Ricco's wooden dinghy arrives on the shores of Oblimos. The three of them disembark at the dock in front of the boathouse just as dawn breaks on the horizon.
"So you're dead...but you're alive?" Ricco still struggles to grasp the concept of resurrection.
"Yes." Imogen nods. "I must be centuries old, but alive nonetheless. Also totally lost. Where are we?"
"This is Oblimos." Ningan informs her. "Somewhere on the south-west coast."
"I see...perhaps a navigation spell is in order..."
"You can navigate yourself from here?" Ningan exclaims. "Do you think you could get us back to Hyrule?"
"No problem! I'm sure I saved it somewhere..." Imogen scavenges through the pages of her spell book. "You'd better say your goodbyes while I cast the spell."
Ningan waits patiently at the edge of the dock for Ricco to tie his dinghy up. For almost a year now, he has been under Ricco's care; the ex-naval officer who kept him fed and gave him shelter. Ningan had always been fascinated by his way of life; peaceful and tranquil, always in search of a daring adventure. Secretly, he envied Ricco and his easy life of retirement. But one aspect he certainly did not envy was his solitude. Was that something they perhaps shared?
"I'm sorry you didn't find what you were looking for on the Ghost Ship." Ningan shrugs apologetically.
"I can safely say I won't be returning there any time soon!" Ricco shakes the lunar chart in his hand, wrapped tightly with a black ribbon. "This will be safely locked away where no other unfortunate soul may happen upon it."
"Well I'm off home now: Hyrule calls."
"Thank you once again for rescuing me. I can't say I'll be going treasure-hunting for a while after that experience..."
"I'm sure that won't stop you." Ningan smirks. "You could even come with us."
"Come with you?"
"Hyrule is a land of both beauty and wonder." Ningan describes it with an air of abstraction and mysticism. "There are plenty of places to explore, from the highest mountains to the vastest lakes. There is also long history to unravel. You would love it."
"As much as I would love to join you on your exodus, I think it might be time for me to finally settle down." Ricco sighs. "We all grow old eventually. I can't be romping recklessly around the world forever."
As the golden sun slowly begins to rise, only the sound of the seagulls rousing from their nests disturbs their moment of tranquillity. Ningan bites his lip to restrain himself from emitting a witty retort as he internalises Ricco's overwhelming loneliness. A man he had once seen as a boring buffoon he now identified with on a personal level.
"Ningan!" Imogen calls from the boathouse. "I've cast a navigating ritual! Hyrule lies to the far north!"
"I'm on my way!" Ningan calls back. He turns back Ricco. "I guess I'll see you around."
"Good luck on your quest. May the winds guide you on your way."
They exchange a solid meaningful handshake. Ningan swiftly turns and strolls away to greet Imogen at the entrance to the boathouse.
She sits in the centre of a circle of pebbles with the spell book on her lap. "All finished with your farewells?"
Ningan nods. Imogen conclusively shuts the spell book on her lap and rises to her feet.
"To Hyrule!"
