World Tree MUSH

  Crouched between two massive remote valleys lies the ruins of a snowbound garrison. Its structures were splendid and decorated with lavish taste, once, but they've been abandoned for a long time; fallen to ruin. There are gaping holes in the roof and the curtain walls are crumbling. Snow drifts in the entry hall. Tachibana Yumi and the Princess Zelda had consulted a number of contractors for repairs. The most important of them, the carpenters and the stonemasons, are expected today.

  Zelda was up before the sun this morning. She began with ritual cleansing, followed by hours of prayer. The princess is nothing if not faithful to her goddesses; she's proven that much over time.

  In the meantime, there are things that need doing. It won't all get done today, but the gaping holes in the roof are a great place to start.

  Snowpeak is not the kind of place one suffers holes in anything.

  Weak sunlight filters down through bleak skies over the garrison's courtyard. Behind the sagging walls it isn't as cold, but spring will still be a long time coming, here. Warm clothing is still a necessity. The courtyard itself's been as cleared of debris as it can be made without work crews, leaving a nice, wide empty space for carpenters and masons to stage their tools and materials, and others to gather.

  The princess is nowhere to be found indoors. Only a keen eye (or nose) would spot her outside. Layered in warm travel clothing and wrapped up in her black cloak, she's managed to climb high atop a sagging length of the curtain wall. It's the highest vantage point in the place without watchtowers; she's keeping an eye on the approach, waiting patiently for the small army of contractors Yumi's due to bring.

  At the moment she has a stoneware mug full of tea steaming at her side, and in her hands a clipboard with parchment. On it are detailed notes in cramped but meticulously neat hand, keeping a running tally of materials and cost, as well as timetables.

  Old habits die hard, though. Her bow and quiver are within reach, and so is one of Rydia's knives. And that's to say nothing of the "guard dog" somewhere around here.

The thing about shipping in contractors to deal with the structural problems is that the way /to/ Snowpeak really needs to be clear. That's been the job of the Sacred Beast, who could be found ranging around the base of Snowpeak and along the pass that leads to the garrison for the last few days. Most of it is clear, as it has been for weeks, but the paths that lead up are a little more spotty. So, for the first time since all of this began, Link went out on his own and hasn't been back for a day or two. This isn't really anything to fuss or worry about, though.

The gap between his first meeting with Zelda and tracking her to Kaipo was so lengthy and dangerous that any reasonable soul would know right away that the Hero could take care of himself.

Today...

Link is running back up the pass from his final patrol. Many wolfos lie dead in the snow, scattered about the mountain, and a small number of Twilight beasts have been thrown down, leaving no corpses to speak of. He halts midway up the pass, digs a hole in a trench of snow up against the side of the hill, and conceals himself within it. Then he watches, and waits for the first of them, to play escort when they finally arrive.

And, perhaps, to make certain that they aren't funny characters before they complete the trek to the Garrison house.

    Boy it sure is nice being able to ride up rather than hike up.

    Slow and steady comes the caravan; a wagon does the work of getting them up there, and while most of the passengers are in the back, a girl with orange hair sits right up front for the simple reason that she knows the path up the mountain. Yumi Tachibana has been privately just a tad worried about Link disappearing, but decided to trust him to take care of herself; and that trust has been rewarded with, not just a path clear of beasts both regular and Twilight. And of course, the rest of the caravan has been warned that a wolf will be joining them partway up, and that he's totally harmless, she swears.

    She did not blame them one bit for the funny looks they gave her.

    But hey, here come Yumi and the contractors, slow and steady, winding their way up. Once they come in sight of the (remains of) the estate, the girl stands up and lifts an arm high, giving Zelda a wave that is both 'greeting' and 'all clear'.

There was work to be done here, Olivia had caught word and figured it would continue to be a good thing to get out beyond the Ark. The ruins were not too hard to find honestly it was just a matter of time to get there. She didn't seem too bothered by the cold due to wearing what was a mix of hide and fur armour of some sort. She was also not alone plodding along through the snow after her were two creatures on the ground and another flying in the air lazily after them. The flying one seemed to be some sort of large bird so large one could ride it and the saddle there on it's back shows that this is likely the case also it's saddle bags seem to be on the heavy side. 

 One of the creatures on the ground is covered in saddle bags and other means of carrying cargo it has a trio of horns on it's face with a beak, for a mouth, about the head is another frill with more spikes and the last one? It's squat, it's back and head armored with some sort of bone plating, with spikes along the side and a massive bony tail it too has a saddle and it follows the strange woman along as she nears the garrison. 

 "This looks like it's the place." 

 She lets out a whistle, the bird comes in for a landing and the other two beasts stop, she halts to give the two ground ones some sort of purple berries nad hte bird gets tossed some fresh meat. 

 She's here to help with the repairs here, it should keep her busy for a while.

>> SUMMARY[Olivia Montag] >> Olivia shows up with a pair Anky, Trike and a Argant Avis (Massive bird)

    This is about the most exciting this place has been that Terra is aware of! There's plenty to do, certainly, though it's quite difficult to settle on what's most important, right? Pacing warmer areas has grown tiresome, so the half-Esper has taken it upon herself to try and be useful. Locate as many mugs and cups as possible, leave them near where the tea is brewed and then make forays out into the cold to keep cups filled and warm. It's a mission and it keeps her mind from wandering to a few nights prior.

    Some time passes and she shakes her head, realizing she was starting to mentally wander. She pours a cup, grips it in both hands and begins her first trek to find some soul in need of a warm cup.

    Her wandering will eventually take her to the wall serving as Zelda's perch, where she might be able to see a bit of the commotion from the approaching caravan of tradesmen and their vanguard.

    "They're finally here. Sheik. Fresh tea?" Miraculously, it's still hot as the moment she poured it. Science! Wait, no, the other thing.

    When Olivia arrives she looks rather surprised. Flying mounts? She never would have guessed.

    For once Peach's entrance isn't the flashiest.

    The mushroom people of the Mushroom Kingdom aren't known for many things. They aren't strong, or brave, or particularly intelligent. What they are, however, is industrious and loyal.

    Which may explain why several of the work crew are diminutive humanoids with mushroom caps on their heads. Or possibly they were just really cheap, who knows? Whatever their reasons for being here, their princess is along for the ride - just sitting on one of the carts, taking in the sights with a faint frown. "This looks somewhat familiar..." she mumbles to herself.

    It's only when the manor comes into view that she actually recognises her surroundings. "Ah! Here? Haha that explains why we're coming in carts rather than flying everyone in, I suppose..." She pulls out her cellphone and taps the screen with her thumb idly. "My plans may need to be changed at the last minute... oh well~" What plans? Mysterious.

    One person traveling with the Mushroom Kingdom's group besides Peach... also lacks a mushroomhead. Instead, he has a tail. Young Goku's bundled up heavily for the snow, but his tail still swings freely out behind him! Though in many places he less has to walk through the snow and more... leaps from place to place, since the snow is frequently deeper than he is tall!

    "Wh-why are half the mountains I come across so c-co-co-cold!" This has puzzled him since Mount Paozu was pretty temperate overall...

    Ah well. Goku's here for the opportunity to help out, and train his body some more. It worked when he studied under Roshi, it should work now, right?

    "Plans?" He asks, looking first at Peach and then... then at the dilapidated manor before them all...

    "Uhh.... that place... what happened to it?" Snow monsters, maybe?

Link has set up a number of pre-established signals with the people up at the Manor House. It's all based on the number of howls he sends up into the air. One is danger, two is caution, and three is all clear. The first segment of the caravan comes into sight, with Yumi in the lead. But she's not the only one, and the only immediate acknowledgement they get is a slight shuffling of snow.

The flyer with the /dinosaurs/ elicits two howls, which echo up and down the pass as Link rises from his snowy hide-away and comes up alongside the middle of the caravan. There are a lot of strange animals in Hyrule, and some of them are even dinosaur-like. These aren't outstandingly threatening, but they /are/ out-of-place, and the flyer in particular poses a problem of its own that the Sacred Beast can't actually articulate:

Visibility.

No more howls follow. The Sacred Beast meanders up and down the caravan, barking periodically to alert the animals that -- yes -- something is there, and not getting particularly close to them. He's a farmhand, he knows the score.

By the time they reach the manor, Link is reasonably comfortable with the dinosaurs. The mushroom head people are... well, he's seen stranger. Hylians have some weird fashion tendencies, he really can't be too critical of people who think fungus looks pretty.

  Up on the battlements, Zelda sees the first of the wagons headed in, but Link is much closer to the approach. She's not concerned; she'd seen him ranging the passes and flushing out anything that might be a threat.

  Yumi's waving to her. Zelda stands, waving an arm in both acknowledgement and greeting.

  Movement on the horizon has her tossing her clipboard aside and taking up the bow, stringing an arrow. That arrow follows the enormous bird half-gliding and half-flapping its way along the deep pass. She frowns, tracking the target, but she doesn't fire.

  Link calls for caution, but he does not announce it as a danger. With extreme reluctance, she lowers her bow, glancing over as Terra arrives. Her expression is hard, but she acknowledges the green-haired girl with a faint twitch of her head. "Yes, please. Thank you."

  "Keep an eye on them, if you would be so kind." Zelda tosses her chin to indicate the gaggle of dinosaurs and their evident handler. "I did not hire that one, unless Tachibana Yumi did. That one is a stranger. Those beasts could be trouble."

  She gathers up her things, stowing them in various clever pockets. The quiver is buckled at her hip under the robe, the bow slung over her shoulder and ready; the clipboard is slid into a broad pocket on the robe's inside hem. Time to start her descent. Picking her way down the tumbledown wall, she stalks across the courtyard with purpose.

  "Excellent! Welcome back, Tachibana Yumi. Princess Peach." Olivia and Goku are both given something of the fisheye.

  The princess is an average-looking young woman, and there's nothing about her to suggest royalty. She's wearing a mix of insulated riding clothes, and over it a dark, somewhat billowy black robe with a hood. Tied around the lower half of her face is a thick scarf, such a deep violet it almost looks black.

  "Because mountains are always cold," she replies to Goku, turning to face him. She does not bow. "At least, at sufficient elevation. This place? It was abandoned, generations ago. Our task today is to restore it to at least somewhat of a liveable condition."

    Goku receives an answer not just from Zelda, but Yumi as well. "This place is just about as harsh a climate as it gets. Even as mountains go, it's pretty rough. As long as that mansion was left abandoned, it's a surprise it's still standing, honestly. But that's what we're here to fix!" The dinosaurs are concerning - but whoever that is they belong to seems to be on the up-and-up. If she's here to help, that's pretty alright. If she's here to cause problems, she is almost certainly coming to the wrong place. Either way, things should work out. Right?

    "Yeah, this is the place," she confirms for Peach, adding a curious, "Plans?" She's not sure what the princess is up to, but whatever she has in mind will probably be a big help of some sort.

    Whoosh. Danger overhead and she didn't even think to be alarmed. Zelda raising that bow makes her heart skip a beat but everything seems fine for the moment. She lets that breath she was holding out and then nods once, "Right! Oh, ah..." She sets the cup down within view should her gracious host return this way.

    Then she's stepping lightly, carefully toward Olivia. Keep eyes on, right, ah... "Ah, hi, sorry. You're here to help with the repairs?" Somewhat distracted by the dinosaurs and their curious appearances, she picks her way along until she's standing at a respectable distance. "If you've traveled for awhile there's still time to warm up before the work begins." She gestures, indicating the host of industrious folk only just arriving. "Anyway, sorry. Ah..." She's staring at the dinosaurs. She really wants to reach for one and it shows but she can't find it in herself to just say something like that. Would it be rude? She's not sure! Help!

    Peach gives Goku and Yumi both a wry grin. "Well... you know, a workforce is really rather like an army, right?" she says, as she stands up and leans under the cover of the wagon to retrieve something. "And you know what they say about armies and stomachs..." There's the sound of something heavy being moved, before Peach stands back up, slinging a pack casually over one shoulder that's almost as big as SHE is. It's made of brown canvas and looks like one of those backpacks you take on adventures in jungles and such - although it's quite a bit bigger.

    She raises a hand in a wave. "Ah, Sheik! Hello!" she calls to Zelda, as she hops down from the caravan. "I require access to a kitchen." Her pack rattles in a distinctly metallic manner.

  Snow crunches underfoot as the princess slows to a halt, near the middle of the courtyard. Its flagstones are also cracked and damaged, but patching the roofs and exterior walls are the highest priority.

  "Yes. These are among the highest mountains in Hyrule, and their savagery is infamous. This place was built by a noble acting on his own, but he did possess a royal sanction to build here." She adjusts the front of her robe around herself. "Why anyone would want to, I could not say."

  Another guest requires access to a kitchen. The princess blinks somewhat owlishly, and points to the main building. "Main corridor. Right hallway. Third door on your right. You will need to bring fuel for the ovens; there is cordwood stacked in the main hall. It should be dry, still."

  There's a pause.

  "There are animals stabled in the main hall. For your own safety, do not go near them."

  By the time he comes trotting into view, Link is given a nod of acknowledgement, and maybe gratitude. It's a lot easier to keep an eye on people when you can get around easier like that!

    Goku returns Zelda's gaze. Though his is the curious and clueless look of a kid. He does't know what he did to deserve that look!

    A lot of crazy things here are, however, NOT apparently bothering the kid. Like the dinosaurs. He's seen a few of those before! That they're up here in the mountains, that doesn't look odd at all to him.

    Seeing them used as beasts of burden though, now that's new! His tail twitches a few times as he reaches up and scratches his chin.

    First though he answers the people talking to him! "Aha! ... But then, it's ALWAYS this cold here?! And you're going to live in this place? What'll you eat..?" He saw some of the fallen Wolfos on the way here. They didn't look too appetizing.

    The boy springs forth and steps towards Zelda, since she seems to be who everyone's come to meet. "My name's Goku. I came with Peach to help with the building stuff." The boy exclaims, full of exuberance and sounding not at all bothered by how weird this meeting is!

Olivia Montag takes note of the Wolf howls but thinks little of it, she's managed to arrive and thankfully for Link? The Bird has landed and isn't looking like it intends to take flight without orders from Olivia. She does catch sight of what she thinks might be a young wolf with strange marking, she thinks not to much of it really. It's nice to see something along the lines of the animals she's used to. 

 She looks to the Princess for a moment as she get a bit of a fish eye. 

 "You need repairs done here . I have experience, it's nice to have something to work with though. If it's that old and still somewhat intact? The builders did a good job." 

 She also looks to Goku for a moment eyeing his tail. 

 She seems ready to get to work she looks to Terra nodding. 

 "That I am Miss. I'm Olivia of the Einherjar tribe. I understand if you tell me to remain away from them I will." 

 There's another odd thing about her. The clothing on her left forearm has a cutaway exposing some sort of faintly glowing metal diamond which appears to be embedded in the woman's flesh.

Although the Sacred Beast is unable to answer any questions directly, Link does skirt the side of the caravan and listen carefully. The chatter is all carefully absorbed. Plans here, various stripes of strangeness there. In the end he decides that Peach is the one who actually warrants the majority of his attention, because she has some ambiguous machinations that involve using the kitchen. That could mean anything from regular cooking to poisoning everyone.

Though, she doesn't really look cast in that mold...

And with his head whipping back and forth, Link realizes he /really/ doesn't know a lot of these people at all. He barks several time in sequence, which is probably his idea of a greeting. In the end, he moves into Zelda's general vicinity while she's exchanging words with... well, a lot of people! At the moment though, he's focusing on Goku.

Link barks at Goku, and raises a paw. He's beginning to learn ways to communicate that, Yes, There's Somebody there. Offering to shake some kid's hand may not actually be one of them, it could just be a trick after all, but it certainly at the least calls attention.

A glance is cast sidelong towards Zelda. Some kind of acknowledgement, perhaps. Or a hey-look-I'm-trying.

    Satisfied, at least, that the woman seems to be well intentioned, Terra nods at Olivia and offers a thin smile. "Oh good. I'm sure this project will be big enough for every set of hands to be needed!" Though, honestly, she doubts she'll be much use doing anything handy.

    Shifting back a few steps toward the main gathering of folks, even offering a nod of greeting to Yumi. Familiar faces and under less serious circumstances than before! It's almost surreal. "I'm excited to see what comes of this. Ah-" Then Link offering a paw to Goku catches her eye and her hands come up to her mouth. She tries super hard not to gasp.

    Instead, the faintest squeak utters from her lips at the frankly precious sight. It's almost too much. Still, completely forgetting herself and her intention to introduce Olivia, she stands rapt.

    With everyone properly here at last, Yumi takes a moment to size up both the project that is 'Snowpeak', and the group they've got on-hand to fix it. Aside from numerous off-world craftsmen (and craftstoads), they've got several... interesting people. While she's pondering that, though, she catches sight of Peach... lifting a very, very large pack. Huh. That's... that's impressive. And worth mentally filing away.

    Wait, kitchen?

    "I can show her the way to the kitchen," Yumi offers, perking right up. "If you're cooking something, I can even pitch in," she adds to Peach. "I'm not stellar on my own or anything, but I can definitely help with the prep work and moving things around for you." Terra gets a bright smile and a wave. She is, however, nice enough to poor Link not to girlishly squee. He's probably getting enough of that from everyone else.

    Peach, in her violently pink cold weather gear, with a pack that must weigh the better part of a ton just casually draped across one shoulder is... an odd sight, to be sure, but probably not a poisoner. -Probably-. Whoever heard of princesses poisoning people?

    Except for all those times they totally did.

    Peach gives Zelda a salute - and then Yumi is offering to just show her the way. And even pitch in! "Oh, that will be wonderful~ I could use all the help I can get!" That's not actually entirely true - Peach is a demon in the kitchen - but hey, company is great. "Shall we then~?"

    Peach isn't really giving Link that much attention! She probably just thinks he's someone's pet.

    Goku's pretty used to dealing with animals. Monkeys. Sometimes sabre-tooth tigers that want to eat him. Occasionally wolves and bears! But having a very strange-looking wolf bark at him out of nowhere gets his attention QUICKLY on the Sacred Beast!

    "Oh... hello to you too!" That a wolf is trying to shake with him is ALSO taken in stride, in the way only a kid could. Goku reaches out for the shake, while grinning up a storm!

Olivia Montag says "It does look like that every hand is going to be needed, she pauses for a moment at the sight of the young wolf. Well young in her mind as she's used to Dire Wolves. She also gives Goku a look and she seems to smile, that's one well trained wolf. She'll leave others to work on the kitchen she also smiles now as she takes notice of Peach. 

 "It is good to see you again Princess Peach. That is also one very smart wolf there." 

 She notes watching Link and Goku. 

 "We should get to work though didn't come to just chat about the campfire, now did we?"

    "With pleasure, your highness," Yumi replies to Peach cheerfully, sweeping an arm around into a playful bow. Her steps are swift and directed, and though there's a brief stop in the main hall to peel off the outermost jacket and snow pants she has on - Snowpeak is /really cold/ - the trip to the kitchen is otherwise direct. "One of the rooms we made sure to clean up is the kitchen. We haven't had a /lot/ of use for it, given all the trail rations and stuff we've been eating up here, but the occasional cooked meal is pretty nice. It's right in here," she adds at the door. "I'll be back in a sec with some firewood."

  Zelda stands in the middle of the activity like the eye of the storm, tucking her hands into her robe's voluminous sleeves. It gives her rather a more sinister appearance than the people who know her might ascribe to her, like some kind of necromancer or something. Oh, well.

  There's a faint twitch of her head towards Link. Acknowledgement, maybe. Hard to say. She doesn't actually say anything to him, trying to watch what everybody else is doing. Bringing in so many people might have been a mistake, but making the repairs themselves wasn't an option.

  Her eyes are already sliding towards the next flutter of activity. She gives a faint, almost imperceptible nod to Yumi; both acknowledgement and a 'keep an eye on her' gesture.

  She could probably say that Link isn't a wolf, but there's not a whole lot of point to that. There's not much evidence to the contrary and there are bigger fish to fry at the moment.

  In the meantime, it's to her to start directing the workmen, which she's already settling in on. Stonemasons are directed toward the main hall; so are the carpenters, already beginning to unload their supplies. Zelda's busy chatting with them for a few moments, though, telling them what needs to be done, where to do it, and those sorts of important things.

Although he hasn't really got a way to express it, Link is actually incredibly happy to encounter somebody who takes things at complete face value. He shakes Goku's hand -- insofar as a wolf can do this -- and then retracts his paw, glancing 'round towards Terra and Yumi. He makes a noise, sort of a trailing whining that is intended as a noise of reluctant faint assent to what's going on over there. Then he looks back at Goku, and nods twice to affirm that he understood the greeting wholly.

He barks at Olivia in response to her comment, and then moves on from Goku to look at Terra.

The great wolf sits a short distance from her, tilting his head to one side and giving a great sniff of the air. They're accumulating green-haired girls. the ghost found that pretty nostalgic, and a not at all distant part of Link wonders if they're supposed to select another one for a Sage.

He whines at her, head cocked to one side inquisitively. They haven't been introduced.

    Peach doesn't start stripping out of her outer layer of cold weather clothes until they've located the kitchen. "Home cooked food is good for the soul~" she chimes when Yumi mentions it was one of the first rooms they cleaned up. As Yumi hurries off to get firewood, Peach slowly inspects the kitchen. Hmm. Wood-burning oven, plenty of counter space, pantry...

    She takes a peek in the pantry. Ingredients, ingredients... vegetables, cured meats, what looks to be... wolf meat, apparently... is that a pumpkin??

    By the time Yumi is back, Peach has already begun to unpack supplies - she brought ingredients with her, of course, flour and sugar and several herbs and spices, as well as almost a literal ton of cookware. And a miniature electric generator to actually power some of it. "So! It's cold up here. What do you think of... wolf meat goulash? With extra spicey paprika to ward off the cold, of course~"

    It takes Terra a moment to get it together. She's not really bouncing and freaking out but that was an unmistakable display, however subdued and gosh it even kind of felt normal for a few moments. Then, without her really thinking about it, her expression cools slightly, though she at least thinks to offer a smile and nod to the child with the... tail? Huh, that's-

    Then, she's faced with the large, strangely marked wolf. She's not sure how to act, at first but she dares to risk appearing foolish, so she offers a greeting, "Hello? I don't suppose we've met but I've heard about you. I think." The great guardian beast she was warned of? Makes sense. As her thoughts threaten to wander, she extends a hand. It seems natural to offer that as a courtesy, right? Though it may appear as the normal way you might greet a canine prone to sniffing strangers if unchecked she's totally going to pet between poor Link's ears. She can't help it. 

    She really is terrible at keeping an eye on people.

    The door creaks open and Yumi is back, with... actually, with a fair bit of firewood. She's pretty strong for her size!

    (But nowhere near as strong as Peach.)

    She's careful to carry it in and set it on the ground close to the stove. "Wolf meat goulash? I don't think I've ever tried anything like that. Sounds good to me! Be careful not to add /too/ much paprika, though," she adds. "I'm not sure what everyone's tolerance for spice is around here." A pause, then she adds, "...I don't think I've ever even seen Sheik try spicy food, come to think of it."

    She's already separating out bits of firewood before she adds, "About how hot do you want the stove? I can get it going for you at least." She's had plenty of practice by now!

    Goku, yes, is totally cool with a friendly wolf! But he's more here to work. So when the workers finally arrive... he runs off, laughing over his shoulder at the wolf who caught his eye... and gets to work with all due gusto!

    This will probably leave some of the masons amazed, as Goku puts his strength to use hauling some pretty hefty blocks through the snow all by his lonesome after a little banter with the workers.

    Yup. That one kid can seemingly haul as much as an entire load of beasts of burden... beaten maybe only by the dinosaurs over there!

>> SUMMARY[Goku] >> Goku joins the work crews, because hauling heavy things around is great exercise!

Olivia Montag looks at the wolf again with interest, she may have to go out into the wilds later to try and tame some of the local wolves. First however is the job she's here for, she'll notice the blink and one eyebrow goes up again. Still she needs to get to work. She looks to Goku as she too joins the work crews but it seems she's got some mason skills as she'll be getting to work on the repairs and shaping of any of the stone that will be going on. Her work won't be art but it will be solid and do the job. She also looks at Goku for a moment. 

 "I bet you could likely lift one of my dinos kid, wait on second thought don't try it I'll just assume you can!" 

 Her Trike and Anky will be helping Olivia and with carrying loads and seem to be commanded by a series of whistles as she'll even have them drop off loads to other workers. These dinos are earning their kibble tonight!

The Sacred Beast nods in reply to Terra's greeting. What little sniffing he did a moment ago was at a bit of a distance-- the wolf seems to have some sense of personal space that a normal animal wouldn't. He tenses slightly at having his head pet, though it isn't nearly the borderline kneejerk snapping that Zelda and Rydia experienced the first time they attempted similar.

He tosses his head at Terra. Another questioning look, accompanied by a whine. He's certainly asking something, but it's hard to tell what unless a more conventional introduction is it.

Goku gets his attention again a moment later and, after giving Terra some time to offer a response -- though he doesn't entirely expect one, being less-than-clear in his questioning -- he trots over to join Goku with moving blocks. Although he doesn't have the limbs to do this, when the Sacred Beast moves up behind the blocks Goku is moving he is able to substantially reduce the amount of strength the boy needs to exter to keep them moving.

That is a downright bizarre amount of bodily strength for an animal, even an intelligent one.

    Peach gets a mischievous glint in her eye when Yumi mentions the others may not be that used to spicy food. But she then gives a cough. "Aaaah, medium heat should be fine. I don't want to cook this too quickly, predator meat is rather tough and stringy~ Gotta cook it slow to get it tender enough to actually get through!"

    Even as she's talking, Peach has already gotten to work. Vegetables are diced with speed that would make professional sous chefs jealous. Meat is cut up into chunks with deft slices, then tossed with flour before being dumped into a hot, oiled pan - to be joined a few minutes later with chopped onions and other vegetables.

    Peach hums idly as she works. Sleeves rolled up, hair tied back, crown placed neatly on a counter out of the way - she could almost be mistaken for a servant right now. "So... how do you know Sheik? I just ran into her randomly one day... kinda like how I met you, really~" she chats idly.

    That touch. Terra freezes for a moment, eyes flickering uncertainly before she pulls her hand back. "Sorry, I didn't realize. I-" She stops again and lowers her head, brow furrowing as an odd look crosses her face.

    "I'm Terra. Rydia and some others rescued me from people that were using me for my abilities." She blinks rapidly a few times and rocks back a little, astonished. This is certainly unexpected.

    She watches at the Sacred Beast moves off to help with the heavy lifting and she stands there, wind ruffling her clothing and hair. After another long pause she shakes her head to clear it, scoops up the forgotten and likely part frozen cups and returns to her mission. Tea. She can help and she knows how to make tea. There will be no cold mugs if she has anything to say about it! So, the kitchen is her course!

    Though she's likely to pull up short at the furor of Peach and Yumi at work. "Ah..."

Link takes a moment between moving materials to step off to the side and look back at Terra, shaking his head at her apologies. He mimes scratching an itch with his back leg, then sits back up and bobs his head back and forth as if to suggest that it's /like that/. An enthusiastic bark follows at the offering of her name, and an uncharacteristically somber expression trails after in answer to the explanation of where she came from.

He whines to indicate his sympathy and then returns to working, leaving the others to their various conversations and duties.

    In short order, Yumi has the fire started, and with a small set of bellows, she fires it up a little, speeding the process until she judges it just right. "Hm? Oh, that's... it's sort-of a long story, but only because of the background for it. I, ah, I don't have any memories before the morning of January 17th. I woke up knowing plenty about the world around me, but nothing whatsoever about myself. A couple days later, I was out in the city while Sheik wandered through, and we ended up talking a little, and then ran into each other again more than once. So she's kinda my first friend, I guess."

    Puff goes the bellows one last time, and Yumi is satisfied enough to turn around and stand up... and watch Peach work in silent awe for a moment. She actually misses Terra's arrival for a moment or two. "...o-oh! Terra, I didn't see you come in."

    Peach can't help but frown a little bit. "...Amnesia? ... That sucks." She turns back to her work for a while as she works. Deglazing the pot with some manner of wine... adding water... so much paprika... "I'm sure it'll work out, though. With awesome people like Sheik to help you, and everything..." She glances over her shoulder as Terra walks in, giving a brief wave before going back to Yumi. "...Maybe you have some sort of amazing destiny to fulfill~ Waking up with amnesia sounds like the start of some amazing heroic journey to -me-, anyway."

    The pot is put into the oven, and Peach leans against the counter. "...Now, help me make dessert, will you~?"

    The goulash is already smelling amazing. And there's definitely enough to feed the entire workforce, that pot is huge.

    Terra, on the spot momentarily, lifts her cups. "Ah..." Right it probably seems strange that she's here to make tea without a proper fire going. What a cheater, using whatever nefarious means to heat a brew without first thinking to build an actual fire. Seeing one, she shuffles a little on her feet. Right.

    "Ah, sorry, I was just going to start more tea for everyone. If that's alright!" She bows, looking apologetic, "I meant to come along before." Just got distracted by a magic wolf. No biggie. "Do you need help with anything else?" She doesn't dare interrupt Peach; that woman is way too in her element and she just knows she'd be in the way.

    Well, Yumi is 'busy' helping the whirlwind that is Peach prepare dessert, but her duties prove so light that when Terra asks, the girl is leaning against a counter, looking amused. "I think it's more or less covered." She shifts her weight a little, looking out the door briefly at the sounds of people getting to work. "It'll be nice to be able to walk around here more freely. Having actual beds to sleep in will be nice, too." A pause, then a frown. "...though separate bedrooms would mean needing separate fireplace fires, and that'd be kind of a strain on our firewood..."

    Peach really is amazing to watch! Terra tears her gaze away from that culinary storm and follows Yumi's look out the window. "Mm. Beds, too?" That really does sound nice. Not that she's had any complaints. The library is at least warm most of the time! "Oh, right, I hadn't thought about that. I think I'll be fine without. I don't really mind the cold as much." How she endures without bundling up may seem odd but she hasn't really given that any thought either. "It's nice, in a way, to see someplace old like this made new again. How are you feeling?" A glance is spared at Peach again. Just watching her work is exhausting. How can she do it!?

    Yumi actually seems to give that simple question some thought before she answers. "I'm doing alright, I think. No weirdness since that... thing. No notes from our mystery friend. School's doing well. A couple of classmates want me to go with them to a Hanami next week." She pauses, then realization hits. "-oh, Hanami, that's... in Japan we have cherry blossom trees all over, they bloom beautifully, but they don't stay that way long. So it's traditional to go out with friends or family, have a picnic and enjoy the sight."

    "I'm glad. What's school like?" Terra's question seems innocent enough, not prying at all. She tilts her head at that unfamiliar term but all is answered before she can ask. Oh! "That sounds really nice. Please make sure to enjoy it!" Then she cradles one of the ceramic mugs, swirling the cooled tea around idly. Occasionally she steals a glance now and then but she seems to be struggling with moving the conversation on until, "You brought so many people here to help build. Are they all friends of yours?"

    "School is... interesting," Yumi replies, in a tone that suggests 'I can't say it's good, but also can't really say it's bad'. "The day is divided into several periods, and each period, a different teacher comes in to teach your classroom about different subjects. There's breaks for lunch, and also gym class so that people get some exercise, but for the most part, there's a lot of sitting and learning, and doing schoolwork to reinforce the lessons and to demonstrate you're getting them."

    The question of the people who showed up, though, that's another matter entirely. "I... I don't really know any of them," Yumi admits. "Most of them are either paid contractors, or people who wanted to pitch in to help." There's a glance over her shoulder. "I guess Peach knew Sheik already, but today was the first time we met." And there's no telling what's up with that tail kid. But if Peach brought him along, she's sure he's worth having around...?

    That seems to satisfy Terra and she nods, "It sounds..." Like training. "... Normal. Nice!" Just a little bit envious, no big deal. "Mm. Sorry for distracting you from your work before." Then on to other matters. 

    "I suppose it sounded silly of me to ask that." She looks down, scuffing an ornate boot over the stones of the floor. "Sheik seems to know a lot of people. As well, her animal companion. Seems... I'm not sure." Thinking about the monkey boy and the great canine pulls at the corner of her mouth again. That was legitimately amusing.