[Mari]

The tiny mage affectionately brushed her cheek up against Zelda's shoulder in response to the other's words, getting nice and comfy. She seemed like she needed a nap. The old woman meanwhile took a deep breath. Reaching out to take the artifact and compare it with the magical timepiece, the two had a ... superficially similar aesthetic. They stopwatch certainly looked more valuable, as it was gold plated, and one would be right to observe that it had a much greater magical weight to it if they could even detect such a thing. Also noteworthy, for those of you who pay close attention to the minute details of clocks, the stopwatch was, y'know--a stopwatch. Unlike the magical timepiece it had the ability to stop its hands from moving, a visible hint of its enhanced function. The clock face had only ten numbers and four hands, a dead giveaway that it was no normal clock, whereas the magical timepiece was just a normal clock that had been enchanted and repurposed.

"...Yes, this is it." the old woman affirmed, gently popping open the watch and turning to demonstrate its use to the group. "The position of the hands will always be relative to your year of birth. The 'hours' hand is decades. Be very careful when moving it. You wouldn't want to go too far! ...The minutes hand is years. I recommend this one; it's safer. The seconds hand is days. It's very precise however, and can also be used for hours. And this last, strange hand. ...It's life itself. For most people, it will do nothing. For those who have been reincarnated, however... I would advise not touching that one. Simply press the stop button once you've adjusted the time to activate it. ...And one last thought. Although anyone can use the watch, its effects will wear off unless it is kept on your person. Its magic exists outside of time itself, so have no fear of its effects being dispelled" she explained, eyeing Arle thoughtfully.

"Would you like to return to your normal age now, dearie..?" she asked, but Arle seemed reluctant to move from her comfortable spot. The mage considered this for a long moment. She had had a rough day, and she wasn't certain she wanted to handle any adult responsibilities right now. Somehow, she'd grown comfortable in this new form, as if she'd never been older in the first place. She didn't quite comprehend now, but she couldn't deny her feelings. " . . . Can I do it tomorrow..?" Arle would quietly request in a somewhat whiny tone, as if she weren't capable of making the choice for herself.


MISSION COMPLETE
Sub-Objective Complete

[TartoonHand94]

Zelda warmly welcomed the tiny mage to take a nap on her shoulder. As far as she was concerned, she had well earned. Besides, it was simply too cute to resist. As she hushed and soothed the youngling, Zelda watched the old woman compare the stopwatch with the magical timepiece with interest.
She paid close attention to the old woman’s instructions, nodding at each bullet point. Noticing he was curiously reaching for the stopwatch and having no free hand to slap his wrist, Zelda had to hip check Groose away from the old woman’s hand to stop him from de-aging himself into an even less mature man-child.

Zelda wasn’t sure how to feel about the old woman’s question. On one hand, she was happy and relieved that they had finally found and fixed the key to their mission completed. Yet on the other hand, she didn’t want to give up the bab napping on her shoulder so soon.
“Let’s let her decide when she wakes up.” Zelda whispered as she accepted the stop watch from the old woman. “Thank you ever so much for all of your help miss.” She whispered sincerely. “I wish there were something we could do for you…” She wondered her eyes panning up to Groose. It didn't take long for the wheels in Groose's head to start turning.

“…Hey I think there is!” Groose exclaimed to an immediate hush from Zelda.
“How’s about I rebuild your store, Grandma?” Groose boastingly offered in a whisper tone to match Zelda’s. “I’ll make it bigger and better than ever!”

Deciding that rebuilding the wooden shack would be too noisy for a napping child, let alone the Black Market being any place for a child at all, Zelda mounted her Loftwing once again to go out for a spin among the pillow fort of clouds in search of a peaceful spot for them both to nap.