Paya

Paya

Character profile art from Tears of the Kingdom

Title	Chief of Kakariko Village
Race	Sheikah
Gender	Female
Games	Breath of the Wild Tears of the Kingdom
Location	Kakariko Village
Related	Impa (grandmother) Purah (great aunt)

Paya is a Sheikah character found in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

Breath of the Wild

A Sheikah scholar by trade, Paya is the granddaughter of Impa and first can be seen scrubbing the wood deck just outside of Lady Impa's Hall. Something of a bookworm, when Link first approaches her, she is very shy and embarrassed. She has a stuttering problem and repeatedly covers her face when talking. Paya recognizes Link's Sheikah Slate and knows that he's Link, the man his grandmother has been waiting for. Paya will initially refer to Link as Master Link and struggles to talk to him whenever he is close by.

Paya got her name as she has a birthmark shaped as a papaya seed and was named after that. After asking Paya where the birthmark is located, Paya becomes very embarrassed and Impa jumps in, telling Link to change the subject. Although Paya does promise to tell Link someday. Paya has a symbol inked on her face, which serves as a Talisman for the Sheikah. It is customary to have one for those who have a long and noble Sheikah lineage, to honor their past; each leader and future leader of the clan gets the tattoo, which is why Purah doesn't have one, despite being of the same family.

After speaking with Impa and completing the Seek Out Impa quest, Paya will fall into a more regular routine. She awakes at 9am each morning and heads downstairs to watch over the Sheikah Heirloom. This Ancient Orb resides right next to Paya and she will spend the majority of her day sitting and kneeling right beside it.

Paya is protecting the heirloom from the Yiga Clan and advises Link to be careful of their underhanded methods. Paya and Impa will advise Link to meet up with Cotera, the Great Fairy located just beyond Ta'loh Naeg Shrine that overlooks the village.

In the evening at 7pm, Paya will head outside to pray at one of the guardian deities located right down the stairs from Impa's Hall. Due to recent activity of the Yiga Clan, such as the murder of Dorian's Wife, women stay indoors at night, as they are more vulnerable than the men. This does not stop Paya, however, as one of the family's guards, Cado, is in her immediate vicinity. Link can speak to Paya while she prays, and she mentions that polishing these deities is her way of helping out Link. When walking outside, it is in the evening and Paya warns Link to be careful. Despite she states that the rain is truly a blessing, she will quickly run inside if it starts raining.

At 1am, she will head back inside and will go upstairs to her room. She spends the overnight hours sitting and jotting things down into her diary. She spends so much time praying and jotting things down, that before she knows it, it's already already morning. Thus, Paya never really has time to get sleep, but since she's helping protect the village, she is okay with it.

Link can speak with Paya at this time, although she gets frightened that Link sneaks up on her at this time of day. Despite getting barely any sleep herself, she encourages Link to get some sleep as it is unhealthy to get an extended amount of time without sleep. At 6am each morning, Paya will finally head to bed and yells at Link to leave as it is her private bedroom. If Link tries talking to Paya while she is sleeping, he can find that Paya is thinking about Link in her dreams.

Upstairs, in Impa's Hall, within Paya's bedroom, there is a diary that hints at Paya being attracted to Link.

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  Paya, as seen through the Camera Rune

Tears of the Kingdom

"The chief of the Sheikah tribe. She takes the duties she inherited from her grandmother Impa seriously, and she draws strength in her own way from being a gentle soul at heart.

She has considerable affection for Link, in part because of her grandmother's many tales about the hero who defeated the Calamity."

— In-game description

After Impa's retirement, Paya was promoted to be Chief of Kakariko Village, with Dorian as her assistant.

References

1. ↑ ""She [Paya] is a scholar, so there are many books [piled]." — Blurb detailing Paya's attic room, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Creating a Champion
2. ↑ "A man?! Huh? Is that-?! It's...a Sheikah Slate! Could you be the hero my grandmother told me about? What was his name? Li... Lin... Ummm... Oh, it's not that I forgot... I'm just bad with speaking. As for me, my name is Pa... Paaa... Paaay... Oh! My name is Paya! Phew! I got it out... I know I should be able to say that easily, seeing as how it's my own name and all. I'm so...sorry. Anyway, my grandmother's been awaiting your return ever since I was little. Plea...please hurry inside." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
3. ↑ "AHHHH! Master...Master Link! You...you're very close to me right now! I just... My...my grandmother is waiting for you at her abode. Please hurry to her!" — Paya, Breath of the Wild
4. ↑ "You... I... Me... You want to know my st-story? Well... My name is Paya. Th-the reason I was named Paya is because I have a birthmark shaped like a papaya seed." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
5. ↑ "Well... It's kinda..." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
6. ↑ "Um, Master Link... I advise you to change the subject." — Impa, Breath of the Wild
7. ↑ "I'll answer you some d-day... Just...just not today!" — Paya, Breath of the Wild
8. ↑ "Wh-wh-what?! There's something on my face? What are you speaking of... Oh! Are you perhaps referring to this crest? This symbol is a sort of talisman for the Sheikah. It wards off evil. It is customary for those with a long Sheikah lineage to have this crest inked onto their skin to honor their past." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
9. ↑ "This... This priceless artifact here? Is that what you want to know about? This is a Sheikah heirloom that we have long protected. "The hero, as chosen by the Sheikah heirloom, wiil be gifted the blessing of antiquity." With these words as our guide, we have watched over this sacred artifact since my grandmother's grandmother's time... And even since HER grandmother's grandmother's time before that! I cannot say that I entirely know the meaning of these words. But now that I think about it... "The hero, as chosen by the Sheikah heirloom..." Could it be..." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
10. ↑ "We Sheikah have long served the royal family of Hyrule in secret. During the Great Calamity of 100 years ago...the royal family was destroyed, and the members of our tribe scattered. Sadly, there were some who swore allegiance to Ganon at that time. They joined together as the Yiga Clan, seeking out all who opposed Ganon... cutting them down, one after another. Master Link, now that you are awake, you are surely the most formidable opponent standing against them! No doubt they will come for you, employing whatever underhanded methods they can devise... Oh, but of course, if there's anything I can do to help you, all you have to do is ask!" — Paya, Breath of the Wild
11. ↑ "The Great Fairy Cotera... Only a few remain who know this, but this village was built under her watchful eye. The mysterious power of Cotera is that of sacred protection... I suggest you seek her out." — Impa, Breath of the Wild
12. ↑ "The Great Fairy resides behind the shrine that overlooks this village. That is where you should seek her. You can put your trust in the Great Fairy. I can't think of any reason she wouldn't be happy to help you, Master Link." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
13. ↑ "I was just polishing the guardian deities. These deities are like signposts that guide us through our lives. Master Link, I want you to know that the path you are walking down is one we should all follow. I...I'm afraid doing stuff like this is the only thing I can do to help you..." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
14. ↑ "Link...are you leaving now? Darkness and evil are oft bedfellows. Beward the roads at night..." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
15. ↑ "M-Master Link! Wh-whatever is the matter at this hour? Dark magic prey upon the land when darkness falls... Please, promise to take care!" — Paya, Breath of the Wild
16. ↑ "There are those who hate the rain... I don't understand that. It nourishes all plant life, and it's sound is soothing to the hearts of all. I am thankful, even for the rain. It is truly a blessing." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
17. ↑ "I'm just j-jotting down some thoughts... Just my boring daily affairs and such. Really! Th-that's all it is!" — Paya, Breath of the Wild
18. ↑ "I'm seeing to the upkeep of the heirloom in Grandmother's stead...p-pating tribute to our guardian deities. I spend my days praying so that no disaster befalls the people or the village. When I finish and take a look around, it's already almost sunrise again... But that's OK! I always remind myself that I'm doing this for the sake of our people! Compared to that, sleep seems inconsequential." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
19. ↑ "P-please don't frighten me like that! Do you need something from me at this hour?" — Paya, Breath of the Wild
20. ↑ "It's almost dawn. If you haven't slept yet, you really should... Staying up late can't be great for your health." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
21. ↑ "Th-this is my private bedroom! Kindly take your leave!" — Paya, Breath of the Wild
22. ↑ "Master Link..." — Paya, Breath of the Wild
23. ↑ "Master Link himself looks so gallant... He is the very picture of the hero I always imagined. His blond sideburns flow like a golden waterfall over his dignified, pointy ears. And the way his hair is so perfectly parted to the side, wow! I don't know why, but my heart won't stop beating a mile a minute... (...) I spoke to Grandmother about what's been weighing on my mind lately. For the first time...my heart knows what it means to love. Though it may be a love that is never shared or returned, just having it for myself is gift enough. Seeing him brings me great joy... I bet he has that effect on everyone. I have only gratitude toward him for showing me what it's like to feel this way about someone. - Paya's Diary - Pages 2 and 6", Breath of the Wild

Trivia

• As shown in Age of Calamity, a century before the events of Breath of the Wild, Impa's youth appearance was nearly identical to that of Paya's, only that Impa's facial tattoos are blue/purple, and Impa's hair was longer and tied near to the end.