Link devoted the rest of his time in Kakariko to training, taking advantage of how he could sleep at night to make up for not eating in the day. The way he tired slowly made it difficult for everyone else to catch up with him, though. A few more skilled Sheikah taught him tactics against other weapons and showed off some of their technology during breaks, none of it related to battle. Most were lights, doors, and medical equipment. Quality of life items.

Ghirahim and Midna periodically joined him, but they had their own agenda. Linebeck spent a majority of his time with Damien, helping with selling carpentry and working on whatever his own new projects were. When any of them tried to ask what he was working on, he just told them that he was making good progress. Bellum told Link that Linebeck was being borderline obsessive over what he was working on. It was apparently nothing unusual, though.

The day after the storm was clear and sunny. Link spend his time after the training to watch some of the farmers, offering a few rupees for a small sack of carrots. He brought it back to the inn and managed to coerce Ghirahim and Midna to buy a few more ingredients so the three of them could make a stew. It turned out pretty well, and they offered some to Linebeck and Damien. The five of them spent the afternoon in the larger of their two rooms, sitting at the table with the windows open.

Damien stabbed at the carrot chunks at the bottom of his bowl, peering up at Ghirahim. "Zora's Domain tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Link tossed his spoon into the sink. Ghirahim frowned at it, then got to washing it. "I need to get better to fight against the Yiga. Who knows what they're planning?" Link paused. "What do you think they want?"

Damien frowned. "I mean. There are rumors that this 'Ganondorf' guy is their leader, and that he's the male Gerudo this century. They want to kill Zelda, yeah, and get rid of the Sheikah. Why do they want that, though? I doubt they want to rule Hyrule."

Behind the table, there was a muffled clattering in the sink. Ghirahim peered in, grimacing. "Didn't know plates could break underwater."

"I'm not fixing that for you, Ghirahim." Linebeck sighed. "I think the Yiga want the tech. I mean, you have to admit that Zelda and the Sheikah are hoarding some good tech. But that's not really a good motive to kill them and terrorize citizens. But if they aim to kill people who support them... maybe they want to clean their slate and become the leaders of Hyrule. Maybe taking over does make sense."

Everyone else in the room regarded him silently. Even Bellum squinted at him, then muttered, "Good suggestion. Still weak."

"Why did I program you to be an asshole?" Linebeck asked, waving the AI away. "Anyways. Koko's actually going to have us leave tonight."

"Why?!"

"She said something about needing to meet someone there, and decided to leave early to give us time to stop by Rain Keep. Either way, we need to be in that wagon by midnight. Damien, need any help packing your stuff up? I have nothing to do until then."

Damien nodded, following Linebeck out the room. Midna sighed, straightening out the blankets on her bed. "He could've told us earlier. Oh, well. Not like we have much to do..." She glared at Ghirahim. "Fix whatever you've broken. I don't want us to be known for breaking some plates during our first visit here."

The demon stuck his tongue out at Midna. "You try. Maybe you can make them float."

"My magic is more about teleportation, mimicry, and a general harnessing of power. I can only levitate small objects right now."

"You sound more impressive than me," Ghirahim huffed. "But that is impossible. I should be able to create barriers, knives, and summon new swords... rather battle-oriented, as I had hoped. We should both be able to teleport, however. I've been doing quite a bit of reading." He pursed his lips, jabbing his hands into the water in the sink. "We should practice some magic together. I can learn well enough on my own, but perhaps we could learn from each other... a demon lord from a bygone era and a fabled Twili."

"Both with no memories," Midna added. "Magic sounds cool, though. We all have our own skills, huh?"

"Yeah!" Link chirped, hoping he didn't sound desperate to be included. "Midna, you keep us in line mostly and do most of the social work, Ghirahim's really aggressive so... negotiator?"

"Team protector, I suppose."

"Yeah! I'm the hero, then, driving us on! Linebeck's the tech guy. I think that's about it. He's... a bit paranoid, so I guess he keeps us prepared for stuff?"

Midna scoffed. "The guy has no sense of self-preservation, but I guess he does make sure we keep our eyes open. I think he's the most detached. Ironically, he's somehow the only part of this team with a significant other."

"Good for him," mused Ghirahim in a tone of voice that was softer than Link anticipated. He pulled the broken plate out of the water and set it on the counter. His hand went back in and the water drained from the sink. "The three of us have stuff to learn over this time, learning to be a hero or figuring out magic, and Linebeck's just fiddling with whatever projects he can dig up. At least he has Damien to drag him out into interacting with actual people." He began drying off the plates, muttering under his breath.

Link slid off his chair and got to packing his own bag. He only needed to pack his sword and assorted items, since he didn't need a change of clothes. "I had fun while we were here, despite being torn apart by the Yiga. I think Zora's Domain should be safer. I heard that they're good with spears." He zipped up his bag and set it on his bed.

Two hours and a small container of glue later, Ghirahim decided to hide the obviously cracked plate in the back of the cupboard. He glanced over his shoulder. "Apparently Damien and Linebeck don't have a little kitchen in their room."

"Koko got us a nice one," Midna murmured. "The one that Damien and Linebeck got was smaller, probably for one person, but they shared the bed. Dunno what Koko had in mind, but I don't think she knew that Linebeck doesn't like being touched."

Link pursed his lips. "Is Linebeck okay with being touched while sleeping? I know he's more tolerant of Damien."

"He sleeps on the edge," Midna muttered. "I once found that he'd fallen off his bed in the middle of the night. Turns out he's a heavy sleeper, too. I think he twitches if you touch him, but it takes a lot of touching to actually wake him. The smell of coffee works, too."

"I learned that a few weeks ago," Link mused. "Well, I'm probably going to wait at the wagons. We've got about... five hours." He picked his bag up and smiled at the others. "See you guys at midnight."

Little happened until midnight, and the rest of the group met with Link at the wagon. Koko was a few minutes late but got them going once they were all ready. Ghirahim huddled up in a corner with a blanket and fell asleep rather quickly. Midna found her Twili book and went back to figuring out why sunlight didn't kill her. Link inspected his guardian sword, occasionally peering at Linebeck and Damien. "...How did you two meet?"

"We ran into each other in the city's marketplace and it turned out that Damien was looking for someone to repair one of his shop's lights."

Link smiled humorously. "Was it love at first sight?"

Linebeck scowled. Damien glanced between them, then faintly smiled. "Did Linebeck give you his preachy love at first sight spiel?"

"Yeah."

Linebeck rolled his eyes as Damien said, "Yeah, he's got a few things wrong, but he's got the spirit. If I'm honest, it took us at least a few weeks before I think either of us realized we were attracted to each other. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Link said. "You're the fifth person I actually know. I've only been awake for about two months, so I guess that makes sense. Have you been to Zora's Domain?"

"A few times. It's a bit humid, so I'm not a big fan, and it smells very strongly of fish. The royal family there is nice, but the prince, Sidon, is pretty shy. I'd recommend against seeking him out. I've managed to talk with him at one point, though. He's a nice kid." Damien dug through his bag and withdrew a cylinder of wood and a small knife. He handed both items over to Linebeck. "They don't take wooden furniture, though, so I won't have much to do. Why are you guys going around the world like this, though? What's Zelda got you guys doing?"

Linebeck started carving a shape into the wood. "We... If we wanted to tell you, I think we'd have to run it by her. You don't need to worry, though. It shouldn't put you in danger unless you get attacked by the Yiga." He peered at the wood in his hands, then back up at Link. "I actually need to talk to you about something when we stop. Maybe once we get to Zora's Domain."

Link frowned but nodded. "Yeah, sure. Can you, uh, tell me what you want to talk to?"

Linebeck stuck his tongue out at Link. "Nope. Only once we get there."

With a sigh, Link only leaned back against the wall of the wagon, smiling weakly. "Fine. Good night, then."

Koko woke the group early in the morning, looking tired herself. They'd stopped at Rain Keep, and it took Link's tired eyes a few moments to recognize his home. Linebeck practically dragged him out of the wagon, muttering that they could talk there instead. Ghirahim and Midna watched them walking around the corner and said nothing.

"What do you want?" Link mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "It's gotta be important if you're actually touching me." He nudged at Linebeck's hand, wrapped around his forearm. The engineer flinched away and sighed, leaning against the wall. Link frowned, shifting from foot to foot. Damien peered around the side of the house but didn't bother them and walked away.

Linebeck tugged his goggles down around his neck. "Okay. I'm not going to test this because this has only happened a few times. Have you ever felt a jolt or something when we lock eyes? Bellum tells me that my eyes flash when that happens, too."

Link thought for a few moments, then nodded. "Yeah, I think that's happened a few times. It's really weird. I can make eye contact with other robots- providing they have eyes- and nothing like that happens. It's rare, too. Do you know why it happens?" He smiled weakly. They had enough mysteries on their plate. If just one of them could be solved, it'd give them all a moment of relief.

Linebeck shook his head, much to Link's disappointment. "I'm not quite sure, and Bellum isn't either. It clearly hints at some kind of connection between us. Hell, there are weird connections between all of us. I was just checking that you felt it, too. I'll look into it soon, though. For now, I need to check on Rusty's food and water."

He left to do as he'd said, and Link found Ghirahim tending to the blueberry plants. He was silently collecting ripe blueberries in a bucket. It was only when Link stepped on an especially brittle twig did he notice him. "Hey. Want to help me with this?"

Link wordlessly bent down and plucked a few blueberries off one of the bushes, tossing them into Ghirahim's bucket. "...What are you going to do in Zora's Domain?"

"Midna and I are going to practice our magic," He murmured. "Some Zora can do minor healing magic. It's not really what we're looking for, but it's better than nothing. You?" Ghirahim skimmed the one plant to check for any remaining berries, then moved onto the next one. "More relentless training? We don't have a quest, so we're practically just sightseeing with the inconvenience of the Yiga breathing down our necks."

Link sighed. "Yeah. Wonder who Koko needs to meet there."

"Dunno. She wants us to get back in the wagon in a few minutes, though, so we'll be able to meet them later today."

Koko called them back to the wagon once Ghirahim and Link finished collecting the blueberries, putting them in the house's cold storage box. They were off the moment the last person got back on. "Nice house," Damien murmured. "How did you guys find that thing?"

"We ran into it right after waking up a year ago," Midna explained. "I'm surprised it wasn't torn down or already being used. We're pretty lucky."

Damien grinned. "Yeah. I guess you guys are. Cool. Hey, Link?"

Link blinked. "Yeah?"

"I heard there are some good trees around the Domain, but some nasty lizalfos, too. Could you come with me and protect me while I get some wood?"

With a quick glance at Linebeck, Link nodded. "Yeah, sure. Gladly. Why not ask Linebeck or Midna or Ghirahim?"

He only smiled. "Well, Linebeck's not the best fighter and I don't want him getting hurt, while the others are working on magic, right? If you can fight off a bunch of Yiga, you can handle some oversized lizards." Damien rubbed the back of his head. "If you want, I can pay you a bit for it."

"Oh, no, it's okay!" Link stammered, waving his hands. "We got plenty of money at the tournament. I'll do it for free."

It took a few miles before the wasteland's dry grass became greener, and the trees became denser. They came across a river at one point, going over a cobble bridge to continue forward. Deer and birds were seen among the plants. They saw hills and small caves and found the landscape to be similar to what was around Kakariko village. The next bridge was made of silver and luminous stones, and spear-wielding Zora waved at them from atop towers of the same materials. Shouting from her post at the front of the wagons, Koko told them that the Zora reigned over this part of Hyrule.

They came across a long bridge, the wide river slowing calmly below. Off in the distance, Link could see that the river opened up into an enormous lake. Zora's Domain was most likely located there. A few lizalfos watched the wagons from atop a cliff but did nothing to attack. The trees around were pine, with the occasional apple tree. Damien seemed to be staring at the passing forest. Linebeck was drawing something in a notebook of his.

Bellum appeared by Link's head, looking him over. "What do you want?" Link muttered.

"Linebeck and Damien are weird," he hissed.

"Yeah, no kidding," Link mumbled. "Are you bothering me because you having something else to say about that?"

The AI paused. "I'm not. I'm just commenting. Linebeck's so focused on the drawing that I can't really talk with him. It's nice having you around since I can talk to you, too. It was pretty lonely for a fair bit of time."

Link grinned at Bellum. The AI bobbed up and down, as if nodding. Ghirahim frowned, glancing over at them. "Are you talking with Bellum?"

"Yeah. I keep forgetting that you can sense him."

"I keep forgetting, too. It's a bit jarring. Anyways, we're almost there." Ghirahim pointed outside. Now, they had a better look at the lake, able to see the entire body of water.

In the middle of the lake, connected to land by a long bridge, was what Link assumed to be Zora's Domain. It looked to be a grouping of silver gazebo-like islands, with the islands getting larger the closer to the middle they got. A few of them had dirt floorings, like they had been built atop islands in the lake, and those had trees and flora growing on them. Figures walked on bridges between islands, and people could be seen swimming in the surrounding lake. "It looks like a small city," Link mused.

"It's the home of the Zora," Midna explained. "They are very architecturally adept, and skilled with durable materials. They take pride in the beauty of their surroundings."

At the gate to the bridge, a group of Zora guards had them exit their wagon, telling them that it had to stay on dry land. When Koko asked about what they'd brought, the Zora promised that it would be delivered to them the next day. The Zora led them through the gate and onto the ornate bridge. It was drier than Link expected, especially considering how close to the water it was, the lake water lapping at the edges.

The Zora guards were tall, with long fishlike tails from the backs of their heads and fins on their forearms and calves. Their spears were silver and with blue coloring, created to be both effective and beautiful. Link peered around at the lake around them, seeing some types of fish just under the surface of the water. The Zora guards peered at the fish as well but continued leading the guests down the long bridge. "The bridge is beautiful," Link mused, mostly talking to himself.

The Zora guard with black scales smiled back at him, showing off sharp teeth. "Thank you. I help with its upkeep. I hope you enjoy your time here."

Link smiled. "Thanks. I'm Link."

"Bazz," the Zora responded. "And the rest of your friends?"

The rest of Link's friends took a few moments to realize that they needed to talk, too. "I'm Midna," the Twili began. "How about you?" she asked the second guard, who peered back at them, walking adjacent to Bazz.

"I'm Gaddison," the pink-scaled guard sighed. "Bazz here is the captain of the guard, so his playful demeanor doesn't mean you should treat him like a close friend. We know of Koko, so she need not introduce herself."

"I'm Ghirahim," the demon offered, smiling at Gaddison. Her expression remained impassive. Ghirahim drew in a breath. "If you be willing, we'd like to spar with some of your soldiers."

"On another note, what kind of scientists work here?" Linebeck added. "I was hoping to get some engineering work done in our time here. ...I'm Linebeck."

Bazz sighed, a slight smile on his lips. "Ghirahim, I can spare a few warriors that you may spar with. Just keep in mind that Lizalfos are bold and like to attack us, so they may not always be free. Linebeck, we aren't as involved in technology as the other towns, but we do have a few engineers you may want to talk with. I'm not quite sure if Koko told you or not, but Queen Zelda is waiting for you all at the inn."

There was little surprise among the group when they met up with Zelda at the inn island, but Midna and Link were happy to see her again. Ghirahim and Linebeck were less enthusiastic. Damien had offered to get them all a room, and was absent when they went to meet with her. "Hello again, you four. I apologize if Koko didn't specify that it was me you were meeting again. I wanted her to keep it ambiguous. I heard of the Yiga attack in Kakariko- I'm impressed that you fought them off, Link," she murmured, turning her head to face him. "Facing one of the black-scarfed Yiga is impressive, but two at once after eight is a feat."

"Well..." Link started, "I ended up badly damaged, and I was really only fighting the spear Yiga while the bow Yiga offered support. I need to get stronger if you want me to help fight them. Do you know more about their plans?"

Zelda nodded, peering at each of them in turn. "Yes, but I would like to quickly apologize to the rest of you for being rather rude. Midna, I was wary of you at first, so I apologize for my admittedly impolite tone of voice when speaking with you. Ghirahim and Linebeck, I was a bit blunt with you two as well, and I'm sorry. I am sure that I can trust you all."

Midna and Link were staring intently with happy smiles, while Ghirahim and Linebeck looked less inclined to show any positive emotion. "...At least you're calling me by my name," Ghirahim muttered. "What are the Yiga's plans?"

Zelda nodded. "Of course. While you were in Kakariko, the Yiga with the katana along with the unequipped Yiga both attempted to assassinate me with a trio of others. Impa and some Sheikah guards fought them off, and we managed to capture one. It turns out that you can keep them from teleporting away by restricting their hands. But we had him imprisoned and unmasked. He was a Hylian commoner from the city.

"After a time, he admitted to us the Yiga's plan. They are planning to launch large attacks on each of the towns. I've already sent Sheikah to each town, but we don't know when the attacks will be. He did say it would be within a week. I've left Zora's Domain and Rito Village undefended, as you will be here for a while, then at the Rito village, so we can afford to keep them vulnerable, and the Rito are skilled archers."

"What did you do with the Yiga prisoner?" Linebeck asked. Unseen by everyone but Link, Bellum froze above Linebeck's shoulder, staring at Zelda, scrutinizing her.

Zelda shrugged. "We executed him, of course. He tried to kill me and was a part of a group that is trying to kill hundreds. He was a criminal." She pursed her lips. "I considered letting him live, but we led him through a number of secret passageways that, if he were to return to the Yiga, would be easily used against us."

Link nodded stiffly. "Good point. Can't trust them. Do we need to do anything extra while we're here?"

Zelda shook her head. "No, you may do what you wish, but I'll travel with you until after the Yiga seige."

"How do we know he wasn't bluffing?" Midna asked.

"I know magic," Zelda simply said. "I was able to put a temporary honestly spell on him. It's true, as much as I would like to believe otherwise. If you would allow me to, Link, I'd like to spar with you. I can use many different weapons, so I think I could be helpful. Ghirahim, Midna-"

"We're okay," Ghirahim interrupted. "Bazz has allowed us to spar with some of his soldiers. The two of us will leave now..."

They left with their weapons, and Linebeck and Link met with Damien in the room he got for them all. "It's cool, huh?" Damien said, peering around the room, at the beds and kicking at the rug as his feet. "Lots of blue, but if we get sick of it then we can go out somewhere else. I'm going to get that wood tomorrow, Link, so the rest of the day is for you. Linebeck, wanna look around the domain?"

"It's a date, then."

Link was left alone in the room. It could've been described as just... blue. Link collapsed onto a bed and mentally claimed it as his own. It was soft. He was tempted to doze off right then but reminded himself of Zelda's offer to spar with him. He pushed himself off the bed, collecting his sword and the wooden shield and set out to track down Zelda in the beautiful Zora city.

Each little island was a different building or a small park-like area with Zora milling around. The adults dwarfed Link, while even the children came up to his elbow. Zelda was shadow boxing in the Zora's training grounds, and she cheerfully greeted him. He agreed to simple sword fighting and returned to the inn late at night with aches that he knew would have been bruises had he been organic. Midna and Ghirahim also looked tired, curled up in their own beds.

Linebeck and Damien returned fairly late, and Linebeck tossed a small box at Ghirahim. He handed the other two to Link and Midna while the demon groan and picked it up. "What's this?"

"We went shopping and it turns out Zora jewelry is cheap despite the high quality," Linebeck mused. "You, Link, and I got earrings and we got Midna a hair thing because I'm not sure if she likes jewelry." He opened his own box and relaxed on his bed. "I'm going to pierce my own ears because I'm cheap and I'd like to see if I can do it. You just make a little hole, right? Damien, help me out with this..."

Link found two small, circular azure earrings in his box. Ghirahim held up a singular turquoise earring, looking at it with a surprising look of satisfaction. Midna's gift was a short bronze cylinder with engravings and what seemed to be a pin through it. She looked it over and got to figuring how to put it in her hair.

Since Link's ears were made of synthetic material, it was easy for him to put the earrings in. He peered at himself in the room's mirror for a while, admiring himself. Ghirahim looked his earring over, walking over to the mirror. "The real issue is how I'll put this on," he muttered, peering at the disorganized duo of Linebeck and Damien. "I just know I'll do better than Linebeck's razor," he muttered. "At least he keeps his tools clean. Those two are idiots."

"I like my earrings," Link pleasantly announced. "Yours looks cool. I'll help you, if you'd allow me to."

Ghirahim shot him a look of total disgust before muttering, "Sure. Let's do right ear. No one sees my left."

"Is your left ear pointed, too?" Link asked, peering at the left side of Ghirahim's face, hidden by a curtain of white hair.

"No, it's rounded." Ghirahim moved his hair aside, showing off the rounded ear. A small, black marking of a diamond was under his eye. Ghirahim pointed to it, noticing Link looking at it. "The book of demons referenced this. I don't think it's a tattoo." He let his hair fall back into place. "Now help me out."

It took a few minutes, and Link paused to ponder safety before they got to actually piercing Ghirahim's ear. "This isn't the safest way," Link muttered, using a needle that Linebeck loaned to him, "But it's better than a razor blade."

"It's the lack of a sense of self-preservation," Ghirahim muttered, nudging Link's hand away. He tapped at the earring with a faint smile. "Thanks. It looks nice. Don't tell either of them that I said that."

"Got it." Link glanced over his shoulder at Linebeck. Damien was watching from his own bed. It turned out that their haphazard method worked out pretty well, and Linebeck had his own earring in his right ear. "I like my earrings," he said.

"Good to know. You're welcome. Midna, how's yours?"

Midna didn't seem to hear him at first, then blinked. "Oh, it's nice. Good move, not going for earrings, I hate those. I really like it."

Linebeck crossed his arms behind his head, falling back against his pillow. "Good. That was my one charitable act for the month. You can all wait for next month before I do anything nice." Link rolled his eyes and went back to admiring himself in the mirror. The earrings sparked a faint sense of deja-vu in the back of his mind, but he thought nothing of it.