"Tyll! I need the lamb!"

"Working on it!"

"Tyll! I nee-"

"I told you I'm working on it, you thick headed -"

As the Goron chef and his Rito assistant continued rushing around the kitchen, somehow synchronized despite the yelling, Moza stood in a corner. The Yiga sorcerer watched the chaotic duo, finding the display of teamwork morbidly curious.

Was that what most people called friendship?

"Have they been like this the whole time?" he asked, tearing his gaze away to look at Stolas. The crow cocked his head to the side to stare at him with a single eye, jostling the small toque on his head as he did so.

Moza shook his head and reached up and straightened the small white cap.

"What are you doing?" Tyll asked sharply as he rushed around the kitchen, somehow narrowing his eyes at Moza while not losing track of what he was doing.

"Helping!" Moza replied indignantly as he gestured to the cap.

"Moza, I need you out there helping Eibon!" Ramsey shouted, tossing the contents of a large pan as the alcohol within caught flame.

The Yiga gave him a snarky salute, and winking at Stolas, which Tyll somehow caught, however, Moza didn't stick around long enough for him to react. Weaving his way through the bustling patrons and staff, Moza sidled up to the Twili overseeing the wait staff for the evening.

"How are things back there?" Eibon asked, not looking up from the various pieces of papers in front of him.

"Exactly like you think it would. They're not ruining the atmosphere out here, are they?"

"I think the customers like the fact that someone is finally yelling back," Eibon muttered, motioning toward a nearby table as Tyll and Ramsey could be heard over the din of the restaurant. A few customers were listening eagerly as Ramsey shouted something, then laughed raucously as Tyll responded with a tame insult.

"Huh, sometimes I think I don't give him enough credit," Moza said.

"Ramsey?"

"Tyll."

Eibon looked at him sharply.

"What?" Moza asked with a shrug. "I'd expected that we wouldn't be able to let kids in here, but he's kept his language under control."

Eibon narrowed his eyes, studying the Yiga for a moment before turning back to the papers before him as he muttered something under his breath.

"Eibon, I have a serious question."

"Make it quick."

"What the hell is pelvic sorcery?"

"The table by the western window hasn't been helped yet," the Twili said dismissively. "Now," he said sternly after Moza failed to move immediately.

"Alright, alright." Moza sauntered away, once again weaving his way through the crowd.

Eibon once again pored over the map of the restaurant, making minor adjustments to the plans he'd made. "Stay where I can see you!" he said sharply.

"Ramsey asked me to be his bouncer," Dellius replied hotly.

"And you can do that from where I can see you."

"And what if you can't see it?" the Yiga warrior asked pointedly.

"Funnily enough, if something happens that requires your assistance, I'll probably see it."

"You're not Tyll," Dellius replied with folded arms.

"You'd think Moza would be the one with the pelvic sorcery," Eibon muttered to himself. Looking toward the center of the restaurant, he spotted Karin stepping around the patrons while carrying a serving tray with a grace and dexterity that only a monk could muster. He motioned her over.

"Is everything alright?" the Zora asked.

"It's fine. We do have some special guests arriving soon, and I want you to serve them." Before she could ask he explained. "You'll know them when you see them."

Karin nodded her understanding then wordlessly returned to her duties, offering a friendly smile as a patron requested more ale. On her way toward the bar, she noticed a gray-feathered Rito huddled in a well-hidden corner, reading a book intently. With a frown, she made her way over to him and reached down, grabbing the collar of his shirt and hauling him up.

Kaien's head snapped up, arm raising as flames collected in his hand. The Rito wizard froze as he recognized Karin.

"We're being paid to help," the Zora said disapprovingly.

Kaien stared at her for a moment before his eyes swiveled away. It took Karin a second to realize what he was doing, but that was long enough for Kaien to cast a spell. With a word, he turned to mist in her grasp.

Following where his gaze had gone, she saw him reappear in another secluded corner, where he proceeded to settle in a chair and open his book once again.

With a sigh, Karin shook her head, then went to fulfill the request for ale. As she did so, she noticed Eibon leading a Zora with purple scales and Rito with deep blue feathers toward a table that had been reserved since before she'd gotten there. Without missing a beat, Karin made her way over, understanding immediately why Eibon had asked her to serve them.

"Oh, Karin!" Rala said as she approached, coming to stand next to Eibon. "How wonderful to see you again."

Tovka smiled brightly at the monk. Though they had never been terribly close, Tovka had always seemed fond of her. "How've you -"

"Heyo!" Moza greeted eagerly as he appeared next to Eibon.

"Oh my goddesses," the Twili muttered, shaking his head as he silently excused himself.

"I think I can handle -"

"You guys wanna see a magic trick?" Moza asked cheekily as he cut Karin off. Without waiting for a response, he reached down to his belt and pulled out a bit of copper wire.

Tovka's eyes narrowed as she frowned at him while Rala sighed, shaking her head with a rueful smile.

Moza set a finger to his temple and mouthed something.

Tovka opened her beak angrily, however, before either could say anything, the door to the kitchen was flung open. Tyll leaned out, his eyes instantly locking on Moza, who was still staring at the two seated women.

"I can make your paramour appear," he said with a sweeping bow and a wide grin.

Behind him, Tyll's anger abated instantly, being replaced by surprise as he saw Rala and Tovka. He leaned back into the kitchen, calling something to Ramsey before stepping out into the dining room and walking toward them with Stolas on his shoulder. As he approached, Moza turned on his heel and walked away, passing by Tyll.

"You're welcome," the Yiga muttered.

"I'm going to kill you later," Tyll shot back.

"I know," Moza answered smugly.

Tyll grumbled to himself but quickly shook off his annoyance as he approached his partners. "What are you both doing here?" he asked as Stolas fluttered onto the table.

"Eibon invited us," Tovka answered with an amused smile. "He thought that you might need some more incentive to behave."

"I've been behaving," Tyll muttered as he folded his wings.

"Mhmm." Toka teased with a smile, batting her eyes at him.

"We're keeping this," Rala announced as she gestured to the toque that had somehow remained on Stolas' head. "He can wear this while you cook for us."

"I agree," Tovka chimed in.

"Fine," Tyll replied with a small smile. "I'll talk to Ramsey."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I need to talk to him about what he'll be cooking for the three of us."

"The three of us?" Tyll tilted his head inquisitively.

"Oh yes," Rala said with a playful smile. "You see, taking one of my beloved on the eve of a holiday does have a cost."

Tyll's smile widened slightly.

"Hey, real quick." Moza reappeared, leaning toward Rala and Tovka. "What is pelvic sorcery and does Tyll actually know it?"

Tovka groaned, covering her face with a wing. Tyll's smile went hollow as he eyed Moza with murderous intent. And Karin groaned.

Rala, on the other hand, returned Moza's smile. "Yes he does and I would think he's quite a bit more proficient with it than you are."

"Wait, is that an -"

Karin, who was twice the Yiga's height, set a hand on his shoulder, gripping him tightly. "I'll take care of them," she murmured to Tyll.

"Thanks," he muttered, still glaring at Moza. "Sorry about that," he said to the two seated women as Karin dragged Moza away.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Rala replied, waving the entire incident off. "I would make a comment on how interested I'm sure we both are in a demonstration of this sorcery, but -" She couldn't finish the thought as Tovka stiffened, peeking at them both from behind her wing as Tyll grunted something, looking mildly put off.

"I should get back to helping Ramsey!" he said quickly, clearly trying to ignore Rala's teasing.

"Yes, I suppose you should," she replied sweetly.

Tyll nodded to them both, turning away and returning to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, a hooded figure stood just outside one of the windows watching everything unfold. Templing his fingers, he began to chuckle as he planned a variety of new trials for the adventurers. Oh, how he looked forward to throwing whatever challenge he could cook up at them. Sure, he wanted them to see, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to enjoy watching them suffer just a bit.