So. Matt was a guy. Made sense he had to do the "approving look of maleness". It's like a law. Of course, he found nothing wrong here with the way the girls were dressed. Er, pass Ileyna first, she's like ten and that's wrong. But the other two were definitely approval-worthy. Matt was glad Link gave Alasea the exposed dress - that rack should never be restrained again.

Okay, enough sex talk. Onto Helena. And hey, she looked pretty good in that! And even better, she had put the wings back. Mind you, Matt fully sympathized with her goal, but some of Helena's complaining wasn't justified when she could reel the transformation back in. Then again, he figured he should empathize with her, considering her situation.

So he asked: "So how's it feel? Being human again, I mean." He kept it low, confidental.

Helena didn't smile. "Good."

Alasea pretended not to notice the discreet stare R.D. was giving her. Mixed feelings bubbled up inside of her--satisfaction and contentment that R.D. was finally--FINALLY!--beginning to notice that she was a girl, dammit, fighting against the embarrassment of unbidden memories of R.D. staring at her bare flesh, taking in every little detail that she wasn't ready to show him.

Her cheeks tinged with color, and she quickly looked for a way to distract herself, lest R.D. noticed that she noticed. She quickly assessed the situation between Matt and Helena, and knew what to do. Alasea clapped her hands on Helena's shoulders, no doubt startling the other teenager. "Hey, cheer up a little!" she said. "You were able to switch back without any trouble, and I know you were tired of having to alter your outfits!"

"Yeah," Helena said, her tone making sure everyone knew that she was weirded out. "I told you I'd be fine, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Alasea said, "So you don't need to sound so gloomy about it."

Because I can tell something's eating at you, she thought mentally, not broadcasting it to Helena. And you have way too much on your mind as it is.

"We need to get going," Link said, drawing their attention. "Since you're all suitable now, let's go through the gates. You staying out here for now, Agitha?"

"Yes, Link," she said with a nod. "I'm still not done searching out here today."

"Alright then, don't stay out too long," he said. "I need to talk to you later anyway."

"Very well then," she said. She curtsied to the others. "It was nice meeting you all!"

Edited by RisingDragon on February 10, 2010 at 21:26:16.

Matt held up a hand in recognition. "Nice meeting you, too. Have a good one."

Ileyna shared a quick hug with her new friend before they departed, waving to Agitha before they proceeded through the first set of gates.

When they passed through the inner gates, they had entered a magnificent city of white stone. A stone mortared road ran straight ahead towards a massive pavilion, complete with a large fountain, and further ahead was Hyrule Castle, looking even more imposing up close. The barrier still encased the fortress, and now that they were closer, they could see the various geometric shapes on the fields of energy.

The street was also lined with a number of stalls, each one carrying a variety of meats and vegetables and fruits, identifying it as a street market. Hawkers called out to the fanciful-dressed people as they hurried about, each one trying to tempt them into purchasing their wares. Ileyna stared wide-eyed at it all, especially of the huge, reddish-brown creature seemingly made of rock as it treated a line of people to servings of hot spring water. More people rushed past, all of various shapes and sizes--some of the people rivaled the rock-creature in height, while others stood only a foot taller than Ileyna. Many of them carried bags identical to the ones Link had brought their new clothes in. All of them sported the same elven-liked pointed ears that Link and Agitha had.

"Here we are," the green-clad warrior said as they walked down the street slowly, avoiding the people as they hurried past. "Hyrule Castle Town, the noisiest place next to the Goron Mines and Zora's Domain."

The streets branched off here and there, leading to brick-laid alleyways. Link pointed to the nearest one on their right. "Telma's bar is just this way," Link continued. "Try to stay close. You can get lost in this place very easily."

"Right," Alasea said, taking Ileyna by the hand so she didn't get lost. "Its not a crowded place in the bar, is it?"

"Dunno about right now," Link said as they turned to corner into the alleyway. Steps lead down to a lower floor, and to the left was an archway leading to the door of the bar. "But its usually not crowded at night. We'll find out soon enough."

Edited by RisingDragon on February 14, 2010 at 1:33:05.

It felt like he was examining each brick individually, trying to absorb all the detail of Castle Town. Matt loved the design. It reminded him of downtown back at home, with modern skyscrapers overshadowing buildings made from rock and brick that had been around since the town was first settled hundreds of years ago. Good thing they were walking slowly - Matt had ample opportunities to suck it all in.

Too bad Hugo couldn't see it. But if they wanted to blend in, he had to hide. Fortunately, the backpack was big enough to carry him. He hated going in there, of course, but what else could they do?

The alleyway was damp, R.D. noted as they proceeded down the stairs to Telma's bar. Upraised stone platforms off to their right showed large, barred-off drainage tunnels--the one next to the platforms, on the wall opposite the stairwell, was filled with rubble and refuse from a recent storm. Probably the one Agitha had mentioned earlier.

The archway off to their left was the entrance to a short, downhill tunnel that ended in a wall and a door--next to the arch was a small sign that indicated that the bar was open. Link walked down the short stairs and into the arch, headed for the door after another short flight of stairs. An identical sign was here, to the right of the door. Link ignored it as he opened it up and stepped inside.

"I just hope they've got non-alcoholic options in here," Matt said. "Maybe a pitcher of cherry soda." Couldn't resist a smile creeping in at the remark.

"We didn't come here to relax, Matt," Alasea admonished as she followed Link inside, along with the others.

Within, an expansive, spacious room of brick and stone unfolded before them, A few round tables were placed here and there on the floor before them and in the left-side wing, where the Postman could be found, kneeling on the floor a little ways from a table, reading a menu of some sort. To their right, the actual bar stretched out along the right wall, and past it was another room, where several people had gathered around a table. Boxes and barrels were piled up by a cabinet in the corner, across from the bar, and above the room, several vases were placed here and there on outcroppings. The entire place gave off a rather cozy, homely feeling, despite the fact that it was a bar.

Link proceeded up to the bar, where a heavy-set woman with red hair and dark skin stood waiting.

"Oh my... if it isn't Link!" the woman said, upon noticing him. Once he had made it up to the bar, she continued talking, leaning forward with her hands on her hips. "You made it! How've you been, honey?!"

"I'm doing well, Telma," Link said, smiling at the woman. "Things have been interesting the past couple of days."

The woman smiled wide, nodding. "Mercy, but you have good timing. I was just talking about you!" She looked over to the room past them, where two curtains had been pulled back along a rope strung up between the two outcroppings. "Hey, everyone! Introduce yourselves!" she called out to the people around the back table, causing them to look up. "This handsome young man is the infamous Link!"

She turned back to the green-clad man. "You remember what I told you before, honey? These are those friends I mentioned, the ones who are trying to help deal with all the troubles in Hyrule," she said while leaning forward again, then stood up straight and crossed her arms beneath her expansive bosom. "Actually, there's one more of us... but there's been a disturbing turn of events in the western desert, so he's gone to check it out. He's an older man named Auru. If you happen to meet him, definitely take the time to talk wit him, OK, honey?"

Link nodded. "I'll make sure to do that."

"Well, you've come all the way here, honey, so why don't you relax a bit. Why don't you be sociable and talk to those folks? They're a jolly bunch!"

Link nodded again. "In the meantime, I think you can help me," he said. He gestured towards the others, over by the door. "I met these guys today, and they're looking for something important. They're not from around here, though, so they're a little lost. Think you can help them if you can?"

"Sure can, honey," Telma said. Link nodded and said thanks, before turning and gesturing for them to come on over.

What was the quote? "You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villiany." Didn't seem to fit here, but the line came to mind whenever Matt entered any kind of bar. The barkeep looked nice enough, and Matt led the rest of the group over. "Hi, there," he said. "I'm Matt. In turn, this is Helena, Alasea, R.D., and Ileyna."

"Hey there. I'm Telma," the barkeep greeted with a smile. They all pulled up stools and sat down, and she continued. "So what can I do for you kids?"

"We're looking for this artifact called Omega Essence," R.D. started, figuring that they should be as thorough as possible if this woman could help them. "There's more than one, and we think one or two of them might be in Hyrule somewhere."

"Can't say I've heard of the name, honey," Telma said after a moment. "Do you know what it looks like? Maybe describe what it does?"

Helena let her hand fall open on the bar. "Well, it looks like a piece of blue glass. When it's not bonded with anyone, I mean. See, the problem is that it tries to find people it can use as a 'host'. Once it's done that, it gives the person special powers, or enhances the powers he already has."

"And that means if the wrong person gets their hands on it," Alasea concluded, "Then everyone's going to be in a lot of trouble..."

Telma nodded at that. "I can see why you'd want to keep that out of the wrong hands," she said. "Good to see there's others in Hyrule trying to fix things, besides my friends and Link."

R.D. got the feeling that they'd just made sure they were on Telma's good side. "So have you heard about anything like that?" he asked.

Unfortunately, she shook her head. "There's plenty of things in Hyrule that can give people something special, honey," she said apologetically. "But I haven't heard of anything like that that looks like blue glass."

R.D. sighed. Well, it had been worth a shot.

"Tell you what, kids," Telma continued, leaning forward again. "I can only tell you what I hear at this bar, and I don't get too many customers these days. But my friends there travel a lot, so they'd know better than I would. Why don't you talk to them with Link? I'm sure they'd be happy to help, if you tell them you're trying to help."

Matt curtly nodded. "Sounds good. Thanks for the help."

"No problem at all, honey," Telma said with a nod and a smile. "Now, while you wait for Link to finish, make yourselves at home. Would you like anything to drink?"

R.D. hesitated. "We don't... exactly have any money to pay you," he said. "Link's been kind enough to help us financially when we need it, but we don't really have any way of paying him back either."

Telma pursed her lips thoughtfully. "That's okay, honey, tonight its on the house," she said, giving them a couple menus to browse through. "You just promise to help out Hyrule the best you can, and I'll call it even."

Edited by RisingDragon on February 11, 2010 at 19:39:07.

"Really?" Helena asked. "Thanks!"

"Just don't go wild, okay?" Matt told Helena, waving his hand down at the bar like he was directly lowering her enthusiasm. "I know you're hungry, but keep it steady."

Man, Telma sure bought that story quick. Maybe she trusted Link enough to trust them by proxy? Well, free food was free food, and like hell Matt was going to turn it down. He opened it up and scanned the contents, trying to interpret the menu choices with things he had eaten before.

After a few minutes, R.D. noticed that Link was finishing up his conversation with the three people in the back room. He looked at Matt and motioned over to the table. "Now's our chance. Let's go talk to them while the girls finish their meals." He himself hadn't felt that hungry and decided not to order anything.

"All right." Matt glanced at Telma as he pushed himself off the stool. "We'll be back."

The two boys approached the back room, with R.D. pushing aside one of the curtains as they entered. Besides Link, there were two men and one woman were around the table, with both men seated, while the woman stood, hunched over it in the back. The man sitting to Link's left had the look of a fighter, with leather armor strapped over his clothing, and the helmet covering half of his head. The person to Link's right, a young man with red hair, was clearly someone who belonged in a library, rather than on the field of battle. He dressed smartly, in a wide-collared bluish-purple coat, and had his face adorned with glasses. The woman with black hair tied into pigtails stood beside him, wearing silver armor over a gray tunic and red trousers. A lean rapier was strapped to her hip, and her expression indicated she was as much a warrior as Link was.

Link himself was leaning over the table, which had a large map spread out across most of it. He was listening to the scholarly-looking young man, who was speaking in low tones as R.D. and Matt approached. "... that old codger Auru is at Lake Hylia," he said quietly, "Studying the desert."

"Right here at the edge of the cliffs?" Link asked, pointing at a certain part in the lower left corner of the map. When the scholar nodded, Link stood up and pulled out his own map, using a pen to mark a red circle on it where it had been indicated on the large map.

When he was ready (for Link and the woman had already noticed their entry) Link turned to the two other boys. "Is something needed?" he asked. R.D. shook his head.

"We just wanted to ask these guys some questions about the Essence," Matt said. "If you're not done yet, we can come back later."

R.D. shrugged slightly. "Telma suggested it," he explained. "She didn't hear of anything like it."

Link nodded before turning back to the others. "This is Matt and R.D.," he introduced to them before turning back to the two boys. "Guys, this is Rusl, Ashei, and Shad.

"I met these two and their friends back in the Faron Woods. They're trying to keep a dangerous artifact out of the wrong hands, but they don't know much about Hyrule," Link explained. "Apparently its a blue shard of glass that can bond with someone and give them magical powers."

"There might be more than one piece in Hyrule," R.D. added. "They tend to stick together when there's more than one in the vicinity."

"A magical artifact? How fascinating," the scholar, Shad, mused. "Not many objects in Hyrule contain magical power. Alas, that'd make finding such an object that much more difficult..."

"Not many magical objects...? Telma said Hyrule had plenty of things that grant people special power," R.D. said, feeling a bit perplexed.

"Its a common misconception, really," Shad clarified, gesturing with his hand. "Many treasures you can find in Hyrule allow you to do things a normal human can't do, but most of them are mechanical in nature."

"Magic's a pretty rare thing in Hyrule," Rusl, the man in the helmet, said. "I can only think of a few people who know magic."

"Like who?" Matt asked.

"Well, there's Princess Zelda," Rusl said. "And the sages. No one's heard from any of them in a while, though, and you can't get into the castle anymore anyway."

Link looked a mite bit uncomfortable at this mention, but luckily, no one noticed.

R.D. shook his head. "We already have a way to track down the Essence, but its not exact," he said. "We just need any hint to its location and we can get it ourselves."

"That confident in your abilities, yeah?" Ashei spoke up. R.D. got the feeling she wasn't someone to beat around the bush. "Your best bet's to talk to old Auru at Lake Hylia. He might know if he's seen or heard anything around there or the Gerudo Desert."

Matt swung a finger at Link. "Weren't you headed out that way?"

Link nodded. "I take it you'll want to come with?" he asked.

"It'd be best," R.D. said. "Otherwise we'd get lost or cause some sort of trouble."

"Not knowing about your destination doesn't seem to wise to me," Rusl said, crossing his arms. "Didn't you prepare for this journey at all?"

R.D. shifted on his feet. "We didn't really get a chance to prepare thoroughly," he said. "We were able to get supplies but we couldn't exchange our money for Hyrule's currency and we didn't have any maps available to us. Really, we were lucky enough just to run into Link in the woods."

Matt pulled his fingers over his nose briefly. "Besides, this journey's kinda hard to prepare for." No kidding.

"I suppose we can't fault you for things that are out of your control," Rusl said. "All sorts of strange happenings have been occurring. Wouldn't surprise me if its extended past Hyrule by now."

Link nodded. "At least there's more than just us trying to fix things," he said.

"Aye, there is that," Rusl nodded. "Well, Link, you better get going. Auru won't be at Lake Hylia forever, you know."

Matt acknowledged the group with a two-finger gesture. "Thanks for the help." Guess they wouldn't get that meal after all.

"I'll see you around, Rusl," Link said. "Nice meeting you all."

"Likewise," Shad said, smiling. "I hope we'll meet again soon."

The three departed from the room, and as they walked, Link spoke. "We'll just stay long enough to get something to eat, and then we'll be off. Don't take too long."