Master Kohga greeted the pair with a simple and short tempered huff that made Sooga stiffen like an abused dog. Idri glanced at him, frowning at the silence and lack of motion from the second hand man. Sooga dropped the bag in front of Kohga and bowed respectfully to the clan leader. Idri followed his lead, remaining beside him.
"Here you are, Master. The contraption from the Sheikah woman. " He said, pulling on the lip of the bag to show him the machine on the inside. Master Kohga looked inside and studied the score carefully before nodding and turning away from the pair. Sooga took the bag back over his shoulder.
"Finally. That took long enough," He huffed, "get that thing to our weapons experts ASAP." Sooga nodded and dug through his uniform pockets for his talisman, which took a bit longer than normal with only one hand available. Idri stepped forward, bristling with confusion and anger. She always did when Master Kohga refused to acknowledge her accomplishments.
"No "thank you" ? Sooga could've gotten hurt getting that thing. The lady was really good at using it!" Idri barked. Sooga cleared his throat at her, warning her to stay in line. She looked back at him with a look of determination that kind of threw Sooga off. She was ramping up to something and he didn't think he was going to like it. He dug faster through his pockets, surprised he couldn't find the damn papers. He didn't want to be a part of this. Not right now.
"We don't have time for this." Master Kohga dismissed her quickly, raising his own talisman over his head.
"You wouldn't have gotten nearly this far without Sooga's help." She argued.
"Idri, quit it." Sooga hissed. He was unsure why Idri was pushing this issue now of all times. He just wanted to get back to their base and continue working. He wanted to forget Pire and the mission. Master Kohga didn't like that. His mask hid his expression, but Sooga could feel the anger radiating off of him. He stopped searching for escape. He needed to stop Idri from saying too much. Master Kohga stepped up to Idri. Despite his portly figure, he commanded an intimidating presence when he had to. Preferring to use the power of underestimation on people, he had a command of his presence that gave Sooga pause. Idri didn't back off, too used to his tactic.
"We have work to do, Idri. Now is not the time. Lets. Go." Master Kohga spoke between gritted teeth. Sooga took Idri by her collar and pulled her away from the leader. She yelped and glared at him, but held her tongue from further vitriol. Master Kohga nodded to his second hand and vanished in a flurry of smoke and papers. Sooga returned Idri's glare with a sharp nudge of " what are you thinking " before vanishing as well.
"There have been sightings of that bastard and the princess around the Canyon Pass. We have to get moving. The champions are still being chosen and we already have some intel on who the next one will be. We have to get into position before they reach Gerudo City!" Master Kohga announced this to a gathering of his subordinates from atop a platform for all of them to see. The clan members cheered and celebrated the progression of their leader's plan. Sooga stood near the base of the platform keeping an eye on the crowd. Idri wasn't at her post at the other end of the platform. He wasn't sure where she was. As worried as he was for her, he found it hard to focus on her well being.
Finishing off a mission was nothing new, but Sooga had never gotten so close to someone outside of the Yiga. He wasn't sure he could ever forget about her. Pire's name would never leave his mind. Would he ever see her again? Would she ever want to see him again?
They were at the Bazaar together. Sooga had been weak and shared his last night there with Pire. The night was beautiful. Moonlight spilled into the room from the open window, the cool air falling on them as they laid together. Pire was asleep on his arm, nestled close to him to keep warm. Sooga didn't want to fall asleep that night. Knowing he would have to leave rather unceremoniously in the morning. He was petting her hair, staring down at her with a conflicted half smile on his lips. He didn't want to leave. Never before had he been so torn on his loyalty. Seeing her so sweet and calm almost pulled him out of the strings of the Yiga clan, but he didn't know anything other than the clan. What would he do if he stayed? He'd lose his purpose.
The crowd cheered ahead of him and brought him out of his mind. He blinked and looked up at Master Kohga to find that he had revealed the contraption Sooga had stolen. The sight of it up on the pedestal next to Master Kohga should have made him feel proud or maybe accomplished, but he didn't. He felt horrible. Pire was out there without her main means of protecting herself. She would have to remain stranded in the Bazaar or go out without it and possibly get hurt. Sooga's heart sank deeper and deeper the more he dwelled on it, averting his gaze as… Kohga gestured to him to give him the minimal praise he ever offered. The crowd clapped and congratulated him, but he didn't respond to the attention. Not too out of the ordinary for him, luckily.
The crowd eventually dispersed, going back to their own missions and tasks. Kohga got off the platform and went back to his private chamber. Accepting all the praise and comments his followers gave him as he slunk away to do nothing productive. It took a bit for Sooga to finally move, pushing through the crowd to take his post at the leader's door.
"Back to work." Sooga muttered without the usual force behind his voice. The crowd dispersed rather slowly, respecting the right hand to their leader despite his lack of conviction. He was glad to be alone. He leaned against the wall, arms folded, eyes turned to the cave ceiling. The time to himself would allow him to wonder about whether he needed the Yiga anymore. Or maybe he was just making too much of the short happiness he had. That was probably it. No point in throwing away all he had with the Yiga. Not to chase a fleeting moment.