Aurora (?)

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(Scarecrow 3 #12 : Zephyr)

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But another voice called to her and she turned her head, seeing a figure walking quickly towards the cliff.
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“Big Sister! What are you doing up there?”
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As long as the old bartender can remember, this rainstorm is the hardest Faron Woods has seen for years.
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Even as he nonchalantly tries to continue cleaning his glass, he cannot ignore the pitiful creaking and groaning sounds his wooden walls are making. The whole of his humble drinking establishment is made from wood, and under the weight of this incessant downpour it has begun to show his age. 'It will be awful,' thinks the old bartender, 'if it crumbles now. No one will help this late of night.
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'Besides, I still have patrons to serve'
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His eyes glance at the corner of his bar, where sit the only two patrons left in the room. Apparently, they thought it was a great idea to go out in the middle of a storm. The rain had already started when they came in, dripping wet, and now they are simply sitting there talking as they drink a few rounds.
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The old bartender’s first thought is that they are simply passing time until the storm stops. Not that the he dislikes it, of course. Having company while the cruel wind is howling outside is always a good prospect, especially if the company are regulars, like the two people now.
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But then again, the bartender knows full well that everyone who’s willing to find this shady building hidden so deep inside the labyrinthine woods will be regulars. All sorts of shady people make his establishment a meeting place for their shady dealings. Half of them he knows are planning things against the law, while others gather here to celebrate or mourn those plans, respectively. But almost none of them come here just to pass time. No. These people will brave a typhoon if they really have to go, much less a mere rainstorm.
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And speaking of brave person… One of the two patrons here right now, the bartender knows to be especially brave. He is a longtime regular, and also the bartender’s personal friend. What he does is a little vague, but the bartender surmises that he acts as an “information broker” of short. Always having the latest happenings available and always ready to coordinate people who wish to smoothen their dealings. Something like that.
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While the one talking to him right now is a recent addition to the drinking house, and to the underground world in general. He appeared just a few weeks ago, if the bartender remembers correctly, but he is already a household name due to his daring exploits
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Oh, and he really is a she. A female Zora, to be exact.
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[attr="class","hopelovetitle"]APPEARANCE

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“I will graduate soon, Sister,” she said, also looking far into the reddening sky in front of them, “My teacher said I am one of the best in class! Only that boy could stand up to me in a par, and even then I beat him more than he beat me!”
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She laughed, and her Big Sister also laughed, albeit more modestly. “I still do not understand why you would enter the Sword School,” Big Sister shook her head, “I would have rather you to study arts, for example, or become a Priestess.”
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When she goes out in her disguise like she is doing now, everyone knows her as “Shade”. A small, lithe figure with blue hair adorned with a golden hairband that is often underestimated by most. Although the bartender personally knows that this will most likely be their last mistake. She usually dresses in various shades of blue, although like every real person she often changes them regularly. Her most favorite outfit, however, seems to be a black overall and shoulder guards, covered with blue tunic of sorts with belt and a pair of gloves and thigh-high boots. And it is always covered by a cloak –sometimes cape but mostly cloak- colored red on the inside and various darker hues on the outside. Overall, her fashion is practical and inconspicuous, like almost all the people who come to this bar. She even puts another layer of secrecy on top of her usual cloak. A wide, butterfly-shaped mask usually conceals the topmost of her face from view, leaving her identity all but obscured. A stoic smile is usually all that can be seen from the woman’s face.
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But beneath the veil of the mask, as the bartender had once lucky enough to discover, is a face not unpleasant to look at. In fact, the bartender will call her pretty if only she ever deigns to smile. The sharp, pleasantly-featured face rarely has a touch of life there save for her eyes, and even then the light in her two ultramarine eyes sometimes fade, giving way hollow looks and a profound sense of emptiness. But the cruel streak of deep-seated purpose is always there, as the bartender has observed, and never dies down. She is, and perhaps will always be, full of obsessions only she herself can comprehend.
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Of course, this appearance is what the old bartender knows to be her true self. As he had seen one day, she was perfectly able to smile and to laugh were it suit her own purposes. She is a master of expression, the bartender attests, but ultimately it is all fake. Some very convincing fakes, perhaps, but still fakes nonetheless. Just like her “human” form she is having now. Her real form is a rather smoothly-scaled Zora with deep blue hues, more accented in her slim fins and tails than the rest of her body. This “human” form she has now comes from a temporary potion, but the bartender has heard that there exist an amulet than can make the change more or less permanent.
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As the bartender watches over her, she seems to notice his gaze. She looks up, and beneath her mask the bartender can sense her giving him a questioning look. The old bartender promptly returns back to cleaning his glasses, a little ashamed on disturbing his patron.
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Soon, the Zora and her informant resumes their conversation.
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[attr="class","hopelovetitle"]PERSONALITY

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“You want this path?” she asked her. A seabird cawed somewhere behind them, “I do this out of necessity you know…”
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She shook her head and wiped her eyes, “I know. That’s why I want to help you, Sis. I want to make our family happy too! I am the only one in my batch, remember?”
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Her Big Sister smiled once more and drew her closer to her arms, “Please do what makes you happy, Rainina. I am happy as long as you are.”
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“I would say, ‘ruthless’ as my first word,” said the informant, eyeing his partner for her reaction. “And also 'violent' and 'straightforward'. You, certainly, spares no nonsense.”
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“How flattering,” the Zora responds dryly, sipping her glass, “I may actually be a Goron after all.”
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“But that is not wholly untrue,” the Zora continues, now seems to more engaged at the conversation, “Perhaps you really are as what they said.”
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The informant smiles, “Well, reading people is what I do for a living. No offense though. I have to, you know, hone that skill every time so I don’t become dull.”
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“Agreed.” The Zora nods, “Continue on.”
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“Okay. Ehem,” The informant clears his throat, “Then, I’d say you are very rational. You are not bound to honor nor to urgency, and you act wholly for your own gains. Selfish, in other words.” He pauses, sipping his drink, “You have no qualms of breaking promises, although you prefer not to. Frankly, I am amazed the bosses are still using you considering how fickle you are.”
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“Indeed,” replies the Zora, now with an unsettling grin, “Why, I wonder.”
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“And also you have a dry sense of humor. A little weird also. You don’t mind hurting other people’s feelings with your words so, yeah, almost sarcastic even.”
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The Zora groans softly, “Why don’t you just use “unpleasant” and save yourself the trouble?”
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“See?” the informant smiles. “And I am sure you are full of your own reasons. Full of hidden agendas. But you are not all bad. You are careful, for one. And while you have little honor yourself you do respect a show of it. Mysterious you are, yet straightforward… No. I’ll take it back. You may just pretend to be straightforward while really you’re hiding your own thoughts. Clever, you are.”
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“As are you,” The Zora tilts her head, “And you know, the most knowing usually dies first.”

[attr="class","hopelovetitle"]BIOGRAPHY

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“When we are older and with families of our own,” Rainina suddenly mused, “We still will come back here and enjoy this kind of scenery together, right?”
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Big Sister smiled, “Of course, although I hope the Water will be clear by then.”
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The informant laughs. “Hah. But that never concerns me.”
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For a while there is a pause, as both person calmly sips their respective drinks. The bartender continues cleaning his glass, although really he is just trying to hear their conversation. The glass is already clean long ago.
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“Tell me, though,” The informant continues, leaning back against his chair, “Complicated personality such as yours do not surface overnight. What is your story, actually?”
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The Zora gives him a short glance, “Why do you care?”
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“Why should I not?”
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At this the Zora seems to smile. Just a tiny little shade of a smile.
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She sips her drink again.
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“I wasn’t born in Hyrule,” she begins, “Although you know that already. Don’t ask how I know.” She quickly adds as the informant seems wanting to reply, “You are not the only one who can read people.
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“Do you want me to continue or not?”
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The informant voices his assent, and she continues.
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“In any case, I was from a Zora family. A big Zora family. I have two big sisters and many younger siblings. Most of them trash.” She scoffs, although she does sound insincere. “My father became useless while I was very little. He had… and affliction. Before that he was the best of father. Brought us in his travels, read us stories every night, trained us… Most of my view of life come from him.”
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She pauses for a while, staring at her glass. The informant dares not to disturb, as is the bartender hearing from the other side. People like Shade are not easy to open up. But when they do they don’t like to be stopped.
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Outside, the rains continues pounding the walls.
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“My mother shouldered the burden of our income. She was rarely home, so my big sisters took care of us. They were both very kind. Strict, they were, but understanding. They did their best for us. Sacrificing their own happiness, even. Although we really did not have much happiness back then.” She lets out a dry chuckle, “We were poor, and poor people are rarely happy.”
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She hangs her head for a while, remembering the time past. And even the bartender can guess that she lied about her unhappiness.
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Those times were the happiest time of her life.
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“The oldest of my big sister,” she continues after another sip, “I really adored. She took up responsibility as both our father and mother, a friend and teacher at the same time. She cared about us more than she cared of herself. Whenever we were down, she was there for us. She taught us to stand for ourselves and to be confident of who we were. She supported us,she pushed us, pulled us up as we fell down crying and held us in her arms… She was the best. My big sister…”
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She pauses, and as she continues her voice shakes a little. For the first and only time in the conversation her voice is breaking.
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“I miss her…” she says, almost confessing. Even outsiders can see that she is fighting hard to control herself, “Sometimes I thought… Why, if all of this never happened... I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t… We don’t have to…”
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Her words trails off and she falls silent. Several times she draws a sharp breath. Several times she tries to speak. But no words come out. Meanwhile the informant and the bartender listen attentively, knowing that this is an important part in the Zora’s life and future.
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At last the informant moves a little. “But…?”
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“But I hate her,” She snaps, almost too aggressively, “One thing I’ve learned is that there is no pure goodness in this world. No such thing. Even in my sister.”
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“What…happened…?” The informant says, treading his words carefully.
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“Oh, she dabbled with powers outside of her understanding,” she shakes her head, “That fool of a sister... Never knew which is her responsibility and which isn’t. She just took them all in. And suffered for it. Such a pure fool.”
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Deep down, the overhearing bartender knows that the Zora didn’t really mean it. After all, no one talks about those they hate with such tone. No. In fact, the old bartender dares to guess that she really, really loves this Big Sister of hers. Loves her too much until the line between love and hate becomes blurred.
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“It happened swiftly,” she continues, now holding her glass very firmly the bartender fears it might break, “One night we are one complete family, the next morning nothing was left of us. It was… terror. I’ve seen many terrible things since then. But none of them, none, could compare to what happened that night.”
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An eerie feeling falls around the bar as her words echoes across the empty room. The old bartender finds himself wondering about what the terror could have been, and feels himself getting a shudder from it.
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“I was there,” The Zora soldiers on, as the informant moves uncomfortably in his seat. Her expression grows distant. “I still remember as she told me to swim. Swim! Swim away as fast as you can and never look back! So I did. I tore the waves and the storm and didn’t stop. I thought I would be caught. Thrice I thought I was drowned. But I didn’t… I didn’t drown. In fact, I fu**ing survived. And as I woke the next morning I wondered what had happened to the rest of them…
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She straightens herself, “I never know.”
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The old bartender watches as the informant sips his drink, unsure of what to say. He himself feels a little understanding towards this Shade character. Amazing how one night can completely change one person.
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The informant taps his knuckles. “So you arrived here?”
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The Zora shakes her head. “No.”
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“But then…”
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She shakes her head. “I don't know. I still don't understand until now.” she answers cryptically, “Time... seems to not flow the same everywhere.”
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The bartender is left wondering at the meaning of her words. But the informant seems to dismiss it.
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“In any case, you arrived here some time ago,” he waved his hand, “And already you made a sensation in the underground world. None of us could guess back then how The Mighty Volya, for so long the undisputed ruler of Faron, could be killed so easily.”
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“I did not seek trouble,” the Zora replies, calmly sipping her drink, “That mother**ker insisted on barring my way.”
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“Then you robbed Lord Hauser’s Manor clean and left no survivors. Also how you dispatched The Twins and The-”
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“Those are things I am not proud of,” the Zora cuts him quickly, already sounding wary, “What’s your angle, knowing so much about me?”
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[attr="class","hopelovetitle"]MISCELLANEOUS

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Big Sister’s eyes casted downwards, “I don’t know,” She said truthfully, “If that is the best course to do…I-I think I do not have anything against... Although I would left for father and mother to decide."
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Rainina chuckled drily. Part-apologizing, part-unsure “But you are quite lucky, right, Big Sister? I mean, you are a very pretty one! I heard many of the boys murmured when you took me to my school one day. They all admired you! Of course, compared to you I-“
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But Big Sister leaned forward and landed a kiss on her forehead. Rainina stopped.

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But before the informant can answer, the bar door swings open widely. The old bartender looks as another man comes in hurriedly, doused wet from the still raging storm outside. His shoes spill mud everywhere as he quickly approaches the two sitting people.
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‘Great,’ the bartender groans inwardly, ‘Now I have to clean the floor again.'
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“The carriage’s here!” shouts the man in panic. Both the Zora and the informant gives a condescending look for the volume of his voice. No one in the underground world speak their intention loud, but the man doesn’t seem to care.
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“As predicted then,” said the informant to the new man, “Horses can only travel so fast in this awful weather. Guess we have to prepare ourselves then." He glances at the Zora, who nods, before returning to the man.
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“But why are you so panicky?”
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“But… But…” the man seems fumbling to find words, “None of them are alive. I mean, only the horses are moving on their own. No one steers them. The driver’s…dead. There is no one alive inside the carriage. All…dead. Dead!”
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The informant raises his eyebrows, “Now that’s…”
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The Zora stands.
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“The most important thing is that we have the goblet, right?”
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Both men watches to Zora with questioning look.
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“And how can we-“
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Just then the Zora throws something at the table. The bartender glances. It is a pure golden goblet, encrusted with precious jewels.
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“Waiting for them to pass here was a waste of time,” the Zora shrugs, already preparing to leave, “I ambushed them already the instant they veered from the main road. Only several guards…what are you so afraid of?”
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The new man seems unable to find his voice. The informant contemplates for a while, but quickly comes to a smile.
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“And those guards. I don’t assume they are alive?”
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“As usual,” says the Zora, walking toward to bartender with some rupees. “My take is that there will be news sometime from now. Apparently one of them is a noble. Was.”
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The Zora pays her drink, and even adds some tip. The old bartender receives it with a gracious bow.
The informant shakes his head.
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“You have no conscience, do you? There were even children in the carriage.” He chuckles, “Not that I disapprove…
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“You sure you don’t want more share? You practically did all our work for us.”
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The Zora is already walking towards the door. “No. Stick to our agreement. I’ll come to you when I have need of you.
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"Or when you find that person with the mark I told you about."

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“Very well,” the informant bows. The new man just stands there, apparently still processing the sequence of events.
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But as the Zora is about to open the door, the informant calls her.
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“So I guess the rumor is true? That you killed a Goron in one-on-one fight?”
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Hand on the door, the Zora stops and turns sharply.
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“Who told you that?”
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The informant raises his shoulders, “You know me.”
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“One-on-one is hardly the appropriate term,” The Zora says nonchalantly, “There were three of them. Two ran away as soon as one fell. Like the cowards they are.”
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The bartender hears the informant whistles at the statement. He himself fights to hold back the urge to do the same. Killing Gorons is no mean feat.
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“So…three against one,” states the informant in amazed voice, “Hardly a fair fight, no?”
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“Hardly,” she says, opening the door now. The raging rain quickly drenches her clothes wet. “There should at least five of them if they want to stand a chance.”
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And with those cold words she closes the door behind her, disappearing into the night.
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The new man is obviously shocked.
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“You don’t believe him, do you?” he asks, turning to the informant, “Five Gorons? Shade is something else but he must be exaggerating…”
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“I do believe him,” the informant nods firmly. “Hard as it to imagine, I do believe him.”
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“And why is that?” joins the old bartender. Now the tension has quieted down.
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“People like him, do you believe he is moving on his own?” the informant answers cryptically. He picks up the golden goblet and puts it inside a sack. No doubt his Boss will be pleased tonight.
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“Something is behind him,” he adds, as if an afterthought, “Something I don’t know about…
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“And I sure god*amned wish I don’t have to know about.”
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Outside, the rainstorm rages on and on. The whole forest lose itself in the downpour.
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Faced with such kind words from such an angelic face, Rainina could only murmur something like “Lies”. But it was clear that she didn’t mean them. Her disposition again became cheery as usual. She held her sister’s hands.
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“Promise me you will return safely from you mission, okay, Sister Raisara?”
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And her big sister squeezed her hand tight.
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“I promise I’ll do my best.”

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PLAYED BY mint

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Lucina/Marth - Fire Emblem Awakening