Disclaimer: Don't own.

The door of the Worn Bandanna swung open as Amadeus stumbled in.

"Amadeus, you look terrible!" Mina rushed from behind the bar to her exhausted friend.

"She's right, Dea. Where have you been? We 'aven't seen you in days." The Lilty started over at a much more relaxed pace.

"Heh, I? Where was I? I was looking for my Moogle..." He wobbled a little, oblivious to Mina rushing around and checking him over.

"Come on Jet; help me get him upstairs. He looks sick!"

Now that he was closer Jet noticed that his long-time pal did look rather weak and unsteady. He picked up his pace and rushed over to help support the Yuke as the three staggered up the stairs.

Above the tavern were two floors of loft space that served as a home for Mina and her family. It was here that the group burst in, Mina yelling for her dad to bring her a thermometer. After receiving no reply the Selkie hurried to the kitchen to grab the implement herself, leaving Jet to guide his scattered friend to the couch.

Now that they were in better light the Lilty could see Amadeus looked worse than he had in the dim light tavern. He didn't look ill, but his clothes were wrinkled and lived in and his feathers were in disarray. The Yuke's usually gleaming helm was dull, betraying a lack of polishing. "Man, you're a mess."

- X -

A short time later Amadeus laid on the sofa, looking very undignified wrapped in a Cactuar-patterned blanket with a thermometer protruding from his beak.

"I'm serious; you don't have to watch me. I'm not sick, just really tired." He muttered, his speech a bit garbled.

Mina took the thermometer from him and glanced at it quickly. "He doesn't have a fever..."

"Told you."

"And he has the strength to be snippy. Our Dea's on the road to recovery!" The Lilty jumped up and did a mock victory dance, which was met with a growl from Amadeus.

"Shut up, Jet."

"Ah, he's testy and verbally abusive already. He'll be fine, Mina. You should go back to work."

"Okay, but you watch him! If he gets worse call me."

"Yes Ma'am!" Jet snapped a sharp salute as only Lilties can, but his drama was ruined by sleepy mumbling from the couch.

"I told you, I'm not sick..."

"Whatever you say, Dea. Get better." Mina called back as she swept out the door.

The blanket-cocooned Yuke just lay on the sofa giggling deliriously and mumbling until he fell asleep. "I'm not sick, I feel happy..."

- X -

"Dea, Dea? Come on Amadeus, it's after noon already."

"... Ice cream bar... always trying to... take it from me... mmph... just five more minutes, Honey..."

"Honey? Amadeus!"

There was a deafening clang and Amadeus shot upright, hands clutching his head. He was fully awake and now in possession of a killer headache and sporting a deep dent in his helm. "Holy... Mina! What was that for?"

The Selkie lowered her racket. "Sorry, but you were talking in your sleep and wouldn't wake up. It was seriously freaking me out."

"How long have I been out?" He asked, glanced around for a clock.

"You slept all night and most of today. Guess you really were tired."

"That's what happens when you don't sleep for three days." His words were punctuated by yawns.

"What happened?" She sat down on the arm of the couch listening intently.

"Remember Meira?"

"Your test Moogle?"

"Yes. The day after I told you about her I came to work and she was gone. The supervisors told me that she'd been transferred to a different department and I was being given a new project."

"That's sudden, didn't they warn you last time you were reassigned?"

"You noticed that too? Good." There was no condescension in the Yuke's tone. Coming from Amadeus it was a little creepy. "It's odd, that's not usual company protocol. But anyway, I didn't just ant to quit after making my breakthrough so I kept poking at my results. I found out the miasma-resistant chemical is a protein that's dissolved in their blood." He paused for a second and stared into space like he was considering something profound.

"What's up Dea? What're you thinking?"

"It's a little silly. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I discovered the resistant protein. Do you think they'd name it after me? Amadeite? Raumium? Raumium sounds better, and last names are more official..."

"C'mon Amadeus, stop daydreaming." To tell the truth, Mina had never considered the reserved researcher to be capable of daydreaming. 'It seems I don't know him as well as I thought I did.' "What happened with Meira?"

"Very well, after I made my second discovery I thought I should share the info with her. It was her blood that made it possible after all. I tried to find her new department in the plant's database but couldn't, when I tried to look outside of R and D my access was blocked. That's definitely against company protocol."

"That's not right, don't you and Jet have clearance to go anywhere? You've bragged about it before."

"Anywhere but the factory floor. That's why it's so suspicious. After I was blocked I borrowed another ID and kept digging."

"You find anything good?" Mina asked, her eyes bright. This sounded like conspiracy, a good one too, and there was nothing she loved more than a good chunk of gossip. The Yuke nodded gravely.

"For one, somebody must have singled me out. I asked the exact same questions on the new ID and got answers to each one. When I asked about Meira I got a contradicting story. They claimed she had been sent to work on the crystal production lines in the factory."

"But no on works there, the factory's automated. I remember, they raised the taxes to pay for the renovations then held a big festival when construction was complete."

"I know. No one works there; no one goes down there. The lines are completely sealed off to prevent contaminating the crystals."

"This is just too weird..." The Selkie hopped off the couch and began to pace. "Why would they tell such an obvious lie? And to their own scientists no less."

"I know, it's as suspicious as an unguarded treasure chest."

Mina opened her mouth but was interrupted by the sound of bells from the street. It was the city clock tower tolling one. "Oh man, I'm late! I gotta go meet the lunch rush. You'll be okay by yourself?"

"Mina, I'm a full-grown Yuke with a job, house, and taxes. I'll be fine."

There was the sarcasm. It put her mind at ease knowing her friend was back to his rude, harsh self. As odd as it may seem, it was comforting. "Okay, see you later, Dea."

"Mina! Before you go, do you have any aspirin?"

She remembered beating him upside the head with her maul. "Oh! Sorry, aspirin's in the kitchen above the sink." 'Did I rattle his brains? Maybe that's why he was being so nice.'

"No problem. Go on, you're already late." Amadeus called as he shuffled into the kitchen. Mina just stood at the door gaping.

'Amadeus: kind, patient, and forgiving? Yep, he's scrambled.'

A/N: A good friend will let you crash in their house and use their Cactuar blanket.