The trip to Lurelin was short, the group filling Link in on what he missed, putting extra emphasis to the discovery of a human heart and brain within the robot. Linebeck and Damien paid little attention, choosing to stay separate from the others the entire way there; it was a silently message that their time in Lurelin would be spent in the company of only each other.

The Rito bid them goodbye and gave them more supplies like arrows and other tools such as more potion materials; they would've given them some extra money if Link hadn't cheerily told them that they already had a lot of money left over from the tournament. Linebeck had nearly shoved Link into the chasm beneath the village once he'd finished talking.

Lurelin was said to be a warm town, and the shift from a snowy tundra to a near-tropical forest to the seaside plains managing to catch the group off-guard in the middle of the night. The sudden warmth woke them and forced them to shed their Rito garb and put it away.

"I've never seen the ocean," Linebeck mumbled, peering out the side of the wagon. They were close to the town by now. "Have you ever been?"

"A few times. It's nice... I can't really describe it. Lots of seagulls, crabs can be found on the beaches, it's warm and calm and smells like salt and fish, as you'd expect. The sand is soft, but it gets everywhere. Personally, I don't really like the beach, but Lurelin is a very nice little town. Good seafood." Damien nudged Linebeck. "You'll like it. There isn't much robotic work since they don't deal with technology very much."

"What's the jewelry like?"

"Wh-what?"

"You should get earrings," Linebeck muttered.

"I'll think about it," Damien laughed. "We'd need some money."

Linebeck shoved his hands into his pockets. "We could steal the jewelry. Save some money."

"It'll have more value if we actually buy it." Damien grinned and wrapped an arm around Linebeck's shoulders. "We don't have to use our money. Wouldn't hurt to take Ghirahim's personal stash or whatever."

"Let's take Link's. He wouldn't notice." Linebeck shifted away, pushing Damien's arm off his shoulders. "How cheap are the hotel rooms in Lurelin?"

"Rooms with one bed run about thirty per night."

"That's decent."

Link's money pouch was easy to steal, and they found enough money for a room and for extra spending. They reached Lurelin by mid-morning, a few hours before noon, having left Rito Village little over a day prior. Linebeck and Damien took their stuff and wandered into the village the moment the wagons stopped, abandoning the others.

Damien led the way, greeting people he passed, while Linebeck stared around at the unfamiliar houses. Most of them were circular and propped up a few inches off the ground with stilts. They were made of wood and straw, with curtain doors and glass-less windows. The air was warm but not hot, and he could definitely smell salt and fish. Damien glanced back at Linebeck. "Keep up, okay? Might not seem like it, but you can get lost pretty easily here."

"I have a great sense of direction."

"Yeah, but you don't know any of the buildings around here." Damien took his hand. "Good sense of direction or not, you don't know what's around here."

With Damien now tugging him along, he paid more attention to his surroundings, avoiding people that he got close to. Most of the people in Lurelin were dark-skinned, either it be a tan or natural, with dark hair and loose clothing. Linebeck had no doubt that Ghirahim would probably try and track him down and spark the theory that he had probably grown up in Lurelin.

The hotel was decently sized, about three stories tall and up near the cliff at the north end of the town. Their room was on the third floor. Damien tossed his things on the bed. "Nice room, eh? Rooms are cheap since Lurelin is a popular town, and they get enough money from their fishing business. The beds are soft, too." He collapsed on the nearest bed. "C'mon, lay down with me."

Linebeck regarded the bed, then set his own stuff on the desk across the room. He strode over and sat down next to Damien. With a sigh, Damien grabbed Linebeck's shoulder and forced him to lay down next to him. Linebeck stared up at the ceiling, and Damien hesitated. "Are you alright? You've been quiet."

"Everything hurts. Phantom pains decided to show their ugly faces a few minutes ago, too, so give me some time." Linebeck exhaled softly. "This is... a really soft bed. How many times have you been here? I really like it here, so far."

"I get a fair number of requests from Lurelin, so I get a lot of opportunities to visit. I'm happy to hear that you like it here," Damien mused, shifting closer to Linebeck. "The beach is nice. Maybe we could take a walk along it at some point. The food's good, too, there are cool shops, it should be easy to avoid the others today. I'll let you decide what to do."

Linebeck frowned. "You're the one who knows what's around here."

"Well, we'll just wander around, and we can do what you think would be interesting. Is the pain going away?"

"Give it a few minutes..."

Damien nodded and got up off the bed. "Okay. Uh, the bathrooms in this hotel are really nice." Damien walked over and peeked into the small bathroom, pushing aside the shower curtain. "We don't have any soap," he shouted over his shoulder.

"Damn."

The sun was creeping up to the middle of the sky once they left the hotel with nothing much other than some money. Thankfully, the streets weren't very crowded, but Linebeck walked closely to Damien anyways. "Just to be careful," he muttered when asked about it.

The day was warm, but Linebeck refused to remove his heavy coat, to which Damien responded, "I wonder how you'd do once we get to Death Mountain?"

"I'm tempted just to stay at the base of that damned volcano," Linebeck sighed, glancing around. "Are there certain districts, or are shops just strewn about?"

"The general marketplace is lined up along the beach, while stationary shops can be found on every street."

"How about food?"

"Pretty much everywhere. Anything in mind?"

"I dunno. I'm not actually that hungry. What about you?"

Damien shook his head. "I'm fine."

Linebeck grinned. "Liar."

"You know my tell, don't you? What even is it?"

"You rub your left thumb and pointer finger together when lying, most of the time."

"Yeah, well, my tell is obvious. Yours took me ages to figure out."

"What is it?"

"When you're not lying, your eyes will sometimes drift right, but they drift left when you're lying."

Linebeck raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Damn. You're a lot more perceptive than I first assumed. But, seriously, what do you want to get for lunch?"

"There's a cheap ramen place near here."

"Awesome. Lead the way."

The workers at the ramen shop greeted Damien with familiarity. It was fairly small, and they picked one of the few tables in the room. Linebeck leaned back in his chair, peering around. "What are you so wary about?" Damien asked, sliding the menu over to him.

"I'm just paranoid. I'm scared that the Yiga might've tracked us down here. I know you're not as scared of them, but I'm still worried. They didn't touch us in Rito Village, even after showing themselves to Link."

Damien's smile faltered. "You'll be fine. There's nothing to worry about. The Yiga... I doubt they'd try and hurt you."

"Me, specifically?" Linebeck smiled up at Damien, intending for his words to be a joke, but Damien flinched. "What?"

He blinked, then vigorously shook his head. "Nothing, nothing." Damien reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm nervous too."

Linebeck shrugged. "Their target seems to be Link, so if we avoid him, I assume we'll be alright."

A nervous laugh from Damien sent a shiver down Linebeck's spine. Something was wrong, but he kept quiet. They ordered and got their food without much talking, but their conversation sparked back up. "The wood in Rito Village is pretty good quality, but I doubt that I'll be able to continue my work from here on out," said Damien, idly stabbing at the egg in his ramen. "In the meantime, how about you start another carving? Unless you'd rather not, obviously."

"That's fine. ...Leave the egg alone or eat it."

"I'm trying to cut it up."

"Just eat the whole thing in one bite, you coward."

"It's better to try and get a mouthful of a bit of egg, some noodles, a bit of the meat, and some scallions, then just the whole egg. Maybe with some mushroom, too. My ramen isn't as boring as yours."

"It's not boring."

"Yeah, like nothing but noodles, broth, and some meat is a decent bowl of ramen. It's like a physical representation of depression."

"That would just be noodles and broth alone."

Damien stuck his tongue out. "Whatever. It's a sad-looking bowl of ramen."

They paid and left soon after noon and ducked into a nearby shop when they spotted Link wandering around. "Last thing we want is him realized that we stole his money," Linebeck hissed, hiding behind a wall until he passed. "He didn't seem very happy with us after learning about his forceful surgery the other day, too."

"He's not as worried about having a human heart and brain as he should be," Damien muttered.

They shop they hid in was on the same street as a number of other shops. Linebeck and Damien explored each one, and Bellum even decided to show himself and make snide comments the whole while. Linebeck occasionally spoke to the AI, earning himself odd looks from passerby. They wandered around clothing shops and bookstores and everything in between, not finding anything worth buying but taking anything small enough that wouldn't be missed.

"Are you saving up money for anything?" Damien asked Linebeck at one point. They stopped between shops so that Damien could readjust his ponytail, and he inspected his hair tie while he was waiting for an answer. The soft breeze kept blowing his hair into his face and forced him to repeatedly tuck it behind his ear.

"No, I just like it," Linebeck sighed. "Need any help with that?"

"Hold my hair out of my face."

Linebeck complied. "Do you think you should cut it soon? It goes down to your shoulders."

"I'll think about it," Damien muttered. "I dunno how you can deal with long hair, 'specially since yours goes past your shoulders."

"It never gets in my face. Are you saving any money up for anything?"

Damien nodded, gently nudging Linebeck's hands away and putting his hair in its usual ponytail. "Bottom surgery. I want all that shit removed."

"Does it suck?"

"Depends on who you ask, but I hate it. It's practically vestigial since I'll never use it. I'm about halfway to my money goal, though."

"Do you think it's possible to get something new?"

"Oh, I wish, but I don't think Sheikah tech can manage that." Damien paused. "Seems like they can give robots organs just fine, though... What now? There's a jewelry store somewhere around here, and I've been mulling over whether or not I should get earrings."

"What's the verdict, then?" Linebeck tugged gently on Damien's ears. "I'll pay for whatever you decide on."

"You'll end up paying with Link's money, so will it really count?"

"Shut up. I'm still spending money for you."

"I'm going to get some earrings. Probably just small stud earrings before I decide on anything else. Didn't you mention something about getting a new earring?"

"I'm considering it," Linebeck sighed. "Where's the shop?"

"This way, c'mon. They close pretty soon after noon, so I think we're running out of time."

They sprinted down the street and past a few others, and Linebeck felt like a small animal running through a forest, the people he passed almost like trees he was trying to dodge without losing momentum. He would've missed the shop if Damien hadn't pointed at it, since it looked the same as every other building and shop down the street.

As like with the ramen shop, the jewelry shop's owner greeted Damien. "Good see you again, Damien! If you're still interested, we recently got a new shipment of rings-"

"That's not what I'm here for this time," Damien hastily said, waving his hand.

Linebeck raised an eyebrow at Damien. "Rings?"

Damien's face reddened. "F-for future reference."

"Near future?"

"Distant future! If it were near future, then I would've talked about it with you. Besides, we're only 20. It's a bit early. I'm not stupid." Damien jerked his head around and rushed over to the section of the shop with earrings. "Here! They're cheap, c'mon, help me pick out a pair."

Linebeck sighed and followed Damien over to the display case. A number of small earrings were lined up inside, with the prices written out in front of them. They were fairly cheap, but the materials looked decent. Bellum floated down and hovered over each of the pairs, scrutinizing them. "They're good quality. The gems are real, just small."

"Why's this stuff cheap?" Lineback asked, making sure to keep his voice low.

"There are a lot of gem and mineral deposits around here, and they regenerate regularly."

"They... regenerate?"

"Yeah, it's weird. Some kind of magic, similar to how monsters will sometimes reappear. That stuff happens all the time. I think the stuff at Zora's Domain was as cheap as it was because they have a lot of materials around, and, compared to their weapons, it's all easy to make and they're not as complicated."

Linebeck sighed. "We live in the weirdest world." He pointed at some of the earrings. "I think you should get ones with rubies. Red looks good on you. Or maybe some amber."

Damien silently nodded. "...What are you looking for?"

"Small rings. I just want a few more on my right ear."

"Those are just over there," Damien mused, pointing to a case a few feet away. Linebeck shuffled over to it, handing Damien the money.

Damien picked out a pair of amber stud earrings and waited to pay for them until after Linebeck picked his out. They paid and returned back to their hotel to haphazardly pierce their ears in the same way they'd done it in Zora's Domian, using a block of ice and a sewing needle. Linebeck's hands shook while he worked on Damien's ears, and he quietly apologized whenever he made the smallest mistake.

"You're right, the amber does look good," Damien said, admiring himself in the mirror. He tugged on his ears and smiled. "I feel bad for the humans with no Hylian heritage, the ones with rounded ears. They can't hear as well and they can't wear as many earrings, eh?"

"The Gerudo have slightly rounded ears," Linebeck said. "And the Gorons and Rito have no ears at all. Just holes, right?"

"I think the Rito sometimes like to pierce their beaks." Damien turned back to Linebeck with a faint smile. "I wonder how painful that is." He crouched in front of Linebeck and held the ice up to his ear. "You had it easy, only have to do two earrings. I doubt you would've gotten five if they weren't so cheap. I'm surprised you didn't get more."

"I know my limits," Linebeck sighed, tilting his head to the side. He winced when Damien made the first hole and distracted himself by playing with the small pile of earrings. "Your hand's pretty steady."

"I'm a carpenter; my hand has to be steady." Damien made the fourth hole and paused. "Do you think you're getting more comfortable with being touched?"

"I'm comfortable with you, but that's it. I tolerate Ghirahim more than the other two, though."

"Well, I'm honored," Damien purred, wiping away the bead of blood welling up in the fifth hole. "You can put the earrings in now."

While Linebeck carefully put them on, Damien backed up, leaning against the desk. "So. What now?"

Linebeck shrugged. "I don't want to do anything else now. How about we hang around in here for the rest of the day?"

"We gotta take a walk on the beach during sunset, though," Damien mock-whined, kicking at Linebeck's legs.

Linebeck rolled his eyes with a fond smile. "Then we'll hang around here until then."

"Nice. What are Bellum's thoughts?"

"He thinks I should do some maintenance on my prosthetics, so I'll do that."

Linebeck set out all his tools on the desk and shrugged off his coat. He rolled up his left sleeve, and let Damien loosen his arm while he disconnected his right leg. Both metal limbs were laid out on the table in front of him, and Linebeck rubbed his eyes with his hand.

"Have you considered keeping both arms while working on your leg?" Damien asked, fighting to keep a sarcastic edge out of his voice.

"Shut your mouth." Linebeck waved him away and got to work on his arm, focusing on fixing what remained of the bend in the metal. He usually preferred to work in silence with Bellum's occasional comments being the exception. "...Actually, let's talk for a little bit."

"What about?"

"I dunno," Linebeck muttered. "I just want to talk to you."

Damien sat on the edge of the bed. Linebeck could feel him watching him during the silence. "...When did you learn to play poker?"

"Why that?"

"Just curious."

Linebeck shrugged. "Well, I dunno. I remember wandering into one of the city casinos a few weeks before meeting you and catching on really fast, like I'd done it before."

"How often do you cheat using Bellum?"

"Pretty often. Makes winning easier, but I'll make sure to make a mistake to keep suspicions at bay. Like anyone could prove it. I have to avoid the casinos, though, because it's easy to get into a fight, and I'm not good in a fight."

"If I went with you, that wouldn't be a problem."

"You're not very intimidating," Linebeck sighed, glancing over his shoulder to catch Damien rolling his eyes. "Lined up with that Ganondorf guy, based off Link's description, I bet you'd look like a kitten."

"I actually met Ganondorf one time in the city, not even realizing that he was the leader of the Yiga. He's a pretty muscular guy, real intimidating, but he was pretty nice when I asked him for directions. I didn't see him around town after that, and then I learned that he was involved in the Yiga."

"I'd like to meet him," Linebeck mused. "But we might have to end up killing him, huh?"

Damien shifted loudly, catching Linebeck's attention. He said nothing, keeping quiet.

"...Have I ever told you about Bellum's appearance? Do you know what looks like?"

"Refresh my memory."

"Get me some paper."

Linebeck drew out a quick sketch of Bellum, which Damien grimaced at. "He looks worse than most of the monsters you can run into."

"Good question. Meeting him after waking up with no memories was honestly a bit terrifying and got better when I realized I couldn't touch him. Well, I couldn't touch anyone."

Linebeck set his tools aside and picked his arm up, getting to work on reconnecting it to his shoulder. Damien hovered near him, but Linebeck managed on his own. He tested his fingers out before getting back to work on his leg. "...Who fixed my arm while I was out cold? I was told that it was practically bent at a 90-degree angle, but it was mostly fine when I woke up."

"Revali and Ashei did that," Damien explained. "They fixed it as long as the healers let them, which wasn't long, hence why it wasn't fully fixed."

Linebeck silently nodded, and no words were exchanged between them until he finished fixing his leg. With both prosthetics back on, Linebeck stood and stretched. "...It's been, what, four days since I woke up?"

"Four and a half, I think."

Linebeck nodded and sat down on the bed next to Damien. "Wake me up when it's late or something. I'm going to try and get some kind of sleep."

With insomnia, Linebeck doubted that he'd actually sleep, but he knew he'd appreciate the rest. His coat and vest folded up on the bedside table and his boots on the ground, Linebeck waited for a moment, resting against the pillow. "What are you going to do?"

Damien shrugged. "Dunno. Wouldn't Bellum wake you at the right time?"

"Maybe." Linebeck laid down with a sigh. He was quiet for a few seconds, then turned onto his side, not bothering with the blanket. Damien laid down on the bed next to him, and Linebeck could tell he was reading due to the flutter of pages. Damien ended up leaving the room altogether as Linebeck drifted off, still dimly aware of his surroundings. Damien didn't return until nearly three hours later, and Linebeck pondered just what he'd been doing.

Bellum wasn't the one who roused him, but it was Damien, gently nudging his shoulder. "Hey. It's pretty late now. The sun's setting. Get up."

Linebeck groaned and pressed his face into the pillow. Damien dragged him off the bed. "You're so mean," Linebeck mumbled, forcing his eyes open. The blinds were closed, but he could see orange evening light through the cracks at the edges. He rubbed at his face and sat up against the bed. "Give me a second."

Damien waited for him outside the room, and they left after Linebeck tugged the rest of his clothes back on.

Not many people were outside when they walked through the town, but a few fishermen lingered around the fireplaces scattered along the beach. A few seagulls flew above the sea, occasionally calling out. Linebeck kicked at the sand at the edge of the beach. "This looks a lot softer than the shit you see in the junkyard."

"It is, although it tends to get everywhere." Damien took Linebeck's hand, and they walked closer to the water.

The sea was peaceful, gently reaching out at the beach and withdrawing, taking whatever sand it grabbed with it. A few crabs scuttled around and fled if the two Hylians got too close. Linebeck idly watched them, then slowly glanced out at the sea. Damien watched Linebeck's expression for a few moments, finding it to be blank. "Well?"

Linebeck blinked, then looked down at Damien. "...What?"

"Any thoughts?"

"Uh." Linebeck gazed back over at the sea. "It's nice. I... I like how there's... nothing. There's no real destination that you could see. Just the horizon." He tilted his head to the side. "Maybe I grew up in Lurelin. That works, right?"

"Doesn't explain anything about your height," Damien playfully responded.

Linebeck just sighed. "If I grew up here, then you'd think someone would recognize me, right?"

"You're pretty recognizable."

"Midna and Ghirahim have their excuses. Ghirahim's an ancient sword spirit slash demon or whatever, and Midna's supposed to be from a whole different dimension. They're a matter of how they're here. But... you'd think it'd be easier for me, right? I'm well-known in the city, and I'm sure word has spread to other towns, but it's like I've never existed here before."

"...Maybe you're from overseas? I mean, that coat of yours, you woke up wearing it, right? Looks a like it belonged to a sailor at some point. Maybe your family was from overseas, and you somehow got stuck here."

"Doesn't explain my prosthetics or my engineering and robotics expertise," Linebeck mumbled. "I suppose my scars and the loss of my limbs could be marked up as being from monster attacks or something, but it's all strange."

Linebeck went quiet, and Damien noted a slight shift in his breathing- a little quicker and shallower. "Am I bothering you?"

Linebeck let out a shuddering sigh and sat down in the sand. "I... I have dreams, like Midna and Ghirahim and Link. Dreams where... I get flashes of memories, right?"

Damien sat down with him, listening with his head tilted to the side. "Midna told me that she had one soon after the music hall incident- a long, blurry string of events linked together by usage of shadow-walking or teleporting. She couldn't recognize people, but it was a memory. Ghirahim has similar stuff, but mostly when he's awake- brief flashbacks, he calls them. Link has dreams, too, but with less meaning. They always talk about how happy they are, getting bit and pieces back, even if it's bittersweet." Linebeck rubbed at his face. "And all I get are nightmares. Have I ever told you what shows up in my nightmares?"

"You've mentioned them, but you've never actually told me what happens."

"Just... Every time I wake up, it's in a cold sweat, screaming. I don't think any of my memory fragments have been positive. I have dreams where I'm running from something that keeps snapping at my heels, and I'm always surrounded by laughter. I have dreams where I'm being held down, with something pressed down over my face, or with pain following soon after, or with the feeling of someone covering my mouth or clawing at my clothes."

Linebeck paused, exhaling slowly. "I think... I think the closest thing I have to a positive memory is probably the clearest of the bunch. It's cold and I'm standing somewhere where it's windy, and it's the middle of the night. Something's clutched in my right hand, and my clothes feel ripped, and I'm breathing heavily- but there's a sense of calm. I always see someone in the distance, in front of me, shouting or speaking or something. I just remember them looking very... white. White hair, white clothes... sometimes I think that the person looks like Ghirahim. But in this dream, there's always a sense that something horrible, something devastating just happened to me, but that now, everything's over. The dream... it always ends with me stumbling over to the person."

An icy feeling of numbness inched through Damien's body. He shuddered, staring at Linebeck- his expression hadn't changed aside from the misery that now clouded his eyes. Neither of them dared to open their mouth. After a few minutes, Damien slid his hand over, reached out enough to let his fingertips brush against the back of Linebeck's hand. He seemed to flinch away, then slid his gloved hand into Damien's. The robotic hand was thin, and Damien could feel the rods and wires as if it were nothing but bones and tendons, but it was warm like a living hand and fit almost perfectly into Damien's despite being larger.

They sat like that for almost ten minutes, fingers intertwined until Linebeck awkwardly cleared his throat. "I didn't mean to kill the mood like that, sorry."

"You're fine," Damien sighed. "Don't apologize, you haven't done anything wrong." He got to his feet, tugging Linebeck up with him.

Without a word about the prior conversation, they continued their walk on the beach, doing their best to keep the conversation topic off of the quest at hand and the lost memories. The sun went down, and as moonlight washed over the seaside village, they reached the end of the beach. Linebeck shifted from foot to foot, glancing back at the town, but Damien started walking to the woods at the edge of town with an odd urgency. "Damien? Aren't we going back?"

Damien paused and glanced back at Linebeck. "Just follow me, okay?"

Linebeck gritted his teeth and jogged after Damien. The woods were fairly sparse and reached from the edge of town to the cliffs. "Damien, what are you doing? Is everything alright? Is something-"

"Something's wrong," Damien hissed, tugging Linebeck behind a larger tree. "I thought something was weird around the end of our walk; I saw a small group of people watching us."

"Yiga?"

"Not Yiga, I'm pretty sure they're Sheikah." Damien scowled. "Let's hang out here for a bit, just to be safe."

With a hesitant nod, Linebeck crouched at the tree's roots. "Bellum, did you notice anything?"

The AI popped into existence in front of Linebeck. "I saw the people that Damien are talking about. They weren't from Lurelin."

"You're sure?"

"They were Sheikah, all four of them."

"Damn it," Damien hissed. "Linebeck, you have your knife, right?"

"...Y-yeah..."

"Good." Damien straightened up, taking something out of his pockets. "We'll stay here for five more minutes and we'll leave if nothing happens, alright?"

"What if something does happen?"

"Then we'll have to fight, probably."

Linebeck leaned against the tree trunk and shakily drew his knife. Damien crouched down by him, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Can you promise me something? No matter what happens, please know that I'd never betray you in any way."

The blood in Linebeck's veins turned to ice, but he nodded. Though Damien's words troubled him, the warm feeling of trust still remained, melting away any doubt. He must've had a very good reason to tell Linebeck something like that. The two of them huddled close together, listening for any abnormalities among the rustle of the leaves, the distant murmur of the sea, and their own breathing. Nothing popped out. After seven minutes, Damien let out a long breath and stood up. "I think we'll be safe-"

Five Sheikah leapt from the trees and lunged at Damien. They wore the traditional Sheikah armor and brandished curved-bladed swords. In the moment they landed on the ground, Damien held up the items he'd taken from his pockets- two slim pieces of crimson paper- and ripped them in half, tossing the halves away. The halves seemed to burn up and turn to ash almost immediately after they left his hands. The Sheikah swung their swords, their blades digging into the ground where Damien was just a moment before. The paper amulets used by the Yiga fluttered to the ground where he had just been.

Linebeck's mind was racing so fast that he didn't even notice the Sheikah turning their attention to him. He scrambled back and practically fell against the tree, shakily holding his knife up. A red blur tackled one of the Sheikah, tumbling into the others. Linebeck scrambled away, recognizing the red shape as a Yiga soldier, sickle in hand, wrestling with the Sheikah. A second Yiga leapt out from behind the tree, hooking their sickle into another Sheikah's shoulder.

The remaining three Sheikah backed up, assessing the new fighters, one of the Yiga already having managed to knock out their opponent and now sprinting at the other three, their companion quickly joining in. Two of the Sheikah defended themselves from the Yiga, the remaining Sheikah breaking off and redoubling their efforts to attack Linebeck. They slashed at him, the blade clanging loudly against the knife, throwing the smaller weapon from Linebeck's grip. He brought his arms up to defend himself, but no second attack came.

Linebeck timidly glanced back up, finding that the Sheikah was being choked from behind, the handle of an axe being forcibly pressed against their windpipe. The Sheikah went limp and collapsed, and Damien lowered his axe, peering down at Linebeck. "A-are you okay?"

Linebeck feebly nodded, but stared at the axe, recognizing the slightly curved handle, plastered with Yiga amulets, and the head of the axe, the blade serrated along the edge. Damien dashed away once he was sure that Linebeck was safe, prying one of the two Sheikah aside and swiftly knocking them out with a well-aimed blow to the jaw. Even from where he was, a few yards from the fight, the pop was audible to Linebeck as the Sheikah's jaw slipped out of place.

The final Sheikah, realizing that they were alone, twisted away from the Yiga and bounded away into the forest. Linebeck scooped up his knife and stumbled to his feet and sprinted after the Sheikah, leaving Damien and the Yiga in the dust. He was slowly gaining on the Sheikah, but he was already running out of stamina. Thinking quickly, Linebeck flipped his grip on his knife and flung it at the Sheikah. The knife turned handle over blade in the air and landed in the Sheikah's calf, buried up to the handle. The Sheikah cried out and staggered to the side, their sudden halt allowing Linebeck to catch up. He pounced on the Sheikah, pinning them to the forest floor and fighting back the urge to vomit and he pressed down on them.

Damien caught up quickly, holding a length of rope. His axe was nowhere to be seen. "Thanks," he muttered, binding the Sheikah's hands and feet. Linebeck leaned against a tree, watching Damien sit the Sheikah up and punch them in the face, breaking their nose with a clear and echoing crunch.

Linebeck crouched next to Damien, peering at the Sheikah. They looked just about the same as the others, white hair tied up in a bun and their nose and mouth covered. As they croaked out two words, their voice came out as feminine. "...Yiga... scum..."

Damien rolled his eyes. "Insult me all you want. My subordinates have already tied up and captured your friends and should already be on their way to our hideout. Now, then, do us a favor and talk. What are you doing here?"

The Sheikah coughed, leering furiously at Damien. Gently, Damien tugged the Sheikah's mouth covering down. Blood was streaming freely from her now-crooked nose, leaking into her mouth and staining her teeth. She tried to bite at Damien's fingers, then let out a wet huff. "W-we're here... on Zelda's orders... obviously."

Damien shoved her against the tree. "Why. I want to know why."

She laughed. "I suppose... telling you would ruin my mission... hm?"

Linebeck tilted his head to the side and decided to join the interrogation, pressing the tip of his knife just under her left eye. "I'm sure you'd gladly die for your cause, but I wonder how much pain would be needed for you to break?" He pressed the knife harder against her skin, and a small bead a blood was visible as he pulled away.

There was now undeniable fear in her eyes. "Damien... Damien Fletcher is your name, is it not?" she asked, looking back at Damien. "We... were told to... attack you... or Lancrester. See how... you would respond. You... responded as we hoped..." She coughed again. "Now we know... the identity... of one of Ganondorf's generals."

"That information won't matter if you're dead," Damien spat.

"Heh... if none of us return, then she'll... she'll know that you really are Yiga."

Linebeck scored a deep cut in the Sheikah's cheek, but she barely flinched. Damien had a steely look in his eyes, silent. "You don't know the level of cunning we Yiga often utilize, do you?"

The fear in the Sheikah's eyes melted into terror. "She... would know if you sent... an imposter... She'd know..."

"Would Impa know? Or one of the other Sheikah higher-ups? I think we'll test our luck." Damien stood up, glaring down at her. "I'm not a big fan of killing, despite the fact that I have done it before. I'll give you the honor of seeing our hideout, and I'll leave your fate up to Ganondorf."

One of the two Yiga dashed over- Linebeck assumed the other had tied up and transported the other attackers- and grabbed ahold of the Sheikah, hoisting her up and over their shoulder before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Linebeck stood, rooted to the spot, staring at the tree trunk, his mind racing, trying to process what he'd just seen and discovered. Damien sighed heavily, and turned away from Linebeck, head down. "...Sorry about... that. You should probably go back to town."

"I'm not going without you," Linebeck retorted, wiping the blood off his knife. He was shaken, to say the least, but he wasn't about to turn on Damien or let him see that his hands shook.

Damien clenched his fists. "You should, though. Now that you know what I am."

Linebeck tilted his head to the side. His hands stopped shaking as he put his knife away. "You think I'm mad that you're Yiga? If anything, I'm confused. The thing I'm mad about is the fact that you never told me."

"I couldn't tell you," Damien whispered, his voice barely audible. "If I could've, I would've. And recently, with everything going on... I thought you'd hate me if I told you."

Linebeck sighed and walked up beside Damien. "You're an idiot if you'd think I'd hate you for something like this. I even told you that I don't think the Yiga are as bad a people say. I just... It's a bit of a shock, y'know? I don't really know what to think right now, but I don't hate you. I promise."

Damien's head snapped up, his eyes meeting Linebeck's. "But you should hate me," he seethed, unable to mask the quiver in his voice. "I've been lying to you for so long now, I've ordered attacks on your friends and on the towns of Hyrule, I've killed people- The only real redeeming quality that comes to mind is the fact that we're combating the corrupt part of the Sheikah and trying to kill Zelda and halt her plans.

"Right now, the only option for me is the leave and hope that you won't tell the others anything. If there's even a chance that there was a fifth Sheikah, or if my being here as a Yiga put you in further danger, then I need to leave. I went along with you to protect you and... and because they told me to act as a spy, but my presence will only cause more problems as things escalate. Link will either need to choose to continue to be ignorant and fight for Zelda or turn his back on her and fight for the Yiga, and either way, he's going to turn on me, and, to an extension, you.

"If he sides with Zelda, then I'm leaving. If he learns about who I am, then he'll think you've been in on it, and attack you despite everything. If he chooses to trust us Yiga, then he'll know that I've been lying and spying on them, and he'll lose his trust in me and you. Whatever happens to me will reflect to you, as much as I'd like to say it won't. My being involved is just going to lead to your death at some point."

Damien went to turn away again, but Linebeck clamped his hands on his shoulders. "Don't leave, please. I need you. If you leave, I'll follow you. I'll track you down, dammit. The next Yiga guy we come across is getting his ass beat until he tells me where I can find you. Running away is usually my job, remember? Not yours."

Damien smiled weakly. "R-right... Listen. I have... a lot to tell you if you want the whole story. I'd rather not do it in this forest." He tilted his head to the side, doing his best to convince both Linebeck and himself was he wasn't on the verge of tears. "How about we get some food? We still have some money left. I know a place at the edge of town that should still be open."

The restaurant they found was still open, and they managed to get a table in the corner of the shop. They sat next to each other, waiting for their orders of food, warily peering around the room. Only a total of five other people was inside the restaurant, not counting the two workers. Once sure they wouldn't be overheard, Damien started with, "I didn't originally know that Link was a part of your group. I knew that you had a robot and stuff, but I didn't know you were involved until I saw you while dropping off the note to Link."

"The note- oh, yes, that."

"Yeah. So, I had to take a few days off and recover after realizing that you were part of the group being tricked by Zelda, and I set up my plan of going with you guys. I did my best to not outright say that Zelda was the real enemy, but I also had to make sure to plant the seed of doubt. I think I've succeeded with you and the others, but Link is dangerously loyal to her."

Linebeck nodded. "Yeah. Can you explain what Zelda's doing? I've always known that something's off, but I don't know what it is."

"Well, people have been disappearing, I told you. Us Yiga have known for a long time that she's been ordering kidnappings of people who have been vocally against or suspicious of her and tricking her Sheikah by telling them that the kidnapped people were Yiga. She's also been trying to get the hero on her side because he could then destroy the Yiga, and she would then have the power of the Master Sword on her side. We don't know her master plan, but there's still something wrong."

Damien flinched as they were served their food, and idly picked at it until Linebeck continued the conversation. "When did you join the Yiga, and why didn't you tell me?"

Hesitating and taking a bite of his food, Damien sighed. "About three to four years ago, maybe even five years. I know that I joined them before I had my shop and before my surgery. I ran into Ganondorf and he offered me the job and gave me a month to accept. I was very scared at first, and worried that he would kill me if I said no, but I ended up accepting after doing my homework. Things turned out well, it paid well, and people turned out being much more kind that I expected.

"I ended up rising in the ranks pretty quickly, accepting help in learning to use an axe, and the other generals helped me set up my shop and pay for the top surgery. Things between us and the Sheikah were getting worse and worse and I was scared of the Sheikah discovering me when I met you. The others knew and were really supportive and gave me tips on what to do and when I should've told you I loved you. 'Course we ended up doing it at the same time. But after getting to know you better I made it my goal to get better at fighting to protect you, and I was careful to pay attention to the rumors about you."

Linebeck slowly nodded. "Now uh... should we tell the others?"

Panic flashed in Damien's eyes. "Don't. We'll reveal the truth about the Yiga and everything in due time."

A waiter walked by, and Damien and Linebeck turned their attention back to their food. They waited until they were done and had paid before they kept talking. The hotel was nearby, so it wasn't going to be a long walk.

Damien yawned. "You... don't hate me?"

"I never could. I love you, okay?" Linebeck paused, then quietly asked, "Have you ever killed someone for me?"

"Yeah, definitely. Had to knock off a few muggers when they got too violent."

"That's kind of hot, being honest."

Damien scoffed. "I think your moral compass has been destroyed beyond repair."

"Didn't think I had one in the first place." Linebeck jumped at the sound of a door being slammed in the distance and cursed to himself. "People are so loud at night."

"You're not used to it 'cause you usually live in the middle of nowhere, huh?"

"Ghirahim is so damn loud in the middle of the night. Midna has the decency to keep it down, but she's loud, too. You don't snore, do you?"

Damien shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

Linebeck quietly shut the hotel room door, checking the lock. It was nearly midnight when they returned. He yawned and shut off the desk lamp and watched Damien pace the room. "Are you going to get any sleep?"

"That Sheikah fight still has me anxious," Damien admitted, collapsing onto the bed. He worked his jacket off and tossed it on the floor. Linebeck rubbed at his eyes and removed his coat, getting on the bed next to Damien. "Did that shake you up, too?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm a little more confused about how those two Yiga showed up."

Damien sat up. "Oh, right, I should've explained that. You saw those two red papers I held up at first, right?"

Linebeck carelessly dropped his boots and vest on the floor. "Yeah. And they burned away when you ripped them."

"Right! So, each of us generals have a few of those papers. When we rip one, it will summon a Yiga. They had dried blood belonging to the Yiga in question on them. The soldier that is summoned is one that has pledged their loyalty to us, and ripping the paper sends a signal to warn them of the paper being ripped before they are immediately transported to us. It took a while to get working." Damien grabbed at the blankets and pulled them up to his shoulders. "There are a lot of other Yiga things like that, but..." he yawned and stretched. "...It's a bit late, huh?"

Shutting his bedside light off, Linebeck nodded. "Yeah. It's late. Are you to get your own lamp?" Damien shook his head and smiled faintly as Linebeck scowled and reached over him. He fumbled with the switch, but darkness eventually covered the room. There was a muffled shifting as Linebeck slipped under the covers.

For a few minutes, he listened to Damien's breathing. It was slowed, but he wasn't sleeping just yet. Linebeck wrapped the blankets tighter around himself, finding that the room was surprisingly cold. Damien tugged the blankets back over to his side. They fought for the blankets for a few moments before Linebeck gave up and shifted closer to Damien. "Why is it so cold in here?" he asked, his voice low.

Damien let out a long breath. "Don't know. Don't care." He wrapped his arms around Linebeck's waist and tugged him closer. "Tell me if you're uncomfortable."

There was a fleeting feeling of discomfort that rushed through Linebeck's body, but it subsided quickly. He nuzzled into the crook of Damien's neck, now pressed up against him. "...Hey. You were there at the Spring of Farore, right? I think Link mentioned you."

"I was there, yeah," Damien murmured. "Why?"

"I remember... Link saying something about Ganondorf talking about each of you. About how you all had someone you cared about."

"I remember that."

"I'm just..." Linebeck sighed, relaxing fully. "Just thinking about what was said about you. I feel like I should've realized the connection." An unexpected calm washed over him as Damien quietly laughed. "Yeah... I suppose it is a little funny."

Link strode quietly down the hotel hall. The day before, Damien at least had the decency to mention where they'd be staying, and eventually told him the room. Midna and Ghirahim were waiting at the wagons, but they wouldn't leave until an hour later. Still, it was nine in the morning. They should be up, right?

Link passed room after room before coming across Linebeck and Damien's. He hesitated, then gently knocked on the door. There was a moment of silence, then a muffled shuffling, and Linebeck answered the door, tousling his own hair. "What? We're getting ready, what do you want."

Peering past the engineer, Link spotted Damien packing up his things. "Sorry. We thought you two were still asleep or something. We're leaving in an hour."

Linebeck nodded and began to shut the door. Link grabbed ahold of his forearm, immediately regretting it. Still, he held on despite the clear discomfort on Linebeck's face. "We got a message from Zelda."

Linebeck raised an eyebrow. Damien glanced over at him. "Did you?" he asked, his voice low and edged with worry.

"Yeah," Link said, nodding. "She said that she'd sent a bunch of Sheikah here to see if we were being tailed by the Yiga. One of them returned earlier this morning and reported that we're not being followed." He awkwardly let go of Linebeck's arm. "I... thought you'd want to hear that."

Much to his surprise, Linebeck laughed. "Oh, that's good. I was almost worried that the Yiga were among us or something." The smile disappeared. "Now piss off. We'll meet you guys at the wagon when we're ready."

The door was slammed in Link's face, and the robot heavily sighed. He hadn't expected Linebeck to laugh about the message, but Link could only assume that he was relived. Walking down the hall again, Link grinned to himself. He supposed it would be a bit funny if there really was a Yiga spy that they still hadn't noticed.