Chapter Text
Translator
Translator
Vaati Drabbles.
Something, something, he’s a rival instead of big bad.
A cloaked figure went down the basement steps on his own. Wood gave way to stone as cages filled with Sheikah, Koroks and other creatures that failed to infiltrate lined the walls in all directions, each hall having at least one guard patrolling them. The guards standing at either side of the entryway both turned to bow polity as the cloaked figure approached and strode past, noticing but ignoring when one of them eyed him suspiciously.
“Back again, eh, lord Vaati?” A Darknut with onyx armor leaning against one of the massive wooden pillars that supported the entire keep above quipped as he passed them.
“Sure am.” the boy beneath the cloak replied as he removed it. “Come, let me in her cell.”
They pushed off the pillar and walked ahead to the end of the hall. There, instead of a free standing cage, was a thick wooden door with a metal slot at around eye level. The Darknut slid open the slot and peered into it. “Hey, lady, he’s back again.”
“He is?” The feminine voice inside replied. “Please, hurry and let him in.”
“Got it.” They leaned back to unlock the door and pull it open. As Vaati stepped past to go through, the Darknut nodded. “She’s nice. No idea why Ganon has her contained in such a drab place.”
Vaati ignored them as he stepped into the room, the door quickly closing behind him right after.
The cell was in stark contrast to the cages just outside. Instead of a stone floor with nary more than a straw stuffed mattress for the better behaved prisoners, the floor was covered in hardwood towards the door and tatami towards the back wall. The futon that would be unfurled come bedtime sat rolled up against the wood covered wall. It was much the same sort of decor as one could find in the royal quarters. Although those royals would be of the Gerudo style.
A girl with long blond hair tied into a thick braid sat on a cushion next to a low table in the middle of the room, so tall that even in her position she could still look a standing Vaati in the eye (Or rather Vaati was just that short). The royal family crest on her midnight blue robes stared at Vaati before the princess turned to face him. The moment her blue eyes landed on him, a smile spread across her pale face.
“Hello, Vaati.”
“Greetings, Zelda,” Vaati replied as he walked around to sit on the cushion opposite of the woman. “How have you been doing?” he asked with honest interest, devoid of his usual contempt and pride.
“As well as I can be,” She replied and let out a heavy sigh as she raised the handle-less clay teacup to take a sip from it. “Ganon is as difficult as always.”
“You make it sound normal.” Vaati adjusted leaned forward on one elbow on the table and rested his chin on his palm. “I’m surprised you’re still here, how many escape attempts has it been now?”
Zelda laughed at that. “Oh, I lost count. But I’ll keep trying still. You remember what I said when we first met, right? By the way, how are Koume and Kotake doing?”
“The hags are fine,” Vaati replied as she took the other teacup sitting on the table and filled it from the wide and flat cast iron teapot that was brought to her earlier before handing it to him. “Koume keeps on trying to make the gibdos dance. No idea how she keeps those pest in control,” He continued as he straightened up to take the tea. He made a face at the grassy taste of it before returning his attention to the lady. “Link and Ezlo are in Hyrule Field, by the way.”
The princess’s eyes widened and she put the cup down a little too hard, causing green tea to spill on the table. “They are? Link is alive and well?”
Vaati nodded and she looked like she was about to start crying to his confusion. She wiped the tears away from her eyes with the flowing sleeves of her robes. “He’s alive, my brave best friend’s really alive! When did they get there?”
“Just the other day. He’s already obtained the Element of Earth. He’ll be going for Fire or Water next.”
“I see.” She nodded and sniffed, not caring how undignified she looked at that moment. It almost gave Vaati whiplash due to how fiery and hostile she was when she first came here. Was staying here slowly but surely dousing her fire? His chest felt a bit tight at that thought. “Then he must have repaired the Four Swords, right? With that and your former master on his side…”
“...He’s not incompetent…” Vaati said, and not a word more as he swirled the tea in its cup for a moment. “Well, King Pig’s not going to make it easy for them. I can’t guarantee he’ll be able to stop the plan.”
Zelda shook her head firmly at that. “We will need to keep hope that he will. The kingdom needs for him to. Listen, Vaati,” She reached out to take the boy’s free hand in her own while he suppressed the urge to slap it away and let it be held. Or so he tells himself. “I need for you to support him. He needs help, and he can help you as well. He can help you break free from Ganon’s control.”
Vaati let out a sudden laugh at that, “Fat chance at that!” before he frowned down at the cup and took another sip. “Dear master Ezlo’s a bit too eager to believe I’m on the side of evil. And..” he stopped himself, not wanting to repeat for the thousandth time what the old coot did to him on a daily basis, sure he was never hit, but the verbal abuse and spells forcing him to sit still or move like a puppet were-Ah, and now he is brooding. He shakes away the thoughts. “What if your hero fails?”
She shook her head, “I can only pray that he will not,” somehow that made Vaati frown, with her magic affinity and wits she is anything but helpless. Only talks about fate and how this is ‘the proper way to do things’ were the things she believed in most aside from the innate good in people.
“But if he does,” she continues, clearly not liking it but still having a plan b. “There is still one more relic that one can use to give us a fighting chance.”
“Right.” Vaati gave her a shallow nod and felt an absence on top of his head that his replacement could not satisfy. The Magic Cap he had stolen in order to enjoy the one day of fun in the Human Realm that his master fiercely forbade now lies within the hands of the Gerudo male that stole it from him and used to wish himself King of all Demons before releasing those within the chest.
Having come to the corrupted Hyrule Castle in order to retrieve the thing. Vaati found himself forced to take the offer of joining the Pig’s side in exchange for ‘more power as his evil heart desires’ or whatever that means. Perhaps it was his dark appearance or sheer stubbornness that appealed to the Dark King, but here he is, offering info only the Minish know and being blessed with amplified dark magic in return for it. And somehow now trying to play both sides in order to retrieve that damn cap and hopefully not be lauded in history as the one that doomed the world.
Honestly, maybe he should’ve just joined the dark side for reals, but the sheer spite in proving his teacher wrong combined with the fact that someone for once believes in him...it makes him a sap.
And an idiot. One that could end dead by the blade of either side if he messes things up.
“Well, there’s no guaranteeing he’ll win this fight.” he offers his own side of cynicism again. “It’s going to be just some kid against Ganon’s demon army with a sword and talking old coot for a cap.”
He will never regret cursing the old fart. May it make the bastard feel one-third of the pain he felt. As his thoughts darken, the tempting thought of him getting to prevail in a world where Ganon rules becomes a bit stronger but he swiftly pushes it away, as odds may be that he’ll be disposed off once he’s no longer useful. The Minish did create the blade that repelled him before and he was not blind to the side glances filed with disdain other monsters give him for belonging to a species that have an instinctive sense of joy for helping others. Better betray them first than to be betrayed later.
For some reason, Zelda smiled at his words. “But that’s exactly it. He won’t be alone. He will have many friends and allies in Hyrule, and that includes you, mister secret agent.”
Yeah, right. “You’re asking a lot of me, what’s next? Will I have to sacrifice myself too at the end?”
Zelda gave him a somber frown. “I would never ask such a thing from you.”
She better not, he intends to be praised as a hero in both the human and minish world after this.
Half an hour of warm tea (it was cold but got re-heated with flame magic) and chitchat later, Vaati got up to leave. “Well, better go and be fed poison by Ganon. What a joy.” He scoffed as he stretched his legs and walked around the table. “I’ll see you tomorrow before I leave to get things prepared for when Link reaches Zora’s Domain or Death Mountain, whichever he goes to first.”
Zelda shifted so that she could face him with a goodbye. “May the light force shine upon you.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow too.”
Vaati knocked on the door, which slid open to reveal a different Darknut from before behind it. He stepped past him and walked a few yards down the hallway before he turned to look back. He saw that Zelda had gotten up and walked over to the door to loom over the guard, who was easily twice the height of her. They spoke for a few moments before the guard closed the door and turned to Vaati. “What’re yer doin’ here? Go talk to his highness, kid.”
Vaati stuck his nose up at him before silently cursing the armored mutt with a flea spell as he left for the remark. A minor nuisance, sure, but as it is meant to harm, his magic was very willing to obey.
The last thing he heard was the loud clank of the Darknut falling over, struggling to remove his heavy armor and satisfy the many itches on his furred body. Now that gave him a smile.
*
A giant blue pig, so tall that even when sitting on the red silk cushion at the center of his half of the room he was able to look down on his audience from his throne, looked up from a letter he was reading. His tusked mouth turned up in an evil smile as he folded the letter back up and tucked it into the space behind his red cape. “Ah, Vaati, welcome back. I see that you returned in one piece.”
Vaati scowled for a moment at the false friendliness filled with menace before his face returned to a neutral state as he bowed. “Unfortunately for everyone else. I was able to get information on the Four Sword wielder named Link and the Minish elder that is accompanying him.”
Ganon’s smile spread into a manic grin as he leaned forward excitedly. “Oh, finally! And what have you learned?”
“They’re on the move. Can’t say which they’re going to, but they’ll be at either Zora’s Domain or Death Mountain in the next few days.”
“Then,” Ganon returned his back to his seat, tapping the flat end of his massive spear against the ground as he contemplated the boy’s words. Shaking the ground every time his weapon touches it. “It’s finally begun. We will be on a strict time limit from now on.” He looked to his left, eyeing a crystal ball from which the face of Koume appears out of. “Do you have an update for me?”
Koume’s face cackled inside the crystal. “Yes, my king. The location of the light force is still a mystery, meaning we cannot obtain the power you rightfully deserve yet. However we have been able to locate one of the Picori villages the hero has visited and captured its Elder. We should know every bit of info he has by the end of the week.”
“Well, that’s progress,” Ganon said with pleasure, unaware of the grim expression on Vaati as he snapped his fingers. A demon appeared from nowhere and knelt next to it king. “Send a message to the outposts. Have them set up ambushes for the little hero and his guide. Then send one of the scouting teams to run their progress by me.” The demon nodded and vanished.
“So,” Vaati started as he crossed his arms over his chest and started tapping his foot impatiently. “Just to let you know, I doubt you will be able to find the light force before the ‘hero’ gets his blade all nice and polished.”
“Oh, but Vaati, my dear subject!” Ganon stood up and stepped down to the lower floor, closing the distance between him and the boy easily. He had to lean down quite a way to pat Vaati on the head, being easily twice as tall as him and just as easily slightly hurting him with the ‘fond’ gesture. “That is where you come in. You will distract him both directly and through your special kind of trickery. Keep on confronting him, placing demons, and tricking the stupid men of Hyrule into thinking his shadow doppelganger is truly him, and it will all be fine.”
Vaati’s face contorted into a look of pure disgust, but he made no effort to push away the gesture. “Of course, my king, it’s what I do best after all.”
“Good.” Ganon pulled back to grab his chin and make him look up to him, his claws threatening to dig into his cheeks. “Do not allow your kind to sway you from your destiny. You are a demon now and with it comes the chance to truly prove yourself. Something those tiny fools never granted you, only returning disgust and fear your way. I bet deep down inside you want to kill them all….One day we will. When that day comes, remember that it is was I that gave you this chance.”
Vaati felt his expression harden. “I will never forget that…”
“Glad to hear it.” Ganon nodded approvingly and let him go to walk away. “Now, I must go to meet with the captain of the guard. To think these people have become so feeble that they can’t even see past some illusions. What a joke, as for you, I expect for you to continue your duties.” With that, he vanished in a blur of magic, a clear sign of teleportation.
Taking a deep breath to try to calm down, Vaati willed his hands to unclench, and clear the sudden pleasant image of making the wind shred the pig’s head off. Thinking like that was foolish; the magic he has now could be as easily taken back as it was given, and if he let himself get carried away he’d make a mistake that would get him killed. Giving his head a shake, he stood up and left.
He had a hero to both guide and distract.
*
“So, you’ve finally reached Zora’s Domain,” Vaati started, calmly standing on top of an ice pillar that the hero’s equipment won’t be able to reach just yet. “I’m impressed you made it this far.”
“Vaati? Is that you?!” their senile cap barked while the hero maneuvered himself into a fighting stance. “I can’t believe you! First you steal the Magic’s Cap, then you lose it and now you serve the man that took it from you!? Raah! What a fool I was for ever believing you could do good!”
Vaati smiled despite how hurtful the words were, if anything they’d make what he’s about to do next more enjoyable. “Hm, I see you’ve decided to take a cranky geezer along. Why not a wool coat or some furred boots? Those would be far more useful in those snow-tinted land, don’t you think?”
As an example, he snapped one finger, causing the wind’s acrid bite to flare up in the hero’s direction. Still the latter made no noise, only moving one hand in front to protect their face and making sure with the other that Ezlo won’t fly off their head. Not even a word back? How dull.
“What do you want from us?! You whippersnapper!” Ezlo demanded and spoke for Link again, jumping up and down while puffing in anger once the wind returned to it’s normal state.
“Calm your lungs,” Vaati replied with a dismissive wave of his hands. “I’m just here to get a better look at the brave boy, and to tell you all to not bother trying to contact the Zora King.”
“And WHY should we do that?” Ezlo said, narrowing his eyes and propping himself up like he was planting his hands on his hips, if he had them. The hero nodded to that, as if to say ‘what he said’.
This was it. “Why don’t you look down?” Vaati laughed at the way they jumped in surprise at the sight of all the Zoras below being completely frozen. “Now, doesn’t that answer your question.”
“NO! Vaati! You didn’t! Don’t tell me you!-”
“They’re not dead, god, I’m not that cruel y’know?” It was a massive pain to make sure that their freezing is the kind that actually keeps them alive and can still be undone. Anything less would have been mass murder of a species and with it, forever condemned the Wind mage on camp evil. “That and well, I can’t take credit for this,” he can, cause he did it. Still a menacing roar echoed through the domain just in time, the origin of which lies further ahead. “Let’s just say some demons were sealed for a very good reason. And I highly doubt that you can take them with just a nifty sword.”
They definitely can’t. Not without the Flame Rod that is, a special item that just so happens to be placed in such a way that the hero can’t even reach the boss without acquiring it first. No idea how else he would have even had a fighting chance but dungeons are meant to be eventually conquered by heroes, so maybe if Vaati didn’t put one in, it would have spawned something else.
“Nonsense!” Ezlo snapped back. “Evil will never vanquish the good of men! No matter what deadly traps or monsters lie in this place, Link here will surpass them all and get that element of Water!” He was about to continue when he paused for a moment and his eyes widened. “Wait, how do you know about our progress?”
Vaati let out a high pitched laugh like a hyena, making Link cringe at the sound. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you idiots! I know about everything you’ve done or will do!” He said as he struggled to keep his performance perfect. “Once you two finally fall, Ganon will reward me plenty for it!”
“But how could you?” Ezlo rebutted as he jumped about angrily. “The minish won’t survive in his world! I can’t believe you’d forsake both men and your own race for the lust of power.”
“Exactly, old fart.” Vaati’s eyes narrowed, but his smile remained. “There is nobody who can defeat him, so all the better to be on the winning team. Hyrule has grown stagnant and lazy with its defenses and now it pays the price for it.” Incompetent guards, an even dumber king, and the fact all minish live separately means communication is extremely slow between em. Leaving it all up to him to pick the up the pace with nobody to know it. “The combined might of the demon king and all of his monsters are the most indomitable force of all, one that one hero will never overcome.”
“You’re wrong!” Ezlo snapped again. But Vaati shrugged with that ever present smile, utterly disinterested in anything Ezlo had to say due to how predictable he’s being. Vaati turned his gaze to Link, who had been staring him down the entire time. “Heh. Believe whatever you want and do what you must then. You and I are destined to settle our differences in due time.”
“Let that be a warning.” With that, he vanished after flashing his cape in a pale purple light.
Or at least, so it appears to the heroes.
In truth, Vaati was still watching them. Noting with some boredom their steady but slow progress throughout the dungeon. One minute they’re struggling with an ice box puzzle, the other they’re jumping from ice platform to ice platform to make it to the other side of the room. All the while fending off monsters that lie in wait underwater, lest one might drag the youth into the water.
“Link!” a worried outburst from the old man makes Vaati flinch and refocus his attention, the transformed hat is trying to futily reach towards a bunch of bubbles rising from the cold water.
Now that’s a surprise, still the hero should be able to rise back to the surface. He has to, there’s just no way that someone could die such an anti-climatic death of all things. Despite such beliefs, the hero doesn’t seem to be coming up anytime soon...and that means Vaati has sadly got to act on it.
*
When Link opens his eyes, he can’t see a thing. Like everything is painted black. That doesn’t stop him from feeling the cold in his body and the sensation of stone underneath him. He sits up to look around even though he’s not fully back to his senses.
To his surprise, there’s a fire in front of him. But it’s strange since it doesn’t shine it doesn’t give any light to see either. He mumbles out a noise of confusion at the sight.
“So you’ve finally woken.”
Shocked, Link turns around to the voice next to him.
“Don’t get panicked now.” the voice continues, but still no figure or person is seen from its source.
‘Who are you?’ Link asks- with only his face and body language- very on guard.
“Seriously? You can’t tell from my voice alone?” the voice replies, mildly offended.
They snap a finger or at least Link hears the sound of one, “Then let me en-light-en you.”
The moment he does, Link’s eyes widen at the sight of the Vaati looming beside him. A smirk in the corner of his mouth and a long and black, thin, rapier pointed at the hero’s throat. Had the latter moved slightly further up, then he would cut up his own throat without knowing it.
Vaati makes yet another comment, but Link yanks away by instinct, bracing for a following stab that doesn’t come. No time to wonder why he didn’t take it, Link draws the Four Sword in kind.
“How ungrateful,” Vaati sneers at the sight, nose upturned to be dismissive. “Here I save your life and the first thing you do is point your blade at me. Oh, how it would wound me if I had a heart.” He puts one hand against his chest, as if seeking a heartbeat. “Emphasis on if…”
Link narrows his eyes, doubtful of the claim. But he does remember being dragged into the water by a monster and now here he is, not a speck of water on him and somewhere else in the dungeon.
‘Why would you do that?’ is the reply he goes for as he tilts his head with a question mark on top.
Vaati seems to pause at that for a second, before returning to his usual persona. “Isn’t it obvious? Having you die from such an anti-climatic death would be no more significant than stomping on a toy with my boot, and I know better to waste a source of amusement that’s yet to fully bear fruit.”
Ah, yes. A game. That’s how Vaati described how he saw the situation. A fact that stings more now than it did on their first encounter. One that Link can barely call a fight-- whenever he shuts his eyelids, be it to sleep or to blink. Link remembers futily lunging at Vaati. The Four Sword’s blade never catching onto its mark before it vanished to the other side of the field or just floated out of range with raucous laughter. An energy ball shot straight at his back or a surge of wind to blast him into a bush or tree would then be his counter as the mage toyed with the hero until he got bored.
A painful lesson, that currently, Link is no match for him, not even close.
“Now then, since I am in a generous mood,” Vaati continued, now holding out a half complete gem stone of a red color. “Surely you are aware of kin stone trading? Or do you not posses any?”
Link squints his eyes suspiciously, one hand moving to take out his kin-stone bag anyway. No matter who he traded the stones with, good things are meant to happen when they match. Maybe Vaati would pull the stone away at the last second, but if not, Link would just gain an advantage.
He finds the gem’s other half in record time and both boys push the stones into each other. A sparkle of light overcomes the Kin stone as it slightly rises into the air, an event to which Link spies Vaati show an honest smile. Unlike the cold and cruel ones he always has etched onto his face. Before Link can call him out on it or do more, the usual vision of the fusion’s effect takes over.
Somewhere on Death Mountain, the vines covering a cave dissapear with a puff of smoke. As for what could be in that cave, it could be a useful item or more treasure that could be useful to him.
“Ever so cheesy a magic, yet still so useful.” Vaati comments, back to his usual sneer. “Then again, that’s only if you ever live to head to that place...then again you’re not helpless...unlike some other.”
Ezlo! Link recalls with urgency that his living green cap got separated from him and immediately moves to step aside Vaati and head up to the stairs ahead. Only to be stopped by a magic barrier.
“Tsk, tsk, why so impatient hero? Let your lovely mentor suffer a little more and play with me some more..” Vaati drew his rapier again, pose set in an evasive counter-stance. Link grits his teeth and draws the Four Sword in a simpler stance, before rushing the mage with a jump attack!
Vaati simply sidesteps the strike, and puts his foot forward, tripping the floundering hero the moment he struggles to stay standing on the cold and slippy arena. Link simply moves into a roll and smacks his back against a wall as he swiftly stands up, rushing the mage again with one, two, three horizontal slashes, each of the mage calmly parries before jumping on top of his sword and kicking him in the face, forcing him to stumble back and hold a hand against his bruised nose.
“I see you’ve learned a new trick from that swordsmaster in town. Yet you still swing your sword like a raging bokoblin. Instincts will only get you so far, try to read my patterns, oh, brave hero.”
Link’s temper rises but he doesn’t lose his composure. Swiftblade had taught him as much as he could with the short time he had and one of the main rules was that whoever lost their focus first loses. He wasn’t sure how much that applied against the champion of the sword tournament but he kept in mind to not lose his own and soon enough the rhythm of battle put him a flow state. Two horizontal slashes followed with a feint spin attack that leads to a vertical slash. Transferring the momentum of one’s roll into a dash attack, finally he did one last jump attack, pretended to fall on his butt and when Vaati came kicked him in the stomach. Making the mage stumble back for once.
“Youch, ever so energetic.” he commented deadpan, making his sword vanish with a click while his other hand soothed his hurt stomach, in truth or sarcasm Link did not know. “Still a Bokoblin…”
Link shook his head and glared, “What do you want?!? I don’t have time to waste here!”
“It’s quite the opposite for me.” Vaati shrugged without a care. “And things will only get far more boring if you rush to your death again. Maybe another hero will rise up, be it a week or years from now. But let me tell you this: How am I meant to have fun in the meantime?” ignoring Link’s protest, he vanished with a flash and appeared on top of a stalactite from which he look down on Link, the barrier ahead of him now gone. “Since you’ve amused me, I’ll give you a little hint. Somewhere in this drab cave lies the Flame Rod, the key to defeating the beast lurking deeper within and of course, freeing those frozen fishies and their king as well. Until next time, Link.”
He didn’t await an answer, dissapearing in the next breath.
Link let out a long breath, the fear and frustration he’d held in coursing out of his lungs. What was that all about? Vaati cruelly taunts him about the Zora’s fate, saves him from a drowning dead, mocks him in a fake duel and afterwards gives him important info? What’s the point of that?
Was the mage trying to gain his trust? Of course not, then was he being seen as some toy? Some loose pup that snarls and barks but is in truth no threat to you as much as something fun to look at?
Link’s head shook the thoughts away, but something else creeped over him as he walked up the stairs. Vaati hadn’t used his magic against him. Vaati fought him with a sword fair and square. Shaking his head and giving cruel comments until Link fixed the mocked upon mistakes.
Was the guy trying to make him into a worthy opponent?
If so he’s a battle freak, Link thought in dismay, coming to the wrong conclusion.
*
After a short hour break to rest and prepare, changing locations back to the Zora King’s throne, tired of the constant snow. Vaati sat there, observing Link and Ezlo finally make their way into the heart of the dungeon. A simple round platform surrounded by freezing water on all sides, the lone bridge connecting to it vanishing the moment the hero set foot on the platform and a roar welcoming him.
A giant serpentine creature with a rocky mask and scales made of diamond ice poked its head from the water, it’s sharp fangs and golden eyes highlighted as it emphasizes it’s might before the fight.
Link simply stands his ground, one hand on his blade and the other moving to the dungeon treasure, the Flame Rod. If everything went well, then the hero should soon realize that the snake’s mask can be overheated with flames until it breaks after which he can finally strike it down with his blade.
Vaati simply hummed as it took the latter half an hour to do exactly that, spending most of the time floundering around while the cap on their hat keeps screeching around in the way the worst kind of back seat helpers tend to do. Frankly, this unique sight of the hero was almost a painful one, but soon enough the boy in green held the element of water victoriously over his own head.
Good. That means he has to head back to the castle and notify both Ganon and Zelda about it, encounters he both dreaded and looked forward to. Still was this really going to be his routine? Create obstacles that the hero will eventually overcome? Occasionally appear and twirl his nonexistent mustache to show off how evil he is? To think there’s a tedium even in adventure…
Isn’t there something more he could do? How long could he keep up this charade? Vaati shook his head, not allowing himself to brood about it. Half of the elements were now retrieved and he should use the time he has to ruin the hero’s relationship with the Gorons with Dark Link shenanigans, if only to keep Ganon satisfied. Surely the picori on that mountain will help him out still and perhaps some forced stealth will teach the latter some more finesse as well.
Maybe bears will fly too…
Enough, Vaati jumped off the throne. Feeling the cold air around the domain starting to lose it’s dark influence. One shot of the flame rod and the hero’s sure to be surrounded by the cheering fish folk. A sight that he definitely did not need to see, so after muttering a spell, Vaati warped away.
He has work to do after all.