Formerly Forgotten Love, Untainted. (Sun+Moon×Odhran; BotW AU)

[LovelyBones]

Fate is such a cruel, heartless force at times. Dreams crushed, plans for the future laid in the ashes if fruitless efforts. How did it all go so, so wrong?

Hojem had been crucial in the reconstruction of many of the ancient Sheikah artifacts and machinery needed for the upcoming battle against Ganon, with Link and Zelda at the forefront, and the Champions backing them up. Against his wishes, the Ancient Mechanic had been assigned two unique Guardians, personally built by Purah to ensure her young genuis' safety, seeing as the Yiga clan had been targeting him almost as much as the Hero of Legend and the Princess.

At first, Hojem had been deeply annoyed, between the Sun-like Guardian being far too energetic and curious for him to focus on his work, meanwhile, the Guardian resembling the Moon had a nasty habit of watching intensely, only to pounce when he deemed that the young man should eat and rest. The Sheikah didn't have time, dammit!! The fate of Hyrule depended on him helping Zelda and Link defeat the evil that threatened to devour everything!!!! He didn't have time for games, let alone the fact he can handle only getting 6 hours a night, and surviving on two meals a day!!

And what was worse was the lack of privacy!! He couldn't bathe or even relieve himself without at least one if them always staring, their glowing optics seemingly boring right through his very being, as if searching for something!! Goddesses forbid he try to get some stress relief, either. Just when he'd think they're both in rest mode, and he'd get a hand down his pants, Moon would turn to watch, head tilted with a silent, almost judging smirk.

Though, as time passed, things weren't as.... Tense, awkward. The guardians eventually figured out a certain level of boundaries, finally giving the poor Sheikah man some peace, however.... There was a different problem budding inside, the longer he spent time with the Twins. As they interacted, they developed proper personalities, maybe even souls as they became more.... Human. They had emotions just as he or any other sentient creature did, and over time, they were.... almost soft, nervous around him, in their own ways. It was endearing, but....

It caused problems. Serious, painful problems when the day Ganon arose. One by one, Hojem watched on in abject horror as all the machines he helped bring into being were taken over by the demon's evil magic, once brilliant blue turning a cruel bloodlust red. Sun and Moon were frozen in place as they all stood on that cliff overlooking the battlefield, watching as a sinister wave was fast approaching. Hojem took his Guardians' hands and dragged them away towards a cave nearby, and shoving them onto their backsides, much to their complaints.

Their words fell on deaf ears as Hojem gave them a sad smile, ash eyes glossy with tears as his hands rested on the Cores in their chests. The poor Twins didn't know what he was doing until it was too late, as he removed their cores safely with a tearful goodbye, before running away as fast as his legs could carry him to Hateno. The wave was coming, and he knew that the ancient furnace's flames would keep the cores safe. The flames were effective against the monstrous armies of Ganon, so Sun and Moon would be safe from corruption, right?

Lungs burning, muscles aflame as he ran all the way to the top of the hill, Hojem barely got the Cores into the Ancient Flames before the wave hit, knocking him over, and winding him. When he finally caught his breath, and scrambled back to his feet, fear filling him as he ran to check the cores in the furnace, only to see that they were safe, untainted. Sun and Moon would be okay.

Unfortunately, as they tried to run back to the battlefield, sword and shield in hand, he had been ambushed by the deserters, the Yiga clan. Beaten within an inch of his life, he'd been stolen away to their hideout, interrogated and tortured for what seemed like a miserable eternity. The clan leader at the time tried to cut him a deal: join the Yiga, and be free to get his precious Guardians again, wherever they were hidden. Not knowing what was going on outside, Hojem refused, naturally.

He was left strung up, and wasted away under a cruel, unloving and seemingly starless night, his final words a plea to The Goddesses that he may be reborn to be with his Guardians again, and make right what he had failed to do in this life. And as he passed his final breath, he swore he heard the familiar jingle of the bells he had given his Guardians, and a smile graced his weary, pale face.

-------‐--------------‐-------‐--------------‐-------‐-------------------‐--------------‐

Odhran was dreading today. Purah had been badgering them about training all month long, insisting that they would be able to make some sense of some age-old problem with the Ancient Shiekah Tech that had been corrupted 100 years ago. What's busted is busted-- why bother risking needless death over some damn battle machines that have no soul? What's the point when, even after Link, who had been sleeping until up to a few months ago, killed a good many Guardians and collected materials from them, they would just be reanimated with the next Blood Moon?! It was pointless and stupid, dammit!! Why should they waste time on repairing corrupted Guardians?!

Unfortunately for Odhran, Link insisted they at least humor the "young" scientist, sitting through a long and stupidly complex lesson on the Guardians, their mechanics and abilities. Odhran yawned, hardly staying awake until a faint blue light began to glow on a shelf in the far right corner, catching their eye. As Purah droned on and on as Link listened, they snuck away, wanting to see the odd glowing parts. They looked similar to the ancient parts Link would bring to the Akkala Lab, however.... These were vastly different, like keys with a faint, thrumming light inside, as if they had heartbeats. The softer blue light had what looked like the ancient Shiekah symbol for the Sun, while the other, a slightly darker blue, bore the symbol for the Moon.

Purah finally noticed that she was being ignored by her intended audience, about to scold Odhran for their rudeness, only to falter as the young Sheikah was mesmerized by the way the parts pulsed in their hands, felt.... Familiar, almost. "I'd never thought I'd see the day that those two would wake up after Hojem removed them from their bodies...." She spoke sadly, Link looking over in curiosity, before it clicked. "Thats their cores, aren't they....?" He asked, Purah giving a solemn nod. "I found them in the Ancient flame years and years after you disappeared, years after Hojem had been stolen away from us so suddenly that same day.... if I knew where those Twins were, I would have reactivated them, try to explain what had happened, give my theories why Hojem took their cores, only to put them in the Ancient Flame...."

Odhran looked to Purah in shock, before looking to the cores again, feeling an aching pang of guilt, though they didn't know why, only to hug the two cores close to their chest, tears welling up. Why were they so sad, missing whatever things had these cores? Their mind was fuzzy, until they looked at Link's tablet, an idea coming to mind. "Link, can you open your tablet to the Shrine Finder feature? Maybe these two will pop up on it?" They asked, feeling a sort of deja vu take over them. The cores throbbed in a beat that matched Odhran's heart-- heavy and fast, excited as purpose began to drive them forward. Much to everyone's surprise, when the cores were tapped to the tablet, the map showed a faint blue dot on the map, on a cliff overlooking the former battlefield from long, long ago.

Without a moment's hesitation, they ran put the door, down the hill to where their black horse Midnight waited, and mounted her, riding as fast as possible to that place on the map. When they finally arrived, the young Sheikah looked around cores in hand, before their eyes landed on a pile of rocks. Luckily, Link was close behind, and gladly broke the rocks away with a few bombs, revealing a dusty, and mildly mossy cave interior, with two large, semi humanoid Guardians sitting limply on the stone floor. Without a second thought, Odhran slipped the cores into the bodies, caution thrown to the wind, even as Link drew the Master Sword, ready to leap into action should things go south.

Deep down, though, Odhran had a feeling all will be fine, their hands resting on the Cores in the Guardians' chests, feeling their 'hearts' beating, watching as each pulse brought more and more color to the shells of the robots, eventually reaching their heads. While 'Moon's was.... bald, in a sense, Sun soon bore small triangles around his head's circumference, which lazily rotated along some hidden track in his mechanics.

Odhran watched, waited for the two to wake up, hoped they would wake up, even if they didn't know why they wanted it as badly as they did. Their hands shook as minutes passed, dread filling their chest as neither stirred for the longest time. Where they missing something? Were they too late? Or did the Ancient Flame damage the cores in some way, making it impossible for the Guardians to wake? Those thoughts finally broke a dam in them, tears rolling down their face as they welly choked out a sob, "P-please wake up.... Y-you have to.... S-Sun.... M-Moon.... Please....!!"

[CRYBABY]

The day Sun became a guardian for Hojem had to have been the happiest day of his existence, if he could know happiness.. that was still to be determined, though it was more than likely the case as seen in the differing personalities of the guardian and his twin over time. He had 'grown' into a ball of energy, bouncing off the metaphorical walls as their party traversed the land while Moon became a cold, quiet, observer. A grump if you asked Sunny.

At first it was very clear that the human they were bound to zero appreciation for what the Twins were trying to do.. /care/ for the other! They just wanted to make sure he ate and slept properly! How did he expect to save the whole /world/ when he was tired and scrawny from lack of nutrients! Sunny often giggled watching Moon pester Hojem into eating three meals a day. Over time, it seemed like the man was actually beginning to enjoy their company! They ended up becoming close, very close. The twins loved Hojem perhaps even more than a machine should. That was until the fateful day.

Sun's heart ached atop the hill with Hojem and Moon as they watched in horror as the once peaceful blue of the mechs turned a horrifying red. A squeak escaped him as Hojem drug him away. "H-Hojem! Where are we going? The battle is that way!" he protested. Moon's typical calm demeanor now shaky, "What is this, Hojem? We can't fight in this cave!" Moony's voice pierced through the dense air in the cave.
"Master, please! We have to go! There's no time!" Sunny tried pleading with the Sheikah.
"...What are you do--" Moon's words cut short as Hojem rested a hand against his chest.. his core.

Hojem's warmth against their chests and then just.. nothing.

---
"...DOING?" he screamed, jolting awake. Not a very graceful reappearance was it. Moon's eyes scanned the room, his heart beat--what was possible for a mech--raced as his brain caught up to what felt like centuries of missing time. "...Firefly." his voice was low in admiration as his eyes fell on the young Sheikah.. /his/ Hojem.

Unlike Moon, Sunny's first breath back into the world would immediately bring metaphorical tears as he saw the one he loved. "Hojem!" he leapt up immediately, rays vibrating in excitement, as he grabbed the human into a tight snuggle. Near suffocating them, he jumped for joy. "Everything went black!"

The other mech rose gracefully. "No time for that, Sunny. The war, remember?"

"Right!" he squeaked, still holding the human in his arms, he gently put them down with a gentle pat on the head.

Sun followed Moon out only to bump into him with a loud "Oof!" he rubbed his head, moving past his brother "Moon? What are you--" stopping dead in his tracks he stood right next to the other. His long arms jolted to hold against his chest as he took in their new surroundings.. this looked nothing like the Hyrule he remembered. The fields were in ruin, a black cloud seemed to cast over the castle, and the worst part.. the bots. There were so many unmoving bots with moss growing all around them with just as many continuing to patrol, patrol what? There was nothing. He whipped around and that's when he noticed. Hojem wasn't quite Hojem he was.. they.. were shorter, a bit thicker as if they ate a lot better than the Hojem he remembered, and their eyes were larger...kinder. But the aura was the same.. this was his Truffle.

Moon didn't seem to agree, the color in his eyes tinted red as he turned around accusingly. "Who are you?"

[LovelyBones]

Odhran jumped when Moon had yelled out that single, questioning word, their eyes wide. Soon, though, they were relieved, witnessing both Guardians come to, even appearing docile!! When Moon called them 'Firefly', a pleasant ache filled their chest, their cheeks flushing with embarrassment rather than their previously shed tears. And the very tone he said it in.... Was that a term of endearment for the quieter twin? However, when Sun called them Hojem, and scooped them up into his arms, all the Shiekah could do was squeak at the suddenness, wheeze as the air was squeezed out of their plush chest.

As they caught their breath, Link looked at them worriedly, but also seemingly haunted too as he had heard Sun call Odhran Hojem, as well. The two looked on as the twins went towards the mouth of the cave, and before Odhran could say anything, it seemed that the two Guardians had already seen what had become of Hyrule, and Odhran felt their heart break for them. They had missed 100 years, had been hidden away for so long....

They must be devastated, scared.

Odhran wasn't able to linger on such thoughts when the two bots had turned back to look at the Shiekah, and with Sun, they saw a confused familiarity, but Moon looked upon them with distrust, his light even shifting towards red. The Shiekah took a panicked step backwards, trained fear swallowing their mind only for Link to put himself in between the twins and the now frightened Mechanic in training. "Moon, Sun...." Link began, tone tense, though he relaxed faintly as a shaky hand took hold of his shoulder, Odhran peeking from behind the Hyrulian Champion. "M-my name is Odhran.... I-I am Purah's apprentice.... I-I found your cores on the shelf in her lab-- she said she had found them in the Ancient Furnace shortly after the Yiga clan had taken Hojem...." They responded meekly, though they seemed haunted as they spoke, a lingering terror scratching at the back of their mind.

They shook it off, before looking to the bots, fresh tears budding in their eyes, "I-I'm so, so s-sorry.... Y-you two were alone for so long--" they hiccuped, guilt eating at their heart again, even Link looked back at the poor Shiekah worriedly. He then looked back to the bots, and reluctantly put away his sword and shield to try to soothe the poor apprentice, who was clearly struggling with emotions that weren't completely theirs. When they finally began to breathe evenly again, they stepped away from Link, and took a cautious step towards the twins, hiccuping faintly. "H-Hojem was close to you two.... r-right? I.... I-I think he hid you here to protect you.... s-save you from the terrible fate of the machines roaming Hyrule...." They spoke in theory, but, somehow, deep down, they had a feeling it was true. "I-I don't know what your purpose was before, but.... I-I know you'd be safe with Purah, at the Hateno Lab. Y-you two deserve a second chance.... Deserve to live." They gave a weak smile, something deep inside yearning for forgiveness, even if Odhran had done nothing wrong. "W-would you like that? P-Purah has been trying to find ways to reverse the Guardians-- turn them to good again, somehow. Th-that way less innocents die, e-even if its.... quick." They hesitated on the last word, recalling how they had lost their family when they were looking for herbs near the Hateno Fort, despite the Guardians there being rooted after the damage they had suffered. They still remember the searing heat that licked over their back when their mother pushed them to safety, a blind spot in the machines' vision. The scar aches to this day.

"Wh-what do you say? Wh-why don't we head to the village, get you c-cleaned up and.... dressed? D-did you wear clothes?" They asked with a nervous laugh, struggling to stay calm, knowing that Moon seemed to change his tone so quickly with them, it hurt. At least Sun was still seeing them favorably.... "Do.... d-do you eat? Link's Divine Beast, Hero needs fuel in order to be driven around.... I'm sure we have plenty of fuel if you need it!!" They were desperate, lost for what to say or do. They wanted to be held-- they wanted to hold their boys. Odhran wanted to be happy they're back-- but they fear that was a foolish choice, seeing how the two were now hurting, lost.

Had they made the wrong choice, only to unintentionally make the two they loved suffer-- wait.... They just met the twins, why did they feel.... love for them? It wasn't on sight, either-- it was familiar, as if they had grown up together, almost, long, long ago.... What was going on? Before they could realize what was happening, the world began to spin, the ground seeming to drop out beneath them as they collapsed, only for Link to catch them with a concerned breath. He looked to Odhran with a deep confusion, before something clicked, it seemed, then he looked to the twins. They had to remember him at least-- and so, he scooped the small Shiekah into his arms with ease, before making his way out if the cave. "Follow, Now." He ordered solemnly, before helping Odhran onto Epona, and mounting the horse soon after. He gestured his head towards Midnight, who looked to the bots with a soft chuff, ears flicking pleasantly. The horse seemed comfortable with the twins, at least.

[CRYBABY]

"Moony, it's okay /that's/ Hojem.. kinda..? I know it is." Sun tried to calm his twin, placing a large hand on the others shoulder which seemed to calm the angrier twin, his eyes tinting back blue at the the touch.

Although Moon was calm now, he was not quite convinced that his shimmery twin was correct. This was /not/ Hojem, though, they did seem to smell of Hojem but.. no. This was not the world that he and Sun had left, this was.. this was off. He stood patiently, lsitening to this human.. Odhran speak. He was calm up until the mention of Hojem being taken.. "Taken? /Where/!" he demanded. Sun's eyes growing larger at the mention of Hojem being taken! "T-Taken!?" he squeaked frantically, squeezing onto Moon's shoulder.

Sun's worry subsided momentarily as he saw how upset the small human was. "N-no! Don't cry.. i-it's a bright, sunshiney day! No need to be sad!" he explained, moving toward them, only to be stopped by Moon's extended. "Moony!" he whined looking over at his distrusting partner. His eyes trailed back to the two humans.. he /knew/ the blond one.. that was.. that was Link wasn't it? "Protect us? But we were his guardians.. we were supposed to protect him! Why would he? Why would he leave us! We were Hojem's fami--"

"Our purpose was to guard Hojem." Moon interrupted. He spoke strong and true but his voice had softened to it's normal tone, a tone Hojem would recognize as comforting in it's own way.

"Uh.. um sure!" Sun said happily, "We can go with you to Purah's if that will make you feel better." then his voice dropped a little, pulling his hands up to his chest. "What.. what happened to the other Guardians..?"

"We don't eat." Moon responded right before Sunny jumped in "Yes we do! We love to eat, or at least I do!" He gave a playful glare towards the grumpier on of the pair. "Hojem gave us cloaks! And packs to hold!" he responded to the clothing question. As he moved forward this time, wanting to comfort the human who seemed a bit scattered and upset, Moon let him go. Sun dropped down to his knees in front of the human, something Hojem really enjoyed, and put his hand out. "It's gonna be okay." but just as they did Odhran collapsed. "H-Hojem!" Sun called out. Things began to move fast, he rose to his feet and was mounting Midnight with Moony before he realized what had even happened. "Ho--Odhran! Are they okay?" Sunny questioned only to be hushed by his twin.

[LovelyBones]

While seeing the red light in Moon's eyes shift back to blue, Odhran was still scared, and no less sad, as if they were a pet scolded for something they didn't do. They flinched when Moon demanded answers, and tried as they might, words wouldn't come to answer. Only the echoes of agony and suffocating loneliness filled their throat as they tried to remain calm. Luckily, Link came to their rescue again-- poor guy will have a hoarse voice soon at this rate. "I had heard he'd been taken to their hideout 100 years ago.... it was shortly after that ominous wave had struck, turning the Guardians against all of Hyrule...." He gritted his teeth, remembering how he had almost died in the Ashen Swamp, with Zelda finally realizing her power in his defense. "Hojem had saved you from that horrific fate.... as well as potentially saving everyone as well. You two were..... Efficient. I've yet to best you two in training. Only the Goddesses know what would have happened if you two had been turned as well." Link gave a sad smile, before watching how Sun tried to soothe poor Odhran, those words familiar.

Sun had soothed Hojem like this the first time he broke down after a close call with a wind-blade Yiga clansman.

When Moon answered the question the Mechanic posed regarding their purpose, they calmed only a little, even if his tone had become less tense, distrusting.... but, clearly, his posture still read as distant. They perked up as Sun began to answer more questions, his brighter demeanor lifting some of the fog obscuring the Shiekah's torn mind. "Wh-what do you like to eat? Do you consume organic matter, like plants and protein, or.... er, monster parts, or do you need inorganic fuel, like various ores?" They asked, grateful for the distraction. "M-maybe you'd like pants, too? O-obviously something baggy, perfect for movement...." They offered, recalling how comfortable the pair of pants they had managed to buy from a traveling Gerudo merchant. Alas, even as Sun had done what he thought would comfort Odhran as their mind spun in a horrible way, it ended with the poor thing blacking out, unable to appreciate the other's concern.

As they rode back to Hateno and its lab, Link's brow was furrowed with worry and righteous understanding. He knew there was something eerily familiar about Odhran, despite how different they were, just with their body alone. They shared the same gazes, same mannerisms, intelligence, and even the stubbornness Hojem was notorious for. "I'm not sure.... But I may know why they passed out. Have you heard of the Goddesses' Miracle of Reincarnation?"

[CRYBABY]

Sun ducked his head, gripping his hands against his chest tighter at the news that.. that their Hojem was.. was gone. '100 years ago' rang in his head like an unwelcome song. How could he.. how could Hojem /leave them/ like that.. they were.. he was their family. If mechs could cry, Sun would be a blubbering mess right now, but all he could do was cower like a kicked puppy. "..Hojem.." he said softly more to himself than to the others. Moon turned away, looking back into the vast plain. "This is all /your/ fault." he muttered accusingly to Link. Refusing to look over and make eye contact. "Why did he not let us fight? Why didn't he let me protect him!" his fists shook balled against his side as he tried to control his frustrations. He was in disbelief. Hojem was gone, 100 years had passed, and now what? He just wanted to leave. Go live whatever kind of normal life he and his brother could have in this world...

Sun quite literally bounced in excitement at all the food options Odhran had laid out for them. He so loved to eat, especially when he and Hojem shared a meal together! "I'll eat anything! I love to eat meals together.. Hojem said families do that.." his voice growing low for a blip of a second before it perked back up again. "But this one!" he pointed to Moon with an accusing finger "He will only eat ore. Because 'we don't need food'." he tried his best to mimic his grumpy twin. But the sunshine was only met with a glare from his counterpart. "Pants would be fine." the stoic one responded, remembering how awkward he felt.. how /naked/ he felt whenever they were around other humanoids. "Will you pick us something cute to wear? Oh! Can we match?" Sun asked, his beams shining a bright blue to emphasize his excitement.

The friendlier mech shook his head "No, I haven't."

[LovelyBones]

Link and Odhran saw how the two mechs reacted, the blonde gaining a haunted look in his eyes when he was accused of being weak. He already knew that, but it didn't hurt any less to be reminded. "If that wave hit you both as well, you wouldn't be protecting anyone but the monster Zelda is holding back while we do what we can to prepare properly." He responded solemnly, but with a dermined seriousness as well. "Hojem saved you from being a mindless killing machine." He stated bluntly, Odhran flinching at the tone, their scars tingling at the mention.

Odhran had smiled at Sun's response, and nodded softly. "It's been a while since I've eaten with anyone.... I rarely get out unless Purah is teaching me about how Ancient Tech works, but even then, I usually eat alone.... But, I'd be happy to have company again." They smiled hopefully at him, before giggling at how the solar bot teased Moon. "Well, Moon, are there ores you prefer? Rock salt? Flint? Luminous stones?" They asked, hoping to be able to earn at least some brownie points through his stomach. Or whatever would count for one. When pants were accepted as other, Odhran smiled warmly. "Then pants it is!! I'll need to find Rhondson again, they make me best pants for movement, as well as breathability!!" The Mechanic grinned, before nodding to Sun's request. "Of course-- Oh, do you mean you and Moon, or me as well? J-just to be clear...." They blushed faintly, oh so faintly, thinking it would be nice to match at least a little bit with the pair. Also, Sun's bright blue rays brightened their mood, even if only a little bit....

As they rode on towards Hateno, Link furrowed his brows, his voice cutting through the wind and clack of hooves beneath them. "Long story short, those that are regarded as crucial to the safety of Hyrule are often reincarnated by the Goddesses-- though, as far as I have known, only Princess Zelda and I have been known to be blessed in that way.... I believe Odhran used to be Hojem, and with how they've reacted to certain situations, I can hazard a guess how Hojem was lost to us." His tone was tense, recalling how Odhran would hold their neck, or hug their middle, as if they were severely wounded there, or even how they'd rub at their wrists until they were red and sore anxiously whenever Yiga clan members were spotted, or worse, when they attacked. "We need to focus on getting them back to the village, and seen by Purah. Surely she'll know of something that could help them...."

[CRYBABY]

Sun nodded in understanding, not wanting to press further as it seemed to be a touchy subject for Link. "..I'm glad he did then."
Moon, however, didn't plan on being too nice. "Tch. Fine, whatever you say." he scoffed, his gaze fixated on the plains. He wouldn't believe it, he couldn't believe that Hojem would do that... who was he kidding? That's exactly what Hojem would've done. Stupid man was all about the 'greater good', whatever the hell that meant.

Sun smiled cheery as Odhran spoke. "Have no fear, Odhran! You'll never have to eat alone again!" Sun's excitement would have been seen as sarcasm if he wasn't so authentic about it. It was hard for Moon to pout while Odhran was being so kind and accommodating, so much like Hpjem it almost made him lash out. He was upset, who could blame him? But acting like a humanoid child was no way to get his point across. "Flint would be fine." he grumbled, but just getting the bot to answer was progress. "I would love if we all matched! Hojem, Moon, and I used to at least wear complimenting colors. It made us feel like a team, right, Moony?" Sun pushed the other bot lightly on the shoulder. A microscopic grin was plastered on Moon's face at the light tease from his brother. "Yeah, yeah.." it was apparent the lunar bot was soft for that nickname.

Moon's face dropped at the mention of Odhran possibly being Hojem reincarnated, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. If that were true then.. did that mean they could.. would Odhran be as accepting of their previous relationship? He shook his head, bringing back his stoic expression as they continued to ride. Sun's rays spun uncontrollably, "A-are you serious!? Could that be our Hojem for real?" with his excitement he forgot momentarily about Odhran being hurt, refocusing his attention he nodded firmly. "Yeah! Purah's gotta know how to help!

[LovelyBones]

Link looked at the back of Moon's head with a pained, glowering gaze, "I'm not sure if you saw what the Guardians are capable of before Hojem had saved you two, but they had wiped out many parts of Hyrule, and taken countless lives." He glanced to Odhran, who had shrunk at the topic, but when their eyes met, the smaller looked away. "Those simply trying to survive and forage for supplies have been struck down without mercy." Link stated with a chilling finality, glancing to Odhran with a look of sympathy.

The small Sheikah smiled happily at Sun's agreement to share meals with them in the near future, eager to have a semblance of family again. When Moon gave a reply, hope shined in their eyes for a few moments, happy to hear the other would partake in a 'meal' too. They noticed how Moon lightened up at the soft nickname Sun gave him, and made a mental note to try it later, when the lunar bot wasn't so.... cold and rigid towards them. "Hmm.... How does cold violet for me, rich blue for Moon and bright yellow for you sound?" Hey proposed, then looked to Moon, hoping he would respond favorably.

"I have a strong feeling they are.... There are too many coincidences not to be...." Link responded to Sun, Hateno soon on the horizon. "But that also raises a lot of concerns.... Namely how they react strongly to interactions with the Yiga clan. Despite never having been harmed, and only spooked at worst, they show worrying levels of PTSD.... As well as gripping and or stress rubbing at areas that may have been wounded or bound too tightly...." He added, tone solemn. "It pains me to say, but.... I fear Hojem had been tortured once in Yiga custody...." He looked back at Odhrans feverish and limp form, a look of regret on his face, before looking forward once more, the trio soon riding through Hateno up to the lab.

[CRYBABY]

Moon kept quiet, finding no point in continuing the conversation as all of his responses would likely upset Link and Odhran. He didn’t want to add to their distress any more than he already had. Sun chimed in, a small frown on his face. “S-sorry Link.. I think it’s just hard for him to accept. This is our first experience with..um..death.” he muttered softly, staring down at his twiddling fingers.

Sun’s rays spun happily at the suggestion of colors from Odhran. “Yes! Yes, that’s perfect! Hojem used to say yellow is my most flattering color!” he nearly vibrated in excitement. “Dark blues suit me.” the lunar bot responded with a little less suspicion in his tone.

Sun’s rays dropped at the addition of Link’s belief that Hojem had been tortured. “No!” he cried out, fighting to steady himself as they continued to ride. “...” There was no response from Moon, only a comforting hand on the solar bots shoulder.