Looking For Group

Part 6

Warriors took Charles to the hospital to get proper treatment. Sky took the Master Sword to the local temple to pray.

Twilight went to get lunch.

He ordered a croissant sandwich with a chai tea. Though the croissant was golden brown, flaky, and tasted absolutely amazing, he had no appetite. He forced himself to take a few bites, then set the sandwich on the plate. He stared out the window, sighing.

Charles was the seventh rejected Hero this year alone.

What were they doing wrong?

A soothsayer told them there was a Hero in this college town. It was one of the reasons why he, Sky and Warriors had come here. Twilight wanted to get a degree in agriculture and this was the perfect opportunity. Though he didn't need to get an education- the royal family will always look after him- Twilight didn't want to be a mooch.

But now it's been two years and they haven't gotten any closer to finding the Hero. Some of the rejected heroes had left the campus completely, their humiliation too much to handle. Another hero tried to sue them. (They didn't go through with it.)

Twilight took out his cell phone. He was tempted to text his Zelda, to ask for her advice. But the last he heard, she was somewhere in the Gerudo desert, trying to bring water to the most isolated of towns. She didn't have time to deal with his insecurities. Twilight's thumb hovered above her number for a few seconds longer, and then put the phone down.

At the corner of his eye, he saw the barista, Wild, cleaning nearby tables. He was busy collecting plates and coffee cups, putting them into a white bin he carried on his hip. He had his sleeves rolled up, showing off the thick scars on his left arm. Goodness, was his entire left side like that?

Twilight averted his gaze. He shouldn't be staring.

Sitting next to Twilight were two young men. They were debating in low whispers.

"I'm going to ask him."

"Dude, no, I'm not that curious."

"Oh, c'mon, I know you're dying to know."

"No, leave him alone. Yaro, don't-!"

"Hey!" Yaro spoke up suddenly, catching Wild's attention. "Man, how did you get those scars? Got blown up or something?"

Twilight full-on cringed. Really? You were just going to come out and ask a complete stranger that? Good lord, listening to that was worse than watching Yeto and Yeta kiss for ten minutes straight.

-though he couldn't deny that he too wanted to know the answer-

Wild didn't miss a beat. He shrugged and said, "I don't know," and hauled up the bin into his arms and carried it back into the kitchen.

Yaro's friend smacked him in the arm. "See? You embarrassed him!"

***

-Charles is fine. I'm taking him home. The anti-pain medication the doctors put him on left him a little loopy.

-Was he upset?

-I think he was more disappointed he wasn't a Hero. His ego took a bigger blow.

"Are you done eating?"

Twilight looked up from his text conversation with Warriors. "Huh?"

Wild gestured to his still uneaten plate of food. "Do you want me to get you a take-out box?"

"Oh... uh, no. I'm not going to finish it."

"You sure? There's a lot left."

"I'm sure," said Twilight, passing over his plate.

Wild put the plate into his bin. He didn't walk away. "Hey, are you okay? I noticed you've been sitting here for a while."

"Shit, do you need me to vacate?"

"Nah, man. Sit here as long as you need to. Besides, how bad would it look if I threw out a Hero?"

Twilight shook his head. "You don't need to give me special treatment. I can leave if I need to."

"Whoa there, grumpy-face," Wild said. He set the bin down, pulled out a chair across from Twilight and sat down. "Don't put words in my mouth. I'm just... worried. You usually come in here with the other Heroes, and now you're alone and you look upset. Do... you want to talk about it?"

Twilight was a little thrown by the offer. As the Chosen Heroes, it was expected of him to always step up and take charge, even in areas where he was sorely unqualified for. He's been asked to save kittens from trees, help with math homework, officiate weddings, notarize papers, act as a judge in spelling bees, and even before he started college, he was automatically signed up for every sport program on campus. To convince the Dean he didn't want to play sports was a headache in itself.

To have someone ask Twilight about his concerns was... different.

Twilight almost told Wild everything. His frustrations about finding the next Hero. The feeling of desperation crawling upon him. The guilt of having yet another person failing the test and physically punished for it. He could tell Sky and Warriors were feeling it as well, leaving them all mentally exhausted as the days go by.

A text notification caught Twilight's attention. It was from Time. He was probably waiting for an update of the Choosing.

Like that, the wind from Twilight's sails drifted away and he slumped his shoulders in defeat. No, Twilight thought. This wasn't Wild's problem, nor should Twilight involve an outsider into something he wouldn't understand.

"I'm fine," Twilight said. He gave Wild a weak smile. "Really."

"Alright..." Wild said. "But hey, if you ever need to talk..."

"You'll be the first I come to. Thanks."

Twilight waited till Wild walked away to look at the text.

-I found the next Hero.