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xxxxx Ezhno's hooves stirred up a light dust on the road ahead of them, a small rock flung to the left of the road. It had been like this for hours, the sun still directly overhead, the clouds still hung in the sky, and the trees hadn't whispered a word. As Ezhno moved along slowly, he turned back to Adriana, giving encouraging looks from time to time. Truthfully they had been on many walks like this, long stretches from one point to another. At this point, the long expanse of the Great Hyrule Field was a normal day, nothing unusual. All the innkeepers knew her by name and which room she liked best, all the roadside water stops remembered to mind Ezhno's horned cap, it was a familiarity that Adriana longed for. Glancing up at the blue sky, Adriana began to wonder how her father was doing with the goddesses. Shaking her head to clear the thought, she looked toward the ground with a desolate frown on her face. Noticing her dampened temperment, Ezhno questioned, "Something wrong?"
xxxxxThe new voice startled Adriana out of her daze, and she stared at her horse as though he had grown a second head. Realizing what he'd said, she turned away from him to hide her sadness. "I... no, of course not Ezzy," she cracked. It was meant to sound playful, but they both knew it lacked her normal energy. Her horse simply nodded in acknowledgement. He knew better to ask her questions, nor did he need to know the answers. It was part of why Adriana adored him as a partner. She turned back to her horse and stared into his right eye. The blank white void was where she wanted to be, nothing but balance and peace. Adriana never really asked him why he wore a skull, or why his right eye was so scratched up. "Maybe I'll ask sometime..." she said, with no aim towards anyone in particular. Adriana often thought out loud in that sense. No doubt Ezhno could hear it, but he simply stared straight ahead, not saying a word. He was a silent type.
xxxxxSuddenly the ground began to crumble a little to the right of the path ahead. With one smooth movement, a poe flew out and cackled heinously, its yellow eyes glowing, matching the glowing lantern it was holding. Immediately, Ezhno stepped in front of Adriana, as if to say "This is mine." Adriana shivered as the air grew colder, frost forming on the edges of grass the ghostly spirit touched. The poe's scythe swung back and forth, creating more frigid cold with every swing. The lantern light looked so warm and friendly now, as Adriana gazed it seemed to call to her, welcome her even. She took a small, obedient step forward, only to be stopped by Ezhno's furry body in front of hers. "Ezzy, move out of the way, I need to get to that lantern. M-my father's in there, I just know it!" she cried. Yes, Adriana could now feel her father's warm smile radiating from the lantern, drawing her closer and closer.
xxxxx"You musn't, that is not your father. This is a poe's trick," Ezhno said sternly.

xxxxxAdriana gasped- the man's sudden approach had scared her out of the poe's induced stupor. The warmth was gone now, the returning chill of the poe seemed even colder now, and the lantern had grown dim. Adriana wiggled out of the man's grasp, eager to escape the clutches of anything that held her down. "Th-thank you," she stuttered as she lurched for air. Brushing off her skirt, she turned to look at Ezhno who was gaping, surprised at first by the strange man's strength. He then spun around protectively facing the poe, with angry, vengeful eyes now donned. He glanced up at the man who was now swiping at nothing but pure air.
xxxxx"I suggest you stop, he is an apparition, your blows mean nothing," he said flatly. Turning back to the poe, he nodded and flicked his short, graceful tail towards Adriana. In return, she nodded and closed her eyes.
xxxxxSmiling as she spoke the words, Adriana said, "You're gonna wanna shut those pretty blue eyes'a yours. Wouldn't want them to get all beat up, would ya? Well, do what ya want." She smiled giddily at the thought of a man with petrified eyes. It would wear off, of course, but it would be funny for a little while.
xxxxxSuddenly a voice broke her from the daydreaming, as Ezhno called out, "Are we all ready back there?" He winced as the poe laughed insanely again. The frosted ice was almost to the poor esper's feet, and he was slowly backing up to avoid touching it.
xxxxx"Operation kick poe butt is go Ezzy," Adriana shouted apologetically, her energy finally restored. At the playfulness of Adriana's tone, Ezhno rolled his eyes- though a shimmer of relief was plainly visible in them. He turned back to the poe, who was menacingly approaching the phantom. From behind him, Adriana yelped, "Elegy of Emptiness, awaken!" A sudden rush of energy flooded Ezhno's body, as though a tiny seed in his right eye had suddenly exploded with power. Slowly and sadistically, the bottom fringes of the poe's garment began to solidify. It crept up the garment, crumbling and cracking, imprisoning the fury that would erupt from the ghost later. As the ghost became less visible to the travelers, so too did the frost- it slowly crept away, and warmth was restored to the area. "Ooooh Ezzy, you were totally being a show off for this man," she pouted. The horse said nothing, but held a small smirk of satisfaction on his face.

xxxxxAdriana stifled a giggle at the sight of the befuddled traveler. "I'm more worried 'bout you, err..." She paused, looking for a name. Ezhno gave a small grunt of dissatisfaction, making Adriana return her gaze to the phantom esper. "You holdin' up okay there?" He said nothing, but gave a slim nod, his eyes shut tight. He's trying to be brave, but I know that took a lot out of him, she thought. Adriana looked down searching the ground as if looking for a lost ring. Turning back to Ezhno and asked, "How much time d'you think we have Ezzy?" As she spoke, she brushed the hair from her face, allowing her blonde locks to free flow from her head like a waterfall once again. Her clouded blue eyes focused on Ezhno, like a storm was brewing within her head, and her eyes were merely a lens to the inner workings of her mind.
xxxxx"Not much, I wasn't focusing well, and you know it," the esper spoke with a disdainful look at the stranger. "I suggest we move quickly." No sooner had Ezhno spoken the words, Adriana had begun to walk forward pacing a few steps in front of Ezhno. He simply nodded in response and stepped behind her, his black tail swishing and his helmet's ribbons swaying. He gave a worried look back at the stranger, but continued along the path. It was not his concern anymore. His duty was to Adriana, no one else.
xxxxxSuddenly Adriana's head perked up, as though a loud noise had suddenly gone off. She quickly turned around, and sized up the man behind her. Attractive enough, his golden hair shined in the afternoon sun, but with nothing but a flimsy sword to back him up, which would do nothing against the poe as soon as it reanimated, Adriana couldn't think he was very bright. He had a dull look in his eyes, which probably meant he spaced out quite a bit. If he's the daydreaming type, I can probably swindle something off him without him even noticin', she thought. With one last quick glance at his sword, she turned and began walking away from the poe again. Without turning around, she said, "You're gonna wanna move along. That esper's gonna break lose any moment. If ya wanna fight it, I might have something for ya ... for a price," A glimmer of excited expectation shone in her eyes, a flash of lightning in the clouded storm. Nothing please Adriana more than ripping someone off. "'Course, this isn't the place to talk about it," she said with a quick glance to the now petrified poe, "Let's run?" Luckily the day was still moving along, if not somewhat slowly. To the left, a small clump of trees stood to the right of the path, about twenty feet off. Adriana swore she saw a keaton dash through the trunks and brambles, but then, she was never really sure what went on in Hyrule anymore.

xxxxxAdriana flashed her best smile, all her pearly whites shining with parsimony. Volare. What an interesting name for such an interesting man, she thought. Adriana swiveled around to once again face the man, locking her eyes with those swirly blue gems on his face. "Volare, eh? Well I'm Aria- traveling merchant, extraordinaire!" she said with a giggle, flailing her arms in a jubilant fashion. Ezhno gave a snort, followed by a blatant stare into space, clearly ready to ignore the monologue soon to come, where Adriana would sell her product to whatever pitiful being she could pitch her sale to. Yes, Adriana took any moment she could to sell something off, even if it meant waiting by a poe who would soon awaken in a very angry state. But suddenly, the man turned around and started stomping towards another path, completely converse to what she had expected.
xxxxx"W-wait, where are you going?" she cried out in anguish. If he left, that meant no money. No money meant no chance at purchasing her father's estate ever again, never becoming the potions master she dreamed of. She quickly skidded a few paces in front of the man, kicking up more dust than she meant to, clouding the pathway for a moment. When it cleared, she saw the very bottom of the poe begin to crackle and fizzle with life, the edges of the statues burning, as though smoldering on fire. Ezhno's eyes opened in wide panic, and he quickly tugged on the edge of Adriana's dress. "N-not now Ezzy," she mumbled, "I know I can hook him, I know I can."
xxxxx"Regardless of your musings ... Aria ... we have to move, and I mean it," the obstinate rejection in his eyes snapped Adriana from him greedy stance for rupees, his bright blue eyes now mirroring the storm which Adriana's once held. She gave a look to the beloved esper that a child gives one's mother after waking up- as though to say "please, just one more minute?" To Adriana's disappointed melancholy, the answer replied through Ezhno's eyes was "absolutely not." Ezhno really was the mature one, simply capping Adriana's childish fun. In that sense at least, Ezhno performed his esper duty well- he was a bit of an overachiever really, though he was much to prideful to ever admit it.
xxxxxAdriana took one last glance at the man named Volare, and then sighed, filling the air with an awkward tension. "Listen sir, there's a town down the road you're headin', but it isn't a place for folks like you and me. It's a thieves den, crawlin' up and down with people who just want to slit your throat and dig through your pockets. You sure you still wanna go?" The question hung in the air, similar to the way a keese would hang on an overpass, waiting for an unsuspecting stranger to fall under. And like the keese, Adriana waited for her moment to pounce.

xxxxxAdriana looked at the ground hesistantly, as if looking for what to do. She could stay here with the poe and the man, and possible make a sale on one of her bow and arrow sets. She could also run away and protect all three travelers, but perhaps at the cost of a customer- leaving her one step away from buying her father's shop back. Unfortunately, the man had now taken Ezhno's bait, and was suggesting a new place for discussion.
xxxxxEzhno stood in disbelief as the handsome man agreed with him, no questions asked. It made him even more uneasy about traveling with the stranger, but if Adriana was happy, he would not endanger that happiness. It was his duty, and Ezhno never did anything more than his duty. He glanced at Adriana, who was stilll smiling happily, as though there was no danger at all. His short, ebony fur flanked Adriana from the left side, pushing her farther and farther along the path, until she squealed, "Ezzyyyyy! I get it okay, I'm moving, I'm moving!" And with a huff, she did move. Sidestepping right in front of Volare, cutting him off from moving.
xxxxx"Well you heard the grumpy phantom, let's move, yeah?" She plodded ahead of the bulky man, hoping he would catch her drift and skid along with her. Walking backwards, she glanced back at the man- like a mother checking to see if a child had put on their raincoat. However, Adriana's motive was not nearly as sincere. She was examining the swarthy male to draw out a weakness for her merchant's eye. From what she could tell, he wasn't a talkative type, so selling him a fake gossip stone wouldn't do much good, and neither would a musical instrument- quiet people normally didn't do well with instruments. He was quite fetching, as well. This meant he could possibly be naturally good looking, or he cared quite a bit about his appearance. If the latter was true, she could probably swindle a few appearance looks, such as a mirror shield, to Volare. Yes, even as she walked, Adriana's calculating mind acquired from Dusan was fast at work. Truthfully, it was very judgmental of her, and often backfired, but in this sort of quick encounter, it wouldn't matter. She probably wouldn't see the man ever again, so rudeness was not a problem, as long as he wasn't a violent type- though he didn't look it.
xxxxxEzhno's ears perked at the mention of his name, and then flopped in disappointment at Adriana's ability to insult him so easily. "You know, this grumpy phantom can hear you," he said as they trotted along. But his words were lost, as Adriana suddenly broke into a run. Although the poe was just barely breaking free, she wasn't really scared. She wasn't afraid of death anymore- not if it meant reuniting herself with her loved ones with the goddesses. Truthfully, Adriana just wanted to break free from the awkward tension between the stranger and herself. Ezhno faithfully followed behind, as always. Did Volare follow behind her? She didn't dare turn around to check- it would ruin the moment.

xxxxxThe odd man named Volare pondered her words, and then a smile carefully cracked along his seemingly emotionless face. Finally, we're getting somewhere! Adriana thought. "Oh? And what are you smiling about you silly sir?" she shouted back at the man, who was now a great distance behind her current position. Taking a deep breath she turned around to stare at the now blue sky. It shined, echoing the velvety blue in Ezhno's eyes, an ironic counter to Adriana's clouded eyes. Knowing the poe was now great lengths in the distance, Adriana took in a happy breath of air, and then flopped straight onto the ground, as though gravity had suddenly taken effect on her. Ezhno trotted slowly beside her, as he wasn't nearly as light-footed nor light-spirited as Adriana. He hovered over her a moment, before taking a soldier-like position next to her now panting body. "Well that was fun," she managed to gasp out, before laughing hysterically, for no real reason at all. She was just invigorated by the beauty of day. Ezhno simply snorted and continued standing stoically, though secret he was quite happy that Adriana was in a content mood. Hopefully no one would bring up the lost sale, causing a return to her pessimistic mood displayed earlier.
xxxxxHowever, the content level that hung in the air was soon interrupted by a squealing phantom racing towards the stocky man, who, much to Adriana's disappointment, had not followed behind her in the pursuit of the wind. It squealed Volare's name, then had a rushed conversation with the man, much of which Adriana couldn't catch, as she was too far away. Although she was originally embarrassed to have such an awkward conversation, her embarrassment was soon overthrown by curiosity of this new installment. Adriana rushed back towards the man, eager to take a look at this phantom. Truthfully, she had seen many plain horse-like phantoms in Castle Town, (they were the preferred esper for travel, which many Castle Town citizens were masters of), she had never seen any as unique as Ezhno, what with his strange skull headress, and his glowing white eye. However, this new phantom seemed to be a deep brown, combined with a sultry teal, which immediately reminded her of the lost woods. By now, Adriana had made it back to the twosome. The phantom was standing adamantly, as though holding its position against a fierce wind. "Well well well, mister silent and heroic has a friend, does he? What's your name pretty thing?" she asked meaningfully to the horse.
xxxxx"It's rude to ask one's name before stating your own" said Ezhno, who was now trotting up to the chatting threesome.
xxxxx"Formalities, formalities," Adriana paused to blow a piece of hair out her face, then continued, "My name is Aria, equestrian, may I have the privilege of knowing your undoubtedly beautiful name?" She spoke in a vibrato voice, much like the royals as they spoke to the masses, standing high above a mass of gangling people in Castle Town. She gave a high unbelievable curtsy, emphasizing her bow as much as possible. "Is that pleasing to you, Sir Ezhno?" She batted. The horse did nothing but snort in response.

xxxxxWith a raised hand, Adriana stifled a giggle and put on her most serious, noble face. Ezhno, for once, actually looked quite pleased, and though he knew it was a ruse and would soon end, he was content to simply enjoy Adriana's refined presence. "So very pleased to make your accquaintance, beautiful Mint," Adriana spoke with delicate soft words, each syllable rolled carefully off her twisting tongue. Bartering wasn't the only skill she picked up in Castle Town. Adriana had impeccable speech, she could imitate any language, though not necessarily speak it. Fortunately, hylian was the dominant language in Hyrule. Adriana watched the small horse from the corners of her eyes, as the seagreen tail swished from side to side, rocking back and forth. It was mesmerizing, really. However, the petite phantom named Mint had already switched her precious attention to Ezhno.
xxxxxHowever, Ezhno was not easily flattered. He was an esper of duty, not careless flirting. He watched Mint circle him carefully, keeping his eyes on her, while also watching Adriana's movements out of the corner of his right, white eye. She was so unpredictable he felt as though he need to always keep watch over her, as a dog does her newborn puppies. Then Mint sat down in front of him and complimented him, obviously looking for some sign of affection back. The man Volare seemed amused, but Ezhno thought nothing of it. It wasn't like Ezhno to be rude to a lady though, so he curtly replied, "Thank you, you're very handsome yourself." Adriana rolled her eyes. It's just like Ezzy to use "handsome" as an adjective for a girl, she thought. Ezhno politely dipped his head, the strands of ribbons on his helmet swung obediently in the breeze that was now picking up. He subtly snuck a glance back at Volare- he still didn't trust the surly stranger. Then again, Ezhno didn't trust anyone, save for Adriana.
xxxxxNoticing Ezhno's clear discomfort at where the conversation was head, Adriana picked up her conversation with Volare. "I wasn't aware you had such a ... bubbly phantom there tough guy," she said, with a small nudge at Volare's side- which most likely bothered him. "Can I interest you in some carrots for your equestrian friend? Or what about a figurine of her. Mint's prolly' gonna love it you know," she finished with pizazz, the true merchant's gleam shining within her eyes. A quick glance was thrown at the ever increasingly uncomfortable Ezhno, who shot her a knowing look right back. The poe may have taken quite a bit of energy, but a simple figurine was nothing to him after so long.

The phantom really was strange. She seemed suspiciously bubbly, and Adriana didn't like it. It was incredibly hypocritical of her, but she felt it nonetheless. Perhaps it was an innate quality gained from her dislike of her sister's fake enthusiasm. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism from her childhood. Regardless, her eyes narrowed, if only for a moment. That moment ended as soon as a look of disdain came from Volare for nudging him. It was a look that a parent gave when scolding a child, but Adriana quickly forgot it as the esper spoke up. "Well don't you ever take a trip to Castle Town, you here? People's shoving you up and down those streets," she said with a mischievous giggle. The memories of Castle Town came flooding back to her, all of the zora's cries, the laughs of two gorons meeting each other after a long seperation. The hylians who squeezed past the ever fluctuating crowd, she missed it all really. Soon she would have enough money to buy back her father's store though, soon enough.
xxxxxAdriana's face perked up when she heard the man agree to buying some carrots. Perhaps he wasn't so bad after all. "Well I'm going to need the money first. These are rare carrots, and I can tell as soon as I hand 'em over, that cutie is going to gobble them up!" she exclaimed with her hand on her hip. She was joking, of course, but she did want the money up front. Never knew who you could trust on the Hylian roads. Ezhno, in turn, shuttered and walked up to Adriana so that she could reach into one of the infamous inventory bags. He still wasn't sure how Adriana fit everything into those bags, but she managed to one way or another- and know where everything was to boot. She skidded over the weapons bag, and went straight to her health bag. We'll save those weapons for later, yes we will, she thought. As she fumbled through the bag looking for her "rare" carrots, Ezhno snorted with impatience. Adriana rolled her eyes and stroked his barely visible mane to calm him down.
xxxxx"D'awww she isn't spoiled, just knows how to get what she wants is all," Adriana said with a laugh. "Just like my Ezzy here, isn't that right?" she continued, stroking him carefully, making sure not to get too close to his cap. Adriana looked him directly in his ocean eyes. Most people would cringe at the sight of his damaged eyes, but Adriana had grown used to it. Ezhno snorted once again in reply. Adriana knew fairly well that Ezhno wasn't spoiled in the least, but then, he never asked for anything either. She just wanted to make small talk with the man. She really did hate silence a bit too much.