Chapter Text
It’s so hot today. It’s always hot in the desert, but with the harsh glare of a summer sun that sets so much later than usual, it feels like a dream to be resting in the cool waters at Kara Kara Bazaar after a long week. Chaya kicks her feet under the gently rippling pool, her head resting on her arms. Her eyes are closed and the other girls’ splashing echoes faintly in her ears. The sun pokes between the large fronds of the palm trees above, and forms dancing red spots behind her eyes. Chaya feels like she could stay here forever, never going back to school, never exercising with the chief’s guards, never having a care in the world.
The breeze is gentle against her skin. And then, it isn’t. It’s harsh. A great gust of air blowing directly into her face. She pokes one eye open and is face to face with Sebat, who takes another deep breath and blows again into Chaya’s face. “What do you want?” Chaya asks, teasing her clingy best friend.
Sebat leans over and whispers into Chaya’s pointed ear, “Adventure!” Chaya buries her face further into her arms, muttering a soft mmph. “Come on! Let’s go.”
“Go where? I’m comfy in the water.”
“I dunno. Anywhere. I’m bored.” Sebat leans forward, crouched on her hands and feet.
“Well, I’m relaxed,” Chaya replies. “Just come in the water with me, it’s nice in here.”
Sebat rolls her eyes, unimpressed. “This is too predictable. It’s too hot, so we come to the Bazaar to swim, and do nothing else. It’s boring.”
Chaya looks up, a glint of mischief in her amber eyes. “Hm. Is it really?”
“Ye– AH!” And before Sebat could retort, Chaya grabbed her under the arms, and lifted her clean over her head, throwing both of them underwater. Chaya resurfaces first, followed slowly by Sebat, who’s mouth and nose still lay beneath the surface. Chaya laughs as Sebat’s brow furrows, but her laughs turn to playful screams as Sebat spits a torrent of water directly at her.
“You’re so gross!” Chaya cries, splashing back. The water settles as she asks, “Where do you even wanna go on adventuring anyways?”
“Dunno. Haven’t figured that out yet. But I’m like the smartest person in Gerudo Town so I was definitely gonna figure it out soon,” Sebat says, folding her arms. Chaya snorts, then glances around, and looks up at the large bulbous rock that forms the roof of the Kara Kara Inn.
Glancing back at Sebat, Chaya asks “Wanna go on the roof?”
Sebat’s green eyes widen and she grins. “Wanna race to the top?”
Chaya drifts over to the edge of the pool, scrunching her nose as if to say no... before hauling herself out of the water and sprinting towards the building. “See you up there!” she yells behind her.
From a distance she hears Sebat call out: “That’s not fair!” Sand gathers between her toes as Chaya speeds past the bazaar’s vendors, and then lifts herself up the two wooden ladders to the roof of the inn. She’s not alone for long before Sebat arrives, too, panting with her hands on her knees. “Not – fair. You – cheated.”
Chaya just shrugs, and sits down on the large rock, letting the desert sun dry her off.
Sebat makes herself comfortable, too, laying across Chaya’s lap and closing her eyes. It doesn’t surprise Chaya when she does this, but she still feels her stomach do a little flip as Sebat’s hair tickles her outstretched legs, and as she catches a glimpse of her freckles in the sun, and as that drop of water falls across her cheeks... Chaya needs something to do with her hands, so she starts absentmindedly braiding Sebat’s hair and looks anywhere else.
She looks out, across the desert and sees it. The Divine Beast. A massive, hulking figure with four legs, a long neck, and two round humps on its back strides across the sand in the distance. Chaya thinks it’s one of the most beautiful things she’s ever seen. “Do you think there’s people inside it?” Chaya asks, unable to look away.
Sebat giggles. “Yeah, definitely. There’s actually no Koroks in the Korok forest, and they live in there. How else would it walk around like that?” Chaya considers it, and decides to believe it. She’s never seen a Korok, so why shouldn’t there be some in there.
“I heard there’s more of them,” Chaya says after a moment. “All over Hyrule, there’s more Divine Beasts.”
“Yeah? I bet ours is the coolest though,” Sebat jokes, her toothy grin on display again.
“Obviously! Ours has a Korok colony inside it.” At that, they both start giggling, and can’t stop for a minute. Eventually, Chaya continues: “That’s where we should go adventuring.”
Sebat’s eyebrows shoot up at that. “Are you crazy? We couldn’t even get close without getting squashed by those giant feet.”
“Yeah we could! Aren’t you curious about what it looks like inside?” Chaya muses.
“I guess, but I don’t have a fucking death wish!” Sebat retorts.
Chaya claps a hand over Sebat’s mouth. “Don’t swear!”
Sebat rolls her eyes, and from behind Chaya’s hand muffles out “Just don’t tell my mom!”
“I won’t, obviously.”
“Good.”
Silence falls for a moment, before Chaya breaks it again. “I’m gonna go inside it. The Divine Beast, I mean.” She glances down to see a concerned expression splayed across Sebat’s face. “Not right now! Someday though.” Chaya’s mind races with thoughts of those giant feet kicking up ferocious sandstorms, and dozens of tiny magic creatures pulling on great big pulleys and levers.
She pulls herself back to reality by saying: “School was boring this week.”
“School’s boring every week,” Sebat replies.
“This week especially, though. With all that stuff about leaving home to find a voe to spend your life with.” Chaya feels herself holding her breath a bit. She and Sebat usually agree on everything, but other girls in their class seemed so... excited about the idea of boys. Maybe Sebat was excited, too, but Chaya hopes she isn’t.
Sebat sits up and leans in a bit towards Chaya. “Yeah, it’s weird! Voes sound SO weird. Weird and kinda gross, too.”
Chaya exhales at that, and laughs. “Maybe they just made them up to scare us, and they don’t even exist.” Sebat throws her head back, sending a laugh up into the sky. Chaya watches. After Sebat composes herself again, she continues. “The bit about finding someone to spend your whole life with sounds nice, though. I just... don’t wanna do that with a voe, I think.”
“Me either!” Sebat replies, maybe a bit too quickly. “Like why would I ever wanna leave home? We have everything we need right here.”
“It kinda just sounds like having a best friend, honestly,” Chaya says softly, glancing down at her hands.
“Yes! And we’re gonna be best friends forever, right?” Sebat asks.
Chaya snorts. “Duh! We’re gonna be best friends and stay here in Gerudo Town and no one can stop us. Pinky promise.” She holds out her hand, and Sebat twists Chaya’s pinky into her own. Chaya smiles at their hands, the same turquoise nail polish chipping off both their hands from when Sebat painted them the other night.
They hang on as Sebat asks, “Is that weird? That we don’t wanna leave? Or meet a voe?”
“I dunno. Maybe. But what’s even out there that could be cooler than this? We’re the fucking coolest.”
“Don’t swear!” Sebat yells out as she just grins back at her. Chaya feels Sebat’s grip tighten ever so slightly on her pinky finger as she says, even softer, “Is it weird... that when, at school, they were talking about spending your whole life with one special person... I was just thinking about you?”
And there’s that flip in Chaya’s stomach again. And her breath hitches a bit. But it makes sense, right? She’s Sebat’s best friend in the whole universe, so of course they’re gonna spend their lives together! So Chaya simply replies: “No. I don’t think so.”
“Okay, cool.”
“Cool.” And their pinkies drop, while Chaya’s amber eyes remain on Sebat’s green ones. After a moment, Chaya squints up at the sky, pulling her gaze away. “Wanna get some lunch?” she asks.
“Oh, uh, maybe?” Sebat asks, a little surprised.
“I brought some melon, it’s just in my stuff,” Chaya rambles, “We could eat up here, or go back down or–”
“Can I ask you something else?” Sebat blurts out. “In that lesson, when they were describing how when you meet a voe, you’re supposed to, like... kiss him... is it weird that I thought I could do that... with you?”
Chaya doesn’t know how to respond to that. She hasn’t really thought about kissing anyone. Definitely not a voe, but with Sebat... maybe? Kissing really just sounds wet and a bit gross. Like why would you want someone’s spit on you like that? But if it’s with someone you like a whole lot, and they want to, then maybe it’s worth it... And of course Chaya likes Sebat. They spend every day together.
“Uhm, maybe? I dunno,” is all Chaya manages to squeak out as Sebat looks at her wide-eyed. All too quickly, Chaya jumps up, brushing dust off her legs. “I am really hungry, though. So I’m just gonna grab my lunch, I think. But I’ll bring you some... I’ll be right back!”
And she doesn’t look back as she slides down the ladder, back towards the bazaar.