Impa and I arrive at Vah Rudania just as the sun is setting behind the palm trees that border the parking lot. Before we head inside, I open Pik's chat on my phone. We haven't talked much this summer and while I was in Japan I promised myself to check in on him once I'm back in California.

"Hey Pik! How are you?" I ask in a voice message and quickly hit send because Impa is dragging me into the restaurant in hasty steps.

"I'm starving!" she groans, pulling the doors open.

The second we step into Vah Rudania, the delightful aromas of Japanese cuisine fill my nose and make me forget that I didn't want to come here tonight. I would have rather stayed home with Link and rested, but it's Friday night and Impa would have held an intervention if I canceled our Friday night dinner after being gone for the whole summer.

"See?" She lays her arm around my shoulders and flashes a bright smile at me. "I told you this would cheer you up!"

"I wasn't in need of cheering," I say, feeling pretty neutral.

"Oh please," she laughs. "All you've been thinking about is the lawsuit."

It's true. The lawsuit has indeed been bugging my mind but I try my best not to think about it too much. Father said Link and I have nothing to do with it, so I will act accordingly and pretend that I am not dying to see if Karusa is going to get his punishment after all.

Impa and I proceed to the bar where Daruk is serving sushi to his customers. We try to find two open seats but the place is bustling tonight! My eyes wander along the bar stools until they land on two very familiar faces! Mipha and Revali are sitting by themselves with a couple of empty seats next to them.

I'm surprised to see them here, and so is Revali, though he doesn't look as excited about it as me when his eyes spot me in the crowd. Impa and I claim the empty seats next to the lovely couple and despite the laughter and conversations that fill the bar with noise, I can still hear Revali's exaggerated sigh.

"What are you doing here, Princess?" He snarls when Impa and I claim the stools next to him.

Mipha turns her head and a smile pops up on her small, round face. "Hey there!" She greets us with a merry ring to her voice. It's like yin and yang right in front of me. How did these two end up dating? I suppose opposites really do attract.

"Good evening Mipha, how have you been?" I say, looking past Revali's frown.

"Splendid," Mipha chirps. "We are actually celebrating our 100-day anniversary today!"

"100 days, huh," Impa nods impressed, and, with both brows raised, aims her eyes at Revali. "I wonder which one of you has been counting. My money is on you, Ravioli."

"It's Revali," he huffs.

"Didn't deny it," Impa boasts. Then she leans close to my ear to whisper, "I'll make a great lawyer one day."

I ignored her and put on a smile. "Congratulations you guys! That's really great, I hope we're not intruding."

"Not at all," Mipha says before Revali gets the chance to disagree. I wonder how many days Link and I have been dating. Does the time that passed while he was in a coma count? If so, it's been more or less 6 months. With flushed cheeks, Mipha adds, "We chose Vah Rudania because this is where we met for the first time!"

"Oh! That's true," I say with a grin. "You were here with Link and bumped into Revali!"

"Speaking of which," Revali picks up his beer and tilts his head just enough to give me the side eye. "Where's your silent escort tonight?"

"Why? Do you miss him?" I tease, getting an honest but very fleeting laugh out of Revali.

"I know one place he certainly isn't going to be tonight," he says. "The frat party."

Impa whispers in my ear, "He didn't deny that he misses Link!"

I try my best to suppress the laugh that tickles my throat after her comment, then I whisper back to her, "You will make a fantastic lawyer."

"I don't even blame him anymore," Revali continues his rant, taking a sip from his glass. "That place sucks."

"You know, I always hear you complain about your fraternity, yet you are still there. If you hate it so much, why not just live somewhere else?" I ask him.

"It's expensive to live alone," he explains.

"You're not alone though," I nod at Mipha but she doesn't say anything in return. It's probably too early for them to move in together.

It's unfortunate how expensive the living costs are in California. Even a studio apartment is barely affordable anymore. That's why I sought shelter in the fraternity last year after I ran away from home without any money of my own. Thankfully Link took me in and allowed me to stay with him for free. Now it's my turn to give back and take care of him when he has nowhere else to go.

At first, I was worried that leaving him alone at my house would have the same effect on him as it did on me whenever Father left me alone as a child. But when I told Link that I'd be going to dinner with Impa, he just smiled and said he'd watch a movie in the theater and swim a couple of laps in the pool. I think he enjoys living in a mansion, even though he says he wants to find a cheap apartment downtown.

I don't understand why he is so determined in finding an apartment. He could be living at my house for free, but I suppose he is too selfish to accept such an offer. Especially after all the help that Father has provided him this year he feels it's his responsibility to be independent and strong. I wish he knew he didn't have to be, not anymore, not with me by his side.

When Daruk comes out of the kitchen to serve Revali's and Mipha's sushi, he nearly drops the plates as he jolts from excitement!

"Zelda!" he roars! "Impa!"

"Hello Daruk," we grin up at him, affected by his excitement.

"Haven't seen ya in ages!" He says. "Usually summer break is when I see you guys the most!"

"This summer break has kept us quite busy," I say.

"Yes! I heard!" He laughs heartily. "Revali here tells me you traveled to Japan!"

"Did he now?" I smirk at Revali but he looks the other way. I think it's cute that he talks about me when I'm not around. I bet he missed us at least once, even if he will never admit to that.

"So! How was it?" Daruk asks me full of elan, having forgotten all about the food he is holding only inches away from Mipha and Revali. "Did Link show you his hometown?"

"Yes, he showed me around Kyoto and Tsumago."

"Oh! Kyoto and Tsumago are great places to visit! Did you know that I am from Kyushu?"

"Where's that?" I ask curiously.

"It's pretty far from Kyoto, almost 8 hours by train if I'm not mistaken! But it's worth the visit. We have one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Japan! And in the world!"

"And why is that a reason to visit?" Impa laughs.

"Uh, Daruk?" Revali nods at the plates in the big man's hands, "Our food?"

Daruk's eyes dive down to the sushi he is holding and a gasp falls from his lips. "Oh my bad! Here you go, little guy!"

"Little?" Revali mutters to himself.

"What can I get for you two?" Daruk returns his attention to Impa and me. We've been ordering the same thing for the past 3 years and Daruk has stopped asking us that question at least two and a half years ago. Did he forget about our favorite food just because we haven't ordered it in a few months? "I'm just messin' with ya!" He cackles. "The usual, comin' right up!"

I knew he was kidding, but he still caught me off guard! Daruk leaves to prepare our food. In the meantime, we talk about the upcoming semester, and by "we" I mean everyone but Revali. He's silently eating his sushi, trying his best to avoid being part of the conversation.

"So what classes are you looking forward to the most?" Mipha asks us.

"None." Impa answers quickly.

"I'm excited for my archaeology class," I share with the group. "The course description mentions ancient civilizations and research in lost technology, artifacts and relics! I can't wait to dig deeper into those subjects!"

"6 feet deep seems appropriate," Revali joins the conversation, only to leave a rude comment, then he continues shoving sushi into his beak.

"Ugh! I can't believe school's starting in 3 days from today!" Impa whines. "Why do I feel like it's going to be so much harder than last year?"

"Because you're a law student now," I remind her, making her whine even louder.

"Law?!" Daruk is back with our food. "Guh... This could be a tough rock to swallow."

"Thanks for the encouragement," Impa sighs.

"Stay calm, Kiddo. You've got this!" Daruk laughs and gives her a pat on the shoulder.

"I'm taking 15 credit hours and none of them sound remotely interesting," Impa tells us.

Revali chuckles and rolls his eyes at the same time. "I'm taking 24 credits this semester."

"Hylia! Why so many?" I ask him in shock.

"I'm trying to graduate at the same time as Mipha."

"That way we can avoid a long distance relationship," Mipha says.

"Long distance?" I ask confused and question her. "Aren't you getting your Master's at HU?"

"It's still undecided," she tells us abashedly, as if she felt embarrassed to consider another school to transfer to. UCZD is renowned for their nursing program and their exceptional swim team. I wouldn't be surprised if she chose to go there instead of Hyrule. But it's ultimately up to her.

My phone vibrates and a text message from Pik appears on my screen.

*Come see for yourself!* It says, and attached is his location.

I click the map to see where he's at. The pin is pointing at a bar, located near the beach. My phone buzzes again and a new message appears.

*I'm playing there tonight. It'll be fun! You should bring your friends and Link!*

A bar? With live music? That sounds like a place that requires IDs. I text him back: *I'm underage.*

It only takes a few seconds to get a response from him: *Oh ship! I didn't know! I always thought you're in your twenties cause you're so mature. But hay, maybe we can play two gather in public one of these days just like old times!!*

Another message arrives: *Also, apologies for any typos! I'm using the voice-to-text feature because you know blindness and all that fun stuff and it's noisy here so I don't know if it's thank you working right. Let me know if you get any of this. Send. Did it send? Send.*

The chaos in his text message makes me laugh but it also fills my heart with sorrow. I wish he still had perfect sight... It must have been an incredible challenge to adjust to his new life in darkness. I wish there was something I could do to cheer him up. I bet it would mean a lot to him if we came to his gig.

Impa snatches the phone from me and scolds me for being distracted during our one-on-one night-out. "We're supposed to have fun tonight," she says, "Just you and me, no lovers!"

"We are having fun," I say with a shrug. "At least one of us is."

"The sass!" She gasps! "I'm confiscating your phone. You'll survive one night without Link."

"I wasn't even texting Link. I was just checking in on Pik because I haven't talked to him in a while and I know he's dealing with some stuff."

"What's he saying?" She asks, reading my chat history like the nosy little kid she is.

"He invited us to a gig," I tell her.

"Ohhh! Telma's bar!" She exclaims, looking at the location he sent. "Let's go there tonight!"

"What?" I shake my head in disapproval. "We can't. We're not 21."

"I've been there plenty of times," she shrugs. "It's mainly college kids who work there so they don't check for ID's."

"That doesn't sound reassuring," I laugh, imagining myself with a fake ID, going to clubs and dancing to loud music in a mini skirt.

"Come on, Princess!" Impa grabs my shoulders and shakes me back and forth to express her earnesty. "You don't have to drink to have fun. But let's go somewhere and do something fun! I've been so bored all summer, and now that you're back, we should celebrate! We can dance and take cute pics!"

"We can do that pretty much anywhere else."

"It's not the kind of bar you're picturing in your head. It's just a chill place to hang and share funny stories with other students. They serve food too and I don't even think you have to be 21 to get in. It's actually a really wholesome place and it's right by the pier!"

"Great, let's skip the bar and go straight to the pier then," I offer, secretly amused by her dramatic plea.

"That bar does sound fun," Mipha says to us.

"See? Mipha doesn't seem like the girl to party but even she says it seems fun!"

"Watch it," Revali barks at Impa, defending his girlfriend.

"I meant that as a compliment!" Impa explains. "Your girlfriend is cooler than mine."

"Watch it," I mimic Revali's voice, defending myself.

"Geez, never mind, I give up," Impa raises both hands in surrender. "We'll just stay here and do the same thing we've done for the past 3 years."

I got what I wanted, yet I don't feel satisfied. I've never been much of a nightlife person, and I'm always so focused on my studies. It's just not my thing. But, Impa is my best friend, and she seems so excited about it. Maybe I should step out of my comfort zone just this once.

It's not like I never have any fun, but I usually prefer quiet evenings, studying or reading. But Pik is performing and I've always wanted to support him at that. Maybe it won't be so bad, and we could all use a last day of fun before the semester starts.

I sigh in defeat. "Okay, let's go there..."

Impa's face lights up with joy. "Are you guys coming along?"

Revali looks at Mipha who gives him a shrug and nod, allowing him to make the decision. I know he doesn't really want to go but the idea of disappointing Mipha scares him more than a room full of loud, partying college kids. "Sure, we'll go too I guess."

"It's a party!" Impa cheers. My stomach flips at the mention of a party.

What if I go and end up not enjoying it at all? I hate crowded places, and I'm not into partying or drinking. But then again, I trust my best friend's judgment, even if it's not always the best. She knows me better than anyone. Maybe she just wants me to loosen up a bit. It could be a chance to bond with the others outside the usual college environment. Plus, who knows, maybe I'll surprise myself and actually have a good time.