Link poked a lengthy branch into the fire, stoking its flames as they picked at the bottom of the pot hanging there, keeping the fire hot enough to adequately heat up their dinner. Soup was, once again, on the menu, though Link had collaborated with Revali when it came to the "finest of ingredients in Hyrule", which, coincidentally, all hailed from Hebra. Link afforded the Rito the same placid demeanor as hed grown accustomed to, though a quick snuff of the delightful odor rising from the cauldron quickly forced Link's intrigue as Revali dropped a few carrots into the stew.

"Keep it hot! The rhinoceros meat won't tenderize properly if the heat is too tepid!" Revali instructed, quickly falling to his knees to blow at the flame opposite Link's prodding, causing the flame to burn ever brighter beneath their tandem practice.

"Instruct him well! Bahaha!" Daruk laughed heartily, slapping his knee as he shook his head, returning to his chopping of vegetables, "I've not had rhinoceros before, and I'd hate for my Brother to ruin such an extravagant occasion!"

Zelda's brow furrowed with confusion as she paused her own chopping duty, the two having been relegated to such, before muttering aloud, "I thought you just said, earlier, that you had no taste buds."

"Ah, but does not a donkey feel without fingers?" Daruk spoke with confusingly baffled air.

Zelda thought for a moment before retorting unsurely, "I mean, yes, it does, but what does have to do with anything?"

"Hmm," Daruk sounded aloud almost in musing thought, though it became clear enough that his muted groaning was rather his mind pondering those cuisines he had come to find most delectable in his days, "Well, we Gorons taste differently, you see. We feel texture, coarseness; we catch hints of minerals from the creatures of this world, and even with most fauna, we can detect hints of minerals and sediments. You may taste elk, but I taste a robust conglomeration of iron, zinc- and even the more delectable minerals, like potassium and magnesium! Oh, talk about a wonderful dining experience!"

"That sounds so fascinating," Zelda spoke up with awe, "Your tongue acts like a dog's nose!"

Daruk shuddered, recoiling back with a nervous tremble, "I- That is to say- Ahem! I do not believe that to be an…adequate comparison. We use our tongues to taste. Dogs use their snouts to- I don't know, track down and eat, alive, their meals!"

A grin hiding his soft chuckling, Link eyed the Goron from afar, speaking up, "What do you mean? Tell him about Bitty."

"B- Bitty?!" Daruk shook.

"Ah, yes! Bitty wouldn't hurt a fly!" Zelda explained happily, "She'd stroll up to you and just plop down at your feet and-"

"Attack your ankles?!"

Zelda's eyes lit up in surprise, falling into a mischievous expression as she recognized what she'd inadvertently been doing, directing her course along the path Link had begun, "Oh, worse! Bitty would get into a play bow, bare her teeth and-"

"Hike her shirt up over her head after getting caught stealing cookies in the middle of the night?" Daruk smirked evilly, bursting out in massive chuckles as he wholly abandoned the vegetables he'd been directed to chop, "Bwah ha ha! Thought you'd get one over on ol' Daruk, huh?!"

Zelda's face lessened into an expression of wholesale lack of amusement, eyes coursing across the campsite toward Link as the soldier chuckled while poking at the fire, shrugging as he noticed the glare upon him, "Hey, if you're willing to make jokes, you have to able to take 'em as well. At least, that's how it was in the academy."

"I wasn't even going to tease him until you- How did you hear about that, anyway?!" Zelda inquired, suddenly turning crimson once mulling over what Daruk had said in its entirety.

Shrugging, Link admitted, "Urbosa."

Clenching a fist in front of her before pulling it downward, Zelda frowned with a righteous coursing of frustration, her voice low and irritated, "Urbosa…"

"Wasn't any worse than Daruk's anticline story," Link shrugged, loosening Zelda's frustration in favor of curiosity as Daruk clamped up in an I stant, staring warily toward Link with begging eyes.

Revali clicked in a scolding voice, "Would you two get back to work?! If the vegetables aren't added at the exact time, not to mention chopped to m stricty specifications, how do you expect this stew to be any good?!"

"Tch," Daruk flinched painfully as he and Zelda slowly returning to their repetitive movements atop their wooden slabs made to be cutting boards, "You're taking all the fun out of it, you know."

"Fun?" Revali frowned, "There is nothing amusing about sustenance! We must eat to survive; every meal is a battle for our continuing existence! That it tastes good is of little consequence, but to add fun to such a meticulous exercise is laughable."

Link absently muttered in reply as he remained fixated on the ever-flickering flames, "I don't hear you laughing."

"'tis a figure of speech," Revali explained with a droll expression, rolling his eyes in time with his head as it rolled along his shoulders, "I haven't laughed since I gained the entirety of my mental faculties. What I meant by that phrase was that it brings me joy of a certain bemusing, pitiable sort; how could any being find the battle for life to be enjoyable?"

Zelda smiled, "They say laughter is the best medicine, you know."

"And you would wish to discredit the work of our most advanced Rito medicaments?" Revali clicked heatedly, exclaiming, "By the stars…"

"Birdbrain," Link spoke up, locking eyes with Revali through the flames, "That's another one of those figures of speech you're so versed in."

"An idiom, to be specific," Zelda nodded graciously with a smile before wrapping a finger thoughtfully along her chin, "Or, I suppose it's a proverb?"

Cawing with an irritated look upon his face, Revali shrugged off the discussion with an immediate, "Just finish up those vegetables, you two! And pray the others return soon enough with all the herbs we'll need; this rhinoceros meat is just about complete."

"Oh! I'm locked in excitement!" Daruk mused with passionate expectation while speeding up his cutting.

Zelda followed along at a less severe pace, giving her the ability to continue speaking, which she did as she shoved a knife through a piece of carrot, "I mean, we don't have to find enjoyment in cooking. We could…"

She hummed expectantly before perking up, "Oh! Link, tell the story about the bodice ripper!"

His eyes twisting in confusion, Link frowned, "What?"

"You've only ever told me it to me once; you'd tell it so much better!"

"Yeah, but-" Link hesitated, "I didn't even want to tell it to you. That was only after you threatened to discharge me."

"Oh ho!," Daruk chortled, "How did that go down?!"

Link groaned, "It was during that strange period of time where she no longer wanted to kill me, but was in this phase of trying to be a real woman- that is, a commoner. So she asked me to tell her a few jokes from the Knights' Academy, which I told her were incredibly crass, but she insisted under penalty of me bring disbarred."

He shrugged, speaking plainly, "She couldn't steal a glance at me without blushing for a week."

"Be that as it may…" Zelda uttered lowly, her breath nearly hissing through clenched teeth, "I think Revali might appreciate the humor."

Sitting back onto the ground, his attention resting upon the mighty flames that surrounded the cauldron before him, Link rolled his eyes with defeat before ultimately acquiescing, treading softly with his words, more for illustrative effect than any sort of reverence. Daruk sat forward, pausing his chopping as his eyes widened, mouth clumsily falling open as Link recited the joke. For all of her insistence, Zelda felt a ferocious blush of crimson attack her face as the joke passed through the air, finding herself almost terrorized by embarrassment, even knowing the conclusion of the joke.

"…but that's why Hylian men pull their socks only halfway up," Link shrugged, as though desensitized by the joke.

Daruk immediately burst into laughter, leaning forward, striking his knee with jovial flair, "BWAH HA HAAA!"

Too embarrassed to laugh, Zelda instead turned away from the others, directing an outstretched hand to the side if her face to shield herself from their stares.

"Oh, goddess; you asked me to say it!" Link complained, aiming a stare toward Revali, "He's not even laughing."

Frowning, Revali's head fell to his shoulder in utter disinterest, "The joke is that the blacksmith's son was at work doing what is normally expected of the daughter."

"Okay, yes, but it's all in the delivery. That's why I spent two whole minutes setting the story up," Link explained with a heavy exhale, "He wasn't even on the clock, remember."

"BWAH HAAA! I forgot that part!" Daruk bemused happily, wiping away a tear.

Revali twisted his lips, "Then your delivery was all wrong. Honestly, you can't expect to make anybody laugh with your abilities."

"Daruk is literally laughing…"

"Pah," Revali scoffed, "Nobody who has more than rocks for brains."

Link turned toward Daruk, expecting a retort, though Daruk merely agreed, returning to his chopping, "I mean, he's not wrong. But that was good, though, Brother! You should take it on the road!"

"That drivel? Pshaw! Allow me to demonstrate proper joke-making," Revali goaded, clearing his through before Link interrupted his preparation.

"You might as well wait for the others, you know. Mipha and Urbosa will be back soon; they would love to be educated, themselves, on how to joke-make," Link explained, feigning innocence.

Revali pondered for a moment before quickly concluding, "Hmm, yes. You might understand, well enough, after all. I would absolutely detest depriving them of such an experience, on this, the final day of this whole expedition."

"Hmm, if your other talents smell nearly as good as that stew, you most definitely should run the gambit!" Daruk cheered, amused.

Finally recovering from her earlier embarrassment, Zelda cleared her throat, sitting up straight in all her regal decorum as she sat her hands prissily atop her legs, "Yes, Revali, you must demonstrate your many skills for us while we're here."

Daruk and Link turned toward her, both seething with curiosity at the normally casual woman before them, leaving Link to recommend, "If you poke her side, she's tickle-"

"I am not~!" Zelda retorted, recoiling at nothing and immediately giggling despite the absence of anything foreign to the touch, immediately losing her dignified manner.

"Vegetables!" Revali declared with a heated breath, "Hurry now!"

Jumping in their seats at the suddenness of it all, Zelda and Daruk quickly rose up, grabbing their cutting boards and making pitter-patter steps as they rushed to the cauldron, carefully dumping the chopped up results of their work within the heated vat of brothy savoryness.

"And now we wait. Pah! Those two!" Revali complained, peering over his shoulder.

Zelda reassured him, turning to glance out toward the Tabantha wilderness herself, "They'll be back soon enough. Safe and sou-"

"I care not for their safety if the stew overcooks!" Revali complained, crossing his arms angrily as he spun away, walking off to pace in wait.

Eying Link as the soldier took to his feet, Zelda sighed, "He's taking this meal very seriously."

"I'm no psychologist, but I don't think this us about stew," Link spoke with furtive disinterest, crossing his arms before inquiring further, "Daruk, what do you think?"

The Goron ran a finger up and down the side of his head, "Hmm. You're thinking this is his way of apologizing for his previous behavior without having to actually apologize?"

"I said I'm not a psychologist," Link shrugged, "But, also, yes."

Pressing her hands into her hips, Zelda frowned in thought, "Well, I do hope those two show up sooner than later. If not for Revali's concern, then for my own."

"Then say no more, child!" rang out Urbosa's booming voice as she and Mipha approached the camp, the Zora's arms full with a gigantic basket filled with a veritable cornucopia of herbs, along with spices wrapped up into rolls of paper.

Zelda clasped her hands excitedly as she rushed toward the two, speaking with breathless elation, "Goddess, you two are just-!"

"Finally!" Revali interrupted, swooping past Zelda before skidding to a halt just in front of the newcomers, "I thought I would have to dump the whole of the stew we had and start over! If you fail to add the herbs at the exact moment the internals of the rhinoceros reach a temperature of- Why did you gather so much?"

His brow arose with half-curiosity, leaving Urbosa only to grin as Mipha replied in her stead, "Well… Seeing as how this is our final night together- "

She paused with lips spun in the most melancholic of wistful smiles, forcing Urbosa to take the reins.

"So we figured, eh, why not gather some things to make this evening just a bit more special?" Urbosa shrugged with a mischievous glance as Revali rushed a handful of herbs back over toward the boiling cauldron of brothy substance, "We even made a visit to some of the more liberal Rito atop the spire who didn't seem to mind selling this late, at least not to two of the finer species of Hyrule."

Mipha reached out her arms in invitation, allowing the three expectant members of the Company a view of the Gerudo's wares, leaving Zelda nearly speechless, "Whooooa!"

"Yep! Some of the finest pastries in Hebra, I was told," Urbosa nodded in explanation before swatting Zelda's hand away as it reached up for a sampling.

"Ow! Hey!" she complained, pouting as she soothed her hand.

Urbosa chastised, "We're not to have any of this. not yet, anyway. Revali has been a gracious host, after all; we'll wait for his stew, first."

"You're right…" Zelda frowned, "But those look so good, too…"

Urbosa' eyes flashed upward to see Daruk's head hanging overtook Zelda's, nearly drooling himself, forcing the Gerudo to pull Mipha backward, sighing, "Oookay, that's a bit much, you two. It looks like our dinner is almost done, anyway."

She had looked up to catch Revali taking a taste of the delectably smelling stew, her observation turning the most hungry of the party's attention scurrying in like fashion. Sure enough, like zombies, Zelda and Daruk hummed over closer to the fire, leaving Urbosa shaking her head in dismay.

"After everything, they're still children," she noted with a faint smile, sighing with a shake of the head.

Mipha dropped her head reverently, her eyes rising only to catch the sight of Link strolling closer, leaving her with a smile all her own, "After everything, that might be a good thing."

"I suppose," Urbosa raised her hands in a weighted shrug, "Considering how much of what we've gone through should have left that girl crawling back to her libraries…"

Her expression melted away, leaving her wholly saddened by the thought, "She's seen so much. So much that she's too young for, even now."

Mipha noted the heavy silence, quietly bowing her head respectfully before gently resting the basket of pastries onto the ground. She could feel the atmosphere around her being sapped of its energy merely by Urbosa's demeanor, absent as it was of her normally cheery self.

"Do you regret it?" came Link's voice, the soldier approaching the two with hands shoved into his pockets.

Urbosa grinned weakly, "It's not a question of regrets. It's not even about me, or my opinion."

She took a deep breath, her eyes reflecting the starlit sky as she raised her head to the heavens, "She was never fated to live a life devoid of what she's experienced on this journey. Evil is afoot. Despite how I feel-"

Urbosa chuckled quietly, "I was born for one thing; to be the brood bearer of the King of Evil. Perhaps, in this way…"

She lowered her head. Another deep breath.

"Maybe I've also helped give this world the child meant to save it."

"Regardless of how it came about," she continued, "Zelda has exceeded anything I might have ever expected of her when this excursion began. and I've never been more proud of her."

She smirked, "The world will soon become too dark. The last thing we need is to snuff out that which makes it bright."

Link nodded, "Let her be happy."

"Within reason," Urbosa assured, "There's much to be done, yet. but, yes. Happiness."

The Gerudo's brow arose with teasing zeal, "Speaking of- the two of you; how's, uh, that happiness going?"

Mipha averted her view with a shameful quickness, though Link remained steadfast, simply replying, "Nothing new to report."

"Oh, come now; spare me your stoic act," Urbosa goaded.

Link's lips curled up into a half smirk, just barely, as he turned his head, catching Mipha bleary red visage just within his peripheral glance, "Happiness, as you said. To a degree never experienced, and to which I wouldn't ever want replicated with another being."

Mipha felt what must have been what the Zora equivalent to a blush.

Chuckling, Urbosa turned toward Link with a smarmy rolling of her eyes, "My people may be devoid of such simple beings as men, but I still know cheesy words when I hear them, boy."

"They weren't for you, though, were they?" Link teased, making sure to catch a quick look of Mipha's still-recoiled state as she battled embarrassment.

Urbosa shook her head, muttering in amazement, "Goddess, you two really are so perfect for one another. Neither of you know any better."

She watched Link grin fir only a moment before grabbing his shoulder, pulling him close before shoving him to her opposite direction toward Mipha, "Now get over there already. You're not fooling any of us, you know. After tonight, you'll have to fool everyone else."

Link took Mipha's hand, the Zora immediately jolting her attention up toward him, smiling at the sight of his eyes upon her.

"She right, you know," she confirmed quietly.

Link didn't answer. He brought his head low, pressing his face against the Crestview her forehead, feeling her lovingly chilly scales burning against the warmth of his skin. Their bodies so fully in opposition, as if in constant battle whenever they touched; it only reminded him how fully juxtaposed the two of them truly were, as well as how little cared about such things.

A tender touch arrived at his stomach, Mipha's hand pressing against him, taking in his warmth for a moment as she silently allowed her scales to shiver in anticipation, given the chilly night air. Her body craved closeness with this man, in a manner just as biological as his desire for her. It only reminded her how fully related the two of them truly were.

"I won't be able to see you," Mipha spoke, shuddering at the thought, her voice wavering quietly so as to conceal her words from Urbosa, "I won't know what it's like to sleep at night, so encompassed by your warmth, by your loving being."

Link felt her fingertips dig into his skin, a painful sort of reaction from her as Mipha admitted in a whisker, "I won't know whether I'm worthy of being included in your destiny."

He knew what she was referring to, his shoulder tensing at the weight of the Sword slung there.

Link slowly brought his hand up to his stomach, taking hold of Mipha's as his fingers entwined between her own, "You wear your home around your neck, noted by such ornate jewels."

His thumb ran along her ring finger as he smiled weakly, caught so much in her beauty as he was, "Hylians wear their home on their fingers. That's the only piece of metal that decides my destiny with you."

He felt her smirk. Slowly pressing his lips into her crest, gently kissing at her forehead, Link gently pulled away at Urbosa's not-so-subtle voice, "Ahem. You two have approximately five seconds before those three start looking over-"

"Gaaah!" Revali cried out loud, his tongue breaking free from his lips as he started hyperventilating, waving his hands toward his mouth.

"Well?!" Zelda goaded, "Is it ready?!"

Revali scowled, "I don't know! I told you it was hot right off the fire! If you weren't both so flagrantly insistent!"

Asserting in plain tones, Zelda offered meekly, "I mean, Daruk offered and you refu-"

"He wouldn't know taste if it drizzled itself in butter!" Revali complained, still trying to cool his mouth, "Did we not just have a discussion on this topic?!"

Daruk shrugged in defeat, admitting to Zelda, "You know, he's right."

Puffing up his plumage, Revali took a deep breath, taking his hands to his head and smoothing back his feathers in a prim and proper manner before speaking up, considerably more calm than a moment ago, "Now. Seeing as how I can now, properly, ascertain the taste of this cooled stew…"

He reached another spoon into the cauldron which had since been lifted from the flames, balancing the viscous liquid above and open palm before taking a second bite, carefully running its flavors across his pallet, humming pleasantly for a brief moment, causing Zelda's eyes to shimmer expectantly.

"I do believe it's ready," Revali confirmed simply.

"Yo!" Daruk voiced in blusterous zeal, turning toward the others, "C'mon guys! The eatin's good!"

Urbosa sighed, smiling toward the nearby lovers, "Well, that's our cue, I suppose."

She strode toward the campfire, stopping only at Mipha's insistence, the Zora only following along at the same pace as the man shed been bound at the hand by, "Urbosa, wait!"

"Hmm? Zelda's gonna hop into the soup if we don't get over there," Urbosa noted with a plain enough tone that left the impression that humor hadn't been intended.

"Well, I mean-" Mipha paused, fighting for her words, "I just- Before we all depart, I wanted to-"

Urbosa smirked, "Is this one of those talks? Dear, this is a night for celebration, not melancholy. We don't part until the morning, so-"

She watched Mipha's head drop, the Zora princess reaching a hand up to grasp her opposite arm, "Well, I- Thank you."

"Hmm?" Urbosa inquired, suddenly interested.

"You've becoming something of a mother, to me, as well…" Mipha admitted quietly, bringing up her shoulders in embarrassment, hoping to shield herself, "I just wanted to thank you for- uh- for looking out for us. The way I've heard it, if not for you, I would be- … You know…"

Urbosa revealed a wry grin, dropping her own head in a bashful dodge before reaching out to take Mipha's shoulder with a tender grasp, "I know. You're welcome, child."

Mipha smiled with tempered zeal, allowing Urbosa to turn toward Link with an expectant gaze, "Well?"

"Well, what?" Link charged.

The Gerudo's smirk grew into something rather mischievous before she spun back around, taking off without much care halting her gait, leaving her, instead, to answer impotency, "Stew's gonna get cold."

Link frowned, sighing as he and Mipha followed along, "Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to hear about this at the most inopportune time later…"

His demeanor went unnoticed by the others, lost in the hubbub as they were. Zelda had insisted she pour the others' bowls, but with a quick dismissal as his arm flew up into the air, Revali rebuked the thought, keeping her at bay only long enough for him to present to her a wooden bowl full of the hearty meal.

"Thank you," Zelda smiled weakly, still deterred by his charge toward both cooking and serving the same meal when she might have preferred to delineate the task, knowing full well that she hadn't wanted to be on clean-up duty.

Revali's eyes fluttered fir a split second, scurrying over to sim at Zelda before returning this his work, muttering lowly from behind a frown, "...you're welcome."

With a start, Daruk quickly split the silence, still able to graciously reach out for his own bowl, "Thank you, warrior of the sky!"

Retching visibly at such a childish title, Revali warned, "Do pick out a better title when you recount my heroics to whomever among you tells the stories of the lands within verse."

A fresh bowl of stew traded hands.

"Well do," Daruk grinned with a goofy expression, "In fact, I might just go with whatever Zelda decides."

"T'would be the wisest decision you've made since we embarked," Revali spoke with such abysmal enthusiasm that ought to have drained all elation from the atmosphere surrounding the Company.

Daruk bowed his head graciously, leaving Revali to return to another bowl, another helping, with eyes closed, noticing his next guest approaching with an exuberance rivaling the Goron's.

"Yo, how's the grub?" Urbosa spoke up expectantly, peering down into the cauldron, "Goddess! It smells a delight!"

Revali chastised, "Well it ought to. It has been honed and perfected over the course of a lifetime, after all."

Shrugging, still bearing a radiant smile, Urbosa accepted the offering, bringing the bowl up to her face, "Gaaah, I'll definitely be back for seconds!"

"Then get on that instead of holding up the line!" Revali cajoled with a heated breath, motioning her away with a pestering flick of his arm.

Muttering in complaint, Urbosa strode away, leaving Mipha to approach with her arms-

"No, no, no!" Revali demanded, twisting a circle with his finger in the air, "You two. Switch."

Blushing as if she'd somehow offended the man by doing exactly what the others had done, Mipha fought to cower as she stepped backwards, instead allowing Link the next helping, much to the Hylian's bewilderment. He stepped up toward the cauldron, expecting a biting comment from the Rito, though it never came.

Cautiously quiet as he was, Link kept his eyes fixed on the bowl as Revali reached his hand out in offering, the two sitting quiet with only the bubbling of the cauldron, the licking flames below as the only music to accompany this stoic dance.

"Thanks," Link muttered lowly, reaching up to grab the bowl.

As he pulled away, the bowl remained firmly within Revali's grasp, now being held by both of their hands. His stare tensing with curiosity, Link was nearly taken aback by Revali's smirk, the Rito lowering his gaze as he collected another spoonful of stew, piling it up atop Link's portion.

"I know you'll prefer it to your own," Revali grinning with devilish delight, "Figured I'd save you a trip back over here."

Link's eyes narrowed, "Is that a challenge?"

"Such a term implies you have a chance to best me," Revali shrugged, still with a smug grin, "Let's not forget I've had a few months time to study your technique and figure out how best to exceed upon your meager expectations."

"Oh," Link nodded sarcastically, "You cheated."

"I learned," Revali clarified with a haughty breath, "But perhaps-"

He released the bowl.

"-I might could learn more from you. If only to better understand how to remain your superior," Revali explained plainly.

Link eyed him, his stare still bordering on vicious, before his lips create upward, "I might learn something about your abilities, you know."

Frowning in absent consideration, Revali simply reasoned, "T'would not be fun, otherwise."

Link watched the haughty Rito standing there in his puffed up attitude, still managing something of an understanding between these two men who had so long been enemies. The Hylian reached out his open hand in an offering of his own, much to Revali's placid interest, though the Rito still smirked with a smug air as he accepted the handshake.

"That Sword should invite challenge, if nothing else," Revali quipped, "Just make sure you never allow another to defeat you. That's my job, Hylian."

Link pulled his hand away, "This is the Sword of Evil's Bane. It doesn't work well, I'd imagine, on good men."

Instead of sticking around for any awkward breaths, Link turned away, stepping away to join the others while Revali glared at him with rivalrous intrigue, returning to his gracious form as Mipha stepped up for her own portion, smiling sweetly after what she had just witnessed.

"Don't tell the others," Revali frowned, eying the Company, "Urbosa will make a tizzy of a deal about it."

Mipha smiled, "Your secret's safe with me!"

"Good," Revali finished, pouring the final bowl besides his own, careful not to spill a drop.

Watching as excitedly as the others, Mipha bowed her head gratefully as Revali offered her portion, accepting the bowl before thankfully speaking, "Thank-"

Before she could finish, Revali lifted a finger to stop her, his eyes scanning the others from over Mipha's shoulder. He gave a tepid moment's pause before crouching down to fiddle within the satchel by his feet, grumbling to himself in annoyance once it became clear what he was hunting down hadn't been where he'd expected it.

"There," he finally uttered with relief, returning to his feet with a swift motion, his hands clutched together as he reached toward Mipha in anticipated surprise, "I, uh- Here."

With little in the way of ceremony, he pulled away the topmost hand to reveal a handful of delicately shaped bites of food, much to Mipha's intrigue, her brow raising as she hovered overtook the vittles.

"Wow! They look so nice!" she noted proudly, "They're- carp tips?"

Revali nodded, "Part of what you offered me back at your home. I figured I ought to return the gesture."

"Just tonight?" Mipha inquired, reaching up to examine a delicate tip further, "The craftsmanship is magnificent."

Turning away to hide his embarrassment, Revali bit his cheek before admitting, "Those weeks you were recovering… I figured I would- hope for your recovery through practicing such a thing."

His neck twitched, "Just don't mention it or anything, alright?"

The toasted carp bits fell atop Mipha's helping as he turned his hand over, quickly returning to his stirring, avoiding looking anywhere that even might have been in the Zora's direction. Only smiling at his furtive efforts to remain emotionless, Mipha giggled behind her closed mouth.

"You know, I think you might have picked up something toward the language of kindness after all," she assured sincerely, turning to leave with a final, "Thank you."

Revali's eyes tensed as she stepped away, leaving him alone with his cauldron, staring into its scrumptious abyss. He caught on the wind high pitched exclamations of happiness from the others, all of whom had begun eating, feeling the breeze pass between the spiny roots of his feathers. His eyes loosened as he glanced ever deeper into that cauldron, seeing within it a life so devoid of others; a life that, only now, seemed colored by such incessant voices that, oddly enough, appeared to catch him in a brighter mood, if only occasion. On this night, as chilly as it was, he surely sought the gentle flames of the communal area nearby, rather than the flames at his feet, interrupted as they were by this boiling vat. And yet, he couldn't help but feel drawn, not simply to those flames…

"Revali! C'mon!" Zelda goaded, "You need to try your own stew! It's delicious!"

Drawn from his reverie, Revali started up the final bowl, quenching its emptiness before making his way toward the others, "As if I need to confirm such a thing."

"I mean, Urbosa makes the same sand buddies on occasion, but they're still wonderful to enjoy," Zelda reminisced with a dreamy voice.

Urbosa nodded, "Ah, yes. It's been a while since I've offered my culinary skills, myself."

Peering up from his bowl, Link muttered, "And just like that, on our final dinner, I'm finding out that you all can cook…"

"You should be proud! Even before you became a Champion, yourself, your meals kept as all together," Zelda assured, "We needed your expertise."

Link's brow rose in feigned surprise, "If only Revali's stew could paint your tongue silver."

"Or her nose brown," Urbosa teased.

Frowning, Zelda shrugged before returning to her stew, blowing ever delicately over her spoon, "Just wait until your faces are eggy."

"Speaking of!" Daruk charged, wiping off his face onto his arm before advancing, "Jokes! I know Revali is supposed to have a go, but you've reminded me of an old Goron favorite. May I?"

"Suddenly we're formal?" Urbosa noted sarcastically.

Mipha's voice arise in time with her laughter, "Yes you may, Sir Daruk, Made of Boulders."

The Goron smirked, "Why, thank you! Ahem. There once was a Goron, Togglekloggs, who was out mining one day. He clanked at rock and chucked away debris; clank and chunk, clank and chunk. Suddenly, such an odd rock emerged! Oh, it was a splendid sight! Unlike any rock before it!"

"It was an egg," Revali suddenly interrupted, forcing Daruk's face crestfallen, forcing the Rito to recoil at the mass of eyes turning toward him, "What?! He just said her comments about eggs reminded him of the story!"

Daruk grinned, "Well, you're right! Thankfully, that was not the punch line! Togglekloggs dragged the rock-egg back home, and- Oh, wait. That is the punch line. Mamaganda looks at him and goes, "Quite an over-easy sirloin you've got there."

Chuckling at his own joke, Daruk quickly grew dreary upon noticing the others not sharing in his jovial reverie, frowning, "What? It's funny!"

"I fear," Link sighed between bites of stew, "Even if we'd heard the joke properly, we'd still be lost."

"No, no! See? The rock sirloin from Lanayru's range is said to be viscous, so when Togglekloggs tore into the rock, and it was an egg, it wasn't like the stones from Eldin! Bwah ha ha! And we've all been there, haven't we?! Ha ha!"

Mipha opined, "I suppose there was one instance where I accidentally became reoriented within our basin and ended up on the opposite side than where I was headed."

Massaging his chin, Daruk blandly replied, "I mean- I guess, in a certain…ineffable way, that's sort of a, not really, accurate interpretation. But I can see where a Zora might understand the scenario as such?"

"You should be a politician," Urbosa rolled her eyes between bites.

Zelda suddenly quipped, "Oh! I've got one! An old Hylian tall tale! Two merchants were sailing down a river, hunting for treasure, both of a competitive sort, right? They were always trying to get the upper hand upon one another, but one was far more serious than the other. He sets fire upon the barge, and collects all of the horses they had brought, pulling them to shore, whereas his merchant counterpart emerged on the opposite side, just like Mipha. The devious man starts bragging, as the horses all but ensure he'll arrive at the treasure first, shouting, "Looks like I've got all the horses!" His counterpart only readied himself with sarcastic zeal before shouting in reply, "Hey, Benny! Looks like you're on the wrong side of the river!"

"BWAHAHAA!" roared Daruk, teetering back and forth in his seated position.

Urbosa chuckled bemusedly, raising her brow in interest as she noted, "Looks like those joke book tomes were worth your time."

"I mean, yeah!" Zelda retorted between gasps of air between her laughter.

Mipha silently considered the tale in silence, tapping her cheek with a furtive hand, quietly surmised, "It could also be a fable. It's full if humor, but the moral of humbling yourself, and not being quick to counting your chickens before-"

She paused, glancing toward Revali, who merely returned a look while bending down for another bite, pulling back up curiously, "..what?"

Mipha quickly shifted, "-counting your skulltullas before they hatch, rather."

Smirking knowingly, Urbosa's eyes spun toward Revali, who patted his beak with his arm to politely clear any spilled broth before sending back, "Only if you aren't counting your ocean caviar before they do so, as well."

"Pfft," Link chuckled, turning to watch Mipha's embarrassed reaction, her eyes flying open in wary apprehension.

Urbosa assured quickly enough, "He's a big boy; he can understand that you're not comparing him to a cuccoo."

"Even if he deserves to think so," Link murmured with a sharp tone piercing his wry smile.

"Oh, come now!" Daruk roared happily, waving a welcoming gesture toward Revali, who, instead of instantly shooting back a bite of his own, had stopped eating, lowering his head closer to his bowl, hanging there in space beneath Zelda's concerned stare.

"..Revali?" she asked lowly

Mipha shot a glare at Urbosa, who leaned back, her head recoiling in innocent surprise, retorting simply, "What?! How could I have known?"

Instead of scolding the Gerudo woman, Revali's face narrowed with a pained scowl, this his voice revealed a much more somber tone as he spoke up weakly, "It's not-"

He bit his lip, "..were that a more apt comparison."

Zelda watched him curiously, eyes lowered in patient reverence.

"You write your histories, your stories- you tell them in voice or song. They're carved in stone, or told in artifacts," Revali mumbled with a uncharacteristically humbled tone, shoulders slumped as they were, so defeated, as he lost his sight within the murky stew in his hands, "My story is told, here, in this very meal. Made up of too many years of a man without teachers, without help, spending his days, not draped beneath the caring wings of his parents, told how best to nourish himself, but battling rampaging beasts of the land, scraping by for anything resembling food."

"This stew started as meager as my own life, matching my bland history; made up of the waters of Totori and whatever I could muster. As pitiful and disgusting as it was, that bitterness drove me, not to simply survive- not to find something the least bit palatable and stopping there. I foraged, bartered- I locked wounds, entire portions of skin stricken from me by fierce beasts or the devious thorns of thickets. I found poisonous plants, misjudged entire carcasses to be more fresh than they truly were, honing that stock- those series of episodes that so viciously followed me, preying on the possibility of making the most of this life, not merely for the empty pleasures of existence, but the necessities- choosing to make something as essential as nourishment however tasteful as I could make it. Perhaps there was some sense of pride, too, I suppose."

Zelda, wearing a mournful frown, bowed her head, "Revali…"

Shrugging, he went on, the whole of the Company hanging on his next breath, "Until tonight, this stew had remained a work of mine, alone. I've mulled over that, now, for hours; I imagine writing a script, it becomes a part of you in a way- you so desperately want to shield it from the alteration of others. Even the positive strokes, you so despise for not being if your own creation."

"And yet," his voice came to a halt for a brief moment as Revali took a sip of the scrumptious stock, feeling its warm broth trailing through his throat and into his stomach, "I can't help but find this amalgamation of culinary critique to be superior in every way to whatever I might have constructed, alone."

Link's eyes carefully trailed up toward Revali, feeling the Rito's heady stare upon him as he went on, "Mostly due to your…regretfully bearable display."

"Pardon?" Link wondered.

Urbosa growled, "He's been taking tips from all the meals you've been making us. Haven't you been listening?"

Link's eyes arose in surprise as Revali scoffed, "I rather hated it at first, but soon enough, I decided to simply study your work as a means to overcome your abilities. Then, as we overcame a particularly uneventful night upon the slick ground of Zora's Domain, Mipha, herself, offered more in the way of culinary prowess. To note, those toasted carp bits are a wonderful addition to this, are they note?"

Miphs smiled, "Quite so."

"Carp bits?!" Daruk wondered with whole confusion, "B-But- I tasted no mercury! That would have been fantastic!"

Revali spat with zealous air, "Pah! Why would I not consult one who would know best? King Dorephan, himself, requested Zelda's expertise upon inquiry of the Master Sword, did he not? My point being-"

The Rito took another bite, shrugging with closed eyes, now that all shame he might have felt over sharing such information had been lifted from him, "Cuccoos often travel and gaggle in packs, where I've largely spent my life, and its work, alone. In creating tonight's stew, however, I've come to truly understand where I might have been in error thinking that was the most sure way of living my life. So where your analogy fails, I would certainly hope that no longer be the case."

Urbosa's eyes wandered toward the others, "Are we certain we didn't die, at some point, during our journey..?"

"Make your jokes," Revali muttered with a smarmy air, shrugging as he lifted his bowl up to drink at the remaining broth, "I can always add a handful of sand to your next helping, if that would be better for a Gerudo."

Lifting her bowl closer to her chest to prevent such an occurrence, Urbosa feigned timidity as she replied sarcastically, "Please, no!"

Mipha giggled at the performance, turning to find Daruk fidgeting in place, catching Zelda's voice as she asked aloud, "Daruk? You okay?"

"Yeah," he muttered quietly, "I just- I wouldn't mind some finer bits of sand... It might help the bouquet."

Link chuckled at his friend's odder points, shaking his head before returning to his bowl for another bite, hearing Mipha's pleasant laughter as well, even as Daruk's brow fell with shame as he had already recognized how odd his request would seem to the others.

"So," Zelda spoke up, "If this stew is a story… Each ingredient might be a chapter, correct?"

Revali's head leaned to the side, his eyes scanning the heavens in thought, "Perhaps. The broth- I was an incompetent fledgling, and rather perturbed at the end of a week's worth of trial and error. So early in my culinary journey, I still was eating flavored water with bits of animal meat; as prepared as I was to simply end the day, I left my stew, or rather, soup, on the fire rather than emptying it and cleaning out my cauldron. By morning, I had broth."

"And the potatoes?!" Zelda wondered excitedly.

Burying his lips into a bemused frown, Revali opened, "I was a juvenile at the time, stretching my wings as it were, exploring more of the world than I had ever known, previously. The Hylians traveling up the northern back of Hebra enjoy the ingredient for their heartiness, and I came upon a merchant selling the tuberous vegetable. I suppose it signifies my first meeting with a Hylian."

He shrugged, offering a smug sort of smirk, "And the last meaningful addition to this came from a Hylian. I suppose you've all witnessed a notable denouement within my life."

"You're about to witness us picking up a dictionary," Urbosa's sputtered with flaring eyes.

Zelda turned toward Link, "I meant to ask you- What's the story behind one of your meals?"

"Oh, yes!" Daruk cheered, as if hearing about food equated to consuming more.

Mipha also gave an expectant stare, smiling as Link watched her, growing a sigh as he softly answered, "If you're going to make me, I suppose I could-"

"Your poultry pilaf!" Daruk encouraged with a boisterous breath, "You made it during our excursion through Akkala and it has haunted my tongue ever since!"

Mipha nodded in agreement, "It was quite good."

Sighing, Link put down his empty bowl, leaning backward as his hands dug into the soil behind him, "Well, I guess- Given how tied to Akkala my father was, I suppose I just had him on my mind at the time. I rarely interacted with him, given how infrequent his leaves were from the Guard, so when I did see him- He brought home a giant bag of Hylian rice, and he spent all day, huddled over the stove with me, teaching me how best to cook it. You season the pan with some goat butter, bind the rice with an egg, and add whatever meat you'd like, really."

His eyes fell, lips curling softly into a nostalgic smile, "There's a lot of my father when I think of that dish."

"Well," Revali quipped suddenly, "I do hope whatever you learn from my culinary brilliance, the story behind it will be far more grand; full of my brave and grand displays of wit, along with my fantastic shows of fighting prowess."

Link smirked, "Oh, it'll be full of something, alright."

"See to it, then," Revali charged with a heated breath, "Now, as I'm about to procure, as you all say, seconds, I suppose-"

"Yes, please!" Zelda exclaimed in an instant, leaping to her feet with athletic excellence.

Urbosa rose up as well, "My compliments to the chef, I must say."

"Just make sure you omit thanking the parts he stole from me," Link teased, also working his way to his feet before reaching down to help Mipha to her feet as well.

Urbosa scoffed, "Like I care. I just want foooood~"

She pinched Zelda's sides, sending the princess leaping away to the side.

"Urbosa!"

The Gerudo snickered, "You could use some, too, if you want to be as mighty as I am!"

"I see your lack of motherhood has left you lacking in understanding genetics, as well," Link mused with a teasing breath.

Zelda frowned, massaging the tender portion of her side "I'll say."

"Hey, if Revali can become gracious and introspective, I'd say anything possible," Urbosa laughed, turning to find Revali's stare, wholly devoid of amusement of his own.

"I still get seconds, right?" she asked in apology.

The Rito shrugged, "Depends on how the wind takes me at the particular moment."

Pointing toward him, Urbosa exclaimed back toward the Hylian pair, "Look! He's even cracking jokes!"

Revali cracked a grin, readying his ladle to offer up the second helping of stew, "I can most certainly assure you. Don't come to expect such things."