured male.
"Not gonna take what's yours back, Ravio?" A feeling of bitterness comes over the courageous youth, and he wants nothing more than to get this rabbit-like asshole out of his sight. It's like he's there to mock him every time he falls.
"Not yet, there's more important things at stake." The hero laughs at this, finding it nearly incredible, considering all the times he's sneaked by the merchant's earnings, which he said were 'more important than life itself'. It only seems deeply ironic that the male would suddenly care about something other than himself and money, let alone do so out of the 'kindness of his heart'. He can hear the faint sound of shifting clothes.
"What made you change your mind?" Words escape his mouth through cringing teeth as Ravio not-so-forcibly shoves a red potion down his throat -his arms too weak to hold anything without shaking violently.
"About what?"
"About business being more important than life." The hero doesn't take too kindly to the merchant playing dumb, and the bit of venom in his voice can be heard easily. However, he quickly simmers down when he sees the stiffness in Ravio's posture, appearing visibly as a nervous wreck.
It's in this moment that he notices the absence of the freeloader's companion, Sheerow, but doesn't pay it much mind. He probably left the little fluffball in the other room as a lookout. Or at least, Link assumes as much. Either way doesn't matter too much.
"Probably meeting you, Mr. Hero. I think you've made me realize things about myself, things I had never even thought about." The somber tone in his voice runs chills down Link's spine, as his attention is promptly brought back to the rabbit-masked individual. Even through his body language alone, it's easy to tell how much it means to be saying this.
"Like what?" Gentle words, and an even more gentle hand reaching out, if only to linger right before the distraught male's shoulder.
"What it means to be a hero." He looks up, and even through the sadness in his voice, and the shadow over his face, Link can see a smile peeking through. It's a bittersweet smile, in all honesty, but he finds it much more refreshing than the false, over-the-top grin that the merchant always wears while doing business. The hero can only smile back, as an act of solitude.
"I'm glad I could help." Is all he says, and Ravio's smile widens even more.
There's a long silence, in where not a word is spoken, and the only sound is the clanking of metal that echoes through the dungeon, and the even breathes of the two males.
"Are you going to be alright, Mr. Hero?" He asks, hesitation obvious in the way he thinks carefully over his words. Looking over to him, the hero notices a bit of red on what little he can see of his cheeks, but finds it understandable. This dungeon is anything but warm, and he's probably no more used to it than Link.
"I think so, yeah. Thanks to you." The merchant laughs a bit at this, and taking back the now-empty bottle from the floor and returning it into his inventory.
"I, uh, I think I'll be heading out now." Getting up off the ground, Ravio only takes the briefest of moments to wipe the dirt and dust off of his robes before turning to help Link up. The hero slides up the wall with ease, noticing that the searing pain of the gash simmered down to but a dull, nonexistent ache. At that, he straps his sword and shield back on, pleased to be fully equipped once more.
"Not gonna take your bombs back?" He looks down to the rabbit-bombs, and then back to the merchant standing there, pleasantly smiling. There's a brief moment of silence, before Ravio decides it's in his business to be a part of Link's, taking but a moment to slyly swoop right in, getting so close to the male they nearly touch.
"I'll consider this payment." He states, before lightly grabbing the hero's collar, bringing their faces the full few inches closer, and connecting lips. It's hardly passionate, more greedy than anything -and considering Link's pure inexperience, he fumbles for a few moments, before eventually closing his eyes and moving with the flow. It lasts for much longer than either of them would ever admit, and when the hero finally breaks off for air, he's greeted with mixed feelings and equal parts distrust and complete faith.
"You're sneaky, you know that?" Is all the green-donned Hylian can muster, before hesitantly returning the bombs into his pouch. It wouldn't do to look a gift horse in the mouth, after all.
"I'll accept your payments like that from now on, if you'd prefer." Even from under his cowl, Link can see a smirk on the merchant's face, clear as day.
"Oh goddesses…" What a nuisance this really is.
(x)
I haven't written anything in so long, I'm so rusty. But I did it! I finally finished another loz fic! It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, so I'll probably write a remix version in where it progresses differently, but eh.
Feel free to let me know about any issues in the story~