"Alright then... We have Tabantha wheat, apples and wild berries, honey..." Prima muttered to herself as she looked through the cabinets of the dining hall. "All enough for this weekend... except for rice? I swear I had enough; when did I use so much— Ah, right. Those two."
With a grumble, Prima turned around to see Celessa sitting in her favorite chair in the back of the hall near the window, happily drinking a mug of recently prepared Hylian Ale. The clerk sighed.
"I can't be upset. I'm the one who made them," she mumbled before loudly adding, "Celessa! That's your last drink for the next few days."
"What? Why?" Celessa called back.
"Because you've had too much," Prima said, closing the cabinet doors. "You and Jules both have."
"It's because it's cold out!" Celessa whined with reddened cheeks. "Alcohol warms the chest. You know this."
"I also know that we have a weekend and a birthday coming up in the next few days," Prima countered. "You can drink more then. It's a good thing I checked our ingredients before letting you two run wild."
"But... Then how am I supposed to stay warm?" Celessa asked, furrowing her brow in concern.
"Easy. You make that drink you have there last as long as possible," Prima said as she headed for the lobby. "That or you could finally change out of those shorts and into some pants."
"Aw, but I look good in these..." Celessa quietly complained as she brought her mug to her lips, choosing to take a much smaller sip than the ones before.
Rolling her eyes, she passed through the doorframe and into the lobby, where she placed her hands on her hips and looked around.
"Teli? Where are you?" she called loudly, which gained a groan in response.
"What?" a man's groggy voice called back from upstairs.
"It's past noon, so get up," Prima said, turning her attention to the staircase that led to the second floor.
"What are you? My wife?" Teli called back in the same groggy voice.
"You wish. Now get up, I need your help down here," Prima answered sternly.
"That wish is sounding a lot like reality right now," Teli said. "Besides, don't I pay to be here? I can get up when I want."
"Aren't you a merchant?" Prima asked. "I thought your kind was supposed to be diligent?"
"Yes, and we're also calculating and intelligent," he answered back. "Like knowing when we need sleep to regain our energy and–in my case at least— keep our dashing looks."
"Teli, you only want to stay in bed because of how much you drank last night; drinks that I provided, mind you," Prima scolded, folding her arms. " If you want to keep getting more drinks, then get up and get down here. I need your help."
"Fine! Fine," Teli shouted irritably. "I'm coming, just— Hold on."
After a few moments of rustling, the silver-haired merchant appeared. With a yawn, he made his way down the staircase before stopping in front of Prima. With a dead look in his eyes, he glared at her.
"All right, what is it?" he asked.
"I need you to go out and clean the stalls–" Prima began, but Teli had already started turning around. Immediately, she grabbed his arms.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Back up the stairs in order to sleep more," Teli responded instantly.
"I haven't finished–"
"You don't need to. I refuse. Again," he said. "I don't get paid here, and I'm too dashing to be cleaning those stalls. Especially with Joute's horse still in them. Your inn, your job."
"I'm busy," Prima said. "More than usual. I told you a few days ago that we're celebrating Link's birthday here this weekend."
"That's wonderful. I'll buy a ton of drinks," Teli said coldly. "If you have so much to do, then I suggest you finish the stables soon."
"Like I said, if you want drinks this weekend, I suggest you help," prima said.
"You can't block me from drinking. I'm a paying guest."
"I can't offer drinks if I can't make drinks to sell," Prima debated. "I need more time than usual with this."
The two stared at each other, with intimidation filled in each pair of irises.
"Where's Zelda?"
"I'm going to be putting her on another job."
"What about Celessa?"
"She's currently drunk."
"And Joute?"
"You go tell him to clean the stalls. See how that plays out."
Teli began to grind his teeth, trying his best to maintain eye contact with Prima's unwavering gaze. After a few more seconds, his hands balled into tight fists.
"I want free drinks this weekend."
"I can give you a free bed."
"Don't try to play me. I know how Joute's horse is," Teli said through his teeth.
"Fine. One day of free drinks," Prima offered.
"Then it's the day of Link's birthday. That's when most will be drinking, right?"
Prima squinted her piercing brown eyes as a sweat drop fell down Teli's face. Though challenging, he refused to look away. After a few moments, Prima clicked her tongue and finally looked away.
"Fine. You have a deal," she said.
"All right then. I'd say it's nice doing business with you, but I don't think this'll be very enjoyable," Teli grumbled as he headed for the large double doors.
"Everything you need is on the side of the stables," Prima called, watching as he walked away.
With another agitated mumble, Teli grabbed the handle of the doors and pulled one of them open to reveal a familiar golden-haired woman standing in front of them. Teli raised an eyebrow before looking down to see a large basket of clothes in her hands.
"Ah, Teli, thank you," Zelda said with a kind smile. "I wasn't sure how I was going to open the door with a pile of sheets this large."
With a grunt, he stepped aside and allowed Zelda into the building before disappearing out into the snow. The employee looked back before turning to face Prima.
"He seems to be in a bit of a mood," she commented as she carried the basket of sheets towards the stairs.
"He'll be fine," Prima said, waving the issue away. "Once you put those away, I need you to go out and buy some ingredients for me."
"Ingredients?" Zelda asked, stopping to look at Prima after placing a foot on the first step of the staircase.
"Specifically some Hylian rice," Prima clarified. "I'm sure Pruce has some at the East Wind."
"We're already out? But how did— Jules and Celessa?"
"Jules and Celessa."
"Alright then," Zelda sighed as she began to make her way up the stairs again.
"And make sure you get a lot too," Prima called loudly to her as she headed back to the dining hall. "We need enough for this celebration happening this weekend."
"The celebration, right... I'll get as much as possible," Zelda called back as she stepped onto the second floor.
With that, she began to replace the sheets amongst the bare beds, moving as quietly as she could in order not to disturb the currently sleeping, horse-obsessed traveler. Despite her efforts to stay silent, her ears pricked up at the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. She turned to see Celessa, wobbling her way into the room.
"Are you doing okay there, Celessa?" Zelda asked with a light giggle, watching as the traveler plopped herself down onto one of the freshly made beds.
"Not at all. I'm cold," Celessa answered in a muffled tone. "Prima took away alcohol privileges until this weekend."
"Well, you do seem to have had a lot, if I'm being honest," Zelda replied as she started making the bed right next to her friend.
"I wonder how Jules handles her drinks so well..." Celessa wondered, pushing herself onto her side before throwing the sheets over her body. Zelda frowned.
"She's quite... experienced," she said, gliding her hands against the sheets she had just made in order to ensure perfection. "I'm sure she's very excited for this celebration. Which reminds me; where is Jules?"
"She went out earlier today," Celessa answered before yawning.
"Really?" Zelda mumbled.
"I wouldn't worry about it," Celessa said. Before Zelda could respond, she added, "you're too easy to read. Your face says it all. She came to you for help to get him to relax, right?"
"R-right," Zelda replied.
"Then everything should be fine. It's almost like you don't want to celebrate his birthday at all," Celessa said tiredly.
"It's not that I don't want to. I said before it was a wonderful idea," Zelda assured her. "I just... I don't know. I feel as though something might happen."
"Like on your last birthday?" Celessa asked. "You said before that you hadn't really thought about birthdays because of that."
"I haven't, but that's not what I'm thinking about now," Zelda said, pushing the memory of her seventeenth birthday to the back of her mind. "To be honest, I'm... I'm worried about Jules being at the party."
"Jules? Zelda, I know you have your issues with her, but that doesn't seem fair," Celessa said, sitting up in bed. "She's the one who came up with the idea of celebrating his birthday after all."
"And that's what worries me," Zelda said. "Last time I– erm— had a drink with Jules, things went horribly wrong. I guess I'm just afraid of something like that happening again."
"Well, I won't bother to ask what happened, but do you have any other ideas instead of what Jules proposed?" Celessa asked. Zelda shook her head, to which the traveler continued, "then I'm sorry to say, but you just have to make the best of it, Princess. Prima is working hard to prepare. Jules asked you for help, so she shouldn't have any ulterior motive."
"It's not like I'm afraid she'll try something on purpose," Zelda mumbled, yet Celessa fell back onto the pillows.
"I think you should be more concerned with what Link will do," she said with a yawn. "Don't forget, Jules came to you because she believes you're the only one who can get him to even come to this thing. Keep that in mind."
"R-right..." Zelda replied.
With a nod, Celessa turned over in her bed and in a few moments, her breathing became slow and heavy. After a pause, Zelda continued to cover the rest of the beds in sheets, yet her mind had not calmed whatsoever.
She said not to worry, but I can't help it, she thought as she pulled off the messy sheets of the bed she had guessed Teli had slept in. Yes, Jules may have asked me for my assistance, but...
After ensuring each bed had been made— excusing the ones Joute and Celessa currently slept in— and placing the basket filled with only one set of sheets from Teli's bed in the corner of the room, she thoughtfully made her way back down the stairs. She headed into the kitchen, where she took a small handbasket off the counter before following out the large double doors Teli had left through earlier. Stepping down the stairs, she began to head down the road towards the East Wind, doing her best not to fall in the now much thicker level of snow that covered it.
She hadn't spent very long in the general store. In fact, she barely even heard when Pruce had said hello to her. After taking the entire stock of Hylian rice into her basket and paying for them at the counter, she gave a wave of goodbye to the store clerk before heading out into the deep snow once again.
"I hope this is enough..." she mumbled, recounting the rice bundles that sat in her basket.
Determining there wasn't much she could do even if there weren't enough, she looked up, only for her face to slightly fall. In the distance, walking down the road towards what looked to be her house was Link, with Jules walking right beside him. With the snowfall and their backs to her, it was hard to see what mood they were in, but the fact that Jules was supposedly able to get Link to talk so casually with her was enough to sink Zelda's heart.
What's the point in asking me for help if you can possibly communicate with him way better than I can? She thought as she watched them disappear up the fork in the road towards Bolson's display houses on the hill. Her gaze remained on the foggy distance where they disappeared before her eyes traveled slightly over to the area on the mountainside where she knew a deep greed sat in stone, tempting her with knowledge.
I think you should be more concerned with what Link will do...
"Trust me... I am," Zelda whispered to herself before turning towards the inn.
* * * * *
"You finally walk away from that sword, and all you choose to do is walk around town for a bit," Jules remarked as she and her best friend walked through the deep snow that covered the roads.
"You had me do this a few days ago, didn't you?" Link asked as he kept a keen eye on the rooftops.
"That's true, but I'm pretty sure you weren't too happy about it at the time," Jules replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I'm thankful, because now I know that Yiga could be hiding up on the roofs," Link said. "It's another place I need to keep track of now."
"Do you really think he would attack during such heavy snow, though?" Jules asked, bringing her hands up to rub the side of her arms. "The Yiga live in the desert, so they can't be used to cold like this. Wouldn't this snowfall be a great time for you to get a quick nap in?"
"You know how persistent they are, Jules," Link said as he twirled, quickly checking behind them before facing forward again. "If anything, this is the perfect time to strike."
"Apparently, any time is the perfect time to strike," Jules mumbled before speaking up. "Look, Link... Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?" he asked as they neared the village entrance.
"Are you sure I can't convince you to come to the inn this weekend?" she asked. "Is there really nothing I can say to change your mind?"
"I can't go to the inn, Jules. It would be too large of an opportunity for the Yiga to strike," Link said as they reached the fork in the road, choosing to head the path heading up the hill.
"Even in snow as heavy as this...?" Jules asked as she followed beside him. Expectedly, Link didn't respond, knowing full well his silence would be enough. What did surprise her was his sudden pause in steps the moment they reached the bridge. He turned around, looking back at the construction company's display houses, to which Jules raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What? What is it?"
Link didn't answer immediately. He continued to look out through the snow before lightly shaking his head.
"Nothing. It's just a bother."
"A bother? Who?" Jules asked.
"Don't worry about it. It'll go away eventually," Link said as he shoved his hands into his pockets and started across the bridge. After only a few steps in, he stopped and turned back to see Jules still standing in place. "Are you coming?"
"Actually, not this time," she called back, giving a small wave. "I've got a few things to take care of, and honestly, it's kinda cold out here. I'm surprised you can still swing that sword around in this snow fall."
"Determination gives you surprising strength," Link said. "I'll see you around then."
With a simple wave, Link turned and disappeared across the bridge.
"More like obsession..." Jules murmured before sighing. "Seriously, it would be nice if the Yiga would just show himself so Link can finally deal with him. And speaking of showing themselves..."
Intrigued by Link's earlier words, Jules began to head back to the village, yet after she passed the display buildings, she quickly hid behind one of the house's walls. Carefully, she peered from around the corner and looked at the other displays.
I'm sure whoever was following us was more interested in Link than me, so... she thought. After a few moments, someone caught her eye, hiding behind one of the other display buildings just as she had. There.
She crept around the display site as quietly as she could through the thick snow before finding herself behind the person. Even though she knew the crunching of snow was certainly loud enough to be heard, this person seemed to be too infatuated by Link's home to take notice. Reaching out a hand, she lightly tapped on the person's shoulder.
"So you're the bother he said would go away," Jules said as the person jumped at her touch. Quickly they spun around, taking a step away only for the back of their head to hit the wall they were hiding behind. After a pause, Jules raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Overalls... Parted hair... thick eyebrows... Aren't you Manny?"
"H-how do you know who I am?" the man supposedly known as Manny asked.
"Celessa at the inn has told me a lot about you," Jules said. "You learn a lot by having a drinking buddy, and you seem to have quite the reputation. You supposedly inspected her once when she came through the village before."
"W-well, of course, I did," Manny said after clearing his throat and trying to puff out his chest. "I'm the one who keeps everyone safe by making sure only safe people come into Hateno."
"You didn't inspect me when I came," Jules said as she folded her arms, to which the large man again cleared his throat.
"W-well, I've been—uh—preoccupied," he said.
"Preoccupied with spying on Link?" Jules asked, peering from behind the wall they stood behind to glance at the house beyond the bridge.
"Yeah. What about it?" Manny asked. Jules hummed.
"Is it because you're lonely?" she asked suddenly, to which the man's chubby cheeks flared.
"What?" he asked.
"Well, according to Celessa— who heard from the source herself— you failed to get Prima's attention, with crickets of all things," she said. "And yet there's Link, living with the ancient princess of Hyrule. It's kinda funny how the person who gave you the cricket advice is the one with a lover."
"How did you–?"
"I did say you have quite the reputation, especially at the inn," Jules said before he could finish.
"I– Wait— Who are you, anyway?" asked a flustered Manny as he tried to gain any semblance of control in the conversation.
"Just a girl who currently doesn't know what to do with herself," she answered, placing her hands behind her back with an almost sad smile. "The name's Jules, and I wouldn't keep too close of an eye on Link if I were you, at least not like this."
"What makes you say that?" Manny asked curiously, furrowing his brow.
"With how he is right now, he may mistake you for someone else at some point," she said, turning on her heel. "And trust me, I would not want to be that person."
With that, she began walking back down the road toward the village. Still confused, Manny looked between her retreating backside and the mountainside house before reluctantly following her, unwillingly admitting to himself that her words did make him slightly nervous.
"Hey! So what's your relationship to that guy?" he asked once he caught up to her.
"You mean Link?" Jules asked nonchalantly. "He's just a friend of mine; an important one to me."
"Of course he is," Manny grumbled, shoving his hands into his overall pockets. Jules hummed in interest.
"You seem jealous," she teased.
"I'm not jealous," the large man retorted. "I just don't understand. He has the ancient princess as a lover, is friends with Prima and other girls, and yet here I am sitting with no one. I can't even speak to Prima normally."
"That is confusing. You certainly sound like a charmer," Jules giggled. "At least, in my opinion."
"Right? I mean, of all people, why that guy— Wait, are you mocking me?" Manny asked.
"I wouldn't do that," Jules replied innocently. "But there must be a reason why he seems so lucky, don't you think?"
Manny didn't immediately answer. Instead, he averted his eyes, supposedly fascinated by each of the storefronts they passed by.
"He's been a jerk recently, but he's a... he's a really kind person," he finally admitted. "He can talk to people so easily. It's unfair."
"Well, from the stories I've heard, he wasn't always like that," Jules said. "He's told me stories about how he used to be more the quiet type, and he still is to an extent. Maybe what you see as talking to people easily is just him being a good person."
"I'd like to believe I'm a good person!" Manny argued, but Jules simply chuckled.
"I'm sure you are," she said. "But maybe you'd be better off showing it in other ways than donating crickets, inspecting strangers, or spying on neighbors."
"I... hm..." Manny grumbled. "What would you suggest I do then?"
"You want a woman's advice?" Jules asked, two of which the man nodded. "Maybe you should simply talk to Prima. That usually gets people pretty far."
"Well I tried that and it didn't go so well," Manny mumbled as the two stopped in front of the inn's staircase.
"And when was that?" Jules asked curiously, turning to face him.
"About a month ago, during one of the weekend get-togethers," Manny said. "Nack and Medda gave me some... encouragement. She wasn't too happy about it though."
"You tried to talk to her during one of her busiest days?" Jules asked. She took his silence as an answer. "Hm. Well, here, I'll make you a deal. I'll give you some special advice, but I'll only do so on one condition."
"A condition?" Manny asked. "What is it?"
"Ah, I can't tell you unless you agree," she said mischievously, holding out her hand. Though clearly nervous, Manny hesitantly took it. "Great. Come inside and talk to Prima now."
"Wha– now?" he questioned. Jules nodded.
"Yes. Now," she exclaimed.
"But, isn't she working? The weekend is in a few days," Manny said. "Wouldn't I just be making the same mistake?"
"Not if you do it right," Jules said. "She's busy prepping for more than just the weekend this time, so she could use all the help she can get."
"Helping her set up? How would that help me get her to like me?" Manny asked. "I need to look cool, not be an extra free employee."
Jules sighed and placed her hands on her hips.
"Do you actually like Prima?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you actually like her?" Jules rephrased. When Manny nodded she continued, "then it shouldn't matter if she'll get with you or not."
"But, why would you do something for someone who may not return how you feel?" Manny asked.
"Because... Because you care about that person..." Jules said, losing a bit of her cheeky tone. "Regardless of if they'll ever like you back... If you really like someone then you would want to just see them happy, right?"
"I mean, yeah, I guess..." Manny mumbled. "But... What if it doesn't pay off?"
"Well, it's up to you to figure out," Jules said, placing her hands behind her back as she looked up into the cloudy snowy sky. "Eventually, you'll have to move on and not bother the person. But at least you can say you tried or made an impact on their lives, right? A good one... Even if you caused them trouble before..."
"D-did I cause Prima pain by giving her crickets?" Manny asked worriedly. Snapping back to reality, Jules looked back down at the man's chubby face.
"Uh, well... maybe," she chuckled. "Look, moving on from all of that, you'll figure out when it's time to quit, but as of right now, it doesn't seem like you've actually tried yet. Do you actually care for Prima?"
"Of course I do," Manny said, this time more sincerely. "She works really hard, yet she seems so composed... Honestly, I kinda look up to her."
"Then, I suggest you follow what I tell you," Jules said with a cheeky grin, "or you'll be left behind."
She pointed behind Manny, who looked over his shoulder to see Teli, currently cursing at himself as he used a pitchfork to clean whatever horse remains sat in the stalls.
"Y-yeah... Yeah, alright," Manny said. "But, what's in it for you? What did you have me agree to?"
"It actually has to do with what Prima is setting up for," Jules said. "Link's birthday is this weekend, and you'll be helping set up, and you'll be there. We want him to calm down, to show his village is there for him."
"Really?" Manny groaned.
"You sound as if you hate him," Jules said. After a brief pause, the large man sighed.
"I don't hate him, it's just... like I said earlier, he's been a jerk lately," he grumbled.
"Well, I promise he doesn't mean it," Jules explained. "He's really going through a lot right now. It's something a lot of us can't really understand. It... sucks. But he's helped everyone here before, right? He at least tried to help you, didn't he?"
"Yeah... Yeah he did," Manny admitted. With a deep breath, he nodded. "All right. You've got a deal. I'll help out."
"Great," Jules grinned. "I'm glad we've come to an agreement. Now let's go, there's a lot to do."
Cheerfully, Jules turned and began heading up the snow-covered staircase.
"Hey," Manny called suddenly, stopping her in her tracks. Jules turned. "That advice about doing things for someone you care about... Are you speaking from experience?"
This took Jules aback. Her grin faltered for a moment, and Manny swore it had become a bit smaller, though it was too difficult to tell through the thick snowfall.
"Who knows? Maybe I'm a person who also doesn't know when to move on," she said simply before turning and heading up to the inn's large double doors.