Coin-Operated

4.0

Branches Push Through the Walls

The days stretch by slowly. An endless eerie routine, it is. Wake up, get ready, work, home, dinner, magic wrangling. With still more to do in expanding my magical core, dread looms over me, low and testing. It's tiring, to say the least, to have to constantly look over my shoulder, check my flat for signs of intrusion and wonder if and when someone will come after my skin. It could be now, it could be later. I'm a walking target so long as I have this wild magic. I'm so close to having it all contained, but the process is long, and the process is painful. So very painful. To even think about it makes my chest lurch and ache. The wild magic is merely an added stress to the constant, tangible fear that stalks me each day.

I am ruled by my fear.

It angers me to no end to know it, but it is true. I am just like any other person in Hyrule, a scared, pathetic sheep. I keep my head bowed and hope that nobody notices me as each day passes, and so far my prayers have gone answered. This is the only thing left I have to be thankful for. The president's motives are not mine to know, but what he wanted was clear, and he's got it. I live in pure, unadulterated fear with my townsfolk, my co-workers, my neighbors. It's all the same.

There are days now when I come home from work, and I find Link sitting in my den watching passerby in the street below or sitting on my bed watching the sun set. I don't bother asking why he's suddenly in my flat or how he even got in in the first place. When Link comes, I know the carnival is not safe for him. I feel like I should offer him something when he stays over, but the mechanical man, as he says, doesn't sleep, and he most certainly doesn't eat. All he needs is a seat to sit down in when the time comes for him to turn off. And when Link isn't brooding in my apartment, I can see him hovering around Central. On occasion, he'll even worm his way inside and watch the switchboard operators work and me skating by.

I think my eyes may be playing tricks on me, but when I see Link at the carnival, he is much more enthused - his glass eyes actually seem livelier, as strange as that may be. Of course, the difference between the glass and others' real eyes are apparent, but to see him in Castleton is the night to his day in the carnival. Even his hair seems duller and courser when in town. It's possible that it's only with the carnival that Link may truly come alive. He has his friends, his work – his life is centered around – within - the carnival, the carnies and their eccentric ways.

It's dreary, the way the days pass by.

"Have you ever seen the ocean, Zelda?" Link asks me one day. Twilight is moving in on us, dragging the two of us down like lead weights as we sit by the den window. Link slouches a little in his chair, his eyes following a young mother with her child in hand walk down the street.

"Can't say that I have," I respond. "I'd like to though. One day, if it's possible, but…" I shrug. "I think I'm stuck with just others' pictographs."

Tangerine orange bathes us from the window light. Link jiggles his legs some, the tapping of his feet muted by the rug underneath his shoes. "What do you want to do when you grow up?" he asks, scratching at the back of his head.

"You mean what I wanted to do?"

He shakes his head no. "What do you want to do?"

"I'd like to live by the sea. Smell the salty air in the breeze," I tell him. "Feel the sand under my feet. Compared to here, the sea seems so free."

"Nothing to rule it?"

I let out a low spurt of laughter. "Exactly."

I let my head lean back, staring up at the ceiling. I say to him, "I'm tired, Link."

"Go to sleep then."

I pull my head up. "I mean that I'm tired."

Link inclines his head, a strange regality in his features. His nose twitches. "I know," he says softly. "I know."

…

"Careful now, Sister," the strong man tells me, his large hand an iron weight on my shoulder. If his hand wasn't so firmly planted there, I think I might have just fallen over. "Just go slowly when you approach, and you'll be fine." He gives me an encouraging smile before removing his massive palm.

I move forward, inch by inch. My palms are sweating, and I can feel how my limbs shake with shivers. There's a snap! and I freeze instantly. But nothing comes at me. I must be completely nuts to do this. I really must have gone mad at some point in the last couple of weeks. First a magic ban, then coin-operated boys, then magic training, and now I'm suddenly willing to feed a deku babba? The monster plant leers at me with as much caution as I give it. It snaps again, razor teeth glinting in the sun from within its bulbous head. This one isn't just a regular old, bluish-purple deku babba though, this one is golden. Its mouth is split into a cross opening on the bulb, and each time it gives me a small snap, it switches which way its mouth opens.

Snap! Vertical.

I must be going crazy.

Snap! Horizontal.

I glance over at the strong man, Darunia, who is feeding the other deku babba with no fear. You would think he's just feeding some harmless, docile cucco with the way he's throwing around nuts for the babba to eat, and they eagerly gobble up what he throws.

When I am close enough to the golden deku babba, I toss up the handful of nuts into the air. With precision and speed, the deku babba lurches forward and clamps down on the nuts, just inches from my stomach. The snapping plant retreats, its long, slim stem wriggling a little in satisfaction as it bobs its golden bulb. For a moment, it's like a content puppy, although a lot more ugly.

"Having fun?" a voice calls, making me jump.

I turn and groan. "Must you always do that to me?" I ask Link as another snap! sounds from the devilish plant.

Ignoring my comment, Link tells me, "Don't be so rigid, they pick up on that. That's why it's snapping so much at you."

"Deku babbas always snap," I retort flatly.

"These guys aren't just some random babbas you find out lurking wild in the forests," he tells me. "Besides, it's feeding time, and they should be more than compliant."

"You don't have any feeling," I remind him.

He shrugs, the lopsided grin on his face hiding the laughter that's bubbling behind it. "True," he says, taking the bag of nuts from my hand that Darunia had given me. "Remember how I told you they always try to get me to feed these guys? They also don't know what to make of me." And as casual as ever, Link pulls out a fistful of nuts and chucks it at the golden deku babba.

Moving on to other hungry, less lethal deku babba, Link swiftly tosses them their feed. "So," he starts as if we're taking a leisurely walk, "how goes the wrangling?"

"Alright, I suppose." I shrug. "It just feels like I'm going to have a heart attack or something." Just remembering the feeling, my chest constricts a little. I look skyward, rubbing at my chest to soothe the pain. The takkuri is back, scouring the carnival with its large head bobbing. Watching. Waiting. Just like the rest of the country. And just like that, a flip of the switch, the flood gates of worry and anxiety begin to seep through me. Trying to contain my wild magic has been a slow process, and every day I find myself looking over my shoulder. Who else knows of it? Is there anybody watching me like the takkuri stalking the carnival?

Link breaks my reverie, his synthetic voice cutting through like a knife. "You alright, Zelda?" he asks, turning away from the deku babbas.

I hesitate. "I… I'm just-"

Snap!

I yelp in surprise, and Daruina whips around dropping his bag of nuts. "Link!" I screech, pointing.

"Huh?" He blinks.

Then he looks down, following my finger.

Darunia doubles over, laughter shaking him from the pit of his stomach and up through his chest, while Link yelps and tries to shake off the deku babba that had launched and attached itself to Link's arm. The plant has its large mouth clamped over Link's hand and wrist as well as the bag of nuts. Darunia gets ahold of himself, his laughter subsiding before he bounds over to help Link detach himself from the monster plant. With only one useable hand, Link struggles to pry the plant off, and he even resorts to punching the bulb of the plant. The monster refuses to yield though. The strong man, however, easily forces the plant's mouth wide open, releasing Link's captive hand.

Link checks over his arm, twitching his fingers, and flapping his hand around. Holes puncture around his arm, and he groans, picking at one. "Jeez, now I definitely have to go back to Mizuumi," he grumbles.

Darunia only chuckles. "Your arm still works okay, right?"

"Yuh," Link grunts. "At least I think so. Hope so." He shakes his arm out.

The strong man shakes with his soft laughter as he asks, "What happened? They never bite you; they only notice you when you actually throw them food."

"I think it was me," I offer. Darunia looks over at me, an eyebrow raised. "I uh... got nervous, I guess."

He grunts. "That will do it," he mutters. "At least they got Link, not you."

"Hey!"

Darunia slaps Link heartily on the back, causing the mechanical man to suddenly jerk and stumble forward, off-balance. The machine quickly regains his footing and shoots a glare at the resident strong man. "Brother, you wouldn't have even known you had one of them things hanging on you if that poor girl didn't have such a fright!" Darunia roars.

"Bother!" Link sneers, fingering one of the holes in his rubberish skin. The strong man claps Link on the back again, still chuckling again.

Darunia's mouth slides into a frown. "Uh-oh," he mutters. "Five o'clock, Link."

"What?" Link whips around and lets out a straggled cry like a wounded animal. "Well, Brother, it was good to see you this fine day, but I believe the lady and I have business," Link sputters, dusting off his shirt and looking frantically between me, Darunia and whatever on-coming horror there is.

Grabbing me by the wrist, Link begins to steer me away when Darunia calls back, "'Business'? Don't you lack the necessary equipment for that?"

I slam right into Link, and he reels, disgruntled disbelief on his face. Darunia sputters with laughter, and I can feel my whole face burning up. Link frowns. "Can it!" he growls, but Darunia only continues to shake with laughter. "Ah, shit," Link mumbles, shooting his glare over my shoulder. Darunia quickly makes a point to give his attention to the deku babbas, but I can tell he's still cracking up with the way his shoulders shake.

I turn my head and see none other than the three star-struck girls. The one in green approaches us first. "Link!" she calls, and Link doesn't do much to contain his groan. "We were wondering if you would go play Purlo's new game with us."

"Sorry, Hannah, but I've got some other matters to attend to," Link tells the girl in green. Is it just my imagination or do those three move as one? As if simultaneously, I see each of them slide their eyes over to me to shoot me a triple glare.

The three then briefly exchange glances before the one in red speaks up. "But Link, you promised us you'd play it when Purlo finally got it set up."

"Look, another time. I really have to go," Link insists, tugging me along as he makes a hasty retreat. I sneak a glance at Darunia, and he smiles wryly and gives a nod to the trio.

Once we're a distance away, I ask Link, "So who exactly are they? I've run into them before."

"Hannah, Misha and Kili. They're acrobats," Link lists off in one go. "Misha's the one in red, and Kili blue. Marin likes to refer to them as my 'trio of nightmares'," he says, a little chuckle escaping.

"I can see why," I mumble. "Can I have my arm back?"

"Hm? Oh! Sure, love." And he lets me go.

He takes me to the outskirts of the carnival, and plops himself down in the grassy plains. "Sit," he tells me, leaning back on the palms of his hands. I sigh and take a seat on the ground. The high grass pokes and itches at my skin.

"Sorry about the deku babba," I say.

He shrugs. "It's alright; it happens. I just hope nobody notices the holes until I can get Mizuumi to patch them up."

"Mizuumi," I repeat. "That's that professor guy, right? The one that made your body?"

"Yeah," Link says. "He's kind of a whacko, but…" Link shrugs again.

I fall back into the grass. I cast my eyes inward and see the remaining magic, tugging to free itself from my magical core. "There's actually not a lot left to do," I tell Link.

"What? With your magic?" he asks absently. He watches the sky intently, and I look up as well, squinting in the sunlight. The takkuri is back, circling the air not far off from us. Its large head and eyes scan the field.

"Yeah."

Link nods, his eyes locked on the takkuri scouring the sky. "That's good, dear."

The takkuri lets out a squawk, and beating its wings and bobbing its head, it flies off away from the carnival.

Link pops up from the ground. "Actually, love, let's go," he says.

"Go where?"

"Back into town," he says gruffly. "Come on." Link shoots off back towards the carnival, and I scramble to get back on my feet and catch up with him. His pace is brisk, and I struggle to stay in step with him. We weave through the tents, carnies and the guests to make our way back to the front of the carnival. Link's eyes drift over the crowds as he pulls to a stop. His head swivels one way, then the other, and in the next moment, he's shooting off towards the archway entrance.

Mido sits there on a stool at the entrance, another carnie across from him. Seeing us approach, Mido frowns and waves another carnie over to man the gate entrance. He hobbles over with his cane striking the ground with each step. "Whaddya want?" he snaps at Link.

"We're leaving. We'll be back in the morning," Link says.

Mido snorts, tugging at the tweed cap on his head with one hand. "Chuh! You're losing me money, you know that?" he accuses. The can strikes the ground. "I ought to just take down your poster."

"Do it then!"

"Look, bubs, we're making money here, and I can't have you floating off whenever you just damn well please."

"Yes, we're making money in one of the most dangerous places in Hyrule right now," Link hisses back.

Mido's eyes slide around, taking in our surroundings. Mine, too, begin to flit around to see who might be eavesdropping. Neither Mido nor I see anybody taking notice of us, and Mido continues, "You'd better be back."

When we finally reach my car, I hop into the driver's seat and wait for Link to slide in next to me before starting it up. Once on the road back to Castleton, the silence still hangs between us, so I speak up, "Why're you having us go back?"

"I don't like that takkuri," Link says.

"It probably just likes all the lights and such from the carnival," I reply with a shrug. "They like that sort of stuff, you know? Anything that shines or sparkles, they want."

"That's not it," Link says grimly, throwing his gaze out the passenger window.

…

"Link, aren't you hungry at all?"

Link perks up a little, pulling his head from where it was resting on his hand while he stared out the window. He shakes his head and pulls his arm off the table. "No, I'm fine," he says gently. Link's eyes drift back out the window to where passerby flit and whiz on by us, stationary in the booth.

Ruto purses her lips for a moment before digging back into her dinner.

It was just our luck that when I stopped for gas, we run into Ruto, who was on her way home from Central. She suggested we try this diner that she discovered recently, and although we were reluctant (mostly because of Link's current lack of a stomach and other digestive organs), Link and I ended up agreeing.

I poke at my food. This place is certainly a change from the one Ruto and I had eaten at during lunch one day, but the change in atmosphere around us doesn't put to rest my unease, and I can see that the same goes for Link. Most of the patrons here are Hylian, but speckled in are few Goron and Zora. Glancing around the diner itself, I can see that while most of them try to appear perky, there's a hallowed looked in their eyes that betray them; others simply don't even bother trying to hide their fear or weariness from the recent events.

Link sits a little straighter in the booth, and I'm bumped by his elbow. "Eat," he says to me under his breath. I look up at Ruto, who pushes through her dinner. For the first time, I notice what cosmetics have been hiding. There's the smallest hint of a dark circle under one eye where the make-up has been smudged. I quit my picking and begin to try and shovel something down into my stomach.

"They were at Central today," Ruto says, her voice a thin thread in the air.

I about drop my fork, but Link nudges me again, not even taking his eyes from the window view. Was he suspecting this all along? I take another bite while Ruto pushes the remainder of her mashed potatoes around her plate. Her eyes scan the diner, but it's not as if anyone is actively trying to listen in on our conversation.

She sighs, plucking a chunk of the potatoes off the plate. "They just stormed in, had us line up in sections, so at least people could get their calls through." There's a shudder in her breath, and she goes back to pushing the potatoes around.

"What'd they do?" Link asks. "Like, what'd they bring with them?"

Ruto shrugs. "I have no idea what they were," she tells us. "Some of them had these weird magnifying glasses or something, and they sort of ran it over it us. I guess they didn't find anything, because once they looked everybody over and checked all the offices, they left. It didn't feel right though, being looked over," she says. A shiver runs its course through her shoulders and arms. "It was cold."

I look over at Link, and he still hasn't taken his eyes off the passerby. His mouth, however, has thinned into a deep set frown.

Ruto makes small talk with us for the rest of the time, or rather with me as Link falls silent and says nothing else until we say our good-byes when we leave. With one fleeting, hesitating glance back at us, her hair whipping at her cheeks and lips, Ruto makes her way down the street. Her heels clack on the concrete in soft taps, fading into the growing noise of the city's streets.

Link and I crisscross through the winding Castleton streets back to where we left the car. I slide in with ease, itching to just get home, but Link stands on the sidewalk, staring into the car. Sighing, I lean over and roll the window down. "Just get in, will you? What's wrong?" He takes a tentative step forward, pauses and then shakes his head. "Link." He glances up and down the street, and then gets into the passenger seat. He rolls the window up as the car takes off.

The car is void of the sound of our voices for the ride, only the purring of the engine sounds as we drive back to my apartment. I pull off on a perpendicular road to the house to reach the alleyway behind it. The car lurches and jumps along the cobblestones that line the alley, and Link throws a hand up to keep himself from jerking with the car until we finally come to a rest behind the house.

With twilight hanging overhead, we slip into the house through the back door and sidle up the stairs to my apartment. At my heels is Link when I move to open the door, but the electric shock that runs through my right hand when I place it on the handle is immediate, and I recoil. And then it comes. Black, stiff and leathery, the wings of warning beat with an unusual ferocity when I suck in a breath and open the door. There's a screeching inside of me as the wings flail about, cawing for the wrongness of my surroundings. It thrashes and writhes as each pump of my heart drums in my head.

But nothing is out of place here. Everything is just as I left it. There are dishes still to be cleaned sitting in my kitchen sink, the blanket on the couch still lies haphazardly across the sofa from where Link last threw it from the chair by the bay window he'd claimed. My bed is still the unmade mess I made in my hurry. Even my toothbrush still sits in the cup on the bathroom sink. Nothing has been disturbed or touched. Not a single thing is out of place in my flat. Not even the specks of dust.

But all of this is wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.

Link stands stock still at the doorway where I left him. I spin him around and shoo him down the stairs, throwing him my keys as he goes. I stand in the doorway, shifting on my feet and mulling over my next move as the wings calm down in my recognition and acknowledgement. The steady flap of the leathery feathers still remains, however, in reminder. I need to move. I have to make a move. I decide to leave it almost as it is; I grab what funds I have squirreled away and hurry after Link.

When I fly out the door and into the twilight, Link already has the car started, his hands braced on the wheel. Flinging the door open, I throw myself into the car. Link peels us out of the alley, the soft beating of the warning wings still sounding in alarm.

I shiver in my seat.

"Finish it," Link says evenly.

I nod and close my eyes, setting out to work on roping in the last of the wild magic, but it's already too late.

They've been here, and they're looking for me.

…

Safety is an elusive thing. We drive around Castleton aimlessly, not knowing where to go, what to do. Link is wary of returning to the carnival. I know the takkuri still lurks in his mind, I can see it in the way he wears his face with a set determination. A grunt escapes me when the car hits a pothole, and I'm jostled, but Link trucks on.

In a start, I shout and point, "Turn here!"

Link does as I say, and questions me. "Where you want to go?"

"The only place nearby to be too isolated to be bothered with," I tell him, the gears in my mind turning in haste. "We need to go to the ranch. We can stay with my friend Malon there," I say, closing my eyes. Everything has been drained from me by the wild magic. My vision flickers as I struggle to keep my eyes open, and then I add, "We can see if the takkuri is still hanging around the carnival when we go by."

"Right."

It's as good of an option as we've got.

We fill the gas tank one last time before making the journey out of the city, and Link tells me to sleep off my exhaustion. "Did you finish it?" he asks me, sliding back into the car.

"I did," I sigh. It really is a relief. I rub my chest, the tightness in it slowly ebbing away.

"I'll wake you up when get close to the carnival, okay?"

I nod. "Sure." I dig into my pocket and find a small coin. "Here," I say, holding it out. "I don't want you turning off anytime soon."

Link chuckles and takes the coin from me. He slumps down in the driver's seat and fumbles with the buttons on his shirt. I ask him if he needs any help, but he shakes his head, and I notice how his hair seems to be duller than usual. It almost looks scratchy too, not the usual silkiness that I usually see. The clacking of the coin going down the slot follows soon after, and Link buttons his shirt back up.

It's awhile before we see the blinking and twinkling lights of the carnival, shining bright in through the dark field. I sit up a little straighter in the seat, craning my neck to see through the night. The car slows as we approach, and Link, too, is scanning the carnival intently. But we see nothing out of place. If there is something out there, like the takkuri, the night does not betray it. Lights flickers and flash, and hoots and screams of delight bolt through the air. Momentum is picked up as Link pushes down on the gas, and we drive away from the carnival, leaving the lights and laughter behind.

We say nothing to each other until we reach the ranch, and I direct him in the dark on where to park by the house. The soft glow of light moves through the house, and the front door opens as we step out of the car. Malon stands in the doorway, squinting at us. Her jaw drops, and her eye grow wide when she recognizes me. "Zelda!" she calls out. Her feet make their way down the steps of the porch with caution for the dark. When she feels the solid ground beneath her feet with sureness, she bolts towards us. Oil inside the lamp in her hand sloshes around, and the flame flickers.

"Malon!" I exclaim, winding my arms around her, careful of the oil lamp.

She clasps me with one arm, and then pulls away. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

I shoot a glance over at Link, and he shakes his head. Turning back to Malon, I tell her, "I can't really tell you right now, I'm sorry. But is it alright if we stay here for the night? We don't have any place else at the moment."

Malon looks up, noticing Link for the first time as darkness had hidden him from her. "Of course!" she says. "I've told you before, you always have a place here." She nods over at Link. "But you haven't told me who this is."

"This my friend Link," I reply.

Malon nods in greeting to him and motions for us to follow her inside. "Watch your feet," she warns as we walk up the steps of the porch and into the house.

Once in the house, Malon fetches another oil lamp and lights it for us. She shushes us as we head up the stairs and tells us goodnight before slipping into her own bedroom. We try to keep our footsteps light on our way to the spare bedroom. I set the oil lamp onto the nightstand. Clacking on the wooden floor as he goes, Link moves towards the windows and peers out while I dig in my pocket. "Do you have another coin?" Link asks me, not tearing his eyes away from the outside world shrouded in shadow.

Poking around for a coin of small denomination, I say, "Looking for one right now." I finally pluck one out and hand it to him. He nods, and turns back away from me.

I pull my shoes off and slip in between the sheets. I sniff lightly, shifting on my side and watching the door. The bed creaks and groans, and I feel myself falling back a little when Link sits down on the bed. I open my mouth to say something, but his intuition beats me to it, him saying, "Just go to sleep. I'll keep watch and wake you in the morning."

…

Smack!

I jump, jostling the bed, which squeals in protest from the sudden movement.

A chuckle drifts into my ears. "Sorry," Link says. "I didn't mean to scare you. I took another coin, by the way."

Rubbing my eyes, I sit up and try to shake the grogginess I feel. I glance around the room taking it in. Everything is like I remember it being from previous visits and the night before; even Link looks as though he has not moved from his seat on the bed, but from what he says, I know it a lie. The only change is the bright sunshine flowing through the windows. "How are you feeling?" Link asks me as I swing my feet out and over the side of the bed. Just by sitting up, my chest constricts.

"Like I've been sucked dry, but better," I say with a yawn. "I feel like I have more energy today."

"Well you did expend a lot yesterday," Link points out. "You'll probably feel even better as the day goes on."

"I hope so." I turn inwards, seeing my newly expanded core swirling within me. Strings of gold line the core, perfectly contained. There's not one thread of the new gold magic worming its way out of my core. Everything is finally right where it belongs. Or is it? Where the new magic sprung from is still a mystery, and what's even more puzzling to me is how I didn't even see it creep up on me. You'd think something as sensitive and personal as magic wouldn't slip on by somebody.

"I was dreaming," I say at last. "I think I was falling."

"Falling?"

"Like I was pushed or something. I remember it being really bright and hot."

"Nothing else?"

I think about it. I can still feel the lingering fingers of heat stroking my skin from my dream world, but I don't know what it was. A fire, maybe? Sounds logical enough, but then again, it was a dream. Dreams don't have to make sense at all. But the feet. Feet? That's right. There was a stampede of feet, and that's what pushed me down. "I want to say fire," I tell Link, "but I don't know for sure, but I remember feet. A large group of people were marching, and one of them pushed me down." I shrug. "That's all I got."

Link grunts, rising up from the bed. The coils squeak underneath. "Come on, let's get you something to eat. I want to go back to the carnival soon," he says, heading for the door.

"Why? What about the takkuri?"

He hesitates, pausing in step. Then he shakes his head. "I just have a feeling" is all he says when walks out of the room.

Malon greets us with cheer when we get into the kitchen. "I made some eggs and bacon," she says, cutting the gas from the stove. "There's some bread and goat cheese from Ordon on the table too." Malon waves a hand, gesturing to the table. Then she slides the eggs and the bacon onto a platter and sets it onto the table.

"Where's Talon and Ingo?" I ask, approaching the table.

"They're out tending to the cucco and the cows," she says, flinging open the cupboards for plates and glasses for us. I help her out, taking the plates she hands me, and set them on the table. "I have to go let the horses out of the stalls," Malon tells us, wiping her hands on her apron. "If you need anything, I'll be out by the corral."

We both take a seat at the table as Malon flies out of the kitchen. Link and I exchange bemused looks over the food. A small smile on his lips, he asks me, "Think you can eat for two?"

"Gonna have to try," I say, pulling the platter over to me.

It takes quite a while, but I'm able to shovel down a good amount of food. My stomach is stretched beyond belief, and I rub it. "I wonder if this is what it feels like to be pregnant," I comment, and Link snickers from across the table. He nudges the glass of Lon Lon milk towards me. I groan. "I don't know if I can finish that last bit, Link."

"Try."

I sigh and am able to knock it back, to my surprise, but my full belly protests the new addition sloshing around.

Link slams his hands on the table and pulls himself up from the chair. "Let's get these dishes taken care of and then head out of here," he says, tugging on a sleeve of his shirt. The holes in his rubber skin are more pronounced in the daylight.

With only portions of the bread and Ordonian cheese left, I help Link get all the dishes in the sink, and while he sets to work cleaning them, I wrap up the leftovers for Malon. Link and I quickly knock out the dishes and head outside to find Malon. We pass by Talon, Malon's father and the ranch owner, who is sitting among a gaggle of cucco with a bag of seed, and wave. He waves back, the birds clucking and strutting away at his feet. He tosses out another handful of seed.

"Malon!" I call out once we reach the corral. With her bright red hair, the young woman is easy to spot anywhere the sun shines on her. She waves us inside, and Link and I slip on through the gate. The horses graze lazily, flicking their tails as they bend down to chew on the grass.

When we approach, Malon offers us a rueful smile. "On your way out, I suppose?"

"Yeah."

"Zelda, what's going on?"

I'm hesitant to answer, but when I open my mouth, Link's voice instead sounds. "They've created a task force to essentially confiscate anything magical that's deemed a threat," Link tells her. "They've been sending out more and more squads."

Malon's mouth moves into a tight frown at this news. Her eyes flick over to me in an accusing glare, demanding answers.

"We came back to my apartment yesterday, and I'm sure they've been in there."

"The squads?"

"Yes."

"What would they find in there?"

Glancing over at Link, I let out a sigh. "Remember what I told you the last time I came by?" I ask her.

"I do," she says matter-of-factly with a nod of her head.

I don't offer her any more of an explanation, but the way we look at each other, I know she understands. Malon nods her head at me, and turns to an approaching horse. It neighs, commanding that her attention be directed toward it. Chuckling to herself, Malon rubs the horse's nose and says to us, "Don't worry. I know what to do."

"Thank you, Malon."

"It's only what you'd do for me."

…

"Brother! Sister!"

Link lets out a bout of laughter. "Darunia!" he calls back, and the strong man bounds over towards us as we walk through the entrance of the carnival.

I give a small wave to Mido at the entrance, but he only snarls at me and turns firmly away. I roll my eyes and pick up the pace to catch up to Link and Darunia. I'll never understand that man's problem. Mido's just so sour. But I'm definitely curious, although the only way for that to be quenched is if Link would actually open up to me about something personal for once.

Darunia pulls both Link and I into one armed hugs, crushing us against his chest. While I choke, Link laughs out, "Don't break me now! I don't want Mizuumi to have to start from scratch!"

It's like the rumbling of an avalanche the way the strong man's own laughter rockets through him. He releases us, and I immediately begin sucking in new breaths of air. Link merely readjusts his shirt and suspenders. Darunia eyes Link's plain outfit before commenting, "You know, you haven't performed in so long, I almost forget what you look like with that nice tux of yours."

Link laughs. "I think I blend a little more in this though."

Darunia throws his gaze around the surrounding crowds of people. He snorts. "I hate to be your messenger of bad news, but Marin's been looking for you ever since you took off yesterday." His arms bulge with muscle more prominently when he crosses them. Darunia admits to us, "I was a little worried about you. I thought something might have happened."

"We're fine, Brother," Link says, the smile on his face wide.

"Well, be careful," the strong man tells us in a low tone.

This makes Link's smile slip. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

Darunia waves it off. "Oh, nothing," he grumbles. "I only told Marin that you took off to elope with this here sweetheart," he says with much endearment, pinching my cheek and giving my head a slight shake. I laugh and wiggle out of his grasp.

"Oh sure," Link spits. "She laughs when you do that."

"You just don't have my kind of charm, sir," Darunia says, a thumb jutted out to his chest. I snicker when I see the scowl on Link's face.

"You're a terrible friend," Link informs him.

Darunia only laughs at this. "That's just fine," he says, pulling me into another one armed hug. "I can take this little sweetheart off your hands then." There's a bump of silence following Darunia's statement before all three of us burst into a fit of giggles like schoolchildren.

Link's the first to quit his laughing, however. "Zelda, we better run."

Darunia throws his head back to glance behind him and mutters a "Yup." He lets me go and gives me a little push. "I'll head her off," he promises, bounding away with heavy steps.

"Come on, love," Link says, already taking off. I hurry to catch up to him as he says, "Let's get lost in the mirror house for a while."

"Sounds fun," I say as we weave through the throngs of people moving from tent to tent, stall to stall. "You know," I say, "you haven't called me one of those pet names in a while."

"I haven't?" Link says.

"I think it's been a full day, actually."

"Oh dear," Link says, a faux horror in his voice. "That's absolutely terrible! I must apologize. I'd hate to make you think I'm neglecting you."

I laugh.

It really is like a switch. Link's home and heart is where ever this carnival is. It's only here that I truly see him come alive to the point where I could actually mistake him to be human, my only reminder of the machine that he is being the spurring of gears and a hiss of what he called hydraulics.

He leads me into the winding mirror house. Being towards the back of the carnival, there are a lot less people in here, allowing ample room for us to maneuver around in. Laughing as we go, Link and I play and pose in front of mirrors that stretch us long and tall. I wiggle a little in front of it, watching my long, lanky arms change length. Link moves on to another mirror, snickering when he sees the result. I sidle up behind him and laugh with him. While he's not of exceptional height, he is only maybe an inch or two shorter than the average man. The mirror, however, plays with his height and squashes him down. His thin stature puffs out, giving him an unusual pot belly.

"Oh!" Link exclaims. "You have to see this!"

Link leads me through the maze of mirrors to a row of black walls with holes in it. "Just set your face in one," Link tells me. I give him a skeptical look, and then choose one. The hole is so high up that my chin barely reaches, so I have to step up on the small ladder to stick my face in. The laughter bubbles up before I can stop it. A mirror reflects back at me my face on the body of a gun slinging, plump little girl in a puffy, pink dress. Above my head, I can see I'm adorned with a Bo Peep style pink hat.

"Do they all have something funny like this?" I ask.

"One of them is a strong man," Link says, and he begins poking his head through several of them to find it. "This one!" I stick my face up into the hole where my wide grin bounces back to me. There I am, on the body of a strong man in a strange leopard print loincloth wrestling with a pit of snakes.

"Where on earth did you all come up with these? They're fantastic!"

"I only wish we had one of the Lizalfos man," Link laughs.

"By the way, you never did tell me what we were fleeing from at the entrance."

Link grimaces a little as we stick our faces in a double one. Link has to bend down a little for this one, but for my short self, it's at the perfect height. It's funny, really, seeing his scowl and my laughing face on the body of Siamese twins attached at the hip and torso with three legs. An accordion is being squashed between the two arms. Link's sour face lessens a little, and he tells me, "This one was modeled after the Evelyn sisters."

"And do they play accordion?" I ask.

"Oh yes! And the piano and guitar – it's kind of amazing to see them play one man instruments when one controls one arm and the other twin the other arm," Link says, pulling his face out.

"Now, Link, about our quick escape…?"

"Marin was hightailing her way over," he finally admits.

"What's her deal?" I ask as we stick our heads into another double one, me bending over this time to reach the lower hole. A giggle escapes me when I see Link's face on a milkmaid and mine on the cow.

Link chuckles and pulls his head out of the hole in the wooden wall. "It's really not that big of a secret that she doesn't like you."

"Like Mido?"

"He's actually a pretty big softie," Link says. "He just doesn't want anybody to know."

I can't help but snort. "Yeah, sure."

Link leads the way out of the mirror tent, pushing aside the flaps to let the warm summer sunshine into the mirror tent. I step outside after him, asking him, "Where to next?" He's trying to keep me distracted, from what, I'm not sure. My eyes scan the skyline of the carnival for any signs of the takkuri, but see none.

The mechanical man only shrugs. "Where ever you'd like," he says, a lopsided grin adorning his face.

We walk around in no particular direction, squeezing through groups of people eager to see the circus acts. As we slide through one particular cluster of people, a voice rings out above the crowd calling for Link. Finding the source, Link plasters a grin on his face and shouts back, "Purlo!"

"So those three have been telling me that you'll try my new game," Purlo says as he comes to a stop in front of us.

"Another time," Link says, taking my arm and starting to pull me away.

The other carnie's head darts to the side as he lets out a sigh. "Well then, of course!" he exclaims suddenly as he turns back to us, a new smile finding its way on his face. "Until next time!" he says, and he disappears back into the throng of people.

"I don't think I like him much," I tell Link as we move away from Purlo's tent.

Airy laughter explodes from Link, and he shakes his head. "I don't either," he says. "Purlo's a bit of a conman," Link tells me in a whisper. "I beat him out twice on his impossible games, and now he dreads each time I show up at his tent."

"How'd you win it if it's impossible?"

"Lady," he exclaims with more force behind his voice and a smile on his lips, "I'm a machine! What can't I do?"

…

In the mess tent, many of the carnies are crammed in at the tables with a few empty seats poking around here and there. The carnival may not rest, even at night, but when night falls comes the reprieve for many of them. Under the dim lights, laughter and conversation is exchanged. I'm squashed between the strong man, Darunia and Ilia at the table. The whole bench wobbles whenever Darunia lets out a booming laugh. Even my silverware clatters on my plate when he laughs. Ilia is laughing with him, but her face falls and hardens a little when she looks up and see Marin approaching.

"Oh, look who it is," Marin says with disdain. The plate of food she has in her hands slaps onto the table and she takes her seat.

"If you don't like the company, you can find another seat," Darunia snaps right back.

Marin snorts. "As if I'd be able to find one," she replies with a wave of her hand. The redhead digs into her dinner. "Where's your friend?"

"He doesn't need to eat," Ilia says.

My eyes scan the tent, but I see no hide or hair of Link among the crowd. He'd told Ilia, he planned on shutting off soon, but the second she had her back turned to us, he slipped his hand into the pocket of my dress to snatch a coin from me. He gave me a wink, a silent way to tell me not to mention this, and slid out into the growing darkness.

Marin snaps at me, "What?" It's only then do I realize that in my reverie, I'd been staring at her.

"Nothing," I say, and I go back to poking at the dinner the carnies where kind enough to provide for me. Noticing that Ilia and Darunia's plate both have next to nothing on them, I scramble to shovel down my food. Once I've finished, the three of us get up to take care of our plates, and all the while, I can feel Marin's glare drilling into my back. I shiver a little.

Darunia bids us a goodnight outside the mess tent, and wanders off to his wagon. Ilia and I wave as he turns to go before Ilia leads me in another direction from Darunia. "You're staying here tonight, right?"

"Yeah, if that's okay. Something came up back in town," I tell her.

Ilia's head turns, and she studies me for a moment and then nods. "I get it," she says. She waves her hand, "Come on. You can have the bed if you'd like."

"That's alright; I'll be fine on the floor."

When we reach Link and Ilia's wagon, to Ilia's surprise and my expectations, Link is absent. "That's odd," she says, looking around the small wagon. "He said he was probably going to shut down soon. Did he say anything to you?"

I shake my head. Sorry Ilia.

"Well, maybe he'll turn up soon," she says, opening her trunk. She pulls out an extra blanket for me, and then turns to her bed and tosses me a pillow.

"Thanks," I say and settle down on the floor. Ilia shuts out the light in the wagon and hops into her bed. Look up at the window and the little stars spotting the night sky, I snuggle into the blanket as worry gnaws at my insides.

I don't know what you're up to, but Link, don't be stupid.

8,205.

That's a lot. I had written way more, but, I wrote the end part (or what I thought was the end), and then realized as I went back to fill in the event leading up to it, that it comes way later. So a good portion of the next chapter is already done. I have like writer's ADD with this story, hopping back and forth between stuff.

Anyway, I have a date with my friend's soon to be four-year-old to play Wind Waker (I'm about to enter the Tower of the Gods, and he's just so excited). He keeps telling me that for his birthday we need to get a toy and a cake. From Wal-Mart. And I'm to make the cake there. And it has to be chocolate. He said this last year, and it's still funny, but he still can't remember any store but Wally. He can tell you all about Zelda though now. He watched me and his dad play through Twilight Princess a little bit, but then he really got into it when they got Skyward Sword for Christmas. He likes telling me how to go kick Moblin butt. "OH NO! Link watch out!"

On another note, my nephew went to Disney World. He's three too, and he completely destroyed any sanctity Disney had when he punched Mickey Mouse in the face. He didn't like the way Mickey hugged him or something. He was all so proud when he told me about it.

Toddlers!

:s