Quest 04 (Open + Closed)

[newmemorywhodis]

i. The joy of cooking lizards and frogs [Open]

If there was one thing Link had learned from the battle at Flotsam, it was that he really, really needed to build up his stash of elixirs again.

So not too long after the battle - when Link’s recovered enough to stay on his feet, and limp his way towards one of Flotsam’s communal kitchens - Link gets to work.

It’s a process that involves Link cheerfully humming while he babies a big boiling pot, and some…unusual ingredients. Most notable is the big giant pile of lizalfos talons; large wicked claws that look like they’d come from some kind of large reptilian creature. These talons are an ingredient in every elixir he makes, but the accompanying ingredient varies.

Sometimes, it’s the sort of thing you might expect someone to cook with; fish, vegetables, mushrooms. Sometimes it’s flowers or herbs. And then for some concoctions he tosses in…frogs and lizards?


ii. More ingredients. MORE! [closed to Nephenee, Donnie, Shu]

The trouble with making elixirs is that he can’t just run out and find more ingredients when he needs them; all the recipes he knows best use things from Hyrule.

Which is why Link decides to seek out those people he’d given some of his plants and mushrooms to, in the hope that they might be able to grow more. If he can, he’ll try to find each of them at whatever garden patch or farm they’ve been working in.

And then say, “...Hi.”


iii. A visit to the apothecary, because maybe Link should share sometimes [Closed to Maomao]

It had occurred to Link that the other thing that might help is knowing more about the local fauna and flora - maybe there were ingredients he could find here that he could use as well?

And if there was anyone who can help…well, an apothecary seemed a good place to start. And maybe Maomao might find some of his materials useful too.

So he makes a visit to Elysium, silently slipping in through the door of the apothecary and looking around. Is Maomao in?


iv. These lizards won’t breed themselves [Closed to Ilphyl]

Ilphyl could turn into animals. So…maybe it stood to reason, that they might know how to breed them as well?

So Link tracks Ilphyl down. Reaches into his korok-enchanted pack, and pulls out a fireproof lizard. Despite being carried around in what looks like an ordinary leather bag, it is alive, and wriggling in Link’s hands.

“...I need more lizards,” he says.


v. Bees, bugs and butterflies [Closed to Iren]

The lizards might be sorted - but Link could use someone to help with his butterflies as well. But who could help with them?

Fortunately, while exploring the outskirts of Elysium, he'd run into a few locals who mentioned that someone was keeping bees. Link didn't even know you could keep bees. He'd only ever seen wild bee nests, and no one kept them.

But if someone can keep bees...butterflies shouldn't be a problem. So he makes his way to the location given to him.

When Iren comes out to check up on her bees, she’ll find Link curiously inspecting her bee houses. From a short distance away, that is - Link’s well aware of how bees can sting when angered.

Comments

[newmemorywhodis]

Paying attention to those kinds of details was usually more Zelda's area. She was the one who'd start performing the research studies, investigate the life cycles of the depths ecology, write pages and pages of notes and observations...

Link nods, repeatedly. Yes, this was what he was here for; he wanted ot know how they were doing.

"Muddle-buds could have been useful," he says. He doesn't say specifically what for - but so recently after the battle of Flotsam, it's not hard to guess. "They confuse people. Make enemies attack each other."

[purplexing]

"Oh..." Donnie says, easily connecting the dots and feeling suddenly not so great about it. He looks back at the growth, trying to keep his thoughts from spiraling into dark places.

"You didn't have any extra..?"

[newmemorywhodis]

"I used Ice Fruit and Dazzlefruit," Link says. "Don't want to use too many."

Because when they were gone...they were gone. So unless he was desperate, he was hesitant to use them.

There was a reason he'd come to Donnie - and to Nephenee, and to Shu - to try and grow more.

[purplexing]

"....understandable." Because bags of seemingly infinite space don't have infinite items. Donnie turns his focus towards spacing. If the bomb flowers regrow themselves, they'd be easier to establish. The other ones don't seem to be doing bad, but maybe he can adjust the conditions. Increase the humidity and maybe install an embedded ether stone to heat things up just a bit.

"I'll get this right," he says, mostly to himself, but there's determination in his tone.

[newmemorywhodis]

Not even the korok-enchanted pack was infinite. And besides - what was in there was only what Link had been able to put in.

Perhaps if he'd known that he was going to get kidnapped to another world, he'd have gone on a big scavenging spree first.

"You will," Link says, with quiet, simple confidence. Link might not know Donnie all that well yet, but he's still got full faith in him. There's no doubt in Link that Donnie can do this.

[purplexing]

The additional vote of confidence isn't something he'd expected but it's not often he hears anyone give him a bit of positive reinforcement. It does wonders, those two words. Sure, it could potentially impress a crippling pressure to get things done, but Donnie knows he can do it, he's gotten things to work so far, and this task is far from impossible.

Encouraged, he offers Link a smile and a nod.

[newmemorywhodis]

Great - Link's seen how things are progressing, imparted a little more info, and even given some reassurance.

Clearly, a conversational success!

Which also means that in Link's mind, this conversation is now done. So after giving Donnie a sage nod, he says, "Bye." And then runs off.

[purplexing]

He should really not be surprised by that anymore. Donnie can only blink and then shake his head with the faintest smile.

Well, he has work to do.