The workshop lighthouse was abuzz with activity, with Robbie working clear into the night, his mechanical prowess forcing whizzes and buzzes in violently torn sounds through the air, forcing Urbosa and Daruk to shout over the noise to hear themselves. Revali was nowhere to be found, perhaps due to the noise, having retired to his room, as had Mipha, no doubt tiresome of the day-long inquiries and bustling movements no doubt required for Robbie's brand of research. In her place stood a bronze, mechanical statue of a thing, coiled around by blue ridges, indicative of the same designs that made up the Guardians that lined the Hylian landscape.

Link's eyes narrowed as he glanced upon the bulky suit, locking eyes with the helmet from which a glass visor poked put, the only section of the suit that had ties to the outside world. He pondered Mipha standing inside of it, before an aching pain shot through his heart, thinking of this ramshackle device not being enough to keep her alive.

He came to as Zelda followed him inside, turned aside as she was to hide her bandage, leaving her to question quietly, "What about my arm?"

"It's not even noticeable," Link whispered in reply, "Just act normal."

Zelda nodded, taking a step out from behind Link, jumping up in shock as Urbosa's voice rang out above Robbie's mess of sound, "What's with your arm?!"

Her eyes went wide in shock, though Link had already prepared a countermeasure, raising his hand to show his own bandage, "Her sword got away from her. At least she got a good lick in on me as well."

Urbosa shone a wily grin, grabbing the table as she leaned forward, about to pounce toward Zelda as she gabbed, "Well there you go! I was worried Link might've had the audacity to cut you up, but- In this case, it's only a lesson."

Zelda's eyes turned to Link, who only shrugged, used to the Gerudo's double standard when it came to Zelda by now, before he strode on deeper into the workshop, falling into a wooden chair to rest, now that the two of them had returned to whatever safety could be found within arm's reach of Robbie.

"Ah!" came the shrill, excitable voice of Robbie as he quickly threw his helmet from his head, tapping his foot in thought, though he quickly threw a scrupulous backhand to his face as if to conceal his words, "May I see you for a moment?"

Zelda watched him with surprise for a moment before peering toward the others for assurance before stepping forward, leaving Robbie to curl back toward the mechanical suit that more resembled a Guardian in Hylian form than anything else. The doctor curved a finger across his lips as he pushed a fist to his chin, examining the mechanism with skeptical eyes.

"The fruits of a day's work," he began with a flat sigh, "Sadly, there is little to show for it, Princess."

He reached a hand out in gesture, "I can manage it to withstand temperatures of up to seven hundred degrees, but that's only the lower tip of what might be the heat atop Eldin. The variance is immense, and I would hope to craft a suit able to withstand even the higher end, yet-"

Robbie frowned, "Even Guardians aren't known to reside so far up the mountain."

Crossing her arms in thought, Zelda spoke up, "Well, I mean, if it's impossible-"

"Nothing is impossible!" Robbie cried suddenly, catching the attention of the others across the room.

He peered over his shoulder toward them for a brief moment before returning to Zelda with a meandering voice, "I simply lack the understanding to solve this problem. That, or I'm looking at it the wrong way. Perhaps there's an angle I'm missing."

As the two of them conversed, Urbosa and Daruk returned their attention to one another, the Gerudo returning to her previous activity of spinning a metallic ring atop the table while eying Link suspiciously.

"So, elephant in the room," Urbosa spoke up, "We getting dinner?"

Daruk's mouth began to water as if on demand from some nebulous reality not his own, "Ah! An intriguing proposition indeed! You know, I- Uh…"

He had spun around in his chair to glance at Link himself, only catching the Hylian slumped low in his own seat, head fallen back against its arching backside with eyes closed, leaving the Goron disheartened, both by Link's state as well as the Goron's lack of culinary prowess.

A single eye opened as Link returned a stare of his own, "You could pull that stunt before, but I'm a Champion myself now. We share the labor now."

Daruk's face fell, "B- But-!"

"Surely you jest," Urbosa boldly replied, her voice a grandiose tone, "We've had, what, exactly two meals during this trip not prepared by you. I thought you enjoyed doing so."

He shook his head, "Regardless, I'm tired. It will have to be thrice after tonight."

"Tired," Urbosa nodded glibly, "Too tired for our incessant barking when we try and make stuff ourselves?"

Link remained still within his chair, the air surrounding them growing into still silence before Link to groan aloud in hearty distaste, grumbling obscenities as he worked his way to his feet, shaking his head while rubbing the tire from his face.

"Me and my…" he started with a strangling voice before starting toward the unassuming kitchenette Robbie had constructed atop the lighthouse's fireplace, which essentially was merely a cast iron plate, heated by the flames.

Urbosa and Daruk excitedly plodded along, the Goron immediately beginning to sweeten the deal, not only to whet his appetite, but to better encourage Link in the task, "We already did some rummaging! The ingredients brought here- the selection is vast!"

"Robbie gave us the okay," Urbosa explained with an equally whet palate, "So long as he gets a share, we're free to his cupboards."

Link frowned, "I only make soups, you know."

"Then make a soup! Just add a bunch of foreign ingredients! I'm done with routine!" Daruk exclaimed boisterously, his mind awash.

"Just- hush and let me think," Link sighed as he knelt down, swinging open the doors to Robbie's miniature cabinet, eyeing what ingredients were there to behold.

His eyes ran down the ingredients, knowing he had lied simply to keep this task simple. Now viewing the full magnificence of Robbie's Sheikah stock, an ill excitement met the front of Link's mind, now wishing to excitement, though thought better of offering more talent than he was willing for Urbosa to know in the future. He carefully began selecting ingredients, handing the bottles of spices and foodstuffs to Daruk to quickly line up atop a nearby table, though Link's slowly withered toward that memory of Mipha offering up her people's food for him. Now, perhaps, could be a chance to do the same for her.

He groaned, "The hell with it… Urbosa, go out and catch us a chicke-"

"Yes!" she shouted enthusiastically, rounding the cluttered maze of Sheikan equipment, "So more than soup?!"

"I suppose," Link frowned, returning to the cupboard as Urbosa flew out thr door, leaving behind only the massive THWAP of the door slamming shut.

Startled themselves by the commotion, Zelda and Robbie shifted further from the others to return to their own conversation, with Robbie twiddling his fingers carelessly, muttering, "-and you intend, simply, to study them?"

"Yes," Zelda acknowledged easily with a nod, "We've gathered rather extensive notes, as a matter of fact."

Robbie thrust his head upward in scholarly fastidiousness, "Ahh. Surely, I must see them!"

With a smile of brilliance, indicative of her excitement over displaying the Company's notes to an actual researcher, Zelda buried her hands into her bag, having long since taken Link's notebook as her own, "You know, I'm kind of thrilled to be speaking scholar-to-scholar for once."

"Well, I-" Robbie paused, tactfully rerouting his words, "There are others who have studied those Beasts. I believe I have a few books on the topic, but- The Divine Beasts were always beyond my range of intrigue, to be sure. That said, I would not doubt they share much in common-"

He straddled a thin framed pair of glasses along his face, rocking its bridge atop his nose and wiggling it until it became satisfactory, "-Guardians simply seem to be far more able to be understood and cross-engineered. Now, let's see here…"

His eyes jutted left to right as he took Zelda's notebook, studiously opened up to the notes Link had recited, lost, and then returned from memory before further recording their notes of Vah Ruta, before the doctor visibly began to tense up, unable to hide his brow from digging forward in confused contemplation.

Zelda's stomach fell in time with her lips, "W- What's wrong?"

"Well, I mean-" Robbie paused, miffed at such a critical reply being lobbed toward the Princess, before muttering, "You postulate that the Divine Beasts are somehow sentient?"

Zelda'a head tilted to the side, "Oh, that? That was just a legend that- Link must have notated that in passing. No, that's just a throwaway line."

A scrutinizing glance passed atop of Zelda as Robbie's eyes studied her, shrugging as he relieved her with a nod, "I see. That might be for the best. I've studied Guardians for a century now; allow me the honor of summarizing those Sheikan machines in a simple expression: you can condense them down to little more than scraps of metal. The Divine Beasts are no different. While they carry that name, Divine, they are still, yet, machines."

His eyes studied her face cryptically, "It is not my place to question your goals in this journey, but I would recommend not following that particular line of thought. At best, it's a waste of time. At worst, you're ascribing things that shouldn't be."

As though in offering, Robbie still gave a sudden, "The rest is interesting. The idea of a power source, much like the key lines between shrines- While not my line of expertise, it is intriguing nonetheless."

Zelda took in a deep breath, "I understand. I just-"

The door slammed open, revealing the unending darkness of night until Urbosa stepped through to cover the entire frame of the door, an already dressed chicken hanging from her hand as she smirked with primal expectation, roaring cheerfully, "Here it is! What's the menu!"

Having already assembled much of what already had been planned in his mind, Link simply shook his head while collecting some vegetables Daruk had dutifully chopped up, having needing to pause a moment to prevent his droll from reaching the ingredients.

"Just leave it here and- Daruk!"

Link snapped a hand to grab the carrot from Daruk's grasp, leaving the Goron dismayed with a whine, "C'mon! I'm hungry!"

"Look at yourself," Link mutter drolly, still agitated by the wolves of prey lingering above him.

Frowning at his rock-solid frame, Daruk merely shrugged, "I can still be hungry."

"And persistent," Link sighed.

Urbosa mused, piling in close to Daruk as the two feverishly followed Link to the cast iron slab over the fireplace before he could skilfully begin to wrap a few cutlets of chicken around the light sauce he had prepared along with a few other colorful vittles, essentially creating a simply-done wrap that would be rolled further into cabbage once cooked.

"It's not even anything high-class. It's just the same, quick stuff that's a staple of Hylian knights," Link shrugged, "It's fast to whip up, and in between shifts, time is a precious commodity."

"Downplay it all you'd like," Urbosa chided with her nose aflutter, "It smells amazing!"

Link shrugged, relieving himself of the compliment, thinking only of this meal as a repayment to Mipha for her own cuisine. This assemblage of ingredients was, at its base, true to his word; a basic preparation that knights of his class would prepare for its swiftness to cook. That said, what he had long grown accustomed to was little more than some protein and, maybe, one other ingredient. For Mipha, despite knowing she would have loved sharing with him something identical to his usual meals, he understood that she required something far more resembling of the brightness she had since brought to his life, much in the same vein as his life as a knight had only been expanded by her inclusion.

As such, he had carefully added a plethora of ingredients, hoping to better round it out, stuffing the chicken cutlets with green sauce, seasoned with herbs, surrounded by carrots and onions; something he only hoped would bring the woman he loved so much joy.

Laying out the chicken across the scalding griddle, Link left a small chunk of butter along the ends of the cutlets before rolling them up and concealing them beneath leaves of cabbage as Urbosa and Daruk's eyes glistened.

"Ooooh," Daruk mouthed in whisper, words all but having failed him.

Urbosa nodded, "'Oooh' is right."

"I don't really need the commentary," Link frowned as he focused on rolling up the cutlets.

With a quick wit, Urbosa charged, "We're not simply babbling along. We're studying. You complained so vehemently about us never cooking anything; we're just watching and learning to better help you later on!"

"If only I could believe that," Link replied with a critiquing glance.

Urbosa shot him daggers with her eyes, "You don't? Alright, then. Explain how you're going about this, and in a week's time, we'll replicate it. Won't we, Daruk?"

"Do what?!" the Goron exclaimed, "I-! I've just been sniffing!"

Link's lips curled mischievously, having found the weak link in Urbosa's excuse.

"Alright, I'll replicate it," Urbosa sighed.

Rolling his head along his shoulders, Link explained, "Fine. You just mix those herbs, add vinegar, mortar and pestle them into a fine vinaigrette, chop everything else, cut up the chicken, roll it up with a piece of butter- the chicken cooks while also allowing the butter to melt without scalding into a charred mess- and then cabbage roll everything up. Boom, completed."

Link quickly smacked a waiting paw from Daruk out of the air, "And make sure the chicken is cooked, otherwise you'll get sick."

Daruk frowned, "Pah! A Goron never gets ill!"

"You just got sick a week ago," Urbosa suddenly charged with conviction, "And we still don't know what did it."

His eyes shifting, Link furthered, "Well, we're gonna find out pretty quick if he can't keep his mitts to himself."

"I can't help if I'm freed from the same restraint as the two of you! In fact, that hot plate seems a mighty fine place for a nap!" Daruk critiqued hopefully.

Urbosa glared at him, "That literally has nothing to do with anything going on! We're supposed to be begging for a sample!"

"Ha!" Link suddenly spoke up with a rousing voice, betraying his earlier aloofness, "So you admit it!"

Crossing her arms, Urbosa took a forceful step back, her voice escaping in a haughty breath, "I can study and pine for things at the same time."

"Then could you study over there and leave me be?"

She frowned, "I'm the Chieftan of the Gerudo people; I'll study where I please, thank you."

"And I'm literally the farthest thing possible from one of your subjects," Link challenged, pushing his body back against Urbosa's encroaching frame, "So just-"

"Daruk!" Urbosa roused authoritatively, "Don't-!"

"He's also not-!"

"Daruk!"

The Goron merely took the opportunity to reach for the griddle pan, his fingers wiggling expectantly as Link suddenly allowed Urbosa ground if only to stop Daruk in his tracks, shouting, "Daruk!"

"What?!" Daruk pleaded, "I was simply making sure the iron was still hot!"

Link grit his teeth as Urbosa began reaching for a sampling of her own, "You two, just-!"

"I GOT IT!"

The three of them immediately jumped in surprise by the shrieking voice of Robbie, which all but pierced their ears by virtue of how shrill it was. Zelda was also perturbed by the sudden explosion of expression, though she quickly recovered as she grew interested in Robbie's movement, the small mechanic rushing to his suit with a renewed vigor after his mind as whirred back up to full speed.

"W- What is it?" Zelda wondered, her eyes cheating a glance up toward Link, who was also watching warily from the fireplace, missing Daruk's stealing of one of the cutlet rolls.

Robbie's voice shook in a feverish, high-strung movement as his arms zipped around excitedly, "That-! I-! I had it all wrong!"

He kicked free some of the tubing from the suit before stripping a panel from its frame, "Look, I-! I told you! We simply needed a new angle! I was so immensely preoccupied by the idea of the suit itself withstanding the heat of a volcano!"

Link's brow curved low.

"I was looking at it as if the suit needed to fully withstand the heat, but-! That's simply too high a mountain, so to speak, to overcome," Robbie explained with a heated pace, still restructuring the suit, "What if the suit works in tune with the heat and the Zora within it?"

"Pardon?" Zelda asked, her confusion growing insurmountable by the second.

"He said it!" Robbie explained without much direction, his head now buried within a compartment of the machine, his voice now echoing out from within it, "That intoxicating meal I can't stop admiring with my nasal cavity! What did he say- he surrounds something with something else to cook it without burning. What if, instead of treating the heat as an obstacle, this suit actually attracts the heat, before diffusing it with a Zora's natural biomechanics?"

Zelda poked her chin with a finger, deepening in thought, "I mean- I suppose?"

"Well, she isn't living up there, correct?" Robbie reasoned, "For a single trip, certainly, it can work!"

Link's lips curled in downtrodden realization.

The Sheikah engineer nodded as he emerged from the suit, "Allow me just tonight to make the proper modifications! Tomorrow, I will make the Royal Family proud!"

Zelda replied with untampered resolve, still uncertain as to Robbie's ideas, as well as Link's thoughts on the matter, much less Mipha's, though to simply leave the man to his work, she managed with a short, "…okay."

The amount of servings still dwindling due to Daruk's hand, Link cautiously returned his attention to their dinner, now too clouded to withstand the interloper's assault. He merely kept his attention on a single cutlet, saved for Mipha, knowing he wouldn't be hungry tonight, now that his mind was so rattled by the good doctor's progress.


Mipha stirred from her lengthy pose atop of the cot Zelda had prepared earlier in the night for her, her head peering toward the closet door as its handle began to noisily break the air with its turning. To her relief, Link emerged, only with difficulty as he shoved the door along its natural ajared path, its wooden shape halted by the endless amount of mechanical parts and trinkets Zelda had simply shifted to the side to better make room for the cot, though he managed his way inside, shutting the door behind him with a grumbling sigh, standing with his back turned toward Mipha for a moment as he dropped his head.

"Hey," Mipha managed through sleepy eyes, pushing herself to a seated position, "Sorry, I was tired. Robbie ran me ragged, literally; and that suit's not exactly light. I was just gonna rest my-"

Link turned toward her with a gradual swiftness, her eyes lighting up at the clothen surface cupped in his hand, adorned with his culinary creation, his happiness subdued only by Mipha's eyes focusing on the wrapped up dish instead of his darkened eyes.

"Wow! Is that dinner?" she wondered expectantly.

Nodding, Link answered as he approached her, "Sure is. I figured we'd had enough soup, so-"

"It looks magnificent!" Mipha exclaimed with sincere excitement, "Did you make it?"

Link sat beside her, allowing her a better vantage point as she went on without awaiting an answer, "Wow, it looks so good! It's just a little bulb of cabbage! I almost don't want to eat it!"

"Leaving a plate untouched is the biggest insult, you know," Link managed with a smile, earning him a giggle from Mipha as she reached for the small piece of food.

Her eyes alight with mystery, Mipha took the wrap and held it in her hand, carefully pulling away at the green covering, almost like gift wrap, as a plume of steam greeted her, leaving her to speak up, "Oh, it smells great! I must admit, I'm not all that accustomed to Hylian food, so…"

"I suppose this might be a decent introduction, then," Link nodded, "The meat is chicken, and that's just about a staple for Hylians. I don't think it'll be all that much like fish, but hopefully it's not bad."

Mipha poked at the interior of the cabbage, exploring the food rather than simply tasting it, until noticing Link's curious glance, her voice emerging embarrassed, "S- Sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for," he assured with a grin, "Just do as you do."

Mipha's eyes wide with self-consciousness, despite her continued curiosity, she paused her exploration, simply reaching for a piece of chicken, covered by the seasonings and the sauce Link had crafted, her silent contemplation leaving Link to explain, "It's kind of a fancy version of something we knights frequently eat. Figured you might like to experience it."

Her lips curled into a soft smile before she could nod with withheld excitement, replying, "Ab- Absolutely! I was already quite curious, but- knowing it's something you usually eat, I-"

She cautiously pulled the cutlet toward her mouth, carefully taking a bite from it before dropping the hot piece of chicken back onto the towel in her hand, her chewing quickening as she desperately bounced the portion back and forth to keep it from scorching her mouth.

"Sorry; I guess I should have mentioned that it was still hot," Link grinned at the dainty sort of dance her head began partaking in as she worked the bite down, shaking her head at his suggestion.

"N- No! It was fine!" Mipha assured, though her words were betrayed by her immediately clearing her throat.

Link asked, "Well, besides the heat, how'd you like it?"

"It was good!" responded Mipha vigorously, "I liked how, uh- The taste was- …good?"

Smirking, Link teased lightly, "I wasn't expecting an expose or anything on the subject."

"I know, but-" Mipha explained, "You made it. I wanted to appreciate it, I suppose."

Link shrugged, "I mean, you not spitting it out in disgust was compliment enough."

"Well, I know you're good at cooking, so I knew that wasn't going to happen, anyway," Mipha replied, sticking her tongue out at him before reaching for another bite, "It's really good, though."

Link nodded with silent care, turning his eyes to the floor so as to allow her a chance to eat without a pair of persistent eyes upon her. He twiddled his fingers, unable to retain a gentle smile at how carefully she was chewing, as it she were still attempting to form some astute opinion of the flavors he had offered, though his heart was still downtrodden with the thought of Robbie's newest discovery.

"I, uh-" Link began, his breath wavering in thoughts, "Robbie, I guess, was sort of lost in his research."

Mipha nodded, a twinge of sadness following her as she did so, "That's what he mentioned before I left to rest…"

"Well," Link began, knowing he couldn't escape from an explanation that everybody but she and Revali were strangers to, "He had something of a breakthrough, I suppose, so-"

Mipha dropped her hands to her knees as she turned toward Link, examining his slumped frame with disheartened eyes, despite her own marginal smile at the news, "I mean, that's not a sure thing, is it?"

"It could be," he acknowledged weakly, rubbing his hands together, "You know- You're the strongest person I know. Maybe not the strongest, physically, but- I mean, Urbosa and Daruk, they would probably- Look, what I'm trying to say is-"

He raised himself up, taking a sharp breath before running his hands over his face, turning to watch Mipha's face, "I put a sword in that girl's hand out there. I've done my share of stupid things in my life, much less on this trip- that stunt with Revali in the desert was, like, stupid on the scale of-"

"Link..?" Mipha spoke of softly, offering him a chance to reorient his thoughts.

"Sorry," he admitted, "I just- I didn't want a stupid decision to impact you. It's easy for me to do stupid things because that only affects me, but-"

Mipha took in a breath, prepared to interject, but Link was quick to cut her off, "I know- I understand. I'm yours, now."

He reached over to grab hold of her hand.

"It no longer affects only me now."

Mipha's lips curled uncertainly as her eyes peered down to watch his hand clutching onto hers with such strength, as if it were ever unable to let her free from its grasp.

"You know, we're sharing our foods with one another, we're sharing beds," Link concluded with a final, lengthy sigh, "It's not fair for us not to share this journey as well."

Her brow raised with intrigue, Mipha glanced up toward Link's weakened face, "You mean-?"

"So long as you're comfortable with whatever the heck Robbie's concocting out there- You're strong. Stronger than I'll ever hope to be," Link surmised easily, "I'd be happy…to share this journey with you."

Mipha grinned lightly at the sentiment, turning her attention toward the cutlet in her hand, "All this because of your cooking?"

"Yeah, well, it was kind of my fault to begin with," Link grumbled, "If I knew my cooking would end up with all this, I would've stopped and just been sick of bacon in beans my entire life…"

A softened giggle leapt free from Mipha as she reached a hand to Link's face opposite her own before pulling him closer, laying a quick kiss upon his cheek, leaving with a smile.

"I love that you can cook," Mipha assured, though her lips took on a mischievous form, "Even if you couldn't, your skin tastes good enough for me to be happy."

Link eyed her sidelong, "Okay, that's a tad creepy."

"Oh, hush," Mipha demanded before playfully bumping his arm with an elbow.

His eyes widened, "I've seen those tiny fish that latch on and suck blood and whatnot; I'm not about to be subject to your vampiric desires."

A wry smirk met him as Mipha assured simply, "Well, I suppose it's good you learned to cook, then."

She took another bite of her cutlet, leaving her vaguely teasing threat in the air for Link to chuckle over as he shook his head in exasperation, sighing in deep contentedness.

"You know," he spoke up, quietly, "Whatever comes of this-"

He turned to watch her beautiful frame, "You were right. These have been the best days. I wouldn't dare hope to experience another without you."

Embarrassed, Mipha bowed her head quickly, allowing her a moment to finish her bite of food, thankfully that, at least when it came to displays of such utter weakness, she was infinitely better equipped versus the man who blushed in those so tender moments.