"Jazelle, who the hell is this?"

Jazelle flinched at her mother's accusing tone. "Um, well, I found him."

The tall albino blinked. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he said, extending his hand. Jazelle's mother recoiled, wary. The man looked hurt, Jazelle noticed. She shot her mother a glare she did not see. "I……… I've lost my memory. Your daughter found me, I suppose."

"Mom," Jazelle prompted.

Her mother's eyes narrowed. -Found? Like a dog?- She looked the man up and down with a critical eye. He didn't –look- threatening. If he wasn't, he could have just grabbed Jazelle & run off with her.

"Fine," the mother finally huffed. "You can stay for a while. I hope you're good at shop keeping."

----------

Ruwalk had managed to catch a fairly nasty cold after the storm. He insisted he'd be fine, but everyone else insisted he was not. It came near the point of having to tie him to his bed.

Alfeegi found him sitting up late at night when he went to check on him. "Ruwalk," he gasped. "Are you alright…….?"

The officer turned to give a half-hearted smile. "Sure," he said. His throat was raw from coughing so much. "What're you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep." Alfeegi went to sit on the bed, feeling his lover's forehead. "You feeling any better?"

"I feel fine," Ruwalk pouted, then promptly sneezed. Alfeegi raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure," he said. "Just don't start hacking up blood, m'kay? Because then I'd worry."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Ruwalk sniffled. He did really feel like hell. But he couldn't show that, now could he? Shouldn't he be out helping Tetheus and the Fighters rebuild, not his delicate little Alfeegi who was always crying and needed somebody to lean on? Who would take care of him when he wasn't there?

Alfeegi stroked the two-toned hair and Ruwalk relaxed into his pillow sleepily. "You're exhausted," the White Officer pointed out; Ruwalk only shrugged. "Aren't you?"

"No," Alfeegi said, shaking his head, ponytail bouncing. "Just a bit achy, but I don't feel terrible."

Ruwalk nodded, then noted how Alfeegi held his left sleeve in a death grip. "Nya, Feegi," he said, clearing his throat of phlegm, "why're you holding your sleeve……?"

Even in the darkness, he could see the other blench. He frowned inwardly, realizing that apparently Alfeegi hadn't wanted him to pick up on this. "Oh," Alfeegi said, a wobbly undertone in his voice, "I just managed to get injured in the storm." He laughed, a shrill, unnatural laugh. "It doesn't hurt that much, really."

-I doubt that,- Ruwalk thought, but kept it to himself. "Ok," he said, smiling smally.

"You look tired," Alfeegi commented, changing the subject. "Why on earth are you still up?"

"I was hoping for a visit," Ruwalk replied, grinning. Alfeegi blushed, opened his mouth to say something, but the other officer cut him off. "Looks like I got what I wanted." He leaned up, kissing Alfeegi's chin. "So you don't get sick," he said with a wink.

"Oh, to hell with getting sick," Alfeegi whispered, and kissed Ruwalk fully on the mouth.

-------------

Jazelle winced.

The guy that was staying with them had just dropped a customer's special order. He was apologizing profusely, but it wasn't helping much. The rich fat man's face was bright red as he yelled at the albino, telling him he was incompetent; where was the shopkeeper?

Sarai, Jazelle's mother, glided out of a side room.

"Yes, sir, what is it?" she asked politely. Upon seeing the crushed box on the floor, she raised an eyebrow at her new worker. The tall albino grimaced and backed off. Sarai turned back to her distraught customer.

"Sir, I apologise. This worker is new, and apparently he is…… out of shape, shall we say? I am sure it was an accident. We can order you another…… what was it?"

The fat man seemed to bloat up larger, his face breaking out in such an ugly deep red it almost turned him purple. His plump wife fretted behind him, trying to calm him. Her eyes darted around nervously at the other customers in the shop. "Our reputation, dear," she whispered, but her husband didn't seem to hear.

"I will NOT order yet another of these!" the man exploded. "It is your own fault for hiring incompetent workers, you cow!" He huffed. "I will go elsewhere for this!" He kicked the box, and a final shattering of glass bottles was heard from inside. He stomped out, nearly breaking the door by flinging it so hard. His wife hurried, bowing to all in the shop, then hurrying after her husband.

Sarai spat. "Jerk," she muttered. "No wonder he needed a damn arousal medicine." Jazelle beat her head against the wall as her mother yelled at the albino to "clean up this damned mess."

"Yes ma'am," he said, rushing forward, grabbing a broom. "I'll clean it up." The customers watched, embarrassed for him, as he cleared away the smashed box and broken glass. He read the label blushingly, a light pink that just barely stained his pale skin. "What kind of store is this?" he muttered to himself.

"A medicine shop, dummy," Jazelle sighed. "Look around you for once." The albino did so. "Oh," he blinked. Jazelle buried her face in her hands. The albino noticed. "Are you ok……?"

"You are so hopeless!" Jazelle said, exasperated. "I may as well name you Bob!"

"Bob?" The albino thought on that.

"See!" Jazelle hissed. "You're dwelling on the name 'Bob'! In the middle of work! There's people staring now!"

"You're the one spazzing."

Jazelle pouted. She hated it when other people were right. "Oh…… fine, whatever. Get to work, Bob."

Her head met the wall with a sharp crack when he replied, "Yes ma'am!"