Coin-Operated

3.0

Dark Dark Dark

It's chaos, but not in the way that anybody would expect. I slide across the wooden floors over to girl whose hand shoots up into the air, the skirt of my dress swishing as I skate. This is ordered, finicky chaos, and it is non-stop. The ringing of bells constantly fills the air, and the women's voices bubble up with the ringing as they answer and redirect calls. I swivel to a stop by the girl who raised her hand, which falls right back down the moment I arrive. She pulls the plug of her headset out of the switchboard and plugs it back in another port. I shove my plug into the one she just occupied and answer the call, "Number please."

After ending the connection, I continue my rounds. The Hello Girls wave as I come by them. The Hello Girls are operators with a "wake up" list. On the list are numbers of subscribers and times in which the Hello Girls are to call said number to wake up the resident. Some of the numbers are to party lines, and each resident on the party line has a different letter in which the operator has to connect to, and the Hello Girls have to keep it all straight. But essentially, the Hello Girls are human alarm clocks, making seventy-five cents of a rupee an hour.

Most of us working as telephone operators at Central are Hylian, but a few of the girls are human. One of them, however, is neither. Ruto, a Hello Girl operator, is a woman of Zora descent marked by the bluish tint of her skin. She is also a girl that is frequently sent home, because the hemline of her dress is too high or the neckline too low. I personally don't care, considering that we're all held up in this place all day and not one person ever sees us, I don't quite see the point of trying to maintain such modesty. Her lips flap as she greets a subscriber with the usual morning hello. "Ruto," I call, as I approach. "Gum." She turns, finishing up the call and then shuts off the connection. As I roll past her, she grumbles, grabbing a wastebasket and spitting her chewing gum into it, and then she moves on to make the next call on her list.

I weave through the operators, stopping occasionally when a girl raises her hand for me to take over her call. When I approach the offices, I see through the window that my boss has arrived. I skate up to the door to his office and knock on the frame. He looks up briefly from his paperwork and greets me. "I was wondering if you'd given any thought to my request."

He shuffles his paperwork, reorganizing it. My boss waves me in, saying, "Close the door." I do so, and slide up to his desk. "Look, but I'm afraid at the present time that I'm unable to give you a raise-" He holds up a hand to cut me off as I open my mouth. I clamp it shut and allow him to continue. "That's not to say your performance hasn't been acceptable or anything; it's just not in the budget."

"I'd like to remind you that while I've worked here for the last six years, apart from my promotion to supervisor, I haven't received a wage increase," I tell him, trying my best to keep the bitterness out of my voice. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a girl shoot her hand up and excuse myself.

I swiftly take care of the issue and continue to make my rounds. When I pass by the Hello Girls again, Ruto turns in her chair and calls my name. I turn around and backtrack to her. "Did you want to go get lunch with me today?" she asks.

"Sure, that sounds nice."

She gives me a small smile and nods. "We can pick up a couple of Po' Boys or something from the street vendors maybe," she suggests.

The half-eaten sub sandwich I left sitting on the counter at the diner two nights ago surfaces in my mind. My stomach grumbles a little. "Let's do the subs," I say, wanting to avenge my unfinished Po' Boy.

"Sounds good," she says, and Ruto turns back to the switchboard to answer another call.

…

"I wanted to tell you earlier that you don't look so good today," Ruto says as our sandwiches are set in front of us. I resettle myself on the stool, sipping at my drink, the clatter and chatter of the diner drifting in one ear and out the other. She asks me, "Are you alright?"

"I'm just tired is all," I tell Ruto, picking up my sub with a grumbling stomach. I'm hardly sleep deprived after the way I just about blacked out the second my head hit the pillow last night, but I feel just so drained. It's almost as if I used every fiber of my being yesterday to wrestle in the new magic and expand my magical core. I'm sore and beaten from the very center of my being. "It's been a rough couple of days." And it'll be more than a rough couple of days to follow.

Ruto snorts. "You're telling me. When my father heard the address the other night, he about destroyed the radio," she tells me, her eyes going wide. The image of Ruto's father, a heavy set businessman who is hardly what anybody would describe as fit, attempting to do anything to a radio is pretty laughable. She leans over the table slightly, and then I'm suddenly seeing Fanadi, the fortune teller carnie, leaning in an inch from my face with wide, wild eyes. I shake my head to rid myself of the image and bring myself back to the present. With Ruto. With the sandwiches. With Castleton.

Ruto babbles on, but my mind is elsewhere as I watch the passerby. I don't even care what I look like at the moment as I wolf down the sub sandwich. "Zelda, slow down," Ruto hisses at me and elbows my side, breaking into my personal reverie. "People are staring."

"I'm starving."

"I can see that," Ruto grumbles, "but all other people see is a woman with the table manners of a wolfos."

I shrug. "I'm starving," I repeat.

Ruto looks around, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "What's going on with you?" she asks again. "Seriously."

"Nothing."

"Did boss man not give you that raise?"

"No, he didn't," I admit, but I cut her off just as her mouth opens. "I wasn't really expecting much anyway."

"Zelda," she whimpers, but I'm not falling for her ploy. I roll my eyes, and look around at the other diners. It's kind of funny to see how quickly people avert their eyes just so I won't think that they've been staring at me.

But then my heart stops, and I about choke on my Po' Boy. I tap Ruto on the arm. "Um, Ruto?"

"What?"

"Have you looked around us at all?"

"What? People are staring?" she says, annoyance lacing her words. There's a gnawing in my stomach at this point, but it's definitely not what I would call hunger. Not in the slightest. My eyes flick around the diner, never settling on one person for too long. I turn back to look ahead behind the counter Ruto and I sit at, and the employees whiz to and fro. They're perfectly nice and courteous to us, sure, but that's about all. "I told you to slow down on that sub." I glance over at Ruto, who takes another dainty bite out of her Po' Boy.

"Ruto," I hiss. "Look around."

Still chewing, Ruto does a quick survey of the diner. At this point, the other patrons are starting to try and avoid our wandering eyes. Ruto gulps down the last bit of the sandwich in her mouth. She sets her sandwich down on her plate and stares at it. "I'm not sure if I'm hungry anymore," she says, casting another over her shoulder.

"Let's just get it wrapped up to go," I suggest.

Ruto and I are able to catch the attention of a passing cook, and in no time he wraps our sandwiches, seemingly understanding our urgency to get out of the diner. He offers us a sympathetic smile as he hands us the Po' Boys, and we each leave him with what we owe. I give him a small wave before Ruto takes a hold of my arm in a vice grip and drags me out of the diner.

The two of us scurry down the street in haste, back towards the call centre, and find an empty bench to plop ourselves down on. We sit there frozen for a moment before breathing a sigh of relief and unwrap our subs to finish. "That was uncomfortable," Ruto comments through a mouthful of her sub. And she wants to chastise me about my table manners. Her hand flies to her mouth as she loses a piece of lettuce, and we both are set off in broken, nervous giggles. "Sorry, I wouldn't have suggested we go there if I knew so many humans would be there."

I shrug it off. "It's alright; we're out of there now, right?" I nudge her a little, and she laughs.

I look around us, soaking in our surroundings. People, human, Hylian and what-have-you, pass us by without a glance. We're suddenly part of the scenery and something insignificant. Wallflowers. I sink down a little more the bench, feeling less rigid than in the diner. The glint in the sunshine in the corner of my sight, however, catches my eye. I can feel the smile stretching on my face as I tug the sleeve of Ruto's dress. "Ruto," I say, pointing, "look! It's Rinku." And Ruto cranes her neck to look, a grin spreading on her face as well.

We finish our subs on the bench, the statue Rinku looming behind us. The great big copper wolf is poised behind us, standing tall and proud, but the wolf is waiting. Rinku stands not far off behind us, the sense of protection the wolf gives us never leaving our side, even as Ruto and I stand to leave and head back to work.

…

"Alright, try again," Link says.

Following his previous instruction, I close my eyes and look inward. I can see my magic letting loose tiny wispy threads, curling and weaving like snakes from my core. Over the past few days, I'd been able to slowly wind the wild magic together on my own, but taming it is a whole other field from pulling it in. I reach out and attempt to grasp one of the threads in my hand, but doing so is like trying to catching a slimy eel in a bucket to grill. The threads of wild magic slip and slither away from me as if knowing what my intentions are.

Frustrated, I groan and pull at my hair. "I can't even grab on to one!" I whine, my eyes open wide.

Link chuckles. I glare at him. "It's like fishing," he says, his grin never faltering. "You just have to wait for one to get into your hook." He tugs one of my hands out of my hair; tangled blond locks fall limply to the side. "Come on, try again."

I mumble some choice curses at him as I look inside once more. This time I wait with bated breath, my eyes darting, looking for that one opportune moment. Finally, a thread waves itself into my path, and I hastily grapple for it. It squirms and wriggles in my clutches, and I fling myself back, holding onto the thread of magic with everything I have. I wrangle it into my core, and I feel the stretch. I gasp and clutch at my chest at the sudden tightness. The initial jolt of pain subsides, and a dull ache resounds through my body.

"Stiff," is all I manage to say.

Link's laughter pulses through the air within the wagon. "Come on, you still have a lot more to go."

"If one was like that, I don't know."

"You can't expect to contain all of it at once, love," Link reminds me, although I'm unsure of whether it's meant to encourage or dissuade me.

I sigh and close my eyes once more to see my core swirling and pulsing with the new golden hued magic, but there's still more to contain. My magical core spasms in protest as I move to pull another thread into it. My core swells within my chest, thrashing from its confines, but I force it to relent. Rubbing my chest, I ask, "Is it always this painful?"

"Usually," Link replies. "I mean, think about it, my dear. You're trying to shove something into a container that's too small." He tugs at my earlobe. I swat at his hand as his laughter is let loose. "Have you ever tried to fit earrings that are too big in your ear?"

"I haven't, but you could always ask Fanadi," I retort.

He snickers at this, and I notice the slight popping of his shoulders again. "She is something else," he comments absently.

He shakes his head. "Come on. Do a few more, and then we'll call it a day, alright?"

"I guess."

His mouth thins as he stares me down, but I can see the way a smirk tugs at one corner of his mouth, just begging to be let free. He opens his mouth to reply, but we're both jolted when the door to the wagon opens up.

Ilia pokes her head in. A small smile is planted on her face, and her eyes flick to the floor. "Um, they're discussing all the related regulations and laws to the magic ban on the radio," she tells us, her voice soft. "I thought you two might want to listen in."

I glance over at Link. His mouth is set into a grim line, and he pops himself up from the bed. He strides easily over to the door without a word as I brace myself to lift myself up. I follow the two carnies out of the wagon, shaking as I go. It's not from anxiety, but from sudden feeling of general weakness. Ilia leads us through the winding tents and small fair rides of the carnival to the mess tent where I first met her, and Link shoots looks back at me as we make our way through, ensuring that I'm alright.

When we enter the mess tent, it has none of the usual boisterousness that I first witnessed the night of the President's first address on the outlawing of magic. The carnies are either silent or speaking in low, subdued tones with one another. Those that are eating, eat in silence, casting glances around the room. We follow Ilia to the opposite end of the tent where the radio was set up. There's a small gathering of carnies who listen in to the radio address intently. The three of us drag some chairs over to it and join the group.

"-Will perform mandatory inspections. These inspections are not to be refused or disrupted. Any form of interference will be seen as acts of rebellion and treason."

I look around. Some of the carnies are bracing themselves against tables or chairs or another person to keep from shaking. One girl sits alone, fists waded on top of her knees. She trembles in the chair. Her head of flame sends a needle prick to my heart as I think of Malon out on the ranch.

Link shifts in his chair suddenly, and I feel myself jump. I close my eyes and feel the air swoop into my lungs as I breathe deeply, trying to calm myself. My eyes flutter open and I look over at Link. He's taken to slouching in the chair, his head leaning back up towards the ceiling of the tent with eyes closed. One would think he is taking a leisurely nap on a warm afternoon.

From what I've heard and understand, there are a few things in which the law holds exception to magic. First being that anyone capable of using magic and wishes to freely join ranks with the National Guard may do so. These people must first pass numerous tests to see what they are capable of, their mental and emotional state, and while it wasn't explicitly mentioned but implied, to see if their loyalties easily change. The Guard cannot license a magic user into its ranks if there is a chance of rebellion. Any member of the Guard found using magic outside of the needs of the Guard or the government is to held in treason.

Citizens may also opt, under the same manner of tests, apply to be a part of the Magical Inquisition Task Force. The task force, like the Guard, is another way to keep magic under wraps by, of course, using magic. The government would have no hope of containing the use of magical items or the magic of the people if they did not employ those capable of magic themselves. To top it off, these are people alongside the Guard that may gain entry to a citizen's home for housing at any time. It's just another way to keep tabs on the people with minimal interference.

Citizens, those with and without magic, are another manner. We are to submit to inspections of our homes, businesses and person at any time for magical objects. Any objects found to be containing magical properties will be swiftly confiscated by MITF. Obviously, the whole concept of warrants has now gone poof! with our freedoms. Should we refuse any inspection or attempt to interrupt, distract or interfere with task force inspection or prevent entry to task force or Guard members, we will be held in treason. Any citizen found using magic will immediately be incarcerated on treason charges as well. It was never mentioned, but I think it's safe to assume that when someone, Guard, government worker or citizen (it doesn't matter), is accused of treason, there will be no trial. We are not indulged the price for our treason, but I can only imagine all the punishments that the government would deem fine and fit.

It's ruthless and brutal, just as the president intended.

I chew at the inside flesh at the corners of my mouth.

My greatest misgiving about the whole thing though is why? What's the point? The president says it's so that we may advance as a society, but this is hindering us. What's the motive? What's really the gain? Right now, all that's happening is that we're being packed together in tins like sardine. We are being put under strict control. The president is exercising oppression like it will deliver us to a new world order. A world that's better, brighter and much more rounded. To blatantly put it, it's stupid.

The carnies whisper among themselves. Ilia casts Link and me nervous glances. Link, still slouched low in the chair, opens his eyes and glances at Ilia. She bites her lower lip and focuses her eyes onto the radio briefly before returning to Link. He lolls his gaze over to me. His mouth opens to say something to me, and his hand lifts up to reach out, but then he thinks better of it. His mouth clamps shut, and his hand falls limply to his side.

We're doomed.

…

Ruto chatters away in my ear as we sit eating lunch. I'm not really listening, just enjoying my soup, soaking in the warm rays of the sunshine and basking in the protectiveness the statue of the wolf, Rinku. Ever since the other day when Ruto and I ate in a diner that consisted of human patrons staring us down, we've taken to eating by the statue of the great wolf. It's kind of silly, I admit, but I can't help but feel like the wolf is there on guard, despite what the stories say.

The Rinku statue was commissioned not long after the Twilight Era when Hyrule's princess was usurped by rogue Twili. The princess then became a prisoner in her own castle. Legends say that a man capable of shape shifting into a fearsome beast was able to deliver the land from the darkness that plagued it, but then was left incapable of transforming. Some stories have the hero remain as a beast, while others state he could only walk as a man after his trials. I'm not sure about it all myself, as the young hero's story is often changed and misconstrued over the ages, resulting in the many conflicting legends today. The statue itself, however, is a testimony to that powerful wolf that is said to have stayed by the princess' side after darkness was driven from Hyrule. Whether this wolf was in fact the Hero of Legend or not, I don't know, but personally, I think it's a possibility. Even after the princess died, the wolf waited for her until the end of its days. The Rinku statue is all that's left from the wolf's time, testifying to its determination and loyalty.

It feels natural, almost, to let Rinku watch over me, even if it is just for my lunch hour. Our future as a country is now incredibly uncertain, and it's comforting to know that somebody, man or beast, is watching over us. Watching over me.

Ruto smacks my arm. "Zelda!" she snaps. "Have you been listening at all?"

"No," I reply plainly.

My Zora companion huffs and pouts, and I continue to sip my soup, bits of potato breaking the broth's surface. Ruto groans, and stretches her long, bluish limbs. I poke at the bits of vegetables and beef in the soup with my spoon as we survey the people around us. In the streets, the feeling of being unwelcome is hardly there, especially with Rinku hovering above our heads.

"Zelda!" Ruto hisses, nudging me again.

"What?"

"Did you see that guy?" she gushes, her green eyes large and round.

"There are a lot of guys out here, Ruto," I say, a slight chuckle in my voice. "It'd be kind of hard to pick him out."

She scowls in disbelief at me. "This one was gorgeous," she insists, and suddenly the three young carnie girls come to mind. Totally, utterly star-struck. They giggled, they gushed, they gossiped. I shake my head. Thinking if Ruto and I were maybe fifteen years younger, she'd be a perfect fit with her big mouth (both literally and figuratively) while I, as usual, side-step these types of conversations. It baffles me sometimes, how we manage to get along. Ruto is the epitome of the prissy princess concept. Annoying, but humorous on occasion, I'll admit.

"Ruto," I groan. "Please, just let me finish my soup."

She frowns and then takes a bite out of her sandwich. Through the bite, she whines. "He disappeared," she pouts. I shrug, sipping my soup.

"Shouldn't you, my dear, be at work?" a voice calls from behind, and I jump nearly out of my skin. I whip my head around and see none other than Link, the mechanical man squatting on the base of the statue with the great wolf looming over his shoulder. He casts it a glance when he follows my eyes, and then pats Rinku's muzzle. "Amazing, huh?"

"Don't you… I don't know, have a show to do or something?"

"Business is slow," Link says, waving it off. He shrugs, rubbing his hands together. "So I skipped off. Ilia will cover for me if it comes to it," he assures me. Indeed, his jacket is not present, which I know doesn't bother him to wear, no matter what heat plagues us. His slacks are less fine as well, made of a brown tweed material. Suspenders line his torso over his white shirt. With the sleeves rolled up and the top couple of buttons undone, he blends right in. No one would even guess that the man doesn't feel the heat.

"I'm eating lunch, if it isn't obvious to you," I tell him.

He leans over, still squatting, to see over my shoulder. A streak of worry flashes through me that he will topple over and land face first into my lunch, but he maintains his balance and rolls back on his heels. "It looks good," he says. "Looks" he says. I poke at the soup. "Looks" not "smells".

I say wryly, "You'll fry your insides."

Link chuckles, rising up to his full height. He vaults himself off the statue and over us and the bench, landing on his feet in front of us with mechanical grace. He gives me a lopsided grin and I merely grimace at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"You told me you work over at the call centre," he says, flopping down on the bench beside me. "I want to see it."

"I don't think-"

But at this, Ruto chimes in, eager to get something into the conversation. "Oh come on, Zelda, the boss man isn't in today. You're the top dog," she says. What a wench! I shoot her a knowing glare telling her that I know what she's up to, but Ruto returns it with a slight snort for me and a wink for Link. Link looks merely bemused by our brief exchange.

"Fine," I cede, which brings a large, sloppy grin to his face. "You can come, but if you get in the way, I'm kicking your butt out.

"By the way, Link, this is my co-worker Ruto."

Ruto giggles a little. "Hi," she says a bit shyly. I roll my eyes, knowing perfectly well how she operates.

Ruto and I sit in silence finishing up our lunches. Link pops up from the bench and looks around the square we sit in. "I'll meet you back there," he says, turning back to face us. "Alright? There's something else I want to check out." I shiver a little under his impaling eyes.

"Alright. I'm not going to wait for you though," I say.

Link gives us one last grin before skittering off, his shoes clacking and tapping as he goes.

When Link is finally out of sight, Ruto immediately launches herself into me. "You didn't tell me you knew him!" she hisses at me.

I frown. "He was the one you were talking about?"

Ruto pulls back, exasperated. "Who else? The man's simply a doll!" Oh, Ruto. You have no idea.

We finish up our lunches quickly, realizing our lunch hour was running short, and head back to the call centre. To be able to hurry along in heels and not fall is a miracle I will never understand how to obtain. The way Ruto can hustle down the street in her shoes is mind boggling to me, and she's clearly agitated with my dogged slowness. She glares down the block from me, her hands on her hips. Her blue black hair blows wildly with the wind, making her seem much fiercer than I know she actually is. Ruto shifts her weight on her feet, back and forth, back and forth, as she waits for me to catch up.

Link's waiting for us outside Central when we arrive, leaning casually against the stone building. He perks up a bit when he sees us approach and peels himself from the stone, swaying as he regains his balance on his feet. "Slow," is all he says, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Zelda's the slow one," Ruto sniffs, and I elbow her.

I drag both of them inside the building. Ruto and I clock back in, and I lace up my skates again. It's much easier to maneuver around in this place all day on these things. Ruto takes her place back among the Hello Girls, while I send a few more girls onto their lunches. Link seems a little awed by the operations of the call centre, watching as girls deftly transfer calls through all the commotion. One of the other supervisors, skating in another row, mouths to me, "Who is that?" and I shake my head. I move to take over a call, feeling Link hovering behind me. I roll my eyes and finally get the call transferred.

Sighing, I pull the plug of my headset out, and swivel to face him. "Come on," I say, nodding my head over to offices. He follows me down past the operators, who all eye him curiously and give him sly smiles. I pull him into an office and shut the door, keeping an eye out on the operators through the windows.

"What are you doing here?" I snap at him.

Link snorts with laughter. "I told you, love, I wanted to see Central."

"Well, here it is," I say, waving my arm towards the window, where girls sneak us glances in between calls. Visitors to Central are not an everyday kind of deal among the operators. Sure, occasionally we'll get the school field trips, but that's about it.

Link doesn't respond. He just continues to stare at me with that thin lipped smile. I swear, this machine does things just to irk me.

"Seriously, Link."

"I was worried," he admits. His hand flashes out, and in an instant, he has my cheek pinched between his fingers. "Aight?"

I smack his hand down. "Don't touch me," I snap.

"Why? Because they're watching?" he asks, with a playful nod out the office windows. I shoot a glare out the windows, and several of the girls quickly avert their gazes. "I don't mean the girls exclusively though," he says, and I whip my attention back to him.

"What do you mean?"

"I had to skip out of the carnival today," Link says with a shrug. "So did Fanadi." At this, we both giggle a little. "She was a bit of a nightmare to get her and some of her stuff packed up and shipped out," Link tells me as he leans up against the desk behind him, and pulls at some loose threads in his shirt and pants. "They're sending in squads to check us out."

"Oh."

"You haven't noticed anything unusual at your home, have you?"

"No."

"Nobody's come to talk to you?"

"Not yet."

Link frowns.

"Link," I say, "they probably had you guys picked out as one of the first places to trample through. You're a carnival!"

"I know, I know!" he says irritably.

I sigh. "Link." He stares defiantly down at the floorboards and his shoes. "Link, do you have any idea when you're set to turn off?"

He scratches at the back of his neck as he thinks it over. "I think maybe at about six o'clock. Seven maybe. I don't really know when I turned on."

"If I give you a coin now, will it prolong the shut down?"

"It should," he says.

I dig in the pocket of my dress for my coin purse. "Stick around Central," I instruct him as I rifle through the coins. "I get off at about five-thirty. You're coming home with me."

"But-!"

"Hush," I chide, pressing a coin into his palm. "My place is a safer bet than sending you back to the carnival. Who knows how long they'll be crawling over that field. Got it?"

"Got it," he grumbles, shoving the coin into the pocket of his slacks. He rises and moves to leave the office, but his hand comes to rest on the handle. "I'm dreaming," he whispers.

"What?"

"I'm dreaming," he repeats. "I don't dream. To dream is to sleep," he tells me. His voice cracks and breaks. He shoots me a look, and I'm struck numb. "I don't sleep."

He blinks.

And then he's gone.

…

The ride home on the trolley is a long one. I sit calmly, watching people, buildings and cars whiz by in the trolley windows. Link, however, cannot sit still. His head keeps swiveling between the windows and the other passengers, who are all wrapped up in their own worlds with newspapers or thoughts of home. Passengers like me. Link starts to jiggle his leg again, and I put my hand on his thigh to stop him. It doesn't. Of course, I forgot. So I hiss under my breath, "Stop it." And he stops his wiggling.

What he cannot stop is the way his eyes keep flicking about.

Seeing my usual stop coming into view, I tug on the rope pull above my head. The trolley pulls to a stop, and I motion Link to get off with me. He practically skips out of the trolley with glee, a caged animal gone free. He slows his pace once his feet hit the concrete sidewalk, stuffing his hands into his pockets, and rolls his shoulders.

"My apartment is a few blocks over," I inform him, beginning to make my way there. He jogs to catch up to me and then falls in step, ever silent.

I sneak a glance at him. "It'll be alright," I assure him upon seeing the deep set frown and creases in his brow.

When we reach the stoop of my apartment, I lead Link into the row house and up the stairs. Our shoes beat on the wooden planks of the stairs, but halfway up, only mine continue to sound. Link hangs back, his back to the wall and his hands gripping the railing for dear life. "Link?" I call to him. He shakes his head, and I continue up the last of the stairs alone. I unlock my door and push it open, peeking cautiously inside.

Stepping into my flat, I tour it and inspect it. Nothing is out of place. Well, nothing that I know of. There's nobody in the flat but myself either. I check everything out a second time, and then I breathe easy. I don't believe that anybody's been into my flat while I've been away at work. Letting out a sigh, I march back out of the flat and into the hall where Link still stands with the stair railing his hostage.

"It's clear," I say, and he looks up at me. The skin of arms ripple in gooseflesh. I hate it when he looks at me like that- and dammit! Those eyes are fake! They're fake, but they pierce right through me.

Link releases the railing and hurries up the last of the flight of stairs. He skitters past me and into the flat, and I shut the door. Link surveys my flat as I lock up. As I turn around, he spins on his heel and says, "Second floor. Do you have a fire escape?"

"Yes, through my bedroom," I say, leading him down the hall past the den and the bath. Right when the hall meets the kitchen, I turn sharply to the left and show him into my bedroom. "It's right out that window," I tell him, pointing. He nods and moves to look out the window, inspecting the alleyway below.

"It's not closed off down there, is it?"

"No," I say. "You can escape through there if you have to."

"Good," he sighs. He teeters on his feet for a moment and then falls back onto my bed.

"How's the wild magic?" he asks me, switching gears.

I take a seat next to him on the bed, staring out the window, and shrug. "Alright, I guess. I'm nowhere near finished though." The room is dim in the fading light from the windows, casting everything in the grey hues of shadow. The sky outside is ripe and deep with colors of orange and red against the blackened buildings of my neighborhood. My heart sinks with weight at the sight.

"So long as you're making progress," he says. "It's important, though, that you do hurry it up. Don't dilly dally on this, dear."

"I won't," I promise. "I'll get it done."

He twiddles his thumbs, staring at the ceiling. I suck in a breath and then let it out slowly, enjoying the stillness of the room.

"What's this about you dreaming?" I ask.

"I see things," he says softly. "Memories sometimes. You know, when I was actually a real live person. Then I remember things from when I was first shoved into a doll. Then there are all these places that I visited when I was a person and not a machine, but when I go back to them, I'm as I am now, not as I was before."

"You don't dream at all, though, right?" I ask, turning away from the window with the fading light that makes my heart heavy and peering down at him.

"No," he confirms, shaking his head. "I turn off. I don't sleep."

"Well," I begin, "I suppose in any case, maybe you need to revisit these places? There has to be a reason as to why you're suddenly seeing all these things."

"I can't think of why," he replies.

"Look, I don't work tomorrow," I tell him. "How about I take you back down to the carnival and see if they've cleared out yet?"

"What if they haven't?" he asks just above a whisper.

"Then I turn the car around, and we haul ass."

Link snickers softly. "Fine, but if I get caught and taken away, I'm blaming you," he tells me.

"It's a deal," I agree.

"Why don't you work on your magic for a while and get something to eat? I'll keep watch until I turn off. Just wake me in the morning, okay?"

"Sure, but you'll tell me if you dream again?"

"'Course."

"Link, do you ever feel… I don't know - blue when the sun starts to set?" I ask, rubbing my chest as if it would lift the heavy feeling that comes when night begins to draw itself into the world.

It takes a full minute, but Link does answer me. "I feel like I lost something - something important when twilight comes. I couldn't tell you what it is though; I don't even have an idea." There's a quick jerk of his shoulders when he shrugs. "But then again, maybe I wasn't supposed to have whatever that was to begin with."

…

The resident strong man of the carnival is a burly man, typical of those of Goron descent, and his bulky, muscular form leaves no question as to why he plays the role he does. He has wild platinum blond hair that sticks out every which way. Even his beard follows the same fashion as the unruly tufts on top of his head. He scratches at the side of his face, right next to his small ear, as he studies me with dark, beady eyes. He looks me up and down, asking Link, "Brother! Who is this?" His voice is booming, a fitting partner to his obvious physical power.

Link smiles up at the strong man, appearing to me to be more lanky and thin than ever compared to the giant Hyrulean. "This is Zelda," he replies.

The strong man quits his scratching and folds his arms across his chest. The man is so bulky, it's almost as if there's a full shelf there. He gives me another look over, even pivoting on his heels to look at me from other angles. I shake in my skin when he suddenly lets out a loud, robust laugh. "And here I thought if you were to ever get yourself a girl, it'd be Ilia," he roars. "Marin, maybe, if you were really desperate." Once his laughter dies a little, he leans over to Link and comments, "Honestly, she's a lot prettier than what I thought you could nab," to which Link scowls and pushes the strong man away by the face.

"That's funny, considering Mido thinks I'm something akin to a bokoblin," I say, trying to hide my embarrassment over the misunderstanding. I glance over at Link, who does nothing but continue to look a little perturbed by the strong man's comments.

"Darunia, has Fanadi come back yet?" Link asks.

The strong man goes back to messing with his beard, one hand rubbing his chin. "I think so," he says. "You know her; she plants herself wherever we set up."

"Nothing was found?"

"As far as I know, no," the strong man says. He lets both arms fall to his sides. "I think I better turn in for the night, Brother, I'm beat. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Darunia," we both echo.

"Night," he says with a sweep of his large arm. Just under the rolled sleeve of his shirt, I can see a tattoo of the Goron crest, an elongated diamond with three triangles across the top edges. "It's good to meet you, Sister." And the strong man, Darunia, bounds away from us.

I turn to Link. "Does he always call everyone that?"

"What? 'Brother' and 'Sister'?" he says, beginning to take off through the carnival. "No. When it comes to Gorons, those that prove themselves to be worthy of high regard are considered to be sworn brothers to them."

"And why am I suddenly 'Sister' when I just met him?" I ask, jogging a little to catch up with Link's long strides.

"Because he thinks you're my girl," he laughs.

"And you did nothing to correct him."

"Did you not hear what he said to me?" Link asks me, disbelieving.

I shake my head when Link chuckles again. As we pass by a tent, Link raises a hand and waves to another carnie. By the tattooed green, scaly skin, I recognize him as the Lizafos man, and I ask Link about him. "He's pretty amazing," Link says. "You should see him perform sometime, love." He whips around to face me, continuing to make his way backwards. His voice is heavily laced with enthusiasm as he tells me, "He can swallow swords!" Link holds out his arm. "I'm telling you, I've seen him swallow some this long. Plus," he says with a wag of his finger, "he's a pretty fantastic fire breather."

"I take it his show sells well for you guys?"

"Oh, you bet!" he exclaims, swiveling on his heel to walk forward again.

We troop through the maze of tents, rides and wagons, cool night air a pleasant break from the usual summer heat we've had during the daytime. Hoots and catcalls sound from one tent as we pass by. I'm a little shocked, but Link doesn't seem at all effected, when lithe redhead pops out from the tent dressed provocatively. The showgirl's skimpy costume of sequins, feathers and tassels sparkle and swings as she approaches us. "Link," she calls, a cigarette in her hand. "You got a light?"

"Yeah," he grumbles, and digs in the pocket of his slacks. He tosses her packet of matches, and she eagerly plucks and lights one.

"Thanks," she says, tossing the pack back and lights her cigarette. She sucks in a puff on her cigarette and eyes me. She's the redhead that I saw sitting near us for the second radio announcement.

She turns her attention back to Link. "Your trio of nightmares have been waiting for you to turn back up, by the way. Did you see the takkuri flying around on your way in?"

This catches Link's interest. "A takkuri's been around here?" he asks.

"I saw it," I say. "I think a day or so after you arrived."

The redhead sniffs. "I think it's been eyeing Fanadi and all her crap."

"It could be eyeing your costume too." The redhead turns round on me, and I hear Link snicker at my side.

"I'm going to get out of this shithole," she announces. I sneak a glance over at Link, who's trying his hardest to hide his amusement at our exchange. "Mark me." With that said, she turns, cigarette smoke billowing out, and back into the tent.

"So," I say, "who was that?"

Link grimaces. "That, my dear, was Marin."

"She seems a little bitter."

"Just a little," Link agrees with a laugh, and motions for me to continue on our path back to his and Ilia's wagon.

Link bursts into the wagon with much bravado, exclaiming to a startled Ilia, "Returning from the dead-!"

"Link!" she screeches, smacking his head. "Don't do that!" Laughing all the while, he ducks another swipe, and then Ilia catches sight of me. "Oh, Zelda! You came back too!"

"Not for long, I'm afraid," I tell her. "I should be heading back to Castleton in a short while."

"Work?" she asks.

"Yeah," I say with a nod. "I'm a supervising operator up at Central."

Her eyebrows rise up. "Must be a really busy job," she comments. She shoots a glare over at Link, who only offers her a bashful grin. "Sounds like something that could keep you out of trouble," Ilia says to Link.

"Hey," he says, his hands raised up as if in surrender. "I've seen it with my own eyes! Not a job that I want."

"You're a mess," she groans as Link settles into his chair. She shakes her head at him.

Turning to me again, Ilia asks me, "Zelda, you'll be back soon, right?"

Something at least 7,500 words or so. I was going to keep going honestly. I'm going to ask this in ZC too, but do you guys like longer chapters? Longer chapters may take me a bit longer to churn out depending on how much of a drive I'm in to write, but of course, shorter chapters mean quicker updates. Zombie Cake averages about 6,500 words per chapter, and this story had about 5,800 in the first chapter and 6,200 in the second. When I mean shorter, I'm talking like that size (6,000-ish), longer meaning about this length minimum but about eight-ninish (in thousands). What would you like to see? Let me know. More less? This?

Also, I've started up a blog, as when I've been talking some of you guys in PM's you've been curious about my doodling. The link is rumandthesea (dot) blogspot (dot) com. I've actually just posted a sketch of a humanized Ruto on there, doing her job as an operator. Looking hella bored. Haha. Check it out if you're interested.

Well, it's certainly been an interesting past month. New story, new blog, new tattoo and my third marriage proposal. Yes! Number three! Haha. Second one from a woman (by the looks of it?). I used to run a whole fucking web server guys. I was like eleven or twelve, just moved halfway across the country, had no friends and was being relentlessly bullied in my new school, so I taught myself HTML and CSS and a little JavaScript. This was like at least ten years ago. I had nothing to do, so I bought and ran a server, started several website domains dedicated to my webcomics, Zelda and the big one, my free-graphics. It got big-to the point where I actually had someone impersonating me and going around to my affiliate websites talking smack to them. It was a mess at first, then it was hilarious. Then I got my first two marriage proposals from random internet strangers.

And now you guys have the story.

Anyway, as always, I love hearing from you guys and talking to you! I'll see you in the next installment! Whaaaat. Got my first bug bite of the year already? UGH. BRING ON THE SCABS! ... Or maybe that's just my tattoo itching. I hope.

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