Days of our Lives (Cloud/Squish)

Julius awoke in a start, cold, clammy sweat covering his face. He tore the thin sheets he slept under off of his body and slipped into his long johns.

He sat upon the bed, pouring himself a cup of water from the pitcher he kept on a sturdy table next to him. It felt... good. It felt good to be alive. It felt good to be able to sleep, to breathe, to wake up and experience all the joys and sorrows that came along with every breath of life.

He took a series of quiet steps outside, careful to not wake the sleeping pups and their mother. They were getting bigger, now, too; something he didn't mind, but... Still, he would have preferred it if people were more willing to adopt them. Perhaps it didn't help that he didn't hide the fact that they were at least half Wolfos; it made people... afraid of them.

He looked up at the sky. It was still dark; the sun wouldn't be rising for another few hours. It was... the usual time he would awake.

He took a deep breath, slowly releasing it. It was time to start training; after all, at this age, it took a whole lot of time to keep his unusual strength and endurance up. He walked back inside, noticing the dogs beginning to stir. He gave them fresh water and fed them their usual kibble, putting on his full suit of Zora Mail and wielding a blade that mirrored his own... but was much heavier and more unwieldy than anything his hands might come across. Well, except for perhaps Goron Iron-- but it wasn't exactly suited for the blade he preferred to use. It made a bludgeoning tool great, but couldn't hold an edge whatsoever.

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Many hours passed. It had been a week since he and Silas had come back from what they could only name as 'Starsend'. The portal to a land where dead souls roamed... where they met no peace despite their ends. How close they themselves had come to death still hung heavy in his own mind. But, still, to come back from that? It was an incredible feat, to say the least.

He took off his many portions of armor, setting his practice sword in its scabbard, to where it usually lay. He needed a bath, now-- the sun had risen about an hour ago, so the bath houses shouldn't be too crowded. They got the majority of their business during early morning, just as the sun began to peak over the hills and walls, anyways.

He dressed in normal clothes, for once. He still brought his sword along with him, ignoring the many ledgers and documents piling along his forge. It.. might take some time to catch up with his work. Mostly for the Guard, ironically enough, but there were a few orders for custom work as well-- some minor nobles, rich townsfolk, and so on. He always made a point of making their pieces... Well, he knew that such weapons would never see combat, like his own weapons, or those he made for Sienna or Guy. And, because of that, he usually made these... showpieces worse than his real work. Still, he had a reputation.

He shut the door to his house behind him, locking it and stowing the key away in his Adventure Pouch. The dogs could manage to be alone for about a half-hour.

He set off for the bath house. It felt good to be alive.

Silas eyed himself in the mirror, frowning at the dark circles under his eyes. No matter how much water he splashed in his face, they did not grow fainter. The only trace of exhaustion he could not hide.

Ever since his return, sleep had not come easily to him.

He would act chipper during the day, all smiles and optimism. But as soon as he was alone, after nightfall, everything changed. The hands still haunted him. In his sleep, he could still feel the suffocating weight, the nails tearing his suit and skin. Every night was the same. Every night he would be pulled under again, only to wake with a scream, staring at the interior of his room, trying to convince himself it was just a dream, only to lie awake for hours on end. He had seen the sun rise too many times this week.

Silas sighed.

He had no duties today. A walk might do him good. Some fresh air, perhaps a visit to his brother. Although he had explained at length what they had encountered inside the portal, Silas had kept very quiet about the consequences for himself. He had no doubt Sirius had noticed the slope of his shoulders and the dark circles under his eyes, as much as he tried to hide them. His little brother was a sharp one. But he had seen- and suffered- enough because of his weakness, Silas had no desire to add to it. Perhaps just a simple walk into town, then.

He packed little, seathing his knife on his back, before slinging a light cloak around his shoulders and quietly closing the door behind him.

Julius watched the hustle and bustle of the city folk around him. He breathed deeply in before exhaling. He laid his eyes on the booths and stalls, merchants and peddlers all around Castle Town... I should have taken the back way, he thought to himself, listening to the shouts and yells from all around.

He continued through the market square, knowing where his destination lay. He passed the fountain, knowing full well to take the third street after it, turning into a smaller city road. Carts and beasts of burden couldn't pass through with how narrow it was, so any traffic coming through here was foot traffic-- not that Julius minded, really.

He set his gaze onto a small stone building, a sign hanging there that advertised it as 'The Backalley Bath House'. For a relatively seedy-sounding name, he knew that the water they drew and used in the baths was fresh from a spring to the north of Castle Town, within Rolling Ridge somewhere. Julius had never gotten an exact answer, but it always felt great to relax there after long training sessions, or double duty for the Guard, or whatever he had gotten up to over the course of a day.

Only, he hadn't been here for as long as he'd been back. He still smelt like the corpses and the kind of blank oak scent that had wafted off of... What was it that Silas said it had called itself? Askoval, he believed. He took a quick look at the Pictograph he still had in his possession. He hadn't surrendered it because he felt like he needed something to remind himself that... Well, that it was real. That that happened to them, and that they'd come out of it alive. That was what was most important to Julius, right now; that he was alive, that he and his allies had triumphed and conquered where others had fallen.

Even his superiors thought it a fairy tale. Only when Silas had backed him up in his story and details did they accept it as truth.

He finally approached the building after lingering outside for a time. The attendant looked up, brushing her red hair out of her aged face. "It's been a while since you've been here, Sir Surgate."

A blank expression crossed Julius' face. "It's a long story," he replied, sliding the woman a yellow and blue rupee. "The usual, please."

She crinkled her nose in disgust. "Smells like you need it," she joked. Julius' expression started to curl into a frown as she lead him to the baths proper.

Life was just resuming on the streets as Silas made his way into town. Shops opened their shutters, wares were cried out to the public, people bustled around to prepare for a new day. A day like any other for Castle Town's inhabitants. Normal. Safe. Peaceful.

Silas watched the people milling about, idly chattering by the fountain, speeding onto some urgent task or taking a calm stroll in the morning sun. Silas frowned. While it was an honour to seve his masters, he truly envied the common folk at times. Few, if any of them, would put their lives on the line time and time again. Few of them would set out for a mission and wonder if they would actually return, whether they would ever see their friends or family again. And none of them had been there. Only three others in all of Hyrule truly knew what had gone on inside the portal. The suffocating atmosphere, the restless dead, leaving your own body because there was no other way to traverse the starry void.

Someone bumped into his shoulder, muttering a quiet apology. Silas whipped his head around, but whoever had run into him had passed on already. Was he imagining it, or were the people around him pressing closer and closer? He felt his heartbeat speed up, palm getting clammy. No, he had to get off the streets.

Silas pushed through the throngs of people, ignoring the stares and slipped into a backalley, breathing a sigh of relief at the sudden silence around him. There were far less people here, and mostly people with somewhere to go. They hurried past, paying the cloaked Sheikah little heed. Not that he minded. His eyes went over the buildings crowding around the quiet alley, mostly the backs of shops lining the much busier market. Although there was one sign, hung from a simple iron bar, that stood out.

A bathhouse, huh?

Steam, hot water, a good long soak seemed tempting. It would be good to relax for a moment and take Silas' mind off things. The Sheikah sniffed himself. And it might actually be needed, too.

The attendant was leading somewhere back into the bath-- someone he knew, and knew well enough that he could bet his life on in a fight, even if he hadn't already saved this particular from death at least once.

His thoughts floated back to the absolutely insane, bizarre landscape they had both fought in and escaped from. "Silas!" He proclaimed, waving the Sheikah over. A grin spread across his face. It was so very good to see someone who could relate to what he had seen, and how close to death they had been... even if he had literally torn Silas from the arms of dead and saved his life by doing so. Certainly, many of them were far closer to true death and peril than he was during that catastrophe of a mission.

Their superiors had even been surprised when they had managed to return. They had ruled it as an outright suicide mission, and thought there was literally no chance of success-- but, fortunately for all involved, they had been wrong, and that was what had set Julius, Silas, Horus, and Luna apart from everyone else. It was that they had stared Death in the face, spat at it, and then managed to escape the entire ordeal while destroying what he was confident was the entire dimension-- whereas every group before them had succumbed to Death's embrace at some point or another.

After Silas had stepped into Julius' pool and the attendant had left, he took a very deep breath as a grim look took the place of an otherwise friendly grin. "So," he said, noting the dark circles and the somewhat irate posture Silas had about him, "I take it that the nights since that have not been kind to you." He dunked his head under the water for a second, feeling the warm fluid cover and cleanse his scalp. "I can't say that I blame you, in all honesty. It's been hard for me to readjust since. I have these... mood swings, I guess, where I'm happy and overjoyed to still be alive at some points, and then I'll immediately jump to hating and loathing anyone who wasn't there. Hell, it took me all of a week to even think of setting foot outside of my home; my hounds are growing restless, and the smithing work has been piling up... I tell you, the Guard depends far too much upon one old man. That's not even taking into account all the other requests and commissions I have from people outside the Guard, too-- it feels like I'm drowning and there's no way out, but honestly... I still have to say, I'm glad I made it through whatever accursed place we narrowly evaded death from."

He nodded at the Sheikah. "How have you been, ever since the whole ordeal? You look exhausted; more so than me, I'm sure. That said, if you've nothing to do today, I'd be more than happy to have you over as some half-decent company. I'm sure that I can brew some tea, or get a good stew going for lunch before I do whatever else needs doing today."

Silas nearly jumped when he heard his name called out. He had actually wanted to take a quiet bath- alone. Then again, Julius was one of the few people who knew what had happened inside the fragment. And understood its impact.

Still, he managed a smile and a wave at the captain. The attendant showed them to a large bath, steam rising up in gentle spirals from the water. Carefully, Silas stepped in and sank into the water, making sure to keep his metal hand on the edge of the basin. Julius joined him shortly after, face turning serious. The Sheikah shrugged helplessly at the other's words. 'Not kind' was an understatement. At least Julius appeared to feel joy at their survival. For Silas it had mostly been utter disbelief, an unreal sense that everything hadn't quite happened at all.

He listed to the other man prattle on, nodding and giving a faint smile, though he laughed quietly at Julius' mention of being old.

"Seems you've quite a lot to do, then. Our work is never finished, is it?"

The water was starting to works its magic on the Sheikah, soothing both body and mind. Soon Silas found himself sinking a little lower, easing the tension from his back and shoulders. He lifted an arm and watched the water drip off. It was a little hard to scrub himself with just one hand, or one decently-sized hand, he realised as he fumbled to pick up a cloth and dab at the numerous cuts and scrapes littering his lower arm. Between the fingers of his metal hand, the cloth looked no more than a shred of fabric.

"I've been... well, awful." Silas laughed, a nervous, strained sound. "The wounds, bruises, I can deal with. It's the nights that bother me the most. It's hell." He dropped the cloth, leaning back against the edge of the basin. "Every time I try to sleep I just keep reliving it. Being pulled under, crushed by the roots, those hands... grasping and tearing at my skin." Even in the heat he could not suppress a shudder. "It's quite unpleasant, to say the least. I'd rather not sleep at all."

He let silence fall for a moment. It was good not to have to explain everything over again, to tell someone what bothered him without having to tell the entire story again. Then, Silas perked up at Julius' invitation, smiling, then grinning. Half-decent?

"I'd love to. Thanks." He could feel his stomach growl at the mention of food. Had he forgotten breakfast this morning? It seemed so. "Actually, lunch sounds like a very good idea."

He scrubbed away at his body as he listened to Silas talk about his experiences. "I understand what you mean. It happens to me, too; I woke up and my sheets were soaked in sweat and my mouth was parched. While I... may not have been grabbed by those hands, the hopelessness and the sense of death still looms over me to this day. I think whatever it was we fought in there... I think it's fundamentally changed something about our souls, as weird as it feels to say. I'm sure I don't need to go into too much detail, but-- just... Occasionally, I can still feel its... tendrils, inside my head. I don't think it's anything to be suspicious of, but I just feel mentally wrong, sometimes. I guess from when it tried to possess me."

He still wasn't entirely aware as to how he accomplished that. He had forced that entire entity's spiritual energy from his body in nothing but one fierce, final push. Evidently, he had done enough to dissuade it from doing it for the rest of the time they were engaged with it-- something cut thankfully short because he could make magic fire with his feet. Coupled with his ability to summon Keese, which could then cloak itself harmlessly within the flame... Well. It spelt a somewhat short end for what was, physically, something akin to a tree. But, had he been without Silas, or Horus, or Luna... Well, Julius was absolutely certain he would be dead at this point.

"I can... assist you with washing, if it's necessary." He didn't mean to draw undue attention to Silas'... arm. But, he doubted the Sheikah had fine enough control of it to manipulate something like the cloths the bath attendant had given them.

So he was not the only one. Was it a relief? It was certainly comforting to Silas to know he was not overreacting.

"Seperating our souls from our bodies can't have been good for them, I suppose." While the dimension had collapsed, and the tree and its inhabitant along with it, it was... concerning to hear Julius speak of something still lingering in his mind. But perhaps it was what Silas had suffered at the hands of the writhing masses between the roots. Unpleasant and haunting memories. "You'd think that if we were truly the heroes everyone hails us as, we'd be less... affected. Although two near-suicide missions and multiple near-death experiences would be enough to break any man."

He sighed, using one hand to splash water in his face.

"Ah, well..." He lowered his arm, inspecting a rather rough-looking bitemark. "It's just the arm. I can reach everything else just fine. But help would be... appreciated." Silas let Julius handle him arm, trying not to feel too incompetent. He was not used to others assisting him outside of battle. Truth be told, it was not entirely unpleasant. The hot water stung in the few wounds that were still raw, the pain a sharp reminder he was still alive. Alive and well. For the first time since he had returned to Castle Town, he felt something else than stress or fear. Contentment. Content with the warmth of the water and the steamy air around him, content with his company. Content with being alive.

Julius finished washing his arm, and Silas opened his eyes, pulling his arm back with a nod of thanks.

"Well, I think the water is about grey by now."

He pulled himself out of the basin, wrapping a towel around his waist and using another to dry his hair. The weight on his shoulders had lightened a little, his mind a little less heavy. The bath had certainly done him good.

A moment later found the two back in the alleyway, dressed and refreshed. Silas finished fastening his cloak and pulling it over his floating hand, before looking at Julius.

"So, your place, then? Lead the way."

Julius knew it was only perhaps a ten minute walk from the bath house to his home, depending on which route you took. He struck up some conversation with Silas, deciding to forewarn him of his... pets. If they could be called such a thing, at least.

"I hope you're comfortable with... dogs. Even if these dogs are more akin to Wolfos than actual dogs." He left it at that as they approached the gate twenty feet from the entrance to his house. It was fairly large, for someone who lived by himself most of the time. "And this, is the castle." He headed down a hallway to the right of the entryway, arriving in something similar to a lounge room. There was a round table with a few chairs sat nearby, shoved close to a wall where two identical blades hung upon the plaster-white wall. He continued past this, and into a kitchen. It was a small nook-- so small, in fact, that Julius had knocked down a wall in order to make room for expansion among the mess that his kitchen currently was. Eventually, he found exactly what he was looking for: a small-ish box, covered in the red leather of properly treated Dodongo Hide.

"I managed to find... a certain kind of meat for sale in the marketplace. It's certainly not Hylian or anything like that, but it'll remain a mystery... for now. Please, feel free to take a--" he stopped for a second, looking around himself. The dogs were still locked up. "Excuse me for a moment." He left and traveled across the house, several white-furred and spotted dogs bounding over to Silas after a few minutes. They were all panting, tails wagging and moist noises pressing into his thighs and hands. "Yes, the dogs," he said, returning to his meat. He pulled several spices from one of the many shelves that lined the walls. He also brought out one large bottle of a red fluid. It looked almost like a syrup. "This is ChuChu. Healthier, and more delicious, than you would guess at first." He threw a few spices into a bowl: crushed Fire Baba seeds, ground Razor Seed, salt, pepper... And one last one. This one was a special one, to him.

He began to rub the spices onto the meat. Man, was Silas in for a treat today. It wasn't often that he cooked; or, at least, nothing this delicious. He looked out to the hanging pot nearby, loading in a good number of vegetables. He took the time to stop and dice up a few potatoes, before throwing them in there as well. He took the meat and the bottle of Red ChuChu, placing the meat into the pot before draining the bottle of its contents. He sparked a flame underneath, making sure that the fire had plenty of air. "And now, it cooks. Tell me, Silas, do you fancy yourself a card player?" He went back into the lounge room, picking up the table and bringing it out toward the yard, setting it down a good distance from the cooking pot. He left again, and returned with two chairs. "Now then. What would you like to do while we wait for the meal to cook?"

Silas perked up at the mention of dogs, a big grin spreading over his face.

"Don't worry, I love them."

Although the Wolfos bit was a little... odd? Well, they were dog-like creatures, but still. Perhaps Julius just had a strange sense of humour.

It wasn't long until they reached the house, passing through a gate into the house proper. Silas smiled. So this was were the good captain spent his free time? He wasn't sure if he had expected something so homey, perhaps something more spartan from the fact he was a soldier. Julius left him alone in the kitchen for a moment, off to do... something. From the other side of the house, Silas could hear the familiar sound of paws tapping against the floor, the sound coming closer as Julius' so-called dogs rounded the corner.

Silas gasped.

They were adorable.

The Sheikah crouched down, quietly laughing at the wet noses now being pressed in his face, scratching the dogs behind the ears and patting their heads. It had been an excellent idea to come here, if not for Julius' company, then for the creatures now surrounding him. Crowds of people got on his nerves ever since he returned, but animals had the completely opposite effect. They were calming, in a way. Silas got back to his feet, watching Julius as he bustled around the kitchen.

"You're right, they're not dogs. Not completely, anyway. But they are very cute." He looked down, patting one of the Wolfos' on the head. "Yes, you are, aren't you?" He sighed. "Unfortunately, the nature of my work leaves me with very little time to keep pets. Wouldn't want to confine them to quarters as small as mine, either."

The kitchen was filled with the scent of the stew Julius was cooking up, not all ingredients Silas was familiar with. He winced a little at the bottle of Chu jelly.

"I'm familiar with it. It was often eaten in the village where I grew up. Raw, though. I've never tried it in a stew or rubbed into meat." It might even be good. It certainly smelled like it was. Silas dropped himself down in a chair, one of the Wolfos' immediately laying its head in his lap, begging for more ear-scratches, to which he gladly obliged. "Cards sounds like a fine idea. I'm a bit rusty, but we'll see. Any game in particular you're thinking of?"

"Thank you for the compliment." Julius chuckled a little, before divulging into where they'd come from. "I was with a subordinate in the Guard, and we were investigating a derelict mansion, up in the mountains. We... came across a pack of Wolfos, before we found these guys and their mother, hidden behind excess artillery. I can't exactly say why there was artillery up there-- maybe a holdover from older times, perhaps, but anyways. I decided I couldn't just leave them-- they would have died, I think, had I left them. You should have seen the look on their face's when I marched through the gates with them trailing behind me."

He looked into the pot for a moment, stirring it for about half a minute. More of the flagrant aroma drifted from the pot, signalling that the ChuChu jelly was already beginning to settle into the meat, forming a kind of solid marinade. Mind, it was more like honey than jelly at this point, but because of its natural healing properties, it tended to get absorbed into meat quicker than whatever other seasonings or marinades you used. That was part of the reason Julius kept himself rather well-stocked on the stuff, even if it was slightly a slightly expensive guilty pleasure.

"Anyways. The game we're going to be playing today is War. I'm going to go ahead and explain the rules, just to make sure everything sounds good, and that we both know what to expect. So, first, we shuffle the deck, and then separate it into two halves." Julius did so, placing one half near Silas, who was sitting opposite of him. "Then, we each draw four cards. If the number on your card is above mine, you win that match and take the card, which is then recycled into your deck. If mine is above yours, I take your card. In the case of a tie, we put down another card, and whoever wins the draw takes all of the cards laid down for that sequence, or round, or whatever you want to call it. The general order for Kings, Queens, and Jacks is that Kings beat Queens and Jacks, Queens beat jacks, and Jacks beat any of the numbered cards, as do Kings and Queens. In the event that you lay down an Ace, though, that Ace beats anything."

He drew his four cards, noting that he had drawn a four, a six, a three, and a two. "We'll lay our cards down at the same time. Sound good?" He grasped the six between his fingers, intending to lay it down first. "Go!"

"I can only imagine. Wolfos, in the city!" The Wolfos' coat was silky under his fingers, it's big round eyes staring up at the Sheikah as he scratched it on the head. "Though, I suppose, they can be properly socialised if taught young." Silas smiled. Perhaps, if he ever had a more stable home and life... He would probably be old and grey by that time- if he even managed to grow that old, but it was a nice thought.

He listened as Julius explained the game, folding the fingers of his floating hand and carefully setting it down on the floor. It was not a game he was familiar with, but the rules sounded simple enough. With the scent of the bubbling stew in the air, the guardsman divided the deck, placing one half in front of the Sheikah.

Silas fumbled slightly with the cards, having only one hand to use. He drew them one by one, placing each face down on the table after he had taken note of its number. A three, a five, another three and a nine. Not entirely bad. But now... use his best immediately, or wait for a better opporturnity? He took one of the threes to hand, smiling innocently at Julius. Let the old man show his cards first.

On his mark, he put his card down.

"Ah, seems I lost this one."

His fingers found the nine next, ready to place it down for the next round.

"Ah, just a moment." Julius got up and stirred the contents. It seemed to be going well, so far, at least.

"Now then, shall we play?" He asked, immediately regretting this decision. He had a hand of low ranked cards-- a couple fives, the six that he had just played, a two, and a three. He grabbed for the two, first. Then he placed his hands on the five-- no, that was too obvious. It was better to play it slow, and get it all back in later hands. This, of course, was the pile of cards that shuffled between hands-- and was going to be Silas' soon enough.

He laid his card down, plain in sight.

He, unsurprisingly, had lost. Two against Silas' nine-- what kind of a match was that? Not a very good one, that much was true.

Grumbling, he slid the two cards over to Silas. That was four, total now, sliding over to Silas' end of the table. "So," Julius said nonchalantly, "other than me, how have things been going?"

Silas raised an eyebrow at Julius. Was his face not showing enough how he was doing?

“Well, I told you about my, er, problems. Aside from that I’ve been busy stitching up my suit, fixing my equipment, healing…” He subconsciously brushed his fingers over the fading bruise on his chin. “And of course mountains of paperwork. It’s chaos at the castle. This was not the only portal to appear. There was one up in Snowhead too, dealt with by a squadron from Zora Kingdom- and a Twili according to accounts. Although it seemed to have slipped away shortly after the portal closed. So we’re missing its half of the story.”

He forgot the cards for a moment, tapping them against the table as he pondered it for a moment. “What do you think it means? These portals? And the third… someone has yet to return from it.” Silas trailed off, unwilling to think much about it, as if that might inspire fate to send him on yet another one-way mission.

Eventually the five found its way between his fingers, and Silas slid it forward over the table.

"Ahh, yes, the Twili... A rather unknown race by our standards, eh? More to them than it seems..." Julius responded, wondering who this Twili had been. But, more importantly, how he had gotten all the way there. After all, the apparent peak of a mountain in Snowhead was no laughing matter-- but, he figured it best to let it lie where it was.

He listened more to his ponderings, before telling him what they meant. "It means that Ganon has enough power to at least decimate all of us, if he tried hard enough. Aside from that, though, you've got to wonder: does he really have enough power to link separate realities to ours? One where, apparently, Hyrule was totally destroyed and encapsulated by bubbles?" He had studied those things for long enough to know that these things were done by no mortal hand. At least, not any more. "Regardless, I think these are a really bad sign. And I know what you're thinking, but come on, man! What about my men, who are literally prepared to die for the sake of our King and country!" He buried himself into his arms, clearly not wanting to say that last bit.

"I'm sorry, Silas. It's just-- I have so many things to worry about, let alone my own perilous journeys. I mean-- just yesterday for goodness sake, ten of my men fell attending to Bulbin bandits! Bulbin bandits!" It wasn't really heartbreaking-- they had more where that came from, sure. But it was still ten of his own men. That part wasn't negotiable.

He listened to the rest of Silas' talking, nodding his head, before mentioning, "Yeah, I've got word from down south that a portal opened up in the Eastern Caves, where the Gerudo live. Apparently, they've got a male now-- Mahirid, it said, that was holding down the area around it. So, I might actually be sent out there along with a small force from the Royal Guard to secure it-- assuming it can be secured, at least." He drummed his fingers on the table as he played another hand of cards. Three against five-- not a bad match, just one that didn't go in his favour.

"We are all prepared to die in service of the kingdom." Silas replied quietly. As a Sheikah, he had been prepared to die since he was a boy, since he had started his training he knew he was fully in service of the crown, both body and mind. And life. And yet, when he reached the point where death had seemed certain, he had been afraid. Terrified.

"All who enter in the service of the kingdom know they might have to die for it, one day. We know that most of all." He wasn't sure if he should reach out to comfort the older man, hand hovering inches above his. In the end Silas settled for what he hoped was a comforting pat on the hand. "These are dire times. But that doesn't make it any easier. I'm sorry for your loss."

Silas said nothing as Julius mentioned he might be chosen to venture into the remaining portal, frowning down at the table. Was he really such a coward? He, a Sheikah, loyal servant to the crown? No. He had doubted once, wavered once, and he still lived with the consequences. He had to hold on, for Sirius' sake, for their clan's. Silas took a deep breath. Take it day by day.

"Yes... I heard about their new king. Now here's hoping he won't become our next problem. We cannot afford to wage war on two fronts. We must stand as one if we want to survive. Although I suppose the fact he's actually holding the portal, instead of releasing whatever's inside, says something."

So many worries, so much weight on their shoulders. But they had to heal now, focus on that first, so that they could move on with a clear mind and strong body. Focus on the matters at hand.

"So, how's lunch coming along?"

"From what I've managed to actually obtain on him, he's actually something of an anomaly. Disappeared during Ganon's War as an infant, returned last year as an adult, and now they're actually respecting him? I think something might be... suspicious about him, but that's all I can say on the matter. No matter; when I get there, I'll be sure to have a conversation with him about it. Where was he, for all those years." He checked on the stew once more. Its scent made his stomach grumble in hunger.

"Oh, it's almost done. Now... Where did those spices go..." He was holding off on adding these final few touches until it was just about ready to be served, but since he had to cook it into the meat, it was going to take a few more minutes. "So far, since like you said, he doesn't want to unleash whatever's in there... Do you think that it could be a new era of peace for Hyrule? ...No, I'm not necessarily sure that's right. There's always going to be war, whether it be for lands or whatever else. But I'm sure you understand what I'm trying to get across. Anyways." He returned to cooking, hoping that the spice had already settled onto the meat. It hadn't.

"Hm, so I've heard. We have... a few people tracking him. Since the war most of our eyes and ears have been on Ganon and Death Mountain, but we have not forgotten the Gerudo." Silas said as he folded the cards away, neatly piling the deck up in the middle of the table. The meat was starting to smell pretty good by now. "I hope it will be. Peace would be good for all sides, really."

He sat up straighter as Julius took the meat off the stove and laid out a pair of plates and cutlery. The Wolfos had noticed the food too, not-so-stealthily sneaking up on the table, nudging Silas' hand with wet noses to beg for a slice.

"No. Maybe later, if your master is okay with it." The Sheikah said, gently pushing the snouts away, a smile creeping onto his face. "But we shall see, I suppose. So far Mahirid hasn't shown any hostility, which is... well, as reassuring as things can get in times like these. But it's something." He waited until Julius had carved up the meat, dividing it over both their plates and throwing a small scrap to the Wolfos.

Although they were back soon enough, or at least one was. And Silas suspected it was not putting its head in his lap just for ear scratches this time... He laughed quietly, swiping a small piece off the table for the Wolfos to grab, focusing his attention back on Julius.

"So, aside worrying over the fate of the kingdom, what've you been up to? How's the smithing going?"

"Well, to be honest... I've been slacking. A lot." He said, beginning to dig into his meal. "Anyways, no, the meat is fine for them. It's only Dodongo, after all," he said in-between bites.

"I'm sort-of thinking of starting something of a company... Maybe a guild? Still sort of kick the idea around a bit, to be honest," he said, idly picking at his food. "The orders for the Hyrulean Guard are becoming... a bit much, if I'm being completely honest. And with how much I've been lazing around, I'm beginning to think it's now or never."

He poured himself some weak wine. "Why do I even forge weapons for them to begin with... Well, I suppose it's reassuring, at least, for when I lack my Mirror Silver blade. Helps that I've forged a lot of blades over the years, some that the Hyrulean Guard haven't even used, but I digress. Oh! Want to hear some stories about blades that I've forged?" Julius asked, having a particular... companion, in mind. "So, this one scimitar I forged... I built her using Soul Stones, you see, which literally allow a weapon to be as a person would. Not Sentience Sap, which jut gives a weapon a personality; this allowed her to be her own person. She... started off good, I want to say, but I'm afraid I didn't purify the Soul Stones enough before putting them in. Purification is what really determines the personality of the weapon, see-- leave them in for too long, and it gets all kinds of fucked. But anyways. Told a messenger to deliver her to Lon Lon a while back. Still have enough time to purify her, but... I worry. I worry for whoever actually ended up wielding her, not for her as a thing. Who knows what kind of personality she has now."

He continued to eat, giving scraps to the dogs. "Don't give them too much. They know they have food." A wolfos whined, practically forcing Julius to give him a scrap. "Damned dogs," he complained, scratching one behind the ears. "But yeah. Still slightly worried. Other weapons that I've forged have probably been put to... less amicable uses, admittedly. You've got to think about who the adventurers are using them on, after all." He drank the rest of his wine, refilling his cup.

There was no meat, really, leftover. "Sorry," Julius said, talking to Silas. "I've been talking so much that you've barely been able to get a word in edgewise. But tell me, other than recovering, what have you been up to?"

"That... sounds like it might cause trouble in the future." Silas raised his eyebrows, a little surprised Julius would be so... careless? Uncautious with his work? Not that it mattered much now, time and again Julius had proven to be quite good at judging a situation. "But this seems like a good moment to pick up the work again." The Sheikah sat up at the other's question, pondering for a moment.

"Not all that much, to be honest. I've tried picking up some old hobbies," He lifted his hand from the floor, slowly wiggling the large metal fingers. "but holding knitting needles is quite hard with a hand like this. Gonna need bigger ones, I suppose." Silas stared at the metal appendage for a moment, lost in thought. Would he ever get his arm back? Did he even want it back? In battle it was a great advantage, as it would be for his work, but in daily life it was more a hindrance.

"But don't worry. I'll get the hang of it eventually, just takes time. Other than that I've mostly been reading, training... meditating. Been considering visiting home, too, quite a while since I've been there. Just a few days, catch up with everyone there, my family. Be out of town." He smiled. A few days away from everything might do him good.

The rest of the meal passed in comfortable silence, Silas offering to clear the table and clean the dishes while Julius let the dogs back outside.

"Interesting dish, really." He said when the older man returned. "You have to tell me the recipe sometime. Perhaps with some spices from home, or in a stew..." The last of the dishes and pans were put back in their respective cupboards. Silas leant back against the counter, tilting his head at Julius.

"So, need help with getting the forge going? Or the dogs, or anything else?"