Babble - Beyond Dimensions

Chapter 15: The one where you shop

In the end you still ended up flanked by three Links in front of a shop, which sold food, items and – surprise, surprise - clothes. The others had gone off to “learn” something. If that tumblr post and your experience were to be trusted they were probably searching for another one of these black portal thingies. Ugh, your stomach already twisted at the thought of having to go through that kind of experience again.

“It is a…?” Four, on the right to you asked, looking at you expectantly. “Shop” you said, annoyed.

He nodded.

“Shop … clothes.” “Sells.” “You…clothes.” “Buy.” “You buy clothes … money.” “With.”

Grinning Wild prepared his Sheikah slate. Probably to drown you in money, if Twilight’s exhausted sigh was to be trusted.

“No” you said annoyed and crossed your arms. They already had done so much for you, you didn’t need them to update your wardrobe on top. Plus yours were much more comfortable than anything here.

“Yes” echoed it from three mouths with different grades of pronunciation and motivation. Alright, you didn’t expect that. When had they all learned that phrase?

Defeated and outvoted you let yourself be dragged into the shop. There were some shelves with clothes to choose from, all right.

Twilight and Four took care of buying up their stock of food, arrows and who knows what else, while Wild dragged you to the clothes corner and picked up randomly clothes to hold against you. While he seemed caught deciding between two identical colored red shirt to try and hold against you, you made your escape.

Sighing, you went to the one that seemed to offer the cheapest clothes, some even seemed second hand. You were not going to pick those, though, who knows who wore these and your faith in the cleaning spells only went so far. Still, seeing as you had no choice in the matter and if you were to be forced to buy something, you would not cost them more money than necessary.

While the Wild searched for clothes for you on the more expensive shells, always flitting between you and them to show his choices to you and compare sizes (and why was he getting so invested in this?), you browsed alone in the cheap shelf.

You found a very baggy black trouser that probably would itch like crazy if worn on skin and thus probably wasn’t bought yet but which you could easily slip over your jeans for adaption.

Then, searching for a matching overall, your hands suddenly touched very soft and nice fabric. Confused, because what was doing something that nice in the cheapest stack, you pulled it out and almost regretted it immediately.

The long-sleeved tunic was such a bright yellow that seemed to practically glow as if it tried to burn your eyes away. For a second you considered stashing it away again as far back as you could, but then your inner gremlin awoke.

This tunic was surprisingly exactly your size. And well, they did want you to adapt to clothes here, right?

Also it would be a pity to have this probably very comfortable thing to rot away in the back of this shelf, wouldn’t it?

Cackling you went to the shopkeeper, who seemed to wear proto sunglasses. Clever guy. And he seemed very much relieved.

Quickly you paid the ten rupees (and wasn’t that ridiculously cheap in comparison to the letter? Economy here seems to really have gone down the drain) you still had for both clothes, before Wild could try to pay for you, and slipped the cloak he had gifted you (his refusal when you tried to give it back to him once again was very clear) off so you could pull the tunic on. Then you slipped the trousers over your jeans and put the cloak back on before grinning, cackling and turning to the Links who seemed very surprised and curious on what you had decided on.

Instantly they all turned away, nearly blinded by your tunic, before they also started to cackle (even Twilight, which was very surprising) as their inner gremlins got released.

You truly were the master of adaptability after all. You were not standing out anymore, after all, were you?

How long would it be until Time, who you figured the probably normally sensible command had come from him, would allow you to go back to your usual outfit?

…

Not even five seconds, it seemed.

Under the cackling of nearly everyone else (once they regained their sight, that is) he first facepalmed before throwing his hands up in despair.

You definitely counted that as a win as you stashed away the newly purchased clothes in your now stuffed backpack, next to your now fully with milk filled bottle.

Take that, old man.

And then the journey to who knows where continued, everything fell back into the old routine.

Until there was another black portal.

Sighing in defeat, decided to get this over and done with as fast as you could, already mentally waving your breakfast goodbye.

And then you went arm to arm, this time with Sky, into the portal once more.

And then you were falling once more through a rainbow of dark colors as reality stretched and bend around you.

And as you moved in milliseconds through time and space you felt as if you had the whole universe at your fingertips.

In those stolen milliseconds you could feel everything that was and ever will be. You heard whispered voices of the past and the present and the future.

Sky didn't seem to notice, it was as if time for him was stopped.

Your backpack never felt as heavy. It seemed as if there was a glow coming from it.

The notebook, you realized suddenly, with a scaring clarity.

The reason you experienced all of this was the notebook. The reason you were not paused was the notebook.

Meekly you looked around, now terrified of what this could mean for you, and caught green eyes and moving figures. The green eyes widened as you found yourselves staring at eachother for a second, before they suddenly disappeared.

And then you heard the voices once more, oh the voices.

A woman hummed a soft lullaby in a language you didn't know.

A little girl prayed for mercy, for a future for the people she wouldn't know.

A little boy held his only sibling close as he bravely stepped into a new reality for a new life, his parents left and right by his side.

A lost land mourned its loss of its only hope.

A new dimension that swallowed the traveler’s pasts and memories and integrated them into itself.

And people screamed as a black hole ate away at reality and swallowed half the bus in a rainbow of dark colors.

And then you were free.

Your knees gave in as you let go of Sky's arm before crawling away. Your breakfast ended up prematurely in one of the nearby bushes, while Sky now too fretted over you, having relieved you of your bag and rubbing your back. Once you were done, he gave you a water bottle so you may rid yourself of the horrible taste of vomit on your tongue. You took it for once without a second thought.

They had cleaning spells, right? That would probably take care of the bacteria anyway.

Once you had collected yourself enough, you looked up and realized that apparently you were not the only one affected, which was nice to know and was apparently a fact you had neglected to notice in your misery last time.

Apropos Time, he had a look on his face like he’d just won the lottery, even though he seemed to suffer from a monster headache at the same time.

You followed his gaze until you saw a familiar hill in the far, where you knew from uncountable replays was a certain ranch placed (and wasn’t it so weird to see this now in real life?). Guess you were now in Time’s time.

Well, let’s see what kind of surprises that would bring.