"What are you staring at?!"
"Nothing," Link replied quietly as he turned his attention back to the pot in front of him, staring at it more intently than usual. Staring at the subject of his thoughts helped him focus and work through the puzzles that lay in the world around him. Unfortunately, Revili despised being stared at.
It wasn't her irritability that bothered him. He had already accepted that she would likely always have a bite in her tone. As surprised as he was that she'd had some form of compassion while they sat atop the Veiled Falls, she had quickly reverted to her normal self and tried to act as though nothing had happened, but something had changed.
For starters, they had formed a new morning ritual that had persisted the first week after they had left the Domain behind. Every morning, Revili would check Link's wounds, clean them out if necessary, and then rebandage them. It didn't matter if Link had already done so himself, she refused to move until she had checked them herself.
Another interesting pattern that had emerged was a smaller campsite, or rather a reduced distance between the two. They still had their respective side, but more often than not, they could speak to each other in their normal speaking tones. The thing that was particularly interesting was that their unspoken rules had changed as a result. If both of them were close to the fire, then conversation was allowed. If, however, one or both fled to the outer reaches of the camp, then conversation was taboo.
He wasn't quite sure what had brought on the changes, but he wasn't really opposed to it.
The Hylian Champion still struggled with Mipha's death. Every morning was a swift reminder that he had to get up and live in a world without her in it. Some days, while difficult, were manageable. The world around him had lost so much of its color as the greens, browns, reds, blues, and yellows all faded to a dull, lifeless grey; however, it wasn't enough to make him forget the responsibilities he had. In fact, he could cling to that purpose and use it to push himself onwards.
Some days, her passing was enough to make him wonder what the point of getting up in the morning was. On the worst days, the knowledge made it difficult to get up, forcing his body to act on its own. On those days, he considered laying where he was and waiting for a monster or wild animal to come and send him from the world as well. Without a pilot, his body was forced to act on its own, moving through practiced motions to keep him alive.
Some days, he wished it would stop.
Coincidentally, those were the days that Revili chose to be the most demanding. Not only would she harp on him about his regular daily tasks, but she would throw on other chores that were entirely unnecessary. He couldn't help but think back to the day when she had thrown a brush at him and demanded that he tend to Fox's fur. When Link had replied that the animal was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, she gave him the choice of getting rid of Fox or attending to his fur.
He was fairly certain she hadn't meant it, but he wasn't really keen to test her on the subject. Unfortunately, Fox's splint had come off, meaning that his survival wasn't contingent on staying with them. He wasn't going to take any chances, so he acquiesced.
He supposed that such tasks, no matter how menial, helped to distract from thoughts concerning the late Zora Champion. Besides, doing such things wasn't actually something that bothered him, so he didn't really see the point in causing more problems by refusing.
"What?" Revili asked, only the barest irritation in her voice. It sounded to him more like she was trying to sound annoyed rather than actually being so. Maybe it was out of habit, or maybe it was because that was what had defined their relationship up to that point. Whatever it was, he was at least familiar enough with her to know that she was actually upset.
Yet.
"Just surprised," he replied, not lifting his eyes from his pot.
"Did they teach you how to answer questions without actually answering them while you were a squire?"
"You're sitting closer to the fire."
"That's what people do when they're cold."
Link suppressed the desire to roll his eyes. Even though the sun had long fallen below the horizon, it was still far from cold. Even if it was, her feathers would have helped her keep warm. All he could think was that she was hiding her real reasoning behind the pathetic excuse.
"Don't!" she snapped suddenly.
He frowned, asking a question with his eyes alone.
"That thing you're doing with your eyebrow," she replied hotly. "That always happens when you don't believe me."
He tilted his head his head to the side, trying to determine exactly what it was she was talking about. It took him a few seconds, but he could just barely feel his brow twitching ever so slightly.
He shouldn't have been surprised that she would notice such a small detail. With her superior eyesight and meticulous nature, it was almost inevitable that she would notice something so minute. Even so, he couldn't help but be impressed that she had not only noticed it but had attached some meaning to it.
It would certainly explain how she always knew he didn't believe her, even when he didn't call her out.
"It's not cold," he finally said as she continued to glare at him.
"Maybe it is to me."
"You have feathers," he pointed out.
"And that means I can't be cold?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes dangerously.
Link shrugged as he ladled more food into his bowl.
"Fine," she sighed. "I was just thinking that maybe it's a bit pointless to have so much extra space. Happy?"
Link shrugged again.
"That's not an answer."
"I was just curious."
"Oh, for the love of-will you ever learn to answer a simple question?!"
"No," Link answered, a tiny smile tugging at his lips.
"Oh great. Now you have a sense of humor," she grumbled as she crossed her wings. "Can you just make yourself useful and wash these dishes up?"
Link maintained his small smile as he gathered everything and walked it to a nearby pond. Though the instances were few and far between, sometimes, he could almost crawl out from the crushing sense of loss he had lived with since the Domain. Sometimes, he could almost see color again.
Revili flew above Link, watching her Hylian companion as he walked along below her. While their time in Zora's Domain had answered some questions about the Hylian, they raised even more questions then she'd had originally.
How long had he spent in the Domain? On that note, how had he come to be there in the first place? Why had he left if Mipha meant as much as he claimed?
Unfortunately, the least pertinent questions revolved around Link while the more pertinent ones revolved around her. Had she lost someone, and if so, who? Would she be able to cope with the loss?
The Rito Champion was coping with the loss of Mipha rather well; however, she and the Zora Champion were associates at best. They could work together when necessary, but beyond that, she couldn't say that she knew anything about Mipha other than that she'd had some sort of attachment to Link. She was forced to admit that Mipha's wasn't a true loss, and yet she couldn't help but feel a sense of dulled sorrow. It was enough to make her fear returning to the place she had called home.
Of course, she had only partially dealt with the problem. Instead, she chose to focus on getting to Death Mountain while dragging an emotionally scarred Hylian along with her. While he kept himself together most days, there were some in which she had to drag him along as she gave him menial tasks. He could have time to work through his loss, but she wasn't going to let him wallow in his misery needlessly. Too much was counting on them.
And it really bothered her.
It wasn't quite right to say that it aggravated her. As they had made their way from the Great Plateau, she had come to decide that, if nothing else, Link was at least purposeful in his actions. If he picked up a plant, tool, or any other random object, then she could be sure that he had some use for it, even if its intended purpose was beyond her. So, to see him looking around aimlessly, or sitting and staring off into the distance for extended periods was unsettling.
Yes, unsettled was a much better word. She had been working towards making peace with Link, even if some of his quirks were absolutely infuriating, but now she may as well have not been trying at all. The only thing that hadn't really changed was his quiet and the bloody staring he did.
By and large, though, he remained self-sufficient. He still cooked, ate, and kept himself reasonably clean and hygienic. A good chunk of it may have been him going through the motions, but at least he would remain alive and healthy.
Oddly enough, their conversation by the fire the night prior was the liveliest she had seen him since they had left the Domain. Though she didn't want to admit it, she had been somewhat thrilled to see him crack a smile. Even if it had been little more than a slight pulling up of the lips.
She frowned as the Hylian Champion stopped in his tracks suddenly. She dove down quickly, reaching him in a matter of seconds as he crouched low, motioning for her to do the same.
"What is it?" she hissed as she crouched next to him, readying her bow as she knocked an arrow.
She was irritated that he had somehow managed to spot a threat before she had. Even though they were technically in a wooded area, the trees were thin and sparse enough that there was very little she couldn't have seen. That meant that she had been distracted by her thoughts to notice any danger.
Stupid Link. He just had to go and get himself hurt, meaning that she had to figure out what the problem was and solve it, so she could be done babysitting him. Why was he so exhausting and infuriating all at the same time?
"Shh," Link hushed as he stepped slowly and silently into what little shrubbery there was.
"Dinsake!" she spat quietly. "Just tell me what we're up against!"
She could just barely see Link pointing, but not to a Bokoblin, Moblin, Lizalfo, or any other monster they had met thus far.
He was pointing to a deer.
"Are you kidding me?!" she snapped as she shot back to her full height. The buck's head snapped around and stared at her before bounding off, far beyond their reach.
Link sighed as he stood back up and frowned at her.
"Here I was thinking that you were in some sort of danger – but oh no! you were just chasing some stupid beast to hang up on your wall! Do you even have a wall to hang that on?!"
"I was planning on cooking it," he replied quietly.
"What?" She asked disbelievingly.
"You complained about constantly eating weeds."
Revili rubbed her eyes with the tips of her wings as she let out a deep breath. Of all the ridiculous things that she had been forced to endure since waking up in the Shrine of Resurrection, this one grated on her nerves the most.
"Thank you," Link said quietly.
"For what?" she growled as she dropped her wings, glaring at him again.
"For having my back."
"Don't be stupid." She was so surprised that she couldn't even formulate a response, instead, it seemed that her mouth had a reaction of its own. "If you die, then I'll have to find someone else to swing that magic, glowing stick that Rhoam and Dorephan mentioned."
Link didn't react in the slightest.
"Just… do me a favor and let me know before you go and do something stupid."
Link nodded before saying, "I'm going to do something stupid."
"Whatever," she replied as she spread her wings. "Don't come crying to me to patch you up again because you were acting like a child." She spread her wings and took to the skies before he could remind her that she was the one that had insisted on patching him up. She had dealt with enough confusion for one day.
A/N: And I'm back... with something.
Guest Reviews:
Jamesbirdsong: Thanks! Sorry it took me so long to respond (I suck, I know).
