Chapter 4: *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* When they got to the ranch, Link and Stephanie looked around. Jessica was chasing Cuccos and Navi was bouncing around cheering her on. "Um, I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Link yelled to Jessica. Jessica ignored Link and continued to chase the Cuccos. "She's gonna be in big trouble..." Link said quietly to Stephanie, who nodded and looked away. "Ow! Stupid chicken pecked me!" Jessica hollered. "I told you!" Link yelled back to Jessica, who continued chasing chickens. Link got out his ocarina and played Epona's Song. Epona came running, and he mounted the horse and offered to let Stephanie ride. She turned down the offer, and he rode over to Jessica, who was now being pecked on the head by the Cuccos. "Need a hand?" Link said mockingly, laughing a little. "No!" Jessica said stubbornly, but she reached out her hand anyway for him to help her up. Link rode over to the corral of horses and Jessica got off of Epona without saying thank you to Link. "You're welcome..." Link said to Jessica. "I didn't say thank you," Jessica responded. "Yeah, but you should have!" he countered and rode off. He brought his horse back to the stables and put her away. He went back to try to calm the chickens down with a song. Stephanie hovered oddly in the background, wanting to help, but too afraid to go near the crazy Cuccoos. Jessica was chasing the horses, trying to ride one of them. Link gave up with the chickens and went back to the corral to watch Jessica. He knocked her out of the way when a huge horse nearly trampled her. Again, she didn't say thank you. Stephanie just stood far away from the horses and Jessica. Mostly Jessica. Jessica finally got on a horse, and the horse actually obeyed her. Link and Stephanie were shocked. Jessica started to chase Link now with the horse. She wasn't really good at it, and Link could run fast. So, she gave up and started chasing Stephanie, who she knew wasn't very athletic. "Stop, Jessica!" Stephanie yelled. Link quickly got out Epona and hurried after Jessica. He caught up to her, reached over, and yanked her off the horse she was riding. "Bad girl!" he said jokingly. She stuck her tounge out at him. Stephanie was nowhere in sight. She had hidden behind a few crates of milk. When Link had gotten Jessica calmed down a bit, Stephanie came out of her hiding place and walked over to the two. "You really need to lock her in a closet. She's chlostrophobic, ya know," Stephanie said to Link. "Not a bad idea!" Link laughed. "Fine! Lock me in a closet! I don't care!" Jessica said in an I-don't-care attitude. "Believe me, we would if we could find one," Link muttered. "You're just a coward. You're afraid of locking me in a closet!" Jessica taunted. "Me, afraid of you? I am the Hero of Time, I don't fear cocky, conceited little girls like you," Link countered."Well, if you're a hero, I'm the queen of the world!" Jessica said laughing. Link looked at Stephanie, who nodded her approval. Link hoisted Jessica over his shoulder and ran to the stables, where there was a strong lock. He threw her inside and closed the doors. He turned the lock and gave Stephanie the key. They looked at each other, then burst into laughter. "Let me out! This isn't funny, let me out!" Jessica yelled through the door. Link and Stephanie continued laughing, ignoring Jessica. She finally stopped yelling and sat down on the floor, crying. Link felt sorry for her and opened the door. Jessica walked out of the stable and looked at her feet. "I'm sorry for being a 'cocky, conceited little girl'," she offered. "That's okay. But have you learned a lesson?" Link urged. "Sort of..." Jessica said. "Well? What did you learn?" Stephanie asked. "I don't like being locked in stables!" Jessica said. Link and Stephanie sighed. "Hey, it's getting kind of late. Let's ask if we can stay here tonight," Link said. "Okay," Stephanie said yawning. "I hope they have more than one bedroom!" Jessica whined. "Uh, actually..." Link started. "What do you mean, 'actually'?!?" Jessica said loudly. "Well, uh, they only have two rooms. The one the owner and his daughter use, and an extra to be rented..." Link said hesitantly. "Well then, Navi and I can sleep in the room, and you two can sleep in the barn!" Jessica said. Again, Stephanie was't sure if she was joking or not... Link and Stephanie looked at each other, shocked expressions on their faces. Navi and Jessica giggled. They tried to high-five, but Navi was accidentally swatted. "Oops! Sorry Navi!" Jessica apologized. Link looked at Navi as if to say, "It served you right!" and walked into the house. Link arranged for a room, and they walked back outside to get their things. "Um, what are we gonna sleep in?" Jessica asked. "Well, I do have a few extra tunics..." Link offered. "I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those tacky things! There's no way I'm wearing it!" Jessica complained. Stephanie stuck her foot in Jessica's path, causing her to trip and fall into a puddle of mud. "There is now!" Link said laughing. They laughed as Jessica got up and wiped the mud from her hair and face. "And where do you suppose I can take a bath?" she asked, trying to make the two feel guilty. They just laughed. Jessica stuck her tounge out again, but this time she got mud in her mouth. They laughed even harder. She spit the mud at Link, who just barely dodged it. Stephanie fell over laughing. Jessica walked away and found a place where some rain water had collected. She washed herself as best as she could and returned to find that Link had a hand full of mud, and Stephanie didn't seem to notice. Stephanie stood up and wiped herself off. Jessica walked over to where Stephanie was and got hit in the face with mud again. "Hey! What'd you do that for?!?" Jessica cried. "Omigosh! I'm sorry, Jessica! I was trying to hit Stephanie!" Link apologized. "Stephanie's that way!" she said pointing to her. She backed away from Jessica and Link, who were both probably very angry with her at the time. "Well, I need to find another place to wash off..." Jessica said. "Uh, hey Link, why don't you play the Song of Storms?" Stephanie suggested quietly. "Good idea!" Link exclaimed, pulling out his ocarina. "What?" Jessica said as Link and Stephanie stood under the awning so they wouldn't get wet. Jessica looked puzzled. Link played the Song of Storms and the sky busted out raining. Jessica got soaked. "I didn't mean I wanted to be soaked to the bone!!" she yelled as she ran to the awning for protection from the rain. Stephanie laughed. The three went inside and went to the upstairs room. Link stopped to pay the man rent for the room for one night. "Well, let's see... I get that half, and you can get that half! And Link can sleep outside," she laughed at her own joke. Stephanie giggled a little, when Link walked into the room. "What's so funny?" he asked. "You're gonna sleep outside in the mud, that's what's funny!" Jessica laughed. Link gave her a funny look and started to exit the room. "Um, I was only joking!" Jessica yelled after him. "...Oh!" he said as he turned around and walked back into the room. Jessica laughed even harder, and Stephanie tried her best to keep a straight face. Stephanie studied the room. "Hey, why don't we seperate the room in half with a sheet?" she suggested. "Good idea!" said Link. "... I could have thought of that!" Jessica said jealously. "But you didn't, did you?" Stephanie remarked as she grabbed a sheet and Link got out his arrows. Stephanie held up the sheet as Link shot an arrow through the sheet and into the wall.When they were finished, Link handed the two of them his spare tunics, and they changed into them. Stephanie's was way too big, while Jessica's fit a little loosely. Stephanie asked Link to help adjust hers, to no prevail. Jessica looked down at herself and said, "Man, I look almost as bad as he does!" Stephanie attempted to throw another shoe at her, while Link turned red and walked back over to his side of the room. "Well, at least I look better in tights than he does!" Jessica commented. "They're not tights!" Stephanie and Link said in unison. Link blushed even redder. "Whatever..." Jessica said as she readied her place to sleep. Stephanie threw a couple of blankets and a pillow together and layed down. Link did the same. A little after they turned out lights and bid each other good night, Navi came over to the girls' side of the room. "Hi Navi!" Jessica said, spotting the little blue ball of light with wings. "Hiya, Jessica!" she exclaimed. They talked for a while, then Jessica taught her the "Oscar Meyer Weiner" song, and they sang it all night. Stephanie and Link both wanted to strangle the two. Eventually, all went quiet, and Stephanie and Link breathed a sigh of relief and fell asleep, too.