Sepria didn't know how to fight. She was never built for fighting, physically nor mentally. But now that she was one of Master Kohga's dedicated scouts, she didn't have much of a choice but to learn. And today, generous and thoughtful as the Yiga chief was, he decided to teach her.

Well, more accurately, he decided to watch. Master Kohga sat back against the wall of what was affectionately referred to as "the Yiga Pit," looking expectantly at Sepria and the training partner he had assigned her for the day - mostly at Sepria, though - and waiting for her to attack.

"...Master Kohga," the brunette finally spoke up, though her voice was hesitant. "I... I don't know how I feel about this. Can't I just..." She glanced at the short dagger she held in her hand, then back up at her leader. "I don't know, hit a training dummy or something?"

He placed a hand to his forehead - or rather, where his forehead would be behind his mask - and shook his head. "No, no, no," he muttered. "You can't be scared of a little fighting! You gotta know how to strike back if someone tries to attack you! I mean, that's sort of a given, right?"

Sepria squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and swallowed hard, gripping the weapon tightly in her hand. Master Kohga had figured that the danger of sparring with real weapons would help his new scout learn quicker by fear. Though she didn't entirely disagree with this logic, she couldn't help but feel that maybe he was just a little, teeny-tiny bit crazy. Only a little. She took a deep breath and waited for his instruction.

"Feet grounded! Knees bent! Forward tilt!" Master Kohga barked. "That's your stance, rookie!"

She followed his words as he called them, and her training partner took that as their cue. Sepria barely had time to steady herself before they bolted in her direction. They swung their own dagger far too close for comfort, and she barely backed away in time, stumbling backwards but miraculously catching herself before she toppled. Tiny droplets of blood welled to the surface of her cheek, though Sepria was too preoccupied to even realize it.

"Good!" Master Kohga called out. "Now, strike back!"

Sepria didn't retaliate so much as she flung her arms up in front of her, blocking another swing from her opponent with her own weapon. The harsh clang of metal, coupled with the resistance from their strike, only served to amplify her fight-or-flight response. Her pupils widened as she dodged another one of their strikes, quicker this time. She swiftly ducked under their arm and used her shoulder to push them aside, trying to keep them at a distance. It was only long enough for her knee to fly into their stomach, causing them to fall backwards, though they recovered just as quickly and jumped back to their feet. Sepria tried to steady her breathing, but gods above, was it a challenge.

"That's what I like to see!" Master Kohga's voice continued to fill the vast open space as he watched carefully. "Knock 'em down again!"

Sepria kept her distance from her partner again, watching their movements as carefully as she could in her panic. As they sprinted towards her again, she noticed they had their arm raised slightly, preparing a downward strike. She stepped quickly to the side and managed to get behind them, and time seemed to slow. Almost without thinking, she gripped her dagger tightly between her teeth to free up her hands, which grabbed her partner's arms and pulled them back towards her. As they fell backwards, she met their back with her knee before pushing them down onto their stomach, pinning them to the ground with her legs.

Sepria's adrenaline rushed as she pulled the dagger from her mouth, raising it above them, ready to strike them while they were down - and she froze.

She remembered that this was a real weapon. Her partner was a real person, and not a threat. She was in a controlled environment, with her leader watching the whole time. Her face fell when she realized her aggression, and she felt embarrassed.

Sepria bit her lip to keep from tearing up and lowered her weapon, standing up and letting her partner follow suit.

"Alright! That's enough for today!" Master Kohga yelled, walking over to the pair. At his word, her partner lowered their weapon as well. "Gotta say, I'm pretty impressed!" He put a hand to his chin, thinking for a moment, then turned to the young Hylian. "...It was, uh, Seepria, right?"

"Sepria," she corrected him gently. "Um... Sep is okay too."

"Right, right. I knew that," he said, before waving off her partner. The soldier took a different stance and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving just her and her boss in the room.

It was quiet for a moment, but since it was Master Kohga, it didn't last very long. "So..." he began. "I thought you said you—oh, wait, hang on." He held his hand out behind him expectantly. A nearby footsoldier, focused on inspecting their weapon, perked up and hurried to hand their leader a patch of cloth and a bandage, somehow knowing that was exactly what he wanted. Master Kohga stepped closer to his scout and started to wipe away the streaks of blood that stained her cheek. "You got, uh, a little something."

She recoiled a bit at his touch, being slightly intimidated at the way he towered over her, but let him continue to clean and dress her wound. She expected his movements to be much harsher, less careless, but was surprised at the gentleness he displayed. It was almost surreal, a stark contrast to the dangerous reputation he held outside the Yiga.

"Anyway," he continued, softly patting the finished bandage. "I thought you said you didn't know how to fight."

"I... I don't," she answered as calmly as she could. "I never learned anything like that."

"You sure coulda fooled me!" He praised. "You were so quick! I could barely keep my eye on you! And that thing with your teeth? Jeez, that was just savage!"

"I was—" Sepria stopped herself. She was hesitant to tell him that she was frightened, mostly due to the violent and serious reputation the Yiga Clan (and its leader) had acquired over the years.

"...So having a real weapon did help, then?" He finished the thought for her, and she nodded and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Good, good! We still have a lot to work on, of course, but your little display was impressive even without experience!"

Master Kohga suddenly reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, tilting his head. "Buuuut... I can tell you're not too keen on the idea of violence. And you know what? That's fine!"

Sepria blinked in surprise. Of all people, she wasn't expecting Master Kohga, the strong and ruthless leader of the vicious Yiga Clan, to be so... lenient with her.

"You're quick, Sep. Quiet, too—" He paused for a moment. "Well, mostly. I think you're much better off doing covert missions, for sure."

"You... You think so?" She averted his gaze - or at least where she figured it would be, if not for his mask.

"It would still do you some good to practice self-defense, of course," he continued. "But maybe we started off just a teeny bit rough. I'm not a mean guy, y'know!" He put a hand to his chin in brief thought. "Tell you what: next time, I'll be your training partner."

Sepria was quite honestly shocked at how amicable he was being, especially to such a new recruit as herself. "Y-You will?"

"Sure! I'll show you the basics, you can keep showing me how quick you are. I think it'll be fun!" He strolled over to the wall and sat down against it, with Sepria following suit. "Plus, I kind of figured out how you work already. You're kinda sensitive, aren't you?"

Her face flushed and she lowered her head. He must have caught sight of her on the verge of tears earlier.

"Aww, don't worry. I won't put ya through the wringer. How are you gonna learn if you're worn thinner than a thread?" He laughed, jabbing a thumb at himself. "You won't find a better teacher than yours truly! Swear it on my father's mother's father's... er, you get the point."

Sepria cracked a smile. It was comforting to know that Master Kohga could be kind, despite what she had always heard.

The thought lingered with her into the next day, where she met with him at his request at an alcove near the entrance to the hideout. It wasn't much different than an oasis in the desert, housing a small waterfall and a few trees. She found that he was already there, but he didn't turn to face her when she approached.

"So, it's just you and me today, Sepria." Master Kohga's tone was a little more serious than normal, setting an air of intimidation.

"...How did you know it was me?" Sepria wasn't really sure why she asked - he wouldn't be the leader of the Yiga if it weren't for his experience, after all.

"Oh, wait— Hang on—" Master Kohga quickly turned around and almost seemed shocked to find her there. "It is you!"

"Ah... y-yes?"

"I, uh." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'll be honest. The first couple of people I did that to weren't you."

Sepria nearly choked on a snicker she forced herself to hide, and managed to play it off as a cough. "I–I see," she mumbled.

"Anyway!" He quickly regained his normal and lively composure. "You were pretty good yesterday! But if you ask me, I think you could still use some polish."

She couldn't disagree with that statement, so she nodded and didn't say much. Mostly, though, she worried about showing too much of herself to him - or to anyone, really - so she kept quiet for the moment.

"You're quick," he continued, "but I bet you could be quicker. I'll teach you something really useful today - a standard vanishing technique!"

Master Kohga stood in front of her, pressing his hands together. He began to concentrate, and within seconds he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving several paper charms in his place. While Sepria tried to process what had happened, she suddenly heard his voice from behind her.

"Simple, right—" Startled, her fist reflexively made a beeline to his stomach, cutting him off as he doubled over to protect the goods. She immediately recoiled at her action.

"A-Ah! Master Kohga, are you okay? I-I didn't mean to—"

Master Kohga simply chuckled and waved a hand at her. "Definitely quick," he said in a strained tone. It took him a second to regain his composure, and once he did, he put a hand on her shoulder with a sigh. "Alright, let's get down to brass tacks." He stepped back a bit and began to demonstrate the technique for her slowly.

"Put your hands together like this," he instructed, forming his hands into a specific gesture. Sepria's fingers bent awkwardly around each other, unused to the movement, but she tried to imitate him as best as she could. Master Kohga chuckled and reached over, gently grabbing hold of her hands. "Like... this," he repeated, fixing the positions of her fingers with his own hands. Sepria couldn't help but feel oddly relaxed at his guidance.

"Now comes the not-so-easy part," he said. "You gotta concentrate. Focus on where you want to go. Let's say..." he gazed at his surroundings for a bit. "In front of that tree."

"Do I just... think about it?" She asked, tilting her head. It couldn't have been that easy, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"Well, it's a little more than that. You gotta picture yourself being there... Hm." Master Kohga put a hand on his hip, thinking of a better way to explain it, before settling for a more physical demonstration. "Here, look." He put a hand on her back and guided her over to the tree, then turned her around so her back was against it. "This is what you gotta focus on. This point of view, right here," He explained, holding his arm out in front of them both. He turned her around to face towards the tree again. "If you just think about this—" he gestured to her current field of vision, "—then it's not gonna work."

She nodded, grateful for the very specific clarification. Perhaps he really did know how she worked, just as he said. He led her back away from the tree so that she could give it a try.

She formed her hands together again, this time without the need for his adjustments, and closed her eyes. She pictured herself under the tree, facing away. She imagined the waterfall in the center of her field of vision, the wall of smooth stone behind it, and the grasses reaching for the sky below it. Though it was only minutes, Sepria felt as though a much longer time had passed, and when she opened her eyes once more, she found herself in the same spot as before. She pouted a bit, but she knew it wouldn't happen immediately.

"How long did it take for you to get it right, Master Kohga?" she asked.

"Me? About a week, I'd say," he answered with a shrug. "I mean, I am pretty skilled, if I do say so myself."

"Is that how long it takes others to learn it, too?"

"Ha! They wish!" he said proudly, but upon seeing her curious (and slightly disappointed) expression, he changed his tone to be a bit more encouraging. "Er, well, some people can get it on their first try. Others take about a month before they start to get good at it." He shrugged once more. "Who knows? Maybe you'll learn it quicker than I did."

Sepria hummed and nodded in acknowledgment. The two spent a good portion of the day working on her technique, and during the frequent breaks (per Master Kohga's suggestion), they found themselves holding some rather invested conversations – most of them being about the myths surrounding the clan.

"So…" Sepria began. "A lot of people say that the Yiga worship Ganon." She kept her gaze away from Master Kohga, concerned that he might find some unspoken opinion in her expression.

"We've got a bone to pick with the Hyrulean royal family," he said. "Though I can understand why people would associate the two."

"Ah… So it'd be like saying that anyone who doesn't worship Hylia loves evil and murder," she joked.

He chuckled. "Pretty much."

A moment of quiet passed. "Then… how do you feel about him? Personally, I mean."

Master Kohga gave a small shrug. "I'm not looking forward to this "Great Calamity" that's supposed to happen. I mean, I like being alive and all." He reclined back against the tree, sat on the opposite side of the ground from his scout. "But I don't wanna be on Ganon's bad side when he does come back, you know? Maybe it'd be best if he thought we worshipped him."

Sepria let out a quiet laugh at his answer. "Yeah, that was sort of my way of thinking, too."


The next few days went by with more of the same. Sepria spent time working on her vanishing technique, while Master Kohga coached her more on how to fight.

By the end of the week, they had both noticed significant improvement in her skill, to Master Kohga's pleasant surprise. Sepria was much quicker on her feet, and when she practiced her vanishing technique, she could feel herself becoming lighter and lighter with each attempt.

One day, she decided to practice in her own room. She took a deep breath and formed her hands together, just as Master Kohga had shown her. She closed her eyes and focused, burning into her mind the same tree, the same viewpoint. She felt her body being lifted ever so slightly.

Master Kohga, having decided to nap under said tree, nearly had a heart attack when she suddenly appeared above him and landed ass-first directly onto his stomach.

He immediately wheezed and began coughing from the sheer momentum, and when she finally got her bearings and registered what had happened, her first response was to apologize profusely until he regained his composure. Master Kohga, however, simply looked at her for a moment, floored.

"…Wait. Was that—" He looked at the ground beside him and saw several small paper charms resting atop the grass. "Did you—"

She looked just as shocked as he did. "I—I guess? I tried to practice on my own in my room…" she said a bit sheepishly.

"…Well shoot," he finally said. "You nailed it!"

The young Hylian couldn't help but blush at his praise, cracking a small smile.

"…You think you can do it again?" he asked.

"I—" Sepria thought for a moment, unsure if it would work so easily twice in a row. Rationality quickly took over – if she could pull it off once, surely it meant she was capable of doing so again. "I suppose I could."

"Alright then, what are we waiting for? Give it a shot!" Master Kohga almost seemed more excited than she was, which frankly surprised her. Either way, she nodded and looked around the alcove, settling on another target – the pool beneath the small waterfall.

She placed her hands together and stared at the fall for a moment before closing her eyes. She pictured herself looking out from beneath it as it showered her in its cool waters, focusing her attention on the sensation and the sound. She felt her body lighten, before it suddenly became heavier and colder from the shock of the water as she appeared beneath it.

Sepria's eyes snapped open, surprised at where she stood – looking out at the small clearing in front of her, where she saw Master Kohga and what she now affectionately referred to as the Practice Tree.

"Well, color me surprised," he said, barely audible to her over the water pouring onto her head. "How long has it been? Three days? I honestly expected it to take a lot longer! Nice job, Sep."

Sepria pulled herself out of the water and huddled herself when the chill hit her soaked clothes. "T-Thank you, Master Kohga." She took a deep breath and squeezed the water from her long hair. "Ah… Now what?"

"Well, you're definitely more adept than I had first thought!" Master Kohga praised. "But I don't think you should start celebrating just yet. You've still got a lot to learn."

"Of course. I only just got this to work, anyway."

"Right, right," he said, waving his hand. "Anyway, aren't you cold?" He pointed to her, bringing attention to the way she cuddled herself.

Sepria smiled a bit sheepishly. "A little."

He gestured a hand towards the rooms. "Go ahead and get changed, then. We can be done for today. Good work!"

She nodded and made her way to her room, shivering slightly along the way. She dried herself off with some old towels, then laid her clothes on the floor to dry as well. After changing into a set of loose clothing, she sat on the bed and sighed.

The Great Calamity would be upon them soon, or at least that's what she had heard whispers of. Hopefully, it meant that it was almost time. Things were nice and all – she was fed, given a place to stay, and she enjoyed her time with Master Kohga – but it didn't negate the reason she joined the Yiga Clan in the first place. She was simply biding her time for the right opportunity. She was left wondering when that might be…

"Hey." Sepria looked up at her doorway to see Master Kohga standing just outside it. Her train of thought from before derailed at his sudden appearance.

"Master Kohga," she greeted, her voice mostly tired but a bit surprised as well. "I thought you said we were done for the day?"

"We are," he said. "I wanted to show you something before you hit the sack, though."

Sepria watched as he stepped into her room and held out his hands. In them lay a half-mask, different from the ones the rest of the Yiga wore, though their symbol was still painted onto the center of it. She studied it for a moment, and Master Kohga took her silence as an opportunity to explain.

"I've been thinking," he began. "From what I've seen, you really would be the perfect candidate for some high-end scouting missions. You're definitely quick enough, and you're quiet enough to hide in plain sight." The young Hylian felt a blush at his compliment. "But, I couldn't help but notice you're not always… entirely quiet."

She looked up at him and tilted her head slightly, confused at his wording, before it finally clicked. She covered her mouth with her hand and averted her gaze, suddenly feeling vulnerable now that he was aware of her sounds.

"Hey, look, I'm not gonna pry," he told her. "I'm sure it's something out of your control, otherwise you wouldn't be doing it so often – y'know, doing sneaky, covert jobs and all. And I get the feeling you're not weird like that." He took a breath, getting himself back on track. "HOWEVER! If you're gonna be scurrying around the likes of Kakariko or even Hyrule Castle, we gotta nip this thing in the bud." He held out the mask further to her. "I went ahead and had this made for you. It's similar to modern Sheikah armor, but this—this one will silence your voice completely. You can peep all you want and nobody will hear a thing."

Sepria's eyes widened. This was a huge deal for her – having someone be so accommodating for her, and so quickly at that? And especially from someone like Master Kohga?

"That's…" She didn't even know what to say. "You… did this for me?"

"Sure did," he answered. "Now, you gonna try it on? I mean, looking's free and all, but I'm getting kind of tired of holding it."

Sepria gently took the mask from his hands and stared at it for a moment, before placing it over her mouth and nose and securing it around her pointed ears.

"It fits so… perfectly," she said in disbelief. She touched the mask with her hands to feel where it rested on her face. "Does it really muffle sound that well?"

She looked back to him, awaiting his answer, but he only watched as she adjusted the mask. "So? How's it fit?" he asked.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise, and she removed the mask entirely from her face to hold it again in her hands. "You didn't hear me?"

"No, were you saying something?"

"I said a couple things."

Master Kohga put his hands on his hips proudly. "Well then, I guess it works perfectly! Pretty impressive, huh?"

Very impressive, she thought, clutching the fabric gently. "I… don't know what to say…"

"Don't worry about it," he said with a small shrug. "You've got plenty of potential, Sep, and I just wanna make sure you do your job well."

"Still, it… The fact that you went through the trouble…" She found herself struggling for her words, nearly mumbling. Master Kohga tilted his head, but she just shook hers. "Thank you, Master Kohga."

"Think nothing of it. Kinda my job as your leader, right?" He patted her back firmly, resting his hand there for a moment. "Alright, rest up," he said, heading back out of her room. "I got a job for you tomorrow. Bring that, of course." He pointed to the mask in her hands, and she nodded at him.

"Yes, Master Kohga. Thank you again."