The next morning, Sepria found herself before Master Kohga, listening carefully to what he had planned.
"Alright, Sep. I'm gonna test you today," he told her, clasping his hands in front of him and pointing them at her. Sepria gave him a short nod. "A couple of our guys are planning to steal an heirloom from Kakariko. We need to make sure it goes without a hitch, because the heirloom is inside Impa's house. Er, you know Impa, right?"
She balked just a little, having heard much about the elder of Kakariko - a fierce warrior in her day, and apparently the former attendant to the Princess herself. Nevertheless, she nodded once more and continued to listen. "I want you to hang around her house. Tell me who goes in and out, so that we can determine when's the best time to strike. You think you're up to it?"
The young Hylian swallowed nervously. He seemed to be putting an awful lot of faith in his new recruit – a "rookie," as he had said – but she didn't want to show him that she was anxious, so she simply gave him another nod in acknowledgment.
"I want you to report back to me at midnight tonight," he told her. "You'll be there the whole day. Should be plenty of time to keep tabs on the people there."
She nodded again, putting on her new mask and trying not to let her nerves get the better of her. Master Kohga placed a firm, reassuring hand on her shoulder, attempting to ease her tension. She took a deep breath and stood back, placing her hands together and focusing her attention on her destination. She had seen paintings of Kakariko Village before, but had never actually been there. She hoped that various descriptions she'd heard would be enough to fill in the blanks and get her there safely.
Her prayers were answered as she vanished from the hideout and reappeared above a straw rooftop – or more accurately, the metal spire resting atop it. In the second that gravity gave her, she tried not to panic and focused on landing as quietly as possible. Thanks to the material of her clothes and the new fabric covering her face, her landing was practically silent. She breathed a sigh of relief and managed to move her way to the roof of Impa's home undetected, before settling low enough to remain out of sight from the village folk. Her heart raced at the thought of being caught, and she was grateful that her clothes muffled that sound as well.
Hours passed as she waited impatiently for night to fall, but she didn't dare express it for fear of even the slightest movement giving her presence away, even when her legs began to fall asleep. The roof harbored the smallest of gaps between the straw, and she was able to relieve her legs by leaning ever so slightly to peek inside. She tried not to make a habit of it, however, lest her shadow cast itself inside the house during the day.
Finally, the sun began to set, and soon after, the village was cloaked in darkness. She was able to tell the time, though only vaguely, by listening carefully to passersby as they moved from place to place. Parents called their children inside for meals and shop owners discussed their hours of operation.
She guessed that it was about 9 PM. The stores had closed their doors, and the only lights left shining came from the soft glow of the lanterns strung between the buildings. Now that there was no sun to give away her position, Sepria was free to peer into Impa's home through the roof. Half of her view was obstructed by the top floor, but luckily the staircase allowed her the space to see the ground floor.
Downstairs, she saw a young girl carefully polishing the heirloom in question. Next to her was who she assumed was Impa, if only because she didn't expect her to look as old as she did. Impa sat atop a stack of cushions, motionless, and had been like that the whole day. Sepria wondered if she had been asleep the entire time, or if she was just incredibly calm.
After a time, the young girl stood up and stretched. "I think it's time for me to sleep," she said. "Goodnight, grandmother."
"Goodnight, Paya. Rest well," Impa replied.
Paya made her way upstairs to what Sepria figured was her room. She kept a close eye on Impa and the heirloom, wondering when the elder would let her guard down, if at all. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she watched over the whole village, making mental notes of everything she thought would be important.
Eventually, Sepria's patience was rewarded. It was difficult to hear over the rush of the small waterfall behind the house, but she could make out Impa's soft, steady breathing as sleep finally claimed her. Sepria noted the time – about 11:30 PM – thanks to the small exchange between the two guards in front of the house as they changed shifts.
Though exhausted, she pushed through the last half-hour before midnight struck, breathing a sigh of relief when nothing else changed but the occasional stir of the elder in her sleep. Sepria closed her eyes, quietly placing her hands together and envisioning where she was that morning – standing face-to-face with Master Kohga as he gave her this task. When she opened her eyes once more (a struggle in itself), she was back in his presence.
"There you are!" Master Kohga's first words upon her arrival startled her slightly, as it was so quiet only moments ago. "You're back in one piece! I'm impressed!" He stepped towards his scout and looked down to meet her tired gaze. "So, lay it on me. Even if you think I know it already."
Sepria relayed to him everything that she learned. The front of Impa's house was constantly guarded – one guard in the day, and one at night – though the back of the house, small as it was, remained unwatched. The elder herself didn't move the entire time, and the heirloom was kept under close watch next to her. The only person to enter or leave the house the whole day was her young granddaughter.
Master Kohga mulled over this information to himself, muttering all sorts of things that she didn't quite pick up on – mostly because she was on the verge of sleep herself. Either way, he eventually clapped his hands together, jolting her awake.
"Alright," he said. "I think I got it. I'll run this plan by some of my guys later. But as for you, Sep–" He placed a hand on her shoulder with a gentle grip. "You did your job, and boy, did you ever do it!" Though she couldn't see his face, Sepria could practically hear his grin beneath his mask. "You got me plenty of good intel. More than you think, I bet!"
She couldn't help but blush at his praise, diverting her gaze towards her feet. "T…Thank you, Master Kohga."
"Only calling it like I see it," he replied with a chuckle. "Now, get some sleep. You look like you need it."
"Yes, Master Kohga." She didn't need to be told twice, heading straight to her room. She changed into her loungewear and crawled underneath the blankets. Her mind raced with the pressure of the day's work, but her body was too exhausted to keep up. It wasn't long at all before she drifted to sleep, the last thing replaying in her mind being Master Kohga's words of praise.
There was a light knock at Sepria's door, startling her awake. She stirred and stretched slightly, her back cracking and a rush of heat enveloping her face as she tried to rid her body of the stiffness of sleep.
"Yeah...?" she mumbled, hoping that it was loud enough for whoever was at the door to hear.
The door cracked open, and she saw a gloved hand holding onto the edge of it.
She rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust them to better see the hand at the door, but considering that everyone in the Yiga Clan covered their hands, she couldn't immediately tell who it belonged to.
"Who is it...?" She mumbled again.
The door opened further, enough for her to catch a glimpse of red, as well as... tears...?
It took her a moment to realize that it was Master Kohga, and another moment still to realize that his mask was gone. She had never seen his face before, and it startled her that her first time seeing it was apparently when tears were staining it. His hair was tousled and dark, pulled up in a bun that would easily reach his upper back if let down. His face was dusted in short, scruffy hair, and his eyes, though hard to see at the time, were dark in color. He had a slightly rounded, but otherwise defined face, with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. It was a surprising sight to be sure, but she was far more concerned about his expression.
He wasn't sobbing uncontrollably, but through his desolate expression she could tell that he was pained beyond words. She suddenly found herself unable to look away or even move as he stepped closer to her.
"Sepria..." he nearly whispered, reaching out for her hand slowly. "Don't do this..." She could only watch him, frozen still as he took her hand carefully and held it in his own. "You're better than this...!" He lowered his head until his forehead touched her hand. "Why would you want to..."
All too quickly, his voice faded away, and soon she was left gasping as she jumped up in bed. She looked around the room as she tried to catch her breath, only to find that nobody was there but herself. After a moment, her mind finally understood that it was only a dream. Gazing around the room, she tried to forget about it, but simply couldn't get the image out of her mind.
Seeing Master Kohga's face without his mask... and in tears, no less. The fact that he was so distraught over something that she had done... or maybe, she corrected herself, something that she was planning on doing.
She was still adamant about seeing her plan through to the end. A dream wasn't going to change the fact that the hardships she was always forced to face were simply not worth the effort anymore. Making connections and getting attached to others was only going to make things harder on herself.
Even so, it proved impossible to return to sleep with this dream plaguing her mind. Try as she might, her tossing and turning didn't make her any less uncomfortable, even when the sun began to rise. Eventually, she gave up all pretense of sleeping and sat at the window instead.
Gazing out into the pre-dawn light, Sepria's exhausted mind finally settled on a single thought.
Today.
