Shirayuki groaned as her senses began to return. Her entire body ached and felt unbelievably heavy. Head throbbing, she groaned aloud as she tried to turn over.

She froze when she felt it. She was surrounded by warm, clean sheets and a blanket, in a luxuriously soft bed that she had never seen before. Looking around wildly, she saw that she was in a completely unfamiliar bedroom, alone. Light shone through the crack in the curtain, indicating it was some time the next day. As she sat up, she was startled by the damp cloth that rolled from her forehead into her lap. Picking it up and looking next to her, she could see a bowl of water on the bedside table, with a few other strips of cloth resting beside it.

Looking at the cloth in her hand, she realized she was being treated.

'Am I sick?'

Evaluating her body, she realized - yes, definitely sick. Between the aches and pains wracking her form and the deep urge in her chest to cough wildly, coupled with the buzzing, lofty feeling mixing with a headache in her brain, there was no denying it. She felt terrible, feverish… and scared.

'Where am I?'

She wasn't sure what time it was, but from the light spilling through the crack in the curtains she assumed it must be mid-afternoon. The unknown environment she was in caused the panic to rise quickly, making Shirayuki attempt to detangle herself from the bedding and swing her legs out to escape. Just as she did, a deep voice chuckled from the doorway.

Head snapping up, Shirayuki felt the blood drain from her face as she caught sight of the offender, leaning against the doorframe.

"Y-you -!" It was the most she could get out before an overwhelming coughing fit overtook her, making her head swim as she collapsed back into the cushy pillows behind her.

It was the man from the night before. The hooded one who had given her money. Except, now, he was wearing a short sleeved black tee and jeans. She hadn't noticed the night before, but he was actually really tall. A bit lean, but very muscular. He definitely looked like someone who did physical activity for fun. His jawline was sharp, his short black hair messy, and she could see corded muscles of his biceps flex slightly where they were folded over his chest. His golden eyes shined, reminding her of the surprise she had felt the night before when she first saw them. They were such a strange hue, she was certain she had never seen anything like them before.

"Me indeed, Miss," he said with a smirk, taking a step further into the room. "Try and take it easy. You're extremely sick and I'd hate for Geneva's hard work to go to waste."

"Geneva?" she asked weakly, bringing a hand up to hold her throbbing head. When her hand touched her bare hair, it was like solid ice had invaded her veins. "My hood?!"

"Ah, yeah," he said, coughing nervously into a closed fist. "You were, uh, soaked to the bone and filthy when I brought you here. I had my housekeeper, Geneva, get you cleaned up."

Shirayuki was only halfway paying attention to his words. With her long red hair free and loose, she felt overexposed and vulnerable. Scared, even. Reaching up, she did her best to twist the red locks into something small and unnoticeable, but without her hood, it was pretty well useless.

He noticed her uneasiness, which only drove his interest. "I must say, I was surprised to see that bright red hair of yours. Can't imagine why you would hide it," he said as he watched her fidget with it. "Not unless… You're trying to hide it from someone in particular?"

Shirayuki stopped moving, her terrified eyes landing on his curious golden ones. "I…" What was she supposed to say? She didn't know him. She had to think for a moment before she finally decided to just ignore the question altogether. "Where… Where am I?" She just barely got the question out before another coughing fit overtook her, leaving her breathless and light headed.

He stepped closer to the bed, making her draw back slightly. Once he was next to her, he took the slightly damp cloth from her hand and dipped it into the bowl of water before wringing it out. As he did so, he said, "You should really lay back and rest some more. You hungry?"

Her stomach answered before she did, emitting an embarrassingly loud groan. Looking sheepishly up at him, she panicked internally at what she should do. She really needed to leave.

'But where would I go?'

Unfortunately, her plan had been to scavenge enough money to buy some hair dye before continuing on her journey. But it turned out money was much harder to come by than she had anticipated. When it came to panhandling, the competition was fierce in New Orleans, mostly because the others on the streets begging for money usually had some type of talent to exploit in exchange. She couldn't count how many tap-dancers, break-dancers, singers, rappers, acrobats, drummers, guitar players, and still-life artists she had seen throughout all of the city's streets. There was nothing she could offer.

"I really should be going," she finally managed to say, struggling to get back in a sitting position. She felt sick and weak, but she couldn't encroach on this stranger's home. Not when that put more than just her in danger. Lifting the blanket, she started to slide her legs to the side of the bed but paused. Instead of the ripped and dirty jeans she had been wearing, she was now clad in some clean, gray sweatpants. Looking at her top, she noticed that it too had been changed. Instead of her ragged blouse, she was wearing a clean, white long-sleeved t-shirt that was a few sizes too large for her. Her hoodie was nowhere to be seen. "W-what...?"

"As I said, Miss," Obi reiterated with a lopsided grin, shifting his weight to the other foot. "Geneva got you cleaned up and put you into some of my fresh clothes. Sorry they probably don't fit. I don't tend to keep women's clothing around. She's got your clothes in the wash now."

"Geneva. Your housekeeper?" Shirayuki questioned, making sure she understood. So a woman named Geneva, had undressed her, not, not… What was his name? She vaguely remembered him telling it to her. Obi, right?

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd have appreciated me stripping and washing you." He gave her another smirk, tilting his head at her.

Shirayuki's cheeks flamed, and even as sick as she was, she couldn't help the mental image he had given her. "Of course not!" she blurted out, trying to hide her reddened face behind her hair.

He chuckled at that. "Well, to answer your earlier question - you're in my apartment. You kind of fell out after we finished off those last two guys. It didn't feel right to leave you there after you had just stopped that one dude from stabbing me."

Taking a deep breath, and fighting the sensation of needing to cough, she looked up at him and reiterated, "I was only repaying your kindness. You had given me money. Money that I'm definitely going to need to survive. I couldn't just sit there and let you be stabbed."

He gave her a curious look as he sat on a bench only a few feet away. The silence was broken just a minute later with the sound of a door shutting, and a woman's voice calling out, "Sir, the stew is ready! Do you want me to bring some up for you two?"

Obi smiled, looking down at her. "Think you can handle some stew made by the finest chef in Nola?"

Shirayuki honestly surprised herself at how much she ate. The kind, plump lady was very generous in bringing her another bowl when she shyly asked for it, and she had devoured every last bite of the stew. The lady tried to talk her into a third, insisting she was far too skinny, but Shirayuki had to protest. After having not eaten much for so long, she had already eaten far more than she should have. It had been literal months since she had had a hot meal, so she almost embarrassed herself at the way she behaved while eating. Obi had not been lying about Geneva being a fantastic cook.

The two spent their time eating in silence as Geneva tittered about the room, straightening linens, replacing the water in the porcelain bowl by the bed, and dusting sills. Once she was done, she left the room, mentioning checking on the laundry.

"Did you not take the money I gave you to get something to eat?" Obi inquired, his honey eyes searching her starved form. She knew it wasn't hard to see that she hadn't eaten in quite a while. "There's a McDonald's literally right around the corner."

She set her bowl down in her lap, not looking at him. "I… need it for something else. Something that will get me much further than food will."

"And what would that be?"

For being an almost perfect stranger, Shirayuki thought he sure asked a lot of questions that could be considered personal.

"Hair dye," she responded simply. "Any dye, honestly. Not really picky, as long as it does the job."

Obi looked a little bit shocked to hear that, sitting up straight as his eyes widened a fraction. She could see him connecting the dots mentally before he quickly wiped the expression from his face and replaced it with his usual amused one. "Well, Miss, I didn't realize you were so serious about hiding your hair."

After that, the silence was kind of uncomfortable. She was still sitting in a stranger's bed, wearing a stranger's clothes, in a stranger's house.

'I really shouldn't be here…'

Deciding to speak, Shirayuki finally said, "Thank you. For, um, the money. And for not letting that guy stab me in the back. And, uh, for not calling an ambulance when I passed out."

"It was no problem at all, Miss," he said brightly, leaning back in his seat. "I don't call ambulances for anyone anymore unless they ask for it. For legal reasons. And I wouldn't have been able to save you if you hadn't saved me first."

"And I probably wouldn't have saved you if you hadn't given me the money earlier." Her cheeks heated up in slight embarrassment. She clenched her eyes shut for a moment before reopening them. "Sorry, I must sound like an awful person. It's just… I don't really need a whole lot of attention on me right now. If you hadn't given me a reason to, I might not have ended up helping you. That probably makes me a monster." Realizing she was rambling a little bit, she stopped to take a breath. After deliberating on her words a bit more carefully, she continued, "I should probably go. I'm sure I've put you out enough already."

When she tried to remove herself from the bed a second time, he stopped her with his words. "That doesn't make you a monster."

"Huh?" She looked at him, unsure if she heard him correctly.

"I wouldn't have blamed you if you hadn't helped me out," he tried again, standing from his seat on the bench. His expression was neutral, as though what he was saying was simple, common knowledge. There was a small hint of amusement there as well, however. "Humans are a fickle race. Their experiences shape the way they react to certain situations. It's clear you have a reason for not wanting to draw attention to yourself, even if it's at the expense of a stranger. Self-preservation is human nature, not something that makes you a monster."

Oddly, his words made Shirayuki feel a little bit better. Until he continued.

"So, what's gotten you so determined to be invisible? That red hair get you into some trouble?" he asked in a teasing tone.

Shirayuki snapped her mouth closed, dropping her head once more to have her hair hide her face. "I…"

"Oh, so it has," he said in surprise.

"I…" she tried again, but another coughing fit cut her off unexpectedly.

She honestly wasn't sure if she should involve him more than she already had. The inquisitive golden glint in his eye said he was genuinely just asking, and after having taken care of her, she doubted he would suddenly turn on her. He didn't seem like the type of person who would sell her out for some cash, either, based on his generosity the previous day.

After regaining her composure, she finally said, "My hair tends to attract some less-than-favorable company since it's my natural color. About five months ago, it was brought to a very powerful person's attention. He thought it was unique and really liked that fact for some reason, so he... He tried to force me to… Be his girlfriend? His mistress? I'm not sure. Before I could even give an answer, one of his, ah… bodyguards, I guess you could say, made it threateningly apparent I wasn't really being given a choice. It was clear he wasn't exactly someone I had the power to say no to, so I had to leave instead." With an added thought, she said, "Which is why I need to go. The faster I can find some dye, the faster I can move on."

Obi sat there and stared at her for a long moment, giving her a slow blink. He seemed to contemplate his words carefully. "Honestly," he started, gently placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her lightly back into a lying position. She wanted to protest, but she still felt weakened and sick. Not to mention his soft, amber gaze had her captivated. Grabbing a fresh cloth from the nightstand and dipping it into the water, he wrung it out and placed it over her forehead. "You're not really in much condition to be going anywhere. How long have you been on the run?"

She was a bit perturbed, if not relieved, that he wasn't making too big a deal out of the whole "on the run from a psycho" thing. She had already done that enough for the both of them. Shirayuki had to think about his question for a moment as she basked in the coolness of the damp cloth. She felt overly warm, probably from fever if she had to guess. "Since he first tried to summon me, five months ago."

"You've been on the run for five months?" Obi asked in astonishment, raising his eyebrows a fraction as he sat back on the bench. "If you wouldn't mind me asking, Miss… Where are you from?"

Shirayuki bit her lip a moment, deliberating if she should tell him. It had been five months. Maybe that was enough time for that spoiled man to finally give up. "Tanbarun." It was a large city, though she was technically from the outskirts of it.

She watched him suck in a sharp breath. "You traveled all the way here from Tanbarun?!" Obi asked, the shock on his face almost looking silly compared to the usual confident and amused look he seemed to wear. "I gotta say Miss, it's quite impressive that you would leave your home and travel so far with nothing. This man must not be someone to trifle with."

"No, he's not." She was avoiding his gaze again, trying to think through her predicament while maintaining her conversation with him. Even though he was a stranger, it felt nice to finally, finally have someone to share her problems with without feeling like she was intruding. She had given this Obi character many outs, but he continued talking with her and asking questions. "As I said, he's very powerful."

"Well, who is he?" Obi asked expectantly, on the edge of his seat. It seemed the man always cut to the chase.

Taking a deep breath, Shirayuki looked down at her hands as she twisted her fingers together. "Raj Shenezard, the heir to Shenezard Technologies." Shenezard Technologies was the number one name for the latest tech, beating out Microsoft, Apple, as well as other multi-billion-dollar companies. The Shenezard family was the wealthiest in the country.

There was silence for only a moment before she heard him let out a low whistle. "Wow," he said, a smile gracing his features. "I gotta say, Miss, you have surprised me more and more the longer our meeting has gone on. You're practically on the run from royalty. You're much more trouble than I had guessed and I find that fascinating." He was smirking at her as he scrutinized her with a finger to his chin in a way that said he was intrigued. The way he was looking at her made her realize that he was actually a very attractive man with the confidence that seemed to radiate from him. However, his words formed an icy pit in her stomach.

Reaching up to remove the cloth from her forehead, she said in a doleful tone, "Exactly. Which is why I should leave. I can't let a stranger get caught up in the mess I'm in."

"Miss," he said, leaning forward and replacing the damp cloth on her head. "If I may, you're over two thousand miles away from Tanbarun. There's not much further you can get from Tanbarun without crossing the border."

Shirayuki was starting to feel a bit more lightheaded, and she could feel her fever climbing a bit. Suppressing another cough, she said, "I don't know if I have any other options."

"Sure you do," he said with an assured grin. "Just stay here in New Orleans. It's a nice city, and there's not usually too much trouble. 'Cept for hurricane season."

At that, she raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Really? So that gang of men that assaulted you last night weren't considered 'too much trouble'?" she asked, but the last of her words came out breathy as she fought the fog in her head.

Obi's expression sharpened as he observed her, but he kept his tone light. "I said 'not usually'. But that's a story for another time. You're looking very pale, Miss." He stood and placed a gentle hand to her cheek. "You're burning up. You should get some more rest. I'll send Geneva up with some medicine and we can talk more later."

"B-but I can't just stay here - "

"Why not?" he asked, giving her a flashy smile. "You're sick, have nowhere to go, and nowhere to be. Just stay here for now. At least until you're not sick anymore and come up with a better plan."

He didn't even wait for her to respond as he turned and walked from the room, but she did anyway, panicking at the thought of not properly showing her appreciation. "Thank you, Obi."

He stopped in the doorway, turning his head back to look at her with that cocky smirk. "Anytime, Shirayuki."

She wasn't sure if it was the fever or not, but she felt herself flush when he looked at her that way and said her name.

After Geneva brought some random assortment of pills and cough syrup with a tall glass of water for her to take, Shirayuki promptly passed out for several hours. She didn't rouse again until the wee hours of the following morning, just a couple hours before the sun rose.

Much to her pleasant surprise, her fever was almost completely gone, and most of the aches she was experiencing earlier seemed to abate quite a bit. She still struggled through a coughing fit when she first woke, but all in all felt like she would at least survive.

'I wonder what all kind of medicine Geneva gave me…'

Sitting up in the darkened room, Shirayuki looked around for a moment, straining to see her surroundings. She was alone, thankfully, and she could see her ragged clothes folded as neatly as possible on the chair Obi had been using by the bed. After a long moment of deliberation, she finally untangled herself from the bedding and stood, if not a little unsteadily. After fighting off another coughing fit, she quickly changed into her garments, leaving the much too big outfit she had been wearing on the bed.

After pulling on her hoodie and covering her hair, she crept out the door into the dimly lit hallway. She followed it until she encountered some stairs, which she had to suppress a groan at seeing. Going as slowly as she possibly could, Shirayuki took each stair one at a time, being agonizingly careful about not making them creak as stairs tended to do. Luckily, she made it to the bottom without incident, only having to suppress a coughing fit once. Then she found herself in what she assumed was the living room, which already had the glow and soft mumble of a tv running. This puzzled her for only a moment.

"Good morning, Miss. It's nice to see you well enough to be up and about."

An amused, deep male voice nearly scared her out of her skin, making her visibly jump and produce a tiny, frightened squeak. Whirling around, she saw Obi lounging back on a couch facing the tv, giving her an entertained look. She couldn't suppress the coughs she'd been holding back any longer, breaking into an almost choking fit as she completely covered her face with the sleeves of her hoodie. The amusement in his features fell away as he stood and approached her. "Or maybe not."

Shirayuki waved a hand in front of him, indicating for him to stop. He paused as she regained her breath, with her hand clutched tightly to her chest and eyes clenched shut. Once she was okay again, she finally opened her eyes and peeked up at the man standing a few feet away from under her hood. "S-sorry."

"Miss, are you trying to sneak out?" His tone was playful, but his eyes didn't seem as much.

"I, uh…" She wasn't exactly sure how to respond. She didn't have a plan for if she had been spotted leaving. "I just don't want to put you out… anymore than I already have."

At that, his usual smirk faded into a neutral line, his eyebrow quirking slightly. "As I said last night, Miss, you're not putting me out. But if you really want to leave, I never intended to stop you. You're not a prisoner here. I just wanted to help. There's no need for you to try sneaking out."

At that, Shirayuki's cheeks warmed up in embarrassment. He was right, she realized. He never once indicated she couldn't leave, and her acting like a prisoner in his home when he was only trying to help was insanely rude of her. After opening and closing her mouth two or three times, trying to find the right words, she finally dropped her arms in defeat, looking at the floor to avoid his gaze. "I-I'm so sorry. You're right. It was extremely rude of me to assume your intentions when you've done nothing but help me."

"It's alright," he waved her off, stepping closer to her. "You don't have much reason to trust anyone. I get that. But I had hoped you would eventually grow to trust me at some point in the future. At least a little bit."

Standing up straight, she looked at him standing a couple feet away from under her hood. Her cheeks tinting the slightest bit of red, she said quietly with a tiny smile, "Maybe I already do. Just a little, though."

At that, Obi laughed, catching her off guard and making her take a step back. After he was finished, he crossed the distance between them and grabbed her hood, pulling it down so her long, cherry-colored hair could tumble out. "Sorry for laughing," he said, giving her a smile. "It's just that you're very weird. But not in a bad way." Stepping back once more, he finished, "But you do have your choice here. You can make yourself comfortable in my humble abode and hopefully get well again, or you can continue on your way to… wherever. The choice is most certainly yours." He finished that last bit with a short bow.

Shirayuki surprisingly didn't feel nearly as conflicted as before, and she definitely felt more at ease despite her feeling her temperature rising a bit again. From the rumbles she could hear permeating the walls, she knew another storm would be coming through. If she continued on her way while she was still sick, getting caught up in another storm could very well be the death of her. And this Obi guy seemed genuine, and she honestly didn't really feel threatened by him at all. He was probably the nicest person she had met during her five months being on the run.

"Thank you," she said, finally looking him in the eye with a warm smile. "It's very generous of you to open your home to me."

When he realized she was accepting his offer, his face lit up with a smile that made her stomach flutter. "It's my pleasure, Miss." As he continued looking at her, his eyes seemed to soften slightly. "But you are still looking kinda pale. Shall I escort you back to the guest room so you can rest some more?"

"I'd appreciate that, Obi. Thank you."

"Such unusual red hair is honestly obscene…"

"That sure is some pretty red hair for such a sexy young lady…"

"She's bound to be a troublemaker, I don't know why they even let her stay around…"

"Why don't you come over here and turn my lap red, sweetie…"

"Don't bring her in here again. She attracts the wrong type..."

"Miss, are you awake?"

Shirayuki shot up into a sitting position with a small gasp before coughing harshly. A sheen of sweat on her chest could be seen peeking from beneath the overly large shirt Obi had loaned to her, and her hair was tousled about her face. A rumble of thunder vibrated through the air, and flashes of lightning could be seen peeking through the curtains. She could also smell something delicious permeating the space. Looking over for the voice, she saw Obi was standing in the doorway, leaning against it with his arms crossed as he observed her.

'Were those voices a hallucination or a fever dream?'

She wasn't sure, but it had been a long time since those kinds of dreams haunted her. Then again, she hadn't had any real deep sleep for several months. What sane person could sleep peacefully under a bridge or in a playground tunnel?

"Everything alright?" Obi asked, quirking a concerned eyebrow at her.

"Ungh…" Her body felt heavy, and she was still a little light-headed, but it was a far cry better than the aches she had experienced the previous day. Holding a hand to her forehead, she winced at the slight headache she still felt. "Yeah. Sorry. I'm awake."

"Good," he said, stepping away from the door. Behind him, Geneva bustled into the room carrying a silver tray topped with a plate of bacon, biscuits, eggs, and oatmeal, as well as a pot of coffee with two mugs. After clearing away the porcelain bowl on the bedside table, she set the tray on it and left the room again, tittering on about some other cleaning she needed to take care of.

Stepping up to the bedside table, Obi handed Shirayuki the steaming plate and poured coffee for them both. She was finding it hard not to feel embarrassed by how hungry she was, and found it difficult to not completely gorge herself.

On the other hand, until she had met Obi, she hadn't eaten for at least five days - so she knew she should give herself some slack.

"So," Obi started, placing his mug on the tray. "How are you feeling today? I hope the storm wasn't loud enough to be a bother."

Shirayuki finished swallowing before trying to respond. "Much better. And I slept very well. Thank you." Reaching over and plucking her cup of coffee from the tray, she took a sip. Her gaze landed on him once more and as she looked at him, she realized he had a scar just above his left eyebrow.

'I wonder how he got that…'

Just as she thought it, she realized she knew literally nothing about Obi except for the fact that he was nice. She might even use the word "benevolent". He had her story (what was important, anyway), she wanted his.

"Your home is lovely," she started, raising her cup to her lips. "Have you lived here for long?"

"Eh, I guess it depends on your definition of 'long'," he said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "For someone like me? Yes."

"Someone like you?" she immediately questioned, setting her cup to the side.

"Yeahhh… You know," he said, scratching the back of his head for a brief moment. "Someone who used to do a lot of traveling. Odd jobs across the continent. Stuff like that. Been settled in this place about two years now, which is the probably the longest I've stayed in one place in my entire life."

He seemed at ease with her questions so far, so she decided to pry further. "Do you intend to leave here at some point?"

Tilting his head a little, he said thoughtfully with a small shake of his head, "Mm, nah. Not saying that I won't should the right opportunity arise, but I actually really like it here. My business does very well, and I get to meet some…" he paused for a moment, looking at her, "interesting characters."

She felt a small shiver run up her spine, but she did her best to push the feeling aside. "B-business? You have your own business?"

"I do," he affirmed, picking up his cup once more to take a sip before continuing. "I have a bar downstairs. Geneva is actually an employee I pay to clean it, but I give her some extra pay to take care of things up here, too."

"Really?" Shirayuki asked in surprise, her eyebrows shooting up. "A bar? I helped my grandparents run their bar back in Tanbarun."

At that, Obi sat up a little straighter. "Wow. Very intriguing, Miss," he said, tilting the corner of his mouth up. "What a coincidence."

"I guess you could say that," she relented, looking down at the empty cup in her hands. "I was helping them while studying for my horticulture degree. I, uh… I like learning about plants. Everything was going well until... " She trailed off, knowing where her thoughts were going. Mentally shaking herself, she looked back up at Obi and asked, "So, how did you end up here after being on the move for so long?"

Obi gave half a shrug, setting his empty cup aside. For the first time, she could see the tiniest bit of discomfort in his expression as he reached up to grip his shoulder. "About eight years ago, I met the man who owned the bar and this building." His expression shifted with the small smile that came to his lips. "He was a great guy. Beat the hell out of me the first time I met him."

"Wait," Shirayuki cut in, cocking her head to the side in confusion. A small coughing fit overtook her for a second, but Obi patiently waited for her to compose herself before she continued. "He was a great guy but he beat you up?"

Obi laughed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah. He caught me stealing a bottle of liquor from behind the counter."

"You can't be serious." The red-head's eyes widened in shock. "Why would you steal from him?"

The man shifted uncomfortably at the question, and Shirayuki could swear she saw a light dust of pink creep to his cheeks and he gripped his shoulder more tightly. "Oh, uh… I had gotten into some trouble. Had a real nasty cut I was trying to sterilize, and liquid courage was gonna be needed to sew myself up anyway."

At that, she was genuinely surprised. Curiously, she probed, "Was it where you got that scar above your eye?"

Obi's eyes widened as his hand moved to touch said scar resting on his forehead, clearly not expecting that question. "Actually, no, Miss." Moving his hands to the collar of his shirt, he nimbly unbuttoned the top few buttons of the black fabric. Before Shirayuki could even blush, he was pulling back the folds to show her the large, angry scar that crossed the width of his chest. It was jagged, and looked like it had been painful, if not lethal. "This one was a much bigger pain."

Shirayuki couldn't stop the gasp from passing her lips. Bringing a hand up to cover her mouth with wide eyes, she asked, "How… How did that happen?"

"Let's just say it was a work accident," he said, giving her a wink. Buttoning his shirt back up, he continued, "Anyway, after he walloped me a few times, he realized what I was taking it for and helped patch me up. I couldn't really move for a few days after that, so he looked after me well enough. After that, whenever I'd come through New Orleans, I'd drop by to see him and have a drink."

"What was his name?" she asked curiously, her bright green eyes looking at him in genuine interest.

Leaning forward, Obi picked up her cleared plate from her lap and set it back on the tray. Leaning back, he clasped his hands behind his head. "His name was Harold. Harold Manning."

Shirayuki didn't miss the "was" in his wording. "What happened to him?"

With a weak smile, he dropped his hands back into his lap. "He passed away a little over three years ago. Didn't really have any family or anyone particularly close to him, but I was still surprised when I received the message from his broker that he had left everything to me. I didn't care for the idea much at first, but a year later I… I decided I was tired of life on the road. So I took ownership."

Shirayuki's eyes were wide in awe, touched by the story. "Wow. That was so nice of him. I'm sorry to hear he died."

"Yeah," was all he replied before standing up. "Well, Miss, I've some business to attend to for the rest of the day. But before I go, I wanted to ask - you said you used to help your folks run their bar?"

She hadn't been expecting that question, so she couldn't respond for a long moment as she processed it. Finally, she tilted her head and replied, "Yes. I took it over after they passed away."

"Well," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets as he looked down at her with a quirked eyebrow. "If you plan to stick around a little while, I could also use a new bartender. One of my current bartenders drinks too much so I've been looking for a replacement, and you don't seem like you'd have that problem. It's not like those fancy bars in Tanbarun, but it's a job if you happen to need one. But I do have somewhere I need to be currently, so just think about it for now. Try and rest up. Geneva will be around, so if you need anything just call for her."

Shirayuki, still surprised and trying to process his offer, nodded her head once, giving him a smile. "Right. Thank you, Obi."

"Anytime, Miss."