Link tried to ignore his insides churning as that horrid song assaulted his ears. Its notes rose up to the sky, and they also echoed within his skull like blows to the head. He was tempted to just turn around and head back to the inn, but he knew he had to see this through. It's something he knew Zelda would want him to try, and she just wanted what was best for him even if he didn't deserve such treatment.
Tatl was still a bit stunned by what just occurred. Link just spewed chunks, collapsed, then got up and practically pretended like nothing happened. This was the first time something like this had happened with him, and she had no idea what to make of it. But she also knew that trying to force him to talk it over was futile. He said himself he was going to remain closed off.
When the two rounded the corner into the Laundry Pool proper, they once more saw a single individual there, sitting on the bench. This person was a man, however. A man with a mostly bald head and a pointed brown beard. His eyes were so squinted they were practically closed, and he had a big smile on his face. Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the odd instrument he had. It was essentially a box with a large tube coming out of it that spun about and gave off the loud music.
Right away, Link recognize the man. He was another copy of someone from Hyrule; an unusual and easily angered man that resided within the windmill of Kakariko Village! Just looking at the man caused the Hylian to start hearing drums in his head again, but he did his best to ignore the rhythmic pounding in his skull.
Tatl decided to be the one to speak up first, if only to quickly get the man to stop playing that song! It was kind of nice from a distance, but up close it was so loud it was starting to give her a headache. "Hey! What are you doing playing that out here?!" The fairy demanded, yelling to be heard over the instrument. "Do you know what time it is?!"
This didn't seem to annoy the man at all, who kept the grin on his face as he kept playing. At the very least, the music started to die down a bit. "Oh, I know! I wanted to practice back at the inn, but the others kicked me out! So, I must play here!" Despite the story he told, the man still seemed rather jovial.
Link was still a bit stunned, standing there staring at the person before him. The man looked and sounded just like that windmill man, down to the instrument and song he played. It was as if he existed solely to torment the boy…or so he felt. Sometimes he had thoughts like this, as if Termina was some sort of punishment for his inability to save everyone back in Hyrule's alternate timeline. It could be why he kept seeing copies of people he knew all over the place. This was the worst example by far, but who knew what other copies were out there for him to run into? He sometimes stared at the ceiling at night, dreading meeting someone that looked just like Saria, or Zelda, or Malon…
As Link stood there staring, Tatl realized that apparently she was going to be carrying this conversation for the both of them. She felt he was feeling a lot sicker than he let on, so maybe that's why he was totally silent? "Well, why are you playing at all? You in a band or something?" The fairy asked.
"You've never heard of the Gorman Troupe?" The man asked, surprised yet still smiling as he played his odd instrument. "We're playing for the Carnival of Time…if it even happens. As for me, I was in another troupe, once. An animal troupe! Oh, I am so, so sad. So I will tell you this tale so I don't feel so bad!"
"I didn't really ask to hear…" Tatl murmured, but her words were either unheard or ignored by the troupe member.
"Ah, there were all sorts of animals! Dogs and donkeys and such! It was amazing!" The man said, seeming to be mostly talking to open air…until he stared Link dead in the eyes. "But you ask why a man could join?!" He suddenly yelled, his eyes glaring and his mouth turning into a snarl. These things caused he boy to flinch and take a step back. "Because humans are also animals! So it was allowed!"
That scream nearly made Link forget everything and just run. He was reminded of the windmill man suddenly screaming at him and Navi for no good reason. Despite his desire to flee, the boy kept his feet planted to the ground, still not saying a word.
Tatl hovered between the man and Link, not even aware she was doing so. "Ease up! What's your deal?!" She demanded, also a bit freaked out as the man screamed out of nowhere.
Once more, Tatl's words weren't acknowledged by the man as he kept rambling. "But the dog was the leader! Why a dog?! Humans are animals too! I should've been the leader! Isn't that right, boy?!" The man demanded of Link, seeming unaware that the child hadn't said a word the whole time. "I should have been the leader! Yes! A human leads far better than any other animal!" He was enraged at this point that his face started to go red, spit flying from his mouth and landing on the ground as he raved.
Flying back to Link's shoulder, Tatl whispered harshly in his ear. "Come on, let's get out of here. This guy is nuts!" She was annoyed when he didn't even acknowledge her, the boy staring at the crazed man as if transfixed.
"So I stole it! I stole the mask of the troupe's leader! That's what I did!" The furious man went on, cranking the handle of his instrument faster and faster as he rambled. It was to the point where it seemed like he'd somehow break it! Then…as quickly as the rage began…it just stopped. The man's eyes squinted once more, and his mouth formed back into a wide grin. His hand even halted, a deafening silence filling the air.
Tatl wasn't sure if she should say anything, fearing it might someone trigger another enraged tangent from the odd man. The silence just went on, so she took the risk. "And…you still have the mask?"
The man nodded, looking to Link despite the boy not uttering a word the entire time. "Yes! I still have it! I no longer need it, so I give it to my guests! It has the qualities of a leader, and wearing it will make you one too!" Reaching into his pocket, the man brought up an unusual looking mask. It was the type that only covered the eyes of one's face. It resembled a white beard with a prominent yellow beak and piercing red eyes.
As the unusual stranger handed the mask over, Link cautiously took it. Swallowing a few times, he finally mustered the ability to speak. "Thank you, sir." Was all he could say, though.
This got a jovial laugh from the man, who started to play his music once more. "Of course! Of course! With this, you could start your own animal troupe! The leader was a good instructor. With the Bremen Mask there, the members matured quickly and they became adults in an instant."
Link had no idea if the man was being literal or not, but that sounded awful. The idea of growing up was one the boy found severely unpleasant. Being forced into the form of a Deku was bad, but he'd rather suffer through that ordeal again than be an adult for even a second. Not that it mattered, because the flow of time marched onward, and it'd drag Link along kicking and screaming with it.
He had grown a few inches taller since he turned ten and believed he had reached his maximum growth under the false pretenses of being a Kokiri. Whatever tiny bits of baby fat that remained on his face and body had gone away and started to harden up into a bit more of a grown, mature look. His voice had gotten deeper, and he realized he had gotten naturally stronger too. It was just something he had to go through.
The boy still desperately wished that he was a Kokiri instead of a Hylian. To him, growing into an adult was the ultimate insult to his childhood. When he was forced into such a shape, he didn't mind too much since he assumed it was temporary. But when the truth came out that he was a Hylian, he quickly realized it would one day be a permanent reality. Just the thought of becoming grown up made Link feel sick to his stomach, and he'd give anything to become a true Kokiri and stay young forever within the village…
Snapping out of his thoughts, Link looked the mask over more properly. The red eyes were a bit eerie, but otherwise it seemed like a decent mask…not that he was exactly an expert. As much as he disliked the words the man spoke, and how his music made Link feel sick to his stomach…he'd still keep the mask. It just seemed so needlessly nasty to him to throw a gift away.
Yet, with the mention of being an adult, Link felt extremely uncomfortable. So much so that he simply turned around and walked away out of the Laundry Pool. Normally he'd never be so rude, but he couldn't stand to be near the musical man for a moment longer. And, of course, Tatl followed after him.
This, surprisingly, didn't anger the man, who laughed and called after the pair. "Yes, yes! Go and start your own animal troupe! Have fun with it, my guests!"
Not wasting another second, Link and Tatl rushed back to South Clock Town, going close to the Clock Tower and out of range of the man's music. Link was especially glad of this, his nerves having been on edge throughout that entire conversation. Of course, the windmill man's clone distracted him a bit with his unusual rants and shouting…not that that was much better.
"Why are there so many weirdos around here?" Tatl asked with a shudder. "And it's always the real friendly looking ones." First that mask salesman and then that weirdo with the…whatever instrument that was. She had noticed how abruptly Link ended the conversation. Even when he was just trying to end a chat to move on with whatever he wanted to do, he still ended it properly. Here he just…walked away. Granted, she couldn't blame him for wanting to just get away from that weirdo, but it still stood out to her.
Tatl recalled the last thing the man mentioned was how the members of the animal troupe became adults in an instant. Did that freak Link out somehow? Did he not like adults or aging? As it happened, the fairy had become increasingly curious about the boy's past, doubly so because he's so tightlipped about it. As time had gone on…she started to become nearly obsessed with finding out some basic outline of Link's life at the very least. She held onto any bit of information she could get from him, whether it was something he said or alluded to or an observation she made. With the boy as her one and only constant in these loops, she had little else to focus on a lot of the time…
"At least all he did was yell." Link pointed out as his nerves started to settle. He remembered how the Happy Mask Salesman strangled him, a memory that made him feel uneasy just to recall. "We also got another mask." He noted, looking down at what the odd man called the Bremen Mask, though the boy had no idea what 'Bremen' even meant.
Scoffing, the fairy shook her head. "And you call that a positive? It probably doesn't even do anything! That guy was nuts!" The talk about animals instantly maturing seemed like a complete lie to Tatl, though she'd believe little of what that man said, even if it seemed reasonable. She noted a dog walking about, sniffing at seemingly random spots on the ground. "You probably couldn't even lead that dog!" The man had said it gave the wearer the 'quality of a leader' which could've meant a lot of things.
Link eyed the scruffy pup and decided to at least give it a shot. Who knew when leading animals could possibly come in handy? Feeling a bit silly, he slipped the mask on and started to walk towards the dog. As he got close, the dog stopped and sniffed at Link's boot, but then just kept going. The boy stopped and watched as the canine stopped to scratch behind one of its ears. "I guess the mask doesn't work so well." He noted flatly.
"I dunno, maybe you have to play a song or something. This was a troupe, right? The leader probably played some sort of marching song!" Tatl suggested, not seeing much use out of this mask…but the idea of super serious Link marching a dog around while playing a song was a sight she had to see!
Unaware of Tatl's more devious intentions, Link decided he might as well try it. As he took the Ocarina of Time from his belt, he felt an odd push to play it, a sort of subconscious urge that it was the correct course of action. Letting his body do as it wanted, putting the instrument to his lips. At this, the boy found himself playing a jovial marching song that he had never heard in his life, starting to slowly move about the area. At once, the dog started to follow him obediently, yapping happily along with the tune as its tail wagged back and forth.
Tatl's jaw dropped as she stared at the unusual sight before her. Link was just…marching along with a dog, the canine at the boy's heels no matter where he went. She felt like she was dreaming as she never saw the boy do anything remotely childish or goofy!
After a few moments, Link stopped the song and almost instantly the dog lost interest and wandered off. He himself was almost as surprised as Tatl was, just going along with the odd feeling the mask gave him. Was it magic in some way? He supposed it had to be since he just played a brand new song perfectly. Taking the mask off and putting the Ocarina of Time back on his belt, he looked the Bremen Mask over again. "I didn't expect that to work so well." He observed, also noting that the dog didn't physically change at all. Maybe the man that gave it to him was lying or exaggerating.
It took Tatl a second to really recover from what she just saw, too stunned to even laugh. After shaking her head a bit to get her thoughts collected, she flew over to Link and stared at the mask. "Huh…Well, I didn't expect that. No idea when that will ever be useful…I assume you'll still keep it?" Wouldn't be the first useless mask he kept…
Link put the Bremen Mask in his bag. "It's a gift." He replied simply, feeling that explained it all. He couldn't just toss a gift like that! The boy grew up not getting many presents or gifts, only Saria caring enough about him to give him anything. So, whenever he got something from someone, he kept it whether it was something he even liked or not. As the boy put his newest mask away, he eyed the Mask of Truth staring at up at him. After a pause, he took the uncanny mask out.
"What, you want to try and read minds now?" Tatl asked, realizing the two never actually gave the Mask of Truth a proper try. "That seems kind of underhanded of you!"
"It's not like I'd use it for a bad reason." Link pointed out, staring down at the mask as it returned the action. "This might be useful too, right? Can I try and read your mind?" Of course he was going to ask permission first.
Tatl almost laughed at that, never thinking she'd be politely asked about getting her mind read. She felt nervous as the thought about it, however. What if the mask actually worked? Would he just read what she was thinking, or could he delve deeper into her mind and peek at whatever he wanted? She lightly chewed at her bottom lip, giving the situation some thought. The Bremen Mask worked, so maybe the Mask of Truth would too…but being able to read minds could be pretty useful. Something told her he wouldn't read the mind of some stranger, something about not getting permission surely being an issue…
Sighing, the fairy gave a nod. "Okay, fine. Just don't peek too long, okay?" As soon as she said this, she concentrated her thoughts on memories of her and her brother. She knew that Tael was, relatively, pretty safe, so she didn't worry too terribly much for him. After all, he was just fine by midnight of the third day during the First Cycle, so why wouldn't that be true for all the others? Tatl just kept those memories strong in her conscious mind, hoping that if the Mask of Truth worked, it wouldn't be able to see anything else!
Even with Tatl's express permission, Link still felt a bit awkward doing something like this. It was rather invasive, given a pass to do so or not. Still, he needed to know if it'd work, and he unknowingly got read like a book by Tatl. He'd really not be willing to just do it to a stranger, feeling guilty just thinking about it! Slipping the Mask of Truth on slowly, he turned his, and the mask's, gaze towards the fairy.
As it happened, the mask did work…but not the way Link expected.
He wasn't able to hear any clear, concrete thoughts out of Tatl. No sentences were heard by him, and no images flooded his mind's eye. Instead, he heard a sort of buzzing noise, like a large crowd all talking over each other at once. It took him a moment to realize the many voices all belonged to Tatl, and what he was hearing were many, many thoughts or memories from her. Try as he might, he wasn't able to single out anything he was hearing, everything sort of melting together in a mess! Maybe if he practiced over and over, he could pick something out, but for the moment, it was fruitless.
Taking the mask off, Link suddenly felt a bit dizzy, a bit of a headache coming on. "It's no use." The boy said, rubbing at his temple with one hand as he held the mask with the other. "I think I was hearing everything at once. It was too much to make anything out." He explained further.
As disappointed as it was that the mask couldn't be used effectively, Tatl was still relieved that Link didn't peek in at anything private of hers. "Well, that's just great! A mind reading mask that reads too much!" She bemoaned, glancing over at the dog as it kept pacing about. "…Do you think it works on animals?"
"What good would that do?" Link asked, also looking at the scruffy canine. "They wouldn't know anything helpful." Not that he could imagine, at least.
"Hey, it's worth a shot!" Tatl pressed, more just curious to see if it worked at all. Could animals even think in a way the Mask of Truth could read? She doubted that it would be helpful as well, but she just had to know!
Link supposed that any bit of extra aid could be helpful…and it was a quick test, so why not? Obviously, he didn't have as many qualms about reading the mind of an animal. Not like he could get the dog's permission or anything. So, he slipped the Mask of Truth on once again and looked at the dog. This time…things were far simpler.
Odd smell. Odd boy. Where did the people go? The boy's feet smell funny. What is that ball in the air? That marching was fun!
The dog's voice pierced into Link's mind without him really trying to, the Mask of Truth doing all the needed work. And it wasn't even that he really heard the dog's voice, just that he sort of grasped what the animal was thinking. This series of short, meaningless thoughts just kept going, that aspect of it not shocking Link too much. After having observed Malon's dog Scamp, he noticed just how much of a short attention span the pooch had. Seemed that was true of all dogs. He was someone who quickly grew to like dogs thanks to Scamp, as it happened. A friendly, soft creature that just wanted to play or sit with people. Given his encounters with non-human creatures outside of the Lost Woods, something like dogs were very welcome…
When he took the mask off, Link noticed he didn't feel dizzy, and his headache didn't get any worse. Apparently there just wasn't enough going on to affect him as much. "I heard its thoughts. It was just rambling to itself." The boy informed, putting the mask away.
Huh. Well, that made sense to Tatl, actually! "I guess because dogs don't have complex thoughts like fairies or humans. At least we know it works…if that ever comes in handy…" She had no confidence that it would, but watching Link read a dog's mind was a bit amusing…
At this point, Link was just feeling exhausted. It was so late in the night, and dealing with the Song of Storms, the man that was all too familiar, and using the Mask of Truth…he was ready to go back to sleep. "Right. Well, let's go back to the inn." Without waiting, he started walking back to East Clock Town, rubbing his temples a bit to get the last of the headache to go away.
Tatl fluttered by Link's side as always, holding back a yawn. "Jeez, how long did we come out here anyway?" Even with the massive clock on the Clock Tower…she didn't bother to check. She didn't really care too much, and the fairy just didn't want to catch an eyeful of the Moon…
"In the morning, we'll go back and talk to Anju." Link said, hoping he would be able to help the poor woman out. Maybe he'd even be able to find Kafei in the next Cycle! Of course, every Cycle afterward would just separate them again…but at least he'd know how to help them…
The fairy still saw the ordeal as pointless to go through, but she bit her tongue. She knew that no matter what she said, Link would keep trying anyway. "Sure, alright. If you really want to." Was all she said, but her tone made it clear she didn't fully approve…and of course Link just ignored her. Tatl expected as much…
Both of them exhausted, the boy and fairy said nothing as they made their way back to the inn and went into their room. Neither of them bothered to glance at the clock, not that Link could read it properly anyway. He shed his gear and boots as Tatl curled up on her pillow. While the fairy fell asleep quickly, the boy stared up at the ceiling, tired yet unable to sleep.
As the boy remained still under the covers, he felt an overwhelming emotion swelling in his gut. Despite being broken, he did feel emotions at times. Generally, he felt a nauseous numbness that made him empty inside, not feeling any sort of emotions whatsoever. This could last hours, a day, or even a week. Of course, even when he felt something, it was always negative.
Anger. Guilt. Shame. Fear. Misery…
Link was feeling that last one most of all. A deep depression grew within him, and he had no idea what caused it. He gave up trying to fully understand his shattered mind ages ago, his world shifting and turning seemingly at complete random. He was never happy, but he wasn't always sad either. A lot of the time it was just…blank. A numbness that was so strong sometimes he couldn't even feel things around him such as the softness of his sheets or the coldness of Hyrule Castle's tiled floors on his bare feet.
He had no idea if it was worse between the two either. Obviously feeling a heavy sadness was horrible…but at least he was feeling something. When his entire being was numb, he barely felt like he was even a person. It unnerved him and sometimes he wanted to bite or scratch at his hands just to feel anything. While he never actually did it, the unusual temptation cropped up in his mind numerous times over the last two years.
Lying there and wallowing in his own misery, Link felt this sadness grow deeper and deeper, and he had no idea why. Maybe it was the news he got from the Giant of the North. Maybe it was because of his earlier panic attack. Maybe it was because he was starting to feel like he'd never return to Hyrule. Or, perhaps, it was all three along with many more reasons.
All he wanted was to feel some sort of happiness again. Link barely remembered what it was like to actually feel some sort of joy and optimism by this point. Sure, he felt content or a general sense of relaxation at times, but that was it. What he called happiness…times like when he first met Navi, or the times Saria comforted or played with him when he was growing up…emotions like that didn't exist in him anymore. They died out with the departure of who he desperately wanted to call his Guardian Fairy. That term was for the Kokiri, of course, but sometimes he liked to pretend…
It was worse because he couldn't even cry, or rather he wouldn't allow himself to. Link hadn't yet shaken the idea that he had to hide his emotions away from anyone and everyone. Bottling up all the negative feelings left him exhausted and overwhelmed. A lot of the time, he barely felt present because of how mentally and emotionally drained he was! Worse yet was that he felt like his mask was starting to crack…it was becoming harder for him to hold things in place. Just that night he literally became sick because of how terrified he had felt when hearing that music! Since his first quest ended, he had never been strained so constantly and so severely and he had no idea how long he could keep it up…
Takin a deep breath, Link rolled over and closed his eyes, trying his best to make his mind go blank until he fell into an uneasy sleep…
The pair didn't spend much time on the last day. After waking up and getting a bit of breakfast in them, Link played the Song of Time. They waited for the inn to open again and went in almost as soon as they heard Anju unlock the door. By the time Link opened the door, the innkeeper was back around the desk again.
Anju seemed a bit surprised, but still smiled and gave a small bow. "Oh? Were you waiting right outside the door? I hope it wasn't for long." She said with complete sincerity. "Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn! Do you have a reservation?"
For a moment, Link found himself almost frozen in place. It was odd…he had obviously looked at Anju before, realizing she was the counterpart to someone he met in Hyrule. He had even noticed the obvious stress and exhaustion she felt over Kafei. Yet he never looked at her in a strong comparison to the Cucco Lady from Kakariko Village. Really, she had been somewhat of a milestone in his first quest, if only a small one.
After leaving the Lost Woods, the first few interactions with people from the outside world had been unpleasant one way or another for Link. Kaepora Gaebora was startling to him and also a bit mean, he was initially scared of the first guard he saw, the crowds of the marketplace unnerved him, an odd woman tried to take him to an orphanage, Malon teased him and made him feel flustered, he barely really interacted with Talon, his encounter with Zelda and Impa were very stressful, he felt awful for the homeless man, and the second guard he talked to happened while he was injured and terrified.
It wasn't until he spoke to the Cucco Lady did he have a truly nice encounter. He did a favor for her, and in turn she helped him find the potion shop and even gave him the first piece of chocolate he ever got to taste! The boy even remembered how she touched his shoulder and he felt oddly fuzzy inside, but he didn't dislike the encounter either. She was just so…nice to him. Thinking back, it was practically like how Saria or Navi would treat him. The redheaded woman even had blue eyes like his childhood friend!
With all those memories flooding back to him, Link was momentarily stuck in place. Thinking of it, she was someone he had short, but very fond memories of. He wondered how the Cucco Lady was even doing. It wasn't like the two interacted since Link finished his quest, the boy being far too scared to step foot in Kakariko Village.
It was at this moment that Link realized Anju was waiting for his answer. The boy hastily gave a nod. "Yes, I do. My name is Link." He answered, walking up to the counter.
If Anju was bothered by Link's unusual pause, she didn't show it. Instead, she just looked into her guestbook and quickly found his name. "Ah, yes, here you are. You've got the Knife Chamber." The redheaded woman reached under the desk and fetched the room's key, handing it to the boy. "Do you want me to bring you meals?"
After a small pause, Link took the key and shook his head. "No thank you. We'll be fine." With that, he went up towards the Knife Chamber without giving the innkeeper a second glance.
"Hey, what about Kafei?" Tatl hissed in Link's ear as they went up the stairs. "Didn't you keep going on and on about him?!" To the fairy's frustration, her companion didn't answer her. After they went inside the Knife Chamber, she tried again. "Hey! What are you doing?! Are you going to ask her about Kafei or not?!"
Link didn't want to ignore Tatl, he just had no idea how to really answer her question. Of course, telling the truth was out of the question as it usually was. Especially since he didn't really know what the truth even was in this situation. As much as he kept insisting on trying to find Kafei and how they needed to talk to Anju…Link suddenly found himself getting cold feet. For what reason, he didn't know. Maybe it was because he just realized how important the Cucco Lady really was? Maybe he just felt exhausted about the ordeal with the Bremen Mask? Truly, he had no idea. So, he quickly made something up. "I will today. I just want to rest first." It seemed like no matter how much he slept, he was always exhausted…
Tatl wondered if he was still feeling sick. No one just pukes like he did 'last' night and just got over it, even if they had frustratingly stoic, brave faces like Link. At the very least, he clearly didn't have a fever like before. Nodding in understanding, the fairy sat on her pillow. "Sure, as long as we get this over with today!" She had noticed that Link's fatigue and exhaustion hung over him no matter what…not that it stopped him from doing some amazing feats. Still, he carried himself like every step was a struggle, and he had those awful, constant dark circles under his broken, unnerving eyes. No matter how much she saw them, at this point they always elicited a feeling of pity from her…
Nodding, Link shed his gear and boots before once more climbing into his usual bed. It helped that he really was exhausted, but he didn't need sleep as desperately as he implied. He felt ridiculous, pushing off something he kept saying he'd do because he felt nervous. That's just how things were with him, though. Sometimes he couldn't stand to talk, or to talk to a certain person. It had gotten better as the two years went by, but it did rear its ugly head every so often…
For the next six hours or so, Link both napped and pretended to be asleep as he worked up the nerve to speak to Anju. He tossed and turned, drifting in and out of actual sleep as Tatl snoozed contently on her pillow. Once the time was a bit after two in the afternoon, the boy decided he had held things off long enough. He got out of bed and gathered his things, Tatl making some comment under her breath about the wait as the two went downstairs.
When the two reached the lobby, they saw there was someone already there. As it happened, Link witnessed this interaction once before when he entered the inn for the first time. He took a nap on the bench and vaguely recalled seeing someone in a red hat speaking with Anju. This time, he got a better look at the person and saw it was a man that he had met in Hyrule. Or, at least, his double.
It was the unusual man that had paid an unreasonable amount of Rupees for the Bunny Hood! He wore a similar outfit that he did in Hyrule, but now had a red bag and a hat of the same color perched on his head. In his hand was a letter that he was handing over to the innkeeper.
Anju took the letter, reading the words on its outside before her eyes widened in shock. "Ah! Wh…What is this, Mr. Postman?!" She asked, looking up to the man.
The Postman looked blankly at Anju before giving her a nod. "It is a letter. I am delivering it to you!" He said very matter-of-factly.
"I know! I mean…" The redheaded woman took a deep breath to compose herself. "Where did you get it?!" Whatever was going on with the letter, it made Anju very desperate for more information, her hands trembling as she held the envelope.
"From a postbox." The Postman answered in the same tone of voice. He didn't seem entirely aware of just how important this seemed to be for Anju.
Once more, Anju was exasperated. "Yes, yes, I know! But which one? Please, you have to tell me!"
"From a postbox somewhere." Was all the Postman said in response. "I must go now, and stick to my schedule!" Without waiting for Anju to reply, he turned and jogged out the door, not even offering the distraught woman a second glance.
Link felt awkward going in to talk to Anju after that, and stood by the staircase as she opened the envelope and read the letter inside. Clearly, this was something very emotional for her, and he wanted to give her a minute to recover.
"I wonder what that was about. That Postman guy is so dense…" Tatl whispered in Link's ear, not wanting to be overheard. She felt the same way he did in regards to giving Anju a minute to collect herself.
After the innkeeper read and reread the letter, she sighed and placed it in her pocket. Once she did this, Link and Tatl waited a few extra moments, Anju not seeming to have noticed either of them. When the pause ended, the two approached the woman, Link speaking up. "Excuse me. I have to ask you something." As he said this, he took Kafei's Mask out of his bag and showed it to Anju. "I'm looking for Kafei. He's your fiancé, right?"
Anju's eyes widened and her face went a bit pale. It was hard to tell if she realized that Link and Tatl witnessed that entire exchange with the Postman. "You're looking for him too? I don't think I've ever seen you around before, but…" She paused, lightly chewing her bottom lip in thought. "…Could you meet me tonight? In the kitchen? I just got something that may help me, but I don't want my mother walking in on us. And…I have to prepare something…"
That wasn't the response Link was expecting, but he gladly went with it. The 'something' she got was obviously that letter she got. Was it from Kafei? "Okay, I can do that. What time should I be in there?"
Once more, the innkeeper paused in thought, apparently not having thought more than a step or two ahead as she came up with a plan on the spot. "How about…half past eleven tonight? That should work…"
Why that time specifically, Link had no idea. Rather than ask, he just accepted it. "Okay, that's fine. We'll meet you then."
Anju let out a relieved sigh, as though a large weight was lifted from her shoulders. "Oh, thank you! You have no idea what this means to me! As I said, I don't want my mother finding out. She's…not very accepting of my faith in Kafei. Let's just pretend we didn't have this talk until tonight, okay?"
Link didn't understand these sorts of things at all. Why would Anju's mother not want her daughter to get married to someone she clearly cared about? He had little knowledge of just what marriage really meant outside of the basics, but…it just seemed odd to him to have an attitude like that. "We'll keep quiet about it." He promised.
"Good, now let's get some lunch! I'm hungry!" Tatl exclaimed, pushing at Link's back towards the door despite knowing that, at her size, it'd do nothing. Still, the boy went forward and the two left the inn.
The rest of the day was spent not doing much at all. They had lunch, sat on a bench in East Clock Town for a while, and tried not to look up at the Moon. Tatl was annoyed that they couldn't just go West now and had to wait until at least tomorrow thanks to their late rendezvous with Anju. Knowing it was useless to complain, she just bit her tongue.
As the day turned to night, the two had dinner in another restaurant and went up to bed before eventually going to sleep. At about ten, Link got up and let out a yawn. He really had to pee…! Getting up, and leaving his things behind, he yawned again as he went to the bathroom alone. When he entered, he stopped in his tracks. When he opened the door, he saw…a…hand reaching out of the toilet! It was groping blindly at the air, clearly looking for something.
What was stranger was that it talked!
"Puh…puh…paper! Please! I need some paper!" A man's voice bemoaned from…somewhere. It kept groping at the open air, it not being entirely clear if the hand was fully aware of Link's presence.
Staring at the baffling sight…Link closed the bathroom door. He went outside, found a corner of a building where no one could see him and went against that before returning to bed and pretending he didn't just witness that freakish sight…
Tatl awoke at a little before the meeting time and woke Link up. They went down to the kitchen of the Stock Pot Inn. It was their first time going in there, and it seemed pleasant enough. A counter and a stone oven for cooking, pots, barrels, and boxes that assuredly had various ingredients. Oddly, there was water in the corner, with fish and certain plants in it. Apparently for fresh ingredients?
Looking at the clock in the room, Tatl huffed. "She's not here…! And it's when she said to meet!" The fairy complained, letting out a loud yawn.
"Maybe she's still asleep." Link suggested, leaning against the counter, and resting his cheek on his hand. "We'll wait." At that, Tatl huffed again, but he ignored her.
The two had to wait another fifteen minutes or so before soft footfalls started to approach. To little surprise, Anju soon rounded the corner and entered the kitchen. She was dressed in her usual attire, and also had an envelope in her hands. "I apologize for being late…I'm still very grateful that you, and I'm sorry for having you meet me here at night."
"Yeah, yeah. So, what do you want us to do, then?" Tatl spoke up, too tired and cranky to hold back on her rudeness.
Anju just took the mild verbal abuse, sighing and closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "I received a letter today…and I know it was from Kafei! It's odd being contacted by a missing person…but I know it was him! So, please, I want you to mail this!" She held the letter out to Link, who slowly took it. "This is part of why I needed us to wait to talk. I had to put my thoughts together before I could put them on paper…"
"Wait, that's it? Why can't you just do this?" The fairy asked, baffled at how simple this request was. "You can mail it yourself, right?"
The innkeeper grabbed at her skirt, so clearly anxious, especially to Link. When his head was swimming with worries and his emotions ran high, he felt he had to just grab and twist at something, and his clothes were always the target of such urges. Anju cleared her throat and shook her head. "I-It's not just that! I want you to watch the Postman take the letter…and follow him to where he drops it off. I just…I just can't do it myself! I'm so nervous and…I-I'm scared! I don't know why Kafei is gone, but still reaching out!" The poor woman's voice kept cracking, and it sounded like she was about to burst out crying.
Pitying the adult before him, Link gave a quick nod. "I'll do it, don't worry. I'll find out where Kafei is." The boy promised, knowing all to well about feeling scared to do relatively simple things.
Letting go of her skirt, a relieved smile spread across Anju's face. "Oh, thank you! This means so much to me! I don't know how I can repay you!"
"You don't need to repay me." Link insisted. "I'll go mail this now if you want." He was sure that would make Anju happy…
Nodding, the redheaded women let out a sigh of content. "Yes, that would be wonderful, thank you! I am so, so grateful for this…"
At that, she took a seat on one of the boxes in the kitchen, trying to calm herself down further as Link and Tatl left the inn. Once they were outside, the boy looked up at his companion as she floated above his head. "How do we mail this letter?" He asked her bluntly.
"What, you don't know anything about mail?" Tatl asked, sighing in annoyance. Couldn't read, couldn't mail letters…! She pointed out a box at a corner next to a building, a red little roof on it. "Those are mail boxes. Just drop the letter in the slot, and that's it!"
That seemed simple enough. Link walked over and did just that, sliding the envelope into the box. "When does the Postman come to collect?"
Tatl huffed. "Well, he follows that weird schedule of his to the second. Always has!" She didn't know the personal lives of many of Clock Town's residents, but everyone that resided in it or visited often knew about that oddball's strict schedule! "He'll leave to get letters at exactly nine in the morning, and he gets back at his office at noon." She explained, having seen the man run this route more times than she cared to count.
That was very, very odd to Link. Never before did he have to follow much of a schedule. Things were pretty relaxed in the Lost Woods where, even with chores, the children were able to sleep in pretty much as late as they wanted. As long as their activities were done by nightfall, no one really cared when things got finished. Then for two years in the castle, Link mostly did things when he wanted or when his trauma allowed him. "So, we'll wake up at nine and wait, then."
"Wait." Tatl said before Link could move back to the inn. "I don't think we should…" She knew changing Link's mind on pretty much anything was hard to do, but she still wanted to try for this specifically…
"Why not? We need to see where the letter goes." Link argued. They had just started to make some actual progress and now Tatl wanted to stop? "We can solve this tomorrow, right?"
"That's just it. Kafei is fine. He sent a letter to Anju, so it's not like he's in any danger." The fairy pointed out. "Maybe, for some reason, he doesn't want to be found." If he could just waltz back into Anju's life whenever he wanted…then why didn't he? "Is he really lost if he's fine like this? If he's gone on purpose, there's gotta be a reason."
Link found that made a bit of sense. He wasn't going to pretend he was an expert on this subject, and Tatl's logic was sound. It's not like he could just drag Kafei back to the inn if he didn't want to. "Shouldn't we find out why he left or where he is?" It just felt…wrong to stop midway like this…
"It's not really any of our business! If Kafei doesn't want to be found and is safe, it's not our concern! I feel bad for Anju, but we have more pressing matters! Look, he's somewhere in Clock Town and we know he's okay…so if we stop the Moon, he'll be fine. It's not like he needs saving!" Tatl insisted. She really did feel pity for Anju, despite her earlier attitude, but the two couldn't stop and help every sad face they came across!
The boy pondered this, Tatl's logic being a bit cold but still making sense. That didn't make the bad feeling in his gut go away, however. "I still don't feel right. I want to help Anju."
Tatl sighed, trying not to get mad. "What is your obsession with helping people anyway?" She asked, keeping her tone neutral. It really did seem like he had some sort of complex with it! Honestly, it surprised her that he didn't get that stray dog by the Clock Tower a new home or something.
"Why don't you want me helping anyone?" Link asked back, starting to get annoyed with Tatl on this subject. It seemed any time he wanted to extend a hand of aid to someone, she gave him a hard time! "Helping people is the right thing to do. Why do I need another reason?" It wasn't…entirely so simple, despite his words. There was one, more selfish reason why he wanted to save those in Termina, the fact that it was the right thing was just one of the two reasons…
"It's not that! It's just…we have more important things to do! You can't help everyone, you know!" Tatl found it frustrating that Link didn't seem to understand all his hard work got undone anyway. Say they found Kafei and dragged him back to the inn…then what? When they went back in time, the situation would simply start all over. At least with freeing the Giants, they could get the Moon stopped and end the Cycles entirely!
"I know that. It doesn't mean I can't do what I'm able." Link wasn't ever able to shake the guilt knowing bad things were happening all across Termina that he could stop. The poisoned swamp, the freezing mountains, and then the smaller things like the mugged old woman or the situation with Anju and Kafei. He was almost constantly thinking about all of them…
"Look, this isn't getting us anywhere. Let's just…go to sleep and head West in the morning. We've stayed in town too long! Who knows what's going on with the Zoras?" They could argue about this one subject all night, so might as well just cut it short…
Once more, Link knew Tatl was right. They had taken a long break since breaking the curse up North. Even with the bad news they got from the second Giant, they had to press on. "…Fine. But we'll come back to Anju and Kafei." Despite agreeing with Tatl's points, he just had to see it through properly…
That was the best that Tatl felt she was going to get, she felt, so she didn't push her luck. "Fine, alright. Let's get some sleep then, okay?" Getting up in the middle of the night so many times was really getting to her!
Without a further word, the two went back to their room and went to sleep. As the rain on the window and roof of the inn awoke them, and decided it was best to start a new Cycle to get as much progress out of the new area as possible. It worked for Link, who didn't wan to risk walking by Anju after he went back on what he said he'd do.
In the early morning of the earliest day, the two went to West Clock Town, stopping by the gate. "What do you think is wrong with the West?" Link asked Tatl, aware that she had no way of knowing what was going on there.
"Well, you remember what Tael said. Swamp. Mountain. Ocean. Canyon. You haven't thought about what could be going on in places like that? Obviously since the Zoras are West, so is the ocean. I just hope it isn't dried out or something…" Tatl murmured.
The ocean…Link recalled seeing that disturbing expanse of blue in books at the castle. It was a sight he never wished to see in person. As horrible as it was, a part of him kind of wished that endless water was all dried up, just so he wouldn't have to see it…
Preparing himself for the horrors in the third compass direction, Link flashed his sword to the guard as he and Tatl went West.
A/N: Well, the two went West, but not as much as I expected. The reason I brought that up in the last author's notes to start with was because I wasn't sure I could get a full chapter filled without getting the two to the gate blocking the Great Bay Coast. It's nice to be wrong sometimes. I actually came up with the excuse as to why Anju and Kafei's quest had to be put on halt at such a crucial moment as I was writing. I didn't want to make the chapter too much longer, so I just cut it off where it was. At least that way I can get the next step done after the Great Bay Temple, then the last stretch after the Stone Tower. I think that fits well enough. Also, the mask collection is almost halfway done, with another mask obviously going to be collected next time with the Zora Mask.
I also just sort threw the hand toilet thing in this chapter, well aware it doesn't pop up until midnight. I kind of kept forgetting to include it, so decided to just do it now so I didn't forget. In all honesty, I couldn't think of how Link might actually respond to such a ridiculous sight, so I had him basically just pretend it didn't happen. I like to think it's about as funny as him scrambling to find some sort of paper for the odd entity.
Not much else to say except there will of course be a bit of retreading next time with the inevitable inclusion of Romani Ranch. At least it won't take up a whole chapter or anything.