The Adventures of FireFox and BlackDog
Episode 5: The Rose BB

Nagira trotted up the stairs to the top floor of his office. The door next to the landing was closed and dark. He opened it slowly and walked as quietly as he could into the room.

"Robin? Are you in here?"

There was a rustling sound from the loft above and Robin's voice came with it.

"Nagira?"

"Hana told me you were hibernating up here. Why didn't you go home last night?"

"I was just so tired and I happened to be nearby. Was it okay that I borrowed your room?"

"Sure. No problem."

"What time is it?"

"Two o'clock."

"In the afternoon?"

"Well, yeah. It was two in the morning when you came in here. Were you guys working late again?"

"Yes."

"Amon pushes you too hard, you know. You should tell him off."

"He'll get upset and sulk if I do that."

"He always looks like he's sulking. How can you tell?"

"The same way you do, I guess."

Nagira nodded.

"He must be sulking now" he said a little nastily. "Dojima told me he's sick."

"It's just a cold. He's had worse."

"Oh, yeah" Nagira leaned against the ladder that led up to the loft. He could tell that Robin was about to launch into one of her stories.

"We were in England. There were some strange things happening in London. Sudden explosions, random lightning strikes."

"Oh, yeah. I heard about that."

"We didn't feel like dealing with it so we decided to leave the city. We ended up in the Lake District. We got a room at a little bed and breakfast, the Rose. Amon was sniffling all that day but the next morning he had a raging fever. He couldn't even get out of bed.

"I'll bet he tried though."

"We had used a lot more cash than we thought we would. Once I put aside what we needed for food and the bill for the room, there wasn't even enough for aspirin."

"So what did you do?"

"I did the only thing I could think of. Next door to the bed and breakfast, there was a little studio. It turned out that the renter there was known all over for his metal sculpting. I offered to help with some welding if he would pay me."

"Wait a minute. You used your craft in front of a total stranger?"

"I didn't have a choice. Amon's fever was so bad. I was afraid he would die."

"Desperate times, huh?"

"The sculptor paid me ₤250. He said that was what he would have paid a welder. I would have been happy with half that. It was more than enough. Amon scolded me when I told him what I did."

"Yeah, I'll bet."

"But he was back on his feet the next evening. I insisted we stay for a few days to make sure he didn't relapse. We went hiking on the second day. It was nice there."

"He was hiking two days after a debilitating fever? He's always been a fast healer. But so am I, I guess."

"It's because you're part demon."

"Yeah, Dojima said something about that. But I don't know…"

Well, that was episode 5. First of all, the Lake District is an area in the mountains of northern England. The District is famous for its natural beauty and it's been an artist colony for centuries. Second of all, aspirin is not just a pain killer. It can reduce swelling, widen blood vessels, and help break a fever, which is what Robin was counting on in this episode. And third of all, I used the current exchange rate to calculate how much Robin would earn in British pounds. Since the US dollar has been falling lately, ₤250 would be about 500 dollars. Not bad for a few hours' work. Thank you again to all the reviewers.

P.S. Those of you who share my taste in anime might recognize Robin's description of the events in London. They're from the last episode of another fantastic anime. Yes, that show is part of my continuity now too. And my next full length fanfic will cross it with WHR. For now let's call it The Mystery Anime. Whoever guesses its real name first will get a special mention in the story notes of an upcoming episode. The winner will also get a brief cameo as Robin and Amon's server at the Pagoda Restaurant in the last episode. If you guess at this contest, remember to include your gender so I can make the cameo funnier in case you win. Of course, my regular email buddies Amon's Angel of the Darkness and Ayjah won't be included in this contest because they have an unfair advantage. And they'd better not announce the answer, or else…