A/N: (Update 1/8/20) Happy New Year everyone! I wanted to get this chapter posted shortly before things started getting hectic for me. I will soon be taking an online class for my MBA and work will give me no spare time to write for the next few months, so don't expect any updates until the summer time at the earliest. Writing a story has been a goal of mine, and I intend to see this story through even if it takes several years to do it, and then I hope to write some more stories some day as well.
I had even started my own novelization of OOT, but my focus hasn't been as sharp on that compared to this one. I intend to add a few twists to it compared to the gameplay of OOT (and its limited interactions between all the characters and Link), as well as an alternate version after Link pulls the Master Sword, but that won't be for a while at this time. For now, here's the next chapter of this story. Enjoy!
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This is a sentence. - Narration. No character speaking or thinking.
"This is a sentence." - Character speaking out loud.
'This is a sentence.' - Character speaking in his/her head.
"(This is a sentence.)" - Character speaking out loud but in a language unfamiliar to the characters (and I was too lazy to research the correct wording).
This is a sentence. - Emphasis placed on the italic word in the normal course of the narration or the character speaking or thinking.
This IS a sentence. - Same as with the single italic, just a variation of expressing the emphasis.
This is a sentence. - All italics means the event is happening in a dream or flashback of which I would give a quick note prior saying a dream or flashback is occurring.
This is a sentence. - During a dream or flashback, emphasis placed in the normal text word in the normal course of the narration or the character speaking or thinking.
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I do not own The Legend of Zelda or Soul Calibur.
Chapter 21 - On the Road Again
When Link and Seong Mi-Na finally arrived, both Taki and Talim couldn't help but notice the rather happy smile on Seong Mi-Na's face. "Someone is in a good mood," Taki commented with a raised eyebrow. "What took you so long?"
"We just...got lost on the road of life," Seong Mi-Na replied, the smile never leaving her face as she briefly looked at Link.
Talim had a confused look at that. What did that mean? Did she and Link...no, they wouldn't have done anything like that. Link certainly wouldn't. Then...why did Seong Mi-Na look so happy? And was Link a little embarrassed? She looked between them a bit before shaking her head. She must be imagining things.
"Uh, huh," Taki replied as she looked between the two. She had a more suspicious look on her face, but she knew Link wouldn't do anything like that, though she was a little surprised at herself that she would think something like that to begin with, or why she would care before mentally shrugging it off. "Well, now that you're here, we can get the fire going. Just place the wood there."
The two did as instructed, arranging the wood in place. But just as Taki prepared to make the sparks to start the fire, Link interrupted, holding an arrow. "I'll handle it," Link said with a bit of a smirk on his face. The other three watched in curiosity as he placed an arrow—which he again pulled seemingly out of nowhere—at the base of the firewood. Then with a command, the arrow-tip suddenly burst into flame, much to their surprise. Even Taki, as though she had seen his Light Arrow, he hadn't before demonstrated his apparent "Fire Arrow." Link let the arrow sit for a minute, giving the wood time to burn on its own before pulling his Fire Arrow out and extinguishing it—and then making it disappear entirely.
"Wow...Is there anything you can't do?" Seong Mi-Na commented, which made him laugh a little and bashfully rub the back of his head at the praise.
They shortly started eating dinner with some of the food supplies they had on hand. It was while they were eating that Talim was reminded of something she had wanted to ask for a while, now. "Hey, Link," she started, getting his attention.
Link turned to her, swallowing a piece of bread in his hand. "What is it, Talim?"
"Well, I was wondering...through the wind I am able to feel the energy from your sword. Would you...be willing to show it to me?" she asked rather shyly.
Link gave her a curious look before shrugging and unsheathed his blade and laid it in his hands for view. Talim couldn't help but let out a small gasp at the heavenly aura it seemed to give off. Even Seong Mi-Na looked impressed as she too was looking at it in curiosity. Despite the fact it was dark out, it still gave off a holy blue glow that was easily visible. It had such a pleasant feeling to it, especially with the gentle breeze Talim felt accompanying it. When asked where he got such a sword, Link explained how the Sages in his home helped purify the shard of Soul Edge they had obtained before using it to help forge the sword in his hand.
"It has such a beautiful glow. Like the sword I've seen in my visions," Talim said in a soft tone.
That got their attention. "Visions? What visions? Like, in your dreams?" Link asked, suddenly reminded of how Princess Zelda saw visions back home that related to Hyrule's fate. Talim nodded before Taki now suddenly spoke up.
"And of a sword, you say? You have been seeing a sword in these 'visions' of yours? Link's sword?" Taki asked, her curiosity now peaked at this latest piece of information.
"You've been seeing swords in your dreams?" Seong Mi-Na wryly commented, who found the idea rather strange.
Talim took a moment to compose herself from the sudden round of questions she was getting. "Um, not quite what I meant, but yes. In the past few months, I have seen visions of a sword in my dreams. A beautiful, blue sword that gave such a heavenly glow, much like this sword here."
They paused to look at the blade in question, wondering what that all meant. "But...the sword in these 'visions' is different than this one?" Seong Mi-Na questioned.
"Correct."
"Hmm...Interesting. What else can you tell us about this sword in these 'visions' of yours?" Taki asked, her mind trying to determine the usefulness of this new information.
"The strange part is the shape never appears to be the same in each vision. But I can tell you in each vision, it appeared to be much larger than this one. Sometimes as long as a longsword while other times when stood upright it looked very tall, taller than even you, Taki," she said, briefly looking at as she mentioned her. A sword taller than her? She was 5' 7", a very tall height male OR female, and a sword taller than that was rare indeed. "And it almost looked as if the base of the sword, or sometimes the entire sword itself, was made of crystal and had a bright, blue jewel near the hilt, which glowed the brightest amongst the other parts of the sword."
The group was silent at that as they tried to picture it in their heads for a minute before Seong Mi-Na spoke up. "So, does that mean Link holds a piece of this sword, then?"
"I cannot say," Talim replied. "And in each vision, it always seemed the sword was somewhere in the Western lands from what I can tell."
"Oh? What makes you think so?" Taki asked curiously. Could this sword possibly be somewhere in Europe? This just keeps getting more and more interesting, she thought.
"Do you know where?" Link also asked.
"I am not certain as to where, but I occasionally have seen it in the ruins of an old castle of some kind. Its design did not look like anything I've seen in the East. In addition, just after each vision, I could feel something faint in the winds coming from the West. And as I journeyed further into the West, the visions became more potent and more frequent, with the last vision I had the night before I met all of you, and the wind I felt after each vision felt larger as I journeyed westward as well."
Silence again rendered the group. A sword opposite Soul Edge? And here in Europe? Was this the key to destroying Soul Edge? It sounded very promising. The idea itself was enough to instill a little more hope in each others' spirits. Even Taki's, who was never one to get her hopes up. Prior to this, she thought if blades infused with Soul Edge clashed against each other, they would ultimately destroy each other, a theory she was expecting to put to the test with her Mekki-Maru.
However, this new information changed that thought. Perhaps this apparent "holy" sword could destroy it? Link seemed to have such a "holy" blade as well, perhaps even a shard of it forged into his sword. Perhaps it, too, could destroy it? Or at least greatly weaken it? She had to admit, this was the most useful and most interesting thing she learned regarding Soul Edge and gave her something to process in her head for awhile. Then a thought came to her.
"Does Yun-Seong know about this sword or these 'visions' of yours?" Taki asked.
Talim shook her head. "No. I was afraid if I told him, it might convince him to go after this sword in addition to Soul Edge and further his resolve to search for it."
"I see. A definite possibility to be sure."
"Still...I feel a little bad of keeping it a secret from him."
"Perhaps. But a wise move nonetheless given his...fiery personality," Taki replied, though it did little to assuage Talim.
"Ah, don't worry about him," Seong Mi-Na spoke up, waving off her concern. "I know him enough to know he doesn't stay mad for long at someone, especially when he knows he was wrong on something. Once he realizes Soul Edge is evil, I'm sure he'll understand."
"Are you sure?" Talim asked hesitantly, still not sure on that.
"Trust me. He might be a little thick-headed at times, but he's a good person. And if he does still feel resentment for it, I'll be sure to set him straight."
Talim looked at her, not sure what she meant on that last part but stayed silent. Finally, Taki spoke up.
"Well, it is getting late. We can worry about it another time. For now, let us try and get as much sleep as we can."
The group nodded in agreement at that, with Taki volunteering to take first watch and the others rotating afterwards as they all turned in for the night.
The night went without incident, though Link still had trouble waking up, muttering "Five more minutes" in his sleep, much to the girls' amusement (minus Taki, who merely shook her head). They soon were back on the road, traveling towards the national borders with Greece and Bulgaria. They spent the next few days traveling without incident and were now less than a day's walk to the border.
Link was now in his red Goron Tunic while Taki switched to wearing a purple colored outfit with a mesh shirt underneath that extended to her elbows, a metal waistband and green sash on her stomach, and different-colored gauntlets, shoulder guards, and shin guard armor that went up to her knees with red trimmings at the top and a circular blue symbol near the top of each shin guard. The shoulder guards were also connected to each other across the front and back and she wore a head piece that had a narrow extension that went just over her nose (A/N: Her purple outfit from the first Soul Edge game but without the Japanese banner behind her).
Seong Mi-Na had switched to an outfit with light purple all of her arms and legs with various dark purple designs all over it but left her abdomen, neck, and upper chest bare. She wore a green top with orange markings on it along with a skirt that had the same color scheme as her top and went down to her knees. She wore footwear that was green at the base of it and light pink up to her shins with magenta trimmings at the top, along with orange foot-guards that covered her upper feet to lower shins and had a blue and white circle near the bottom that was similar to the Chinese Ying-Yang in design but not quite the same. She had on orange fingerless gloves with the same pink design and material as her shoes and had the same blue and white symbol on the back of her hands as that on her footwear. Finally, she had a headband with the same light purple color as her arms and legs with darker purple rectangles going across the center of the headband (A/N: Her PlayStation-exclusive outfit from the first Soul Edge game).
Talim was now in a pink outfit with a short-sleeved white overshirt connected by a yellow and red brooch. A red necklace with a brighter red gem adorned her neck and she had red armbands with gold trimmings. She had red shorts with similar gold trimming that left most of her legs bare and wore sandals with pink ankle-bands and burgundy straps underneath that went from the ankle to halfway up to her knees. Finally, she had brown fingerless gloves with a more lavender color on the backs of the hands and wore a unique headpiece that almost resembled cat ears with pink fabric protruding from them that covered her ears (A/N: Her 2P outfit from SC2).
Since leaving Istanbul, Seong Mi-Na and Talim have been privately thinking on whether to stay with Link and Taki or pursue Yun-Seong and make sure he was alright.
Per her father's instructions, Seong Mi-Na had an obligation to retrieve the White Storm from Yun-Seong. The fact she had lent it to him to begin with also made it a rather personal obligation to retrieve it, though she didn't want to just take it by force (even though she threatened to do so earlier) and preferred he came back willingly with it. Given Yun-Seong's fiery personality and now that he was traveling on his own, he would likely get himself in trouble at some point and try to "bite off more than he could chew," as she heard Link describe about him once. This made her want to look for him and make sure he didn't wind up in prison or otherwise bring unnecessary attention to himself.
But at the same time...she liked traveling with the group—or to be more precise, she liked traveling with Link. Ever since opening up to him that night, she felt a lot...happier. In fact, simply being in his presence just seemed to lift her spirits and make her smile more. She had to admit, she liked traveling in general, but traveling with Link seemed to make it even more enjoyable and the thought of not being able to travel with him just felt rather...upsetting to her. Why was that? Sure, he was a nice boy and all, and she only knew him for but a few days...and yet, it already felt much longer. Granted, she didn't know Yun-Seong for very much longer either, admittingly. And yet, she felt she knew Link a lot more. Was it selfish, wanting to stay with someone like that and leave the other to himself, despite the (possible) danger he may be facing or may face down the road? Her mind was so conflicted from it all, and so she wasn't sure what to do.
Talim was also worried about Yun-Seong's well-being. Ever since he left them, she felt an unpleasant and dark wind that almost seemed to follow Yun-Seong. It was getting fainter as time went on, and she felt it would soon be out of range entirely, something she told the group about. She even asked if they could travel a little faster the past couple days to try to keep up (which prompted Link to oblige by introducing them to the game of "Tag," much to their enjoyment—except Taki, who elected not to join in, prompting Link to call her a "party pooper" which made her twitch in annoyance). He kept saying how he would use Soul Edge to protect his country with it, and she truly thought he would finally see the folly of it after Link talked to him; however, it appeared he still thought Soul Edge was still worth obtaining and didn't want to have to confront the rest of the group about it when then found it. She was still feeling down about that, but she kept her feelings to herself as she tried to stay positive.
Also...she too enjoyed Link's company. He was strong, a skilled warrior, yet a very gentle soul with a kind heart. He just seemed to have this way of making someone smile without even trying, and simply being near him let her feel calm and at peace—a feeling amplified by the soothing wind that always seemed to accompany him. It also didn't hurt that he looked very cute and had the most beautiful blue eyes she had even seen. Just what did she do? Did she stay and help them look for and destroy Soul Edge? Or look for Yun-Seong first and make sure he was alright? This issue raged in her head, unsure of what to do as time went by.
Taki, meanwhile, had something else in mind. She had been going over the incident in Istanbul several times in her head. Although they had answers as to what happened that day, there was one important detail that remained unanswered that she was reminded of—the strange presence Talim and even Link seemed to have sensed.
Just who or what was that? Was it one of the thieves? Or someone else, maybe directing the thieves' actions? And was he or they responsible for what occurred with Yun-Seong? What did they do to get him to leave everyone, and what would they want with him? It just didn't make sense.
'Or maybe...he isn't the target at all?' Taki thought, a new line of thought crossing her mind. 'If not him, then what are they after?...Or is the right question, who are they after?' she thought, briefly looking behind her towards Talim, who was currently talking with Link.
"Something wrong, Taki?"
Her thoughts were interrupted as she looked at Seong Mi-Na, who had a curious look on her face. "I am fine. Just...thinking is all."
"About what? Something about Talim?" she asked upon seeing where she was looking.
Taki paused, thinking it over in her head before replying. "Not exactly. I was still thinking of something that happened in Istanbul, something that has been troubling me that I cannot seem to figure out."
"You mean with Yun-Seong?"
"Mm, perhaps...in part," she replied slowly.
"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked with a confused look.
Taki now looked directly at Seong Mi-Na before replying. "Do you recall how at one point while following Link and I, Talim said she felt a strange presence and so changed course to go after it instead of us?"
Seong Mi-Na looked to the side, thinking it over as she recalled the story before nodding. "Yes, I remember. What about it?"
"Talim said she first sensed it in Egypt, as if it was a presence looking to stay hidden. She would have possibly learned the source before Link's bomb went off and she turned back. In addition, Link said he too thought he felt a strange presence amidst the havoc occurring, not long AFTER his bomb went off."
"Alright...so? What does that mean, then?" Seong Mi-Na replied, not understanding what she was getting at.
"Well, then remember what happened right after that. After Link sensed something, it was if all of the thieves were suddenly targeting Talim, as opposed to you, Link, or myself. Despite the fact WE were the ones to have had prior dealings with them. NOT Talim."
A flash of realization seemed to appear on Seong Mi-Na's face before replying. "I see...Whomever this stranger is, they were after Talim. But...why? What was it that made them go after her?"
"That is what I have been trying to figure out," she said as she got into another thinking pose.
"Figure out what about me?" The two turned to see Talim walking just behind them along with Link, both with curious looks on their faces.
"More about the strange presence that was felt in Istanbul, actually. You were listening?" Taki asked calmly.
"Well, more Link. He said he heard you mention my name and something about the thieves targeting me instead of the three of you, so we walked up to hear more."
Taki looked at Link for a moment before replying. "I see...well, as I was saying with Seong Mi-Na, I have been thinking about the strange presence you had mentioned earlier. In particular, who or what it was and who or what they are after."
Oh right, Link thought. He had forgotten all about that. He had wondered about what that was at the time, but after everyone was safe, he had forgotten that little detail. "Any ideas?" he asked.
"Taki thinks this 'strange presence' you had mentioned in Istanbul was after Talim," Seong Mi-Na answered, looking at Talim at the end.
"Me/Her?" Talim and Link answered at the same time, the two briefly looking at each other before Talim continued.
"But...why me? Are you sure?"
"I cannot say for certain why, but the more I think of it, the more it makes sense." She then detailed what she worked out with Seong Mi-Na to the other two.
"But, how can you be sure she is the one being targeted? And why her when she only just arrived here? It just doesn't make sense!" Link exclaimed, prompting Taki to mentally raise an eyebrow at the way he said it.
"I am aware of that, Link," she said, trying to calm him down as he looked at her. "There must be something we don't know that this stranger does regarding Talim, and he or they consider her such a threat so as to have her killed."
Link opened his mouth as if to reply, but he held back. He wanted to dispute that, but he found no real argument to give. He looked at Talim, who tried to make it look like she was calm, but Link could tell she had a worried look in her eyes.
"In fact, hmm..." Taki said slowly, getting their attention again. She went into a thinking pose, a hand in her chin as she thought about it for a few moments. "I believe this same presence you felt related to Yun-Seong is likely the same presence you felt when you were originally following us," she stated, looking at Talim as she spoke. "And this presence may have tricked or otherwise affected Yun-Seong in such a way with the intention of drawing you out. Alone, so as to make it easier to kill you."
The group was silent at that, Link and Seong Mi-Na briefly looking at Talim, who looked uncomfortable at the looks they were giving her. As much as they did not want to admit it, it did make sense. If she left to go after Yun-Seong, she could be doing right what the enemy wants. But was this unknown enemy really targeting Talim like Taki suggested? Or was she just trying to scare her into staying with them?
That last part was something that came across Seong Mi-Na's mind. She looked at Taki for several moments, and after thinking it over in her mind, she nodded to herself and decided to act on it. "Taki? Can I speak with you in private for a minute?"
The rest of the group looked at her a bit, Taki in particular as she kept her usual neutral expression but inside was wondering what was so important to her to talk to her in private. Her habit of cautiousness took over, going over various possible incidents in her head that could result from this encounter before mentally chiding herself for that. "Very well," she nodded before walking away from Link and Talim, keeping her eyes on Seong Mi-Na as she turned, then to Link and Talim before turning away entirely.
"Is everything alright, Seong Mi-Na?" Link asked.
"Just wanted to clear something up before continuing this discussion. We won't be long," she said before going to join Taki, leaving a confused Link and Talim behind her.
After walking a ways from Link and Talim, Taki finally stopped and turned around, patiently waiting for Seong Mi-Na who joined her shortly afterwards. "So then? What is it you wished to discuss with me?" Taki asked, getting right down to business while placing a hand on her waist for emphasis.
"I just wanted to make sure of something," she said evenly, but Taki could sense a slight suspicion in her tone.
Taki stayed as she was, though she did slightly tilt her head at that. "Hm...and what would that be?"
"You aren't just making all that up, are you?"
"What do you mean?" she asked in slight confusion.
"I mean, you're not trying to scare Talim into staying with you, are you?" Seong Mi-Na asked, giving a somewhat sideways look at her.
Taki stayed silent a few moments but now had a vague idea where she was going with this. "Why would you think that?" she asked calmly.
"Talim mentioned you had talked to her about possibly learning how to use her purifying abilities, as well as how she could sense shards of Soul Edge from long distances and how you said it was a very useful ability. I saw the two of you working on something while Link and I sparred the past couple nights, and she later mentioned that's what you were trying to do. Given your...occupation, I just wanted to make sure you weren't trying to...trick her in any way into staying," Seong Mi-Na she added slowly, choosing her words carefully.
"Hmm...and do you think I am?"
Seong Mi-Na paused before replying. "...I do not believe so..."
"But...?" Taki replied, sensing her hesitation.
Seong Mi-Na again paused before replying, taking in a deep breath. "...I still felt the need to make sure. I do not mean to sound offending, but she is my friend and I just wanted to make sure she did not feel pressured in any way into staying," she finished, giving a calm yet somewhat tense look at Taki, which Taki returned as she thought it over.
Taki could tell Seong Mi-Na was a little suspicious of her, despite how they had already settled their differences related to their nationalities. She could also tell she and Talim seemed to have gotten along rather well in the short time they've known each other. Although despite her suspiciousness towards her, a part of Taki was actually rather pleased with Seong Mi-Na mentioning this. For one, it allowed them to help bring up this issue that Taki was expecting would be addressed, and preferably without any accusations or arguments between them like Seong Mi-Na stated. And two, that Seong Mi-Na was able to think of such a genuine possibility herself, which demonstrated her ability to look for possible hidden motives in people's actions or words—something the Fu-Ma are always taught to look out for. She also liked how she spoke her mind and was willing to address the tough issues as they arose. If she chose to stay, she could prove to be a useful ally as well. After a couple minutes, Taki finally gave a slow nod before speaking.
"No offense taken, Seong Mi-Na," she said assuringly, making Seong Mi-Na relax slightly at that. "If anything, I appreciate you in addressing them in the manner you have given. Rest assured," she stated, her hands making a slight placating gesture, "I am not making up any such possibilities with the intention to trick her or for any personal or selfish desires. Everything I have described is based purely on all the facts we have gathered and is what I have been able to work out so far based on these facts. I cannot prove any of them to be real, but I have always been taught to determine all possibilities based on the facts presented to me and slowly eliminate them until only one possible solution remains."
"Hmm...that makes sense," Seong Mi-Na said slowly as she thought over Taki's answer. "But how do you know Talim is the one they're after?"
"As I said, I am not 100% certain Talim is indeed the target," she replied, shaking her head slightly as she spoke. "But based on what we do know, I believe that is the most likely possibility, and so I felt it necessary to share my thoughts on that. Nothing more."
Seong Mi-Na looked at Taki for a minute as she processed what she had been told. Finally, she nodded her head in acceptance, a small but satisfied smile appearing on her face. "Alright. I just wanted to make sure."
"No harm done. And besides, if I were to ever trick someone like that, Link would be very upset with me."
Seong Mi-Na blinked in surprise at that. "Link?" she echoed in confusion, tilting her head a little. "You would be worried about upsetting Link?"
"You sound surprised," Taki commented.
"Well...a little. I mean, seeing an adult ninja from the east traveling with a young boy from the west? And with such familiarity? It's...not exactly a common sight."
"That is understandable," Taki calmly replied, having expecting something like this since traveling with Link, such as with Takeda and some of the sailors on their ship to Persia who had similar thoughts. "I can imagine it must look strange. Someone like me, a ninja traveling with someone as young and innocent as him." Seong Mi-Na nodded at that in confirmation. "But...he saved my life. Twice, actually. And one could argue even more than that," she added. That was probably the first time she openly admitted that part. The incident at the temple, taking the shuriken for her, and then aiding in their escape? Three times actually sounded more accurate, she thought to herself as she continued.
"As such, I feel I owe him. The fact he is also looking to destroy Soul Edge and is very skilled and resourceful helps as well. Also..." she paused, looking towards the boy in question, who seemed to have started a game of "Tag," as he called it, with Talim, "he seems to have an unusually way of connecting with people. Whether through his actions or his words, you cannot help but be drawn in by his kindness and personality," she said.
"That's true," Seong Mi-Na added, also now looking at Link. Back in Istanbul, Taki did mention how he saved her twice, but she still had to admit, it was still unusual to see a ninja hold someone so young in high regard, let alone be friends with him. But satisfied in what she learned, she shrugged that off. "Well, shall we get back?"
Taki looked at Seong Mi-Na for a moment before nodding. "Indeed. And one more thing," she added, getting her attention. "Whatever decision you and Talim decide, it will each be yours and yours alone, and I will respect whichever decision you make."
Seong Mi-Na gave a soft smile and nodded. "Thank you. That is all I ask," she said before the two headed back to Link and Talim.
(Earlier, with Link and Talim)
"What do you think she wanted to talk to her about?" Link asked as he watched the two walk off a ways.
"I am not certain," Talim said worriedly, something Link noticed as he looked at her in concern.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Talim did not immediately reply, instead was looking down towards the ground in silence. So many emotions were running through her with what Taki had said. As much as she didn't want it to be true, it seemed like whatever or whomever this strange presence was really WAS trying to kill her. And if that's true, did this same being trick Yun-Seong into leaving alone to get her to follow him...alone? It actually did sound plausible, but...was it true? She tried to come up with another explanation, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not ignore the possibility—and she hated it.
She felt she should look for him as he was her friend...but then that would mean putting herself in possible danger if she left the group. Seong Mi-Na was also looking for Yun-Seong—maybe they could look for him together? But...what if Seong Mi-Na wanted to stay with Link and Taki instead? She could not force her to make a decision she didn't want to make. But if she stayed also, then she would risk something happening to Yun-Seong from whatever may be affecting him.
All this was becoming too much as she started sobbing and shook her head. "No, I am not. I just feel so...helpless. And scared. And unsure..." she said, looking at Link at the end before continuing. "I mean, I want to go after Yun-Seong and make sure he is alright and not under any evil influence in any way, and also find out why he left on his own...But if this unknown being is truly after me, then I could be walking into its hands." By now, she was starting to pace back and forth a little, occasionally looking at Link while she did or pausing and gesturing at each point she addressed.
"But if I stay, then Yun-Seong would still be alone and at risk of being further affected by whatever force may have influenced him. And he's my friend, and so I can't just leave him. We all know he would likely get into trouble at some point, possibly to the point he can't handle it all on his own, and so I feel I should look after him and make sure he's alright...And yet if I do, I would be at risk of falling into a trap by this unknown being that could be after me, someone we don't even know who it is or what they want and yet wants me dead, and...I just don't know what to do!" she finally exclaimed, turning so her back was now facing Link, not wanting him to see her sad state as tears started to form in her eyes.
Even though she was a well-trained fighter despite her age, she still didn't have as much confidence in herself as she would have liked. Whether if it was from being the last wind priestess in her village, the expectations that came with being a wind priestess, or something else she couldn't explain, this led her to often feeling self-doubt and insecure about herself, and with everything that had happened and what she had been told, such feelings were now coming in full force as tears were now flowing from her eyes, her resolve finally cracking under the pressure.
Link was now in what was becoming somewhat familiar territory at seeing a girl crying in front of him, though that didn't necessarily mean he knew what to do or what to say in such circumstances. On occasion, he had tried to comfort a crying girl back in Kokiri Forest, and sometimes the girl simply shouted at him in reply, saying she didn't want anyone's help or just wanted to be alone. Or both. That often made Link hesitate or feel unsure of what to do in such instances, but he still felt he should always at least try to help whenever or however he could—regardless if she might snap at him in the process.
With that, he slowly walked towards Talim, moving in front of her and gently put a hand on her shoulder. This action slightly startled her as she briefly looked at the hand in question before looking up at Link in surprise—though she was actually still looking down slightly as she was still a couple inches taller than him. He ignored that as she gave her a soft, reassuring smile to her.
"I don't think you need to worry. I'm sure he is alright, and as you said, he does not appear to be under Soul Edge's influence in any way. And even if it is indeed something else that may have caused him to run off, I'm sure he can take care of himself. He's a skilled fighter; even Taki-chan admitted as such. Of course...it wouldn't surprise me if he got into a little trouble every now and then, knowing him," he joked. That actually got Talim to let out a tiny chuckle, which made him smile a little more at seeing her cheer up a little. "But as you said, he's a good person, and so I don't think he would ever do anything to harm anyone," he said with another smile, pausing a little before continuing. "So, don't fret too much about him. And if he still has his heart set on keeping Soul Edge to protect his country, I'm sure he'll eventually come around and truly see for what Soul Edge really is. Just have faith," he said assuringly, echoing the same words that the Happy Mask Salesman had often said to him before.
Talim stayed silent as she looked at Link. She was slightly confused at a few terms Link used, but the way he said it just made her feel like everything would alright, like everything would work out in the end. 'Just have faith...' she said to herself as she reflected on Link's words. Soon, a warm smile adorned her face as she repeated those words to herself. Where before her face showed sadness and despair now showed more smiles and hope in her heart as she looked back at Link. It was then she noticed his hand was still on her shoulder, making her blush a little.
Link saw this, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed himself. But seeing Talim starting to feel better, he slowly moved to take his hand off her shoulder. As if in response, Talim briefly watched his arm slowly retreat...before suddenly she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, holding him into a rather big hug, much to his surprise. Like with Seong Mi-Na, he was initially surprised be the sudden move, but after taking a few moments to overcome his shock, he slowly wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug, which made her let out a sigh of content as he continued holding her. He had to admit, he was starting to get used to this...and as strange as it was, it didn't feel like a bad thing either, he thought as he felt Talim relax further into him, making him hold her a little tighter. Subconsciously, he started rocking her slightly, and she rubbed her cheek against his a little in response, making him blush even more.
Finally, after what felt like several minutes (although in reality barely half a minute), Talim slowly pulled back slightly, a somewhat embarrassed look on her face at her actions. "Um, sorry. I just...um...," she trailed off, finding it hard to look at Link now.
"I-It's alright. I'm...glad I could help. Don't worry about it," Link said shyly, a little red in the face from the hug. After several moments, Link very slowly (yet with strange reluctance) began to let go, but just as soon as he did, Talim suddenly leaned forward and gave him a short, yet lingering kiss on the cheek before quickly turning around, blushing as she did. She didn't know what possessed her to do that, but for some reason it just...felt right to her. As if in response to this, a gentle breeze blew by shortly after kissing him, uplifting her spirits even more as she took a deep breath at the feeling in the wind. It felt so...calming. Like before in Egypt, she thought.
She hugged herself a little at that before turning around. Seeing Link's still red in the face and shocked expression made her let out another giggle when suddenly a thought came to her, a playful smile adorning her face as she let out another laugh. "Tag! You're it!"
That got Link to wake out of his stupor, blinking a little at what she implied before smiling. "Oh, you're gonna get it now!" he laughed in reply as he started chasing her. And she actually was "it" when they stopped playing the last time, too!
As they continued playing and running around, he briefly wondered about the kisses on the cheek he had received from the various girls he met. Both at home and in this world. Just what was it with girls doing that? And why did he always have that butterfly feeling in his chest when that happened? Did girls get the same feeling? Then the thought of what if he kissed a girl on the cheek crossed his mind. Would he think it gross? Or the girls think it gross? Or would they get the same feeling as he did about it?
He shook his head from his thoughts. Whatever the case, Talim was feeling better now and that was all that mattered. It was after a few minutes of playing that Taki and Seong Mi-Na returned. "Having fun?" Taki commented, getting them to stop.
"Very," Talim replied with a smile while Link nodded.
Taki raised an eyebrow at that. Having been trained as a ninja for many years, her instincts told her something felt a little off when she said that.
Even Seong Mi-Na gave her a look, feeling something was "off" at that before shrugging it aside.
"Everything alright? What did you talk about?" Link asked.
"We just needed a private chat for a minute. Nothing to worry about," Seong Mi-Na replied calmly, sharing a look with Taki.
"Oh...well, as long as nothing's wrong."
"Indeed, nothing is wrong. By any chance have you thought over what I said earlier while we were away?" Taki asked them.
At that, a slight blush appeared on both of their faces, recalling their earlier...interaction. This made Taki raise another eyebrow at their reactions. Did she miss something?
"Well, I have a little. I am still not sure why anyone would want to kill me, though."
Once again Taki made note of her response. She often spoke rather softly and timidly in prior conversations, but there was very little hesitation this time. Did Link say something to her? She filed that away for later as Talim continued. "And I appreciate you sharing your thoughts...and your concern," she added with a small smile and nod of her head. "I have not yet decided, but I will take them into consideration."
"I see," she said slowly, once again noting her tone. She paused, looking between her and Link for a moment before continuing. "Well, we should make the border by nightfall. Perhaps by morning, you will feel more sure of your decision. And you, as well," Taki stated, looking at Seong Mi-Na at the end, who nodded. "Well, shall we continue, then?" she gestured.
"Sure, but there is one more thing," Talim stated.
"And what is that?" Taki asked.
At first, Talim didn't reply but did walk closer to Taki until she was right in front of her...before quickly tapping her on her arm and running off. "Tag! You're it!" she shouted, making her widen her eyes in surprise...before narrowing them and grunting in annoyance. Great, first Link, now Talim? She couldn't believe this. Fu-Ma no Taki, fooled. AGAIN. It didn't matter if it was something so trivial as a childish game. She was a ninja, damn it! She was supposed to be trained to watch out for such tricks, especially after the times Link had tricked her previously! As if to add to her annoyance, both Link and Seong Mi-Na had also quickly run away from her while laughing at her expense.
However, she would not rise to the bait and simply crossed her arms. "I am not playing this childish game."
"Aw, come on, Taki. Don't be such a spoilsport." Seong Mi-Na shouted, using the same term Link used earlier as the two shared a smiling look at that. "Besides, we're all kids at heart. Didn't you ever play games as a child?"
"I haven't been a child since I was five years old," she replied rather coldly, but with what appeared to be a (very small) hint of sadness in her tone, bringing a small frown on the others' faces.
"Well, just think of it as training. Like when we raced each other before reaching Istanbul," Link stated.
"That was just that. Training. Not racing," she growled in annoyance.
"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. Ka-tan-a, ka-tahn-a. Same thing. Come on!" Link shouted while still stepping away from her, urging her on, although his metaphor did make her eye twitch again. Nonetheless, she stayed silent and not moving in place. "Fine, then we'll just leave you behind, slowpoke!" Link jested before running away from her, the others doing the same with a laugh as well.
'Slowpoke?' Taki echoed to herself at the new term, but could quickly gather it meant calling someone slow. Not wanting them to give them the satisfaction of being baited by their taunting, she calmly walked forward even as the others ran considerably farther away from her; however, she was not going to take that lying down.
Deciding to get even in her own way, she kept walking normally until the other three were out of view after they went over a decently sized hill before promptly running far off to the side for roughly a hundred yards before turning and running in the same direction as them. After another minute of running, she was now even with them. 'Good. So far, no one has seen me yet,' she thought as she kept running forward. Now as she ran, she slowly turned inward until she was now directly in front of them, finding a conveniently placed tree on top of another hill with a large trunk to hide behind.
"Is she still coming?" Talim asked upon not seeing Taki anymore for several seconds, getting the others' attention as they stopped to look back...just before passing said tree.
"Hey Taki-chan! You coming, or what?" Link yelled.
"Come on, 'slowpoke!'" Seong Mi-Na followed, using the same term as Link earlier, making him laugh a little at that.
Not seeing her after several more seconds, they were starting to get somewhat concerned, looking at each other a minute in concern before Link shouted again. "Hey, where are you?"
"...Right behind you," Taki replied quickly and suddenly, her lips right next to Link's ear when she spoke while simultaneously making a large pat on his opposite shoulder.
"GAH!" Link yelped and jumped in surprise at the sudden pat on his shoulder and Taki speaking so suddenly right next to his ear from behind him, the other two also jumping a little in the process before quickly turning around in surprise. A brief smirk flashed on her face before disappearing by the time everyone turned to face her.
"I believe the correct term here is, 'Tag, you're it,'" she stated dryly as she crossed her arms in an annoyed look, while mentally grinning at their stunned and stupefied looks (as well as Link jumping in surprise).
"Where did you-?/How did you?-/Where in the-?" Seong Mi-Na/Talim/Link started before looking behind them where they thought Taki was, then looking back, as if to confirm their eyes weren't deceiving them. "How did you-?/Where in the-?/Where did you-?" the three stated, then briefly looked at each other, as if looking for answers before looking back at Taki. "How did you do that?" they all said at the same time.
Taki did not initially reply, but did mentally savor the looks of surprise/admiration on their faces. "If you're through playing games, shall we continue?" she simply stated before turning around and continued walking.
The other three were a little put off by that, until Link gathered them in a huddle a whispered an idea to them, their eyes widening a bit before smiling and nodding at it, a few chuckles escaping their lips as they did.
Sensing something was off, Taki looked behind her to see the three looking directly at her with a rather predatory look on their faces, almost as if they were all ready to pounce on her-
"Get her!"
The yell from the three of them made her eyes widen in surprise as she quickly jumped back, wondering what was going on as she tried to keep her distance.
"We're all 'it' now, so now we're all going to tag YOU!" Link declared with a laugh while still trying to tag her.
"Oh, is that so?" Taki replied challengingly as she kept dodging.
"That's right, now hold still!" Seong Mi-Na shouted as she reached out to try to tag her, only to miss by several inches. This repeated several times as the three tried in vain to tag her before she moved to retreat.
"Oh, no you don't!" Talim stated as she made a move from the side, only to see Taki bend down backward from her attempt, then turn it into a backflip, followed by a few more as the three kept coming after her before running into a sprint away from them.
This was definitely not what Taki had expected. Any time she was chased in the past, it was usually from the Fu-Ma trying to kill her. And yet, here, she found herself...dare she say, almost enjoying herself. Just a little. Her mind went back to the training with Link (yes training, not racing, she said to herself), and now she found herself in a similar situation and yet wasn't sure what to make of it. She had abandoned the term "fun" as Link called it a long time ago, and yet...was this what it felt like?
She shoved that aside as she focused on keeping her distance. While not one to play such games, she still had a little competitive spirit in her, and she was not one to let anyone win against her. They would have to earn it.
The other three were getting frustrated as time went on. For well over an hour, they were unable to tag her despite the three of them chasing her at once. She would weave, run, jump, and flip her way to safety with several inches to spare from being tagged. The constant running forced them to stop and catch their breath every now and then, allowing Taki to do the same who also needed a breather in those times.
"She's...good," Talim said in between breaths.
"Ugh, this is insane! How does she keep doing that?" Seong Mi-Na angrily commented, glaring at her a little which just made Taki reply with a smirk, agitating her a little more.
"It's like she's done this before!" said Link.
"I have, actually," Taki replied, getting their attention. "Having had to fight off the Fu-Ma several times, I've had experience being chased by multiple enemies at once. This is nothing new to me." Well, that stunk, they thought. "And at this rate, I doubt any of you will 'tag' me by the time we reach our destination. Or pass out in exhaustion. Whichever comes first," she added, rather offhandedly, which lit a fire in them at that last part.
"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that! Come on!" Link declared, gesturing to his friends before running after Taki. Once again, she proved too nimble for them as she ran and jumped out of the way. This continued for another twenty minutes before finally, the frustration was too much for one of them.
"Grrr...Alright," Seong Mi-Na started before quickly grabbing her Zanbatou and spun it several times. "Try dodging THIS!" she declared before swinging it at her.
Taki widened, then narrowed, her eyes at this development. "Oh, is THAT how you want to play?" Taki commented as she found herself now dodging a six-foot weapon from "tagging" her with considerably more difficulty.
"Ha! You admit we've been playing! NOT training!" Link boasted.
Taki ignored that, instead focusing on dodging Seong Mi-Na's strikes. However, she couldn't dodge on her own for long before it reached the point where she had no choice but to pull out one of her own blades to block a strike, a loud 'CLANG' resulting from the move as they locked blades. "Hmph. Not bad. But you still haven't 'tagged' me."
"Then, how about THIS?!" shouted Link as he jumped high in the air, his own sword raised to strike. Taki quickly dodged to the side, only to have to pull out her second blade to block another strike from Talim who had pulled out her Elbow Blades.
Suddenly, the odds were not very good for her as she parried a few more strikes before jumping backward in a flip to avoid a low swing at her legs from Seong Mi-Na. 'Hmm, it seems they have at least some concept of teamwork,' she thought. Skilled as she was, though, she could only hold out for so long if she just kept blocking their attacks.
Deciding to take a different approach, she quickly turned and ran to a sprint to gain some distance. "Oh, no you don't!" Link declared as he followed. However, he didn't quite run directly at her. Instead, he ran so as to run to the side of her, managing to do so to her left, even managing to get ahead of her.
Seeing what he was doing, Seong Mi-Na spoke to Talim. "Stay on her. I'm going to surround her from the other side."
"Right," Talim replied, starting to see what she was getting at.
Finally, Link was about twelve feet to Taki's left and roughly six feet in front of her as they continued running before he slowly moved closer to her, gradually forcing her to her right. She slowed down a bit, wary of what move he might make while also wondering what he was up to. He closed in a little more, making her shift considerably to her right, only to again alter her course at seeing a tree right in front of her. This slight hesitation allowed Seong Mi-Na, whom by now was not far to her right, to close in. 'Grrr, very clever.'
Faced with little option, she took yet another sharp right so as to run directly away from the tree, only to see Talim cut her off directly in front of her, making her stop in her tracks. Unable to retreat, she had to resort to blocking and dodging their strikes. "We have you now!" Seong Mi-Na gloated to her.
"I'm not defeated yet," Taki replied as she dodge another swing. She was then forced to maneuver towards the tree as she continued blocking and dodging their strikes, their positioning now with Link in front of her, Talim now to her right, Seong Mi-Na now to her left, and the tree right behind her with a trunk roughly two to three feet in diameter.
She tried to think of a way out, but she was forced to concentrate her efforts on dodging the other girls' strikes, unable to properly move with the tree behind her so as to retreat without risk of getting "tagged." Suddenly, an idea came to her as she jumped backed in what limited space she had between her and the tree. After landing, she hesitated little, then quickly moved as if to run with the girls reacting as if to do the same, only to just as suddenly pull back, successfully faking them out. This allowed her to fool them just long enough so she could get a small running start the other way towards the tree. Seong Mi-Na tried to cut her off with her Zanbatou, thrusting it near the base of the tree, but Taki simply jumped up and off of the tree, allowing her to run away from them.
"Oh, no you don't!" Link cried as he suddenly ran after her while also pulling out his Hookshot. Acting on instinct, he fired it at the tree, and as soon as it struck, he immediately jumped and then hit the switch so as to pull himself in to increase his speed. But because of how he was running and now jumping, the change in momentum had him moving in a rather fast curve. Just half a second later, he then let go of the Hookshot, changing his momentum again...right towards Taki. "I HAVE YOU NOW, TAKI-CHAN!" he shouted as he landed right in front of her
Taki widened her eyes in surprise at seeing Link flying and landing right in front her after he said that. She quickly tried to stop and dodge to the side, but her forward momentum prevented her from doing so in time as Link was able to adjust in time and reach an arm out and finally tag her. "HA! TAG! YOU'RE-!"
"HEY!"
Though...he didn't quite "tag" her so much as he did "grab" her. And what he grabbed wasn't something like an arm or even her hair. No, in the process of tagging Taki, he ended up "tagging" her in the chest—or rather, he ended up grabbing her chest as he ended up grasping one of her breasts, and their momentum was such that it made her turn slightly from it, indicating a rather firm grip on it as well. Almost as soon as it happened, and before Link even had a chance to pull it away, Taki quickly grabbed his offending wrist, Link instantly freezing him in place from the move as they stood almost side-by-side now.
'Oh, goddesses, she's going to kill me,' Link thought, now suddenly very worried as he started sweating nervously. Because of how quickly she grabbed his wrist, his hand was still on her chest, but he was afraid to try to move it away lest he accidentally further incur her wrath. He could just feel the danger in the air, gulping nervously as he wondered how to get out of this alive. Taki's head was turned downward and away from him towards the ground, but he was sure she had a very angry look on her face right now. After a very tense half a minute of silence, Link swallowed another nervous gulp before speaking.
"Uh, go-gomen, I mean, I'm sorry. That was an accident," Link stammered nervously, which just made Taki start to shake in rage. 'Uh, oh. Better try to calm her fast,' he thought as he tried to raise his other hand up in a calming gesture while also moving to release his...grip on the other. "I didn't mean-"
"HENTAI!"
SMACK!
Almost the instant she felt Link move, she quickly tightened her grip on his wrist to the point of almost breaking it while simultaneously moving it aside and punching him in an overhead strike with her other hand. The other girls flinched at seeing Link suddenly getting punched hard in the back of his head, knocking him to the ground as a result. "I'm done playing," she said very softly yet very sharply and emphatically before angrily walking away.
"Ow..." Link cried weakly. Goddesses, she hits hard, he thought as he gingerly rubbed the back of his head. He slowly stood up, still rubbing his head as he turned to where Taki walked off, a guilty look on his face. He didn't mean to do that; she tried to duck and dodge around him, so he had to adjust to tag her. And with their positioning at the time, he just happened to...tag her in the chest. Accidentally, of course. She knew that...right? He hissed a little at feeling what appeared to be a bump on his head. Glad he wore a cap to hide it, he thought.
"OH MY GOD! ARE THOSE REAL!?"
The sudden shout made Link blink in slight confusion as he turned towards Seong Mi-Na, who was the one who had suddenly shouted and saw her pointing at him with total shock on her face. Was what real? He then saw Talim right by her who had a similarly surprised look on her face as she also looked at Link. At first, he was still confused by their actions before his eyes suddenly widened in slight horror at what they were likely seeing as he slowly raised his fingers to the sides of his head. His eyes widened even more at what he felt. Sure enough, he felt his long ears...only they were on the OUTSIDE of his cap.
'Uh, oh,' he thought, his heart panicking from the discovery. Apparently while rubbing his injury, he accidentally rubbed his cap back to the point his ears became exposed. Taki's punch may have pushed it back a little as well. Suddenly, he was filled with panic and worry on how the others would react to this, but he barely had a moment to process this as all of a sudden he was startled and surprised when Seong Mi-Na had quickly run up to him to get a closer look, standing right in front of him while rubbing her fingers against his ears.
"Oh my God, they ARE REAL!" she squealed as her thumbs rubbed across the tips, confirming her disbelieving eyes at what she was seeing (and feeling).
Link found himself frozen in place. Partially in surprise at her sudden actions and reactions, and partially at the fact that because of the way Seong Mi-Na was bent over to touch his ears, he was granted a very close-up view of her cleavage, his face hovering just a few inches away, making him blush as red as a tomato.
"(Ahem) Seong Mi-Na," a voice interrupted.
"What?" Seong Mi-Na blinked in confusion. She turned to the voice in question and finding Taki, only to see she was pointing at something directly beneath her. She looked down at where she was pointing, her eyes suddenly widening in response. She looked up to see the now reddened face of Link before quickly jumping back in embarrassment. "EEP! Um, sorry, Link," she said nervously.
Link stayed silent, staring blankly in space, his face still a bright red. He stayed the way for several seconds before blinking at the sudden feeling of his ears being touched again. He turned and this time saw it was Talim, who rubbed her index fingers and thumbs very gently across the edges of it for but a few seconds before pulling away. "Um, sorry. I just...wanted to touch them too," she said meekly, a blush on her face as she did before stepping back to give him space.
The group stood in uncomfortable silence as the girls couldn't stop looking towards Link, who slowly adjusted his cap to cover his ears, a worried look adorning his face as he did. This scenario was something he was always worried about as it would lead to questions he wasn't sure how to answer. But more importantly, he was worried it might frighten those around him away—though based on their initial reactions, that appeared to be far from the case here, he thought with a light blush. Apparently, Chie and her son had a similar reaction when they first saw his ears, rubbing their fingers across them to make sure they were real (though he was unconscious at the time).
"So, um...those are real. Right?" Seong Mi-Na nervously spoke up, trying to break the awkward silence. Link gave a nervous swallow before slowly nodding, finding it difficult to look them in the eye. "So...are you an elf then?"
"Um...well, you see...eh," he stammered, trying to figure out how to explain it to them. What did he do? Did he give a cover story like Hachibei and Taki instructed should this happen? Or did he tell them where he was really from, which would mean sharing his origins and the details thereof?
"We can discuss this later," another voice spoke up, getting their attention. They turned to see Taki with her arms crossed, a rather upset/annoyed look on her face. Link wasn't sure if it was from his ears being exposed or the...incident from earlier, but he kept silent, while also silently thanking her for stepping in. "For now, just consider him another victim of the Evil Seed. We'll discuss more later."
Seong Mi-Na and Talim looked at each other, not sure what to make of that. They were naturally curious about Link with this latest development, but the look and tone from Taki indicated she wasn't leaving any room for argument. Finally, Talim spoke up. "Alright," she said slowly with a nod, Seong Mi-Na slowly doing the same.
"Good. Then let us be on our way. Link, get your Hookshot," Taki replied rather coldly before immediately turning around and moving forward. The other three looked at each other in uncertainty before Link slowly did as instructed.
'This is going to be another long day,' he thought, the worried look still on his face as he wondered what would happen from here.
A/N: Annnd, done. Well, that was rather unexpected, wasn't it? I wanted to show the whole trip wasn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows amongst the group and issues may come up between them every now and then.
Anytime someone is distressed, I always want to help in any way I can, and when it comes to women I've dated, I've had times where I was unsure how to comfort a woman who was crying, and on more than one occasion she has snapped at me when I tried to help or comfort her or even just tried to talk to her. I think all guys have felt similarly in such cases, and so I tried to express such thoughts and worries in Link. Hope I made such thoughts look at least somewhat relatable.
FYI, anybody catch the Naruto quote earlier? Or the Justice League Unlimited quote? Just some fun little Easter Eggs I added :)
And just as a little teaser, more SC characters will be coming in the next chapter. Can you guess who they might be?
But in the present, a secret of Link's has suddenly been revealed, and now he has to respond to it. How will Seong Mi-Na and Talim react, and just what will Link be willing to share? And what will Taki have to say about it?
Stay tuned!
For now, this is Agent Ghost-Writer 000 signing off.