A/N: Happy Holidays to you all! I hope you're all staying safe!


Chapter 10: Calling for Backup

Vaati was staring at her, unmoving and unsympathetic, impatiently waiting for Link to explain herself. She squinted at him with one eye. "Explain why I want to have dinner with you?" she said, pretending to not understand. She gave a weak little laugh. "That kinda puts me on the spot…"

"No, blockhead, explain why those men attacked you." Vaati clearly had zero patience for her jokes at the moment.

"Didn't I already say…? All I did was try haggling for a mirror, and then the dude pushed me. I ended up dropping the mirror and that's when he really got mad." It wasn't the best cover story, she had to admit, but in her foggy, concussion-induced state, it was the best she could muster.

"Then why were there two of them? And if they worked at the store, why did they leave the moment I showed up?" Vaati pressed. "I know you're one of the most annoying people to ever exist, but attacking you is still taking it too far for just a broken mirror."

Link squeezed her eyes shut and draped an arm over her head. "Maybe they had anger issues."

"Why won't you give me a straight answer?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked in an innocent tone. "I'm being totally honest! I never lie! I'm the only person in the whole world that doesn't lie!"

Vaati took a moment to respond. "And now you're being sarcastic, aren't you…" he murmured.

"Maybe," she smiled.

Her roommate grumbled and started pacing, not saying anything for a few minutes. Link enjoyed the respite from talking. Her brain hurt too much to be having this conversation with him right now. Any other kind of injury she could pretty much ignore, but the effects of one that affected her brain were simply impossible to avoid. Her brain just wasn't capable of processing at its normal speed. Such a situation could turn out dangerous for a spy like herself.

"Whatever," Vaati finally stated. Link heard his steps take him towards the door. "Keep it a secret, I don't care. If it happens again, though, you're on your own."

Link sighed as Vaati left the room, shutting the door with a loud clack. "So, what, I'm not allowed to have my own secrets?" she murmured to the empty room. It was petty of her to complain about that, she knew, but she couldn't help feeling worn out. Maybe Vaati actually was concerned, it was just that he didn't know how to express it, and so he treated her roughly. Or maybe she was just having wishful thinking again. Link knew that Vaati didn't hate her, but beyond that she had no clue how he truly felt about her.

That wasn't the main problem right now, though. No, the problem was that Link was stuck in her room, unable to keep an eye on her targets, essentially rendered immobile—the doctor had said she'd need up to a week of rest to recover from her concussion. It was a spy's nightmare. She could do literally nothing until her concussion was gone. If she tried going about her normal tasks, she could end up with permanent damage to her brain. And on top of all that, she had to report in to Impa and tell her she was out of action for the time being.

As for the Yiga, Link hadn't been particularly surprised that they had attacked her. In fact, it was more of a surprise that this was just now the first time. The Yiga clan was not known for their spying skills, despite how much they tried to act like spies. Link couldn't count the number of times she had tricked a Yiga agent into blowing their own cover, not to mention the other times that they simply threw off their cover of their own volition. It was one reason she'd been so impressed by Tiv's performance so far. No, spying was not their forte. Their true skill lie in assassinations.

Exposing Yiga spies was never a problem. It was when they were exposed that they became dangerous. They preferred to kill anyone in their way, even if it would be easier to avoid a fight, and they were relentless when it came to completing assassinations. Link had more than a few scars from her encounters with the Yiga. So being attacked was the least surprising thing to have happened to her.

Grumbling, she grabbed her tablet and pulled up Impa's contact. Time to face the boss.

"This is Impa."

"Yeah, it's Link. I haven't gotten any Lon Lon Milk this week, what's up with that?"

"I used it all to make biscuits." It was one of their passphrases to validate each other's identities. "Is something wrong?"

Link sighed. "I've got a concussion." She proceeded to tell Impa the whole story of what had occurred at Karusa Pawn earlier that day. "The doctor said I should take a week off and rest," she concluded.

The phone was silent for a long moment as Impa processed the information. Then she replied, "Understood. I will assign an agent to monitor for you while you recover."

"Thanks, Impa. And, uh, sorry. You told me to be careful, and then I went and let my guard down."

"It's not the worst thing that could have happened. You made a mistake, but I believe the Yiga erred as well. Attacking you may have jeopardized their chances to win Vaati's loyalty. In any case, there is nothing you can do for now." Impa's voice was calm and straightforward, and Link sent a prayer of thanks to the Goddesses. She'd been worried that Impa would be disappointed in her for letting herself get injured.

Her adoptive mother wished her quick healing and then hung up, leaving Link to finally get some sleep.


Next day, 9:00am

Link's plans to sleep in nice and long were completely spoiled when somebody suddenly knocked—no, banged on the door, startling her awake. She only had a moment to wonder who it could possibly be and why they hadn't noticed the 'Do Not Disturb' sign she'd put up before they started ramming on the door again. Half-asleep, the Hylian dragged herself out of bed and opened the door.

A red-headed Gerudo stood there, her gold earrings swaying wildly as she shook her head and sighed in disappointment at Link. "You'll never change, will you? Still sleep like the dead."

"Aveil…?" was all Link could get out in half-asleep confusion. "What are you doing here?"

All she got was a smirk in return. "Come on, go back to your bed. I'll wait till you've woken up a little more." Aveil pushed past Link, making her way over to her desk. Link shut the door; her foggy mind managed to remember to lock it.

She sat on her bed and curiously watched Aveil, who was taking various items out of her big red purse, the half-dozen bracelets on each wrist jingling when she moved. Aveil was basically like Link's aunt; they'd known each other since Link was young, and Aveil had been her teacher in essentially every traditional Gerudo art there was: horseback riding, combat, archery, survival tactics, and the art of seduction. Link hadn't been so good at that last one.

"I am a little disappointed, I must say, Link! You were at the Academy all this time and never let me know." Aveil shook her head. "I'm only a few streets away." She continued digging through her purse.

Link blinked, then rubbed her head. That's right, Aveil lived in Castletown. She hadn't so much forgotten the fact; rather it had never seemed important to remember. "I'm just here for work," she mumbled apologetically.

The Gerudo's thick ponytail bobbed as she nodded. "So I heard from Impa." Aveil knew exactly was Link meant by 'work.' "She called and told me you got a concussion. You gave the other guy a nice present in return, didn't you?" Aveil finally seemed to find what she was looking for—a tube of dark purple lipstick.

"Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to. Next time," Link chuckled. Then she straightened up, crossing her legs under her. "You aren't the replacement, are you?"

Aveil nodded, a smug smile on her face. "I am retired, but I don't mind doing a favor for you. After all, I'm close by the Academy, so I don't have to be relocated just to cover you for a week." She grabbed a pocket mirror and began applying a layer of the lipstick. "All I have to do is keep an eye on your roommate and that Tiv girl, right? Easy as voltfruit pie."

It was a surprise to see Aveil stepping in, but Link mostly felt relief. She knew the Gerudo's abilities and she had confidence that she wouldn't make a wrong move or jeopardize the mission in any way. It was good to have someone she knew and trusted. She'd actually be able to rest without any worries.

Link leaned back against the head of her bed. "I've got Vaati bugged, so basically all you'll need to do is listen throughout the day." She paused, frowning as she tried to remember if there was anything else important to share. "…don't let Tiv see you. She's not quite like other Yiga; she's a decent spy and she's sharp. She likes to hang around Vaati whenever I'm not there, so she'll probably make use of me being out of action. Though, with what happened, I wonder if Vaati will avoid her…" Link sighed. "Tiv is a little unpredictable, so I'm not entirely sure what she'll try."

"Don't worry about it. I'll keep it under control." Aveil replaced her lipstick and mirror in her purse, then turned her golden-amber eyes to trace over Link's face. She nodded as though satisfied. "You pass surprisingly well as a man. A little on the feminine side, but it's believable."

"Thanks, I guess?"

"Have you accidentally charmed anyone with that pretty boy face of yours?" Aveil queried, scooting forward in her chair.

Link could feel her face warm up, and she looked away and mumbled something mostly unintelligible along the lines of "maybe one or two." Her Gerudo friend's smile grew, which only made her blush more.

"Still the same as ever, I see!" Aveil laughed, leaning back. "Unwittingly charming others but completely clueless when it comes to dealing with your fans."

"I'm not… clueless, I just get embarrassed… And it's especially awkward since they think I'm a guy now…" She recalled the two admirers she'd already had to turn down; flattered and flustered at the same time, she'd made up some excuse about having a girlfriend at home. "Can I go back to sleep?" she said, almost whined, wanting to escape the subject.

Aveil reached out and patted Link on the head, laughing. "I'll let you off for now, since the whole reason I'm here is so you can get over that inconvenient concussion of yours." She grabbed the various items she'd left on Link's desk and hid them all away in her big purse once again. "I'll visit from time to time. I do want to meet that roommate of yours as well. Bye for now!" She let herself out, leaving Link to rest.