lurelin

Lurelin was a pretty quiet village. The people there rarely left and even rarer did someone move in. So when a kind, enthusiastic merchant came to sell his wares, it was hard not to notice. 

Villagers swarmed the young man after he set down his huge backpack on the sand and set up shop, but Viero watched from a distance. 

Viero lived on the fringes of the fishing town, making a peaceful but lonely life away from the Zora's Domain. He was simply here for the surf and the weather. The Hylians weren't his concern, but he found himself walking into the crowd to meet the merchant. 

He looked like he fit right in with the village with his tan skin and sapphire eyes, but Viero had never seen a Hylian that looked so… interesting. He greeted everyone with a grin and his horn-like tufts of hair swayed in the sea breeze. It was as if the Calamity never reached this man's eyes or pure smile. 

Viero couldn't help but lose himself in gazing at him. He was so lost that he didn't realize he was caught. 

"Hello!" The man called out to the Zora, then motioned to his wares. "Did you see something you were interested in?"

"N-No. Sorry." Viero ducked his head from embarrassment and made to turn, only for the man to wave for his attention again.

"I was hoping you'd come over here eventually, actually! I've never seen a Zora so far away from the domain before, and with such a lovely pink color, too."

Slight warmth rose on Viero's face at the compliment. No one had ever complimented him so directly before. It stunned him into an awkward silence, but the Hylian took it in stride.

"I'm Beetle! I'm a traveling merchant." He stuck out his hand, and Viero tentatively took it in his own.

"I'm Viero… I moved here not long ago. I prefer the beach here to the torrential rain in the Lanayru region."

"Viero! What a great name." Beetle chimed before giving very enthusiastically shaking Viero's hand. "I came here for the beach as well! My boss told me it's the best place to catch insects, but I haven't really had a chance to look. The people here don't have merchants visit much, so I'm busy all day!"

"A guy named Beetle likes bugs?" Viero laughed hoarsely, and somehow Beetle's smile got even bigger. "There's tons of them over at Rimba Beach when the sun goes down …If you need a guide, I can take you there tonight if you want."

Beetle's wide sparkling eyes and quick inhale were more than enough to tell Viero that the offer was taken. Before Beetle could speak, Viero pointed behind him. "I'll be waiting over that hill."

Beetle whipped his head to look, then turned back to Viero with an expression that could part even the worst rainclouds. "Oh, thank you! I'll definitely be there. I'll find you when my business is all done."

…

It was nightfall when Beetle was finally able to zip up his pack and call it a day. Having a lot of goods and rupees to bring back to his boss was great, but he was really looking forward to getting to unwind with the beautiful Zora that caught his eye. 

He put his backpack somewhere safe and made his way through the sleepy town, to the hill path Viero pointed out to him before. The trail and the pond were surrounded by rose colored hibiscus and lit by torches. Lurelin was already an oasis, but calm washed over Beetle as he listened to the waterfall and soft breeze. 

A form swam beneath the surface of the pond. Beetle was mesmerized as it turned in circles then moved to approach him. Viero lifted himself out of the water and onto the small deck with ease. His piebald pink skin and teal eyes sparkled under the firelight. 

Beetle's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't get out more than a slightly breathless, "Hey."

Viero smiled at him as he stood. "Hey… let's get down there before the bugs go to sleep." Beetle's gaze followed the Zora as he walked past, then he remembered his legs and sprinted to catch up.

The beach was flat with a horizon of ocean as far as the eye could see. It was a beautiful place with wild horses and tropical plants. It didn't take them long to find what they came for. Large, hard shelled beetles sat on many of the palm trees lining the shore.

They got to work immediately, but catching the bugs was more difficult than either of them anticipated. Viero, like most Zoras, wore jangly trinkets and jewels that seemed to be pretty effective insect repellent. Beetle was an experienced bug catcher, but his excitement got the better of him as he tried to approach his prey too quickly.

After nearly an hour of no luck, the two started wandering back toward the town. Viero just enjoyed the adventure, but Beetle seemed a little disappointed… until they spotted something sparkling. A bug sat on the tree just outside the entrance to the village, and Beetle approached it carefully with a determined look on his face.

Just as it was readying to fly away, the Hylian cupped his hands around the insect. Viero clapped a little ways away, and Beetle looked like he was doing everything to keep himself from jumping from excitement.

He sprinted back to Viero and carefully opened his hands just enough to look at his new pet. "It's an Energetic Rhino Beetle! This is one of the rarest beetles there is! It's such a beauty, isn't it? It looks like it's made of gold."

"What are you going to do with it?" Viero asked, and Beetle was a little surprised by the question. He looked at the bug while he considered.

"Well, these guys don't make great traveling pets, so I'll take it back to my boss tomorrow since he likes bugs too, then I'll just release it."

Viero smiled softly at the answer. "That's sweet of you… to just want to admire it then let it be free."

A comfortable silence came over the two as they returned to Lurelin. Their footsteps were muted by the sand, allowing the ocean to be the only noise in the quiet village. Viero walked with Beetle to the inn, and when it came time for them to part ways, neither of them could bring themself to move. 

Beetle was the first to speak, though a bit sheepishly. "Ah… it's a shame that I'll have to head out in the morning, but I'm so glad I got to spend this time with you."

"Come back." Both of them were surprised by the demanding tone in Viero's voice. The Zora immediately looked embarrassed and fidgeted with one of his fins. "I'll… I'll have more bugs for you. I want to see you again, if that's okay."

Beetle laughed warmly in response. Neither of them could see the other blushing in the dim moonlight, but they knew they'd see each other again one day.