I'm back from the depths with a new chapter. As always, thanks for baring with my inconsistent schedule.
Chapter 7: Communication
After their discussion, Jin and Ripp retired for the evening. The next day, when they met up again, the awkwardness from the night prior had vanished, replaced with the pure professionalism one would expect from a king and his bodyguard. They wasted no time settling in with Riju and Buliara in the throne room. During the night, the various couriers had returned. They had with them replies from the various races of Hyrule. Riju was currently holding the sealed envelopes in her hands.
"I believe you should read them first, Jin. It would be good for you to get acquainted with each of the groups around Hyrule," she reasoned.
"Sounds good. I do know of the different races, but I would like to know who each leader is."
Riju handed him a letter, "This one is from Zora King, Dorephan. I suspect I know what his response will be."
"Alright," Jin opened up the letter and read it. It was written very formally. "Seems like the usual congratulations, hope our people can continue to work together kind of stuff, but won't be able to send an ambassador to the inauguration due to the desert heat being extremely hazardous to Zora."
Riju hummed, "As I expected. The Zora don't really visit the desert due to the heat and lack of water being very dangerous to their health. We should reach out and see if we can visit sometime after the inauguration."
"That's fair. We'll send them something at a later time. Which letter is next?" Asked Jin.
She handed him another letter, "This one is from the Rito."
Jin took the letter and read it, "A little less formal, but still has the usual congratulations stuff. They recently had a change in leadership, with Teba taking over for Kaneli. They'll be sending an ambassador to the inauguration, it seems like it's going to be his wife Saki."
"That's a pretty normal response for the Rito. They have little to no trouble getting here since they can just fly over the worst of the desert," Riju noted.
"That's good though, and very good if we wanted to open discussions with them for any reason," added Jin.
"Next letter?"
"Yes please."
Riju handed him the next letter, "The Goron are next," she smiled looking like she was trying not to laugh.
Jin took the letter and read it, "Wow, that's some rough handwriting."
Riju finally laughed, "Yes, it's well known they're handwriting is rough. Goron aren't known for having great penmanship. But ask them a question in an area they ARE knowledgeable in, and they're VERY smart."
"Well that's good to know…it's just formal enough of a congratulations, and they'll be sending Yunobo as their ambassador…Huh…"
"Something wrong?" Asked Riju.
"Well, I've never met a Goron, but from what I've read and been told, they all seem very…masculine. Are they allowed in the town?"
Riju nodded, "A very good question. There's an old law written from we don't know HOW long ago that allows Goron into town, exempting them from the law. Maybe it's because they're sort of like the polar opposite of us? An all voe species? We don't know why the law was written, but it's there, and we have no reason to argue against it."
"Huh, well, there's my history lesson for the day," Jin said, earning a small chuckle from some in the room, "Next letter is?"
"The Shiekah. I'll be honest, I don't know what they're response will be," Riju admitted as she handed him the letter.
"Only one way to find out," Jin read it once to himself, then hummed.
"So, what's it say?" Riju asked.
"Sav'aaq Lady Riju, and to you as well Jin. We are glad to hear that the Gerudo will continue to have strong leadership for the foreseeable future. We appreciate your invitation to the inauguration, but will unfortunately be unable to attend. We are currently preparing for our own change of leadership and will be unable to send someone to make the trek through the desert. However, we would like to formally invite you to visit Kakariko Village sometime in the near future to help improve relations. Hope to hear back from you soon. Chief Impa."
"Interesting, looks like a good excuse for you to get out of town for a bit."
"Sure does, let's reach out to them and accept their invitation," he looked over to Riju, "Looks like there's one letter left, and I have a good feeling I know who it's from."
Riju just smirked and handed him the letter, "I bet you do."
Jin took the letter, the wax seal prominently displaying the triforce. "The royal family of Hyrule. There's only one vai this letter could have come from." He opened the letter.
"Read it aloud, I want to hear this one exactly as it's written," Riju requested.
"Sure thing," Jin cleared his throat, "Dear Lady Riju, it's been some we last spoke. It's great to hear from you. As you know, Link and I have been traveling Hyrule trying to help rebuild where we can. The inauguration of a new Gerudo king is such a momentous occasion, I will make sure to be present for it. Speaking of, Link and I will be in the area soon and would love to meet you both. Hope to see you soon, Princess Zelda… Wow, hard to believe I'm actually going to be meeting the Princess of Hyrule herself. What's she like?"
Riju couldn't help but chuckle, "She's an excellent and intelligent leader, while also being the most 'un-princess like' vai I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."
The look Jin gave her only served to make her laugh, "Well, I never would have guessed. Buliara, Riju, have either of you met them before?"
Buliara nodded and spoke first, "I have your highness," Jin fought back the urge to flinch, "Princess Zelda is indeed just like Lady Riju describes. As she said, it doesn't detract at all from the Princess' ability to lead. Her Champion on the other hand…"
Ripp spoke up next, "I've never met the princess, but Link is certainly odd, even by voe standards. Granted, I don't think anyone here will question his abilities or dedication to Hyrule as a whole. It's just that he's…"
Riju took over "He's a voe of few words, but as the saying goes, 'actions speak louder than words,' and his actions speak more highly than any other in Hyrule."
"Based on what you've told me about the whole thing with Vah Naboris, I believe it. But do we have a plan since he can't technically enter the town?" Asked Jin.
"Perhaps you can entertain him outside of town?" Ripp offered as advice.
Riju nodded, "I agree, maybe you could ride out on sand seals? We have time to think of something."
"Alright, so between that and organizing a trip to Kakariko Village, we've got our work cut out for us."
One of the guards entered the room, "Lady Riju, the tailor has arrived for Jin.
"Perfect, send her upstairs, Jin will meet her there," Riju ordered
"Understood," the guard nodded and left the room.
"Well," Jin stood up and stretched his arms, "Time to go get measured," after he finished stretching he started walking away, Ripp following closely behind him, "We'll be back in a bit." The future king and his bodyguard left the room.
"Lady Riju," Buliara started, "I might have an idea that might help His Highness entertain Link."
"So how did the measuring go, Jin? Any issues?" Riji asked later that night. The two of them were each on their own side of the room. Riju was lounging, while Jin was writing down a list of clothes he'd need.
"No issues whatsoever. Everything went smooth as silk, no pun intended. Thankfully, the tailor had no issues working on a guy like me. I was afraid she might try getting…frisky with me."
"I can imagine that would have been very uncomfortable. Do you suppose Ripps' presence deterred such behavior?"
"Nah, I don't think so. She was very professional from beginning to end. Although she did seem very excited to do her job 'for the king.' Still haven't gotten used to that."
"While not everyone will approve of you at first, you'll find many Gerudo out there who don't care who the king is. They'll follow you simply due to your station. It's been this way since the birth of our history," Riju explained.
"I don't want that though. If they believe in me that's one thing, but following me blindly would make me feel like more of a cult leader than a proper king." Jin shook his head, even though Riju couldn't see it.
"And that's one of the reasons I personally feel you'll make a great leader, Jin. You understand the difference between the two."
"Hehe, sarqso." Jin stretched, getting his back to pop. "Well, hopefully I've written down everything I need. Worst case scenario I'll send her a request for any clothing I've overlooked."
"Did you remember to request something formal?" Riju asked.
"I sure did, I've gotta look my best for the inauguration. Also asked for something nice, but not too formal for my dinner dates."
That gained Rijus attention, "Dinner dates?"
"It's nothing too crazy. Gotta have dinner with vaba Danda and the kids, especially now that the secret's out."
Riju exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding, "That's understandable, it's been a bit since you've had the opportunity to simply sit and talk with them."
Jin nodded, "Exactly, we didn't get to talk too much about family stuff, I'd like to rectify that."
Riju smiled, "That's good, connecting with your family is important. At first I thought you had an actual date."
"Haha, well, I kinda do have an actual date too."
Jin couldn't see Riju look towards him with shock, "Really? Already? With who?"
"Well, back when Ripp and I fought that molduga, I sorta flirted with her, told her I'd take her out to dinner. She said only if we both survived, which we both did. Obviously we both forgot about it due to everything else that happened, but now we've got a date."
Riju was processing what Jin had told her, "Your weakness at its finest. Flirting right before a fight with a giant monster of the sands, really Jin?"
Jin sighed, "Yeah, yeah, I know. To be fair I hadn't exactly fought something that big before, so I wasn't exactly focused on not flirting."
"Hmm, I suppose that's fair." Riju stayed silent and thought for a moment. It was only now that she remembered one detail about Jins flirting habit. One that, at the heat of the moment, she had overlooked. "Hey Jin, you said before that you flirt with pretty vai you see, right?"
"That's the gist of it, if I find a vai pretty then I have to make an effort of not flirting. Why do you ask?" Jin clarified.
"Well, it's just…you DID flirt with me too…does that mean…you think I'm pretty?"
Silence filled the room after the question was asked.
"You know what, forget I asked, I really shouldn't have-"
"Of course I think you're pretty, I'd be a lier if I said otherwise." Riju could have sworn her heart skipped a beat, "Though I'll admit, it's a little embarrassing now that you had me say it out loud."
Riju took a deep breath, "My apologies then, Jin, I didn't mean to have our evening conversation take such a turn." She could feel her own cheeks heating up.
"Apology accepted, but you can make it up to me by letting me know if there's anything special I should know about dating a Gerudo. I never asked dad about it before, never thought to," Jin relaxed, the awkwardness from before dissipating.
"I unfortunately can't help you much there. I know we have classes to help Gerudo trying to find love, but I never attended them. Might it be safe to assume we're similar to the vai where you come from?"
Jin crossed his arms, "Hmm, it's more likely that the vai where I'm from are closer in similarity to the Hylians, at least as far as I can tell. The Gerudo seem to have a leg up on the vai of other races in terms of strength and fighting prowess, with exceptions of course."
"Exceptions? You make it sound like you know one."
"Family friend, she's…well, she never told me her whole story, but she was forced to do some pretty despicable things, including murder." Riju remained silent, "She may not look like it, but she's strong. Very strong. One of the few people I've seen give ma a run for her money when sparring."
"She sounds like she would make for a great Gerudo."
"Heh, no kidding." Jin yawned, "Ah well, I'll figure it out before the actual date. Better get to bed. Depending on how things go with the folks tomorrow night I might be up late."
"Very good, sav'orr Jin," said Riju
"Sav'orr Riju."
As Jin started settling in for the night, Riju remained up with her thoughts.
'Why did I ask him that question of all things? Was I that desperate for a compliment? For someone to say I'm pretty?' She thought to herself. 'Maybe I felt he would be honest. I'm sure if I asked anyone else around me they would say so, purely due to my position. Buliara especially.' She grabbed a nearby sand seal plushie and held it tight, 'Still, it was nice to hear him say I'm pretty. I hope his family night goes well…he has a date with Ripp. I hope it goes well for both of them, they seem right for each other.'
No major events happened the next day. Jin and Riju tended to their daily routine without incident. That night, however, was Jin's planned dinner with his family. He had received word from Danda not to wear anything remotely close to formal, as such, he was wearing one of his casual travel outfits. Simple beige pants and a shirt to match. He was currently making his way to Dandas home.
'Once I get some new clothes, maybe I'll finally start looking the part of the Gerudo king. Heh, now wouldn't that be something.' He gave a short laugh as he thought to himself.
"Something amusing?" As ever, Ripp was present alongside him.
Jin shook his head, "Just a silly thought, nothing important."
"Understood," Ripp replied.
"Hey, are you sure you don't want to join us? I'm sure the kids would love to meet you."
Ripp shook her head, "Perhaps another time. You deserve this time with them, I'd only serve as a distraction."
Jin looked unsure, but relented, "Alright, if you're certain then I won't force you."
'Hmm, perhaps if our own date goes well, maybe you can introduce me as your girlfriend. Sa'oten, I can't believe I'm thinking that already. Control yourself Ripp!'
"Alright, looks like we're here," Jin talking broke Ripp from her thoughts, as did him knocking on the door, "If it gets too cold outside, please don't hesitate to let me know."
"I'll be fine, don't worry about me, focus on you and your family," insisted Ripp.
The door opened up, revealing Naborah, "Jin, so glad you could make it tonight!" She reached forward and pulled her nephew into a hug.
"I'm glad I could make it too, things have been nonstop since I last visited."
"I'm sure," she looked towards Ripp, "Will you be joining us tonight?"
"Not tonight, I'll be standing guard outside," Ripp replied, using her best "professional" voice.
"She insists on it auntie, but maybe next time I can convince her to join us," Jin explained.
Naborah nodded, "Alright, I won't push any further, please come in, your cousins have been bouncing off the walls all day looking forward to tonight." The two of them made their way inside while Ripp took her place beside the door.
Jin had barely entered the house when he was ambushed by his young cousins. Kalani and Makure practically grabbed his arms and pulled him into the living room, asking so many questions at once that Jin couldn't even make them out.
"Woah, woah, slow down you two, I can't even understand what you're asking me," Jin said
"Both of you behave yourselves. You have every right to be excited, but he's still family and your older cousin," Danda scolded the two.
While they didn't apologize, they clearly got the message and calmed down. Kalani spoke first, "What have you been doing recently? Have you made any kingly decisions?"
Jin smiled and shook his head, "Nothing like that 'm afraid. I've mostly been learning laws, rules, and royal decorum, that means how to behave and act royally."
Kalani pouted, "That sounds boring."
Jin laughed, "It's not the most entertaining thing in the world, but it IS necessary for me to know all these things. But I DO have something I'd consider fun." He had their attention, "Once every week, myself and Chief Riju practice and study magic together."
The duo were clearly excited to hear magic was involved, "Tell us more, tell us more!" Makure shouted excitedly.
"Well, I studied magic before this, so I'm trying to share that knowledge with the Chief while trying to improve my own magical abilities. They're not up to where I feel comfortable, so I'm trying my best to improve as well."
"What's it like living in the royal palace?" Asked Makure.
"It's pretty comfy. Everyone seems to be doing their best for me, so I want to do my best for them."
"What else can you tell us?" Makure asked again.
Jin spent the next few hours talking with Kalani and Makure about his day to day life in the palace.
…
It was late now, the girls had gone to bed. Jin was currently sitting at the table with Danda and Naborah.
"So, where do we start?" Asked Jin.
"That depends," Naborah said, "We could either talk about your mother as we knew her, you could talk about her, or you could tell us about your father."
Jin thought for a moment, "Could you tell me what she was like? Before she left town and met my father?"
Danda nodded, "She was a right fireball. Growing up as a child it seemed like she had an infinite amount of energy."
"Even when we grew up, my older sister always seemed to never tire. She became a soldier and wanted to rise through the ranks," Naborah added.
"Well, it's clear she didn't become a captain, so what changed that she decided to leave the whole kingdom?" Jin asked.
Danda scratched the side of her head, "She always seemed determined to get stronger and rise through the ranks, but to be honest, I don't think her skills at the time were enough to get her there. I believe she got it into her head that traveling would make her stronger."
Naborah nodded, "I agree with that part of her decision, but I can't fathom why she thought leaving Hyrule was the path to take."
"Neither can I," Danda agreed, "She wasn't shy of speaking her mind, but I never heard her show interest in leaving Hyrule. Leaving town, sure, but never Hyrule."
Jin nodded his head, listening intently to his aunt and vaba talking about his mother. "That sounds about right. Even when she was with us, mom always seemed to have energy for days."
Naborah leaned forward, arms on the table, "So, if you know, can you tell us how your parents met?"
Jin smiled, "Luckily, I DO know that story. Dad was fond of telling it."
Patch Willows was known by many people around the continent. Some would call him a simple merchant, others would dismiss him as a bumpkin based solely on his accent. Those that REALLY knew him would tell you that he's a businessman with the highest level of integrity…but also a bit of a joker.
Patch was a tall and thin man, but despite his frame he knew how to "handle himself in a scrap." His black hair was usually very kempt, but today it was a tad messy due to the wind and having just finished a lengthy meeting.
He was currently strolling around the town of Seagate, an appropriately named ocean port city. As such, he was wearing his full suit, minus his jacket which he had draped over his left shoulder.
"Whew-wee, that went on longer than expected," his southern accent was very apparent, as was the sound of his stomach grumbling. He checked the time on his silver pocket watch, which he wound up every single morning and evening. "3pm already. Couldn't they have picked a better time for that meet'n? Made me miss lunch, what were they thinkin'?." There wasn't anyone with him, but speaking out loud helped him to organize his thoughts. "Let's see if I can find a pub, I'm due for a good meal." He was near the coastline, so there was bound to be somewhere he could eat nearby.
As he was walking down the road, a person caught his eyes, a woman to be precise. In his line of work, Patch was no stranger to interacting with women of all stations. From the upper class to the destitute, businesswomen to housewives, apothecaries to prostitutes, he'd seen it all. But there was one thing that stuck out about this woman.
Her skin was on the darker side, based on his knowledge of the continent he assumed she came from a warm climate, the desert perhaps? Her body was covered from her neck down to her legs, which were covered in white, baggy looking pants. But the thing that really caught his attention was her striking red hair. Now he'd seen redheads before, but hers was very, very red. She was also staring out into the ocean, the wonder evident across her face. Patch had seen that look before, especially here in Seagate.
He checked his pocket watch again, 'I've got nothing else going on, can't miss the opportunity to meet new people. Especially one as pretty as her.' As part of being a proud businessman, networking was something he excelled at, thanks to his "people skills."
Patch walked up and stood alongside her, but with more than enough space between them.
"Sure is a sight, isn't it?" He said aloud.
The woman almost jumped, not having expected anyone to start a conversation with her, she looked at Patch, who was looking at the ocean, and then turned back to the ocean herself, "It is very pretty. Captivating."
Patch hummed in agreement, "Yeah, nothing quite like seeing the ocean for the first time."
She looked towards him again, "You could tell?"
Patch smiled warmly, "I've seen many people with that same look of wonder on their face."
She again turned to face the ocean, "Where I'm from, I'd have to travel quite a ways in order to reach the ocean. I've admittedly traveled much further than that to reach here, but…it's been an experience I wouldn't trade for the world.
"That's good to hear. Travel'n, meet'n people, it's a great feeling." Patch turned to face her, "Names Patch Willows, merchant, trader, and entrepreneur." He would normally have reached his hand out for a handshake, but since she was out of arm's reach he refrained.
"I'm Nandah, a pleasure Mr. Willows"
Patch laughed, "Never had anyone call me that before, not even pops goes by that moniker. Please, just call me Patch."
Nandah nodded, "If you insist." Whatever was planned on being said next was interrupted as Nandahs stomach growled loudly. "Sa'oten, please excuse that! I arrived just recently and haven't had anything to eat yet."
Patchs stomach seemed to agree with hers, causing Patch to laugh again, "Seems like my stomach is in clear agreement. What say we find somewhere to eat, my treat?"
Nandah thought for a moment, "Very well, lead the way Patch."
"Or something along those lines, I'm sure I'm misremembering some details," said Jin, wrapping up his storytelling.
Naborah chuckled, "Your father sounds like a very suave individual, Jin."
"And given his occupation, he's definitely in the right line of work," Danda agreed.
"Yeah, I'm hoping to use everything he taught me to improve things here in Gerudo Town. Desert life is hard enough, I'd like to try and alleviate some of that burden. Maybe improve infrastructure for better buildings? Or maybe a road for easier traveling for traders? Ah, but the logistics of making a road in the desert is a nightmare," Jin had gotten a bit lost in his own thoughts and went on a tangent.
"Jin, please let us know if you ever need any help, in anything," Danda said with sincerity.
Jin blinked a few times, "Well, there is something I think you two could definitely help me with, in terms of perspective." Both Danda and Naborah watched Jin and waited to hear what he had to say. "Is there anything I should know in advance about dating Gerudo vai?"
Both were shocked to hear the question at first, but Naborah recovered quickly, "It's Ripp isn't it? I saw the look she was giving you."
Jin laughed, a bit embarrassed "Figured one of you would have an eye for that kind of thing. Yeah, we have a date coming up. I've been on dates before, but is there anything I should know about Gerudo specifically?"
Danda shook her head, "There should be no major difference, just be yourself and I'm sure things will go smoothly."
Jin took a deep breath, "Ok, that's a big relief. Not for anything, but mind if we change the subject? This one's a little embarrassing to talk about at the moment."
Danda grinned, "Oh, I'm sure. Want to hear some embarrassing stories about your mother instead?"
Again, Jin laughed, "Now THAT sounds like a good time."
I'm actually very pleased with how this chapter turned out, especially the flashback with Patch. Hopefully I'm able to crank out the next chapter feeling the same way!