(Make sure ya'll don't miss the post before this one)

"I cannot think of anything why the Goddesses would name me such a trite title for me, unless there was good reason.”

Lethe pursed her lips as the man walked away from her towards the gate. For a second there she thought he meant to leave without so much as a word and had followed him impatiently.

“But now that matter is resolved, what is it that you request from that fraud, Madame Astrid? I can get you what you wish, but I will not draw blood on my fellow tribe, nor will I risk making myself an embarrassment unless there is a worthy reward on my part. In return, I tell you to keep watch over the entrance of the Shadow Temple; for my former master might have dark deeds his conjuring within the catacombs for no one is allowed to pass the entrance from either side.”

Lethe sighed, exaggerated and mocking, “For Din’s sake, I never said to kill the woman! Why would the Goddess condone such senseless violence? Secondly, I’m not asking you to embarrass yourself. You humans are all perfectly capable of doing that on your own. If I were, however, to request such a thing, would not the ability to continue living be a good enough reward?

"And I’m afraid babysitting dusty old Temples isn’t part of my agenda today. As you witnessed, I’ve already told Magus not to enter the Temple yet. As a Shiekah you ought to know that just waltzing in there isn’t exactly an easy thing to do-- nor a common practice. I don’t know who your former master is, but if he indeed is tampering with the evil forces that lurk inside that temple….”

Her voice trailed off and, for perhaps once in her life, she thought it best not to finish her sentence. The old man was a fool and likely long dead if he was inside the Shadow Temple alone. She no longer had time to express her opinion to this Chosen Simpleton, however.

“Anyways… the artifact we need is a valuable piece of gold jewelry with a single triangle,” Lethe said, her glowing gold eyes glinting as if to enhance her point, “Artifact or no, make sure you’re back before noon else we may have to carry on without you.”

---

“It takes patience to get used to her. She’s quite the bright one I will admit,” Elder Lyotus chuckled.

“Koridai… could you help me find the Shiekah? Oddly enough, he does not look like a typical person of the tribe. He looks more so a Ranger and a rouge than an assassin.”

“Yes! Of course!” Mila said in a very Mila-like way, “Why are we looking for him anyway? Is it a top-secret mission from the King? Is he a revolutionist? Is there going to be a revolution? Is he the ringleader? Are there a lot of rogue Shiekah? Is it a Shiekah revolution? Is there a bounty? Is it a big bounty?”

Mila paused for breath and now seemed the best time for Kaiver to answer one or at least some of her questions before she continued with her usual barrage of never ending inquiry.

Cain snarled inwardly. He knew it was a long shot for this girl to put any faith into him out of the blue, but he had, after all, saved her life. Or had he made that clear? Regardless, he pushed any anger back into his mind and turned to the tactful approach.

“My name is Cain,” he said softly, after waiting a short moment to make sure that Felicia wasn't going to continue mumbling. “I'm pretty much a ghost, so there really isn't a better way I could go about contacting you. For my intrusions...I apologize.” She seemed so distraught. Perhaps she was still recovering from her run-in with the thieves? Or was she questioning her own sanity?

“Truth is, I heard the voice too. The one in my dreams. I thought I might have been finally losing it. But as it turned out, a...friend of mine heard it too. We decided the only way to figure it out was to come here and find its owner. We did. You can too. You can put an end to your self-doubt. If you heard her voice, you're stronger and far more important than you imagine. I'm not asking you to come with me; I'm begging you.” Those words were more painful than Cain thought. While there was some pleasure in convincing others that he held some regard for them -proof of his mental superiority, in fact- it still prickled his pride. “We're counting on you, my child. At least do it to pay me back for saving you from the thieves?”

He hoped that these appeals to duty and pity would do the trick. If not...well, force was far less of a viable option than it was an attractive one. She might already have a hint of what he was capable of, given where he had lodged her longsword. That was one detail she'd be better off forgetting.

“My name is Cain.”

The response unanticipated, Felicia froze, listening attentively as Cain spoke.

“I'm pretty much a ghost, so there really isn't a better way I could go about contacting you. For my intrusions...I apologize.

“Truth is, I heard the voice too. The one in my dreams.”

Her eyes widened. The voice in her head had heard a voice? No….

“I thought I might have been finally losing it. But as it turned out, a... friend of mine heard it too. We decided the only way to figure it out was to come here and find its owner. We did. You can too. You can put an end to your self-doubt. If you heard her voice, you're stronger and far more important than you imagine. I'm not asking you to come with me; I'm begging you. We're counting on you, my child. At least do it to pay me back for saving you from the thieves?”

Perhaps… this really wasn’t all in her head. But still. She didn’t want to risk further enslaving herself to mental instability just like that. She never exactly saw who it was that attacked those two men and the masked man had fled before she got a chance to ask him anything. For all she knew, her unwound mind was filling in the blanks.

“A ghost?” she whispered quizzically, “If… if you and your friend are truly in some sort of trouble then I’ll do what I can. But you must understand. For all I know my mind is completely undone. I hardly know if I can even trust my eyes anymore… but I’m willing to. Especially if what you say is true and you indeed are the one that helped me back there.

“If you could give me a bit of proof that you’re not like the voice I hear at night… can you not show yourself?”

It was touching him.

Maryev turned to face what he had initially expected to be a morally indignant mother or righteously emasculated man. Instead he found himself nearly eye-level with one of the largest Hylians he had ever seen. The man was blackened by soot, a mere labourer for warriors, but had an impressive physique of a man who was doubtless powerful, but Maryev reminded himself that a plow ox was also a powerful animal and peerless at its singular purpose, but not an intellectual or a fighter. Maryev was facing a man who likely used his physique to intimidate people before physical confrontation could occur. While coward was perhaps an incorrect term, the man likely never faced a life or death situation in his life. Maryev’s accuser was little more than a servant who was acting above his station. He paid little heed to the sword resting on his shoulder, but a mere toy at this close proximity. Had it not been for the prospect of offending every guard in the wretched village, Maryev would have gladly taught the uppity servant his place in the world- groveling in the mud alongside the child.

Instead, he replied, “I had suspected I caught sight of the Hero of Time and grew excited and forgot myself in my haste. The child was below my line of sight.” Maryev said dryly, firmly removing the offending and disgusting hand from his shoulder. Perhaps the servant would fail to see the sarcasm in the fact that nearly everyone in their adolescence was dressed like the Inquisitor, including some adults in an embarrassing display of immaturity of those who were supposed to be guiding and raising their insolent pups. One notable exception was a portly Hylian man who dressed up like a fairy in a costume far too tight to be dignified. Maryev did not care for the children, but he suspected having a man of such moral failings among them was a sign of the failure of Hyrule to protect its young. Disgusting.

“I am but a humble entertainer, here to give the children pretending to be the Hero of Time a pretend monster monster to fear and heroically slay.” Maryev continued boorishly, the scent of charred meat driving him to disengage from this lout as quickly as possible. “Once I am paid, of course. I do not work for free. Now, unless you’re here to offer me my gems, then begone. I have no time for your insolence.” He growled from behind his helm, his features concealed. The Darknut had already discovered Hyrulian hospitality when he wasn’t able to disguise himself; more than a few fools had tried to drive spears and arrows into him. It was most inconsiderate.

The Darknut considered the fact the Ox standing before him was going to continue to try to protect the virtue of the bratty child who was in serious need of discipline. It was never too early to be taught the harsh realities of life, Maryev knew. The children here didn't even have to battle their fathers nearly nightly to earn their place at the dining hall. Of course they were fat; they never had to work to have their shrieking maws filled with excessive quantities of gruel. And yet, here was an Ox, staring dumbly at a man who'd killed likely a dozen or more better than he was. The Darknut pondered if Ox would be more or less grotesque with a few missing teeth.

Compliance at last! The relief Cain felt was approximate to a teacher finally being obeyed by a truant schoolchild. He respected a sense for responsibility, but as evidenced here, it could also be weakness. "I can," he murmured, doing his utmost to keep from sounding too eager. Surveying the surrounding area, he found the awning of a nearby booth offering some sort of ball game. "Direct your attention to your right, the cloth on the back of that stall." As she did so, he noticed how quickly she turned and hungrily she looked, intent on finding some sort of evidence to prove her sanity remained at least partially intact.

While Felicia watched, Cain cast himself upon the patterned surface. The silhouette he offered was that of a hooded man, with big sleeves but seemingly nothing over his torso. By far the most distinct features of this umbra were its eyes, yellow orbs with pupils of red. "A face I think you saw before. I hadn't found the fairy yet when I appeared at the fish stand. Your eyes aren't deceiving you; my child. "

He reverted to her shadow, which he hoped wouldn't frighten her. "If you don't mind I'll stick with you until you've reached the graveyard. By then I hoped your masked friend will be there as well. You left quite the impression on him by the looks of it, but that's none of my business." Of course, things that were none of his business were Cain's favorite, but he didn't divulge that tidbit to her. After speaking he realized that Felicia, now reminded of Jira, might continue the conversation. His eyes rolled invisibly; the last thing he wanted was a full-blown conversation.

Felicia stared long and hard at the looming silhouette that was Cain. He was certainly unlike any ghost she'd ever seen. Or heard of, rather. She hadn't much experience with seeing such paranormal wonders and hoped not to make a habit of it. Nonetheless, his appearance gave her chills. Something about it didn't seem quite human. Unless be was a ghost of something else?

"A face I think you saw before. I hadn't found the fairy yet when I appeared at the fish stand. Your eyes aren't deceiving you; my child. "

"If you don't mind--" Felicia stepped to the side as if to get out of his way as he dove around and behind her. Peering under her arm and over her shoulder she was perturbed to see he seemed to have taken up residence in her shadow. She looked towards the graveyard, doing her best not to express how uneasy she felt having a ghost literally at her heels as she started walking in that direction. 

"I'll stick with you until you've reached the graveyard. By then I hoped your masked friend will be there as well. You left quite the impression on him by the looks of it, but that's none of my business."

That guy... right. Just what she wanted to talk about. "My name's Felicia," she said, changing the subject, "While I'm still convinced this isn't just a very vivid dream or fit of madness, I suppose I ought to thank you for helping us out back there. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't come along. Either you must really need my help or you're far too kind.... Given that I'm merely a fish merchant, I'm tempted to think it's the latter, but either way... I appreciate it."

Jira started walking back along the alleys after collecting his wares from Matt. The gent had been kind, even going as far as giving him a few eggs when he left, apparently nothing more of his had been sold. It was amazing how kind some vendors could be so kind when others chose to constantly attempt squandering others with their conman acts. Jira was no saint. He'd sold painted wares and called them gold before, and his ghosts were still haunting him. What choice had he had; be honest and go hungry? City life, and trying to sell in the city at all, was rough. Villagers tended to be more easily suckered, especially those who'd never traveled or lived in a city where they could pass up his cons after a glance-assessment.

For now he wandered the street thinking of all the shadow man had said. Now that his head had stopped throbbing and had retreated to a dull ache, his thought could be as they were without a haze of, well, 'Poor Me.' Go to the graveyard, how much does she mean to you... these messages spiraled throughout his mind. No... no he couldn't let his new found honey think he was a coward! What kind of merchant would he be if he let such a beautifully endowed woman consider him a fool, or worse!

Incompetant.

Just as he had settled on the fact that he'd turn around and go to see her right away, his spirit once again picked up. He began walking... jogging... running with everything on his back jiggling. His legs began to fly at the thought of seeing her again and somehow wooing her with his obviously so suave charms. As he ran, flying past everyone including Felicia as he went to the graveyard, he kicked up a large amount of dust. Years of carrying his heavy wares made him faster than most, but he still had his wares on his back and couldn't be at his full speed. He laughed as he came to the graveyard and struck a dynamic pose.

"Dry those eyes
Fast those tears
It's no surprise,
RAIN SPIDER'S HERE!"

The crickets chirped on.

It seemed Felicia would be changing the subject after all. She didn't seem to share Jira's romantic enthusiasm, and given his methods, that really wasn't surprising. Cain shifted along with her. “They would have robbed you, hurt, otherwise taken advantage of you and perhaps killed you. Attacking others -not to mention being the hero- isn't like me, but that was justified. I'm glad I could help.” Then and there he decided that keeping up a facade of kindness in the long run wouldn't be viable. “Its gratifying that you think I'm kind, but that really isn't the case here. Just...doing what's right.” There was seldom a waking moment that Cain wasn't doing what's right, at least by his own standpoint.

A few moments of silence passed as Felicia walked. The Twili didn't feel at all like continuing a conversation with her; she was moving, and that was all that mattered. It was an uneventful journey until the sound of running feet pounding the ground, growing louder and louder, could be heard behind them. Naturally, the young fishmonger turned to look, and saw at the same time as Cain did the familiar mask of the Rain Spider rushing past, dust billowing in his wake. He seemed to be heading to the graveyard as well, and Cain, seeing the opportunity, opted to swap hosts once more.

“Thanks for the ride. See you there,” he told Felicia. In a flash her shadow was distorted and then snapped back into its natural position as its denizen left. The last thing the woman would see was a black streak diving into the cloud of dust that Jira left behind, intent on using him as a transport.

At Jira's pace, he was at the graveyard in no time, barely even out of breath, prompting the being withing his shadow to make note of his unexpected physical ability. After enduring the Rain Spider's corny entrance, Cain was prepared to speak when he saw Frore, who had arrived only moments before they did. He transferred himself to her shadow, hoping that she didn't notice that he had ever left. A swift look around confirmed that Veitaru had gone. Once he was settled, he made himself known.

“Lethe! I present you with the Masked One. The...er, 'Fish One' is on her way as well. She's a bit sensitive.” He wondered exactly how Felicia would react to a fairy, a Twili inhabiting a scarecrow, a shady-looking Sheikah, and a huge albino woman, not to mention him. It'd likely be too much for her weak mind to take in; maybe she'd faint or at least panic. It was amusing to picture.

It was with a peculiar sense of inhibition that Zephyrus perused the manifold of stalls and kiosks which made up the bulk of The Hero of Time festival, stalking betwixt them with protracted movements, and silently drinking in all he saw through his cardinal lenses.
Yes, beneath his calm features- Unrelentingly soft and neutral, save for a small smile he wore only for the sake of politeness whenever some passer-by offered him theirs- there was a prowling unease.
Because, although they did their best to remain deferential, Zephyrus was aware of the lingering eyes of those Hylians which passed him by, and they made him feel bare.

It was an uncommon union, that of Sheikah and Hylian: To them, his culture was an enigma, a mystery living amongst them.
“Shadow Folk”, that’s what they called him. “Red Eye.”
And that was problematic, because for every pair of prying eyes, Zephyrus felt as though his presence were taboo: As though their seeing him somehow betrayed centuries of foregone wisdom and confidences.
Of course, he knew this wasn’t truly the case: Their curiosity was understandable, and no crime, nor was his being there.
His brother’s, on the other hand…

“C’mon!”, Archer enjoined from his flank, having been forced to follow his elder sibling through veritable warehouses of cheap, pointless tchotchkes, “All I’m saying is that if you were to work that shadow voodoo that you do, I bet we could triple the amount my act usually pulls in.”
Zephyrus came to a stop before a stall that alleged to sell antique scrolls, and glanced back over his shoulder, to meet Archer’s eyes.
“I’ve no interest in helping you commit petty crimes.”
“Who said anything about crimes?”, the Hylian gasped, feigning offense, “Are you calling me a crook?”
“Our meeting was not, on your part, a lawful one.”
“Hey, that was then! But then you showed up, and brother, you sure set me straight.”
“… still no.”
“Damn it. You’re such a killjoy!”
“I’m trying to teach you responsibility, Archer. There’ll come a day when I’m not around to shield you from the consequences of your actions.”
“You kidding? Your ghost’ll be nagging me until we’re both dead and buried.”
“That’s the best I can hope for.”

They lingered there for a few moments more, as Zephyrus took in the scroll stall’s stock, estimated it to be illegitimate and moved on, Archer in tow.
“What are we looking for, anyway?”, the younger brother asked, sliding his hands into the aegis of his leather jacket.
“I cannot readily say,” Zephyrus replied in turn, “All I know is that whomever called us here said-”
“That we need to be here today, and that Hyrule’s wellbeing depends on it,” Archer paraphrased, earning a concurring nod from his Sheikah brother.
Yes, both had heard it vividly: It had been a message spoken in a whisper, but had travelled through them like a great shout.

Zephyrus had risen that moment, for ‘twas the nature of the Sheikah to become active when danger was about: But upon inspecting his quarters, he’d found them devoid of any troublesome whisperers.
When Archer had awoken several hours later, he didn’t even need to inform his sibling of what he’d heard.
Somehow, both knew.
“So, we’re just going to stand about until the universe explains itself, are we?”
Zephyrus nodded, “If that’s what it takes. The stream needn’t ask questions to find its way to the ocean. It takes only patience.”
“That’s your problem, Sethy-”
“Zephyrus.”
“-You’re all watery, and passive. I’ve gotta ignite a fire in your heart.”
“You are welcomed to try, should you ever stop wasting your powers on simple trickery.”
“Hey, magic is an ancient tradition!”
“You know very well which tricks I’m referring to. The lawless sleight of hand.”
“O-Oh,” Archer chuckled, nervously, “That one.”

Zephyrus stopped, and frowned at him for a long couple of moments, before the two moved on again.

Perhaps Archer and Zephyrus would notice, but perhaps they would not, as a child clad in a dark gray cloak skittered back and forth to various groups of people asking a question and then moving away as they either ignored her or turned in confusion.

"Have you seen a fairy?" Veitaru asked yet another group, one of whom turned quizzically while the rest ignored her. Veitaru exasperated rolled her eyes and started moving towards Zephyrus and Archer before she got an answer. The look was answer enough that he couldn't help her in her eyes.

"Stupid mean fairy telling me to find another fairy in the middle of a supercrowded festival... I could totally do it if there weren't all these strangers in town.." She grumbled as she grabbed at her cloak and pulled it tighter around her defensively, forgetting she was on course with Zephyrus for a crucial moment, and unless he reacted to her approach she would notice him too late and slide to a halt just barely nudging into his side before stepping back..

"Oh! Sorry. I uh.. Have you seen any..." She bowed slightly in apology before looking up at Zephyrus, likewise giving him a view of her face, amber eyes and gerudo features, if he cared to look. She was in the middle of asking her question before her eyes got big and she bit her lower lip a little bit, interrupting herself before her words tumbled out of her mouth with a, "OHMYGOSH! That .." Slight pause and a moment of hesitation crossed her face. "Banner is AWESOME!" She was likely referring to the guandao, which, covered as it was in red cloth would look like a bit like a banner. Her face was full of cheer and enthusiasm, but not quite as pure as when she started her outburst.

"Oooh.. Uh.. Have you seen any fairies? I'm looking for one." She looked down slightly bashful, realizing she had gotten off topic and was spouting to some random stranger.

Finally finishing with a good sketch of the scene, he looked up to see that time had moved on as it was want to do. He saw that the woman that he had focused on in his drawing was acting even more distressed, though now he had an inkling as to why. She seemed to be whispering to herself, was stepping around herself, and looking behind at the ground where there was nothing then walking away. She was not however in trouble and from what he could tell was simply troubled, in the head.

Nil put away his drawing pad and getting up with a stretch his stomach growled. Deciding to wander about looking for a vendor selling food he reached into his wallet and heaving a sigh he hoped might be able to convince someone to take pity on him and give him some food for free. But that wasn’t likely to happen and he would have to resort to jerky .. again. Going to the entrance to the town was probably his best bet to find some food and some kind people with enough food to spare.

On his way there he began to pass another group going the same direction but he stopped when a child ran up to him and the group he was passing.
“Have you seen a fairy?” The little girl asked and Nil just turned to looked at her in confusion. Why was she looking for a fairy? Was it a game that was part of the HOT festival, like a scavenger hunt? While he thought this, the group he was passing walked right by completely ignoring the girl and before he could answer her she turned and ran away showing obvious signs of annoyance.

He watched, perplexed, as she ran up to another pair of people which, his eyes widening slightly, Nil realized were Sheikah. At least one of them was, he wasn’t quite sure about the other one but one Sheikah was enough to be a source of potential problems which he didn’t want to have anything to do with. Especially if he was supposed to be here to prevent trouble as the whisper had said. So the best way to deal with trouble, in Nils mind, was to avoid it and so Nil smoothly, at least he hoped it looked that way, turned and began to walk down an alley way.

As soon as he couldn’t see them, and he assumed them him. He quickened his pace and when he was about to exit the alleyway he turned to look back to see if they followed him without stopping. This proved to be the wrong thing to do, for as he exited the alley way he nearly ran into a pair of very large and imposing men. He froze short of them and got a full view of both them staring each other down and felt the tension. Fear, like a cold spike, shot through his heart and Nil began to back away very very slowly, hoping- no, praying that they didn’t notice him.

“So it’s jealousy, right?”, Archer had asked, as Veitaru had begun her journey towards them, “You secretly just want to learn how to stack the cards for yourself, don’t you?”
“I can most assuredly say I’ve no interest in learning to be deceptive as you.”
“Deceptive?”, Archer heaved, leaning back and placing a hand to his breast in melodramatic mockery, “You think I’m deceptive, brother?”
“Most certainly,” Zephyrus replied, voice unwaveringly tepid in tone.
“Well… can you blame me? I mean, I am a Sheikah.”
Zephyrus, suddenly, stopped in place. Archer did the same, albeit a few feet further back.
“You are half a Sheikah,” Zephyrus explained to him, coolly, “And only cite that fact when it’s of convenience to you.”
“And how often is that? The people around here look at us as if they’ve seen a ghost or s-”
“Hm?”

That was when Veitaru finally arrived, bumping innocuously against Zephyrus’ right shoulder, and drawing the attention of both brothers.
"Oh! Sorry. I uh.. Have you seen any..." she’d begun, before Zephyrus had bowed towards her in a mannerly fashion, offering her a full view of his guandao in the process.
“There’s no need to apologise,” he assured her, “The error was mine, for remaining stationary in a place of such keen movement.”
“Yeah,” Archer agreed, “Isn’t he just the worst? So impolite.”
Zephyrus turned to face him, coldly, and Archer raised his hands with a gentle laugh, “I’m kidding.”
With a sigh, the Sheikah straightened up again, acknowledging Veitaru’s ethnicity only after first realising how very young she was.

"OHMYGOSH! That…” As she spoke, he threw his eyes about the place, surveying for any sign of parents on her trail.
There were none.
"…Banner is AWESOME!"
Then, resultant of her outburst, Zephyrus turned his head to instead examine the pole-arm he bore, and Archer chuckled again: “Looks like you’ve got a fan, Sethy-”
“Zephyrus.”
“- See what I meant, now? Just let me teach you a couple of tricks and we’ll run this town.”
Zephyrus shook his head without another word, and turned his attentions back to Veitaru, whom seemed almost elated at his “banner”-‘s presence.
Archer found her enthusiasm to be quite heartening, but his brother was still wracked with silent concern.
"Oooh.. Uh.. Have you seen any fairies? I'm looking for one."

“Little one,” Zephyrus began, tone slightly more tender, “Where-”
And it was at that point Archer stepped between them, smiling some warm, magnetic smile.

Whilst it was true, both Archer and Zephyrus, too, were orphans, Zephyrus had been in the fortunate enough position to have his mother pass when he was of a fairly responsible age.
He hadn’t an inkling what it was like, then, to be ten and without a home nor a family, scrounging for your next meal: But Archer did.
And he knew that it was depressing enough as it was, without some socially inept giant of a man reminding you of it.

“Where…” Archer continued, from where Zephyrus had left of, “… did you get the idea that it was a banner? That right there is a guamdoe-”
“Guandao.”
“- is what I said. A guandao, a really good looking weapon! Show her what I mean, Sethy.”
“Zephyrus.”
Archer threw Zephyrus a somewhat irritated look, and- without needing to speak a word- Zephyrus suddenly became very aware of his brother’s intentions.
“… of course,” he relented, drawing his weapon slowly as Archer stepped to the side.

Zephyrus held it out at arm’s length, and the red rag which’d been coiled around the guandao’s body unfurled itself, like the ragged flag of a desolate ship.
Then, he span it in three quick circles- releasing a few short rushes of cool air in the process- before stabbing it into the ground, for Veitaru to examine.
Archer put his hands on his waist, unimpressed.
“Is that it?”
“I am not a patron of theatrics, as you are.”
“You mean you can’t look good, like I do?”
Zephyrus stared at Archer in silence for a few long moments, before Archer relented, and made his way to Veitaru. He knelt beside her.

“As for seeing any fairies… I can’t say we have. But if you’ve lost one, we can help you look for it, if you’d like. Isn’t that right, Sethy?”
Zephyrus didn’t respond: His eyes had settled on the hasty retreat of a very specific Hylian.
“Zephyrus?”
“That gentleman looks somewhat dubious.”
“You mean he looks suspicious?”, Archer asked, following his gaze. Zephyrus nodded.
“Why do you think that?”, Archer pushed further.
“The way he was walking is most suspect.”
“How so?”
“Because he was walking like you would.”
Archer opened his mouth to protest, hesitated, and then sighed, lowering his head.
“Screw you, man,” was all he mustered.

“Little one, where-”

As Archer stepped in front of Zephyrus, a dark humored smirk flitted across Veitaru's face just before Archer spoke his piece. Zephyrus wouldn't see, but Archer might.

“Where did you get the idea that it was a banner?"

Veitaru simply pointed to the rag which she watched almost as intently as the shining guandao.

As he finished and stabbed the blade into the ground, Veitaru winced, "Is.. Is it ok to dull the blade like that?" She reached tentatively for it, but withdrew her hand before touching it.

“As for seeing any fairies… I can’t say we have. But if you’ve lost one, we can help you look for it, if you’d like. Isn’t that right, Sethy?”

"Oh, I haven't lost the fairy, but I never found it in the first place.." She sighed, "Another fairy told me to go find a red haired girl with a fairy and bring her to the graveyard." She placed a hand against her head and massaged her forehead a bit, looking down for a moment in exasperation. "I have NO idea how I'm supposed to find this person OR convince them to go to the graveyard."

She raised her arms up, "I mean, what am I supposed to say? Hey, I've just met you, but you wanna come play in the Shadow Temple because a fairy threatened me to get you there?"

She walked in a tight circle, crossing her arms as she vented. "And after THAT, I'm supposed to find a reliable Shiekah wearing a cream colored scarf and a guy with mahogany eyes, dark hair, who's a trickster. Last I was in town there were like, what, three or four Shiekah still around and none of them are what I'd call respectable, stupid twins... And on the other spectrum, there are so many tricksters in this town that I'll probably never find the right one!"

Ekra watched as the blacksmith went to confront the – hey, was he the one who'd moved the crowd earlier? He certainly stood out from the rest of the visitors of the festival, and she would know. What was he? He claimed to be an entertainer, but Ekra was fairly certain she'd never met such an ill-tempered entertainer. They just didn't get paid that way. She pulled herself onto the blacksmith's stall's countertop and stood for a better view of the scene unfolding before her. What was his costume? It was hard to tell with the hood but it didn't look Hylian or any other race she'd seen. Granted, she had not seen many – Hylians, Dekus, Kokori, the occasional Zora.

Then it occurred to Ekra: maybe this was why she'd been called to the festival. Somehow, this guy who towered even over the massive blacksmith was threatening Hyrule. The mere thought made her dizzy. She was maybe half his height and certainly weaker. She stumbled, catching herself before she fell down. Ok, it was all a guess to be fair. Just the fact that he was suspicious and a bit mean and clearly didn't belong here...

She pulled from her bag a flute and a handful of Deku seeds. She couldn't fight him, no. That claymore certainly looked sharp, though, and the blacksmith would have a much better chance of using it if the stranger was distracted by, say, a pelting of seeds at his head. Just in case, of course, wait to see what happened. If he wasn't why she was called here, she REALLY did not want to fight that beast of a being.

Now up close and personal with the creature that was clearly no Hylian as he had fist assumed, Angus ran through what his options were. He didn't believe a word of what the creature said, no entertainer would behave this way, you didn't choose that line of work and show such disregard for children. He noticed the figure was looking him over, assessing him and...Was he growling? The situation was uncomfortable for the black smith, he had often stepped into arguments and disputes or set people straight but he mostly relied on his superior size to intimidate the opposition.

He knew this type of person, an arrogant and confident macho man with an ego and superiority complex that even the sky couldn't contain. A though guy, someone who would push people around because they were too scared to do anything about it...A bully. The question was what should he do about it? People like the one in front of him were strong and Angus didn't want to start a fight, especially not with all the people around, while he thought that he might be able to beat the stranger if he got pushed into a confrontation he didn't want to find out.

On the other hand he didn't want to back down and inflate the guy's ego any more, instead he thought his best choice would be to try and reach some sort of compromise. "Hmph, just watch out for the little ones alright? If you cause trouble here then you and I are going to have problems." He could have said a lot more, ranted about how it was his home town and that he didn't care for fools but he knew that it would only lead to the person shrugging, rolling his eyes and giving a stupid and irritating answer. Angus knew that the person would probably ignore him but at least he had done something, showed this outlander that Hylians wouldn't simply roll over and take abuse.

With his eyes glaring back at the fairy, he did not appreciate her comments on his usual dealings, but then for someone largely ignorant of his associations, both former and current would be quick to judge on the matter. He did not travel down a noble path, but was one that demanded hard work, and professionalism. Turning back down the path back to the village, he checked his shadows for the time, and at least he would be able to complete her request by noon. That ranger be damned if I have to deal with him again… he thought to himself.

“It a simple fetch quest for me. I can leave that wench alive as there is no desire or profit to be gained in butchering that sorry slag of a woman, but I am not going to guarantee that woman is coming out of this ordeal unharmed.”

Making it back towards the stalls and the crowds of the festival, he began to keep a watchful eye for the fortuneteller’s stall, only rather than hunting for some target to slice, it was someone to shake down and retrieve a necklace before noon. It would be done quick and easy enough, but a distraction, albeit minor the minor conflict between a haughty Darknut and a bearish, yet mild tempered blacksmith caught his attention for a moment before he continued his search. For now, it was not his business as he was caught by someone that laid her wet palm upon his shoulder behind him.

“Izzaz…. You have been stirring a lot of trouble I see… Care to let me in on what you are doing, or shall I see for myself?” The Zora behind him was a particular creature that had taken a liking (or as Izzaz believed to be an obsession) to him and tried to woo and seduce him again and again after he met the Zora spy and made love to her. He met her during a job together when they were hired to take out a Zora revolutionary that threatened to overthrow Queen Laruto in the Water Temple some time before. Annoying as it might had seemed; at least she was attractive in complexion and stature for a Zora and her red and orange fins contrasted beautifully her blue skin and purple eyes.

“Come to harass me again as a Lizalfos hunts and bites down upon its prey?”

“All the more reason to hold you closely, and keep you within my grasp you stubborn fool of a man.” She giggled out to him as she turned him around against a wall of a back alley, accidentally hitting his injured arm, making him groan in a bit of pain.

“Watch it! You are as reckless as a pit of Baba Serpents, woman.”

“And you? Oh, you stubborn bull… thinking you’re as tough as the King of Thieves… That is what I like about you, Izzaz… You are always hiding from me, even within the most obvious of places. Why won’t you let me be your captive, my Dark King?”

“I have no time to play games, fish! Now, leave me be!” Izzaz shouted at her as he shoved her away from him and headed down the alleyway, just as he began climbing up towards the rooftops. His botched arm grew weary as it was exercised, starting to bleed as the pain started to become unbearable, until he reached the rooftops exhausted.

As he got up, he sat down to take a bit of a breather and checked his arm, unbinding his bandages to check on it. The scared arm was full of open wounds and fresh cuts as it held the artifact within it as it began to spread out and make his arm covered in blackness. It was only matter of time, before the artifact’s infection spread to the rest of his body and render him a mere beast.

---

The attempt on distracting the Koridai child’s attention did little to help him, letting out a sigh. Even his youngest didn't have this much energy. “I’m not sure. I should say that he works alone and isn’t that much of a threat, but still. It’s best to keep an eye on him for now, as this ‘Wolf-Rider’ is more of a troublemaker than a criminal.” Kaiver kept searching though the crowds as they were mounted upon his horse.

“What? How can a simple Shiekah could tame and bend the will of such a savage beast?” Elder Lyontus looked up in confusion and surprise. “This day is very odd indeed.”

“I know, but whoever this fool is, he isn’t going to cost me my family’s safety!”

The blacksmith appeared to be uncomfortable as he mulled his options over and Maryev’s stare was unwavering. It was something his father had instilled in him from a very young age to never back down from a challenge and own up to your convictions. Hesitation and meekness would win you no favours in life, and others would exploit it ruthlessly. A leader was decisive, a warrior was unflinching in the face of adversity, and a lord was absolutely resolute. For a lifetime, they were the tenants that Maryev strove to meet.

Although, at this particular instance, they were being outrageously utilized for something that was frankly more obnoxious than a serious challenge to his resolve. Being forced to attempt to slice a hock of lamb’s leg several weeks back with his greatsword due to his lack of food preparation equipment immediately came to mind. It was more awkward in execution than it was rewarding. His stomach growled.

Maryev did not want to come to blows with this stranger, despite the Hylian’s challenge. He came to this festival for a reason, of which eluded him entirely at that time, and he intended to leave it without more confrontation than need be. Fortunately, the Darknut’s hunch about Ox’s nature proved to be correct and the man moved to disengage, letting Maryev “off” with little more than a stern warning. “Very well. Just know that rallying against me is… unwise. Pick your adversaries with care, Blacksmith, because you do not know what they will cost you.” He finally broke his stare and looked over at the Blacksmith’s forge, in which a curiously red garbed child in a Keeton mask was gazing back at him. At least it wasn’t wearing a green tunic like the aspiring child army that milled around the village with all of the precision and order of actual Hyrulian soldiers. “Yours, I presume.” He said to Ox. “Keep it in mind the next time you decide to accost me for trivial rubbish. I do not think it is ready to take up your business.” He said before giving the man one final hard stare before stepping away and turning towards the alluring meat stand further down the street.

Cue Music!
Maryev, having successfully obtained victory in the great ambush of the Kakariko Village Smithy, towered over the stand to collect his spoils of the skirmish, which somehow meant he had to pay for it. His eyes lingered on the tantalizing slab of mutton shoulder, steam rising off of its perfectly cooked flesh not unlike the surface of a hot spring. The Darknut pointed to it with authority.

“This. How much?” he boomed far too loudly, a sure sign of his excitement.

The butcher recoiled slightly, already slightly on edge at the towering armoured behemoth casting a shadow over his ever paling expression. “It’s… uh… Seven Rupees?” he said uncertainly.

Without a further word, Maryev reached into his armour, pulling out a deer-skin wallet and produced a blue and two green rupees. He pulled the butcher’s hand forward and slapped the payment into the exposed palm. Maryev impatiently waited for the man to remove the hock from its hook and the man tenderly handed it over after wrapping it in a wax paper. Maryev received the slab of meat like an offering of tribute; a triumph. A deep throaty chuckle of anticipation emitted from Maryev’s helm like the throat of darkness itself. He would eat like a High Lord today, he thought, seemingly forgetting that no noble would dare eat a large slab of meat without carving it. What Maryev prepared to do would be considered quite savage across the many fiefdoms across the lands of Hyrule, to be sure.

Maryev lost 7 Rupees!

The Darknut lumbered off, mindfully avoiding another one of the damned green children, recalling Ox’s warning. It was not fear of retaliation that gripped him, but an interruption of his meal. He was mindful to find a dark corner largely out of sight, finding his perch near the grave yard gates, where nobody seemed to be frequenting as very few self-respecting people preferred to frolic amongst the monuments of the dead. He sat with an audible thump as his mass, combined with his armour, impacting the ground. His visor was only raised now, in this moment of triumph, as much of the wrapping was removed and the large slab of meat was brought up to his eager maw.

At that point, Maryev was convinced this was perhaps the finest day of his life. Perhaps he would seek a book shop to find some clues as to exactly what so was so special about the festering hole he was currently visiting and perhaps find a clue as to what drove him here. His rupees were still on mental illness brought upon by contact with the filthy peasants that occupied these lands in barely contained broods.

He at least had to acknowledge they knew how to prepare a meal fit for a King.

“It a simple fetch quest for me. I can leave that wench alive as there is no desire or profit to be gained in butchering that sorry slag of a woman, but I am not going to guarantee that woman is coming out of this ordeal unharmed.”

Her eyebrows creased at Izzaz’s final remark. Once he was out of sight, she once again looked towards the heavens, staring placidly for a few short seconds. “What?” she glowered, as if the rolling clouds could not only speak, but berate, “This is what happens when you give me a bunch of uneducated children and moral-less rogues to work with. Someone’s bound to get hurt. I’m only one fairy! Can’t expect me to prevent everything!” She growled in the back of her throat, sparing a glance towards the back of the graveyard.

She muttered very unfairylike obscenities under her breath as she quickly spun around and made to dart out of the graveyard.

SMACK!!

"Dry those eyes
Fast those tears
It's no surprise,
RAIN SPIDER'S HERE!"

Temporarily stunned and thus bouncing off the Rain Spider’s protruding chest not unlike a pigskin off a wall, Lethe drooped in the air several inches before regaining ahold of herself and coming back to almost-eye level with the man. The tinkling sound of bells rang out as she tried to shake the stars from her eyes and she held her nose with both her hands, groaning uncomfortably.

“Lethe! I present you with the Masked One. The...er, 'Fish One' is on her way as well. She's a bit sensitive.”

“Great,” Lethe quacked through her hands, “Thanks. Just… have him go stand over there by Magus.”

“He doesn’t bite,” she tried to say reassuringly. She pointed to his location and flew around Jira, still cupping her nose. “Probably,” she muttered just before flying on-- passing Maryev and his meaty boon before disappearing into the crowd.

---

If Izzaz’s memory served him correctly, he would soon find himself at the shop of Madame Astrid. It was a dingy old place on the second floor of a Curiosity Shop. The stairs leading up to the entrance were so mercilessly rusted that bits of copper colored filth fell to the earth below with every step. A sign, shaped like an outward-facing palm, lined with a deep purple paint, and baring a black and white eye in it’s center hung beside the stained glass door.

“The Magnificent Madame Astrid,” it read in tall, eloquent lettering.

As the door creaked open, the faint sound of a phonograph playing would greet Izzaz, as well as the overbearingly strong amount of incense. The interior was a menagerie of odd trinkets and jewel-toned tapestries and drapes. Questionable objects in jars lined the shelves on the walls—one of which seemed to be a baby Zora skull. Several different creatures would peer at Izzaz from small wiry cages as he entered—a smallish blue breed of monkey, three pink fairies idly gyrating around each other, a poe spirit, and a large black and red bird that would ruffle it’s feathers threateningly as Izzaz passed it.

Then, there behind a large dark mahogany counter, sat, or rather, slumped Madame Astrid. She idly picked at the chipping finish of her counter top with a long deep-red fingernail, barely paying Izzaz any mind aside from a brief upward glance. She was quite obviously a woman racked by time—the creases in her tanned skin were enough proof of that. Atop her elaborate gray beehive up-do nested a small white cat, curled up and so deeply asleep that it’s tail merely switched as the glass door slammed shut. She’d obviously been sitting like that for quite a while.

---

Her fairy, evidently becoming a bit concerned by the eminent danger Kaiver was alluding to, spoke something inaudible to the others in Mila's ear. She waived her fairy away, however, shaking her head.

"Ohh," Mila's eyes widened-- thrilled by the thought of such an adventure, "Is he really that dangerous? What are we going to do when we find him? Does he really ride a Wolfos? Is it like his pet? Is it nice?"

“One small meeting with the dirt won’t make it blunt,” Archer answered in Zephyrus’ stead, getting to his feet again.
He chuckled, “Besides, it’s mostly there for show: Zeph here’s one of those neutral-types.”
“I’m a none-lethalist whenever it is an option,” Zephyrus explained, withdrawing his weapon and returning it to its resting place on his back, “The Sheikah are not a race that revel in bloodshed and chaos.”
“You aren’t a race that revel in many things,” Archer observed.
“Oh, so you’re no longer a Sheikah, are you not?”
“It’s no longer convenient, so no.”
Zephyrus closed his eyes and exhaled, “You test me,” he sighed.
Archer nodded, grinning.

Both fell silent again as Veitaru spoke of her plight, though, and of how one fairy had asked her to retrieve another.
That, alone, was enough to spark up some concern betwixt the siblings: Zephyrus turned to Archer with a thoughtful frown, and Archer reciprocated thoroughly.
Zephyrus knew of few incidents in which a fairy had willingly approached another species, and none that had ended favourably for said fairy: Because, of course, their healing properties were so potent that they were immediately captured, and sold.
Archer, too, knew this well: He’d once been in competition with a fairy salesman, and he’d been a most unsavoury character.

For these reasons, neither brother had ever much favoured their use.

Still, no major alarms had been rung yet: There was a mild disconcertment between them, but it seemed miniscule. They returned to Veitaru.
"I mean, what am I supposed to say? Hey, I've just met you, but you wanna come play in the Shadow Temple because a fairy threatened me to get you there?"
They then both immediately turned to one another again.
In a rare display of overt emotion, Zephyrus’ eyes widened suddenly, and Archer’s face dropped into a fearful scowl: In the same breathe, both spoke.
“The Shadow Temple?”
Then, without missing a beat, Archer turned, and began walking away.
“Byyye!”

Zephyrus reached out, and caught him by the collar of his jacket: Archer struggled against his grip.
“Hey, let me go!”
“And where is it you believe you’re going?”
“I know where I’m not going, and that’s The Shadow Temple!”
“And who says we’re going to The Shadow Temple?”
Eventually, Archer stopped, nodding as he came back to his senses.
“Yeah… yeah, you’re right. No need for us to go make a house call.”

"…And after THAT, I'm supposed to find a reliable Shiekah wearing a cream colored scarf and a guy with mahogany eyes, dark hair, who's a trickster. Last I was in town there were like, what, three or four Shiekah still around and none of them are what I'd call respectable, stupid twins... And on the other spectrum, there are so many tricksters in this town that I'll probably never find the right one!"

“… byyye!”
“Get back here.”
“Let go of me, I am not getting involved in this!”
“By the Goddess, are you not a performer? Can’t you at least act brave?”
“Oh yeah, I’m a performer alright! I’m a magician, in fact! Let me go, and I’ll disappear.”
“I’m not going to do that, Archer. You can’t solve every problem by running from it.”
“Maybe not, but you could at least let me try!”

Zephyrus’ grip remained steadfast, and- after a few moments of unenthused struggling, Archer sighed.
“Fine, fine… but I am not ‘tricky’. I’m crafty, like a fox.”
“You’re amoral, like the snake.”
“Snakes’re cool, too.”
Zephyrus hesitated, opened his mouth to comment, then decided it was better not to waste his time, and returned to Veitaru.
“I’m afraid we haven’t any formal training in the tracking of fairies. However- if I might be so bold- I believe you may have found your Sheikah, and your trickster, too. But… I fear we may need more to go on.”

Archer folded his arms unhappily, his mouth slanted into a half-frown. He knew little of The Shadow Temple, and it still unnerved him…
He knew Zephyrus knew more, too, and couldn’t quite imagine how he remained so calm.

In truth, calm was not the word for it, although there was barely unrest beneath Zephyrus’ cool exterior, either.
The Shadow Temple, to the Hylians, seemed to be some sort of curiosity: To them, it was all they’d ever know in regards to the Sheikah.
Their places of worship, their architecture, their culture…
But for a Sheikah, The Shadow Temple meant something different: It was an ill omen, spoken of rarely and never in a favourable light.
Although the nature of these omens changed from Sheikah to Sheikah, their themes were recurrent: The Shadow Temple was a place of death, a burrow for an evil so old that even they did not truly understand it.
A secret even they did not possess.
And that terrified them… and fascinated them.

“Tell me… could you lead us to this first fairy you spoke of?”

Next thing Jira noticed was the tinkling of bells. Curious, he looked down and moved to catch the fairy that bounced off his chest. She seemed to fly on her own just fine and moved on after giving him instructions on where to stand. He turned back to the group of people there and... cocked his head to the side. Whoa. Okay, a Sheikah, a Scarecrow and a hot albino girl. Who were these kooks? Clearly he was way less weird than any of these guys. But a humble merchant here to honor the request of a shadow being that saved his life. He approached where he last saw the shadow being, apparently called 'Magus' went, into the shadow of the albino girl.

"Yo yo yo
What up G?
I came to the graveyard
As you see.
So What gives, what gives?
I ain't here to watch the time
Drip down the sieve."

He peeked up at the albino girl he was near by.

"Heya Miss,
Don't mind me
It's this fools choice on
Where I be.
Just gotta say
Yer hella fine,
I'd check ya out
But I got a dame with hair of wine."

He nodded to her and winked under his mask before turning his attention back to her shadow.