Just Business (Will+Guy)

It was sweltering hot that day, as the sun beat down upon the citizens of Nabooru, and the heat seemed to suck all life out of them, even the children. Even so, they were glad, for it was a welcome change from the bitter cold that had plagued them for just weeks before. It seemed that whatever evil magic had caused the bitter, and uncharacteristic winter to fall upon Hyrule had fled the land, though the people were blissfully unaware of the sacrifices necessary to make it so. Boris shook his head, letting some of the moisture, perspiration really, that had collected on his head leaves fall to the ground. Walking through the town, he waved and smiled the hot, but nevertheless cheerful people.

"Don't forget to drink lots of water! Wouldn't want to get heat stroke!" Boris called out to some kids, who, despite their griping, did what they were told. Most of them had come to Boris at least once in their short lives, and none of them had regretted listening to his advice, so even while they complained on their way to the well, each of them was glad that the Deku was there. Boris smiled contentedly as he watched the run along. "What good kids." He said to himself, nodding his head, rather his entire body, slightly.

"You're a good guy, Doc, watching out for all of us." A gruff voice spoke from behind. Boris turned around and looked up instinctively, and for a moment he was blinded by the sun. Once his eyes adjusted, though, he saw that it was a muscular, middle-aged man, and despite his gruff appearance, Boris knew him to be a jovial man. "Well, I wouldn't be a very good doctor if I didn't." Boris smiled widely, the two laughing together. "Well, I gotta get back to repairing these roofs, so take it easy, Doc." Patting Boris on the head fondly, the man walked off with an armful of thatching into the distance. Chuckling and shaking his head, Boris couldn't help but wonder what made the Hylian treat him almost like a kid, though he was older than most in the village.

"Ah, well, might as well get to work myself, then." Humming a tune to himself, Boris began his trek towards the outskirts of Nabooru.

There was a good deal that he had to gather from the nearby woods. Witch's Bane, Old Man's Beard, Chamomile... The list went on, and as he went down it, Boris' feet already began to ache just thinking about how long it would take him. "Probably won't get back until dusk..." He muttered, stooping for a moment, and taking a second to jot his list down into his metal-bound tome. Removing it from his back, shrugging off one of its straps, he unbuckled it and quickly removed a quill and ink from his pack. "Better get this in here before I forget. Now what was it again...? Chamomile...." Picking up the book and holding it in one hand, he balanced the book and inkwell precariously as he continued walking forwards, not even bothering to look ahead.

So engrossed was Boris with reciting the list of herbs he had to gather, that he never even noticed the two travelers until they were already upon him, assaulting him with a question. Boris visibly jumped, squeaked, and dived into a nearby bush, his bright eyes shining from behind its leaves, looking down at his momentarily forgotten book, which had crashed to the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief to see that the ink had gone into the dirt of the road, rather than into his journal. Shaking, so much so that the bush itself was shaking too, Boris tried for a moment to speak. "H-h-h-hello." He barely managed to stutter out. Now that Boris could see assailants, he saw that it was merely a Hylian and a Deku... A Deku! Oh god, why here! I thought they'd stop bothering me if I went as far away as possible! Boris practically screamed out in his inner thoughts. "Must.... act natural." Boris gasped out quietly, his voice obscured by the trembling of the bush.

Pulling the bush tighter around himself, Boris tried to flatten himself upon the ground, all the while pulling up against its roots. "I'm sorry, but we're not open for business today! Please come back later during normal business hours!" His high pitched voice coming out from beneath the shrub. Removing the bush ever so slightly from the ground, he crawled forward, extended forth a hand, and yanked his book under his leafy shroud.

Even as scared as he was, Boris still managed to find time to consider the fact that the two travelers didn't seem to have actively sought him out; rather, it had been just a chance meeting on the road, and not his family sending their goons to harass him. "Y-y-you mean my mother didn't send you?" He asked tentatively, still wary of the two, though the shaking of the bush had stopped. Still, he had yet to emerge from the green shrub, continuing to peer out at the two, rather frightening, people. Boris breathed out a heavy sigh of relief, though, he still looked at the other Deku rather oddly. "But, you're still from the Association, though...?" Boris continued, not failing to notice Gustav's shrewd sense, especially when it came to running a business.

Stepping out from the leaves, Boris brushed at his "hair", sending cobwebs, sticks, and leaves falling to the ground. Adjusting his goggles so they sat more rightly upon his face, he looked up at the mounted Hylian, just now realizing how truly small he was in comparison. He gulped. "I... I suppose I do owe you an explanation, after that.... display. You see, I come from a family of Business Scrubs, quite wealthy ones in fact. But, I never quite was cut out for it, so I've always lived a fairly meager life, by their standards. When my father died, he bequeathed to me all of the rupees he'd saved, because to him, it seemed I needed them the most." Boris scratched at his head, and it was quite clear that he was reliving past days, his eyes looking through the Hylian and her horse, and off into the distance.

Snapping from his reverie, he returned his gaze to the woman. "In short, I took only a small portion for myself, and gave the rest to my family. But my mother, and my brothers, seem to be under the impression that I didn't give them the full sum of their "rightful inheritance", and that I must be hiding some of it away. They... They are particularly fond of sending people here harass me, and I'd thought that perhaps they'd bribed a Castle Town guard this time. I really am sorry for the misunderstanding." He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "In any case," Boris began again, before they could interject, while stooping low and closing his tome, "I really must be going. There is much I must do, in those woods over there." He said rather vaguely, and offhandedly, shutting his book and re-strapping it over his shoulders. With that, he started off towards the trees at a brisk, perhaps too brisk, pace.

"Uhm... Okay." Boris replied tentatively, particularly frightened by the proposition of steel being shoved into his mouth. That wasn't Boris' idea of a fun time, especially if the offender was twice his height and on a horse. Grabbing her hand gingerly, as if handling a snake, the small Deku was swiftly yanked up onto the equine beast, who didn't even seem to notice the addition of another being. Looking up at the floating Deku, he spoke. "You're right, this doesn't seem particularly comfortable. I'm Boris, by the way." He said, ruefully, shifting around uncomfortably on the hard leather.

Looking off into the woods, he wondered if the horse would be able to traverse the more difficult terrain. He voiced his worries to the rider in front of him. "I'm far more used to walking in the woods on foot," he explained, "so I suppose I wouldn't really know what it would be like to ride a horse in there anyways... Actually, I just don't know much about riding either way." With that, rather embarrassed by his lack of knowledge and his attempt at appearing as if he knew anything about horses at all, he decided to shut up about it. He clutched at the sides of the saddles with his hands, wondering when the horse would start moving forward, and if he would even survive the ride.

"There are several places that I need to go to within the forest, as the plants I am looking for grow in various places. The first, however, is relatively close to the entrance, and you are welcome to drop me off there." Boris paused. "You see, I am the doctor for the nearby town, and most of the herbs that I use to treat them are found in this forest." He explained. As he spoke, he seemed to relax slightly, becoming more and more comfortable as his mind wandered to other things. Shaking his head sadly, he continued. "Unfortunately, the recent blizzards caused a lot of damage, not only to the village, but to the forest as well, so I'm honestly crossing my fingers that the herbs I'm looking for are even there, and are ready to be harvested."

"So, in short, thank you for giving me a ride. It saves me a lot of valuable time, that I would rather be spending looking for the various plants." Boris ended, realizing that he was ranting for no apparent reason, once again. He twiddled his thumbs, not really sure what else to say. He was never usually this nervous, but something about the two seemed to leave him disoriented and unsure of himself, as if everything he said seemed silly and childish. I wonder why? he thought to himself, genuinely perplexed by his situation.

Boris shivered for a moment from the shock, as the realization of what was occurring hit him like a tidal wave. It seemed for a moment as if he might wet himself, but thankfully he regained control of his bladder... at least for now. That said, he still wasn't entirely able to handle the situation. "A D-d-d-d-dodongo?" His eyes widened as he turned to look at the lumbering beast, that could easily crush the three of them beneath their weight. In the entire forest, he had never seen a dodongo before; hell, he'd just never seen a dodongo. But he knew of them, and the massive destruction they could cause, even alone. He did not, however, know of their weaknesses to bombs, and so, when Ruby asked if either of the two Deku happened to have a bomb on hand, he was at a loss for an answer. Why does she want a bomb...? He wondered, but only for a split second, for he did not have the time nor the luxury of letting his mind wander.

"Why do you want a bomb?!" Boris yelled out the question to Ruby, hoping her answer would be swift. If their lives depended on them procuring some type of explosive, Boris might be able to help, though he'd need some time, for sure. He grabbed out with one hand, grabbing Gustav as tightly as he could manage. It seemed that his fellow Deku was rummaging through a satchel, and it was all Boris could do, but to hope that whatever he was looking for, that it would save the three of them.