When Link and Tatl were able to properly see again, they found themselves right in front of the Clock Tower and looking outwards, just as they had when Link played the Song of Time previously. The sun was just rising over the horizon, Clock Town was bustling, and it was no longer raining. Or, rather, it wasn't raining yet.
"This is still so weird…" Tatl murmured, feeling uneasy as she saw the same events and people going on in front of them. She noticed the carpenter boss yelling at his workers and that odd boy with purple hair running from the Laundry Pool.
Link felt the same way, uncomfortable as he watched everything just reset like that. Worse still that he and Tatl were the only ones who remembered anything. He knew, for instance, if he went to try and leave towards the swamp once more, the guard would probably try and stop him at first before realizing he had a sword. Link would know, or at least he assumed, exactly what would happen while the guard would be clueless. Something about that just really rubbed him the wrong way.
"It is, but there's nothing we can do about it." Not much of a comfort, but really he had no idea what else to say. It was disturbing, but if all went well he's only have to see it a few more times.
"Right. So, what are we even going to do? Just wander around all day?" Tatl asked, just realizing there was no plan for this break that Link wanted.
Link had at least put a bit of thought into it. At least when it came to where he was going to sleep. And also, he could make some Rupees so he could buy food and water for himself and Tatl. "I have a few stops we can make." He said, heading to the Laundry Pool as the boy in the Keaton Mask dashed into it first.
"What sort of stops? You actually have a plan here?" Tatl asked, more baffled than anything. Well, whatever, she'd just see where this would be going.
Really, it was only two stops that Link made. The first was getting the Stray Fairy from the Laundry Pool and delivering it to the fountain. When questioned by Tatl, Link explained that it'd be a good place to sleep such as when he was a Deku. He'd just feel really bad if he used the Great Fairy's Fountain as a resting place without at least restoring her first.
Notably, the Great Fairy herself offered no further boons, as if she somehow knew Link already had two of them, much to his and Tatl's surprise. At first they wondered if she somehow remembered the time loops, but she made no such thing clear. The only other thing is if she just sensed Link's boons and had nothing left to give.
The other errand really confused Tatl as Link went to the Bomber guarding the way to their hideout and gave the code. "I'm going to need money for supplies." He explained to the fairy as they made their way to the observatory. "No telling if we can get free food like at the Deku Palace a second time."
It quickly clicked with Tatl what Link had in mind. "You mean the Moon's Tear? You think it'll fall again so you can pawn it off?"
Link didn't know what 'pawn off' meant, but he assumed she meant to sell it. "I just had this feeling the Skull Kid sent it down at us the first time, trying to hit us." And missed, of course. Maybe on purpose just to freak Link and Tatl out, or maybe just sincerely not getting his target quite right.
Tatl hate to admit it to herself, but if Link was right on this, it was a good plan. "Well, there's no telling if it'll even work. What will you do then?"
Unfortunately, Link had no backup plan on that. "Try to find food some other way." He admitted. Though, if he were right on this, maybe he could find an inn and pay for a room. Zelda had once told him about various buildings around Castle Town, one of which was a place where people could pay for a bed to sleep in called an inn. If he couldn't get a room for whatever reason, the Great Fairy's Fountain would be the backup.
"Well that's helpful." Tatl scolded with the roll of the eyes. "Guess you didn't think that far ahead, huh?" She took it back; it was a bad plan!
Alas, it turned out that Link was entirely right. When they got to the observatory, Professor Shikashi welcomed them just as kindly as he did the first time. And, like the last time, he let them use his telescope when Link asked politely. As before, when Link looked through at the Skull Kid, a flaming rock shot out from the Moon's eye, landing right next to the observatory with a crash.
"Ah! That sound…!" The elderly man exclaimed. "You should go an investigate that, young man."
As Link and Tatl went out and saw that another Moon's Tear had fallen, the fairy crossed her arms. "Well…I guess we got lucky, huh?" She was getting pretty annoyed at Link being proven right over and over. Though at the very least he was dead wrong that doing the Deku Butler's stupid obstacle course would get anything worthwhile…
The Moon's Tear was warmer than last time, probably due to the lack of rain, but Link was still able to pick it up. It was also better since he wasn't stuck as a Deku this time, so it wasn't such a chore to lift and carry as he walked.
When the two went back in, the Professor looked amazed. "Ah, a Moon's Tear! I had a feeling! That's a rare find, you know. And since you saw it first, you get to keep it." He glanced at the glass case which held another such object. "I already have one of my own, so it's no problem."
Of course, Link knew he'd say that. "Thank you, I appreciate it, sir. We should get going." No need to linger and chat, after all.
Professor Shikashi seemed a bit surprised but nodded. "Already? Well, I can't blame you. Probably going to go show your folks that Moon's Tear, huh?" The kindly man did seem mildly put off, and his gaze kept lingering on Link's eyes.
"Yes. They'll want to see it." Link replied, deciding that just lying would be easiest. It wasn't as though Professor Shikashi was going to remember this anyway. Normally he'd feel bad about lying but with that in mind, he was able to live with it.
"Good, good. Careful on the way back, now!" The elderly man said as Link and Tatl went down the ramp of the observatory.
Once they were out of earshot, Link looked to Tatl. "How much do you think I can get for this?" He asked the fairy. The Hylian still only had a loose grasp on Rupees and how much something would cost. On top of that, his math skills hadn't changed since two years ago. Addition and subtraction were still hard for him if he was working with numbers in the double digits. He couldn't count past one hundred very easily and had to use his fingers. So, he was going to have to rely on Tatl for both reading and math.
"How would I know that? Do I look like a shopkeeper?!" Tatl demanded, really hating when Link asked what she considered to be stupid questions. For whatever reason, it seemed like he thought she was just an expert in everything regarding Termina. She lived here, sure, but that didn't mean she knew everything about it!
Link understood she wouldn't know everything, but he had to at least try. He knew far less than Tatl, and he had no one else he could rely on. Yes, their partnership was forced, but it was still a partnership at the end of the day. He thought maybe he could look to her for help. Or, maybe, he just kept subconsciously acting like he was with Navi, who was more than happy to answer his questions to the best of her ability.
Of course, he didn't like comparing the two fairies when he was able, that wasn't fair to Navi…
"Can you tell me the best place to go to sell it?" Link pushed. Any amount of Rupees was better than none, so he had to get this thing sold off. Not to mention he could do this each instance they went back in time.
That, at least, Tatl knew. "The best place would be the Curiosity Shop in West Clock Town. I mean, the guy that runs it is kind of sketchy, but…he's the best bet. Just try not to let him swindle you, think you can handle that?"
"I don't know what swindled means." Link confessed, though he sort of guessed what it meant. He still liked to know things like that, there were still hints of curiosity left in him, one of the few childlike traits he had left.
Tatl sighed. "Can't read, doesn't know words…" She mumbled, purposefully just loud enough so Link could hear. "Rip us off, pay us less money than he should. Get the picture now?" The fairy asked, her voice about as condescending as she could muster.
The Hylian expected Tatl to be nasty about it, so he just let her attitude run off of him as usual. "Alright, I'll need your help on that though. I'm not good with money."
Once more, Tatl sighed. "That doesn't surprise me. Alright, I'll help you out…"
"Thank you." Link said, with a bit of sincerity. Maybe if he at least acted more polite to Tatl, she'd not be so hostile when he felt he had to ask her things. Given how she let out a grumble under her breath in response, he quickly began to doubt his plan would work…
Making their way out of the sewer was easier than before with Link able to carry the Moon's Tear without issue at all. He had to wonder just what made the rock so valuable. Was it because it was pretty, or because it was rare? The boy had seen both the Princess and other members of nobility around Hyrule Castle wearing jewelry, as well as some of the women in the marketplace.
He never really understood the point, though. A lot of it was just gold, which was just a pretty golden metal, and different colored rocks. They were pretty rocks that shone a bit in light, but that made little difference to him. The Spiritual Stones were something important and held a sacred power in them, but all the gems, jewels, and stones that Link saw otherwise seemed meaningless. He didn't ask anybody what the point was, feeling like he was missing out on something obvious and was afraid of looking stupid.
Well, it didn't matter as long as the Moon's Tear got him a lot of Rupees…
Before long, the boy and fairy had made it to West Clock Town. By that point, most of the shops were open, though it was still too early for too many people to be out and about. Tatl lead her partner to the Curiosity Shop, but stopped him before they went in. "Remember what I said! Don't get swindled! I'll try and help, but the guy in there will be paying more attention to you than me." After all, Link was the one carrying the Moon's Tear.
"I'll try." Link replied simply, not really sure how to avoid something like that. Turning the doorknob, he stepped into the shop, Tatl right at his side. The inside of the shop was a lot warmer than outside, and the air was actually a bit musty. Apparently whatever was inside the shop itself was old and gave off a corresponding and unpleasant smell…
The interior of the shop was somewhat cramped. Along the walls were large boxes filled with what looked like totally useless objects to Link. Ancient urns and pottery sat on shelves above those boxes, and there were also some masks on the wall that seemed more for decorative purposes than anything else.
Besides Link and Tatl, the shop was empty save for its owner. He stood behind the desk, eyeing the two as they walked in. The man was pretty average looking, wearing smoky sunglasses that made looking at his eyes somewhat hard. His head was mostly devoid of hair save for the sides. He also had a bit of a wispy mustache and a small beard.
When the two approached, the shop owner let out a low whistle as he saw the Moon's Tear in Link's hand. "Well hey, little man. That's quite the rock you got there." The man declared, smiling with a sort of smug confidence.
Tatl could already see the gears turning in the shop owner's mind, as if contemplating any way to rip Link off. At least that was the vibe she got. She didn't trust the guy as far as she could throw him! "Don't accept his first offer, it's going to be too low." The fairy whispered in the Hylian's ear, too quiet for the shop owner to hear.
"I was hoping to sell this." Link informed the merchant, placing the Moon's Tear on the counter. "How much would you give me?"
The shopkeeper looked at the large blue stone, humming to himself and turning it about to view it from all angles. "My, my…this is quite the sight! This is a Moon's Tear, isn't it…?" From his tone of voice, it was clear he knew exactly what it was, and was doing a poor job of hiding that fact. That, or he just didn't care if Link knew. "Mmm…Ya know, normally these don't go for a lot…but for you, I'll give ya a hundred Rupees for it."
A hundred Rupees? That was a lot! Link felt like he could buy a lot for something like that. "That sounds fine. I-"
"No!" Tatl exclaimed quickly, cutting Link off. She flew to his ear and pinched it with her tiny fingers. He barely felt it, but still felt some pain. "You idiot! I told you not to fall for his tricks!" The fairy hissed in his ear. Turning to the store owner, she cleared her throat. "Really? You can do better than that, can't you? Moon's Tears are a lot rarer than you're giving them credit for…"
When Link had nearly accepted the deal without a fuss, the shop owner seemed pretty satisfied. But when Tatl interrupted, his smile was wiped off his face in an instant. "I dunno what you mean. They're pretty common, ya know."
"Rocks that fall from the sky are common?" Tatl asked, not hiding her disbelief in the man's obvious lie. "I mean if they're really common, you probably have some with you in this shop, right?"
"Well, no, I don't. Doesn't mean anything. Just means no one's sold me any." The shopkeeper argued, rolling his eyes behind his glasses. "But alright, fairy, if a hundred's not enough, what do you want, then?"
Link stood there, feeling a bit awkward. He did exactly what Tatl told him not to do. But a hundred Rupees just really sounded like a lot. Was a pretty blue rock really worth more? Then again he still didn't understand the exchange of Rupees to begin with. They were just pretty gems that served no real purpose. Yet people exchanged them for food, houses, clothes, water…all sorts of things!
Back in the Kokiri Village, things were so much simpler and made a lot more sense to Link. If someone wanted something that belonged to someone else they'd borrow it. Or if it was something like food, it'd be exchanged for something of worth like a tool, a different kind of food, or a favor of some sort. Those were all things that, well, mattered. Handing over shiny gems for crucial things just didn't add up at all in Link's head…
"Four hundred, take it or leave it." Tatl said, having seen a lot of haggling before. She would say a price she knew she'd never get so the shopkeeper to actually go for. That way the price he haggled for would inevitably be higher, especially if she insisted the two would leave without selling him anything.
At that, the man scoffed. "Four hundred? Not a chance! Two hundred's about the best I can do." He insisted, crossing his arms at the fairy.
"Three hundred. This is a pretty big example of a Moon's Tear, you know." Tatl said, not knowing at all if that was even true or not. She just hoped this guy didn't know that…
Sighing, the store owner rubbed the back of his neck. "Two-fifty. Not gonna lower it any more than that." And this time he sounded a lot more serious than before.
Tatl knew this was the best she was getting due to his tone. "Alright, deal! Two-fifty!" She felt pretty proud of herself. After all, she more than doubled what the swindler was initially going to pay them! "See? That's how you do it!" She said to Link, not even bothering to hide her smugness.
"Thank you, Tatl." Link replied, grateful she fixed his blunder. As the store owner started to get the Rupees ready, he realized something. "I don't have a wallet." After all, why would he bring one to the Lost Woods? He was so focused on getting some money to use, it just slipped his mind! "Do you sell any here?"
The shopkeeper had seemed a bit annoyed, probably since Link had almost given him a far, far better deal than what he ended up with. At the mention of a wallet, though, he grinned. "Yeah…sure, kid. I got a pretty big one. Fifty Rupees and it's yours."
Link looked to Tatl, who shook her head back at him. "That's too low a price to haggle. It's not worth the effort." She informed the Hylian. "Just get it at full price."
Haggle? That must have been what Tatl and the shopkeeper had been doing. He was learning several new words this day. He decided to just listen to the fairy, he had already messed up once so far. "I'll get a wallet then." He told the man behind the counter.
That got a dry chuckle out of the shop owner as he reached under the desk and tossed a rather large wallet at Link, easily one big enough to hold all the Rupees he'd be getting and then some. "Why are ya walking around without a wallet or something to begin with? Weird kid…" He murmured that last bit to himself, but Link and Tatl were able to easily hear.
After Link collected his money and placed it in his wallet, he nodded to the shopkeeper. "Thank you, sir." With that, he turned around and simply walked off, Tatl following him and the man in the glasses murmuring to himself.
"Geez, I told you not to go for his first offer!" Tatl scolded, glaring at Link. She piped up as soon as the boy closed the shop door behind him.
For once, Link actually felt like he deserved some of the scolding he got from the fairy. It was true, she gave him very specific instructions and he instantly messed up. "A hundred seemed like a lot to me." That was the only real excuse he had, and it wasn't a very good one either.
"For something like that? How much do you think a hundred is? How old are you anyway?" Tatl asked, arms crossed. She assumed he was about twelve, but he never actually told her his age. "You can't read, and you barely seem to know how valuable something should be…"
Link knew he messed up, but did she have to keep ranting so much? He apologized and they got a lot of money, surely. "I'm twelve. I can't do math well or really count past one hundred." He thought he may as well tell her; in case they needed to buy or sell something or do anything that required math in the future. Of course, he knew that telling her meant…
"Jeez, you really are an idiot, huh? Didn't you go to school or something? Your parents never taught you to read?" Tatl pressed, really starting to get frustrated over just how abnormal Link was. Or, at the very least, that she didn't understand why he was so weird. He couldn't read, do math, and probably couldn't write either…yet he could fight monsters and use a sword and bow with expert skill. It just didn't add up, and that wasn't even considering the weird lack of emotions he presented.
And that's where Link cut his sharing off. "Let's go buy something to eat." He stated, walking off ahead towards South Clock Town.
"Don't ignore me when…" Tatl started, teeth almost gritting in frustration. However, she quickly gave up. "Oh, forget it…" She mumbled, realizing it wouldn't accomplish anything.
The two went through South Clock Town and went right through to East Clock Town. Link decided to get some food from the stalls that were there, rather than going in to eat at some sort of restaurant. Using only about twenty Rupees, which he had a bit of trouble doing on his own, he got some food for them. The boy and fairy sat at an empty bench near the guard post leading out of Clock Town. Link had bought two sandwiches for himself, some fruits, berries, and some bottles of water.
For a few minutes, the two were quiet, digging into their meal. Aside from what they got at the Deku Palace; they hadn't gotten any food since Link used the Ocarina of Time to reset the clock. Needless to say, they were starving, and just focused on devouring their meals and drinking their water as the hustle and bustle of the town went on around them.
After their appetite had been settled, Tatl let out a sigh of content while Link polished off the last bit of sandwich he had. "Is twenty Rupees a lot for all that?" He asked, a bit curious. The values of objects still confused him a lot, and he wasn't sure he'd ever quite learn. It was still somewhat of a challenge for him to remember how much each Rupee was worth. After all, he hadn't had to use any in two years.
"I mean, not really." Tatl said with a shrug. "It was good, though. I really needed that…" The fairy felt a bit calmer after a meal like that. After a moment, she turned to her unwanted partner. "So, what are we going to do now? Just wander around?" He said he needed a break, but they'd do something more than go about aimlessly, right?
Link pondered for a moment. He did need a rest, but that didn't mean he wanted to just sit around for three days. As long as he didn't have to fight or kill, he'd consider it a good break. "We can explore the town more." Or at least he could, since Tatl really knew this place more than him.
"And do what? Just see the sights? This is pointless, you know…" Tatl scolded, already getting riled up by what she perceived to be stupidity.
Well, in a way, yes. Link found himself curious about the area. He didn't want to be here at all, but if he was going to be trapped in Termina, he supposed he could familiarize himself with it. At the very least he had to see if he could get a room at an inn, but that could wait until later, he thought.
A sudden line of thinking struck Link. Who was in charge of Clock Town? He learned from Zelda that towns and villages always had someone in charge of them. Darunia led the Gorons, King Zora ruled over his domain, Impa was the mayor of Kakariko Village, and so on. So, who was running things in this town? He was very curious about this due to how poorly the situation with the Moon was handled. There was no forced evacuation even though it was blatant that the entre town was in danger! Who would just allow something like that to happen?
"Who is in charge here?" Link asked Tatl, deciding he wanted to meet this person for himself. Not to convince some sort of evacuation, there was no point, but just to sate his own curiosity. He had to see the person in charge with his own two eyes.
"What? The mayor? Why do you want to know?" Tatl asked, brow raised. She wasn't sure if he was just curious or if he needed to know for some explicit reason. "His office is here in East Clock Town. You don't want to talk to him, do you?"
Well, that was certainly convenient. Getting up from the bench and wiping breadcrumbs from his tunic, the Hylian turned to the fairy. "I do. Can you lead me to him?" Link disliked having to rely on Tatl to lead him about. If he could read, he could just go on his own, sure that Tatl would grumble along the way, but still follow him. This meant if Tatl turned down his offer, there was very little he could do about it.
Thankfully, though, Tatl decided she was willing to do this. It wasn't like they had any other plans. Granted, she still felt like they should be going North, but Link insisted he needed a rest. Of course, she did sympathize with him to some level. It couldn't have been easy, doing what he did. A small part of her actually felt bad for him. She still sort of blamed hm for all of this, but he had too endure a lot just to clear one Temple…
Putting on a show to sigh and huff. Tatl took to the air. If she was going to play along, she wasn't going to make it seem like she wanted to. "Fine, whatever. I'll take you over, I guess. But we'll have to wait a bit, it doesn't open until ten."
Glancing up at the sun, trying, and failing to ignore the sneering face of the Moon, Link figured it was around eight. He had taken his sweet time going from place to place and dragged out his meal quite a bit. So, he had two hours to kill? Withholding a sigh, he sat down again. "Alright, we'll just wait."
Sitting back down on the bench herself, Tatl sighed. "Well, what do we do, just sit here?" There had to be something else to do!
"Did you have another idea?" Link asked sincerely, looking over to the fairy. It was almost a bit of an odd sight if one were to look at him. Tatl wasn't too terribly visible in the morning sun due to her own general appearance. If someone glanced over at Link, it'd look like he was talking to empty space right next to him. Of course, with the bustle of the town, no one really paid attention to the boy in green.
Tatl huffed as she shook her head. "Not really. Aside from heading North, but we're not doing that now, so…I guess we just sit here." Normally, for fun, she'd prank people or something, but without Tael and Skull Kid, it wasn't the same. She knew goody-goody Link wouldn't partake, and doing it alone just wasn't fun for her.
And sit there they did.
The world went on around the boy and fairy as they watched. Once more, they saw the quiet panic that went on with Clock Town's citizens. Some went about as if nothing were wrong, yet a few would glance up at the glaring Moon that hung above them. Their impending doom was staring them from above, yet far too many of these people denied its existence. It was actually frustrating to watch! Still, they had little else to do to pass the time. After a while, Link noticed that the man who looked like Ingo walked out of a building.
This made him think back to Malon and the others back in Hyrule. And, once more, he pondered about how time was flowing there. Was it doing so normally, or was time turned back along with Termina's? He remembered how Zelda told him time was like a river, and how there were now two timelines back in Hyrule. The one he was living in for two years, and the one where Ganondorf had nearly gotten everything he had desired. If such a thing were possible then it sure seemed plausible that Termina was also another branch in the river of time, going off independently…
And then, of course, his mind wandered back to Malon and her specifically. He still had no idea how he was going to explain what had happened to Epona. With the cruel and dangerous things the Skull Kid had done, or what Majora's Mask influenced him to do, Link had doubts he simply let Epona go roam free somewhere. The Hylian felt that Malon would despise him for letting her horse be lost forever, and he couldn't blame her. He desperately hoped she'd be able to forgive him, of course, but he was fully willing to take whatever sort of hatred she threw at him if it came to that.
Tatl, too, thought of the Skull Kid. She gazed at the top of the Clock Tower, knowing that her friend and her brother were up there. The things that happened in the swamp with him attacking someone and leaving them to die and poisoning an entire area…that wasn't him. He pulled pranks and stole things, sure, but the things he had done lately were just…beyond him. And she knew it had to be Majora's Mask influencing him somehow. She just hoped that taking it away would fix her best friend.
The two silently mused to themselves about the problems in their lives, neither willing to be a shoulder for the other to lean on. Slowly, time ticked by, but eventually the sun and the massive clock on the Clock Tower told them it was ten. The latter for Tatl, at least, as Link had no idea how to tell time on such a device. Standing up, the Hylian stretched lightly as he got his gear back on. "You ready?" He asked.
Stretching herself, Tatl took to the air. "Yeah, let's get this over with." She mumbled, still not looking forward to seeing the mayor. To her it was a waste of time, but whatever. The fairy took Link through East Clock Town. After going through the crowds and past a number of buildings, reaching one that seemed particularly well-kept. "This it, go nuts, I guess. You'll have to talk to the receptionist."
Link didn't know what that word meant, but he just went inside anyway. The interior was nice and comfortable, some comfortable seating to the side. There were two doors ahead on either side of a desk and standing behind said desk was a pretty young woman with green hair. The Hylian assumed she was the receptionist, and as he approached he noticed she was reading a bit as she hummed to herself and shook her hips side to side idly. Clearing his throat, the boy spoke up. "Excuse me." He lightly called, noting how there was what sounded like some sort of argument coming from the room to his left.
Looking up from her book, the young woman seemed a bit surprised, surely not expecting a boy and a fairy. "You need something, honey? You lost?" She asked, her tone kind. Yet her gaze lingered on Link's eyes, her mouth twitching towards a frown before correcting herself.
This look didn't go unnoticed by Link. After all, a lot of servants in Hyrule Castle looked at him like that, especially when they met him for the first time. "I'd like to talk to the mayor, please." He requested, ignoring Tatl's sigh.
The receptionist ignored Tatl as well. She gestured to the room where all the arguing was happening. "He's in a meeting and you're welcome to go in…but don't expect much, honey."
Link was worried at that, and also wondered if this lady always called people 'honey' like that. "Thank you." He said simply, walking to the door as the receptionist watched him curiously.
"Why are we going in there? He's in a meeting!" Tatl hissed in Link's ear. "There's no point, he's not gonna talk to a kid like you!"
"I know." Link said with a small nod. "I just want to see what he's like." He never expected to have a long, impactful conversation with the mayor. The boy was merely very curious to see what the man was like.
As he opened the door, Link and Tatl were bombarded by arguing voices as they went inside. Before them was a fancy room with a desk and two bookshelves at the far wall. To one side was Mutoh and one of his carpenters. To the other were two guards, one of them looking more elite with gold-trimmed armor.
The fifth man in the room sat behind the desk in an ornate chair with a disturbing looking face at the top of it. Sitting in the chair was an almost frail looking man with deep purple hair. He had a wispy mustache and a goatee with wide and tired looking eyes. Though he was dressed in a fancy garb, he didn't look very authoritative like Impa had, the only other mayor that Link had known. At least, this man had to be the mayor given no one else in the room could be, but Link was just surprised.
None of the five men acknowledged that a boy and fairy just walked in, carrying on their argument like they weren't there.
"You cowards! Do you actually believe the moon will fall?!" Mutoh yelled, arms crossed and glaring at the guards before him. "The confused townsfolk simply caused a panic by believing this ridiculous, groundless theory. The soldiers couldn't prevent the panic, but outside the town walls is where the danger is! Captain Viscen is a cowardly fool! Isn't that right?!" He said, looking to the mayor.
Sheepishly, the mayor scratched the side of his head in thought. "Um…Erm…Uh…" he mumbled, not adding anything helpful at all.
The more decorated soldier, clearly Captain Viscen, scowled at the carpenter boss. "Are you serious, Mutoh?!" He demanded. "It seems that giant chunk of rock above us hasn't caught your eye! Isn't that right, Mayor Dotour?" The angry soldier said, looking to the man behind the desk.
Once more,, Mayor Dotour stammered out a bit, as if he had no idea how to speak to people. "Well…I…hmmm…" He mumbled, once more not adding anything to the discussion.
Mutoh let out a scoff. "If the soldiers wish to run, then run, Viscen! We councilmen will stick to tradition. This carnival will be a success! I've never heard of a defense unit abandoning its town!" The man smirked, looking to the mayor. "Madame Aroma would surely say the same thing, wouldn't she, Mayor Dotour?"
For the first time, Mayor Dotour perked up a bit. "Let's…not bring my wife into this, okay?"
Link had seen enough. The five men had yet to even notice his or Tatl's presence. He left the room, the fairy following behind.
"Well, was he what you expected or something?" Tatl asked as Link closed the door. The muffled fighting could still be heard.
To be honest, Link was a bit disgusted at the man's weakness and inability to act. He didn't usually judge people so harshly, but wasn't it his duty as mayor to protect his people? Yet the Moon was falling, and he did nothing! He couldn't even partake in a discussion! "I can't believe how feeble he was." The Hylian replied.
That was some of the harshest stuff Tatl head Link say, as little as that was. "Well, even I have to admit you're right. Now can we go? This place is all stuffy and dull."
Link shook his head. "I want to see what's on the other side." He said, looking to the door to the ride. Going up to the receptionist, he cleared his throat, so she looked up from the book she had started reading again. "Excuse me, what's through the other door?"
"Oh? That's where Madame Aroma is. Gorman's with her now, but I'm sure you won't mind if you wait in there to talk to her." The receptionist explained.
The mayor's wife? Link was a bit curious to see her as well, as it happened. "Thank you." He said, walking to the other door, Tatl once more sighing out as she followed the boy. Before he could open the door, it opened and the man who looked like Ingo, surely Gorman, walked out.
"Bah! Out of my way!" He sneered, practically pushing past Link as he went by and went towards the exit, grumbling something to himself.
"Yeah, well, same to you!" Tatl shouted after him. Either Gorman didn't hear her, or he just didn't care as he walked right out of the building and slammed the door behind him.
Trying to ignore that situation, Link entered the room as though nothing had happened. This new room was very cozy and warm, the crackling of a lit fireplace filling the space. There were a few cushiony and comfortable looking seats. On one of the couches was a large Zora, and in the chair a large woman.
Link's attention to the Zora as he spotted another copy. Before him was King Zora, or someone that looked remarkably like him. This version of the monarch was noticeably smaller, and rather than wearing a kingly garb, he wore a blue vest, and a top hat with a cane leaning against the couch next to him.
Once more, Link tried to ignore the fact that another person he already knew had a copy right before him. It helped that he and King Zora had barely spoken at all in either timeline. So, it didn't cause him quite the amount of stress as when he saw Malon's Uncle without it actually being him.
The woman, on the other hand, was someone Link had never seen in Hyrule. She was quite large in a golden dress and red hair. It seemed as though she didn't even notice the boy or fairy, as her attention was drawn to a book she was reading. Yet, it seemed as though she weren't quite paying attention to it, as though something were troubling her. Given what the receptionist said, she must have been Madame Aroma.
As Link drew close, the Zora perked up and looked over to him. "Ah! Are the fins damp lately?" He asked, noting how Link hesitated to give him a reply. "Oh, that's the greeting amongst us Zoras. Who are you, young man? My name is Toto." He introduced politely.
Link had never heard a Zora say that…it must be a Termina thing. "My name is Link, and this is Tatl." The boy replied, glancing to the fairy. He recalled spotting a few Zoras during his First Cycle in Termina, but Toto hadn't been among them.
"I see, I see. I'm actually surprised you haven't heard of me." Toto remarked. "I'm the manager of The Indigo-Go's that we Zora are so proud of. They've put out a lot of songs, have you heard 'Ballad of the Wind Fish' by any chance?'
Tatl felt she recognized that name. Usually, she just let Link do the talking, but decided to pipe up. "Wait, they're that Zora band, right?'
Toto glanced at Tatl, as if just realizing she was there. "Not a Zora band, but the Zora band." The manager corrected.
Link didn't even know what a manager was, but Zelda had told him about bands at one point. "Sorry, but no." The boy said with a shake of the head. "I haven't heard of them. I'm new here." He explained.
Before Toto could respond, Madame Aroma looked up from her book, apparently just noticing the two guests. "Oh! Young man, what are you doing in here by yourself?"
"We were just talking about The Indigo-Go's, Madame Aroma." Toto explained, looking to the woman.
"But he's just a child. Is there some school fieldtrip I hadn't heard about?" The woman asked, placing the book on a table next to her. "What are you doing here, young man?" Before Link or Tatl could answer, she spoke up again. "Wait, you must be that person-finder I hired! Yes, you came just in time!"
Person-finder? So, she had lost someone? Link hesitated for a moment, not sure on how to handle this. It sounded pretty serious, and the compassionate part of him wanted to help. "Who is that's missing?" He asked.
Madame Aroma huffed lightly. "I'm sure the letter I wrote mentioned that! Oh, well, I suppose it's fine. I can just tell you! The person you're looking for is my son, Kafei. But you know him, don't you?"
That was worse than Link thought, and he felt for the woman. Though…she didn't seem as worried as he expected her to. Maybe she wore a mask like he did. "I haven't, sorry. Can you tell me more about him?"
"What are you doing? This isn't part of our quest!" Tatl hissed in Link's ear, too quiet for Madame Aroma to hear her.
Like numerous times in the past, Link ignored Tatl, much to her annoyance.
"You don't? Mmm…must be from out of town…" Madame Aroma murmured before shaking the thought away. "Well, in any case, he's my son as I said. He's meant to get married during the Carnival of Time…yet he vanished without a trace! Please, you must find him!"
An adult man, then? Link noted this involved marriage. During his two years at the castle, he finally learned just what that word meant. Zelda had given him a basic understanding of the term; it was when a man and a woman loved each other and became husband and wife. Then they lived together forever. It sounded very nice and various serious…
"Okay, what does he look like?" Link pressed, not having gotten much useful information. All he knew was he was looking for an adult man, after all.
Madame Aroma reached for a drawer in the table and opened it up, taking an object out. It was another mask, though it was a tad unsettling. This mask was blank save for a simple black circular hole for mouth and two for the eyes. Attached to it was purple hair, one reminiscent of Mayor Dotour. "Here. This mask was made in his likeness." The woman explained, handing it to Link. "Wear it about as you look for him and see if anyone knows anything."
Link took the mask, feeling uneasy looking at it. It was so devoid of any characteristics! How was anyone supposed to recognize Kafei based off of this? Still, he didn't nearly have the heart to turn the request down. Nodding, he placed the mask in his bag. "I promise I'll find your son."
The woman let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, you are a gem! Please, do find him before the Carnival of Time starts. I'd hate him to miss his wedding, even if it's with…" She shook her head. "Never mind. Now, run along, young man."
It would've been nice to know who the wife-to-be was, but Link supposed if she knew anything, Madame Aroma would've known it and told Link already. "Yes, Madame Aroma." Link said politely, leaving the room with Tatl as the mother and Toto waved him off.
"Jeez, that thing's creepy…" Tatl murmured as Link closed the door behind him. "Why don't you just toss it?" And it wasn't like they had time for this anyway! Even if they found Kafei, he'd just be missing again when time was turned back again.
Shaking his head, Link went towards the exit to the building. "Of course not. I'm going to try and find Kafei." He replied simply.
Tatl huffed. "You're kidding, right? We're not going to actually look for him, are we? You're not going to waste time on this…right?!" She demanded.
Yet, to the fairy's dismay, Link didn't say a word as they left through the door.
A/N: Another mask for Link's collection an the start of the longest sidequest. Of course it'll get picked back up in bits and pieces along the way. And I want a breather of a chapter to happen every so often, maybe even several in a row at times. A lot of Majora's Mask involves exploring the various areas and finding problems of various sizes to assist with. So, Link will stop to smell the roses, of a sort, during the story.