A short while later all three Links were dressed and reequipped with their gear, looking very clean and relaxed. Legend stretched his arms over his head, enjoying the feeling of his limber body and being in a fresh change of clothing. (Perhaps he had been getting a little ripe…) It had been so long since he'd had a good long soak like that. Wild and Wind seemed to be thinking much the same as they all three moved with an extra spring in their step.
A few minutes after they finished their dressing, the woman reappeared from around a cluster of crystals. She had exited the pool on the opposite side as them and they guessed that was where she had kept her things. She looked quite different now. All her previously quite visible markings were covered. Only her face was visible now. She was dressed in a long grey hooded wool cloak over darker grey tunic and black tights. A wide leather belt cinched her tunic tighter to her figure. Upon it was a small, curved blade in a well-made sheath. It looked to be little more than a knife. She adjusted a soft-looking knitted fingerless glove over her left hand as approached them warmly, and flipped the end of her headscarf over her shoulder.
"Ah, all ready to go I see. Our little camp is this way!" She turned and the trio followed at an easy pace behind her.
Legend found his eyes kept returning to her hand as they walked. Why did she cover it like that? What was the meaning behind her tattoos? Who exactly was this strange person that they seemed to have just followed without any questions? Before, he had told himself that it was the fairies. They gravitated towards her and seemed at ease so instinctively he was willing to give the benefit of the doubt but now as they walked further into the cave, he was feeling that old suspicion rising again.
"What did you say your name was again?" He asked walking up beside her.
"I didn't." She smiled coyly. "Nor did you say yours.."
Well. That was true.
"I'm Link!" said Wind, with a barely suppressed laugh, trotting up beside them.
Pleased to meet you." Said the girl inclining her head towards his as they walked.
"and…" he continued, pointing at Legend with a look of pure mischief. "So is he!"
The girl stopped at this and gave him a somewhat quizzical look. Not one to be left out of the fun Wild chimed in. "Me too.."
"A-all of you?" She looked a little perturbed at this. Wild and Wind nodded eagerly while Legend simply sighed. Well, this was going well.
"YUP!" Wind beamed, and the girl laughed.
"Well.." she gave them a small smile "You're not going to believe this, but.."
They all looked at her then to each other with startled expressions waiting on her next words. Their mouths hung agape. 'Oh no.' though Legend, his mind flashed back to her earlier words… "an old story.." her tattoos… She Couldn't be.
She spoke up again seemingly satisfied with the very pregnant pause "I am not Link." She laughed breezily and turned to continue walking.
A white-hot coil of worry (fear?) that had been winding itself into Legend's gut suddenly released and cooled leaving his legs feeling momentarily weak. "That…was not funny." He grumbled.
"That was HILARIOUS!" Cried Wind, "Oooooh, By the Three! Lady, you don't know the Half of it... the adventures we've had! Can you imagine? A-and then like… 'ANoThEr OnE?' Oh man.. the Old Man would just shit himself!" He turned to his friends choking from his hysterics.
"Language." Legend frowned at the young man.
Wind only rolled his eyes "Gold. Absolute GOLD! Too funny.." Still holding his sides from the exertion of laughter as he skipped back up beside the strange girl. "So…" he said wiping his eyes "What is your name?"
"You can call me Juniper." The girl smiled warmly at him and gave his hair a soft ruffle. The boy beamed, seeming for once to not mind being coddled a little. Legend suspected that it was because she was a beautiful girl and not one of his fellow Heroes.
"Juniper.." Wild hummed. "That's very pretty name.."
"Can I call you Jun for short?" Wind asked, with the unabashed confidence of youth.
The girl laughed, "Sure.. If you like.. So. Is 'Link' a family name?"
"uhnnnn, sorta" Wind said, not having the faintest idea of how to go about explaining their connection. "I guess it probably seems a little strange, huh? You can call me Wind if you want.." He turned a little rosy in the cheeks "Uh, only if you want though."
"Wind." She murmured softly. "I like it. It suits you." He beamed at her and offered his elbow like a little gentleman. When she took it, he puffed his chest out in pride. It was very apparent that the boy was fast developing a crush.
Wild was the next to speak. "My friends usually call me Wild." He said with pride and then a small wry grimace passed over his face "Or Cook... they call me that too."
"Oh He's the BEST cook!" fawned Wind "Better than anyone except maybe my grandma. She makes this really really good paella...its like... the best!"
"Well.." the girl mused. "Which do you prefer?"
"Oh, me? Wild!" the man said and waggled his eyebrows at the woman for emphasis making her laugh again.
"So that leaves only the third Link.. What do you go by?" She turned her attention towards legend.
When her eyes landed on his he flustered and tripped on a small glowing crystal sticking up from the ground. He caught himself before disaster struck but Wild and Wind, who were absolutely no help, were giggling like children behind him. He stood up tall, a little red-faced and brushed himself off trying to recover. He cleared his throat.
"They call me The Veteran." He said with gravitas, eliciting a snort from Wild which in turn earned the man a scowl.
"Or Vet." Wind added helpfully. "Cause its shorter."
The girl gave Legend an appraising once over, making his flush feel that much hotter, and smiled again. "I see." Was all she said on the matter and breezed past him. Legend found himself wondering at her seeming tepid reaction. Perhaps in his effort at a good impression he'd only succeeded in making himself look stupid. He was mentally kicking himself as he turned to follow her both for looking foolish in front of a pretty girl and for caring about it at all. Like it mattered somehow. He supposed they would be meeting the marvelous 'Stanley the hunter' here shortly, he thought to himself glumly.