Here it is, Chapter 19, technically since the prologue doesn't count. Read and review, comment and criticize without flaming and enjoy! Not to mention look out for the big two-oh on Monday!
-Jack Knights
Link awoke to the dull throb in his nose and groaned. Damn, she hits hard, he thought miserably as he sat up, putting his legs over the side of the bed. He turned his head and looked out the window. It's getting dark again... did I sleep for that long? His stomach growled in response. He wiped a hand over his face, feeling the new growth of stubble on his cheeks. His shirt had stuck to his body during the night and he took it off, wishing he could wash the dirty cotton. He stood, looking around the room. It was sparsely furnished, with only a bed, side table and cupboard with a sink. He saw a mirror on the cupboard and picked it up, looking at himself. He grimaced.
It looked like he had aged several years in only a few weeks. His eyes were circled with dark rings and his face was thinner than it had been. His hair was long and dirty looking and he had the beginnings of a great beard growing on his face. The floor behind him creaked and he adjusted the mirror, looking over his shoulder without turning around. He saw the girl standing behind him, her face devoid of emotion, save her eyes which shone with familiar weariness.
"Trex told me to come get you," she said, looking down at the floor. He turned to face her, seeing that she had more to say but was unwilling to speak.
"Anything else?" he queried, tilting his head to one side. He knew his ear was showing and did it purposefully. She looked up, saw them and said nothing. She's not shocked... she knew then, before, he realized.
"And to apologize," she muttered. "For hitting you in the face."
"Alright then," he said and put down the mirror. Her brow drew together in frustration and she crossed her arms. "Apology accepted," Link added, unable to figure her out. He nodded and turned to leave; Link saw her hair was down to the small of her back when it wasn't tied up. She looked back at him, battling with herself.
"Does your nose hurt?" she asked, trying to sound concerned.
"Not terribly," he said nonchalantly. "You did one helluva number on it though."
"Good," she said, leaving the room. Link stood there, his back against the basin and chuckled, unsure of whether she was talking about what she did or that his nose didn't hurt as much anymore.
After cleaning himself up as best he could, he went downstairs and into the kitchen were Sheik was already up and eating a pastry. His stomach rumbled again and Sheik looked over, his face full of disapproval and powdered sugar. He stood and walked over to Link, looking him over. He ate the last of his pastry and wiped his hands on Link's shirt.
"Hey!" he shouted, trying in vain to wipe his shirt clean. "What did you do that for?"
"You have no pride in your clothes, so it doesn't really matter," he said, laughing. "Don't worry, we'll be getting you new clothes today. Those ratty things wouldn't last through a single wash, which you desperately need as well."
He hadn't noticed Trex standing in the corner, drinking from a ceramic mug, until she broke out in a hearty laughter, spilling her drink onto the floor. He scowled at the both of them and grabbed a pastry from the bag sitting on the table, devouring it as fast as his mouth would let him. Then he grabbed a second.
"Never mind his taste in clothes, his eating habits are atrocious," she laughed, waddling out of the room as she laughed at Link's deepening scowl. "Take Jaz with you when you go, I've need of some new things before we can start."
Two things occurred to Link then: the first was that the girl was named Jaz, not Zelda, and she was going to be out with them. And the second was that he was finally getting his hand back. He had known for some time now, of course, but it hadn't had time to set in during all their trekking. His mind wandered back to Dagg as he ate a third pastry and he realized he missed the man.
"If you're done gorging yourself, then we can go," Sheik said, interrupting his thoughts. Link nodded, washing his hands, and taking a quick drink, at the basin in the kitchen before wiping his face clean of sugar.
"Jaz, we're gonna go!" Sheik shouted up the stairs, rolling his eyes when a door slammed. "Trex said you had to," he chided, swinging his arms back and forward impatiently. For a minute Link thought she wasn't coming, then he heard a door open and close and Jaz appeared at the stairs, pushing her way around them, going out the front door.
"Geez, what's her problem?" Sheik wondered out loud. Link could only shrug and head out after her.
I wonder where she's disappeared to, Link thought once he was outside. It was pitch black outside Sector Seven, and for a second he thought it was the middle of the afternoon because of the brightness of the lights. He and Sheik had seen no trace of Jaz since they left the house and he couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. I suppose she'll be fine, she's no doubt roamed these streets plenty of times before.
Plenty of Twili walked from shop to shop, acting completely normal, something Link found incredulous. The last he'd seen of them, they'd either been trying to kill him or weren't coherent enough for real conversation. Sheik stopped one of them as they passed and asked for directions. At first Link thought he hadn't understood him, then he pointed down the road at a store with colourful decorations adorning it. Sheik thanked him and the Twili smiled and waved good-bye.
"Close your mouth, you look like a fool," Sheik muttered angrily in Link's ear, which was hidden underneath a band around his head. Link did so, not realizing he had stared and tried to look on at the Twili as if he'd been around them that it was a normalcy for him.
They walked into the store, which sign was written in strange blockish letters Link couldn't read. If only Midna was here, he thought with a pang. The inside of the place was dimly lit, but not unpleasantly so. There were rolls of cloth standing against the walls and stacked behind the long counter at the back. Sheik strolled right over to the counter as if he'd been there before while Link dawdled, feeling some of the cloth between his fingers.
"Do not sully my precious cloth with your dirty, grimy hands!" shouted a shrill voice in his ear. Link jumped back, whirling around at the voice and was surprised to see a very short Twili looking at him very angrily.
"Link..." Sheik said from the counter, sounding exasperated. "Stop bothering the kid and get over here. When the seamstress gets here, she'll need your measurements."
"I am the seamstress, fool!" squeaked the Twili in front of Link. "Why do I allow idiots into my shop?" she muttered to herself.
"Because these idiots have money," Sheik reminded her, eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"Ah, yes! That's right," she said happily as she disappeared behind the counter, only to appear above it a few seconds later. "Now what is it I can do for you, young man?"
"You could get my friend here some new clothes," Sheik said, pointing at Link who still stood where he'd been when the Twili had appeared. "Get over here!" he added, grabbing him by the sleeve. He approached the desk, unsure what to expect. The little Twili stared, narrowing its red eyes as it studied him. She 'hmmed' as she turned her head this way and that, rubbing her chin with a miniature hand as she thought.
"Alright then," she said, jumping off the counter. Link looked at Sheik, confused, but the Sheikah knew as much as he did. They leaned forward in unison, looking for the little woman, when she suddenly jumped back onto the desk, a bundle of cloth in her hands. "I don't usually cater to humans, but these should fit you good enough," she said, handing them to Link, who looked at the clothes as if it were a lit bomb.
She was suddenly behind him, hurrying behind the counter and into a sectioned area, whipping the curtain open wide enough for Link to step into. She threw it closed and walked away, leaving Link to try on what she had brought him.
"I didn't bring enough money for tailored clothing," Sheik leaned down to speak to the little Twili.
"Oh, I know deary," she said, shooing him away. "Why do you think I brought you premade clothing?"
Several hours later Link and Sheik exited the shop, the Twili happy with her wallet full of their money. Link had bought three new shirts, one of which was long sleeved, two pairs of pants with were made of dark durable material, a pair of shorts that reach just above his knees and more undergarments. Sheik had agreed to splurge on a coat, which was black with gold trimmings and patterning with a hood.
Afterwards, they headed out of their district and back downtown to the market, were they walked into a crowded shop. Sheik ordered food while Link struggled to find them a table, eventually beating out a slow moving Goron to the last available spot. Sheik arrived minutes later, trying not to spill any of the contents of the two steaming bowls he carried above his head. He handed one to Link and sat down across from him, spoon in hand. The bowls were filled with delicious stew, which Link ate greedily.
"Where did you get enough money for new clothes and food?" Link asked in between mouthfuls.
"The food's cheap here, but good. Not to mention we got lucky with the clothes, seeing as the Twili gave us second hand, premade clothing. Not to mention I refused tailoring," he emphasized by pointing his spoon at Link. "You know how to sew, right?"
"Why?" Link asked, not understanding.
"Never mind," Sheik said, continuing with his explanation. "Anyway, Dagg gave me the cash the night we separated ways; told me it was for the new hand. Again, we lucked out with Trex and all, so I thought we'd get you some new things to go with the hand."
Dagg gave him money? Link thought, pausing with his spoon in his mouth. For the second time that day he wondered who the big man was doing. He chewed on the spoon for a bit, then pushed the thought out of his mind, continuing to eat and occasionally speak with Sheik. When they'd finished, they left the store and Sheik pocketed the tip left on the table next to them, saying that the barmaids wouldn't miss it much. They wandered around the market district, taking in the odd smells and looking at the strange wares the shop-keeps had to offer.
Sheik amused himself by bargaining and haggling with the owners, getting them down to a ridiculously low price, then bailing out of the deal at the last minute, saying that the produce had rotted in the time it took for the sellers to negotiate. Link found this extremely embarrassing but eventually played along, suggesting to Sheik that another vendor's wares looked better than the ones they were haggling, giving him a chance to leave.
"I had no idea you were so... fun," Sheik concluded as they walked back to the trams. "Once you get going, you're actually great company."
"Thanks, you're not to bad yourself," Link said sarcastically.
"It's funny, I always took you for a serious man who couldn't let his hair down. Figuratively of course."
"And I thought you were nothing but a stubborn child who couldn't take care of himself," Link rebutted.
"Guess we proved each other wrong, huh?" Sheik said with a laugh.
By the time they'd gotten on the tram Link was exhausted, but Sheik seemed inexhaustible, insisting that they continue their 'gallivanting,' as Link had put it until the sun has risen. He had only just begun getting used to living at night and yet the Sheikah seemed to be awake at all hours of the day and night, bouncing around excitedly. At the moment he was telling yet another ludicrous joke, something having to do with two Twilis and a Cuckoo, but Link had long since stopped paying attention.
The tram stopped, the power failing for the second time that day, sending shivers up his spine when it screeched to a halt. Sheik sighed and drummed his fingers on his knee, waiting for the carts to start up again. Link leaned back, trying to keep his eyes open. Several minutes passed and still the power didn't hadn't returned. Sheik looked out at Sector Seven and frowned.
"Power's out in the whole city again," he muttered. "We're not far from Trex's; we might as well walk the rest of the way. No telling when the power'll come back on."
Link sighed and got his feet, picking up his bags. Sheik walked to the end of the cart, where a door to the next one over was. He opened it, revealing a small walkway between the two. He jumped over the railing and skidded his way down a small hill, reaching the road below. Link followed, albeit less gracefully, and they began the trek back home. About halfway there, the power came back suddenly, the circulation fans turning on with a groan. Sheik walked with his hands in his pocket, his shoulders in.
"What is it?" Link said, jogging to keep up with his fast pace.
"Nothing," he said, frustrated. "It's just... this part of Oocconia is falling apart while the other Sectors are thriving. How could they, just letting the place die off slowly like this?"
"What's it to you?"
"I was born here," he said, stopping in his tracks. "Right here, in Sector Seven, back when it was still a half-way decent place to live. And now the first time I come back in almost nine years, I find the place in ruins. It sickens me," he added, viciously kicking a piece of rubble.
"Hasn't anyone appealed to the... court or whoever is in charge?" Link asked as Sheik continued on his way.
"Of course," he said, sounding insulted. "My father was one amongst many who tried. And failed; the Oocca have no use for this place anymore, so they just throw it aside. It's wrong, to waste a whole city like this."
"Yes, it is," Link said, looking up at the mid-morning sky as they reached the road Trex's shop was set up on. "But if there's truly nothing that can be done..."
"It doesn't matter so much," Sheik said, plastering on a smile as he opened the door. "We'll just live it out as far as we can, have as much fun as possible, and if it's our fate, we'll die here too."