Linked Universe March Madness Day 16
Prompt - Weird NPC
(Technically not really on prompt, though it does have the weirdest NPC! Finishing the plot from Day 13. Farore Academy Hero Club AU)
“Er… president? I’m not sure I understand.”
The newspaper club was standing in a tight formation, watching the Hero Club in baffled horror. The youngest member had set up a large grid on the ground and was holding a painting of a pirate over his face. With a dramatic, borderline hammy, accent, he was shouting “splish” every time a club member chucked a beanbag on to one of the squares.
“Are we sure these guys aren’t just idiots?”
“I didn’t get it either, at first.” Warriors threw an arm over Tingle’s shoulder. “I had never heard of ‘mini games’! But apparently they’re designed to help Heroes sharpen their skills, and they can be so fun! Why, Wind knows all sorts of amusing games!” He spun Tingle around. “And think of the headline: ‘The Hero Club boys enjoy sunny minigames on the lawn’. It’s so refreshing, it’ll be the perfect facelift for your front page!”
“But…”
“And!” Warriors smothered Tingle’s protests. “You can especially feature how our newest member is enjoying sharpening their mind, strengthening their wisdom!” He gestured at Artemis, who noticed their stares and forced a smile over her look of mild boredom. Tingle pulled free of Warriors, almost rolling to Artemis.
“Er. Ah, Arty! All these ridiculous activities must surely seem annoying to you.”
Her smile faded. “They’re. Not that ridiculous.”
Tingle sniffed. “Come on now, you can’t honestly tell me a bunch of high schoolers—“ He stopped, looking at Time. “—a bunch of students enjoy playing these childish games.”
Time himself was smiling as he tossed a beanbag onto a square. Wind jumped up, shouting “ka-BOOM!” as the rest of the group whooped.
“I mean, I don’t think it’s that strange.”
“Oh please. This is just another way that Warriors flaunts his power over the club. Just like how he withholds the location of the school’s fairies.” He pulled out a bottled fairy tonic. “I know he knows, his little lackey in the blue hat brought me this fairy tonic to rub in that he knows where they are and I don’t.”
“Or maybe it was… to help with your head?”
Tingle huffed. “There’s no way–”
“Ka-BOOM!!!”
An enthusiastically tossed beanbag from Warriors went firing past Tingle’s head, making him screech and jump back. “Oops! Sorry Mister Tingle!”
“That is IT!” Tingle shoved away from Artemis. “I can’t wait any more! If I put my mind to it, I can make up any number of scandalous stories the sheep of this school will eat up! Like… like…” He pointed at Sky. “I can say YOU were the one who destroyed the cafeteria chandelier!” He rounded on Twilight. “And YOU blew up Professor Barnes’ shop! In fact, I can say you all were the ones who destroyed the pottery club’s display for the school fair last year! Ha! HAHA! THE TRUTH IS WHATEVER I SAY IT IS, AND YOU CAN’T STOP ME!” He turned and ran back towards the school. The club watched him go, glancing at his brothers in mild confusion.
Twilight grimaced. “Er. Does he know we actually did do those things?”
David Jr. shook his head. “No, he does not. Can we play the mini-game with you?”
Wind handed him a beanbag. “I thought you’d never ask!”
–
Tingle shoved open the door of the newspaper club room. “All of them, I’ll destroy all of them! I’ll whip up a scandal so bad it’ll shake this stupid school. That Link Warriors won’t know what hit him!”
“Really? That would be very rude of you, you know.”
Tingle jumped as his chair spun around, revealing Legend sitting with his fingers laced together under his chin. The door closed behind him, revealing Hyrule, Wild, Time, and Four.
“Really? Warriors sends his pack of dogs to try to intimidate me?” Tingle backed up. “You’re all just as bad! Letting him push you all around, keeping all the fairies to himself–”
“That’s not true.” Four blinked. “We don’t stay with Warriors because he makes us, and neither do the fairies. We all stay around him because we love him.” Four smiled. “Warriors is a really nice guy. He’s always making little clothes for the fairies, and he would drop everything to help anyone. Even you.”
“No! He’s a… a manipulative…”
“Really?” Legend plucked the bottle of fairy tonic from Tingle’s hands. “Then how do you explain this?”
Tingle’s face screwed up. “That’s to show how he knows so many fairies he can just give away their tonics!”
“Did you even read this label? This is fairy food.” Legend popped the cork, holding the bottle by the window. Within a few seconds there was a chiming noise, and a fairy drifted in the poorly patched hole. Tingle stared as the little ball of light flitted around Legend, chiming eagerly until the hero poured a little of the liquid into a dirty cup on Tingle’s desk. “Wars knew you really loved fairies. He wanted you to be able to befriend them.” Legend’s face darkened. “And you wanted to destroy him. So we’re back to you being very rude.”
Tingle stared at the fairy, happily drinking the nectar from the cup. “He… that…”
“He’s really oblivious, ya know.” Four frowned. “He doesn’t realize people don’t like him, because he’s just too nice. Which is why we tend to be just a little protective of him.”
“Are you really ready to make enemies of all of us, Tingle?” Hyrule glared. “Turning every hero against you seems like a pretty bad idea. And before you get any ideas, the others feel the same way–Wind had to stay behind because he wanted to catapult you off the roof.”
Tingle looked around, at the heroes, at the fairy, at the boy still happily and obliviously playing on the lawn with his brothers. Then he shook his head slowly.
“There’s a good guy.” Wild clapped a hand on Tingle’s shoulder. “Now, would you like to come play mini-games with us?”
“Uh…”
“Come now.” Legend smiled tightly. “Let’s hear some enthusiasm.”
“K-koo loo limpah…”
–
“It’s so nice of the newspaper to give us a free copy.” Warriors looked with approval at the front page, showing David Junior hoisted unevenly on Arty and Twilight’s shoulders after winning the minigame. “Did Tingle get to meet some fairies? Maybe I should go give him some clothes for them too!”
“No, I think Tingle needs to learn to befriend fairies on his own for a while.” Legend set down his tea cup. “Besides, he’s going to be very busy, finding new and more respectable stories to report on.”
“Yeah, I guess so!” Warriors smiled, hurrying over to share the paper with Artemis. Legend watched him go, his eyes softening slightly. Warriors turned back, and the mask of indifference returned. “You coming, Legend?”
“I guess so.”
