[center][h1][color=00aeef]Link[/color][/h1][/center]

[center]Word Count: 1459 [/center]

[center][color=00aeef][b] Level 8[/b] [/color] - (57/80) + 3[/center]

[center]Location: Kanzuki Beach[/center]
[@DracoLunaris]
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While the others took their food from the generous spread and found more comfortable places to eat their fill Like had no intention of leaving his place beside all this beautiful food. Instead of sticking to one spot like that big guy from earlier he made his way up and down the table, grabbing anything that struck his fancy and putting the impressive pair of chompers he now sported to good use. Beef or fish, grilled or fried, healthy and unhealthy alike were all chopped up by his sharklike teeth and disappeared down his gullet. Even the bones were crunched up and devoured. Link never let anything go to waste, just to waist. If one wasn't familiar with his usually appetite and the ordeal it had been put through yesterday they would think he was intentionally trying to prove their gracious hostess wrong about being able to eat her out of house and home. 

It was soon that he discovered his old friend, the bananas, along with it's new acquittances the pineapple and the watermelon diced up into neat slices beside them. He scooped up some of the sweet pink triangles and indulged a little time here with the fruit, savoring the taste. Somehow it was even better than yesterday, despite the hard green bit that hadn't been a part of their meal at the lagoon. That had to have been a part of the fruits outer shell, so he knew what to look for in the future. This fruit spread, however, made him painfully aware of who was so far missing from this party.

He looked out over the beach. Geralt had just arrived, along with Raven haired woman he wasn't familiar with. The two of them were introducing themselves to Miss Kanzuki. There was one, but Peach wasn't here yet. Nether was the Kid in the Hat, nor Sakura. There was only one, though, that perhaps wouldn't know this was even happening. 

He got a chance to inquire as Bowser returned for seconds. "Hey Bowser." He asked. "You didn't meet up with Mirage when you were brought back last night, did you?" He remembered how it had been when him and Euden had been carted off during the battle with the Enderdragon? They had ended up in the same place. "He joined us midway, so I don't think he got an invitation?"

Regardless of the answer he figured that someone as sharp as him could find them if he wanted too. After yesterday he wouldn't blame anyone if they wanted to just leave them alone and make their own way in this world. In fact, he found himself preferring that after what had happened to three out of the four people that had joined them since they arrived in the Edge of Blue. 

As the others went about, relaxing in the sun and making merry, Link found his enjoyment in watching them while sampling seafood. After biting down on his first clam, having assumed it was some kind of Goron-style rock dish, and discovering it's juicy center he started opening the others with his broken sword while watching the volleyball game occurring down the beach. The carless joy of the other put his heart at ease, and finally prompted him to leave his post and wonder down to get a closer look at the action. He even managed to snap a shot of the game with his Slate right as Junior hit the ball with his climactic spike. He managed to capture everyone's reactions as the ball flew down, exuberant happiness and excitement springing off the screen at the viewer. He was getting pretty good at this.

As the others dispersed Link did some quick inventory of his photos deleting the one he didn't need to keep like the shots of random wildlife and weapons before deciding what to do next. He could go back and keep eating, he supposed, but he was already feeling rather sluggish. The ever present hunger he felt had quieted from a loud roar into a whimper, and along with that last stressor he felt some of his energy leaving him. He could lay down and catch a few more hours of sleep but he was afraid that would invite more of his nightmares to ruin this lovely day. Besides which, the shot of adrenaline that shot through his body when Ms. Fortune started fake drowning rendered that impossible, no matter how bad her acting was. He almost dove right into the surf before noticing that Ace was very clearly standing up where she was. 

When had he gotten this high strung? He needed to indulge in hobbies other than saving people, lest he embarrass himself attempting to protect someone from their own flirts. Sighing, he decided to take a cue from the lovebirds and cool off in the ocean. Maybe the water would work away some of the soreness he still felt from sleeping with the shipgirl rigging on. Speaking of..

He went back up the beach, feeling around on his hips for a way to slip the gear off like he had seen others do, and left the arms and rigging neatly folded up on one of the wooden beach chairs. It was looking a little banged up, which wasn't surprising considering he was probably much rougher on it that its previous owner. Maybe he could swing back by the navy barracks later and see what they did for repairs? This weapon was too useful in other ways for him to break.

Making sure that his new flippers were on and his hat and Champion's Denim Vest were safely stored away in the slate he waded out into the ocean. The waves gently brushed past him, a far cry from the ugly way the ocean had behaved yesterday, and seemed to pull the stress from his bones. It wasn't too cold, and he had always felt at home in the water despite not being very proficient at actually swimming. He made his way along the sandy floor, avoiding the drop offs and deeper holes that were scattered willy nilly across the ocean floor, until he was up to his waist. Then he dropped down into the water and put the flippers to the test.

It didn't feel like being an Abyssal. It didn't even feel like being a Zora, though he could feel an improvement over his normal ability as he kicked his feet and let the flippers do the work. It was enough that he felt confident swimming out over the deeper parts and diving down into the depths, taking a deep breath and filling his eyes with the wonderful assortment of sea life that made their home in patchwork quilt of an ocean. He started filling up his photo space again almost immediately, the Slate acting just as well underwater as above, always eager to see what was just around the next reef. His only regret was that he tired too quickly and had to swim back to the shallows to recover his stamina between every excursion. It kept him from swimming out father and seeing the sights that existed in the ocean beyond. The itch to explore was almost overwhelming now, to go out and see what there was to see, but he reined himself in. Maybe later he would throw the rigging back on, climb to the top of one of those white swords, and see if he could get to the top? He could take a flight over the entire beach from the top of one of those things.

He settled back from his latest dive, chasing after a gang of [url=https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Oshawott_(Pok%C3%A9mon)]blue and white sea creatures[/url], but soon found it different than the other sandbars he had landed on before. He looked down, feeling the solid stone under him. He had stumbled on the same ominous stone depression Ace and Ms. Fortune had, the  glow from the center shining up even under the midday sun. He looked around, cocking his head in the faintest of hopes that he might hear familiar accordion music playing from somewhere. There was noting, though, save the splash of waves and the cries of sea birds. Catching his breath, he stood up and strode toward the center to examine it anyway. This was something. Landmarks like this always were, even more so if they glowed, and hint or no they demanded to be examined.

So he did, stepping into the glowing circle at the center of the landmark and hoping that it was as simple as that. He hoped he didn't have to play a song, or camp on it for a couple of days, or do anything specific because then he was out of luck.