"I'm with you today," Link announced as he jogged over to Midna. It was around noon, a cooler day than yesterday. Midna was returning from the city, and he ran over to meet her. "Ghirahim showed me around and taught me how to farm. What can you show or teach me?"

Midna only blinked at him and walked right by. "Let me get back home, first. You're eager." She gestured to a bag slung over her shoulder. "I'll drop this off and deal with you later. Ghirahim showed you around the building?"

"Yeah. He had me plant some blueberries and told me that you sometimes make potions." Link jogged to keep up with her longer strides. "Linebeck did a few more repairs while I slept. Hey, why did Ghirahim tell me not to touch Linebeck?"

"I'll let Linebeck explain that himself," Midna mumbled, glancing over her shoulder at the city in the distance. "But, seriously, don't touch him if you want to stay on his good side."

"Okay... Why?"

Midna sighed. She ran up to the building, Link at her heels. She pulled open the door and waved at Linebeck. "Hey."

"Welcome back. Any parts?"

"A few. I'll drop them off in the workshop. Any problems with your prosthetics?" She paused and looked back at Link. The robot was silent and was obviously trying to blend into the background as he shut the door. "Does he-"

"Yep," Linebeck airily responded. "He knows. I'll tell him more tomorrow, so you don't need to explain it." He was walking along the bookshelves, taking books and stacking them up in his arms. Link stared at his robotic arm, transfixed by the fluid and utterly natural movement of his fingers. He walked without a problem as well, and Link doubted too many people would've suspected that he was missing one of his legs along with an arm. "Try not to set anything on fire while you show him what you do."

Link shot Midna a questioning look but didn't get any explanation. Instead, she told the robot, "Go wait in my room. I'll be up with you in a bit, but you should just wait." She nodded to him and strode off to the hallway.

Silent, Link glanced back over at Linebeck. Their eyes locked, Linebeck's goggles down around his neck. The green lines in the whites of his eyes seemed to flash, and a chill ran down his neck. Link looked away and hurried up the stairs.

Linebeck stared after him. Bellum appeared above his shoulder and murmured, "What was that?"

"No idea." Linebeck turned and put away one of the books. "Never had that happen before. Did it seem familiar to you?"

"A little."

"...Strange."

Link tapped his index fingers together while he waited. He had turned off the lamp in Midna's room and opened the curtains so that the warm sunlight could brighten the room. He almost fell off the bed as Midna threw the door open, looking more than a little miffed. "I-is something wrong?"

"Nothing, really. I just remembered that I forgot something important. Anyways," Midna walked over to her wardrobe and set her spear down with the other. "I guess I'll teach you about our business side of things and some potion-making. I am the one who made the potion that we use to help make the plants grow." She sat down on the bed next to Link. "So, what kinds of things about potion-making are stored in your little memory logs?"

Link shrugged. "Mostly just that potion-making requires all kinds of organic ingredients, different things having different effects." He glanced around the room. "Where do you make the potions? Don't you need some kind of cooking pot?"

"Oh, yeah," Midna murmured. "We've got one in the kitchen. I could show you, if you'd like." She got up and crossed her arms. "Actually, we need to restock on the growth potion! It's relatively easy to make, and we've got all of the things we need. Follow me."

"Where's the pot?" Link asked, standing in the middle of the kitchen. Midna had sent him in while she lingered in her room to collect ingredients. "Where do you put it? There's really not too much room-"

Midna casually tossed her ingredients bag onto the table and pulled open one of the floor cabinets. Inside, not very much to Link's surprise, was the cooking pot he had been asking about. She dragged it out and hefted it over to the table, dropping it in the middle of the tabletop. "It's got a base, give me a second to go get it. In the meantime, set out the ingredients."

Link nodded obediently and opened up the bag. Midna looked through more cabinets as he set out a number of dead lizards, frogs, bugs, and even a few monster parts. He sorted them by effect and watched Midna push aside of pile of pots in one of the cabinets. "What do you guys use those for?"

"Cooking. The cooking pot is reserved for potion-making, so we otherwise use normal stuff." Midna dragged out the pot's base, a lifted platform of circular metal with a small bowl underneath- most likely for wood and lighting a fire. She placed in on the table next to the pot and got to setting things up, eyeing the ingredients. "You already know what they all do?"

Link nodded and held up a maroon lizard. "This is a hightail lizard, right? Increases speed. And the monster parts change up the effectiveness and how long they work." He frowned to himself. "Do you need something to light the wood on fire?"

"I've got a lighter," Midna murmured. She dug around in her pockets, fishing out a lighter. "Got this yesterday. What I forgot was some oil. Linebeck's gonna kill me," she added under her breath. She flicked the lighter, a tiny flame appearing and catching Link's attention. He rummaged and in Midna's bag a little more and found a bundle of firewood sticks. Midna laughed. "Oh, yeah, right. The wood. Forgot about that."

Link gathered the wood under the pot, now situated on the base, and Midna lit it on fire. "Alright. How do I make that weird growing potion?"

Midna stood up straighter, crossing her arms. Link pulled over a chair and sat in it, watching the flickering flames beneath the pot. "Do we need water or anything?"

"A bit of water is needed, yes." She turned and turned a knob on the sink and collected some water in a bowl. She dumped it in the pot. "We're gonna need some speedy ingredients and some hearty ones. Get rid of everything else and leave a lizalfos tail."

Link nodded nervously and returned most items to the bag. "Can you use these violets?" he asked, holding up some purple flowers. "Do they work in potions-"

"Those are perfect!" Midna snatched them out of his hand and dropped them into the water. "No need to crush them up or anything, once we add the blood from a hearty lizard, they should dissolve." She held up the blue lizard. "Help me cut this thing up. What we need are the scales and organs."

Link stared at her, bewildered. "I- What- I know that basics, but this is a bit jarring to me!" He buried his face in his hands. Midna's laughing made him look back up. "...Huh?"

"I'm sorry," she offered between laughs. She set the lizard down. "I like to mess with people when I teach them potion-making. Here. Put the lizard in."

Link picked up the lizard by its tail. It twitched, and he yelped and dropped it on the table. Midna only shook her head with a stifled chuckle and added it to the now boiling water. "Now, the others aren't as good with potions. In case you were wondering, I can actually do some minor magic."

Link nodded, watching the lizard float in the water. The water started to turn a faint purple color, the flowers drowning. "Hey, can I ask something?"

"Shoot," Midna responded, leaning over the pot. "This should be done in a few minutes. Without magic, you would actually have to crush the flowers and cut up the lizard." She held her hands over the pot and the blue symbols on the back of her hands began to faintly glow. "What's the question, robo-boy?"

"Ghirahim said that you guys have problems with your memories," Link said, scooting his chair back a few inches. "What did he mean?"

Subtly, Midna's eyes flicked to the entrance of the kitchen. Linebeck was still out in the main room, flipping through a few books- not really reading them. Like he was looking for something. Bellum caught a glance of Midna's quick look and must have alerted Linebeck. He glanced up, the goggles over his eyes. Midna turned her head and waved nonchalantly and turned back to Link. Her voice was hushed. "Listen, we actually don't really know. Long story short, we think we have amnesia.

"I might as well tell you the whole thing. One year ago, the three of us woke up in some half-buried house about a mile west of here. We woke up together. We remembered nothing but our names and some general facts about ourselves. A bit like you, minus the personal details. We decided to team up and found this place, settling in while learning about Hyrule. As it turned out, we all had certain learned skills.

"I have my magic and potion-making, but it's clear that I was taught to fight. Same goes for Ghirahim- he's a formidable fighter as well. He also seems to be able to do some minor magic; he just can't control it very well. As for Linebeck, his engineering skills were proven right off the bat.

"At first, we accepted that we had amnesia and got to learning about us. Linebeck told us about Bellum and his prosthetics and said that he had no idea when or how they were created- so we have no clue how Linebeck lost his leg and his arm. There's no way it was an accident like an explosion either. The limbs were on different sides of his body, after all. It wasn't until maybe a few months ago that we started suspecting that it wasn't normal amnesia.

"Linebeck managed to create some temporary goggles for us- we could see and hear Bellum for a limited amount of time. They weren't good creations, and they broke fast, but we were able to hear what Bellum had discovered. He can access Linebeck's and his memories, and, as an AI, he was able to detect that his own memory was cut off- he knew that something was missing. He did a bit more testing and theorizing and was able to imply that our memories were actually forcibly taken."

"Whoa..." Link murmured. "Why did you look nervous about Linebeck back there?"

Midna sighed with a shrug, moving a hand to add the lizalfos tail. "He considers restoring our memories to be another project of his, and he wanted to be the one to tell you. Oh, hey, did Ghirahim tell you not to touch him?"

"Yeah. I told you about that. Why?"

"...Eh... it's better for Linebeck or Bellum to tell you. But, seriously. If you want to be his friend, do not touch him. He seems mean and rude at first, but he can be really nice. He's just not good in social situations." She moved her hands to get a look at the pot's boiling contents. Link peeked over to see as well. All three ingredients were nowhere to be seen, and the water had turned to a soupy green color- a bit darker than the mist he had seen.

"Done?"

"Hell yeah. Wait for me outside and I'll show you what we do with it."

Link bent over, peering at the little sprout. Midna crouched over it, pouring a little drop of the potion onto the plant. The thick liquid seemed to simmer, and then seeped into the soil. The plant shuddered and grew just a little more, growing taller with more leaves. Midna smiled and replaced the cork back onto the potion bottle. "Cool, eh?"

"That is cool," Link murmured. He straightened himself and glanced around. It was a bit cloudy, now. "Where do you, uh, deposit the potion?"

"Over here," Midna declared, striding over to one of the supports for the grid. "I could show you how to do it."

He followed her over to a small metal box with a hole in the top. Midna tugged the cork back out of the potion bottle and fit it upside-down into the hole. The potion leaked out of the bottle until it was empty, and there was a high-pitched beep from the machine. "That's all," Midna murmured. "Now, then. With normal potion-making, without magic, it takes a bit longer; you've got to let the ground-up or cut-up ingredients simmer, let them sink into the potion. My magic just melds everything together. I sometimes sell my potions in the city marketplace or use them on the way there. Hey, let's head up onto the roof. There's a better view of the city from up there."

She led him back to the wooden ladder, leaning against the back wall and bolted to the building at the top. It was sturdier than it looked, but Link still went slow. He wasn't about to break mere days after being fixed. According to Linebeck, he was probably the most complex robot in the world. He wasn't going to ruin that. The mystery of his own creation was one that Link wanted to figure out.

He skirted around the water-basin set in the middle of the roof and met Midna at the edge. She sat with her legs hanging off, staring at the cluster of large buildings in the distance. "Hyrule City?" Link guessed, standing next to Midna.

"I suppose so." She shrugged. "That is the name. We'll have to take you soon. I visit the most, a Ghirahim often comes with. Linebeck hates the city because of how crowded it can get. He prefers it at night."

"Why?"

"He's uncomfortable around other people." Midna leaned forward a bit. "Anyways... the city is a bit smaller than most people expect. It's fairly technologically advanced, though, so you'll fit in."

Link nodded and sat down next to her. "There are other robots?"

"Well, yeah! Both robots and humans live in that city. None of them are as nearly advanced as you, of course, but they're cool. Most can't talk, but a few can throw out a few sentences. Most times, they're stiff, made by amateurs, as Linebeck likes to say. Most robots are made to help out around shops or help farm, a few made to battle. Those ones have truly well-made parts. But they're common. A few have built-in AIs, like thought processes. A few can think for themselves. But, seriously, you're the most well-made robot we've ever seen."

Link smiled weakly. "You're sure? I mean... wasn't stuff two-hundred years ago really advanced? I doubt I'm as good as stuff back then."

Midna laughed. "Hah! Linebeck spends his city time dragging the two of us to the ruins around the castle. He likes digging up all of the old robotic shit he can find around there and experimenting or tearing it apart. He told me himself- you're the most advanced bit of machinery he's even laid eyes on. On the other hand, Bellum is the most advanced AI. But, seriously- we need to figure out who built you. Or maybe it's not important."

"B-But it is!" Link suddenly blurt, twisting to face Midna. "I need to know who built me! I haven't been awake very long... but I just... have this longing to know! When I was made, why I was made, who created me... Hah... this is all hitting me now... but... Please. Help me find some answers." He drew his legs up and hugged them to his chest. "I'm too curious."

He shifted away when Midna reached for him. Finally, she sighed. "You're a weird little robot, that's for sure. Listen. Bring this up with Linebeck." She looked up at the cloudy sky. "He's the one in charge of you. Besides, better to live in the present than dwell in the past, right?" She yawned and stood up. "Let's head back inside." She tapped Link on the shoulder as she passed him. "Let's go. It might rain soon."

"It'll rain in an hour," Link idly mumbled as he got to his feet. "It's getting a bit colder, around eighty-three degrees." Midna shot him a bemused glance, but he only shook his head. "Don't ask," he softly mused. "I get little messages in the back of my mind; one of them records the weather predictions and temperature."

"That's cool."

"I guess."

"How the hell do you think someone would program that?" Midna asked, the first down the ladder. She lowered herself down a few rungs, then jumped down the rest of the way. Link was much more cautious. "I mean, you can't really predict the future."

"What I think it is," Link said, mostly thinking aloud as he followed Midna back to the front of the 'Rain Keep', "is that I'm taking in information about the world around me, and it's processed and turned into a weather forecast."

"Damn. That's pretty cool." Midna pushed open the door before Link walked into it, herding him away from the doorframe and following behind him. "I bet Linebeck will check your software tomorrow, get a look at your programming. The day after, you'll be living with us as normal. We'll take you to the city at the end of the week." She nodded and smiled down at him and walked off. "The rest of the day is free! Have fun or whatever."

Link waved half-heartedly at her, and noticed, with a jolt, that Ghirahim was staring at him from the hallway. He returned his glare, and the man scoffed at him. "Why are you staring at me?" Link accused.

"Haven't seen you all day," Ghirahim dryly responded, crossing his arms.

"And?"

They glared at each other. Midna had gone upstairs, and Linebeck was probably working on something, so they were alone and giving each other nasty looks. Link scowled and walked over to the hallway, passing by Ghirahim. He put forth an attempt to shove him in the shoulder with his own but missed and instead pretended as if nothing happened. He made his way back to the little workshop, now a little desperate to sleep.

No point in waiting for Linebeck this time. Link laid down on the table, and the words 'mood swings' wormed into his mind. He smiled to himself. Sounded about right.