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“Looking for something?”
Wind ducks. He does his best to not appear guilty, continuing his current action with a sunny smile and no more than the slightest falter in his pace. “Nope! Your bag fell over, I was just putting it back.”
“Hm.” Time raises an eyebrow. “And I suppose the other bag inside that bag also fell open.”
“Sure did,” Wind agrees, shoving the evidence back where it belongs.
Time stares. Wind beams back, picking up a mask that’s just a smooth dome with a design etched into the white surface. It goes back in among the rest.
Like he’s going to crack under a look. That’s Sky territory.
“I’ll finish, thank you.” Time takes the bag. “I must have left the masks near the top after pranking Warriors last night,” he continues. Smooth bastard. Wind screws up his face. He refuses to give himself away, but...
“That mask you were wearing sure does seem good for pranks,” he says, maybe just a little wistful.
Time keeps him in suspense all the way through tucking every last mask away before he relents. The little curl of his mouth broadens. He nods. “It’s not even one of the better ones,” he confides. He glances up, and that is a look Wind likes. The gleam in his eye is the same as the one last night, when he was laughing so hard he could barely stand upright, despite the dagger Warriors pulled on him.
Time glances around the camp, everyone busy getting ready to set out for the day. A different mask comes back out of the bag, one Wind hadn’t gotten to yet in his pilfering. Broad, stone-like appearance, with lopsided eyes and a shallow slash of a mouth.
Time puts it on and… he doesn’t quite disappear, but he does fade from Wind’s senses. Wind squints, glances down, and watches the slight disturbance of leaves that are all the evidence Time leaves of his passage.
The Old Man moves fast when he wants to.
Twilight yelps, scrambling to get the hooded portion of his pelt back out of his eyes. Legend’s cap follows, to the tune of ample cursing. Wild squawks, almost tipping over backwards at a tug to his hood.
“No,” Warriors says. He jumps to his feet, clutching at his scarf as if he knows what’s coming. “No, you just did this last night. Time!”
He doesn’t manage to collect his clothing fast enough. Half the trailing end of the scarf goes up and over, mussing up the hair he just got done fussing with.
Wind makes sure the others get a good look at the grin he’s “hiding” behind his hand. Time reappears behind Warriors, laughing that big hearty laugh that holds all the joy of a simple prank gone just right.
Warriors groans, fussing at his hair.
“What?” Legend snorts, shoving his cap back onto his head. “Humor too much for you, Pretty Boy?”
“No no. Flashbacks. You’ve given me enough heart attacks for one lifetime, Old Man.”
What does that mean? Wind perks up. That doesn’t sound like irritation from one light-hearted evening. That sounds like history. That sounds like a story.
“That’s a good item for sneaking around,” Four notes as Time crosses back to Wind to put his mask away.
“What, like you all don’t have ways of being sneaky,” Wind scoffs.
Four smiles and keeps his mouth conspicuously shut, but Wild offers, “Just elixirs and enchanted clothes. Nothing like that.” He looks a little envious, fingers twitching with restless energy. Wind makes an absent noise of agreement. He’s watching the others, noting their reactions. Twilight looks shifty. Hyrule blushes, and isn’t that interesting. Legend’s look of boredom is covering for something. Sky shakes his head and shrugs; Warriors isn’t any better.
“You’re all boring,” Wind declares.
Time laughs. Unlike the big, boisterous thing of before, this one’s a low chuckle that Wind doubts travels far enough for the others to hear.
“What item do you use, Wind?” Hyrule asks.
“Pure skill,” Wind doesn’t mind bragging.
Legend snorts. Gotcha.
Wind crosses his arms, puffing out his chest. “Why, Legend, like you can do better?”
“You think I’m gonna brag just because you said? Please.” Legend flicks his fingers in dismissal.
Wind kicks dirt at him. It’s light and not overly invested; if he really wanted to get Legend that way, he’d use the Wind Waker. It only earns him a rolling of eyes. “Lame,” Wind complains.
Hours later, Wind leans against a smooth patch of long cliffside, toying with the Wind Waker as half their party debate whether to stop for lunch or press on for the village that they spotted some way back. Idle flicks send the leaves at his feet scurrying this way and that. He’s hardly paying attention, watching the others in lackadaisical boredom.
Movement, out of the corner of his eye. Right next to him on the rock. Wind glances, jumps a foot into the air with a strangled shout. He jabs the Wind Waker at the wall on pure instinct, a blast of air that would knock back most enemies but of course does nothing to the stone.
The image of Legend laughs at him silently. It smirks at him from under lidded eyes, all carved out in what looks like rough paint outlined in chalk, perfectly flat and moving. It motions at him with one hand, rolls the eyes when Wind does nothing. Then it detaches from the wall, Legend pulling himself from the stone like he’s peeling himself free of a stubborn Chu Chu. Wind scrambles backwards to give him room. The simple likeness follows him as he comes, transforming from paint to living Hylian. One he’s completely free, Legend snickers, opens his mouth to snark.
“That was fucking amazing!” Wind blurts. “How did you do that? Is it an item? Spell? Curse? Does it work on any surface, or only certain ones?” He reaches out to touch and manages a quick pat down of Legend’s arms before he’s brushed away.
The smirk on Legend’s face gentles to mild annoyance. “Stop touching, Wind. Shoulda known you’d be happy to be pranked, you ornery little shit.”
“C’mon!” Wind wheedles. “How’d you do it?”
“Yeah Legend, that’s a new one, I have to say,” Hyrule pipes up. They’ve drawn attention.
Legend grumbles, like they can’t all see the pleased flush to his cheeks. He finally taps at that bracelet that he’s always wearing, heavy gold with a gem-like eye glaring upwards from it.
“Of course it’s an item. This is Legend, after all.”
Legend snorts, gives Warriors a half-hearted toss of his head. “You wish you had half my items, Pretty Boy.”
Wind doesn’t care to listen to their bickering. “Let me try!” He grabs Legend’s hand, turning it as if to admire the eerie way the bracelet gleams in the morning light.
“Watch those sticky fingers, Sailor.” Legend starts to take his arm back, but Wind’s faster. One quick practiced pull has the bracelet off Legend’s wrist. “Hey!”
Wind shoves the bracelet onto his own arm, turning it this way and that even as he dances out of Legend’s grasping reach.
“I was gonna let you try, you little shit, but I’ve changed my mind-”
“Oh, just let him have his fun. It won’t harm him, right?”
“It’s the principle of the thing!” Legend sputters, momentarily giving up the chase to round on Twilight.
Warriors plants his hands on his hips, waving Wind on when Wind darts around behind him. “You? Worried about principles?”
“Fine! Go on, then.” The gleam in Legend’s eye tells Wind there’s something he’s not saying about how it works, or he’s expecting to get entertainment from letting Wind try. That’s not about to stop him.
He concentrates on the bracelet, trying to feel out how it works. There’s definitely magic on it, which was a given seeing as it belongs to Legend, but far more obvious now that he’s got the thing on.
“What’s the matter, Wind? Having trouble?” Wild teases, slate in his hands and no doubt ready to take dozens of pictures.
“Don’t rush me.” Wind feels his face screwing up in concentration.
“Need some pointers there, half pint?”
“Just watch me,” Wind boasts. He’s still not quite sure how the bracelet works, but if it joined Legend to a wall it stands to reason he should stand near to do the same. Wind marches up to the stretch of smooth stone where Legend came out. He puts up a hand, resting it against the smooth stone, and feels for the bracelet again.
The magic kicks his teeth in.
That’s what it feels like, anyway. Wind wants to yell, finds he can’t. It’s like being squeezed and flattened all at once. It doesn’t hurt, exactly, but boy does it feel strange. He loses track of his body; all his senses go muffled and distant, the world dark. He’s not even sure if he’s breathing any more, but it doesn’t feel like he needs to. Only his magic gives any sense of urgency, leaching out of him in a steady flow.
He stretches into the sensations, trying to get a feel for how they work. Something moves, but it’s... strange.
Someone is talking to him.
Wind opens his eyes.
Legend’s standing there, eyebrows raised in Wind’s direction. He’s got a hand on Twilight, holding him back. Twilight’s the one talking. Concern paints his face. It looks like he’s near to yelling, mostly aimed at Legend. Legend ignores him, still fixing Wind with that challenging stare.
Wind focuses.
Twilight’s voice snaps into place. “-get him out of there,” he’s saying, even as a broad grin grows on Wind’s face. He waves, and it feels so strange. Like he can’t help but move at right angles. Legend’s look of challenge morphs into satisfaction. He waves back, his grin all sharp edges.
“Took you long enough, Sailor.”
Wind flips him off, and Legend laughs.
Fun as this is, Wind’s plenty aware of his magic draining away. Getting back out can’t be that hard. It looked like Legend pulled himself free, so in theory he just needs to… let go.
Wind puts up the hand with the bracelet and presses. He pushes against the surface of the stone, trying to draw his magic away from the bracelet at the same time.
It works: moments later, Wind pops free of the wall.
Elation overrides his higher mental functions. Wind jumps, whooping. “That was so cool! Sky!” He turns to the nearest person, letting Sky give him a quick pat-over. Twilight looks like he wants to do the same, but Legend’s still got a solid grip on his arm, and for some reason he’s politely pretending like that’s enough to actually stop him. “Sky, you’ve gotta try this thing!” Wind scrambles at the bracelet, tugging it off and shoving it at Sky’s chest. Sky catches it, eyes wide. “It’s a little weird, and boy is that some magic drain, but-” he stops himself mid-sentence as something new occurs to him, turns to give Legend a sly grin. “You must use this to sneak into so many places.”
Sky turns the bracelet over in his hands, looking dubious but hopeful. “I don’t have magic,” he says, casting a glance Legend’s way that says quite clearly he’d love nothing more than to try it anyway.
Legend shrugs. “Can’t hurt to try, since someone has decided my things are for sharing.” He shoulder-checks Wind on his way to coach Sky through the bracelet’s use. He’s not acting like he’s actually mad, though, so Wind steps back, eyes on Sky along with everyone else.
Either Sky does have magic or the bracelet found something else to draw on: Sky puts a hand on the wall much as Wind just did, and oh that effect is so strange.
“That is so much better than my stuff,” Wild says from Wind’s other side, eyes glued forward as the Sky-painting takes his time opening his eyes. He’s been reduced to the same simple, flat shapes as Legend was, the sailcloth a bright splash of white behind him. “Imagine if we all had something like that.” He sucks in a quick breath and snaps several quick pictures as Sky’s hand lifts in a wave. There’s a calculating gleam in his eye. Wind digs a knowing elbow into his side, grinning. He knows that expression.
Sky pops back out of the wall looking absolutely delighted. “Oh that - that feels so strange.” He pats himself down, turns to look back at the stone as if he can’t quite believe he was just a part of it.
“My turn!” Wild bounds forward.
Legend’s face goes dubious. Wind latches on to his wrist, buying Wild time for Sky to hand the bracelet over without apparent note of the look Wild’s wearing. “Do any of these others do something like that?” Wind plucks at one of the many, many rings on Legend’s fingers.
Legend snatches the appendage back. “Hands off!”
Wild doesn’t put Legend’s bracelet on, just turns it over in his hands with a growing grin on his face. “Wild…” Legend breaks free of Wind, starting forward. Wild slips the bracelet into a pocket. Legend lunges.
Wild’s faster. He bolts straight up the sheer stone face - seriously, what’s his trick, Wind has to know - hauling himself onto a small ledge midway up it. “Wild!” Legend hollers, scrambling at his bag for something. “Whatever you’re thinking, no. Wild! Hey! Are you listening to me?”
Wild ignores him. He pulls the bracelet back out, and then… one of his bows? He sets an arrow to it that spits and hisses electric yellow. “Wild!” Legend’s voice changes pitch to a yelp, and Twilight starts forward too. Wind sticks his foot out, smiling innocently as Twilight veers around it at the last second, shooting Wind a warning look.
Up on the ledge, Wild does… something. Wind can’t quite follow what, but it involves a whole lot of rapid drawing and dropping of multiple bows. The bracelet stays hooked around his thumb the entire time.
Just as Legend unearths a hookshot from his bag, Wind hears a different kind of fizzle. Wild lowers his latest bow. Triumph beams from his face as he holds out both hands.
Two identical bracelets rest in either of them.
The hookshot in Legend’s hand wavers, half raised.
Wild tosses one of the bracelets down to them. It hits Legend’s waiting palm with a meaty smack. Wild starts collecting his bows.
Legend doesn’t wait. He slaps the bracelet back onto his wrist and bolts for the wall. It seems to work just fine; Wind watches him merge with the stone, the painting of him picking up one hand to examine it with a brief glance. Legend doesn’t seem entirely satisfied: he starts off down the wall, moving in a funny, jerking kind of sway that’s less a walk and more a topsy-turvy kind of rocking.
“Right, you’ve had your fun - oh, Wild.” Twilight sighs as Wild starts to repeat the whole process over again.
“Leave him be, he’s not doing any harm,” Time decides.
By the time Legend returns, Wild’s got an entire collection of bracelets resting in his hands.
Wild collects his bows one last time and jumps casually off the edge of the ledge, deploying his paraglider at the last minute to break his fall. He jogs back to them, smugly holding up the bracelets for inspection. They all look exactly the same to Wind.
Legend peels free of the wall. “You are so lucky that didn’t do anything to the magic on this,” he informs Wild with pointed finger and scowl firm on his face. Then he looks down to find Wild standing there with more overflowing in his arms. He goes quiet.
Wild’s grin fades at the look on Legend’s face. He winces. “I’m sorry. I, uh. I can’t undo this, but did. Did you want these back?” He lifts his arms slightly, as if offering the abundance of golden magical jewelry. Legend gawks at him. His eyes bounce around, taking in their audience. Hyrule and Sky are both eager and trying to hide it, Twilight wary, Time standing there with a stone face and a glint that spells trouble in his eye.
Wind turns the puppy-dog eyes up to the max when Legend’s darting glance lands on him.
Legend winces.
“You’re sure it doesn’t hurt them any. Weaken the enchantment?”
Wild shakes his head. “It’s always a perfect replica.”
“Fine,” Legend grinds out. “Since you’ve already made enough for everyone.”
Wind cheers. He’s not the only one.
Legend keeps talking, trying to make himself heard over the clamoring. “But this is the only time! No more touching my stuff!”
Wind holds back a little as Hyrule and Sky rush forward to collect their copies of the bracelet, booking it for the stone wall as soon as they each have one in hand. Four hangs back when Twilight motions him forward, looking leery.
“No thank you, you go ahead.”
Twilight doesn’t seem much more enthusiastic until he catches a glimpse of Warriors. He’s trying to hide it beneath a veil of indifference, but he’s shifting his weight from one foot to the other and quite conspicuously not making any indication that he’s planning to collect his own bracelet. Twilight goes smug. “What, Captain, you afraid?” He plucks two bracelets from Wild’s hands, holding them up in Warriors’ face. Warriors growls, snatching one.
Time takes his own copy without a flicker of expression. “Relax, Captain. Surely you can think of tactical advantages to all of us having access to such a thing.” He also picks up a second copy, holding it out to Four. “I’m quite certain the magical properties of such a thing come nowhere close to those of goddess-touched swords,” he comments softly. Then, with a tip of his head towards the stone wall where Warriors has finally given into the dual goading of both Twilight and Legend and is raising his hand towards the wall: “Besides, it looks like fun, wouldn’t you say?”
Four’s face screws up, but he finally seems to overcome enough of his reluctance to take his own copy of the bracelet and walk with Time over to the cliff. Painting-Warriors takes three steps down the wall, scarf trailing him in a broad square of bright blue, before he pops back out of the wall and stands there heaving for breath, hands planted dramatically on his knees. Sky and Hyrule are long gone, trailing each other down the cliff.
For a brief moment, Wind is happy to observe. Wild hangs back with him, even though Wind can tell he’s as eager to try the bracelet as Wind was.
“How did you do that?” Wind can’t hold back his curiosity any longer.
Wild shrugs, holding up the slate. “Was messing around one day and figured it out. It’s not supposed to be used this way, but Zelda thinks it’s fascinating and her opinion overrides Purah’s.”
“Is that how you wound up with so many apples?”
“Nah, that was good old fashioned boredom. I mostly use it for shields, since I go through so many. But so far it’s worked on every piece of equipment I’ve tried.”
Wind nods, impressed despite himself. “I can do something similar, but it only works with soup.”
“Soup?” Wild perks up.
Wind grins at him. “Sailor’s secret.”
Wild rolls his eyes, tosses one of the last two of the bracelets in his hand before offering it to Wind. Wind takes it and shoves it straight into his spoils bag. “Thanks, but I don’t need any stupid bracelet to do that.” He motions at the cliff to indicate what he means.
Time, Twilight, and Four have all made it onto the stone. Twilight and Four seem to be trying to shake hands, without success. Time pops back out of the wall right next to Warriors, who jumps straight out of his skin and bellows, “Time! For the love of the goddesses!”
Wild’s head, drifting towards the rock face and clearly eager to join them, whips back around to Wind as Wind’s words finally register. “What?”
Wind grins at Wild. He eyes the cliff face. The ledge where Wild performed his little stunt is out of his reach, but there’s another one that’s much more his height. He jogs towards it, concentrating on getting the timing and the angle just right. Then he grabs the ledge, hauls himself up and rolls towards the wall in one long smooth motion.
The shouting behind him as he disappears straight into the wall comes as music to his ears.