Can a Fairy Heal This Curse? [Eevachu + Doc Genz]

Continued from: Skyreach

A calm, steady breath of air escaped Rika's mouth, taking in the environment around him. He felt most calm in the forest, most specifically of all in Kokiri Forest, his home. It had been some time since he had returned to the forest, too- not since the devastating curse washed over the forest like a plague, infecting the fauna and ravaging its insides along with the Kokiri Village. It was thanks to him- along with Nicholas- that the vile pervading it was purged, and the creatures inside were saved from its clutches. It was not without its damages, however- many parts of the forest had turned poisonous and thick like a marsh, and the Kokiri Village had been heavily damaged in its pursuit of victory. When he left, the Kokiri had begun mending both the structures that had been damaged, but also themselves; the many injuries sustained by Kokiri, Fairy, and other plant creatures, such as the many Deku Scrub that had been turned vicious and mad by the curse's magic, had to be treated, and the helplessness many Kokiri felt seemed to have made them want to spur into their own sense of action, should another tragedy befall Kokiri Village.

Despite how little Rika liked the other Kokiri, he was actually pleased to see this before he left- he wanted nothing more than for the Kokiri Village to thrive and prosper, and for that to happen it would require the hard work and effort of many people. He wanted to help too, but he had to be off- the Great Deku Tree had warned him of other ominous evils looming over the land, and tasked Rika with seeking out their source and putting an end to it. He was not one to refuse the Great Deku Tree, his own father, and besides that, after experiencing it himself he did not want another place to meet the same fate as the Kokiri Village. Still, he was able to at least return to check on repairs. Hopefully things would be going well, though there would be little way to know until he reached the village. Despite seeing clear remnants of what once was as shown by the various poisonous pits, the forest seemed relatively serene and familiar- it was the forest he knew like the back of his hand. He hoped the village was in better shape as well.

The great spidery legs of trees pierced through the sky above. Evelyn continued to make her way west of the mountain range, and was now thick into the Kokiri Forest. In all honesty and realness, she wasn't aimed in any direction. She was just completely disoriented and outside of her own range of thought. Every few moments, she would look down again at her forearms and stare down at what they had become. She stumbled around, barely even in control of her own feet. The seared red bones of her arms and the dangling bracelets clinging hopefully to them were all that were left. A faint flickering fire danced off the bones, frequently changing hue a bit but never dying down completely. Whether the excruciating pain from that experience was still happening was arguable, as she could be remembering that feeling long after. All she knew was a repeating dirge of nerve endings being torn by flame over and over. It was a new kind of Hell, an abstract kind of Hell.

It was at a certain point into the forest that she began to get especially tired. Eve swayed and stumbled into a tree, catching her body with her hand. The furiously kindled hand lit up brightly on connection with the tree as a spike of pain shot into Eve's pupils. Tossing herself away from the tree with her feet, she held the pained arm close as an animal would a wounded paw. Her distraction and disinterest led her away from the tree, which was now well on fire. The spreading flames would surely consume a good part of the woods around her. Or, it was pretty certain had a weirdly familiar noise hadn't made its owner's presence clear.

"DOOT DA-NAH, DA-NAH!" came a blaring noise from high above.

From above in the branches swung a single Miniblin carrying a large tin pail. He dove down from branch to branch, howling cheerfully as he approached the growing fire. Eve slowly turned attention from her sizzling arm to the hopping Miniblin. While he sounded cheerful enough, there was no doubt the creature had some unspecified intentions. Eve pulled back a small bit as the 'blin dropped in. The creature stopped just above the flames, and tilted over his pail. A steady stream of water spewed out and dissipated as it quenched the fire. The creature discarded the pail and turned his menacing attention to Eve.

"You child. Pooky kills naughty child! Yes he does! Hahaha!" the Miniblin screamed in joy, flailing around a long trumpet.

His expression became more and more elated, euphoric, even. Tears of joy built up in his eyes and evaporated on his steamy breath. He knew profoundly that this girl had broken the rules. The herald wanted desperately to slay this girl before his master returned. He crept closer to the disoriented heroine and ground his wild teeth. Another loud noise interrupted him, however.

"Down, Pooky! This is mommy's business!" an older feminine voice shouted from obscurity.

A blue cloaked figure strutted hypnotically into view. Her swaying legs and perfectly-postured head saying more about her character than the curtain hiding them. From under the cloak came a sparkling crystal orb. Eve struggled to return her balance and get a better look. A pair of golden saucer eyes stared, not back down at the girl but far straight ahead all the way into the distance. Her haughty frame hid her emotions well, and Eve wasn't sure what she was being presented with this time. She awkwardly laughed with a painfully forced half-grin, turning her eyes up at the Gerudo. The awkward silence remained for a few moments as Meryem anchored herself before Eve.

"What did you do, ancient child? You will listen to me." she announced in a stern tone.

Meryem came uncomfortably close to Eve. The woman arched down and grabbed the Kokiri's hair to tilt her head directly at her unamused face. Eve's shrinking pupils met with Meryem's cold, dead set of eyes. Meryem's face got closer and her grip painfully harder. Her nose began to dig sharply into Eve's cheek. Eve could feel Meryem's lip begin to curl through the breaths coming from under the stately veil hiding Meryem's face. The Kokiri began to clench her entire body.

"Now you listen to me!" Meryem shouted through a contorted grit.

A cold backhand snapped Eve's face out of the Gerudo's grip.

"You're gonna start a forest- A FOREST FIRE?! . . . How dare you."

Evelyn recoiled. She took a step back just to stay standing. A sinking pit grew in her gut as she tried to think of a response.

"I. . . I was gonna put it out. I just needed to find a-" she started up.

"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME. How DARE you. How dare you mess around with that guy." Meryem continued, enraged.

"Child broke Ganon's rules too, child must be punished! Pooky punishment tiiiiiime!" the Miniblin screamed.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP POOKY." the Gerudo barked at the little imp.

Pooky whimpered and fell prostrate. He knew he couldn't push her patience anymore. Pooky Punishment Time would just have to wait for another day. Eve looked bewildered. As if she weren't shaken enough from having her arms burned off, this strange lady stalking her seemed right about ready to kill her. Eve was sure that even if she tried to light Meryem on fire, a muscular Gerudo would just burst out of the cloak and beat her down. That bundled with the fact that she was too intimidated and physiologically destroyed to summon up her Fist Eyes at the moment led her to the quick belief that she had to do everything this woman said.

"Mess around with who? What guy?" Eve sheepishly muttered.

"Spin the wheel? Make a deal? Does that not ring any bells you armless piece of donkey scum?!" Meryem fumed.

Eve thought back. It was that little leprechaun guy who offered her all these curses she kept getting. Twists? She knew they were helpful for her own purposes but they were pretty much just wrecking everyone else's lives apparently. More accurately this hooded nobody standing high above her. She wondered why this lady could even care so much about what she did or even how she could know so much about everything.

"Now don't play stupid with me you ripe turd! How long were you going to ruin everything behind my back just for your own shitty power-trip?! You have responsibilities in the fabric of Fate and now you're just stomping them all down into the dirt! Don't you dare cross me again you entitled little rabid chimp!"

Meryem cracked her crystal ball into the side of Eve's head, knocking her flying into the dirt. She procured a heap of rope from under her cloak and started to wrap up the dying embers of Eve's skeletal jokes of arms and crafted a neat little lead to pull the rotten kid around with. Meryem marveled at her creation and laughed loudly with her charge. They kicked playfully at the Kokiri before pulling her up from the ground, their barbaric display only beginning.

"You're well old enough to know your responsibilities! You're not a kid and I'm not going to tolerate you pulling another stunt like this again! Can you hear me?!" she hammered into the quivering girl as she tried to keep her footing.

"I-I will d-do what you say." she spurted through the little gap in her teeth.

"Good." Meryem answered, taking full hold of the lead and giving the end to Pooky.

"Now Pooky, you keep the little 'hero' here secure and let her do her mission. She can handle fine with those freakish snail things that come out of her eyes now. If it wasn't obvious, stupid Kokiri, I am clairvoyant. I will sooner or later see any major mistakes you make, and I won't let any slip by me this time. That includes those little deals you keep making. I will find a way, you mark my words. Now I will be going now to relax and restore my beauty after that way you assaulted my face and composure just now. You are disgusting." she wished Eve goodbye.

Pooky dragged Eve by the rope deeper into the woods. He knew fairly well that they had something to fulfill out here. But even Pooky wasn't privy to what the mission was. Naturally the sound of their squabble would reach a good ways out into the woods. . .

Wollo sure was happy to be back in the forest. I mean, last time he was here, a lot of terrible stuff happened, but Rika seemed to be happy. He got to see all of his friends, right? Or were they family? Wollo could never really tell, though they all seemed alike, that was what Wollo knew for sure. Regardless, Wollo could tell one thing. Rika did seem to enjoy being in the forest, and he was in a much better mood now than the last time they came to the Kokiri Forest. Wollo could not really tell why, but it wasn't important; his friend being happy was all that mattered.


"Uhh. . . Wollo can't wait see Kokiri friend." He beamed to Rika.


That was right, Wollo did spend a lot of time with Viola when they were separated. He even spent time with Bapi as well, so he was probably eager to see them again. "Don't worry Wollo, you'll definitely see them when we arrive." Rika replied, an air of confidence and certainty in his voice.


Wollo couldn't help but smile as widely as possible in response, which is to say, his snout did not move at all.


Unfortunately for Rika, Wollo would in fact be meeting another Kokiri friend of his, but it was the one Rika least wanted to see. A short distance away, Rika could hear the somewhat giddy, triumphant chanting of a Miniblin. Pulled behind him was a small, humanoid figure, vaguely reminiscent of a young girl, though it was difficult to get a good look. "What the hell. . . ?" Rika mouthed, a mixture of confusion and surprise washing over his face. That was honestly the last thing he had expected to see.


Then, he got a clearer look; it wasn't just a humanoid figure, it was a girl, most likely a Kokiri judging by her appearance, but it was still difficult to make out any of her features. Rika narrowed his eyes at the Miniblin. Was this some sort of kidnapping attempt?


"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" Rika shouted at the Miniblin as he began stomping his way towards it.

Pooky sort of stopped, then had a double take as if there was a small branch in the way. Then he just kept moving. When he realized the red-coated Kokiri was still coming after him, he only then decided to turn around.

"OH! Red boy is here. Mistress prepared for you to come! Oh yes! Pooky is here! Nyeah nyah!" he began, letting go of the lead immediately. He seemed very happy and fulfilled.

The Miniblin then turned Eve to face Rika, as if acquainting them. He climbed up on the girl's back and wrapped his limbs neatly around her neck and head. She knew the boy, but it wasn't immediately apparent. The most striking detail of finally seeing her again would probably be the new shape her face was in. The entire wide area around her eyes was brutally darkened and worn, as if she had gone through years of horrors in the span of a few days. Something unsettling seemed to be etched into the new eyes she had, now biological eyes instead of the cursed ritual objects that poked out before. They were ordinary in a sense that they were real, but they were horribly bloodshot and carved into where her pupils would be were little shapes resembling hands. The little fists sheepishly stared through Rika, then very slowly looked up at him. She looked right in his face, confirming that she knew exactly what was going on and that things were just going to have to go along as planned.

Between the palsy Miniblin on her head and the ghastly fate of her expression, it wasn't too easy to notice what else was wrong. There was a small bit of smoke coming from the binds tying her arms together. A quick look down would show him that it looked very much like her arms were burnt off entirely down to the bone. It would be shocking to the extent that she actually seemed fine with it and the Power Bracelets he would have remembered from before were still clinging desperately to what was left of her arms. Functionally, it seemed.

"O-oh... Red." she murmured, now a hollow shell of what she was before.

The look on Rika's face was a unique one for him. It would be a lie to describe it as horrific, but it was the closest it had been to being so in some time. "What. . . ?" He mouthed at the Miniblin's words, a look of utter confusion washing over his face. Just what was he saying? Was the Miniblin waiting for him? Once the Miniblin presented her face to him, Rika got a clearer look at the girl he was dragging.

Her face was a mess. Her eyes were dark and bloodshot. The look on her face was weary and empty, as if she had completely relinquished her spirit. Her albeit already normally unnerving makeup was dried and run. He was not aware of the significance of her changed eyes, as the strange, golden jewels she once possessed were lost upon his gaze in their previous encounter, but he noticed them. He noticed the eyes that stared at him, but they did not beg for his help, for him to save her from whatever situation she was in; they were acknowledgement, that her situation was not one she could escape, that there was nothing he could possibly do.

". . . Eve. . . ?" He stumbled closer and closer to her to get a better look as he thought aloud the words repeating in his mind, over and over again.

Was this Eve? There was no doubt in his mind that it must be her, but it did not feel like her. The Eve he met was an insufferably obnoxiously, dangerously reckless, mentally off, incredibly stupid Kokiri girl. To see her reduced to this state was incredibly alarming. It was not even that he liked her at all- in fact, the exact word he would use is 'hate'.

Then, as he got closer and closer, he got a better look at her limbs. Charred and black fleshless bone made up her arms, yet it did not seem like she was in any pain- or perhaps she was so far gone that she no longer had nerves to feel with.

What the hell was going on here? Why was Eve in such a state? What was with the Miniblin? What did Rika even seem to have to do with any of this? This was a fucked up situation. He had no clue what was going on, and there were so many mysteries about it. Rather than interested, though, that made him angry. Clenching his fists in frustration, there was not really logic to what he was going to do, no matter how the situation actually was, but Rika didn't care. He was angry.

Bolting forward, Rika lunged at the Miniblin, his fists opening and reaching out to grab the tiny creature. His aim was to grab him by the throat, but anywhere he could land any sort of grapple was fine. As he pushed forward, Rika bellowed out, "What the FUCK is going on?!"

Pooky dangled in Rika's arms. His smallness was impressively miniscule enough to be lifted without effort by the other Kokiri. The mirthful Miniblin seemed to take no issue with being held up by the neck. His flag awkwardly did put him off balance in Rika's arms. The crudely made battle flag went largely unnoticed until now.

"Worst Kokiri is here now! Red boy can go to town without regrets! Pooky goes home now though. Mistress Seer has much work for Pooky!" the imp squealed, joyfully.

At this moment, it smelled like something was burning. Pooky wormed free as a small fire started on Eve's arms. The ropes tying her hands together lit up in bright flames, a very startling mixture of colors dancing off in the smoke. A pained growl poked out of the back of Eve's throat, tapering off into a distant squeal. Eve flailed the arms up, demonstrating that she could still move the hands as she curled them around in pain.

The Miniblin had vanished into the woods amid the distraction. As the final ember crackled off of the girl's hands, she accepted what she had gotten into. As her eyes rolled back forward from inside her head, she tilted back upright from her pained cringe. It seemed like everything would only get better from here.

"That monster was right. . . We might as well head to the village." she said plainly, struggling to even say anything at this point.

Just as Rika felt his fingers tighten around Pooky's neck, he quickly felt them slip away as embers tickled under Rika's arms and likely roasted Pooky's lower body. "What. . .?!" Rika coughed, surprised. This distraction was just what Pooky had needed to slip out from his grasp. Leaving Rika with a sparse few words for explanation, the Miniblin darted off with great haste. "W-Wait! Goddamn it!" Rika cried out at the fleeing Pooky, but there was nothing he could do- he was already gone.

What was he talking about? He mentioned Rika was going to the forest, how did he know that. . . and a seer. Was this all foretold by someone? Is that why he was involved? The idea of secretive machinations going on that involved Rika made him sick to think about- he didn't like being what appeared to be a piece of someone else's plan. If he found who was behind this, whoever that Miniblin followed, he would let her know that.

Eve seemed to be coming to, though. She seemed completely different. Before, the girl was eager and would never shut her mouth, forcing herself alongside Rika no matter what he thought. Now, though, she seemed reserved and empty- it was as if she had accepted her role in whatever had been foretold. Her arms, her expressions, everything about her told a story, it said that she had been through a great ordeal since their last encounter.

Rika hesitated for a moment, before begrudgingly responding, "Yeah. . . Seems like we should." He was not going to leave it at that, though. "Just what is going on, though? What was that Miniblin doing? What happened, Eve? What happened. . .to you?"

--

Wollo could not help but feel fright at the sight of his friend. It was his friend, that he knew for certain, but there was something different about her, something that invoked a great sense of fear in the Octorok. Surely she would not roast him with her arms and make an evenly cooked, oven-roasted Octorok breast, though. After all, she was still his friend, and friends did not do that to other friends, right? Wollo hoped not. . .

Eve paused for a bit, sure to take one more look back at her hands.

"How can I explain this briefly?. . . Remember that 'Sen' sign? Those horrible voices kept. . . following me out of the palace. More of them came to join in, and they all made these deals with me. Sort of like an offer impossible for me to refuse for some reason." she explained shakily, her lip quivering.

"I also sort of wanted it, the sacrifices gave me things I wanted. Power, clear vision, those kinds of things. That Seer he was talking about wasn't happy though. Apparently something I did hadn't lined up with her predictions? That woman is truly terrifying if you do something she doesn't predict. There's things we shouldn't mess with Red. . ." she trailed off, sweat continuing to pierce through the pale powder on her cheeks.

Her eyes slowly turned up to the canopy of the woods. Even with her hero Wollo here, she didn't quite feel safe anymore. As reckless as Eve was, the damage from her just messing around with ordinary monsters was nothing compared to this sandwich she was in between The Twister and Meryem Ihsad. They'd have to just get to Kokiri Village at the very least so there would be more witnesses whenever the next fundamentally messed up thing happened.

Rika narrowed his eyes. He knew all too well the allure power held within its iron grip, and it was possible he would have accepted the same conditions she had. Still, though, it seemed that at the very least, her current condition was mostly her own fault. She did not seem to wish to discuss it in any further detail, either.

Taking a moment to re-examine her arm, Rika could feel the heat emanating off of the seared, burning blackness that could possibly be referred to as flesh. It must be one of the sacrifices Eve had spoken of, and the source of the fire that set the rope alight. It seemed to be a constant stream of intense heat, though- like she had no control over the intensity it brought. Otherwise, why would there be such a heat now? Glancing back up at Eve, Rika hesitantly responded, ". . . I understand. Then, for now, let us return to the village. Be careful not to touch anything, I'd rather not deal with fires." Half of the things in this forest would go up in flames if she held her palm against it long enough, and while Rika could easily dispose of a small flame, it would be complicated if it happened in the village proper.

. . .
. . .

They had trodden through the forest mostly in silence. Rika had a number of questions burning away at his mind, but he resisted the urge to unload them at Eve- the girl's spirit did not seem up to answering, and besides that, he was fairly certain she would not have the answers he was seeking. They were very close to the village, and sure enough, breaking through and looking behind the canvas of trees in front of them revealed houses, on the ground floor and treehouses high above.

They were at the village. At first glance, remnants of the village's disaster still lingered, as some houses by the outskirts were still damaged, with caved-in roofs, torn walls, and shattered windows. A Kokiri or two could be seen going about their business, but the village's edge seemed to be void of very many Kokiri. Glancing back at Eve, Rika could not help but ask a question, just one small one. It seemed innocent enough, to him.

"So. . . when was the last time you've been to the village?"

Eve's face contorted sideways. This place she felt, had too much history she was putting out of her mind that she rather would not discuss. She tiredly sucked it up, knowing their day wouldn't go anywhere if she didn't explain.

"I was really young. I couldn't get along with anybody. . . so I left. I was only in the neighborhood because I got lost. I didn't plan on coming back here ever again." she admitted to him.

"Those people with that Miniblin seemed to want me to come back here, to explore or something. But you should understand how long it's been. You would have seen me at least once if I lived here." she explained.

It felt like her mission here was a creation of everyone else but herself. Still, having something to identify herself by felt a little refreshing after that last encounter. She took a good look around the village, half-expecting Rika to respond to what she said in some way. Everything was being reconstructed. . . but why? Eve sneezed just then, scattering her thoughts momentarily. It was possible things were getting messed up during all the time she spent in the wilderness. She hadn't looked at the Quest Board in quite a while, so she must have missed something important.

Rika let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, you'd probably have remembered me too." He still could not swat away the faint, buzzing thought in his head that he and Eve -had- met before, but it was nothing more than that; a faint, buzzing thought he could never reach. Perhaps it was because she was so weird; it would be hard for him to forget someone like that, would it not? It did not seem like she wanted to discuss her past, though, and though Rika was quite interested in the origins of some of the girl's stranger details, it would probably be best for him to change the topic.

"Ah, yes, the state of the village. If you haven't been here in quite some time, you wouldn't know," He perked up, his switch in topics also changing him to his more detail-heavy, analytical state of mind. "There was. . . well, let's just call it a disaster in the Kokiri Forest. Much of the forest was severely damaged, the village included. As you can see, it still needs quite the extensive repairs. That is. . . actually why I am here- to check up on their progress, and to make sure there still isn't anything. . . lingering." He picked at his words carefully as he spoke.

"Lingering..." Eve repeated quietly. Of course, there was something she was tiptoeing around that would still be in the village.

There was a greater quietness to the air, a calm before the storm. As Rika led Eve through the town it became clear they would meet other Kokiri. A noise split the air in half, a call of hey rattling through Eve's ears. She was certain this voice was familiar but it had been too long to place exactly who it belonged to.

"Heeeyy! Feels it's been forever Beanie!" cried the cockney voice of a farmhand hoping for that one piece of good news.

"Kona?! You're the last person I wanted to hear. Actually, you sound weirdly glad to see us, was what happened here that bad?" Eve turned her head a tilt, mindful of Rika.

"We lost a lot of brothers and sisters. . . and I don't hate you. A lot of us old generations were sorry you left, we only wish we could have told you. We'd thought you'd died, or-" she apologized before having her sentence finished for her.

"Worse. It's been a learning experience. Can you show me my Stump? We can catch up later." Evelyn wheezed.

"I can bring yeh there but you best keep yer word. 'S right this way. Ye right nutter you is." Kona replied with understanding.

Eve made her footing sure, intent on keeping Rika on course. With a careful ear to her surroundings she was able to keep the blindfold on. Soon they came upon what might have been a tree-stump Kokiri house a hundred years ago. Eve finally tilted her blindfold to see what was going on with her Stump. The stump it was built on had attempt to grow out and up during that time, managing only a tall and out-of place branch rather than filling out into a full sized-giant tree. While that was going on, it also seemed to have died. All of its color was gone, cracks and without leaves. In the leaves' place was a new overgrowth of vines and fungus unlike that either of the three Kokiri had seen in their entire lives. That was impressive, because Rika had entered Skyreach Tower.

"Well Red, Coffee, what do you think of my. . . house?" Eve inquired, provoking an opinion of the two and possibly including Wollo.

Why was Eve wearing a blindfold? It was true that her eyes seemed to have lost the luster, the intense dominion over whatever her gaze met that it once had, but was a blindfold really necessary? Rika added it to the ever-growing queue of questions he had for Eve, but it would have to linger in his mind for the moment. Because of this, Rika was mostly the one guiding Eve. He was not particularly prone to touching her, particularly due to the searing temperatures emanating from her arms, but he, at the very least, stuck rather closely as to make sure she did not accidentally linger away. There was a continual silence, until Rika heard a voice call out in their direction. His immediate reaction was that it was for him; yet, it was not a voice he recognized- not that he was eager to remember-, and Beanie was never a name he was known by.

The only option left- unless, somehow, it was Wollo- was they were calling to Eve. Rika could feel somewhat of a sinking feeling in his gut as the realization dawned on him, but he did not react. The conversation seemed rather subdued, from what he could tell, as well. It only added to the mystery of Eve's original life in the village.

Stump? Ah, likely her house. It was somewhat hard for Rika to fully convince himself of the concept, but Eve really did live in the village at one point in time, so it went without saying that she would have somewhere that she once lived. He couldn't deny that at this point, he had an overwhelming curiosity about the origins of Eve- she was a complete question mark, an enigma of an existence who was a Kokiri outlier among outliers such as himself. He couldn't begin to imagine how the place she once dwelled- possibly many centuries ago- would be like.

It was. . . surprisingly rather normal- at least, at one point it would have been. It was clear it had been an exuberantly long amount of time since anyone had been there. The stump it once rested on had met the passage of time, tearing through what was once a small livable, hut-like house atop it as it futilely attempted to grow into a tree and piercing through the roof on the other side. Whether a sign of its real age, or perhaps unsustainable conditions, it had become withered and old, replaced instead by a frenzy of long, thick vines and a wide spread of moss enveloping what was once a massive branch and the house surrounding it.

. . . Coffee? Why did Eve have such weird nicknames for everyone- first Red, now this. It was certainly low on his list of inquiries he wished to make, but perhaps if he found an opportunity to. Regardless of the names, though, Rika hesitated a moment before muttering a few words. "It's. . . so old." He did not have much in particular to comment on, but it did leave him with one immediate question. "When was the last time you've. . . been here?" He could tell the house was remarkably old, but he could not begin to estimate an exact time frame at just a glance.

Kona seemed ready to clear out, with the promise of catching up later still fresh in her mind. Hopefully over tea, perhaps? Eve's proposition remained and she let out a sound of some sort.

"It's a wonderful hut. It was, in any case. After the disaster with Mayon, nobody could keep an eye on the. . . overgrowth." she murmured, suddenly a bit forlorn at the history of loss in the village.

"What happened to Mayon? I didn't like the guy, sure..." Eve interjected.

"His house. . . combusted or something. He didn't make it out." Kona added, bringing relevance to the comment.

The air remained thick, and it looked like even Eve was nervous once more. She wanted to change the subject by answering Rika, as hard as that would be. Kona scuttled off to tend to her crops, unable to say much more.

"The last time I was in there. Right. It may have been some years before your time, Red. If even Mayon is gone, who knows how long I've been away for." she tilted a distant expression out toward the thick brush.

She began to walk towards her old house, compelled to see what remained inside. Her steps were heavy but sure. The thorned brambles and thick roots from the Skyreach disaster remained littering the ground. It wasn't certain she would reach the doorway with her eyes covered. She grabbed at the cloth on her head and lifted it. Her tortured expression from before came back into daylight.

"If only I can find the door we can settle this and move on." she remarked, twisting her head over and giving Rika a glimpse of her sweat-ridden face.

She stupidly lifted her arm to the wooden dooknob without looking. Eve turned her head back to see what she was doing only a moment too late. The dried, dead wood of the house came into full contact and grapple with the shriveled and smoldering flesh of her new accursed hand. Her old bewildered expression returned to her face as the door went up in smoke. Eve dived to the ground, a flame erupted into the stagnant and gaseous swamp air that had built up in the house. She crawled to her feet and broke into a sprint.

"It was a bad idea!" she screamed to Rika just as the flames leaked into the house proper.

A true and loud explosion rocked the scene as twirling flames barked out of what were once Eve's windows. At once the entire tree was on fire. Alert to the imminent crisis response, Eve booked it steadily away from the house.

"The others are gonna show up Red! Let's ditch the house before we get in trouble!"

Was Kona really Eve's friend? They certainly knew each other, but Eve had been away for decades- perhaps even centuries-, and this girl seemed ready to bail at any moment. There was no real emotion or impact to their initial reunion either- much to Rika's pleasure, mind, he would have much rather not had to put up with that-. It only seemed logical that if one had reunited with a friend after being away for so long, they would want to see them more than with a simple 'let's catch up later'. He honestly cared little if they were in fact friends or not, but the entire engagement felt odd.

Regardless, there were more pressing matters for him to think about as Eve approached her house. He was somewhat interested in the interior's decor- while the house had fallen into ruin, it would still grant him a glimpse into how Eve once lived. Yet, he could tell the girl was nervous about dwelling in her home- perhaps even afraid. Sweat beaded down her brow like a flood, and her trembling hands aimlessly extended forward toward whatever they could reach, the girl unobservant of her actions. Truthfully, the gravity of what was about to happen had even escaped Rika's mind, as he was too enveloped in his curiosity towards what was unfolding around Eve.

With little more than a tap, an irreversible spark had been struck. Immediately, dried wood crackled and withered as the doorway quite literally exploded in a blaze, combusting throughout the entire house with a deafening burst of flames. There was nothing more that could be done to save the house. Rika was quite literally at a loss for words or action- how was one supposed to react to this reasonably? Eve's shouts were nearly lost among the explosion.

There was little Rika could do to prevent this. A single Aqua Grenade would do little to diminish the roaring flames that had overtaken the aged, flammable wood. He had no time to even consider what he may be able to do, as Eve was already fleeing the scene. "Wait! Damn it!" He barked after her. He had no choice- he had to follow her. Other Kokiri would arrive shortly and would probably be able to deal with the fire, but if left alone who knew where Eve would go. Watching her was a task only he could do, as much as the idea may have displeased him.

Hesitantly, he charged after her.

--

Uh oh. That was not good. Wollo could tell that the house meant a lot to his friend. After all, she was trembling and tears ran down her face just at the sight at it- she was so overcome with emotion, she was so happy to be home. That made Wollo happy. All he wanted was for his friend Eve to be happy. She did not seem very happy when they met again, but she was happy the first time Wollo met her. Wollo wanted her to be like that again.

But now the house was on fire. His friend did not seem happy. In fact, Wollo was sure this would be his end. The entire forest would catch fire, and Wollo would be cooked alive, right into barbecued squid. There was certainly nothing he could do to stop it, and- where were his friends going?

Ah! Rika and Eve must know a way to save the forest. Wollo knew he could rely on his friends. With them by his side, he would never be evenly roasted on both sides and feasted on by rogue Wolfos. He quickly waddled after them, attempting to keep up with their fast pace.

Eve sweat profusely. Disaster seemed to follow her, but luckily so did Wollo. With proper distance put between herself and the flaming tree-house thing, she wiped her forehead with her sash. Embers falling off the sash reminded her what was wrong and she dropped it back onto her head. No more fires, not today hopefully. Her thoughts raced. . . maybe it was time to move along and give the other Kokiri a friendly wave good-bye. Actually, a decent amount of them would be dumping water on that fire. There was only one thing to do now.

"Mr. Red? I gather we should get out of here and find somewhere else. Somewhere you know maybe?" she offered the boy as he caught up.

Logically, why he was here and what interesting places there were topped out whatever connection Rika had with the other Kokiri. It stood to reason that he was back for more than just repairing whatever torturous dream had besmeared the area. Eve scratched the air near her head, careful not to touch her face with her kettle-hot hand.

She kept vigilant as she saw Wollo also catching up with them. What a gift it was to see him. Eve wasn't going to try to change the plan, Wollo would be safe too if they just got away from that burning house. Actually, it looked like they had run pretty far. Eve wasn't even sure where they were, except that it was somewhere way past her own house which was nowhere near the entrance of the village.

"I don't actually know where we are." she added in a barely audible whisper.

“Yeah,” Rika somewhat hesitantly replied. His initial destination was first to head to his house- and that was still unchanged, - but he had concerns over whether it was fine to take Eve there. While he did not normally reside there, it would be quite the shame for his house to burst into flames; albeit, her dried, withered house was likely far more flammable than his. “We’re heading back to my house for now. Don’t touch anything.” He commanded the girl. Any fires she started would likely be far easier to contain than the one on her house, but it was still an issue he would much rather avoid. “I know where we are. Just follow me.” A small hint of regret washed over Rika as the words escaped his lips; Rika was not sure if he should have said that. Regardless, he already had, and Eve had kind of become his responsibility now. She was kind of a bother, but how sad would it be for him to abandon a girl in such a pathetic state. With kind of an internal sigh, Rika began making his way down the mental map towards his house.

…

At first glance, it had mostly been unchanged. He paused as he glanced at the entrance- Eve climbing the ladder would be bad, so it would be best if she came up using the ramp that lead up to the balcony. “We’re here. You can’t use the ladder, so walk up the ramp with Wollo.” Rika ordered her, just before leap up the ladder and onto to the balcony. Once Eve and Wollo made their way up, Rika headed inside.

…

…

…

What the hell was going on in here? Just under a dozen Kokiri were situated throughout his house, going back and forth doing various things. Some were cleaning off his bookshelves, while others were busy preparing food in the kitchen. As he walked in, a small handful of them turned to stare at him, and he stared back. No one said anything.

After a couple moments, Rika heard a voice call out. “Ah, master Rika! You’re back!” Glancing over, Rika’s faced turned to pure disgusted. “Ah, goddamn it, you three are still here?!” He groaned at the sight of the trio of mad scrubs he knew as the handful that had made residence in his home during the Skyreach incident. At the raise in his voice, the three of them jumped and flinched up timidly. “M-Mister Master Rika Sir! Please don’t be angry, spare us!” They pleaded. “Why are you even here? And why are you calling me master?”

“Y-You see, mister master Rika-“

“Stop doing that.” He interjected.

“Y-yes! You see, you are the master of this residence, and we have begun living here, so-“

“Why are you living in my house?” He coldly interrupted.

“Eep! Y-You see, mister master Rika sir, it’s not just us!”

“Stop doing that! I don’t ca-“ Rika stopped as he glanced up, recalling the audience of Kokiri he had glanced upon when he first entered. “. . . Why are they all in my house?” He muttered, glaring at the trio of Mad Scrubs. That was when another voice interjected.

“Ah, Rika!” It was high pitched, but not like a Deku’s- it was definitely a Kokiri girl. Glancing up, it was none other than Viole.

--

Wollo sure was happy to be back at Rika’s home. Oh, it was his Mad Scrub friends! They had a great bond as friends and comrades while Rika was busy stopping the Skyreach tower- Wollo had gone under disguise as a potted plant with them, and following that he had trained them in the art of subterfuge by teaching them how to transform into an Octorok.

Once Viole had approached, the Mad Scrubs had mostly lost attention from Rika, and had noticed Wollo. “A-Ah! Commander Wollo Sir!” They cried out, all giving him a uniform salute. “The Scrub n’ Snout Brigade has done its absolute best in your absence, sir! We have been applying relief to Kokiri and Deku Scrub alike! Are you pleased, Commander Wollo Sir?”

“Uhh…” Wollo kind of stared at them for a moment. It seemed like his friends had been hard at work while he was gone. Seeing his friends work so hard and earnestly towards something filled Wollo with great joy. “Uhh… Yes.” He mumbled, grinning widely inside though it could not show on his mouth. While the Mad Scrubs had no way of understanding Wollo, it had seemed as though through some subconscious means they did. Sap began welling up in their eyes as they broke their salute. “T-Thank you so much, Commander Wollo Sir!” They cried, much to Wollo’s confusion.

They were weird.

Working her way inside, Eve caught a bit of the conversation. At first, she wondered if she should't address the Kokiri voice that just spoke up. Unable to see with her blindfold, she realized just asking the girl if she was newer wasn't going to help much. It was also very likely Viole was of Rika's generation and Eve had never seen her before. Now was the time to discuss something a little more important.

"Oh Wollo. . ." Eve began in a grotesquely amorous voice. "You didn't tell me you were a commander!"

She kneeled down to level with the Mad Scrubs, and hopefully evade the attention of the other Kokiri. They probably, hopefully wouldn't recognize her anyway in what she was wearing. Eve had somewhat already forgotten what she had last put on before that Twist. It was most likely an adventure outfit of some kind, as she was in the mountains that time. She put a sparking hand to the cloth, it was sturdy and resisted the heat. It was most likely a yellow outdoor dress over the top of her raiment.

"Is your brigade getting larger, Commander Wollo? I'd be happy to help you recruit." she started again, twisting over toward him. "Hold that thought." she interrupted, realizing something.

After setting her own house ablaze it fell upon her to cover her hands. She wrestled through her pouch for some thick bandages. Evelyn sat listening as she started to coil her arms up in bandage, stopping frequently as the remaining nerves flared up. It was painful but awfully necessary. Eve had wondered if she shouldn't have scared the bunch of Kokiri out of Rika's house. They were annoying him, after all. But it was a bit late to torch her arms and shepard them out as she was already nearly done wrapping the wretched arms up.

"What's going on here?" Rika eyed the small crowd of Kokiri that had now cautiously made their way behind Viole, curious and nervous at the scene that had been made.

"Well, you see. . . " She began, taking a breath of air as she gathered her thoughts. "A lot of the Kokiri houses were badly damaged or destroyed in the aftermath of the attack, so a lot of Kokiri have been living together in the standing houses until they're all repaired. Your house happened to be in great condition, so. . ." She kind of trailed off at the obvious. Rika couldn't help but sigh. He did not particularly enjoy having all of these Kokiri and Deku in his house- especially when he was already dragging Eve along with him. Still, he could not reject them from a place to stay. It would be especially cruel, even if it displeased him. Plus, it was not like he was generally using it.

". . . Fine." He begrudgingly spat out, much to Viole's- and the Kokiri behind him's- pleasure. "Great! Oh, and my house was badly damaged, so I'm staying here too!" Viole energetically stated matter-of-factly. At least she would be watching them; Viole was collected enough to not mess up his house.

". . .Anyway. What's the state of the village?" Rika shifted topics, Viole's cheery posture and expressions becoming more serious as he questioned. "We're making progress, but the damages have been severe. It's. . . you've seen how it is, right?" Rika nodded.

Viole went silent for a few moments. An awkward tension built up in the air, before she blurted out, "Hey Rika, um, something we-" She stopped dead in her tracks. "Uh. . . Who is that behind you?" She pointed at Eve.

Rika didn't think he'd have to actually explain Eve. "That's uh. . . Eve." He blankly stated. The words to describe this girl escaped his thoughts- did he even have them in the first place?

--

Wollo was not quite sure what Eve was saying, but she seemed quite happy about it, and that made Wollo happy. "Uhh. . . thanks."

The Deku Scrubs all cried out, "Do you wish to join the Scrub n' Snout Brigade?!" They all seemed to huddle in a circle for a moment and whisper something among themselves before breaking. "Very well. As one of Commander Wollo's close allies, we shall allow you to join, cadet. . . uh. . . " They froze for a moment, glancing at each other cluelessly until they heard Rika speak. "Ah yes, cadet Eve! Welcome to the Scrubs n' Snouts Brigade!"

Eve waved briefly at Viole, totally unaware as to who she might actually be. She turned back to the Mad Scrubs. They had just appointed her as a member.

"Oh my, I'm a real member of the brigade? I'll do what I can to find more members! But I can't really promise I can be around, I'll be. . ." she replied, thinking. She thought to herself very cunningly as she finished the sentence. ". . . on patrol! I'll be off on patrol for you guys! Don't you worry."

It was kind of annoying not being able to pull off her blindfold but it was likely sight of all these Kokiri faces would send her on a punching spree. Such was life. She scooted up to Wollo, putting her newly wrapped hands on his smooth back. She genuinely wondered how many other Octoroks were as kind as him, and wondered more so if she could find one as a travelling companion. Though, it seemed it would stop her from getting around very quickly unless she put wings on one. She ultimately decided it wasn't really worth all the trouble. If there was any solace from the disaster in this village and the aftermath of her twist, and the proposed responsibility she had to that Gerudo woman, it was that she had this small moment with Wollo.

What dark secrets lie in whoever was giving orders to that woman were questions that would remain unanswered for some time. Eve decided to listen in on the Kokiri. They needed empty houses? With great speed she spoke without thinking.

"Hey I have an empty house! It's right down the- oh. . . " she blurted out suddenly before remembering.

Not only was the house currently on fire because of her, but its previous form was so overgrown and toxic there was no way she should have offered. That's when it occurred to her- she could half-lie about the old mansion she had.

"There's one near Hyrule Field, somewhere on the edge of the woods." she fibbed confidently.

It was after all possible that the real estate commission of Hylians who sold it to her had rebuilt it. Especially after the destruction of Kakariko, it was likely there was need of new houses in abandoned territory. She thought to herself slowly and with tact.

"The Hylians will want you to pay a pretty rupee for it, but I can give you the exact directions later. I never went back there because I never had the money to pay the um, taxes." she finished, sure her lie was complete.