His horse comes to a halt, neighing loudly as Link pulls at her reins. There's no need to run anymore, after all: the Hinox he noticed just a few seconds before falls, unable to deal with the pain casued by the single arrow he shot directly in its giant eye, and the stranger he caught fighting it was safe.
"There, girl", the boy pats his steed's side, calming her down from the sudden action, and finally turns towards the man.
Finds himself frowning.
That's- is that a Gerudo?
Weren't they supposed to be all women?
And why, now that they can finally look at one another, he feels a terrible sense of dread clenching at his heart?
A familiar one.
"Do I know you?"
Woah, hey! Manners!
He didn't even notice he actually said those thoughts out loud, leaving him positively confused.
Try two.
"I mean- are you allright?"
He needed a distraction. His steps were heavy under the burning sun, one foot in front of the other, pacing, irritated, nervous, the mind clogged with contrasting thoughts constantly chasing each other, fighting each other. Anger and sadness and despair and envy and jealousy and so many more things, all that wanted to come out with a fist closed tightly and a skull crushed under his grip, all his instincts screaming violence, violence, violence!, and he needed a distraction, he needed a distraction so bad.
When his eyes met the figure of the Hinox in the distance, he didn't hesitate one second. Heavy steps became a determined march towards it, without a moment of hesitation.
They had been fighting for a short while when the arrow arrives, catching the Hinox in the eye while it was holding him - and him it. An easy shot, if he has to comment, one that only makes his irritation spike up once again while he sees his distraction collapse to the ground, without having been of any help, only the cause of a heavy breath and a few bruises that will wear off in a couple of hours.
He inhales sharply, then exhales slowly through the mouth, eyes closing for a moment and then opening again to meet whoever decided to interrupt him.
For a fraction of a second, his anger grows so suddenly and violently to threaten to come out of his body. He winces, his hands instinctively closing into fists so tight to hurt himself, as he feels it growing, bursting, ignite.
And then, surprisingly, it suddenly disappears. His shoulders relax, his hands open, his eyes fall to the ground. Every fragment of anger and rage is simply... gone. Leaving behind just an empty husk of a man, with no emotions left inside.
At least it will be done quickly, he thinks with almost a hint of vague... serenity? Hell if he knows, something positive still, he thinks. Meeting casually wasn't something he was expecting though, he'll be honest.
Like his following words.
He blinks at them. Rises his gaze to meet the hero's, that... child, looking back at him with just a hint of what he was expecting to see. For the most part, he seems instead... confused? Lost?
He watches him as he realizes what he said, and corrects - if correcting could be defined - his sentence, with one just as odd, almost paradoxical. He's asking if he's alright? The hero? Asking the villain about his wellbeing?
He keeps quiet for just a short moment, a moment filled with a universe of questions. Is this a bluff? Is he joking?...
Is he for real?
« ... yes. »
Amidst the thousands words, he replies with the most instinctual one - ironically, without really thinking. He can't understand. What is he even trying to do?... is he trying to do something in the first place?
Did he really not recognize him?
... is that even possible?
« Yes, I'm alright. Thank you. »
