Chapter 16: The One-Eyed Zora

Sela opened the cabinet under the bathroom sink, flinching back out of habit. When she roamed the streets in the past, a stray cat or dog would often give her a nasty shock when she poked around.

When she decided there was no danger, the squirrel's dark red eyes squinted into a glare and lightened to their true color of blood. In her eyes, the darkness of the bathroom brightened and dissipated, revealing a half-dozen jars nestled in the far corner of the cabinet. Sela was immediately familiar with the crystal-colored grains within each of them and let out a quiet gasp of amazement. She drug a jar out, walking upright with it in her front paws.

"Link, come here, look at this," she said as she entered the living room. He was lying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Are you well, dear? What's the matter?"

He slowly sat up and then propped his head in hand, looking at the ground with a sigh.

"…I think Tetra's upset with me," he answered.

"Why say?"

"Well...did I ever tell you that I can't remember what happened before we came here, Sela?"

Sela set the jar on the ground, baffled. "You mean here to the realm?" she asked, and he nodded. "No, you didn't...are you saying you have amnesia?"

Link told her what he'd explained to Lora and Tetra—that besides being separated from his crewmates, he couldn't remember much more than that.

"We actually got separated before we arrived here, somehow. But I can remember that Tetra and I were together. She says so, too. But it's weird..." Link said thoughtfully. "I don't think she's forgotten anything that may have happened."

"Oh, this sounds lovely…" Sela uttered. "What else, then?"

"When we found each other here, she was really angry at first…then at times she seemed…maybe, sad? Or frustrated. It makes me think I hurt her feelings."

"And you said she confirms for sure that she was with you beforehand?"

"Yes. She doesn't seem to want to talk about it, though."

"Never gave you a straight answer, something like that?"

"Yes," Link said, looking at her earnestly. "What do you think, Sela?"

The Draxie-turned-squirrel inhaled deeply, then let out a sigh. The corners of her mouth struggled not to twitch up.

"Ah...I would think yes, Link," Sela said calmly. "It does sound like you offended her somehow. I'm glad you're aware of how she feels...it makes me think she's struggling with whatever's on her mind and she doesn't know how to feel about it."

"Oh, no…"

"Ohhh, yes. And if she's not talking, then that's all there is to it for now."

"We talk all the time, though. By ourselves. I guess we were doing that before we got here?"

Sela creased her mouth up into a goofy, smarmy smile. "Uh, maybe," she said. "But Link, some things aren't…always good for being up in the air. You know, some topics are a little delicate."

"Well, I understand that," he said suddenly. "It's just...the first time something like this has happened. It's frustrating because I can't apologize for something I don't remember…"

"Oh, well, I'm sorry dear. You'll just have to wait her out. That's all I can say. I would suggest not letting it bother you. The thing is, sometimes we hurt those we care for even when we don't mean to." Sela frowned and began to twitch her tail back and forth. "I'm very bothered about your memory loss. It's unusual to happen to a human pup…maybe you hit your head on the journey over? Tell me the first thing you can recall, being here."

"L…uhm…Kita."

She scowled. "Now some of the ridiculousness makes sense to me. Your luck must've been astronomically awful for him to be the first one you encountered. Where did you meet him?"

"In the castle gardens. I woke up in a flower."

"You what?"

"I came out of Lora's flower."

Sela stared at him with the blankest expression he'd ever seen on a squirrel's face.

"That's what she told me. I think that's what she said…" Link said.

Sela didn't have anything to say to that and suddenly seemed interested in nibbling at her foreleg, trying to hide her smile. Link didn't notice since he was now focused on what she had found. "Oh, what's this?" he asked, picking the jar up and watching the glittery grains tumble around gently.

"Oh! Oh, that, that," Sela said, perking. "I found it and more under the bathroom cabinet. They're what we Draxies call, uh, Tearshakers! The she-Gorons to the north invented them. Go on…see what happens when you shake it!"

Intrigued, Link did, careful not to let the glass jar fly out of his hand. The crystal-like particles started to flicker and radiate light, glowing brighter the longer he shook it.

"…there, that's as shiny it'll get!" Sela said. "They're light sources, Link. They're cheap, but invaluable…I'm still surprised to have found some on a property like this."

"We should put one in each room!"

"What's your definition of room, dear?"

The upstairs and downstairs had open floor plans, after all. There were five more Tearshakers, so they put one in the upstairs bedroom, one on the writing desk downstairs, one on a rickety stand in the hallway, and another in the bathroom.

"Mm…this should be fine. Let's keep this last one on standby just in case," Sela said. She noticed how Link was interested in the knobs over the bathtub.

"What do these do?" he asked.

"Oh, you've never seen a bath with automatic faucets? Turn a knob and the water flows out. Red is for warm, blue for cold. See the drain, and the stopper? That how you let the water out when you're done."

He was amazed when he tested it out. Something angular stuck out from the wall over the knobs and when he turned to Sela to ask about it, he spotted a pair of folding partitions behind the bathroom door. What was behind them in a little pocket of space confused him even more—two large hunks of metal. Sela explained that one was a 'washer' and the other a 'blower'.

"Er—no, not blower, don't repeat that. I think dryer is a more appropriate word," Sela said sheepishly. "I'm beginning to think Lora did get the best deal for us here. I doubt the single units have these things, they're so expensive. They wash and dry clothes much faster than traditional means. Apparently, they work by little magic parts in them, so they're also heavily regulated. I've heard that fools still try to penetrate the hull to take the parts out in an attempt to use magic."

"I found another thing like them in the living room," Link recalled. "It's hidden in a corner."

"Behind that partition, maybe? Let me take a look."

He trailed her into the living room, fretting a bit. "I don't know. Something about it didn't look right…"

Sela cautiously peered around the partition, then raised her ears. "Oh! Wow, we've got one of these, too?"

It was a medium sized white box with a hinged lid. The box was connected to thin black strings that were drilled into the ground.

"Be careful…" Link cautioned to Sela as she inspected it. The little strings reminded him of the fuses attached to bombs.

"It's fine…these are what are called…wires. The main one is disconnected, let me fix it…"

She clicked something into place and the box started to whir lowly, like there was a strong vortex of wind emanating from inside.

"There, the magic-part is going to work. Hear it?" Sela said. "This is an…ice box. You can put food inside, and box preserves it for a very long time so it doesn't go bad."

"Really?" Link gaped. "That means…I can put as much food in there as I want?"

"As much as it can fit, yes. Iceboxes can get pretty cold."

Iceboxes were also thick enough to hide the smell of decaying flesh, apparently. When Link and Sela opened it, they both reeled back in disgust and horror as a pungent smell wafted out in a chilly breeze of air. Something long, purple, and rotting was in the box.

"WHAT IN THE UNDERWORLD IS THAT?!" Sela screamed.

It was a human arm. The hand had mutilated fingers, with bone nubs sticking out were all digits but one had been removed.

"Oh, my everything! Out, out, OUT!" Sela shrieked. They fled outside and slammed the door, collapsing onto the porch bench.

"Oh by god, how on earth," Sela muttered. She darted her eyes for witnesses, moving to sit back-to-back with Link so she could speak louder without being seen. "If I could only say what's really on my mind right now—that window's still open, right? We'll have to keep it open the entire night! Make sure that's the first thing you tell Lora about! Ugh! Good to know a serial killer lived here before we did!"

Link almost choked on a laugh. They were still sitting outside when Lora and Tetra came into view a little later.

"Sela, they're here," he muttered. She climbed up his backside and slipped underneath his hat.

"Oyyyy, bozo!" Tetra yelled. "Lunkhead ho!"

He hopped off the porch, quickly trotting to them. "Tetra…! We're not supposed to be loud, remember?"

"What? Oh yeah, sure. Did you break anything else in the meanwhile? I told you to lose weight."

"Um, Lora broke something first, though..."

"So you both have something else in common! I mean, not saying you have to lose weight," Tetra said to Lora, who stared down at her evenly. "Definitely not that..."

When Link told them what he'd seen in the icebox, Tetra cracked up.

"I'd not be laughing too soon," Lora said, walking up Link's porch. "You might find something nice in yours as well."

Tetra eagerly flew into her Bullshot to check. She soon came back, disappointed.

"Nothing?" Link asked.

"No…it's empty. That's boring. I could've at least gotten the matching arm with its hand doing a thumbs-up or something," Tetra said, making him giggle.

CRASH!

Lora was inside Link's Bullshot messing around with something. The children peeked in, only to quickly dodge out of the way. The icebox hurtled out of the front door, tumbling along the ground and losing its lid. The dismembered arm rolled out onto the ground and within moments, two rats swarmed it.

Link eyed them with a scowl. A black feathery shape descended from the nearest rooftop to attack the limb as well.

"Lookit that, the things we hate," Tetra muttered airily, eyeing the crow. "Isn't it funny how this realm seems to be poking fun at us and we haven't even been here that long? C'mon, let's murderlize 'em!"

Lora grabbed hold of them before they charged off and said, "Let the vermin have their scraps. I have something for you, Link."

There went his attention, back on her. Lora produced a very familiar sword and shield. His sword and shield.

"Thank you!" Link said graciously, taking them. "I missed…ow!"

He had mishandled his shield and pricked his finger. "Did you seriously get a splinter?" Tetra ribbed, and he shot her a look.

"Link, how old is that shield?" Lora asked.

"I don't know exactly. Grandmother said it'd been in our family for generations."

"Really, now. Interesting. It still seems very sturdy. If it's got any sort of deformities or needs to be mended, let me know. I have a friend who can do repairs without damaging the…"

She fell silence, since Link was now beaming at her thankfully.

"Integrity," Lora finished. "...let's head back to the base. We can go meet Pisces now."

The BASE

When they appeared in the shack it was unoccupied, but there was a rucksack on the desk that wasn't there earlier. Lora's lamp swayed gently from where it was strung up on the ceiling.

"Uhh," Tetra said, dazed. She was looking around like she wasn't sure where she was. "I think he—"

"He's going to get in trouble? That's right," Lora said.

"No, he's—"

"Hey, whoa whoa whoa whoa!" a voice suddenly cried from outside. "Lora, wait, I'm here!"

Pisces barged in. The children marveled at the first Zora they'd ever seen in person. Unbeknownst to them he was rather plain-looking for one of his kind; his scales glittered with the hue of clear spring water and he had large fins along his forearms and legs. Though what made Pisces distinctive was his right eye, which was hidden behind an eyepatch. His left eye was a large, soulful black, and currently wide with panic.

The first question out of Link's mouth was, "Are you a pirate?"

"I—" Pisces began to speak to Lora, only to double take and stare down at him in disbelief.

"…you really just asked that," Tetra said to Link flatly, putting her hands on her hips. "Could you be any more stereotypical?"

Link shrugged unapologetically. "I was just wondering…"

"I'm…not," Pisces said steadily, flicking his eyes to Lora, then back down to Link. "But hey, nice to finally meet the both of you! Sorry I'm late, I usually am. I was the last egg in my clutch to hatch, so that might have something to do with it."

After he shook their hands, Pisces looked at Lora hopefully. "My bad, I know you don't have all day. I was so shocked to come in here and see the change! I actually got light-headed and had to go out to get some air! From the bottom of my heart, thank you all. I'm gonna have to think of something as a repayment. I swear I will.

"But for now, you two!" Pisces moved over to his rucksack. "I'm sure I already know this, but I'm also sure I already forgot. Names and ages, please?"

"I'm Link," he said. "I'm ten. Tetra is nine."

"No I'm not!" she yelled, making him giggle in response. "I'm older than you!"

"Yeah, probably by an hour or two," Pisces said, grinning. "But the work I do is unsafe and not recommended for minors. Whelp, that means I've got absolutely nothing for you both to do today."

Lora's brows lowered by a fraction of an inch.

"Alright, I'll stop! AJ's got something for them to help her with. Can the three of us get aquatinted a little first, Lora?"

"What does that mean, and how much time will it take?" Lora asked.

"Wow, she really wants to get rid of us!" Tetra hissed to Link.

He raised a brow. "That makes you upset?"

"Well…it shouldn't, but still does!"

Pisces now had two little cloth satchels in hand. He handed each child one. Link opened his, intrigued by the sweet scent. Inside was a sugar-glazed circular piece of bread with a hole in the middle.

"That's a donut," Pisces said to Link. To Tetra, who was holding a brown square of something, the Zora added, "And that is chocolate."

Link had never heard of either, but when he took a bite out of the donut, his tongue almost exploded with sweet softness. The taste was incredible. He went ahead and gobbled up the rest of it before taking another breath.

Then he asked Tetra, "Are you..."

"Will you get—YES, I'm going to finish it," she snarled, holding her chocolate away from him. She wearily munched at it while Link watched with interest, trying to imagine what it could have tasted like.

Pisces spoke up, "I've got more that are leftovers, if you don't mind eating after a fish—oh, okay, okay!" he laughed, when they almost jumped on him. "Alright, let me go get 'em…"

The Zora retrieved a half-eaten donut and a smaller square of chocolate, handing them over. The children eyed each other's hands for a moment.

"...trade you," Tetra said, and Link nodded. They exchanged items. Link found the chocolate sweet, but furrowed his mouth up at the unique taste. It was distinctive and still good, but he was sure he liked the donuts more.

"Where did you get this stuff?" asked Tetra.

"Serenala, in the east. I think the sugar will keep you both motivated enough, right?"

"I guess. What do we have to do? It's not boring, is it?"

"See, well, sometimes, you have to be bored when it comes to learning important lessons," Pisces told her patiently. "So, you both are new, yeah? I need you both to get familiar with Hearthstone's layout ASAP. The sooner, the better. What you need to do today is make deliveries for a close friend of mine named AJ, and she's got a lot of clients in the capital. Understand?"

"I've already been around the capital, though," Tetra complained. "It was all Kita's fault!"

"Kita at fault? Sounds about right," Pisces said offhandedly to Lora, who only shook her head disapprovingly at the name. "Well, did you happen to get familiar with the main streets, the side streets, the good parts and bad? Not that AJ would have you going anywhere bad, but…"

"Do we really have to memorize every little detail?"

"Nah, I'm the only one in my family who isn't a perfectionist. I've got a map to help you, don't worry. Look," Pisces said pointedly, raising his eye ridges, "I get it, it's not that exciting. You have to prove to me you're responsible and hard-working first, then we'll sit down and talk more about doing more adventurous things."

"Really?" Link asked eagerly.

"With time," Lora weighed in. "And if there's anyone who can perceive someone's work ethic, it will be AJ."

"Yeah, for sure. Gal's hard to impress." Pisces said. "She doesn't have a crew to help her get work done, you know. Most of the year it's just her on her own. Life's a little tougher when you don't have people at your back."

"Oh...alright," Tetra muttered, looking at the ground. "I understand."

Pisces explained that AJ lived in the orchards outside of the capital walls, overseeing a cherry farm named Coker Acres. He pulled a map from his rucksack and handed it over to them, then began looking through the desk for something else.

"Wait one moment, now where did I put…those…" He bumped his head as he stood. "—d'ow! They can't be that far. I've got these starter kits with important tools and stuff in 'em. I can't be your employer without giving you a little something-something to make things more convenient, right?"

"We get stuff? Let's see it!" Tetra said eagerly.

"III…can't remember where I put them," Pisces said regretfully. "Oh no, do not tell me I left them at the shipyard…"

"I can whisk over to check before I go," Lora told him. To the children she said, "Make sure you pay attention to what she tells you to do and how to do it. AJ does not tolerate inattentiveness."

"You're not coming with us?" Link asked.

"I'm too busy, Link, remember? I trust that you both will do fine as long as you stick together and focus. Pisces and AJ will give you everything you need. Just note that at times you'll be watched and scrutinized, though not by myself. In the meanwhile I'll check up on you both as soon as I can. It's my hope that I don't get any bad reports."