ATE: I realize it's been roughly a year since I've updated this story, and I actually got a good amount of it done while I was on vacation back in July, but then I kinda stopped for a month or two before picking it back up. In fact, I actually wanted to get it out back in September, but that obviously didn't work out (writer's block plus distractions will do that). Thankfully it's done and I've made sure that this chapter was long to make up for the wait. That, and I wanted to get this chapter out before I got my hands on Pokemon Sword & Shield and Jedi: Fallen Order and get distracted by those games.

I'd like to thank Frostwind523, RaisingHeartExelion, Cynder 7, miserymire, FanOfVariks, Mitsuo the Universe jumper, Guest, Professor of Gallifrey, Kaitlyn, EirSnowLavellan, Missanonne, Abi-chan fiction fan, Have much khaki, Waxymix, and JustAFemaleGeek for their reviews since the last chapter, as well as everyone else reading. I feel like I don't say it enough, but I truly appreciate everyone that reviews any of my stories because it helps to give me some motivation when I get stuck. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, or anything else I reference. I only own my OC.

~*~Chapter 9~*~

Ever since learning the current season, Evangeline had tried to figure out how she could prepare for the upcoming winter. Blankets were likely her best bet seeing as she was wearing the only clothing she owned; there was the scarf she currently wore, which used to belong to Revali (though he insisted that she keep it when she tried to return it), but that would only do so much to keep her warm in colder weather.

So blankets were her only option. But the question was how she was supposed to get them. Wouldn't she need materials to make them? How was she to get the materials required if she didn't even have money to buy said materials?

What kind of currency did Hyrule even use?!

Did they use gold, silver, or paper money? Maybe a combination? Or did they trade items of equal value?

'All this thinking is starting to stress me out, and I still haven't accomplished anything!' She thought.

Her first winter in Hyrule and she already had a feeling she wasn't going to survive. It only served to make her realize how much she took heating and air conditioning for granted back on Earth. As much as she didn't want to admit it, this was her life now, whether she liked it or not. All she could do was make the best of it.

'Okay, I can do this.' She told herself. 'I just need to find a way to acquire materials to make some blankets, work non-stop to make said blankets, and then hope for the best when winter comes along.'

And now she had the mental image of Sean Bean dressed in a medieval fur coat saying "Brace yourself. Winter is coming," stuck in her head, all the while those words seemed to repeat itself like a mantra. It was a surprise she hadn't gone mad from the repetition!

"Keep pacing like that, and regardless of my charity in allowing you to stay, I will have you repair any holes you manage to create."

Evangeline froze upon hearing Revali's voice and realized she had been pacing around the hut. She let out a sigh before turning to face the Rito, noting how he'd been working on his bow before her pacing had distracted him.

"I'm sorry, Revali. But I'm actually worried about something." She said.

"By 'something', you're referring to the upcoming winter." Revali's words cut straight to the point that she was at a loss for words. "I'm more than aware of your concerns when it comes to winter, as well as your aversion to colder temperatures. I will figure something out, but you pacing around and fretting over this will only exacerbate things in the long flight."

"'In the long flight'? Don't you mean 'in the long run'?" She asked.

"I see no difference in either term, seeing as they both involve creating distance one way or another."

She couldn't help but laugh at the Rito's logic as well as realizing this wasn't the first time he'd made a bird-related pun. She wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but she could've sworn she saw the corners of Revali's beak curve upward to form an amused smile.

Best not to mention it to him, lest he ends up denying it.

Eventually Evangeline managed to calm down, feeling considerably better after having a good laugh. She was about to make a comment when she suddenly remembered something as she spotted something out of the corner of her eye.

The Silent Princess.

Walking over to the area her hammock was located, she picked up the exotic flower with extreme care, all the while admiring how the blue color faded into white in a way that was natural. Seeing the Silent Princess reminded Evangeline of what the Great Fairy wanted her to do with the flower and turned her gaze to the doorway.

"I think I need to get some fresh air." She decided.

Evangeline started making her way towards the door to leave, only to hear Revali getting up from his spot on the floor.

"Perhaps I'll join you on your outing." He said, approaching her.

"What? Making sure I don't sneak out of the village again?" She asked jokingly.

"Nothing of the sort!" The Rito chuckled. "I'm merely join with the intention of being a companion. Of course, it'd only be natural to choose me as your first option-!"

"Okay, Birdie! No need to get all fancy on me. A simple answer would've been fine." She interrupted, grabbing his wing and pulling him along with her out the door.

"B-Birdie?!" He squawked, the feathers around his neck puffing up in a clear sign of embarrassment.

She merely laughed, but she was considerate enough to allow Revali time to get his feathers under control before letting go of his wing and walking ahead. Knowing him, he could easily catch up to her, and sure enough she could hear rushed talons clicking against the wooden walkway until the Rito showed up beside her, having regained his composure.

"I swear, sometimes your antics baffle…" Revali's voice trailed off, much to Evangeline's confusion. Glancing up to him, she saw that he was staring intently at her.

"What?"

To her surprise, Revali suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled it up so that the Silent Princess was on full display between the two of them, but what she didn't expect to see was the bewildered look on the Rito's face.

"Where did you get this?" He questioned.

"The Great Fairy gave it to me when I visited her fountain." She explained. "She told me to offer it to a Goddess Statue and pray to it for some reason."

"And you just now remembered you had such a rare flower?"

"I…wasn't exactly in the best state of mind at the time." Her voice was quiet as she said this.

Revali was quiet as he stared at her, more than aware of how true her words were. After all, he'd been the one to deal with the fallout of her depressive state. He let out a sigh as he slowly released her hand.

"There is a Goddess Statue in Rito Village." He told her. "I don't exactly understand why the Great Fairy wants you to do this, but I'll guide you to it."

Before Evangeline could question him on this, Revali was already walking off, which force her to rush after him this time just to catch up with his pace. It didn't take long for her to catch up to the Rito and as she followed, she noticed they were making their way to the lower levels of Rito Village until they eventually reached the bottom. On the wooden platform there was an alcove carved out of the stone pillar the village was built around, where a stone statue of what appeared to be some sort of female angel was placed, its hands brought up as if praying. She presumed the statue was something others visited occasionally, for someone had place a crown of colorful flowers on its brow, as well as a few flowers resting on the blanketed stone alter as offerings.

"This is the Goddess Statue?" She asked, glancing over to her companion.

"It is. This is only one of the many Goddess Statues placed around Hyrule. This just happens to be the local statue we revere." Revali answered.

"And who is the Goddess this statue depicts?"

"This is a statue of the Goddess Hylia. Legend tells of how Hylia fought the Demon King Demise, and even though she sealed him away, she knew the seal wouldn't last for long and formed a plan. She created a blade with the sole purpose of sealing darkness for the one who would one day become her chosen hero, and then abandoned her divinity to be reborn a mortal."

"What happened after that?" She found herself surprisingly curious about this legend.

"None know for certain, but the Goddess's plan came to fruition since the Demon King was sealed for good. It is said the Royal Family of Hyrule are descendants of Hylia's mortal incarnation, though there is evidence to this claim."

Evidence? She recalled learning how people during the Medieval period believed their rulers' right to sovereignty was bestowed upon them by God or something, but for this to literally be the case for Hyrule? She couldn't help being a little skeptical.

"And what sort of evidence would that be?"

Revali suddenly became tight-lipped (or tight-beaked), much to her surprise. Had she said something wrong? It couldn't be that seeing as her question was innocent enough, but then it hit her!

It was likely this topic had to do with why he was a Champion and he had said too much, as if such information was classified.

"I believe you have a Goddess Statue to pray to." Was Revali's straightforward response, his sudden change in demeanor giving credence to her theory.

Evangeline quietly walked over to the Goddess Statue and got on her knees before the angelic effigy. Remembering what the Great Fairy wanted her to do, she brought the Silent Princess up to her face, admiring the beautiful flower before finally placing it down on the stone alter. She guessed this was the part where she was supposed to pray to Hylia, so she clasped her hands in front of her, bowed her head, closed her eyes, and hoped she wasn't going about this the wrong way.

Was she supposed to pray out loud or mentally?

And have Revali overhear her and likely judge her? No thanks!

'Dear Goddess Hylia…hi?' Evangeline started, only to mentally cringe.

Yep, she was off to a great start.

'My name is Evangeline, but I'm sure you already knew that, what with being omnipotent and all. I'm kinda new to this whole praying thing, so bear with me.'

Okay, that sounded better. Sort of.

'The Great Fairy Kaysa told me to bring the Silent Princess she gave me to you and to pray to your statue, but I'm don't know what I'm praying for exactly, but I have a good hunch it has nothing to do with returning me to Earth. I'm sure you know what it is I'm supposed to pray for, so if you want to tell me, I'm all ears.'

Evangeline expected to hear something, maybe some heavenly voice speaking to her telepathically or something like that.

Instead, there was silence.

She cracked her eyes open, only to fully open them when she noticed the Goddess Statue was bathed in a ray of sunlight beaming down on it. Almost as if it were in response to her mental words.

But that couldn't be.

It had to be some sort of a coincidence.

Regardless of whatever it was, she gave up on praying to the Goddess Statue and got to her feet. The sunlight shining on the statue suddenly disappeared, which caused her to feel confusion and glanced up at the sky to see that it was cloudy—not a single opening that would've allowed sunlight to peek through. The confusion was soon replaced by disappointment, but not just because she hadn't heard anyone respond to her prayer; it was because she was led to believe something beneficial would happen, only to find out she wasted her time.

Which was the problem of getting one's hopes up, only for things to end negatively.

Next thing she knew, Evangeline found herself walking away from the alcove the Goddess Statue was situated in, having no clear destination in mind as the first set of steps came into view. However, she didn't get far when Revali's voice called out to her.

"Where are you going?" He asked, causing her to stop. "You were so eager to come here and now you want to leave? What changed?"

The Rito took advantage of her halted movement as she heard him approaching her location. His questions didn't come as a surprise to her; it would be so easy to lash out at him due to her current disappointment, but that wouldn't be fair seeing as he's been nothing but helpful since the truth came out—no, since he first found her wandering lost in the wilderness.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out to calm down, she this a few times before speaking.

"To be honest, I'm actually disappointed." She told him before turning around to gauge any reactions he might have. "I feel like I was led to believe something would happen if I did what I did. I thought I'd hear some heavenly voice talk to me, but well…that didn't seem to happen."

Evangeline couldn't tell what Revali was thinking as he took in her words, and she couldn't help but think he had a good poker face. Was it a Rito thing or was the cultural setting of Hyrule that different from what she was used to back on Earth? If that were the case, did the rest of Rito Village view her conduct as bizarre? That couldn't be the case, seeing as the few Hylians she encountered at Rito Stable hadn't acted any differently than the average person she'd encounter back home.

"You mean to tell me that you failed to notice the beam of sunlight shining down on the Goddess Statue you were praying to, even though the sky is completely covered in clouds?"

"Don't get me wrong, I saw that. But it could've just been a coincidence and the sun managed to find a small gap to shine through."

"There was no gap in the clouds that would allow that to happen. How do you explain that?"

She couldn't come up with a response to this question. There was no way to explain away this…anomaly when today's weather made the entire concept an impossibility.

Evangeline's train of thought was interrupted when Revali started approaching her until he stood before her. She was confused as she watched his brows furrow in though, as if he were making some sort of observation. That confusion was short-lived when the Rito brought his face close to hers and she could feel her face heating up at how tense she suddenly felt.

What was he even looking for?

And did he need to get that close?!

"It's your ears." He suddenly said before pulling away.

"My ears?!" She felt insulted as she hid her ears with her hands. "What do those have to do with this?"

"It is said that the pointed ears of Hylians enable them to receive special messages from the Goddesses."

"There's more than one Goddess?" She interjected.

Revali ignored her as he continued.

"It is also said that a beam of sunlight shining down on an individual praying at a Goddess Statue is an indication of the Goddess Hylia communicating with said individual. The fact that your Human ears are designed the way they are prevent you from hearing the Goddess' voice."

Evangeline didn't know what to think about this. If Revali's words were true, the Goddess Hylia had tried to communicate with her, but her own ears made that impossible. Was all this information even real or just superstitions that happened to survive for however long Hyrule has been in existence? She couldn't help her skepticism in this situation and if any sort of gods or goddesses were real.

'And I'm supposed to believe this?' She thought.

"I don't think there's any point in continuing this discussion." She stated. "Can we do something else?"

Thankfully, Revali seemed to be cognizant of her current mood since he went along with the new topic.

"And what exactly do you have in mind?" He asked.

"I was thinking of—"

"Evangeline? Is that you?"

Both Human and Rito turned their heads in the direction the voice came from, only for her eyes to widened in surprise at seeing the familiar dark red female Rito approaching them.

It was Kali.

"It is you!" She exclaimed, her yellow eyes brightening upon confirming it was Evangeline she was addressing. "How are you doing after your…bout of homesickness?"

Evangeline didn't miss the emphasis Kali put on the word 'homesickness', and she was grateful to the female Rito for referring to her episode of depression as such (especially if someone decided to listen in). Seeing as Onra and Sarai had also visited her during that time, the three may have agreed to keep it secret from everyone else.

"I've…gotten over the worst of it, I guess." Evangeline replied. "Otherwise, I'm doing fine."

"That's good to hear." Kali then turned to Revali, who had been observing their conversation. "Master Revali. I see you're doing well."

"The same for you as well, Kali." Revali replied. "How is the family business doing?"

"Busy, like it always is around this time of year. With the upcoming winter, both my father's smithy and my mother's tailoring business are getting all sorts of requests from all over Hyrule!"

Evangeline didn't know what to make of the interaction between Revali and Kali. Aside from Elder Chie, the Rito children, and the tavern owner (if that could be counted), she'd never really seen him interact with others—at least never to this extend. Maybe it was due to the familiarity of the Rito being raised together in the same community, and from what she'd observed from her exploration of the village, the avian race didn't appear to have much of a desire to branch anywhere outside of their established territory. Were Hylians like the Rito in that regard, or was it the opposite? Maybe she was wrong when it came to Revali and Kali's familiarity with each other being a result of her community theory and that there might be something going on between them.

'That wouldn't make sense.' She thought. 'Revali's daily routine is so precise that he doesn't really give himself time for something like that.'

"So Evangeline, I was wondering if you'd like to spend some time with myself and the others at the store?" Kali suddenly asked, interrupting her train of thought.

"Uh…" She realized she must've missed something important while she was zoned out. "Spend time with you and the others?"

"Correct. I'm sure you'd want to spend time with someone other than Revali."

Evangeline turned to the male Rito, and her face must've said it all before he spoke.

"Go. I insist." Revali told her, though she was aware of what was left unsaid.

If she was truly stuck in this world, she needed to connect with others. She couldn't always go to Revali whenever she had problems. In retrospect, she regretted not taking the time to get to know Kali, Onra, and Sarai when she had the chance, but she had foolishly made the choice of not forming any attachments. Maybe…this was an opportunity to make it up to the female Rito who had gone out of their way to visit her when she was at her worst.

"Okay, I guess I could go." Evangeline answered.

"Perfect! I promise you won't regret it." The female Rito reached out for her hand before turning to Revali. "I won't keep her out too long, so don't worry."

"Who said I was worried?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kali let out a giggle before leading Evangeline away from Revali and started their trek up the steps as they ascended to the higher levels of Rito Village.

"He's so worried. He just won't admit it." Kali whispered to her in a conspiring manner.

She couldn't help but laugh at this and the female Rito's voice joined in her laughter. She wasn't sure if Kali's words were true, but they were worth a laugh. Surprisingly, it made her feel so much better compared to how she'd felt earlier. Yeah, this was what she needed.

"You mentioned how your mother has a tailoring business while your father is a blacksmith. Has it always been that way?" Evangeline asked.

"It's been that way for a few generations, but it that hasn't always been the case. Originally my great grandmother and great grandfather had ownership of the tailor and the smithy separately, and usually when one marries into a family, they're expected to give up their business to their next of kin." Kali explained. "However, seeing as certain circumstances prevented that from being possible, they agreed to a business merger as a condition of their marriage. Ever since then, the women of the family were put in charge of the tailor while the men oversaw the smithy."

"Wouldn't working in a smithy as a Rito be…I don't know, problematic?"

At this Kali turned to Evangeline, a puzzled look on her face.

"How so?"

"Well, working with metal requires extreme heat to make it malleable enough to craft armor, weapons, or whatever you're trying to create. Seeing as Rito are practically a bird-like race, wouldn't the feathers catch on fire?"

"Your concern is understandable, and it's true that getting burned is a real risk, but that's what Fireproof Elixirs are for!"

"Fireproof Elixir?"

"Correct. For those working in the smithy, taking a Fireproof Elixir protects their feathers from catching fire. Originally, Fireproof Elixirs were created to help travelers survive the harsh temperature of Death Mountain; the very air around Death Mountain is so hot that normal wooden objects and clothing will spontaneously combust in a matter of seconds."

Evangeline's eyes widened at this! Spontaneous combustion?!

"How is that even possible? The kind of temperature required for something like that to happen is physically impossible unless it were the inside of a volcano, but even then that amount of heat would affect the weather to such an extent that—"

"Whoa, slow down there, Evangeline!" Kali told her. "Some of what you're saying is going a little over my head, but if I'm understanding you correctly, you're worried that the heat from Death Mountain—which happens to be a volcano with bodies of lava all over the area—would have an impact on the weather in Hyrule, correct?"

"…Yes." She answered slowly.

"Well, Death Mountain isn't the only area in Hyrule that has such an extreme climate. Remember, we have the Hebra Mountains on our side of the map that acts as a sort of countermeasure, if you will. There are other areas in Hyrule that have higher temperatures such as the Gerudo Desert and Mount Lanayru, but not to the same extent as the prior two mountains in questions."

"If that's the case, doesn't Hyrule get a lot of rain or thunderstorms as a result?"

"We do, but it's not as frequent are you're probably thinking."

Evangeline was so engaged in her discussion with Kali that she hadn't realized where they were until the female Rito announced that they'd arrived at their destination. It turned out that the tailor business was located in the commerce square; the area was more of a landing than an actual village square, being twice the size of the landing Revali had taken her to the night he'd first shown her around Rito Village with her newly healed ankle. Evangeline wasn't familiar with the commerce square since she hadn't really bothered exploring it during the time she'd been planning her "escape" from Rito Village all those days ago, and despite the regret she currently felt a part of her must've known that taking the time to look would've made it difficult to leave.

Now that she was here, she couldn't help but try to take everything in, but she didn't have long to look since Kali ushered her inside what she presumed was the tailor shop.

Crossing the threshold Evangeline saw a small group of female Rito gathered inside, each one sitting in front of a weaving loom working on blankets as they conversed with one another. The conversation died out as they looked up in curiosity as to who had entered, and she immediately recognized Sarai and Onra among the group as both their eyes widened in surprise at seeing her. She was about to greet them, but was taken aback when the two female Rito to suddenly drop what they were doing to embrace her in a friendly hug; she couldn't help but wonder if Sarai and Onra considered her a friend, but with the way they were reacting to her appearance was very telling (if Kali's surprise at seeing her earlier wasn't proof enough). She found herself suddenly feeling emotional from the hug, her eyes watering as her mind seemed to register how she'd gone so long without any meaningful physical contact and just how much she currently needed it at this time.

"I am…so sorry." She found herself saying.

At this both Sarai and Onra pulled away enough to look at her.

"Why are you apologizing?" Onra asked, only for her red eyes to widen when she saw her face. "Are you…?"

Evangeline nodded before answering.

"I'm apologizing because I realized how much I've worried you. Even though I haven't really spent time around you, Kali, or Sarai, you three still came to see me because of your concern."

"You don't need to apologize, Evangeline." Sarai told her. "I'm sure you had your reasons for what you did. We're just glad to see you feeling better."

"Thank you." She smiled at them.

Evangeline, Sarai, and Onra separated before Kali spoke up.

"Before we join the others, there's something I want to take care of that involves you." Kali told her. "Follow me, Evangeline."

She followed Kali through a doorway towards the back, which led into another room that contained different kinds of materials from fabrics to leathers and tools for the sole purpose of creating clothing and possibly armor. It was clear this was a workshop dedicated to Kali and her mother's occupation as tailors.

"I bet you're wondering why I brought you back here." The female Rito commented, glancing back at her.

"What gave it away?" She jokingly asked.

At this Kali laughed.

"I knew I liked you for a reason! Anyways, with winter being around the corner I realized you probably don't have any proper clothing to keep you adequately warm for the colder season, and believe me, winter in the Tabantha Frontier is excruciatingly cold for the average Hylian, and presumably for a Human like you. I know you're a smart girl from our conversation earlier, and seeing as I consider you a friend, I don't want you freezing to death."

"Not gonna lie, I'm not a big fan of cold weather, even back where I came from."

"Hence why I brought you back here. You're definitely going to be staying in Rito Village for some time, and as a welcome gift I plan on making you a set of Snowquill armor."

"Snowquill armor? How is armor supposed to help me?" She asked.

"Snowquill armor was crafted not only with the purpose to give Hylians protection, but also serves to help them survive climates as cold the highest peaks of the Hebra Mountains. The inside of the clothing is carefully lined with molted Rito feathers, which are stacked in each layer in order to aid the wearer in retaining body heat. I guarantee you'll barely noticed the cold while wearing it!"

Evangeline couldn't help the mental image that came to her mind of what this Snowquill armor looked like. She imagined clothing overstuffed with feathers to the point that whoever wore it had trouble even moving. Seeing the look on Kali's face, she had a feeling the female Rito was more than aware of where her mental thoughts were going.

"It's not what you think." She told her with a knowing smile. "I promise you'll be able to move around in it just as easily as your current outfit. Let me show you the display mannequin before your imagination gets too out of control."

Kali then went behind a changing screen and a few moments later she came back out carrying a dressed mannequin before setting it down before her. The outfit the mannequin wore was nowhere close to what her imagination conjured up. There were notable parts of the outfit that were modeled after the clothing she'd seen most male Rito wear around the village—even down to the leather cuirass! But that was were the similarities ended as the rest of the assemble as the rest of it was clearly created with Hylians in mind with how there was a long sleeves shirt and pants that were stuffed in leather gloves and boots (respectfully), with the latter group of clothing being lined with some sort of fur (or wool maybe) around the openings.

"So? What do you think?" Kali asked.

"It looks like it'd be warm." She replied, admiring how much thought went into creating the outfit itself.

"Excellent! This is exactly what I plan on making you for the upcoming winter. I plan on changing a few things, but you needn't worry about that since I'll only be taking your measurements."

Before she knew it, Evangeline found her in only the white dress she wore underneath her outfit while Kali was wrapping measuring tape around various parts of her body from her neck, arms, shoulders, bust, waist—

WHOA!

"Sorry for startling you!" The female Rito apologized before continuing her work.

She couldn't help the embarrassment she felt due to Kali lifting her skirt up just to measure her leg. Thankfully, she soon finished her work of writing down the measurement on some paper, only to pull out another sheet of paper to write something else down. Curiosity got the best of her as she spoke up.

"What are you writing?" She asked, only able to decipher a few of the words Kali had written down.

"I'm merely writing down your measurements so that my father and brother can get started on the leather armor."

Wait, brother?

"Kali, father was wondering if you've received more orders for leather—!"

Evangeline turned around upon hearing a male voice as she wondered why they suddenly stopped talking, only for her eyes to widen when she saw the familiar russet colored Rito standing before the doorway (the curtains covering it slightly moving from when he'd entered) with his yellow eyes just as wide as hers.

"E-Evangeline?!" He stuttered, appearing flustered.

"Oh, so you two know each other! Good!" Kali commented, not seeming to notice the sudden tension in the room. "You also have good timing, seeing as I just finished writing down specifications for a new order."

"Already? You don't mean-!"

"Indeed, it's for Evangeline here. You know what to do, little brother."

"Wait, I—" But Kali shoved the paper she was holding into Locke's wings. She watched as the feathers around his neck getting ruffled in a clear sign of embarrassment as the female Rito turned back to face her worktable. Evangeline kind of felt sorry for him as he quickly glanced at her before averting his gaze.

"It's…good to see you again, Evangeline." Locke said.

Poor guy…

"Likewise." She replied, not knowing what else to say in this situation.

Thankfully, she didn't have to worry since Locke soon left and it was at that point Kali finally spoke up.

"Goodness, I thought he'd never leave." The female Rito commented.

"As surprised as I am to find out you and Locke are related, I don't understand why you're being so…dismissive of him."

"Don't get me wrong, I love my brother! The thing is, with you being here, he would've never left if I hadn't intervened."

This caught her attention.

"How does me being her make it difficult for him to leave?" She asked.

"Believe it or not, ever since the day he first met you—which just so happened to be the first time we met—he's been talking about you. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he were smitten with you."

Evangeline couldn't help but laugh at this! It was just so absurd and completely out of left field that she couldn't take it seriously. There was no way Kali was right!

"Okay, good joke!" She managed to say through her laughter. "Now that that's out of the way, are we finished here, and can I put the rest of my outfit back on?"

"I suppose we are." Kali sighed before walking over to the curtain covered doorway. "Once you've finished, just come back through here and join us; I'll have a spot set up for you."

A spot?

Before she could even ask, Kali had already exited the room and Evangeline was left to get the other articles of clothing she'd taken off back on. Quickly doing so (while having some difficulty with the sash just right) she eventually made herself presentable before leaving the room, and it didn't take long for her to understand what Kali meant when she said she'd set up a spot for her as she soon found herself seated on the floor before a weaving loom. As Kali was explaining how the use the weaving loom, a female Rito with scarlet colored feathers and yellow eyes approached the two with a large basket of yarn (which she presumed was likely made of wool).

"I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Yuli, and I see that you and Kali are well acquainted."

Wait, did that mean…?

"You could say we've bonded a bit on the way here, mother." Kali commented.

So Yuli was the mother of both Kali and Locke. She could see the resemblance between the two female Rito. Though she knew otherwise, Yuli didn't look that much older than her daughter, but that was likely a Rito thing.

"It's nice to meet you, Yuli." She smiled. "I'm Evangeline."

"Even though I've heard about you around the village, it's nice to finally meet you in person!" She could practically feel the warmth in Yuli's words. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering why we've set you up at a weaving loom. With winter being around the corner it's important for everyone to keep warm, even Rito. Around this time of year, I allow anyone to come and make blankets for themselves, provided they make a few for the shop to sell."

"Wouldn't that be considered unpaid employment?"

"Not quite. You see, if one of the blankets you've made sells, you earn a percentage of the money gained from the transaction. In addition to that, you can keep one of the blankets you make today, as well as any others you make if you decide to come back again any day after today. I wouldn't dream of allowing anyone's hard work going unrewarded."

Okay, so not only was it a sort of commission pay, but there was the added bonus of a free blanket as compensation as well. That didn't sound like a bad deal, and considering how she'd been worried about how she was supposed to get resources for blankets without money, she would get some sort of income and blankets if she chose to come back and make them. Plus, she'd be doing something productive instead of having nothing to do after her lessons with Elder Chie and handling any tasks Revali had for her.

'Will Revali give me any tasks now that I've explained my situation to him?' She wondered.

Suddenly a new thought appeared in her head.

What if she were to give the first blanket she made to Revali?

After everything he's done for her since she first appeared in this world, it'd be the least she could do to thank him for his help. Sure, she didn't like him at first seeing as she found him to be incredibly arrogant and conceited, but lately he seemed to tone down those aspect a bit, and to some extent maybe he'd gotten used to her being around.

"So what do you think?"

Evangeline forgot that she'd been talking with Yuli and blinked her eyes as she came back to reality. She saw that both Kali and her mother were looking at her expectantly and she needed to give them an answer.

"It doesn't sound like a bad idea. And I do need to prepare for winter anyways."

"Good! Now you just need to pick some yarn and we'll get you started on your first blanket! What colors would you like to use?"

She looked at the options presented to her and she was impressed with the selection she had to pick from. She wanted to pick colors Revali might like, but there were just so many options! That was when she remembered learning color psychology back in college and how colors could influence others, and really thinking of the Rito Champion's personality she ended up picking four colors: dark yellow, Prussian blue, forest green, and cinnamon brown.

Yes, these colors would work perfectly!

Soon enough the weaving loom and yarn were all set up for her to start her work and it didn't take long to learn the basics as she got used to the repetitive motions of her hands at work. She always found working with her hands relaxing, and what she was currently doing was no different as a sense of peace fell over her mind; she hadn't realized how much she needed this after everything she'd been through lately.

She would definitely be coming over more often.

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Having spent most of the day at Yuli's shop, Evangeline decided that finishing her sixth blanket was a good stopping point as any before leaving with the free blanket she made in high spirits. As much as she didn't want to leave, she knew Revali was likely waiting for her to return.

As she was making her way back to Revali's home, she couldn't help but suddenly think back on Kali's comment concerning the Rito Champion being worried about her and she wondered whether or not it was true. Sure, he might've worried about her wellbeing over the past few days, but that couldn't be the case as she suspected that the female Rito was reading too much into the issue.

And then there was Locke.

Again, she believed Kali was trying to imply something that wasn't there to begin with, and she found the idea to be outright laughable. There was no way he'd develop any sort of attraction for anyone like her, especially after only encountering her once.

But what if Kali was right?

'Ridiculous! She was just making up stuff!' She told herself.

Before she knew it, she found herself arriving at Revali's home and upon entering she found the aforementioned Rito sitting before the cooking pot tending to whatever he was making. She watched him lift his head up to see her enter the room.

"I was wondering when you would return." He quipped.

"Sorry for being late. It's not my fault that Kali kept me captive for so long." She joked.

"I'm sure there are far worse fates a person could suffer." Revali tilted his head in curiosity. "What do you have there?"

Evangeline glanced down at the blanket she held in her arms, and for a moment she couldn't help but admire how beautiful it looked before she returned her gaze to the male Rito.

"It's a blanket I weaved over at the tailor earlier. Originally, I was going to make a blanket for myself, but then I decided to make it for you instead as a gift. To thank you for what you've done for me so far."

She thought Revali would be happy (or as happy as she could expect him to be) to receive any sort of gift, but instead he was hesitant before taking the blanket she made. He looked somewhat tense all the while appearing as if he were trying to…was he trying to suppress the feathers around his neck from poofing up?

…

He was!

But why would he be embarrassed from getting a gift, and a blanket at that?

"…Don't you like it?" She asked carefully, unsure if it was the right thing to ask.

And there go the neck feathers.

"Ah, yes! Yes, it's fine."

Revali turned to face his hammock and flew up. Evangeline wondered what he was doing and soon enough he came back down, but instead of the blanket she made he had his old one.

"A trade. I'm giving you this in exchange for the blanket you made." He told her as if it were simple.

She didn't know what to make of this situation, but she ended up taking the blanket he was offering her. Why did it bother her so much? Was it because it seemed like he was getting rid of any sort of significance her gift might've had by making a trade?

Regardless of the reason, she gave him something to show her gratitude.

ATE: Thank you for reading this chapter! Next time we'll get back on track with an event that happens in the game, as in Link makes an appearance (I think you all might know where this one is going). Please remember to leave a review! ;D