Lottery Errant

As the sun crept over the hills to the east, a certain Scrub found himself standing at the western edge of Castle-Town. Just minutes prior, he convinced the guards to let him out into the open fields. Though it took some doing, he managed to prove that he was not only capable of handling himself with a bow, but was going out on pure business. Looking back to the shrinking image of the city in the distance, he softly scoffed at the attitude they showed unto him. Fear of Ganon's forces was beginning to form talons to clench on citizens' freedom... War, or the fear of it, always seemed to have this effect. He could only hope matters would be resolved before Hyrule's free market would begin to suffer the strain as well.

Atop a grassy hill about a mile away form the city, Gustav pulled out from the sack at his hip several dozen small notes. The message they all bore was identical, crafted in his own expert penmanship. After kneeling down, he beckoned his trained Guay to hop off his shoulder and into the grass. Careful in doing so, he fastened to the bird's talons a small contraption that would allow him to drop the letters to random passerby.

"Dirk, business has been slow here lately," the words were uttered with a sigh. "But I know, scattered across Hyrule, there are many daring adventurers young and old who have a pretty rupee to spend. Those sorts are always itching to take a gamble; they'd have to be to scurry out across Hyrule in times like these... and that's exactly the kind of attitude we want to see."

Once the contraption was properly affixed, Gustav stood back up upon his feet. "You know your mission, Dirk." His arm swung forth, beckoning the creature outward on the quest he was trained to perform, "Go, magnificent bird, and deliver my message to the world!"

With a bellowed caw, the Guay took its luggage and launched towards the sky. Vigilant in his quest, Dirk soared off into the distant sky, searching for future customers...

...Filled with warmth and hope, Gustav watched his pet fly off. There was a bit of a smile to his soul, seeing the creature embark as he was trained so vigilantly to do. Already, he was so eager to see the results of this endeavor. Unfortunately, he would need to wait quite a while before knowing the degree of his success or failure. With a bit of a sigh, the Business Scrub turned about and began striding back to Castle-Town.

As he advanced onward towards the castle, however, Gustav heard a certain rustling. He quickly turned about, glaring towards the very same grass he was kneeling just moments ago. Was it a monster? A Moblin? He shuddered in fright at the mere thought of such a beast, taking a step back. In preparation for such a force, he quickly braced the Deku Leaf about his head, preparing to soar off to safety.

From the ground came a mighty bellow, the sort of sound that one would expect to hear if a pool full of pudding abruptly sneezed. Accompanying the noise, a plethora of gelatinous yellow ooze piled upon itself to form an awkward-looking blob with bulbous yellow eyes and a disturbing smile. It was a few inches shorter than the Scrub standing before it. Freaky in appearance yes, but hardly something all that intimidating.

"Is... is that what they call a ChuChu?" Gustav mused to himself, "I've heard they could be found in these fields, but I've never actually seen one... Strange thing..." His stance relaxed somewhat as he watched the creature inquisitively. After all, it seemed to be almost completely ignoring him, obviously not very aggressive for a monster.

Although, it was nonetheless a monster that occasionally attacked innocent passerby... or so the tale went. How did it attack? It didn't have any limbs. Did it just... lunge out? That would be quite the silly sight. No, he mused, its body must be acidic or toxic somehow... something which could cause damage on touch.

He pondered, quietly, what was it doing? Why did it form? Was it born just now? No, most likely his actions managed to awaken it from slumber. Even a ChuChu must want to slumber when the sun sets, he assumed.

Though an interesting discovery was found in the creature, Gustav quickly realized staying here much longer would simply be wasting time that could otherwise be spent acquiring profits back at his shop. With that thought in mind, he delivered a playfully melancholy salute to the creature, and abruptly turned back to continue his stride back to the city.

However, he took not even two steps before coming to a sudden halt. A thought just occurred to him--there was something floating about in the creature's... somewhat transparent... body. Now that he thought about it, that object seemed to have a very familiar shape. On second thought, he glanced back to take in the creature's form again.

"That... that's a rupee! A yellow one, even!" He quickly scurried back over, taking a closer look. Yes, it was indeed yellow, worth ten regular ones. He must not have noticed it earlier, he thought, because its hue blended in so well with the yellow ChuChu. One couldn't help but wonder, "How did it even get in there..?"

It seemed he did not have time to ponder such things, however. The creature let out an abrupt chirp, seemingly intimidated by Gustav's proximity. It lurched back, about to throw its body forward.

The Scrub himself shivered in sudden fright, fearing what the toxic... acid... weird substance might do to his wooden skin. He immediately hopped back once, twice, managing to evade the monster's attack as it lunged forward.

Not wanting to have to sit and deal with this, Gustav snatched hold of the leaves on his head and spun them as fast as he could, trying to start up his Korok Copter ability. It took a few moments, but they began to accelerate, and he could feel his body beginning to lift off the ground. Looking down, however, he noticed the ChuChu was already preparing a second lunge.

As the monster shot upwards in a desperate attack, Gustav just barely moved in time to tuck in his legs, evading the attack by what felt like an inch. A few seconds would pass as he moved upwards, before taking a steady position a safe distance above the creature. Instinct told him to just head back to town, but... he was having a hard time convincing himself to not go after that yellow rupee. As he told Dirk earlier, business was indeed going so slow at the moment anyway.

"Curse this economy," he grumbled to himself in the midst of reaching for his shortbow. After it was secured in his palm, he then drew a matching arrow from the quiver, and took careful aim at the gelatinous beast below him. His hand was already beginning to shake somewhat as the bow was pulled back, "Argh... I need to learn how to pull this string back further," he mentioned to no one in particular. It was indeed a more prestigious bow than the one he was accustomed to using. While steadying his shot, he couldn't help but think the creature must be incredibly stupid. It simply stood there with a blank expression as a lethal weapon was aimed at it.

With blinding speed, the arrow tore clean through the ChuChu and embedded firmly in the ground behind it. After a moment's passing, the monster's body popped like a balloon, spraying the nasty yellow fluid in all directions around where it once stood.

Gustav couldn't help but flinch from the burst, his gut wrenching slightly at the sight. It was a bit disturbing, yes, but the thing was a danger to Castle-Town anyway... or so he tried to convince himself. He didn't kill a virtually harmless creature just for moneylust, he tried to tell himself. "Why do I even feel guilty about this? Hunters and dungeoneers do it all the time..."

With a sigh, he gently lowered down from the air and began to inspect the wreckage... the corpse. He was half-hoping it would just form up like it had before, albeit leaving the rupee safely out of its body. Unfortunately, it seemed that wouldn't happen.

Gustav's wooden feet gradually lowered into the grass, and his copter-hat came to a halt. His orange gaze sorted through the remains, searching for the little gem for which he had gone through this hassle. For a moment, he worried it had all been for nothing... but no, it was right there, miraculously pinned beneath the arrow he shot.

The makeshift archer returned his weapon to its stowing place on his back, and inched carefully towards the treasure--he didn't want to accidentally step in a puddle of acid, after all. However, it just occurred to him that the rupee was likely covered in the same... fluid... as was the arrow, no doubt.

"Note to self: start carrying around a handkerchief." In the absence of such a thing, he reached towards the pouch-wallet at his side. He removed the lone rupoor inhabiting it for the moment, and turned the pouch inside out... with a heavy sigh, as if he just insulted himself by pointing out the fact it was completely empty. Using the pouch to protect his hand as a glove, he reached towards the arrow--hoping to reuse it--and the yellow rupee. With them both secure in his right hand, and his rupoor secure in his left, he began striding back towards Castle-Town--or more immediately, the moat sitting outside the front gate.

Upon arriving at the moat's edge, he set down his Rupoor for a moment and dunked the pouch, his arrow, and the yellow rupee into the waters. Gustav told himself he didn't have to get them sparkling clean--which would be an impossible task with such filthy water--but just enough to get rid of what could potentially be some sort of venom... or acid... or something like that.

Just as he finished, the Scrub slid the arrow back into his quiver, then hooked his wallet back onto his belt and filled it with the lone yellow rupee. Upon reaching for his Rupoor, however, he discovered the grass where it was set to be... barren...?

In a slight panic, Gustav glanced over to see a Hyrulean Guard grasping hold of the strange contraption. He didn't stop to think if they were legal or not until just that minute. A Hylian in his shoes would surely have a worried expression and a sweaty brow--a give-away sign of guilt. Thankfully, however, he was of a much more crafty race.

"A black rupee? How peculiar... I didn't even know denominations of this color existed." In a poof of black smoke, however, the rupee vanished from the woman's grip. She looked around peculiarly, before glaring down at the Business Scrub now standing before her. Luckily, she didn't notice the slight bulge in Gustav's wallet as it grew to contain not only his Rupoor, but a blue rupee of the guard's as well.

"Hm." She was a bit frustrated at both Gustav and herself, clearly evidenced in her expression. "...I do I apologize if I broke it, I--"

"Oh please, Miss, do not worry." His tone was surprisingly comforting, "I was suspicious and you were simply doing your duty."

"Well... Thank you for understanding." She slouched and blushed a bit in slight embarrassment, before immediately straightening herself out to the rigid and dutiful stance held by all respectable members of the guard. "As long as I'm troubling you, however, sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Nothing of much importance," he said with a hidden smirk of mischief, knowing he got away with a rather impressive feat, if unintentionally. "I was just heading back into town, so it would be nice if you could lower the bridge for a minute..."

The woman silently nodded, and with a gesture of her arm, began leading the Business Scrub over towards the drawbridge. Generally it was not opened so early in the morning except for travelers such as himself, as she explained, "But we can open it a few minutes early, I'm sure."

"Thank you, Miss...?"

"...Ruby. And please, sir, don't call me 'miss." She looked ahead as she strode forward, a dutiful gaze in her eyes. Every placement of her steel-plated boots in the grass was deliberate, straight, and her left hand was always placed on the sword hilt at her left hip. It was easy, especially for someone such as Gustav, to quickly discern what sort of person she was. The profession of guard seemed to suit her, he silently mused.

"I can respect that, Ruby." The Scrub was only a couple steps behind, and to her side. His eyes traced over the platemail uniform she wore; it rattled quite a bit as she walked... He couldn't even imagine carrying around something like that all day. No wonder the guards had such buff bodies. "You can call me either Gustav or Mr. Grimm, if 'sir' ever gets tedious for you."

"Very well, Mr. Grimm. Out of curiosity, do you mind if I ask what that black rupee happened to be?" She asked mid-stride. "Considering how it vanished, I assume it wasn't a standard denomination, but some kind of magical device..."

"Oh, I'm actually not sure about it myself," a blatant lie. "I've seen them around lately in other towns, and was actually planning to do some research into it. Considering they're relatively popularity for magical devices, I doubt getting my hands on another one would be any issue..." He cleared his wooden throat, wishing to abruptly change the subject, "Actually, just out there, I saw a ChuChu--"

"Yes," the woman responded quickly, "We spotted it from the watchtower. A companion of mine was actually already on horseback headed towards your aid, but thankfully you handled the monster before he even arrived." Her tracks abruptly ceased, and Gustav came to a stop at her side.

She gave a quick arm signal to that very same watchtower, and within a few seconds the drawbridge began to lower. "We've been having problems with them, lately..." She laid out a sigh, "Monsters, I mean. Ganon's forces supposedly have been kept to the south, but lately we've been having monsters--sparse and relatively weak--showing up closer and closer to Castle-Town. It's of little concern at the moment, but I fear what the monsters' advance may be heralding... I suppose it's part of the reason Impa will soon be constructed."

"Mm." Gustav nodded slowly in consideration of her words. Political discussion was not of his great interests, but he couldn't help but add to the conversation. "I still remember the uproarious reply to the King's announcement the other day, though I found myself a bit skeptical. Impa hopefully will, among other things, increase commerce for Hyrule--business has been pretty slow for me lately, and I imagine its the same for other Business Scrubs. Even so, I couldn't help but wonder where its population would come from. The denizens of Castle-Town, Nabooru, and Lon Lon don't seem intent on moving closer towards Ganon's forces..."

Ruby smiled just a tiny bit. Her vigilant gaze turned away from the lowering drawbridge, and met the eyes of Mr. Grimm. "Yes, I assume it will at first be a very military-driven town. Despite that, it seems like it would be the perfect place for southern refugees to get a new start, don't you?"

"...Hm." Gustav nodded steadily, his eyes tilted up to meet hers as well, "I hadn't thought of it that way. I suppose it does serve that purpose as well."

"And I'm sure having a proper port city will help our relations with neighboring countries, and increase our trade... our commerce, our economy. I'm sure that would help out you and the entire Business Scrub Association, am I correct?"

"Yes, yes," he nodded steadily, and turned back towards the bridge. "I'm surprised I didn't realize this all much sooner. No wonder everyone was so enthralled with the announcement... It almost makes me want to visit Impa, once it has several potential customers, of course. How long do you think construction will take?"

"I'm sure it will go on for at least a decade, but people will start living there within weeks or even days from now, I would assume." She turned back towards the bridge as well, and proceeded across now that it was fully lowered.

As Ruby began walking across the monumental wooden planks which now covered the moat, Gustav trailed along a short distance behind her. "I wasn't planning to visit there anytime soon, but if business doesn't pick up here today, I may even try to set up shop over there tomorrow... or set out tomorrow, rather."

"Actually..." Ruby's tracks halted for a moment, and Gustav's did as well. "...I'll be off the clock in a few minutes, being on the night-shift, and have nothing planned for today. Do you mind if I accompany you back to your shop?"

It was rather obvious to Gustav that she wanted something more than she was saying, but he could not yet place his finger on it. At first he was worried she had remembered something regarding his rupoor, but quickly reassured himself that he had covered his tracks well enough on that one--worse case scenario, he would need to return the five rupees he earned.

The only other option he could perceive was that she was looking to get to know him, and in all likelihood procure a better deal at his shop. She didn't seem like that type of girl, he mused, but he nonetheless wouldn't put it past her. Whether that scenario was true or not, Ruby was a potential new customer, so of course he replied in a friendly tone with, "Of course."

Ruby resumed her pace, as did her Business Scrub acquaintance. Upon reaching the watchtower at the other end of the drawbridge, the woman clocked out only a minute early, and passed shift onto the lad who was already there waiting. From what appeared to be some sort of quartermaster, she was handed a certain sum of rupees--what Gustav assumed to be her pay for the day, or perhaps a special bonus.

Upon exiting, she glanced down to the Scrub, who was watching and overhearing the entire scene that went on inside. "Ben is always early," she chuckled a little, "He's pretty good at his job."

The Business Scrub nodded a bit. His head positioned to one side to look around Ruby's hips and see the so-called 'Ben,' already assuming his duties for the day. With a curious tone, he then glanced back up towards the woman herself, "Just like that? I assumed you would be removing your armor or stowing your weapons, or...?"

He trailed off as she shook her head, bearing a bit of a warm smile. "It's too complicated doing that every day. I've actually grown quite accustomed to my uniform, anyway." In truth, she simply did not want to keep him waiting. "Anyway, shall we be off?" She extended an arm towards the general direction of the merchant district, where she assumed Gustav's shop was located, beckoning him to lead the way.

"Let's." Gustav nodded, and began moving onwards. The two of them would soon begin pushing through gradually-growing crowds as they moved towards the district, and it became later and later in the day. Rather ironically, neither of them were accustomed to it. One usually flew over the crowds with his Deku Leaf, while the other didn't have to bother much as people would usually make way for a woman on horseback. Despite that, neither wanted to seem rude towards the other.

Between the traffic and the distance, their journey towards the district ended up taking several hours. Though Ruby found herself glancing towards flamboyant performers and other scenes she was not as accustomed to seeing, being from a different section of town, she and her companion nonetheless beelined almost directly to the shop. When the air wasn't filled with clamor from the crowds or an obnoxious sales pitch, the two of them ended up filling it with bits of small talk. Rather quickly, they came to know each other decently well, much to the surprise of both of them, but particularly Gustav. He had never considered becoming friends with an authority figure. As they continued speaking, however, he quickly began to realize there was much more to a Guard than the Royal Crest on their cuirass.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, they had finally made it to the district they were hoping to reach. Gustav pointed out a quaint little shop in the distance, before scurrying over to it with Ruby in hot pursuit behind him.

The uncanny pair arrived at what looked like little more than a mere shack. The back of the structure seemed to be some sort of small storage area, while the front was an open storefront with a counter across which one could expect to haggle and do business.

While Ruby was silently unimpressed with it, she failed to realize the prime location for which Gustav chose it. It was, after all, right at the main entrance to the district, and one of the first shops one could see. The traditional wooden design characteristic of Deku Scrubs made it even harder to miss, and gave off a bit of a down to-earth charm. It was this the sort of charm, Gustav believed, that would make you believe you could find good deals on merchandise which had been hard-earned--and that's exactly what he hoped his customers would find.

Upon reaching the backdoor tot he supposed storage area, Gustav felt the need to raise a palm towards Ruby, beckoning her to stop. "I apologize, but those who are not employed at the Grimm Emporium are not permitted beyond this point--Business Scrub Association regulations, you see. Please meet me at the storefront." With that said, the door was abruptly shut behind him.

...Ruby stared quizzically down at the little doorway he marched through. She couldn't help but wonder how he had expected her to fit through there. Nonetheless, she did as asked of her and moved a few paces until she was at the front counter. This, by contrast to the door, was of Hylian size. Putting her arms to the table and leaning over it, however, she realized the floor on Gustav's side was elevated a foot or so to put him at eye-level with most of his customers.

She pushed back onto her side, smirking at the man's inventiveness. Likely, she pondered to herself, that had some sort of relevance to it. Perhaps customers erroneously tend to think they can push around a merchant so much shorter than them? Something like that, she mused. It was then that she noticed, posted to a post at the front, a parchment with various names of people and and items scribbled onto it in various different handwritings...

Before she could examine it further, however, the opposite door of the little warehouse flung open. As he stepped up and strode out onto the elevated storefront, slung over Gustav's "shoulder" was some form of large burlap sack. Curious to see what was within it, Ruby watched as he gently placed the bag across the counter. Turning the sack into a tablecloth, his wares of the moment were carefully spread out across it: strange-looking blue seeds, some form of shimmering golden lamp, what looked like some historical weapon, pottery, a few tools for a profession Ruby could not recognize, some kind of magical cane, a stack of thick and musty tomes, and a few other things. One such thing happened to be a handkerchief, which Gustav mysteriously snatched up and inserted into the pouch at his hip.

"Now then..." Gustav took a deep breath, and soon found in his voice was a gratuitous smile, "Is there anything here that interests you, Ruby?"

"Well..." The woman's eyes scanned the merchandise once more, "Let me take a closer look..."

"Take all the time you need," Gustav returned warmly.

Ruby first moved towards the tomes, examining each of their titles. Most she had heard before, one she had skimmed, and another she had read cover-to-cover. There was one, however, at the bottom, which perked her interest. Half the words in its title she had not even heard before, and for a moment she began to wonder if it was even the Hyrulean language. "Legends of... H-Holodrum... and Lab... Lab-reen-uh?"

"That's Labrynna, my fair lass," he offered, "It's a country outside--"

"Oh, yes, I have heard of Labrynna!" She half-exclaimed, embarrassed at the fact she couldn't recognize the word in its written form more easily. "And Holodrum as well, now that I've pronounced it. It's quite surprising you don't hear of them often around Hyrule, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose..." There was mild discomfort in Gustav's voice.

"I'm surprised the other books have remained here, but no wonder you haven't been able to sell this..."

Gustav's orange eyes narrowed a bit. She wasn't that clueless--or was she? No, she was obviously interested in this book, and she was obviously trying to reason him into lowering the price of what was a fairly rare tome. Unfortunately, it was not a terribly thick tome, and--as she began flipping through the pages--she no doubt realized some where missing and others were torn to bits. It was a product which he could not ask a full price, and although Ruby would not be the sharpest customer he would have today, she could nonetheless realize that fact.

Finished with her meager appraisal of the book, she glanced up at him. Her voice succeeded but eyes failed to feign disinterest, "What are you asking, Gustav?"

The Scrub smirked internally. This was his battlefield, and he would not be defeated here. "What are you offering, Ruby?"

"Ten rupees seems sufficient," she demanded.

"Fifteen."

"Does that or does that not include the hardcover--which need I remind you is hanging to the pages by a mere thread."

"Fifteen."

"Ten."

"Fiftee--"

"Ten--I already gave you the extra five earlier, remember?"

Gustav's eyes widened in shock. She was clueless of his rupoor when it happened. When did she figure it out? On their walk here? No, no, it must have been that Ben fellow... damn him...

"...What do you mean?"

"That Rupoor of yours--that black rupee." She gazed into his orange eyes, failing to decipher if he was being deceitful or not. Perhaps it was because he was a Deku Scrub, or perhaps it was because they already had become something of friends, but she subdued and hid her suspicions successfully. "On the way here, a friend of mine told me what it does. Check your wallet."

Gustav looked at her curiously for a moment, before opening the pouch at his side and gazing down into it... "Yes, there's the yellow rupee I got from the ChuChu, but... my black rupee is still here? And... where did this blue one come from?"

With a sigh, Ruby began to explain in detail exactly what the item did and how it functioned, all of which Gustav had already discovered quite well.

With a genuine sigh of his own, he responded, "I do apologize for that. To show my sincerity, simply give me another five rupees--on top of what I have already taken--and consider the tome yours."

Ruby raised an eyebrow towards him. At first she was surprised the man was still charging her for it, but then remembered how he commented earlier how terrible business had been lately. In truth, all the time they had been here not a single customer had come up to the shack. It was then that the maiden herself began to feel somewhat guilty. Her brow furrowed a bit as she reached into her pocket, and forked over a blue rupee to add to the Scrub's collection. In stead of it, she took the tome tightly into her arms.

Gustav graciously took the rupee and bowed, deftly sliding it into his wallet as he did so. "Please enjoy your book, Ruby. And if there's anything else with which I can help you, do let me know."

"Very well..." She let out a bit of a sigh. "So long as you don't mind a loiterer, is it alright if I stay here a while longer and read?"

"Not at all," the Scrub said warmly, "A pretty face like yours standing nearby can do nothing but help my Emporium."

Ruby smiled a bit, silently wondering if a Deku Scrub could even find a Hylian attractive. The reverse was rarely true, though in her own time, the woman remembered looking at at least one or two Deku Scrubs with a romantic gaze... although it had been years since that last happened. Banishing the thoughts from her head, she leaned up against a post of the shack, carefully pried open the decaying tome, and proceeded to read it from the beginning.

Over the next few hours, Ruby would remain engrossed in the book, only moving occasionally to turn a page, or shift weight from one leg to the other. Every once in a while, her green-eyed gaze would shift over to watch the business attractions, and occasionally give a fellow customer a gracious nod.

Business seemed just as slow as Gustav mentioned. Despite the throngs of people passing by, and the countless potential customers who wandered over to examine his wares, almost no one had purchased anything. By evening, he had sold the tools and some of the pottery--at which point he replaced them with lesser products from the warehouse. However, nearly all the profits he had made were then squandered off on bills and a debt-collector; living in such a prime spot was not inexpensive for a merchant, Ruby began to realize.

He had, however, seemed to make some profit... say 20 rupees or so, a rather paltry sum. And even then, Ruby wasn't entirely sure if it was actually profit. Rather, it was various individuals coming to pay the final cost of their loans. Each of them bore a smile, but she could tell Gustav was feeling the exact opposite of his customers. Every time one of those sorts left, he leaned up to the piece of parchment attached to one of his shop's posts, and crossed off a name. By the end of the day, there remained none on the parchment. No one owed him money any longer... which meant he could no longer rely on their payments to remain somewhat profitable...

It was then that both of them began to realize more clearly than ever the same fact. Abandoning this shack and moving towards Impa, likely a more profitable area, was in Gustav's best interest. Just as Ruby was about to bring up the fact, her companion began instead, "Alright. On a weekday like this, the customers will be thinning out now... even more than they already have... Seeing how slow things are going, I might as well close up shop early and see you home."

Ruby glanced up, realizing night was already beginning to fall. She had been so engrossed in the book that she had forgotten her surroundings, she was beginning to realize. "Oh, thank you very--" The warehouse door slammed, cutting her off mid-sentence. She was a bit annoyed, but at the same time, she could understand it. The woman understood Deku culture well enough to know that, to Business Scrubs, profit was everything. What little he made that day would no doubt have to be expended on the Association's taxes or something of the sort. Making zero profit for an entire day of business was something one like Gustav would have a difficult time accepting, she theorized.

In moving away from the store front and towards the back door, she closed the tome and held it at her side, under her arm. There was only one chapter more to go, and in all likelihood she could fall asleep in her quarters tonight reading it. Holodrum and Labrynna... They were quite fascinating lands... Mentally, she made a note that someday soon she must find a way out of Castle-Town and visit them.

She heard the miniature door click, and just as Gustav strode out, her stomach echoed out a roar of hunger. Without delay, her cheeks immediately became cherries.

"Oh my..." Gustav remarked quietly, "I forgot you Hylians have a need to consume solid food." In mid-sentence, he turned towards the door to his shack and locked it securely. "And it seems you have as well. It's a little bit late for diner, but several restaurants in the area are still open. I could show you a nice one run by a contact of mine--they specialize in deep-fried Cucco."

"Y... Yes, that would be appreciated, thank you." Ruby nodded uneasily. In truth, she had only now come to realize she hadn't eaten since last midnight, before going on her early-morning shift. As a matter of fact, she would inevitably end up going to bed later than usual, and began hoping it would not affect her performance tomorrow.

With a nod and a motion of his hand, Gustav began strolling across the merchant district with Ruby in tow.