Legend of Zelda TP Scene: A North Ender unknowingly gets verbally outclassed by Koga in Telma's Bar. She then hires him for a case as per her original intentions.

I walk across the street from the agency and head into Telma's Bar. I open the door, greeted by the regulars and the Resistance.

"Well, if it isn't Koga," Telma greeted me as I sat at her table. "The regular, hon?"

"If you don't mind, Telma," I respond.

"Surprised you weren't here a couple of hours ago. A majority of the soldiers were celebrating Ganondorf's death. Tara was out-drinking everyone here."

I scratch my head before sighing. "I know I'm convinced that the entire End heard them. Tea is the more lively twin. It was bad enough to be Zelda's boyfriend at the time."

Telma turns around and gasps. "Koga, hon! What happened to your face, why are there stitches over your nose?"

"A souvenir from Ganondorf before he kicked the can. He used the Sages Sword in a last-minute attempt to cripple me. He had it out for my direct ancestor, the first person to beat him in a duel as it turns out. He or I was only ten years old at the time. Of course, being a malicious bastard meant he was petty enough to hold a grudge for nearly a century. Anyway, he nicked my nose, and it still hurt like hell despite the wound being shallow, the weapon a tool constructed by the Seven Sages. Hence the stitches. Zelda said that they're a permanent fixture of my face."

"A shame that fiend had to do that to your face. But I get the feeling that won't change the way people down here think of you." Telma says as she hands me my drink.

One of the regulars who bugs me when I come down here, piped up. "Yeah! If anything, it'll only get you better pull! I mean, hell. How'd you get the Princess of Hyrule to date you?"

"I'm an interesting person, one of two Imps who live in the city. The other is my younger twin sister. When you're only two deep, you bring intrigue and mystique." I shrug before taking a few sips. "Not being a loudmouth also helps."

"Business good, hon?" Telma asks before the silence could acquaint itself in the room.

"Eh, Tea and I are getting by. It helps that we own our building. But ever since Link killed Ganondorf, business died down. Makes sense, eliminate the source of your problems, they stop occurring. Now we just help out with the little things. If we get paid, we get paid. We're over it. Slowly but surely, Castle Town is slowly reverting to what it was before Zant's hostile takeover, rare to find the other Enders down here."

"I don't think you have a problem with that."

"I don't. I'm looking forward to this peace stuff that Zelda's been preaching these past few days." I say as Telma cleaned a cup.

We heard the bar open, and we looked to see who the person was - a woman.

From her extravagant dress and down looking scowl, she must be a North Ender. An attractive one at that. The regulars, even Telma, could do nothing but gawk at her appearance. She hung her coat on the rack and walked over to Telma's table, giving me an instant glance before asking for her drink.

"A Vodka Martini."

I take another sip. "New here?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," she answers before taking another peek at my features. "You must be Koga. Funny running into you here."

Nodding, I replied, "That I am. And you are?"

She wags a finger. "Ah, can't reveal that to you just yet."

I frown. "How come?"

"Just a tactic I use to see if you're up to par with what I'm looking for. They say you and your sister are the best at what you do. Think you can prove it with my request?"

"Why don't you tell me your so-called request and find out?"

"Quick to the draw. I like that." She took a small sip of her drink. "Tell me, Koga. What's so special about you?"

"Excuse me?"

Turning in her chair, she eyes me intently. "Why would a town like this need someone with your particular set of skills? Did they run out of options, or take a pity party on you?"

Yep, that got my attention.

"Well," I begin. "It's impossible to pity someone when you and everyone cannot stand him or her. You, him, the idiot sitting alone at the table, even Telma couldn't stand us when we first got here. So a pity party is not the answer. Zelda cares for her kingdom, which extends to someone like you. But a prissy North Ender like yourself somehow fails to realize that some of them live outside the city walls, some of them being Natives like myself. She works her ass off to maintain good relations with those tribes, and as a motion of goodwill, allows them to squat down here. So me being down here is merely Zelda doing the same shit she's always been doing." I continue while taking another sip of my drink. "And finally, the general populous needs people like Tea and I."

"And why is that?"

"Because we're the actual guards of the city, worth more than Zelda's army, and she knows that. We're more reliable, faster, and smarter than all of her soldiers, rank included."

"If that is true, then where were you and your sisters when the Shadow Beasts attacked?" She immediately countered, failing slightly to hide her enjoyment of this discussion.

"Because your Princess and ruler takes the thoughts of her people to heart. The majority of her citizens would not like it to have two people they utterly hate to save them all. And she knew that. Am I wrong, North Ender? You did, at one point, hate Tea and me, right?"

She slowly nodded.

"Exactly. She gave Zant control over them because, to her, it's what people like you wanted. To let the inferior Castle Guards get slaughtered by Zant and his army, then have my sister. I deal with it because you had, and possibly still, have no reason to hate Tea and myself. By extension, we are here because the army you pay for with those taxes with the high life is entirely worthless. Lastly, to cinch this debate and stupid interrogation, let me ask you a question, North Ender."

"Ask away, Detective."

"Did you know about the Tribal Hunters before Zelda mentioned them to the North End those months ago?" I ask her. She remained silent. "I'll take that as a no. The Guards nor Zelda didn't know. But who did? Me and Tea. Everyone else either didn't know about them or didn't care because they hated us. And who dealt with them? We did after investigating where they hide at, how they organize their attacks, and their motivations. Only took us two days. After we had all the info needed, we solved the problem by killing them all. If anything, you and every other North Ender owe us. We are the catalyst for every good thing that happened to Castle Town since we arrived. That's why people like yourself need people like us. Like it or not, we're invaluable to you."

I gulp down my drink as she just stared at me, baffled. To break the ice, I scratch my hair indifferently. "I know I'm easy on the eyes, North Ender, but you should probably say something."

My quip knocked her out of her stupor. "Well, then. I never thought I would be dismantled verbally by a South Ender, let alone a Tribesman."

"You're the one who wanted to test me. If you believed the rumors about my skills in the profession I chose, you wouldn't have to look like an idiot in front of an audience of people you visibly and verbally look down on."

She nodded. "Yes, I'll make sure I choose my verbal debacles more carefully from here on." To my mild surprise, she extended her hand. "Mary."

"I'm not kissing your palm, Mary." I clarified.

Pouting, Mary lowering her hand. "Fine, be that way. But you have passed my little test, and I will give you the details of the job I want to hire you and your sister for."

"Well, save it because I'm off the clock. I'll listen to the details tomorrow. The agency opens at nine o'clock, but don't be there on the nose because we won't be awake. Come to the agency an hour or so later, Mary."

"Then, I will be seeing you tomorrow, Detective Koga." Mary finished her Martini before taking her coat off the rack. She looks at me one last time. "Until then," she said her goodbyes before blowing me a kiss and a wink before leaving.

Tea is going to have a field day with her tomorrow. I shift my position so that I'm facing Telma again, who stared blankly at me.

"Telma, stop staring at my stitches and pour me another drink." I push the glass at her, and she takes it.

"Quite the analyst, are you, hon?"

"Oh, stop that. You of all people know I'm great at my job. She wanted to see if I was up to snuff. I did, and it shut her up. It couldn't have gone any better than that. Putting a North Ender in their place makes me feel warm inside."

"I can tell, hon. But now you have her undivided attention, and from that kiss and wink she threw, I think Mary's looking forward to being further impressed. I wouldn't be surprised if she started flirting with you tomorrow."

"Yeah, right. She'll be the boldest North End girl to ever live if she does. Unless a Castle Town woman is you, Ashei, or Zelda, the girls here tend to ignore me. Tea's the one who gets more ass."

"But she didn't meet Tara yet. She's completely interested in you. You have your mystique to thank for that," Telma says as she hands me my second round.

"It's a blessing and a curse, sister," I say as I begin drinking again.