Link woke up to the sound of footsteps going either up or down the stairs; it was hard to tell right after waking up. He stayed completely still and just listened for a bit to learn more without giving himself away; it was a habit from his travels that still occasionally got triggered by unexpected noises. It had actually saved him from a Yiga ambush once after the whole Ganon ordeal, so he wasn't planning on shaking it anytime soon.
Anyway, the footsteps.
The sound definitely came down from the floor above, then it stopped on Link's floor for a moment with a light appearing on the other side of the curtain, and then moved further down to the floor below. That must have been Bigeri, seeing how there had been one more set of stairs leading up and no bed for him on the two floors Link had already seen. Link had guessed the topmost floor to be Bigeri's personal living space, and it seemed he had been right.
Satisfied with his safety and grateful for the dim light, Link stretched languidly. He looked at the sleeping form of Sidon lying under him and sat up very carefully, not wanting to jostle him too much.
He still couldn't believe he was apparently not only allowed to, but encouraged to use Sidon as his mattress every night. He looked at the still slumbering Zora with a shy smile, taking in his perfectly relaxed features in the limited light. Sidon had a small smile on his lips even in his sleep, and Link had to use a lot of self-restraint to not lean over and kiss it. He would not sink that low; kissing someone in their sleep without some kind of a blanket permission was simply not on. They were not a couple, even if he was getting increasingly hopeful that they might be in the future.
However, he did have a blanket permission for something else and after last night he was a lot less hesitant about using the privilege.
Link carefully laid back down on Sidon's chest and pressed a gentle kiss on the underside of his chin. He waited a second to see if Sidon woke up yet, then dropped another kiss on one side of his neck, then one to the other side. Sidon hummed and sluggishly slung an arm across Link's back. Link smiled against Sidon's neck and gave it one more kiss before pulling back just enough to stare at Sidon's chin. It didn't take long before Sidon tilted his head enough to meet Link's eyes.
"Good morning", he said, voice rough from sleep and a sleepy smile on his lips. Link's heart skipped a beat or two.
"Morning", he whispered back, only somewhat anxious about the Minish travelers who were likely still sleeping in their rooms right next to them. He was reasonably sure they wouldn't hear him if he was quiet enough.
Sidon's smile widened and he hugged Link – a bit roughly – in his excitement. Vocalizing to Sidon was definitely worth it every time.
"I slept really well last night", Sidon said after he was done squeezing the breath out of Link. "I knew holding you would get easier with practice."
Link blushed and looked away, not sure if he was embarrassed or flattered or simply both.
"...Likewise", he whispered after a moment of consideration. He patted Sidon's chest. "Comfy."
Sidon squeezed him again.
ooooo
After getting dressed and collecting their luggage, the two of them descended the stairs and saw Bigeri making breakfast while another Minish was examining the sellables.
"Good morning, you two", Bigeri said after glancing over his shoulder at them. "Breakfast will be done soon."
Sidon gave back a greeting that was enthusiastic enough to cover for Link's silence, which… was probably the point, actually. Link was grateful.
They seated themselves at the table and waited. The Minish who had been looking at the wares joined them right away, looking half wary and half curious.
"Bigeri said you used to be big people", they said without any attempts at working up to it. "Can you tell me about the big people world?"
They were looking at Link expectantly and studiously avoiding looking at Sidon. They probably thought Link was the more approachable one. Or the less scary one.
Link gave them a big and cheerful smile and signed: 'Hello to you, too. Nice to meet someone with even less manners than I have. I'm so proud of you.'
Sidon looked mortified, likely forgetting the Minish wouldn't understand a word. The Minish in question looked confused. Bigeri coughed like he was trying to hide a laugh, which meant that he had definitely been watching them on the sly. All of it was glorious.
Sidon took the conversation over from there with the air of someone trying to salvage a situation – much to the confusion of the rude Minish – while Link basked in his wittiness and shoveled in his breakfast when it arrived. The other Minish traveler came down and joined them shortly after, thankfully not making a scene of any kind.
After the conversation eventually died down, Link poked at Sidon's bicep. It was time to get to business. 'Vaatians?'
"Ah, you're right", Sidon said, and turned towards Bigeri. "Excuse me, Bigeri. You mentioned something called Vaatians last night. Could you tell us more?"
All three Minish present looked collectively shocked by the question. That couldn't mean anything good.
"You're traveling towards the capital and nobody thought to tell you about the Vaatians?" Bigeri asked disbelievingly. He shook his head. "Alright then. Vaatians are troublemakers. They worship a historical figure called Vaati, who was said to have been a great mage who turned evil. Something like that anyway; I'm not a historian. Vaatians claim that the Minish culture is stagnated and needs to be completely uprooted. I don't know the details. I hear they practice dark magic, too. The more radical of their numbers dye their hair white and dress in purple to make a statement. They usually abandon their old names and take new ones that break the norm like… well, Vaati."
Link wasn't sure what to think. On one hand, these Vaatians sounded a lot like the Yiga Clan; being radicals and abandoning their peoples' ways and causing trouble and all. On the other hand, he didn't know enough about the situation to really judge them. They could just be rebellious youth that didn't enjoy all the sameness the Minish had going on, and Link couldn't blame them for that.
"Are they dangerous?" Sidon asked, and Link nodded to chorus the question.
"They can be if you engage", Bigeri answered. "Usually they just try to steal ancient artifacts from the museum in the capital, and sometimes vandalize big people objects. If you try to stop them, they get violent. If you simply don't mess with them the worst they'll do is try to recruit you. I'm wary of them because of my big people oriented profession."
Link shared a look with Sidon.
"It sounds like they just might have a problem with our very existences, don't you think?" Sidon asked slowly.
Bigeri looked at him questioningly for a moment before it visibly dawned on him. "Oh! Yes, you might want to keep a low profile. Doesn't, um, seem like an easy thing to do with your looks. You will probably get into trouble whether you want to or not. I'm sorry."
'We can handle it', Link signed confidently. To be honest, he wasn't against a bit of trouble; their trip had been largely hassle-free so far and it was odd.
He wasn't sure how much force would be acceptable in this case, though. The only enemies he had fought that counted as people were the Yiga, and they tended to flee when they lost so he didn't usually have to make a choice between killing them and sparing them. He knew killing them wasn't frowned upon, though, so he didn't have to be careful during the fights regardless of the end results. Here? He didn't know if dead bodies or lost limbs would be acceptable options. Would he instantly be labeled as a heartless murderer or something? He might have to ask someone. Not Bigeri, though; he didn't seem all that knowledgeable on this subject.
Link could only hope he wouldn't have to make the choice before finding out.
"I see. Thank you", Sidon said thoughtfully. He didn't seem to have noticed Link's signing, but Link was willing to let it slide; he was plenty preoccupied with his thoughts himself.
The rest of the meal went by quietly. Apparently the subject of Vaatians was a sobering one.
ooooo
Link purchased a few strips of dried meat and a jar of applesauce, and then the two of them left to continue their journey. The Minish travelers were headed to the opposite direction, so thankfully they didn't have to endure any party increases slowing their progress. Link had been low-key dreading the possibility since last night.
The walk through the last patch of ash-covered ground was uneventful, and eventually they reached grass once more. Their path went uphill, but it was far from the steepest rises Link had climbed so he wasn't particularly worried about it slowing them down. More worrying than the marginal extra effort in their walk was Sidon's unusual silence that had been going on for long enough for Link to take notice. Sidon becoming silent was a recurring trend lately; a troubling one at that.
Link gave Sidon sidelong looks to make it clear he had noticed the issue, but he was ignored. Unnoticed. ...It was strange to not get Sidon's attention the instant he wanted it.
He was getting a bit spoiled, wasn't he?
"Sidon?" Link asked , deciding to take the initiative like an adult.
"Yes?" Sidon asked distractedly, but at least he was responding.
"What's up? You're quiet."
Sidon stopped walking for a second, looking surprised. He then turned to give Link an apologetic smile and resumed walking. "My apologies for worrying you. I merely have… a few things on my mind. I could unburden myself from a couple of them if you're willing to lend me an ear?"
Link simply nodded.
Sidon took a moment to collect his thoughts, but began talking soon enough. He looked frustrated. "I'm worried about the Vaatians. About our presence causing trouble for everyone around us. Will we put everyone who speaks with us in danger? What if we're attacked in the middle of the city? You could likely blend in and not attract undue attention if you were alone. I, on the other hand, look too different from the Minish in every way. I will stand out everywhere we go. There is simply no way to avoid their notice like this. We're walking targets, and a potential risk for innocent people."
Link nodded again. He could see how this would bother Sidon, since he wasn't used to being hunted by assassins or other troublesome people.
Thankfully, Link was an expert.
'The Yiga Clan was insistent on offing me back when Ganon was still around', he signed automatically, before remembering to speak out loud. "They found me even when I was wearing my Gerudo disguise, and when I was practically lost within the Faron Woods. It doesn't matter whether you stand out or try to hide if your pursuer is determined to find you. You just have to keep a sharp eye out for suspicious people so that you're prepared for it when they act."
Sidon looked a combination of horrified and impressed, which was rather a funny look on him.
"I completely forgot about the Yiga", Sidon said. "I know you have mentioned being targeted by them before, but I was admittedly more worried about the scale of your task than the small details."
Link hid a smile at the thought of how offended the Yiga would be at being labeled as "the small details". Kohga, especially. He was probably spinning madly in his grave.
"That's okay", Link said, then cleared his throat uncomfortably. He really didn't like vocalizing for entire conversations. "I doubt the Vaatians will harm the people we talk to. If they're smart they will subtly inquire about us after we're already gone to gain more knowledge and leave it at that. We have no real ties here and they gain nothing by threatening harm to random people we have spoken to once. Or at least as long as they have no reason to assume we have… hero complexes."
Link gave a silent glare in the general direction of the Hyrule Castle and Zelda. He was an actual hero, he was allowed to be heroic whenever he wanted to, thankyouverymuch.
"If they do attack us in the middle of the city…" he said slowly, formulating a strategy as he spoke, "...I will keep them occupied and you make any bystanders leave. Then you stab the enemy in the back; figuratively and maybe literally."
Sidon gave a startled laugh, which was absolutely delightful.
"I couldn't possibly backstab anybody, but I approve of the rest of the plan", Sidon said, and shook his head with a fond smile. "Thank you. I feel a lot better now that I got to talk to you about this."
Link smiled back at him. He was also glad to have gotten at least one thing off of Sidon's mind. However, he remembered there being more than one thing. He elbowed Sidon's side lightly. "Other things on your mind?"
Sidon blinked rapidly, probably reeling from the subject change. Then he frowned and stared at Link. Or rather, stared at the spot where Link happened to be standing; he probably didn't even see him right then. In the end, he shook his head with smile that was only slightly off; if Link hadn't known him as well as he did he wouldn't have been able to tell it apart from the usual carefree one.
"Nothing pressing", Sidon said and looked forward. "I'm hoping the solutions will come on their own and I needn't trouble you at all. I promise to talk to you if the need arises. Please let it be for now."
Link would be lying if he claimed he wasn't awfully curious, but Sidon placed a hand on his shoulder and kept it there for a long time while they walked and he happily let the subject drop. He didn't want the hand to let go, after all. He had priorities.