A Couple of Trials (ZeLink)

Chapter 17: Late Night Practice

Twilight began to shroud the town of Hateno as the day began to come to an end. With the setting sun overhead, many shops began to close down in preparation for the weekend coming the following day. One store, however, remained open, with a young, dark-haired woman continuing to sweep its entryway free of snow to make it easy on any last-minute customers that chose to visit. While the woman seemed content with her work, the front door to the store opened to reveal an older man with a scrunched face, a thin mustache, and a receding hairline.

"Alright, Ivee," the man said. "Go ahead and take it easy the rest of the night."

"Are you closin' her down for tonight, Dad?" the woman named Ivee asked.

"Nah, but you might as well get some rest early," the father said. "Tomorrow is the weekend, and you know how your mother gets after visiting the Ton Pu Inn with Nikki."

"Mom looks like she has a great time when she goes to the inn," Ivee said, turning her gaze towards the large building down the road. "When will I be able to go to the inn and have a drink?"

"You know Prima made the drinking age at the inn eighteen, Ivee," the father chuckled. "Actually, now that I think about it, you'll be of age in a few months. Try not to, uh... drink as much as your mother."

"You were worrin' about me, yet you always get the brunt of it when she has a headache the next day," Ivee giggled. "Will you be okay?"

"Now, I've been with your mother for a long time," the man said with a hint of exhaustion in his tone. "I'll be just fine, believe me. Now go inside and call it a day."

"Are you closing up ?" a voice asked. Ivee turned around to see two people standing behind her, with the young man holding a wooden basket in his hands.

"Hullo, Link!" she said. "Oh! I see the princess is with you! Pleased to meet your— I mean— Pleased to make your acquaintance, Princess."

Carefully, she attempted to do a curtsey, yet gave up halfway when she couldn't figure out how it was done. Zelda, however, didn't respond. In fact, her gaze remained on the ground, seemingly lost in thought. Gently, Link nudged her arm, causing her to jolt before looking around.

"W-what? Oh!" she stuttered, meeting Ivee's cheerful eyes. "Hello there, it's a pleasure to meet you. Please, just refer to me as Zelda."

"Sure can do," Ivee said with a smile before turning back to Link, "and to answer your question, I'm off to bed, but the East Wind General Store is still open if you wanna take a look around!"

"She's right," the man chuckled. "We're still stocked and ready to sell. Are you in need of some more arrows, Link?"

"Not today, Pruce," Link answered. "I need some ingredients for dinner tonight."

"Well then, come on in," the shop owner said, stepping back into his building.

All three of those outside stepped in, with Ivee heading up the staircase to the second floor. After Pruce took his place behind the counter, he watched as Link and Zelda looked around his goods on display.

"Hylian rice... Bird eggs... Oh, they've got some fresh milk from the cows today..." Link mumbled as he inspected the counters. "Was this milked from the cows recently?"

"They were bottled up earlier this morning," Pruce answered kindly, "so they're as fresh as can be."

"I see," Link said, taking a bottle of milk in hand before turning to his lover. "You know, I think I've got some goat butter and some drumsticks in the Sheikah Slate. How do you feel about having a poultry pilaf with a glass of warm milk tonight?"