Snap!

camel

PSA: smoking is bad, mm'kay?

***

As the Travelling Hero, Hyrule was used to being alone. Heck, he enjoyed it. The silence of the world around him was comforting. If he wanted to explore something, he didn't need permission or spend precious amount of time prepping. If he wanted to go, he'd go. This didn't mean he was anti-social. Far from it. He enjoyed walking into new towns and meeting new people. He loved hearing stories from drunken old men over a game of chess. He loved talking to the ladies of the night, always offering them an arm if they feel unsafe walking home.

When Hyrule came upon his brothers from different eras, he'll admit this one of the best moments of his life. He couldn't get enough of their heroics, of their adventures, and they inspired him to try harder. He wished this journey will never end.

(Though if he was being honest with himself, he was getting tired of traveling with eight other men all the time. The scent of their unwashed bodies or terrible cologne was unbearable at times. When Hyrule wanted to get up and go, he had to wait for the others to finish breakfast, shave, or a dozen other reasons. If Hyrule broke something- an arm or shield- he usually laughed it off. But now a single withering look from Time made him feel like a child. Messing up or getting lost wasn't fun anymore.)

Everyone needed space. Hyrule was no different. So when the group decided to stop for the night, Hyrule grabbed his bag and went off into the forest under the guise of needing to use the toilet. Once alone, he sat down against a tree and opened his bag.

Hyrule rarely smoked. Besides not wanting to burn down the forest around him, the strong smell clinging to his clothes made it impossible to hunt sometimes. He only did it when he was feeling stress. Hyrule pulled out a single square piece of paper, lined it with tobacco, and rolled it with practiced proficiency. He placed it against his lips and dug back into his bag for a flint to light it.

"Are you smoking?"

Hyrule startled, spun around, grabbing the cigarrette and hiding it behind his back. "What? No! Of course not!"

Warriors stepped out from the thicket of the woods. "Hey, no judgement here. Just surprised is all."

Like a child who was found with their hand in the cookie jar, Hyrule guiltily brought froward the cigarette. "Please don't tell anyone."

"Is it that big of a deal to you?"

"I don't know..." Hyrule popped the cigarette back in his mouth. He dug for the flint. "My Nan used to smoke and everyone gave her so much grief for it. I know a lot of people don't care for it. What are you doing out here?"

"Checking up on you. I saw you slink away and thought you looked a little sick."

"Oh..."

Warriors turned back towards the forest. "But I can see you're fine. Do you want me to leave...?"

"No... stay. I just want a little time to be... not so heroic. Don't tell the others though. I certainly don't want to get a lecture from Time or Twi."

Warriors came over and took a seat down next to him. "I'm no snitch."

"Hmmm..." With the cigarette in his mouth, Hyrule took the flint and stroked a spark. It took two tries for it to catch. The end lit up with a dull glow, and Hyrule leaned back against the tree with a small grin on his face. He took a long, deep pull, his chest puffing. He closed his eyes in satisfaction, blowing out the smoke lazily.

Warriors reached out towards him. "Here, let me take a hit."

Hyrule passed it over. "You smoke?"

"I'm a captain to hundreds of troops. Of course I smoke." He took a long drag as well, his eyes fluttering shut. He stopped. Sat up, and as he blew smoke out from his nostrils, he look down at the cigarette with a deep frown. "I thought this was weed."

Hyrule burst out laughing.