Unexpectedly, a woman answers the door. Like the others, her cloak remains on but her hood is not shrouding her face. She has long, blonde hair that seems to be well cared for. Her fair face is home to a gleeful smile, and is not scarred like the previous man's was, but seems to be completely free of injuries and wounds. She must be in her mid-twenties, perhaps younger. Her blue eyes brighten as she spots her company.

Victor! You finally came to visit! I'm Helena, mysterious stranger Number 40! Glad to meet you face-to-face, finally. Gaw, it got so boring only hearing about you in the stories. Can I help you with anything?

Taken slightly by surprise at the sight of a woman in this dark and dreary place, Victor couldn't help but become a little shy. He flashed one of his smiles, then blushed a little and lowered his head so she couldn't see, though she may have caught it before he got the chance to hide his reddening face. Content with looking at his shoes, he made polite conversation.

"Err... umm, stories? What stories have you heard about me in? Surely I'm not... well, famous enough to be in stories?"

Helena can easily notice Victor's quick smile and blushed face. She smils and puts her hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

Now now, Victor, don't be bashful. I bet you weren't expecting any women in such a shady organization, were you? Ha! Well, I'm not the only one here, so get used to it.

Her words are assertive, but very friendly. Victor has every reason to wonder how such a lighthearted person ended up in a dark place like this. Restraining her hand, Helena crosses her arms and looks at the bard as if he were some kind of alien.

You don't know your own tales? That's so sad, Victor. They're mostly just stories of your endeavours in Hyrule, but we've even heard things about your personal life. You can thank the scholar for that if it bugs you, he really gets his homework done. Lately, we've even heard stories of your personality. Selerovisk says you're an easygoing person, whose priorities seem out of whack. Zayxin told us you're a compassionate and sympathetic fighter, but powerful nonetheless.

Helena yawns and stretches. With everyone seeming so tired, it is safe to assume that the hour is late.

I bet you want to see Thespin before you head off to your dorm, right? You'd better get going before everyone falls asleep!

Smiling still, Victor lost his ability to speak temporarily, thanks in part to the sudden knowledge that there were stories about him. The Bard nodded and backed away slowly from the girl's door, allowing her to close it, then turned and began up the stairs, still in a haze. True, he couldn't help but wonder how someone like her ended up in the organization, but then it hit him: he wasn't exactly a dark and dreary person himself! If he was here, well, surely there were people like him here as well!

Victor passed story after story of dormitories, always wondering who lived in the rooms, but never bothering to knock again until, finally, he reached the fifteenth floor. Suddenly overwhelmed by the desire to thank his savior, the Bard ran to the nearest door and knocked loudly, hoping that the room's inhabitant was not asleep...

A young man of about twenty-five opens the door, and stares into Victor's eyes. His face bears a smug grin under his cloudy, green eyes and his curly black hair. A jagged scar runs directly through his left eye, but the eye itself does not appear to be damaged. Hanging on the wall directly above his small bed is a strong bow of intricate design. The curve led into thin, sculpted dragon heads, and their is a finger-fitting grip where the man's hand would grasp the bow in combat, for maximum comfort. A quiver of arrows rests on the mattress.

So, you finally came to thank me. Well, don't mention it. Just doin' my job, see. But you couldn't have taken all this time to scout out my dormitory just to thank me and praise me as some kind of godlike eternal saviour. What can I do for ya?

Thespin is definitely not a Human, nor is he Hylian. Just as Helena and Derix had seemed to be of another race, Thespin is no different.

Victor smiled, partly because he had found the man who had saved him, and partly because he knew that he could now go to sleep. But upon taking a good look at Thespin, the Bard realized something that he had not before; he was of an unknown race. (OOC: Seriously, how come I never noticed that before? ) It was then that Victor realized that the others were similar, and so he decided to question Thespin about it.

"Well, there is one thing... If you don't mind me asking, what race are you, exactly? You don't seem to be Human, or Hylian, so... what is it?"

Thespin seems to ponder the question for a moment, then crosses his arms and laughs.

Ha! What race, indeed. Come on, you really don't know? I expected as much. Trinian! I'm a Trinian, and I doubt you've ever heard of that before. It's a fair distance north of Calatia. They call it "the musical capital of the world." Almost any person with Trinian blood has instrumental talent, to some extent. You're a bard, right? You'd probably love it there. Only one way to tell the difference 'tween Human and Trinian, and that's the eerie haze clouding our eyes. Small, but your pointy ears aren't much of a landmark either.

Laughing to himself as if he'd made a funny joke, he unfolds his arm and toys with his cloak, almost forgetting that he has company.

Well, Victor, you don't need worry about being indebted to me for saving you. I leave for my field assignment tomorrow, so I can't really enforce the age-old "slave for a week" payment. You'll just have to pay for drinks when I get back, got it?

Thespin holds out his hand to shake Victor's, in what he would refer to as "sealing the deal."

Victor, too, forgot that he was someone's company, for he began to imagine a land completely devoted to music. While in this daydream, he began to reach for his harp, almost taking it out. But before he could do that, the Bard returned to reality, and instead his hand found Thespin's.

"Sure, I'll gladly pay for drinks. I have to visit this 'Trinia' someday, too. But alas, I'm tired now. I should probably get some sleep. Good luck on your assignment, and thanks again!"

And with that, Victor left Thespin to his own sleep, heading up the stairs one more floor to reach his dorm.

Standing outside of Victor's room is another cloaked individual. He has dark, tanned skin and short red hair, and in the well-lit hall it is no challenge to guess that he is of Gerudic birth. But that would be an illogical assumption for the most obvious of reasons.

His voice, while deep and fearless, is mostly monotone and seems somewhat familiar. He places his hand on the door, indicating that this room is the one that Victor shall be sleeping in for this night.

I take it you met a few others? Derix, Jett, Helena and Thespin, all valuable assets to the goals of this group. Zayxin will be stirring you from your slumber tomorrow. There is not a possibility for oversleeping when that Goron is on wakeup call. You will be free to roam the castle and city tomorrow, until you are formally summoned.

The man pauses, allowing Victor to understand his words.

Victor didn't expect to find anyone outside his door, and so he stood there blinking confusedly until the man's words registered. Remembering the Goron from the entrance, the Bard hoped that there wouldn't be any hard feelings between the two of them. Smiling at the man at his door, he nodded.

"OK, thanks. Well... g'night."

Too tired to pay any more attention to the man, Victor made for the door to his dorm and entered...

As the door closes, the red-haired man turns and lowers his head, speaking to no one while keeping his eyes closed.

Ah, bard... Doesn't even know who he was just talking to. A tired fighter deserves all the rest he can get. Sleep, Victor. Tomorrow will bring a new day, and new realizations and information.

The red-haired man walks up the stairs to the eighteenth floor, the second of two floors designated to the the leaders of the pro-Hyrule organization.

Inside Victor's dorm is a plain bed, which is far nicer than the bed from the inn the night before. A lamp glows dimly on a table next to the bed, and beside it is a stack of books, some of which are dedicated to the art of music. Clearly, someone must have set this room up specially for the bard.

The mattress is quite comfortable, which should help Victor sleep. There is not much to do at this point but drift into slumber.

The room's coziness suddenly overwhelming Victor with a need to fall asleep, he stumbled over to the bed. The Bard didn't even notice the musical literature by his bedside, and just collapsed on the bed, gear and all. Without giving anything a second thought, he drifted off to sleep...

A thundering pounding is heard at the door some time later, followed by a curt shout.

Hey! Get up, Hylian!

The loud noise just won't go away. The red-haired man was right, Zayxin never fails a wakeup. He continues to knock, waiting for Victor to answer the door.

Startled from his sleep in mid-dream, Victor let out a loud shout, and tumbled off of the bed, hitting his head on the bedside table and knocking the books on top of him as well. Cursing under his breath, the Bard wondered what ungodly hour it could be; it seemed like he had gotten no sleep at all. Replacing the books back on the night table, Victor stomped over to the door, swung it open, and yelled.

"WHAT?!"

Just as the door swings open, a massive hand reaches into Victor's dormitory and picks him up as if he were literally weightless. The bard is flung into the hallway by the impatient Goron. Laughing, Zayxin helps Victor up off the ground.

About time you woke up. I've been pounding on that doorrrr for nearrrrly a full hourrrr.

His hood is not shrouding his face as it had been last time, and Victor is now able to see more than just his mouth. His face gives the impression that he's just another friendly Goron.

Good morrrning, Victorrr.