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Impa groaned, looking herself up and down in the mirror of her room. She’d told Purah it wasn’t for her, but her big sister had insisted, and she’d never hear the end of it if she just skipped out. She wasn’t the most social girl ever, so she could admit to needing a push out the door now and then, but the selected dance was probably the worst choice she could have taken.
“Take a Trip Back in Time!” the ad had said. “Spend a night dancing and partying in the 20’s!”
“There’ll be food, people, music, and booze,” Purah had insisted, taking her out to shop for the materials almost the moment she’d seen the flyer. “Everything an antisocial outcast with no boyfriend needs!”
Purah’s efforts in crafting something appropriate for the twenties had resulted in a form-fitting gown which barely covered Impa’s knees, left her shoulders bare, and had a v-neck she was dead certain was going to result in her catching a cold. It was a nice cream color with navy blue highlights and red accents, but Impa felt incredibly exposed in it.
Bright side: if someone laughs, I can come home without looking for another excuse.
Forcing herself not to take too large of steps and tear the thing, Impa made her way to the dorm elevator. She thought she’d about got the hang of it when she remembered: there were stairs down from the front door.
“H-hold the lift!”
Impa did her best to turn around, fighting both heels and the accursedly tight bottom half, her arm at least having the mobility to stick out and stop the doors from shutting. She felt her brain perform a manual reboot as she saw who was coming towards her. Or rather, what she was wearing.
Zelda was in her programing course, and she was alright as mechies went, but Impa had never really talked with her. She now found she was unable to, given the girl was jogging along in a gown. Not a “please, my sister needs to get laid” kind of outfit, an honest-to-Goddess princess dress. The only thing throwing it off was a big hat she was wearing for some reason or other.
“Thank you- oh, hello Impa,” she greeted and thanked, her breath a little out of whack from the motion. “These are harder to get around in than you might think. I tripped twice just getting out of my door.”
“Huh,” was the best Impa could manage.
They walked together to the selected building, not really out of kinship or anything, just because they were both going there. Impa had to admit: Zelda cut an impressive figure, and she certainly pulled off the “I am the Princess, kneel” expression.
I guess she’s one of those people who get into the bit when they dress up. I wonder if it’s any fun?
Impa decided to check and adopted her best Cruella De Vil accent.
“You look simply marvelous tonight, darling,” she snooted.
She wasn’t able to hold it together as Zelda stumbled in shock, her haughty expression vanishing.
“I’m sorry,” Impa apologized between giggles. “I was trying to get into the style of this thing.”
“It’s- well, it’s quite alright,” Zelda mumbled, her blush of embarrassment fading as she smoothed her skirts and stood tall.
“In fact,” she said, returning her expression to her “Princess” mode, “I’m quite agreeable to be seeing you so out of fashion. Positively naked, I should say.”
Impa forced down her smirk, trying to stay in-character as well.
“Naked? Pish-posh,” she returned, not really knowing if that was the right word for her era. “I’m positively drowning in my day-to-day, not unlike you seem to be. Truly swimming through it, poor dear. This is how a lady lets her hair down.”
“There is hair let down, and hair of a certain region showing, my child,” Zelda pushed back, her lips and cheeks shaking as she forced her smile back.
They continued teasing each other and eventually just laughing as they entered the ballroom. Their good moods died as soon as they saw what was going on.
“Oh…” Zelda sighed.
“They meant 20 20’s…” Impa realized, seeing the dozens of people in pajamas, boxers, and various other ways of not being properly dressed, all with masks on.
The two girls looked at each other, giving small shrugs. Impa supposed that was her out, but she’d almost started looking forward to it.
“Oh don’t worry,” a loud voice called to them. “Come join the cool kids!”
They peeked in the room a bit more, seeing a little cluster of people wearing clothes that didn’t fit, but were nothing like theirs. The one calling for them was an amazon of a woman, probably a major student, her amber-caramel skin accenting the sirwal and skimpy top she had on. She was joined by a girl with some kind of prosthetic makeup on, a boy with blonde hair in knight’s armor, and a proud-looking guy in what could only be the tunic of a Roman Centurion.
“I thought it meant nineteen -twenties,” Impa explained, gesturing to herself.
“OH!” Zelda seemed to realize, looking her over properly now. “That explains it. I was mistaken in thinking it was eighteen -twenties.”
The woman who had called them over, Urbosa as Impa now recognized her, offered a fist-bump.
“Nice, but I’ve got you beat. Seventeen -twenties, with a bit of my own flare,” she boasted.
The knight raised his hand, and Impa started as she realized it was Link! She didn’t usually see him out of his blue hoodie, and the silver armor had thrown her off.
“ Fourteen- twenties,” he said softly.
Which of course meant the haughty boy looking like he’d just proved a very difficult point in a debate must be-
“ Twenties ,” Revali said smugly. “Twenty-four CE to be precise.”
Impa forced herself not to roll her eyes, instead looking to the remaining girl. She was trying to hide behind Urbosa and Link, but they kept moving so she couldn’t.
“I don’t believe that’s attire from any twenties I’m aware of,” Zelda pointed out.
The girl squeaked, her already red face getting darker with the blush under the makeup.
“W-well…” she mumbled, stepping forward and revealing a double-breasted, maroon uniform that Impa recognized from her sister’s favorite movie. Wrath of John or something silly like that. “My roommate didn’t tell me anything except it was a costume party and themed around a different time. She said twenty-three- twenties was fine!”
For a moment, they all stood in silence. Then they all started laughing.
Impa was glad she’d come.