Chapter Twenty-Four:
Enemies or Pie?

North

Ventus swore and looked around quickly. "We don't exactly have anywhere to go. Let's hide in the buildings."

Without waiting for an answer, the Hylian boy darted off to one of the nearest barns. Calling after him would be too noisy, so North was left with one option; following this impulsive fool. Follow he did, soundlessly, like his shadow. He paused though as Ventus entered and climbed a ladder in the barn up into the rafters. This structure was old; the wooden planks were rotting in places. Yet he had the same issue as before, calling out to the Hylian boy would likely alert the Gerudos in the abandoned village.

North hesitated too long; Ventus was already up that ladder without him. He heard the creak of the weak support beam he was now inching along. That's when he heard another person enter the barn. North ducked quickly back around the barn entrance, crouching low by the mossy and overgrown outer wall. He listened carefully, feeling those gentle vibrations pulse through the ground underneath him as well. There was an audible crack that snapped through the air. North felt his heart sink, falling faster than Ventus did.

The boy from the outside then summoned wind with a cry, "Kaze!"

Years of dust and dirt blew into the air. North felt the thud reverberate through the ground. There was another one that followed. Did Ventus knock the other person to the ground? North stole a peek around the barn's wall, trying to see more. The debris in the air obscured them somewhat, but he spotted that rich red hair and glint of metal through it as well as Ventus' blond head. The Hylian stood before the Gerudo and then charged him with another gust of wind and dust. He tackled the Gerudo to the ground again, pinning him down.

When North saw Ventus' hand clamp over the other's mouth he wondered for a moment if he would kill that person, like he had those wolves in the forest. Violence, chaos, hate; it burned in those hazel eyes before. If he called those out the magic word, then that would be it. There was a single pause in that breath of a moment, ringing as the dust started to settle again. Another crack above them sounded as more of the broken support beam came loose.

"Kaze!" Instead of ripping the air from his victim's lungs, there was another gust that pushed Ventus and the Gerudo through a pair of old doors. North dashed quickly around the barn outside to have the two come into view again. Covered in sawdust and broken wood, Ventus and the Gerudo lay in a heap on the ground outside the barn.

North felt the vibrations of another person approaching. At first glance, their features might have been reminiscent of a Gerudo. That towering form shared the same shock of crimson hair and was dressed in a style that best suited desert life, but that was where any resemblance ended. In fact, with each passing moment, the person looked less and less so. Not Gerudo. Not even human.

The creature seemed carved from little more than sinew stuck stubbornly to bone, every dip and curve of his musculature evident under sickly translucent flesh that held the bloodless sheen like silver-skin; the paleness of a corpse. It made the inky-black spilling over his delicately boned wrists and ankles seem all the more stark, drawing the eye to the tips of his very long, taloned fingers.

Richly crimson and clipped into a jagged line about his chin, his hair spilled into a nest of braids that trailed below his waist. Several long plaits hung awkwardly about his rawboned shoulders as he bent slightly over the pair of young men. Gold-capped bangles added an eerie tune as the hairpieces clattered together—it was the only sound the creature made. The unruly hairstyle half-obscured delicately sculpted cheekbones and a strong jaw, features that were neither entirely masculine nor were they feminine. In the depth of those molten-copper eyes there was a burning intensity that didn't match the even, emotionless slack of his features.

Savage claws wrapped delicately around the back of Ventus' skull as the creature leaned over the two of them. Somehow, despite the ferocity of that grip, he took care not to tear into the young man's flesh. With an achingly slow motion, the creature lifted Ventus completely off of the Gerudo. As if the boy weighed nothing, the chimera hefted him high into the air, peering into Ventus' unconscious features. A rumbling echoed through the creature's hollow chest as he forced air from his useless lungs in a slow growl. Then, with that same achingly slow motion, he diverted his gaze back to the Gerudo.

Ventus had mentioned nothing of such a creature to North as he saw him approach the heap of broken wood and dust that was the Hylian boy and the Gerudo. His instincts told him to freeze and watch as the creature lifted Ventus up and out by his head. With the creature's free hand, he offered out that black-taloned palm to the Gerudo. The savage intensity in his gaze softened immediately. Ventus, still swaying in mid-air, seemed almost entirely forgotten.

The Gerudo in the splintered wood pile was sitting up slowly, pushing a board off himself. He looked up at the creature who held the Hylian boy in his grip. His golden bronze eyes widened. "T-tehne! Uhko, hehviji hatis, Eiji."

The creature tilted his head quizzically at the Gerudo and pulled his reaching hand back, curling those taloned fingertips. Almost foggily, as though it were an afterthought, he settled that dreamy copper gaze on the boy in his hand. The creature was forced to peer upward into that unconscious face as the youth as his limp form was still hefted high and at arm's length. With surprising tenderness, the creature lowered Ventus to the ground and carefully peeled his talons away from the boy's tender flesh. The Gerudo sat up on his knees, leaning over the Hylian's unconscious form.

North was confused. Ventus said the Gerudo were all women except for their king. Now that the dust had settled and cleared, this one looked masculine, but he supposed there was still a lot he didn't know about the outside. It also seemed like through their exchange, the creature lowered Ventus. It didn't seem like they were going to hurt him, not at the moment anyway.

"Ehs fakar…" the Gerudo boy began, "Sae, kak jkadalit."

As he said that, two more suddenly appeared from the broken down streets. One was decidedly more feminine, and upon seeing the two, put her hands on her knees and began to pant, catching her breath.

"Ehxi … Jkadali, bi af," she gasped.

Another Gerudo ran up to the masculine-looking Gerudo and Eiji. While there was a feminine undercut, they had wrapped their chest in bandages, and any breasts which would be there were pressed down flat. They were carrying a knocked bow and arrow. When they stopped next to the other two, they peered at Ventus, still unconscious on the ground.

"Mihreks, otola… kak ax?" the Gerudo asked, carefully nudging him with their foot as if one might poke a dead animal with a stick.

"Muhslumehk." Eiji offered the word absently, still peering down from his towering height at Ventus.

The creature stooped over the boy with an air of childlike curiosity, a taloned hand reaching out and hovering over Ventus' chest. Eiji prodded the boy raptly in the sternum twice—just two gentle taps with that dangerously sharp fingertip.

There was a deep gasp from Ventus as his body stirred to life, eyes fluttering open. A brief pause and a terrified scream, quickly backing up only for a small bird to fly straight into him and begin hooting angrily and pecking at him.

"Ow! Fuck! Ceres stop it!" Ventus said, trying to catch the very angry owl. "Rini, get Ceres to stop!"

That was when the Gerudo woman spoke, shock lacing her voice. "Ventus?!"

Ventus looked over, his eyes widening upon seeing the woman who was immediately running up to the Hylian boy and pulling him into a hug. "F-Farah?"

The first Gerudo watched with intrigue. He also then spoke in Hylian, "You know him?"

"Yeah, I used to babysit him and his kid sister when I was in Castle Town," Farah said, holding Ventus still in a hug, the owl landing on Farah's shoulder, puffing her chest out angrily. Rini must have told Ceres to stop, at least for now. "He was always really interested in clothing especially."

"Farah, you're hurting me," Ventus gasped and Farah loosened her grip.

"Sorry," she said, brushing him off, giving him a warm smile before looking around. "Where's Rini?"

There was an awkward silence before Ventus pointed next to Ceres, just behind her. Farah turned and looked, and upon seeing no one, paused, and just said in a soft voice, "oh."

The creature's features remained unchanged until Farah grasped the boy and pulled him into a tight embrace. Eiji did little more than follow the exchange with a tilted head and craning his neck gently to look behind Farah. Something had passed between the two. The creature's molten copper eyes watched Ventus and Farah with an eerie intensity, curious but quiet.

The male Gerudo spoke again, raising a brow in genuine confusion, for he asked, "'Oh' what? No one is there."

Ventus looked down, tears beginning to well in his eyes. The other Gerudo, lowering his bow and arrow, which had been trained on Ventus, and gave the other male Gerudo a look that could be understood across all language barriers as "really?"

"Ventus' mother came from a Sheikah family," Farah explained slowly and gently, reaching up to and looking at the owl on her shoulder. She held a hand out. Ceres gently hopped on to it. Farah brought her next to Ventus, seeming to understand the relationship between the two without being told. "He probably has their gifts, at least to some degree."

Ceres hooted, as if confirming.

The Gerudo boy did realize he must have said something wrong upon the welling of tears in the other boy's eyes. Though confusion still furrowed his red brow. He made eye contact with the other Gerudo and shrugged helplessly.

The inky-dark of those sinister talons curled tentatively over the tactless boy's shoulder, but Eiji's attention remained firmly on the gleam of unshed tears in Ventus' eyes.

"Dead, Ba'al." The creature's tone was a dry hush. Empathy swam in the depths of those molten gold eyes. "...and the dead are only truly lost if they are forgotten."

Understanding flashed across the Gerudo's face finally, making it fall softly. "Oh… I'm—I'm sorry."

Ventus didn't say anything, just rubbed his eyes. Any sense of violent hatred was gone, and all which was left behind was a scared, mourning boy who hadn't taken the time to process the loss of his little sister.

Farah clapped her hands, as she looked around.

"Hey, it's probably dangerous to move much further from here. Why don't we spend the night and get to know each other," she suggested, before looking at Ventus. "Is it just you and uh," she looked at Ceres and eyes flickered back to the empty space where Ventus gestured where Rini was.

Ventus looked up, bit his lip, but didn't answer.

North sighed and stepped out from behind the barn. They could have killed Ventus many times by now. The female Gerudo seemed to be very fond of him too. They didn't seem that warlike to him. This was why he preferred to see things for himself. Though, he still eyed the pale and towering creature cautiously.

Eiji let his taloned grip slide from his Master's shoulder in favor of watching the new arrival. Moving with that same eerie silence as ever, Eiji merely tilted his head; bangles in his untamed braids clattering dully.

"Do you know this one, too, Farah?" the archer Gerudo asked, and Farah frowned at them.

"No," she said simply before turning back toward North, the easy-going smile appearing again. "But hey, I'm sure it's fine. By the way, I'm Farah, and this one with the mouth is Jamal." She gestured toward the archer before moving toward the one in the barn. "This is Ba'al and the scary-looking one is Eiji. He's more like a guard puppy though. Looks scary, but he's gentle."

Farah's introduction tugged the hint of a smile onto Eiji's lips. The creature dipped his head and managed to look demur; almost shy.

"I already know Ventus here, but who're you?" she asked.

North glanced at Ventus, making eye contact with him to be sure this was safe. Ventus glanced at Farah, nodding slightly toward her before shrugging. Ceres, noticing North's look as well, glanced toward the empty air before giving a hoot. North looked back to Farah. The pale one still made him feel uneasy.

"I'm North. I'm traveling with him."

"Well, North, nice to meet you," Farah said, before looking around the deserted village. "There aren't any other people here besides us. The buildings look old, but we should be able to find one that won't fall down on us to settle down in."

"It's not much protection, but it'll do," Jamal grunted, shouldering their bow. "Knowing you, they're gonna be with us at least for the night, right? I'll look for some food, and see if I can find anything else about this place. Ba'al, Eiji, you staying with Farah or coming with?"

"I'm staying," said Ba'al with a smile. "See you later."

North studied Ba'al and Jamal. They both looked more masculine than Farah. Jamal had wrapping over his chest, and Ba'al didn't. His was exposed but clearly flat. Both had to be too young to be Ganondorf. Ventus was impulsive too, that much North knew already. If he thought they were in danger, the Hylian would already be acting.

"I remain by my master's side, as always." Eiji's rumbling tone was little more than a hush as he dipped his head toward Jamal, acknowledging his departure.

Jamal waved his hand, before walking away muttering under his breath. Ven watched him go, putting his hand on his back before looking at the others.

"What are you all doing out here?" he asked cautiously.

"That's something we should be asking you!" Farah said, frowning. "It's dangerous, especially for kids like you two. What happened for a couple of boys to be wandering across Hyrule Field, especially without any adults? You're lucky you ran into us."

North stayed quiet, glancing at Ventus from under his straw hat. The Hylian was the only one of them who had been to the outside. He could really only trust his lead, which he was starting to regret. Ventus, however, simply gave a shrug and didn't answer Farah's question.

If she was surprised by the answer, she didn't show it. Instead, she simply pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Okay, we're all under a lot of stress right now and suspicions are running high. You two should travel with us if you don't have anywhere else to go," Farah said, letting out a breath. "We'll all be safer if we travel together."

Ba'al shook his head softly to himself first. "Farah, you knew this Hylian once. It's been a while since then. Our people have been at war. You can't just act like nothing changed. He doesn't trust us."

The Gerudo looked at him as he spoke, almost as if waiting for him to respond to it. Ventus looked down, and while it wasn't a verbal confirmation, it was good as one. However, Farah seemed unable to take this.

"And they're both kids, Ba'al! Same as you, Jamal, and I think Eiji! I can't just… turn my back to them. I know there is a war, I know things have changed, but we can work together! You're all such sweet boys …"

"You forget, technically, I'm not a boy anymore." Ba'al tapped a gem, at the center of his braided hairline. It looked like a large piece of frozen sunlight to North. "They look only a little bit younger than me."

"Hylians are considered adults at age fifteen; they don't have the rite of passage like we do," Farah said before putting her hand on her chin, doing some quick mental math and glancing at Ventus, who was staring at the gem, clearly confused at what its significance was.

"You're… fourteen now right?" Ventus nodded, and Farah turned to North. "How old are you?"

North paused as he considered it and answered, "Fourteen winters."

The Gerudo smiled. "I was right."

"But I was right in the fact they're still boys," Farah protested, clearly aiming to win this argument. "But think about it. If they're with us, we can shield them from Gerudo wanting to pick fights. And they can shield us from Hylians wanting to pick fights. The only thing we need to worry about then is the monsters and the legions of undead. Plus—" she pointed to Ventus. "He has a tendency to get in trouble."

"Wait a minute," Ventus suddenly looked insulted. Ceres, on the other hand, just hooted in confirmation.

Eiji tiled his head quizzically back and forth as the conversation continued. It wasn't until Farah mentioned the possible dangers that he ventured to comment. The creature's smile was sheepishly coy, despite showing a brief flash of needle-like fangs.

"...it is my duty to ensure you have little to worry over…"

The Gerudo boy, or man as he claimed, smiled at the creature's words. North did agree with the unspoken smile. He and Ventus had more to gain by traveling with them than the other way around. Even if the creature was unnerving, seeing it as protection made him feel safer. They certainly could have overpowered them easily. They didn't need to pretend or lure them into a sense of safety.

"Ventus," began North, but he paused and waved him to come closer to him. Ventus scooted closer to North, Ceres hopping off his shoulder to land on Ba'al's, looking closer at the shining jewels.

"What are you thinking?" Ventus asked, his voice barely a breath.

"Their monster is scary but well-behaved," began North under his own breath to him, relieved the Hylian chose to ask. "But you were the one who told me the Gerudo were warlike. You also said Ganondorf was their only male, but I've seen two already that aren't him."

"They probably just swapped genders," Ventus murmured, before nodding his head at Ba'al. "He must have managed to change over already. Probably before the war. And the Gerudo have a warlike culture as they focus on training their kids for battle since they can, like, walk, though there are exceptions like Farah. She's a dancer and a merchant. It's been years, but she's still acting like how I remember her at least…"

North frowned this time in confusion, mostly about what he first said. "What does 'swapped' mean?"

"Oh, it means when the sexual stuff you were born with doesn't match what you are inside," Ven explained. "So if you were born with girly parts, but you know you're a boy, you want to have boy parts, right? People who get their bodies fixed to fit their real selves.

"Some people have no real attachment to their gender, and they're called agender and some people can feel like a boy or girl depending on the day."

North felt much more confused than he was before. He shook his head to himself and then asked, "Does any of this mean we can trust them?"

"I'm willing to give Farah the benefit of the doubt," Ventus said after a moment of thinking. "And, well… the other two don't seem to be that bad. Eiji gives me the chills, but he might have just had some sort of bad accident and didn't really get good treatment. The whole master thing is weird though. Ba'al might be some sort of Gerudo noble with that, plus the fact he could afford to change his gender. Should be careful of that, but… it might not be bad to travel with them. At least for a bit. We might be able to get information we couldn't otherwise."

Again, the Hylian boy's conclusions left something to be desired. North wondered if the creature called Eiji was cursed. Perhaps he encountered an angry spirit. He did notice how the Gerudo, Ba'al, pointed to the stone that crested his hairline. It seemed to mean something in their culture. If they weren't dangerous, then he was keen on resting with them before moving on. Ventus needed to rest more than he would actively notice. The wounds on his back were still healing.

"Then we agree," said North.

Ven nodded before turning back to the Gerudo.

"Okay," he announced. "We're willing to stay with you guys for a bit."

Farah had been in a discussion with Ba'al, or perhaps continuing their argument, before turning to the two of them and looking excited. "Really? That's wonderful! I won't be the only girl then with Ceres and Rini here!"

Ventus smiled softly at hearing Farah acknowledging his dead sister's existence.

Caught in the midst of two conversations, excluded from both, Eiji's attention had settled on the bird happily perched on Ba'al's shoulder. There was a silent but intense curiosity in the creature's molten copper gaze as he craned his neck down, peering over the Gerudo's shoulder at the little avian. The creature had only just begun to raise a single, clawed fingertip toward the animal when Farah's excited words brought him back into the moment. That finger retracted and fell back to his side.

Ba'al watched the bird on his shoulder and then looked over at the Hylian boy again and smiled. "I'm grateful to be in your presence and honored by your trust."

"Uh, you… too?" Ventus said slowly, clearly not sure how to process Ba'al's words, looking between Farah and North for help. On the other hand, Ceres seemed to have noticed Eiji's curiosity and cautiously approached the creature. She hooted and pecked at one of the decorations at the end of his braids.

Eiji's melancholy features split into a soft and utterly genuine smile as the bird tapped one of the golden bangles. It was brief and almost child-like before his visage went somewhat slack again. Carefully, one black-taloned finger reached out. His hand hovered just in front of the animal, not touching, but tentatively gauging Ceres' reaction.

Ceres took a moment to study Eiji before jumping on his finger and scooting up his arm to explore.

"...hello…" Eiji's tone was little more than a dry rush of air.

The creature remained static, eerily still save for the idle tilt of his head as he watched the bird scurry up along his arm. That rawboned frame was bare from the waist up, only a few hammered copper circlets and bangles wrapping about his upper arm and wrists. His crimson hair was an unkempt, partially braided jumble that hung about him like a curtain, falling nearly to the creature's ankles.

Ventus glanced over at Ceres boldly climbing over Eiji, but returned his attention back to the other two. Ba'al had been distracted by this interaction as well.

"So… we should probably find a place to camp. I can sense some other ghosts here besides Rini, and I don't know if there are any poes," he suggested.

"Jamal will find a good place," said Ba'al, his gaze now anchored on the Hylian. "And Eiji is more than enough for a poe. We just have to wait for Jamal to return."

"... Uhm, okay," Ventus said, before glancing at Eiji. "... You're able to beat up poes? How?"

Eiji blinked as if only just realizing Ventus was there, though it was more in surprise that the boy was addressing him. It still took another breath before he turned his attention away from Ceres entirely to give thought to the question.

Air slithered through Eiji's lungs in a rasping sigh. His words came in a slow, gravelly monotone. "I am able to ease their suffering…" There was a hint of sorrow in the creature's tone. "...no soul, even a fragmented one, wishes to remain tethered…Every poe carries with it a spirit, in part on in whole, of who they were in life. It.."

Eiji's brow furrowed thoughtfully.

"...it is a kindness…a release…for a poe to be destroyed. Only the vessel that contains what remains of the spirit must be broken." Eiji's copper gaze fixed on Ventus, the furrow in his brow gone and his even mask returned. "...'beat up'." The creature clarified.

"What's getting beat up?"

Jamal announced himself, appearing around the building before Ventus could ask any more questions.

"Poes," Farah clarified before grinning. "These two are staying with us for a bit!"

"Oh good," Jamal said, rolling his eyes. "Glad we got that settled. Anyway, I managed to find a decent home that's still structurally sound with two floors. We should be able to set up a perimeter there and see who is coming further out. I also set up some traps. Hopefully, we'll get some animals during the night."

Ba'al smiled. "What would we do without you, Jamal?"

"Starve. Sleep in trees," Jamal said bluntly, but there was a bit of a smile on his lips. "Get your asses up though. I prefer to secure our surroundings before we start to eat." He glanced at the two Hylians. "Either of you two know how to cook?"

North bobbed his straw and leafy hat in an affirmative, glancing toward Ventus. The boy was looking utterly insulted at Jamal's words, a scowl returning to his lips.

"Of course, I can cook! And there's nothing wrong with sleeping in trees!"

Jamal stared at him for a moment before looking at Farah.

"You're on cooking duty. Clearly, they haven't had an actual meal in who knows how long," he said, ignoring Ventus' louder—

"Excuse me?!"

Ba'al smiled, amused by the interaction between his friend and the Hylian.

"I," began North hesitantly, "can help with hunting."

"Sounds good. Farah can teach your friends all about the wonders of spices," Jamal said, a smirk now playing on his face. "It'll probably be a nice change of pace, especially since he looks the type of guy who burns food on a stick and calls it a day."

"My mom was a baker; I know how to cook!" Ventus yelled, now completely engaged. "I'll show you; Farah, I'm cooking tonight!"

The smile on Ba'al face remained and deepened, but he turned his bronze eyes back toward his Gerudo friend. "I must witness this, so… I'll leave the hunting to you and North."

"Good more witnesses!" Ventus declared, standing up with a fierce determination, Ceres giving a small hoot from Eiji's head.

"If we're lucky we might be able to get something together for actual baking," Farah said, rubbing her hands together. "Ceres made excellent pies…"

"You know what, let's make this more interesting; how about Farah and Ventus have a cooking competition?" Jamal suggested. "Winner, hm… doesn't have to skin the animals."

"Deal," Farah said instantly.

"You're on!" Ventus exclaimed, already too far goaded into this.

Eiji watched the exchange with his muted attention, gaze only flickering up as the little avian, now perched comfortably on his head, offered a hoot. It was Farah's comment about pie baking that drew a curious glaze over those copper eyes. Quizzically, the creature looked from Farah to Ventus and back again, tilting his head.

"I…didn't know a bird could make pies…" At a loss, Eiji shifted his questioning gaze to Ba'al, feeling as though he might have missed something. The Gerudo snorted but stifled his laugh.

"Oh… Ceres is named after my mom. She was a baker," Ventus explained.

"She was so good at it," Farah said, lost in her own world. "Oh, I didn't think I would taste her baking again. We really need to get baking ingredients."

North looked over his shoulder at Ventus as he left him behind, following Jamal to go hunting. He seemed relaxed enough around these Gerudo. This was part of why he preferred to see things with his own eyes. He turned his attention back to the Gerudo with him, his flat expression serious.

"What are 'pies'?"