...in the back of a lecture hall. One of two that Oakpoint State College is very proud to have. It's not a big lecture hall like you'd image from Hyrule University, with rows and rows of seats for hundreds of students. Maybe 80 people could fit in here, which is decent enough if you're trying to sleep in the back of a class, but not so big that if you weren't trying to sleep through a class you'd have trouble hearing the professor.
And sleeping through class hadn't been a habit for the young man seated at the back of the lecture hall. He's positioned himself behind a goron, just in case. For extra measure, his laptop was open to block his face. Definitely something he's never done before.
Keeping an indent from forming on his cheek was a dark green beanie beneath his head. The hat was a close shade to the collared button up, both contrasted by a brown undershirt. Hidden beneath the table were a pair of khaki pants, not quite jeans, but not quite baggy, and high, brown riding boots. It's likely that this young man was among the nicer dressed individuals in the class at the moment. It's almost more than likely that he had a job interview this afternoon after class.
He had debated just skipping the lecture. It's not like the professor would have noticed. But among debating whether his barn boots were good enough for an interview, being half caked in mud, and whether it was even worth applying for this job, routine had just clicked in and he ended up in class anyway. With his laptop set to record the whole talk, he had just decided to come.
Speaking of which, it was now that his laptop decided to move the plot along. Softly, but with increasing volume, it began to ring. At first, the young man ignored the sound, trying to scrap a few more seconds of sleep out. It was only when the goron he had situated himself behind tapped his arm that he started to come to. "Hey, Sayre. You wanna shut that thing up?"
Rubbing an eye behind the screen, he blinked his eyes open. Bright white letters floated across the screen "Wake up, Link! Wake up, Link! Wake up, Link!" floating along like a news channel banner.
Link hit the space key and slid his reading glasses back up his nose. He ran a hand through his blonde hair, smiling groggily back at the goron as he sat up straight. "Sorry."
Twisting back around, the goron left Link to wake himself up. Link blinked repeatedly as he peered down towards the professor, who paced as he rambled on about whatever it was that Link had missed. He would catch himself up later this evening. At the moment, it sounded like nonsense. Well, BIO 101 was basically nonsense to him, but he needed the credits. There only a few minutes left in the lecture in any case.
It wasn't a moment too soon for Link when the professor released them. He saved the audio file and hoisted his leather messenger bag over his shoulder as he stuffed his 5 year old computer in and made for the door.
OSC was a small college. You could walk across its campus in ten minutes at a brisk walk. On the east side were the majority of the halls, and on the west were the dorms, with the university center set right in the center and surrounded by park and trees and frisbee golf that Link had only tried his freshmen year and given up on. It was to that green that Link made his way now.
With an hour to kill, and sleep still hanging to him more than he was happy with, Link bought a sandwich and then sat down on the lawn beneath one of the oaks for which his hometown was named. As he ate, he people-watched, trying to wonder if any of their lives were worse than his in that particular moment. And when he decided no, he started to imagine how their lives were likely better than his. It didn't exactly help his nerves.
"Hey hey, Link, my man!"
Link looked up as a burly young man his age walked towards him. Waving with his free hand, Link answered his friend. "Hey, Dwarf."
Dwarf beamed back at Link with a killer smile. There was a reason Dwarf had been exceedingly popular in high school. He was traditionally handsome, and he wasn't from Oakpoint. And if you weren't born in Oakpoint, you were cool in high school. But this was college. Where Dwarf was still cool, only partially due to his looks now.
Granted, Dwarf had this story. When he met people, they'd ask why he looked like a Gerudo. When you have olive-brown skin and heavy ginger dreadlocks, that is a question one could expect. And he would always grin really big, like he had a secret and you were about to get to find out because you were cool too. Dwarf would explain, "Because I am! Bone-a-fide Gerudo male of the century." Most people believed him. Link wanted to believe him, but the odds of the Gerudo male of the century walking into Oakpoint were so unlikely, he just couldn't. Still, when you have a story like that, if you could call it one, you were cool.
Of course, what added mud to the water on Link's opinions is that Dwarf would talk about growing up in the Gerudo Province before he moved. And to Dwarf's credit, he was very accurate. But Dwarf also knew how to use the Internet, and so Link was never really certain. But people loved to listen to Dwarf talk about where he was from, and Dwarf didn't mind an excuse to be the center of attention.
It didn't hurt that Dwarf was a star student and on the OSC football team. Salutatorian of he and Link's class. He could have gotten into almost any college in the country, but he wanted to stay in Oakpoint. Something that Link was particularly grateful for. He would have hated to lose his closest friend.
"What chu all dressed up for, Sayre?" Dwarf asked, sitting down beside Link.
"Interview," Link answered briefly, taking another bite of his lunch.
"Where at?"
"Where I board Epona. Figure I compete with horses, might as well try working with them."
"Alright, alright." Dwarf laughed, a big, powerful laugh that made Link want to smile. He tapped his fist to Link's shoulder, not quite a punch, but with some force behind it. "You know you're going to rock it, right?"
Link shrugged. "I can try."
"Yes you are. They'll hire you on the spot. You put that place on the map after last year. They owe you a job. And we're gonna celebrate when you get done. You get out and we're goin' to Ko's Rock with everyone. On me. Though next time it's gonna be on you. Finally." Dwarf let out another bout of laughter, nudging Link again. Link shook his head as he took another bite of his lunch to hide his own laugh. Dwarf's mood was contagious.
"Define everyone."
"Man, everyone. Tyler, Jesse, Autumn, Brooke, maybe Cathy if she can get off. I'll make all the plans, you don't worry 'bout it. Just go knock out that interview, man."
Finally, Link let himself laugh. Barely, but a little. It's not that he wouldn't normally, it was impossible not to around Dwarf, but with as stressed as he was, even Dwarf's overpowering charisma wasn't getting through. "Thanks."
"Hey, don't you mention it, Sayre. We've gotta have each other's backs. And finally getting a job again. Man, it's going to be so nice to not have to hear that when I swing by your place no more."
"Agreed," Link muttered, setting his head back. He hoped this meant getting a job. Fortunately, his parents had been alright with him living at home while he was at OSC, but as his savings withered away, they had become more and more insistent on Link assisting with rent, getting back in the workforce, being prepared for graduation. And it wasn't like Link hadn't been trying. He had had a job for years. What was he supposed to do? Single handedly get the general store open again?
This wasn't helping. Fortunately, Dwarf got Link's mind off it. "Oh, that reminds me. You know that place outside town. What's it called? The somethin' of Odes."
"The Shrine of Wilting Odes," Link suggested.
"Yeah, that place. We used to go visit as kids and all before that beam fell in. Well, they're thinkin' about restorin' it. And I was thinkin' that before they do, we ought go get ourselves another look before the old place is gone. Or, you know, redone and all. You know, like memory lane."
"Sure, when?"
Dwarf grinned real big like he did before he would tell his "story." He was looking forward to this. "I knew you'd do it. Man, I suggested it to Jesse and Kev and everyone from around our old street, and they all said nah, and said you'd say nah too, but I knew you wouldn't say nah, and--"
"When?" Link repeated, giving Dwarf a side eye. "I'm getting a job tonight now. I may have work."
"Oh, right, right, right. This weekend. Saturday night."
"Alright." Taking the last bite of his sandwich, Link grinned back at Dwarf. "I doubt they'd have me work then."
Again, Dwarf half punched Link's shoulder. "This is gonna be great, man! It's been forever since anyone's been in there. Alright, I'm gonna go start gettin' this party together, and see if I can't talk a few more people into joinin' us. Mostly Jesse. Think he was still on the fence."
The two waved as Dwarf jogged off. Link didn't get his friend most of the time. Dwarf could have been friends with anyone, anyone at all, yet he choose to hang out with Link and the friends he had made. As an equestrian, Link was the closest thing to a jock Dwarf was going to get out of that circle. Mostly, they were all nerds. By all stereotypes of pop culture, Dwarf would have hated Link's friends. But it never happened. So falling out, no push, no wedge. Sure, Dwarf was friendly with the football team, and he went to more parties than Link would have ever wanted to, but when Link opened his family's basement up for movie nights and LAN parties, Dwarf was there as happy as anyone else to be there.
A few more minutes passed as Link went back to people-watching and trying to distract himself from his interview. At least he had something else to look forward to this week if the whole job thing fell through.
The final course in Link's day crept ever closer though, and he knew eventually he would have to tackle this last barricade from his interview. With an unnecessary groan to pretend to sound frustrated, Link pushed himself up from his hiding place, brushed off the grass, and headed for class.
With a knot forming in his stomach, Link couldn't sleep through this class. But he couldn't focus either. He let his computer record the lecture, promising himself he'd listen back through it when his head had leveled out. Then he fought to keep his eyes from glazing over as he spaced out as he debated how poorly this entire interview might go.
To little success on the part of his nerves, but at least his professor said nothing of Link's distant looks. Small victories.
And so, mind still scrambling, Link made his way to his car. The beat up, eight year old minivan was on loan to him from his parents, with conditions. However, those conditions had been waved today considering Link's afternoon plans. Well, the plans his parents were aware of so far. He'd have to call them about Dwarf's additions to the evening, but considering how late it would be, he doubted they would protest. Particularly if he got the job.
It was a twenty minute drive to the Oakpoint Equestrian Center, a drive Link was familiar with. He spent most of his weekends here already, as well as several of his mornings. The two main buildings loomed at the top of a crest about a mile out. From this side, they blocked the paddocks and riding arenas beyond.
He set his head back on the headrest, staring at the main entrance as he put the car into park. Dwarf probably hadn't meant to, but now Link felt like he was obligated to get the job. He thought back to the conversation, trying to recall Dwarf's encouraging tone, but no matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't quite reach that level of excitement.
Link's phone buzzed. He lifted the year old smartphone up to read the notification.
"Good luck!" From his mom.
And then a moment later: "You got this, man!" Dwarf. "See you tonight at Ko's!"
His head thudded back against the seat as he closed his phone. He took a deep breath, inhaling the strong smell of horse. He coughed, laughing a little, before trying again. This time the smell didn't feel so overpowering, letting Link take the deep breath he meant to take.
"Alright."
With a burst of confidence, Link pushed open the car door...