you were always a stepping stone for me to get to the throne ! i— . . . you . . . you were . . . but then i grew attached to you . . . but i couldn't . . . i couldn't let all my efforts go to waste because of some . . . foolish sentiment . . .

oh, princess, don't be ridiculous. it was never personal. at a certain point, i truly saw potential in you. i thought i could make you the perfect ruler. but no. you'd be nothing without my guidance. you wouldn't even know about hyrule and its triforce if it weren't for me.

. . . you /will/ need me, princess. at your most hopeless hour. when you're most desperate for an answer. you will never stop needing my council and advice.

[ for once, he does not reply with a snarky remark. instead he just grins, swallowing his pride, and bowing slightly. ] as. you. wish. [ he hit his staff against the floor, and in a flash of light and colors . . . he disappeared from sight, an echoing cackle lingering. ]

. . . [ crumbling to his feet, holding onto his staff weakly. he trembles. why must he lie . . . why must he keep lying ? why did he lie to her ? ]

<— moping. brooding, even.

put that down, child. you might hurt yourself. [ he sneers, hitting his staff on the ground once. as a warning. ] whether she likes it or not, i am looking for the princess's wellbeing. so stay out of it.

. . . ew, now there's rats in here ?? he just tries to shoo him. completely unaware.

YEAOUCH— SLAPPING THE LITTLE RAT AWAY. OUGH. hopefully that thing didn't have rabies. gods. ouch.

ugh. you are unfortunately right. she's fond of you. what are you, her little pet ? [ he points the staff at him. unfazed. ] get out of the way and mind your own business. or else i'll have to take you out myself.

. . . squints. why is this rat so persistent. upon closer inspection . . . "you're not a rat, are you ?" placing a hand down so he can climb on. "then why the hell did you bite me ?"

hol on he needs his damn reading glasses for this. glasses on, squinting at the little minish. he raised an eyebrow. "vaati ? isn't that supposed to be some big hyrulean demon ?"

sigh . . .

what. are you yapping about.

gh—! [ moving his cape to look at him. with a glare. ] the princess has far more important duties than babysitting you—what on earth are you hiding from ?!

yiga— what ? [ raising an eyebrow. ] you're not trying to mock me, are you ? [ he sighs, thinking for a moment. then he places a hand over his head. ] that hood of yours . . . it is a good disguise. it kept you safe during our trying times — it should keep you safe now.

that sounds like a hyrule problem. if you stay here, you should be safe. [ . . . he just. pats his head. he's not exactly good at being comforting. ] there, there. no one will come after you. you are not your counterpart.

. . . be brave for the princess. [ he didn't say it in a condescending way, surprisingly. ] now. off you go. and stay out of trouble . . . do let me know if you run into any of these . . . "yiga" clan members. [ giving him a slight smack on the head. shoo. ]

. . . hmmmm. maybe he's not so bad after all.

your face finally got that splash of colour it so desperately needed.