Greetings again! I have to say that this is probably my quickest update in the whole history of this fic; but it is also a very short chapter, topping off at barely six and a half pages. Hopefully it's not a crappy chapter, and I do hope you all enjoy it.
I can't make any promises about the next update of this fic; but for sure this is the last update of the summer. School starts extremely soon for me, and I have absolutely NO idea what is going to happen this school year. I'd love to be able to update again by the end of the year, but you all know how slow I am, so we'll see. I know for certain that I shall be busy, but hopefully not too busy to write occasionally.
Like I mentioned at the end of Chapter 5, it seems as though this story is slated for 10 chapters total, or more specifically, 9 chapters and an epilouge. Keep your fingers crossed that I will finish it soon! All of your encouragement (reviews) help so much!
I must also leave a huge thank-you to Haayls, who goes by Vaati the Wind Mage here on FFN. (The full thank-you is in the footnote.)
Vaati and Ezlo were lucky for many reasons (especially since they had escaped the cat), but Ezlo was secretly thankful that their Hylian captors were kind people. And he had two reasons for that, even though he was now imprisoned in a glass jar.
(Vaati hoped that they would have another opportunity to smash it, but the Hylians weren't as stupid as he wished, and they had placed the jar in a potholder so that it couldn't be tipped. The jar had also been placed further back from the edge of the kitchen table. Of course, when Vaati brought up the subject, Ezlo immediately reprimanded his rashness, and then had to calm his heart rate before he could think too much about Vaati being killed. That too scary a thought for even Ezlo, who was old and generally unafraid.)
But there it was, Ezlo's number one reason for being thankful to his captors: he and Vaati had been imprisoned together. He'd been terrified for his apprentice when he'd been captured, and couldn't imagine worrying about him while they were stuck in separate jars, not knowing if the other was alive or not.
It hurt too much to even think about.
Luckily, when he'd been (gently) dropped in the jar, Vaati had already been there, and his relief was so great that he'd immediately wrapped the boy in a strong hug, which Vaati hesitantly returned. Usually Vaati pretended to not show affection, but he too was glad that they were together.
Of course, when he realized that he'd been showing affection for Ezlo through the entire (failed) rescue mission, he'd immediately retreated to the opposite side of the jar to brood. Ezlo wasn't too hurt because he was used to Vaati's mannerisms, and was actually quite glad that he was back to normal.
They hadn't had a peek of the Hylians since they'd been dropped in the jar, and that ruined Ezlo's plans of "diplomacy". After all, both Minish spoke Hylian, and Ezlo was sure he could convince them to release them. But they didn't show up, even though Ezlo had waited for hours.
Evening was coming on now, and the dying rays of the sun barely gave off enough light to illuminate their jar. Vaati had unconsciously scooted closer to Ezlo because of the darkness and was drooping sleepily. Ezlo stayed awake, and made sure Vaati didn't fall asleep, as he was still wary about their situation. So he was slightly alarmed when he heard footsteps that sounded as if they were tramping down the stairs.
He peered through the glass and into the living room where the Hylian mother and father were entering from the stairway. They sat down together upon the couch, and the mother sighed. Ezlo could just barely hear their conversation, but he and Vaati remained still, eavesdropping, and they managed to catch all of it.
Ezlo quickly became bored by the Hylians' domestic conversation ("Meggie was tired today, poor dear…"), until they changed the subject to something of personal concern to Ezlo – he and Vaati.
"What are those creatures, dear? We have two of them in that jar now, and none of your father's books has anything close to them."
"I'm not sure, darling… whatever they are, they're not insects."
(Vaati nearly gagged from all of the terms of endearment the Hylian couple used, but managed to keep the gagging quiet after Ezlo shot him a look.)
They continued debating about what species Ezlo and Vaati were, but nothing was close to "Minish", and again, Ezlo thought the conversation was a waste of time.
That is, until he heard something very interesting…
"Does your father's research friend still live in Hyrule Town?" The mother looked tired, but she had a glint of curiosity in her eyes that even Ezlo, all the way in the kitchen, could see.
"I… I'm not sure. Do you mean Dr. Left?" His wife nodded. "He used to live on the west side of town…" The father rested his cheek in his hand, thinking some more.
His father had been a biologist and had often worked with a friend, and as a boy he and his father would spend a lot of time visiting. But it had been a long time since his last visit, especially since his father had died.
His wife continued her thoughts aloud.
"Hmm… you know, maybe he'd know what those critters are. Didn't he do a lot of small animal research?"
"You're right honey, that's a good idea – and you know, he may actually still live there..." A thought had come to him.
"How about we pay him a visit, dear?" The woman turned to her husband, excitement in her expression.
The Hylian father laughed. "Of course we can! We could go tomorrow, since we have to run into town for groceries anyway."
The mother smiled, and after a while the Hylians stood and went back upstairs until morning.
The conversation they'd overheard stirred up some mixed feelings for the two Minish. Ezlo was deathly afraid of being pinned to a board or turned into a specimen floating in formaldehyde, but on the other hand, this could mean another chance for escape. Vaati seemed a little green around the gills as well, so Ezlo patted him lightly on the head, which seemed to calm him down a little.
Never mind the fact that Ezlo didn't have anybody to calm himself down.
He stayed up late into the night, hours after Vaati had finally succumbed to weariness, thinking while quietly stroking his apprentice's soft lavender locks. But unfortunately, not much can be done from within a glass jar, and Ezlo nodded off a little before midnight.
Vaati woke first the next morning, which was unusual for him, but he couldn't sleep much after the sun rose, as the light bothered him. He noticed Ezlo still sleeping, but he remembered the sickeningly worried look on Ezlo's face from last night, and he decided not to wake him.
Ezlo worried a lot at times, and Vaati knew that, but this was the first time he'd seen real fear on his master's face. It unsettled him.
Vaati, though, wasn't really sure what to think about the conversation they'd overheard. Of course he was worried that they were going to be killed, but the real impact of it hadn't yet hit him. He was still only twelve, after all, and while he was more mature than most twelve-year-old Minish, he was growing tired of the misadventures he'd been having lately. It was easier to leave the planning and worrying to Ezlo.
Vaati stood and padded softly across the jar to the other side and peered through the glass. Judging by the sunlight coming in through the windows, it was probably about eight in the morning, and strangely enough, the Hylians weren't yet awake.
Or else… they weren't home.
Vaati's heart leapt into his mouth with excitement; if the Hylians were indeed gone, this would make their escape a cinch. He scrambled back to Ezlo and shook him as roughly as he could. They'd need all the time they could get to escape.
Ezlo awoke quickly, his mind already in overdrive. His worrying from last night had kept his mind busy, and he was wide-awake in an instant, even though his sleep had been troubled.
He looked up to see Vaati's red eyes imploring him to look around, and he did. He noticed, much like Vaati had, that the house appeared to be empty, and already a plan formulated in his mind.
Unfortunately they were still on the kitchen table, and the jar was unable to be tipped enough to break it. And without his staff, Ezlo was very nearly useless; he had his own magical powers of course, but earth-based magic wasn't going to help much here, and he needed his staff to amplify the magic in order to do more powerful spells.
Vaati also had his wind magic (which was a highly unusual power source for a Minish), but he was still young and hadn't the experience Ezlo had with his earth magic. Vaati could control the wind to an extent, but it would be many years before he could use his powers to full capacity.
Fire magic, or even water magic would help more, but again, Ezlo needed his staff for such spells, as his natural affinity with either was low. Vaati had a fair affinity with fire magic, but he barely had any experience whatsoever with the element.
So all in all, they were both useless.
Ezlo chastised himself for having barely begun Vaati's magic training; he knew Vaati was a natural, but he'd focused his training on the basics – which were, of course, necessary, but he felt that he could have sped up Vaati's training a little. It would have been good for the boy, and he would have been able to handle it with ease.
Mentally, Ezlo sighed, but he promised himself that when (if) they got out of here, he would speed up Vaati's training. And the healing arts had been boring Vaati ever since they had begun the topic; would it really harm him to learn more magic than healing arts?
Ezlo hoped not.
Vaati was watching him closely, waiting for him to speak or make a move. Ezlo sighed, smiling; Vaati really was quite patient with him, and Ezlo had to appreciate that.
"I'm sorry Vaati, I was thinking again."
Vaati's eyes twinkled with amusement and withheld laughter, but he said nothing; he'd run out of sarcastic comments about senior citizens and Ezlo's eccentricity a long time ago.
They conversed softly to pass the time, and Ezlo even managed to get a good lesson on the basics of non-amplified magic casting in before a loud sound interrupted them. It was a side door that they hadn't noticed before in the kitchen; and the Hylian family entered the house, the mother carrying their breakfast plates.
So technically the Hylians hadn't been in the house… they'd only been outside eating breakfast.
Ezlo frowned and protectively pulled Vaati closer to him, although he was a little rougher than he'd meant to be. The little girl, Meggie, had sat in a chair at the table and was examining them, her golden head resting upon her hands. She kicked idly with her legs, already bored because Ezlo and Vaati didn't move.
Vaati glared at the girl with as much venom as he could (after all, it was her fault he'd been captured in the first place), but the little girl obviously didn't understand.
"Momma, they're not doing anything," she complained when her mother came closer.
Her mother peeked into the jar and Ezlo held eye contact with her before she left, suggesting that her daughter follow her upstairs to get dressed. The girl happily followed her mother, the long end of her nightgown swishing with her bounces of excitement.
Ezlo figured that they had about an hour before they left for Hyrule Town to meet this researcher, Dr. Left, and he was worried about it. It was hard for an adult to see a Minish or even believe the stories about them, but Ezlo couldn't shake a strange feeling he had about this biologist.
Vaati squirmed against his tight grip and broke away, staying a safe distance away so that he couldn't be pulled close again. Ezlo shrugged helplessly; instinct to keep Vaati safe far overrode his respect for Vaati's "no-touch" rule. But Vaati looked at him and held the eye contact as though forgiving him – just this once.
Vaati sat down where he stood and sighed.
"Master Ezlo, what are we going to do?"
Ezlo joined him in sitting and wondered what the best reply would be. It wouldn't do to scare Vaati, but he also could not lie to him.
"Vaati, to be honest, I'm not really sure." He avoided the thought that they could be killed – it wasn't lying, not really.
"Do you think this researcher knows about us? Because it could be bad if he knows, right?" Vaati turned to him, his mouth pressed in a thin line. "I mean… maybe he'd let us go, but then again… I don't want to be a lab rat, master."
"Those are my thoughts, too," Ezlo answered. "But neither you nor I can do much at this point; we just have to hope for the best, I guess."
Vaati turned away, sighing unhappily. He hated it when he didn't know something, but he hated it even more when Ezlo didn't. It was usually a bad sign.
The Hylians traipsed down the stairs, fully dressed and freshened up for a trip into town. Meggie came down first, skipping gleefully in was looked like a brand-new dress; her daddy had bought it for her when he'd gone into town last week, when she had been sick and mommy had had to stay with her.
Vaati was filled with revulsion at the sight; the dress was a horrible pink and her happiness disgusted him. Of course, he had a grudge against her for eternity now anyways; the dress really wasn't as bad as his grudge made it out to be.
The two Minish watched quietly as the Hylians busied themselves with gathering what they needed for their weekly trip into town. A pair of red eyes and an older, grey pair watched as the mother packed some bags into a satchel and as the father grabbed various lists and his daughter, who in her excitement had nearly crashed into a table.
Eventually the Hylian family was completely ready to leave, and they very nearly forgot about Ezlo and Vaati. Unluckily for the two Minish, however, Meggie cheerfully waved goodbye to their jar and made her parents remember them. The Hylian mother was the one to grab their jar, and she carried it with her gently out the door; but even her gentleness caused the jar to shake sickeningly, and Vaati unashamedly clutched Ezlo and buried his face into his master's robes, too terrified to look down.
Ezlo breathed evenly a few times to calm his rising panic and patted Vaati gently on the head as he watched the outdoors from inside their jar. The mother's hands obscured little of the view, and despite the disorienting feeling of being so high up, Ezlo could almost enjoy the scenery. Almost, of course; there was still the unknown looming ahead of them, and Ezlo was still extremely apprehensive about the whole ordeal, but pretended to be calm and unworried for Vaati.
Inside though, Ezlo felt very differently than the image he was trying to convey – he was worried not only about visiting the researcher, but also about the journey itself; what if it was too hot outside and they died in the stuffy little jar? What if the mother accidentally dropped them and they were dashed upon the ground?
Ezlo shook his head mentally and told himself to relax; there were plenty of holes in the lid of the jar, which allowed for comfortable ventilation, and the mother wasn't as careless as her young daughter was.
We should be fine.
Ezlo attempted, once or twice, to tap on the walls of the jar to get the Hylian woman's attention so that he could speak with her, but she was busy talking to her family and was unable to hear the soft tap-tap. He sighed in frustration, causing Vaati to look up at him worriedly, but he smiled down at his apprentice as though to say, "Don't worry."
His master's calm outer appearance helped Vaati eventually relax, albeit very slowly, and about midway through their journey (so Ezlo gathered from the chattering of the Hylian family), he peered out of the jar, too.
Soon master and apprentice were speaking softly about small things, such as the scenery, and Vaati finally scooted away from Ezlo to get a better look outside and to listen better. (They had both been listening to the Hylians' conversation, but had been unable to gather any new information about this Dr. Left they were about to go visit.) Vaati started up some small talk about the scenery, which helped both of them relax even more, and by the time the white walls of the city appeared, Ezlo was giving Vaati a small lesson on the history of Hyrule Town.
It was an interesting tale, and Vaati was distracted enough by it to not even notice when Meggie tripped; if he had noticed, he'd have laughed at her misfortune.
The entire trip took only about forty minutes, and Vaati gazed with fascination at the ancient gate of the town. It was open during the day, so he didn't get to examine the doors as well, but as they passed through Vaati ran excitedly across the jar so that he could see it as they walked away.
Ezlo had been in Hyrule Town a few times before, and always for studying, but seeing it anew through Vaati's eyes reminded him of the first time he had been there. He'd been much older than Vaati at the time, but he'd still been amazed and as full of childlike curiosity as Vaati was now. The thought made him smile, but then he frowned, and Vaati turned around and tilted his head in confusion.
"What is it, Master Ezlo?" he asked.
"Nothing, Vaati. I'm just sorry that we're in this kind of situation on your first visit to Hyrule Town," he said, sighing heavily.
Vaati traipsed over to Ezlo and sat down, bringing his knees up and resting his head on a hand. He though for a moment, looked around, and suddenly smiled.
"I think it's fine, master; it's so much more exciting like this!" Vaati's eyes sparkled in the sunlight.
Ezlo couldn't help but feel his heart break; there were so many things that could go wrong that even he couldn't plan for. He didn't even want to imagine what sort of things could happen to them, and the thought that his young apprentice's bright future could be taken away so early hurt.
Ezlo was not at all a religious man, but he silently sent a prayer up to the goddesses asking for their protection, if only for Vaati.
Vaati was still gazing about elatedly, free of the worries of his master.
Well, there's chapter 6, and I hope you all enjoyed it! It was short, wasn't it? (sweatdrop)
Anyways my lovelies, please leave a review! I love reading them and as I've mentioned before, your encouragement helps so much.
-Koholint
And here is the full thank-you for Haayls/Vaati the Wind Mage! She pre-read most of this chapter and helped give guidelines on where to end it, and she even looked up the name of Dr. Left for me, which I could not find on my own! Visit her FFN account or DeviantART to read her fics and see her drawings. She's as big a Vaati fangirl as I am. (big grin) She'd really appreciate it if you dropped by, and I hope this little plug is a good thank you. (hugs) I'd have included links, but FFN didn't like them.
