[i]“Regardless, I did not come here to trade jibes. I wish to know the truth and full extent if your people's arrogance.”[/i]

A slight turn of Midna's head and a lazy lowering of her eyelids carried all the indication of patronization Ciela might want.   Like many of those living in the light of the goddesses, that luminous glow that revealed every fault in others and blinded those in oneself, this fairy was a hypocrite.  In the same sentence she denounced name-calling before proclaiming the entire Twili race to be arrogant.  Suddenly nauseated by the self-righteousness smeared on Ciela's smile, she turned to look at the morning light trickling in through the window and found it infinitely more interesting.  Dawn was a kind of twilight, too, though the herald of the coming day rather than the lonesome evening hours.

To Ciela's next words, Midna gave forth exactly the kind of condescension that she had expected.  Rather than waste energy denying her unwelcome visitor, Midna decided to pretend that she had misunderstood.  Her eyebrows shot up, and she stared, wide-eyed, down her nose at the irksome fairy.  [i]She truly does not understand how rude she's being,[/i] she concluded.  [i]If she's so much holier than me, should she be proving it by abstaining completely from common mudslinging?[/i]  She stood still as Ciela paced around her, positioning herself between the Twilight Princess and the door.  [i]Does she mean to stop me..?[/i]

She did not think long before giving Ciela her answer.  Her tone was deep and too rich, as if she were speaking to a child—no doubt the fairy would find that infuriating.  “Never, I am afraid.  Why, I am the first Twili to set foot in Hyrule in an eon.  You would not [i]believe[/i] how difficult it was to convince dad to get the Mirror working.”  As if all of Ciela's inquiries were answered, she abruptly turned and walked over to the bucket of water whereby her robes were laid and placed them in to soak.  She looked over her shoulder at Ciela, who seemed to be mercifully silent in thought.  “You were just leaving, I hope?”

-=-=-

A clatter from the inn's bar echoed through the building, reaching every ear in the hallway and drawing a lot of eyes.  Collapsed on the bar was the robed Twili Zant, face buried in the wood.  Next to him lay a half-filled cup of unknown liquor, and around him stood several townsfolk, laughing uproariously.  “These pale blokes must be the biggest lightweights in the whole kingdom!”  One chortled, slapping the unconscious Zant on the back roughly.  “One friendly bet and it's lights out!”  The couple of men took stools on either side of the limp Twili, and continued to speak in a raised tone, clearly in good spirits.  “Hope he don't get mad when he wakes up, though.  My brother was at that deal by the fountain last night.  Said this bloke fought the demon swordsman to a standstill.”  From there, their conversation drifted into other subjects, while Zant merely drifted into a state of heightened snoring.