There was tomorrow in Gerudo Town, but they were going to be home for dinner, thank you.

The morning gave over to the noon hour, and into the early afternoon quietly up at the Hateno Tech Lab.

Mostly.

Link wouldn't be Link if he didn't stir shit pots occasionally, so he occasionally inserted himself into the conversation the science nerds were having, actually offering helpful suggestions, but always in a way that made them give him dirty looks.

Hey, they were talking about improving kitchen technology. They'd want the input of someone who'd be making the most use of those things. It wasn't his fault that the technical talk bored him enough that he had to spice it up.

Speaking of spices, he did take a moment to turn his helpful expert advice into a scolding to Symin and Purah for their shittastic collection of cooking spices. He received an eyeroll from Zelda, a tolerantly patient look from Symin, and a puffed-up bird impression from Purah.

Tough, they weren't eating right, Link wasn't going to let that go.

It was much earlier in the day than Link was expecting when the Sword told him the women were close enough that if he and Zelda left the lab now, they could meet them at the town gate.

It was still late afternoon; a check on the Slate said 3:26. But Link wasn't expecting them before 4. They made good time. He hoped they didn't push Zumi too fast to try to get to town early for them. Even if Zumi wasn't having what were apparently more issues with morning sickness than should be normal, that was going to make her feet swell and there was nothing not painful about swollen feet.

He set aside the history book that he'd found on one of shelves that Symin had claimed for his research. Symin was interested in how technology affected geopolitics in history, and the technology part was frustrating to get through. He liked what it did, but given that it failing was one of the big factors that made them lose against Ganon the first time, he wasn't interested in its role in history for awhile. Maybe something to pay more attention to later, after Zelda's ideas and plans started going from the development stage to the public testing stage, but for now, he was happy to let that part of his own personal history stay in the background.

He had enough in his memories to sort through, he didn't need to linger on the parts that he remembered that were the ghosts that would cause the nightmares he losing the energy to outrun.

But, the Sword had come to his rescue as he was just starting to have trouble finding more parts in the book that didn't focus on the technology as much.

"You wanna go down to the town gate and meet your new hairdresser and save her and her fiance from any potential scares Nack might give them if he decides to multiply his paranoia by a bunch today?" he asked Zelda, closing the book and standing up. "The Sword says they're finally here."

Hateno Village was abuzz with talk. Talk and cooking.

Clavia had gone around that morning, knocking on everyone's doors and letting them know that there were a couple new residents to greet, so everyone get to cooking, it's time for our traditional potluck. Some were a bit unhappy with the last minute notice, but most were excited, because even though it would make most of them have to get creative with food prep to stretch it all, newcomers were always exciting- actually, anything new at all was exciting, as long as it wasn't a bad something new.

But two new residents and therefore members of the village's little family were a good new, as far as they were concerned, so the excitement was a good one.

One of the newcomers, most people had at least seen around regularly, though a few of the townsfolk hadn't known he'd actually moved into that old house at some point. He came and went so often that most just thought he'd been a traveler who frequented the area. But a bit of talking across the town made everyone realize that while he was there very frequently, he never stayed at the inn. Perhaps they'd all been a bit lazy with their awareness of the people in their town.

But, they knew this man- Link, Reede said his name was, and some of them actually hadn't known that -regularly went through after the Blood Moon and cleaned up the forest outside the town gates of monsters, making it safe for both the townsfolk and other travelers to come through. Reede assured them that this young man was going to clear that area out again, just for good measure, so the party could spread a little.

A few of them had met this other resident briefly, when she and the two Sheikah- goodness sakes, was that little girl really the old Sheikah woman that had seemed to disappear? scientists! -stopped at the store to buy a little of the dwindling milk supplies, before they disappeared up to the tech lab.

Her name was Zelda, they said.

Odd.

Wasn't 'Zelda' the name of the women in the lost royal family?

Well, they all supposed, there was no reason to think that her parents hadn't named her after the royal women because it was a famous name. Despite the fact that the royal family had been gone for a century, it was still against the practices of the people to name their little girls 'Zelda,' but someone must've finally broken that tradition. Tsk tsk, her parents should know better than to do that. That was strictly verboten. Honestly, even though nobody- except old Tokk -remembered the royal family, they still had been the kingdom's royal rulers, some respect was still owed, after all!

Now now, don't take that out on the young woman. It's not her fault, after all. Just be accepting.

The large serving tables that the townsfolk brought out for their traditional potlucks had been pulled out of the town's shared storage shack and were spread out, some pushed together and starting to fill up with food offerings from the residents, and others scattered a bit more loosely, with chairs from all households around them, ready for everyone to be gathered so the food could be served and eaten. Formal introductions would come first, of course, and all would stay standing for that, because how else are they all going to greet the newcomers if they aren't all standing around, ready to shake their hands and welcome to them to the fold?

Senna had been informed that dessert was being handled by Tokk- old man Tokk is making food and joining us? the world has shifted on its axis! -so while she was disappointed (and everyone else relieved), the surprise and shock of Tokk being the one to take that task and join them was enough to make her not inclined in the slightest to put up a protest.

(To everyone else's relief- honestly, someone was going to have to sit her down and convince her to either learn how to make desserts properly from someone, or she'd just have to accept that she wasn't any good at it, and everyone- including her -would be happier if she stuck to her special fried rices. She was the best at those, after all!)

Some offerings were already on the table- Koyin had provided a delicious-smelling glazed honey lamb, and what a wonderful smell that was! It was so nice that the monsters that had been stealing sheep were gone so that there were enough in the flock to spare a lamb for the meal! From what Koyin said, that was also thanks to this Link fellow, and they all really had to thank him for so much. He'd been keeping the town safe, all while living right under their noses. They were all ashamed of themselves for not noticing him.

Does anyone know where Bolson and Karson are? Oh, they're still in Tarrey Town? Still? Goodness, what's keeping them there? Ah well, they could do without Bolson's amazing salt-grilled greens. Nack was providing a wonderful spring salad, that would do nicely for their primarily vegetarian dish.

Did you hear that Link was so rude earlier today? He was leaving town- from up the hill, what was he doing up there? -and flat out ignored us! We know he heard us just fine!

Oh, shut up, you two. Nobody's in the mood for your back-biting. It's a happy occasion, to greet new residents, and not one we get often, don't you dare ruin this.

Manny, dear, we appreciate the poultry curry you've brought of course, you always make it so well, but could you perhaps not stand over everyone's shoulders like that? That's a little unnerving, and you'll give the wrong impression to Link and Zelda.

Something about the name Link- as common as dirt -next to the royal name sounded familiar- the children insisted it was because of the stories of the Hylian Champion and the princess from the Calamity! Just ask Symin! When he gets down there. Yes, children, we know, thank you for reminding us, but we're sure that's just a coincidence. And odd one, but thank you for reminding us. We apparently are all forgetting our lessons a bit too much, aren't we? We'll have to ask Symin for help changing that.

After the party.

((This is both to give me something to do, and also so I know wtf all was said. It's not like I haven't done something like this before. XD;))

Link heard Pruce leave the store behind him only a few seconds after he did, but didn't turn around. What would be the point? The conversation was over.

"It feels like you're having some success," he said softly, looking around for signs of life in the early dawn hours. He was noticing that his thoughts had become narrow, almost hyperfocused on each task as it came. He was barely thinking about anything beyond getting to Uma. The rest was there, but it felt muted.

I'm sorry, Master Link, but this is the best I can do. I am unable to calculate how long I will be able to keep this filter in place, the Sword replied. But I will hold it as long as I can.

"Don't apologize," he said. "Glad for what I can get."

He nodded to Ivee as he passed by Reede's house, where she was waiting at the door. "Just running an errand," he said to her unasked question, passing past view of the door over the steep incline of the plot of land the house sat on and the main road.

First one on the left past Reede's house. Not far to walk.

He knew that Pruce said that Uma was used to being woken up at strange hours, and it was just late enough in the day that he figured most people in town would be awake and at breakfast, but given that he knew Uma was getting on the older side, he still would feel guilty if he was waking her up, or interrupting her breakfast.

Before knocking, he stopped to pull a sheet of paper out of the Slate's inventory- he used the notes function on it for his own stuff, but sometimes there was a need for doing things the old fashioned way, at least for giving people notes -and then the flowers, wrapping the roots of them in the paper to protect them. There was no need to announce the presence of the Slate's technology until Zelda was out and about.

Then, he took a breath, pushing any concerns he still held over the issue those flowers were for back behind that filter that the Sword had in place, and knocked on the door.

It was four thirty in the morning, according to the Slate, when Link finally got back to Hateno. Zelda had been habitually waking up at about eight the last few days, but she was finally settling in to work now, so she might prove an earlier riser than all that.

With a sigh, he clipped the Slate back to his belt and trudged down the small incline behind the model houses built and displayed by Bolson Construction Company, and across the bridge to his house. The lights were off, which proved hopeful. It meant first off that Zelda had gone to bed properly, and two, she was still asleep. He might have time to roll out that extra bedding under the stairs and get some sleep.

Would you like me to alert you when the queen is awake, should she choose to not do so herself? the Sword asked.

"Yeah," he said quietly, stifling a yawn, hand on the door knob. "That'd be nice. Thanks."

The door hinges and knob were too new to squeak or creak, a nice thing most times, a blessing right then, and he took care to stay quiet as he shrugged out of his gear, boots and gloves. It took him a few minutes to find that extra bedding- he knew where it was, it just wasn't in the easiest of places to get to in the dark -but once he had it, it was quickly arranged into a tiny nest of inviting-looking comfortable sleepy place.

A few hours sleep was better than none.

Nobody had intended on the visit with Robbie dragging on past lunch, but Zelda had reluctantly called an end to it, reminding Robbie- who would've happily gone all day and then some, though Jerrin reminded him that he didn't recover from going past his limits as well as he used to, so she wouldn't have let him -that she and Link had a letter to deliver to Purah, and that might take another few hours of visiting, and it wouldn't be fair to her to only give her a brief appearance before they skipped off for the wild blue yonder.

So after Link and Jerrin managed to pry Zelda and Robbie apart from a heartfelt goodbye and several promises to see each other again, Link and Zelda stepped outside, made sure both had a hand on the Slate and the Slate showed only one orange marker for them, then traveled over to Hateno.

Whatever it was the Slate did to break them down to whatever it was they were broken down to, it reassembled them on the travel gate at the Hateno Tech Lab, a tall building that wasn't really in any better shape than the Akkala Tech Lab had been. Somehow, Link and Zelda were going to have to get the funding for the two labs to be fixed up and repaired. It was ridiculous how the two Sheikah scientists and their assistants were living.

Like the Akkala Tech Lab, there was a furnace with Sheikah text embedded on it that overhung a burning blue flame, protecting it from the elements. Above the door was a small frog statue, much like the one over the Akkala Tech Lab, though unlike Robbie's, this frog had big glasses frames with little triangular decorative protrusions along the upper corners. (Or, as much of corners as a round shape could have.) Robbie's had had eye focals similar to Robbie's own, and much like Robbie, Purah had decided to customize her Sheikah symbol to look unique to her own style.

Sigh.

Without thinking about it, Link took the Slate and hooked it on his hip, where it'd been for the last several months. "Here we are," he said, looking out over the village. "Looks quiet down there. People must be enjoying the post-lunch break."

Then he peered at the sky. There were clouds off to the southeast, so goddess only knew that rain might be coming- it was always raining, and he was so sick of it, he would offer his soul over to just about anyone to make it not be as constant as it was. He spent way too many hours stuck on the side of a cliff, unable to climb farther up because of how slick the rocks were, but absolutely unable to survive going back down, even with the paraglider.

Well, it wasn't like they had far to go to get to his house if it started raining when they were leaving Purah's place.

He turned and grabbed the door handle. "I know Robbie was probably a shock, but Purah's weirder," he said. "So brace yourself."