Having finished her deliveries for the day, Reese walked back into town. It was strange to think that it had only been a few weeks since arriving here, yet she was already feeling at home. C.C. kept her busy, just as she promised. Every morning she came to the restaurant with a day full of deliveries and other miscellaneous work to complete. Every evening she was in the restaurant, while Reese was helping Ririka with serving and cleaning.

Every few days Ririka or Reese would have the night off, so they would serve sandwiches- something even Reese was unable to mess up- when Ririka was off, and C.C. would chip in and help if needed when Reese was. It was a very simple system that worked well for all of them, and Reese became incredibly close with both women.

"Heya Reese!"

Turning toward the voice that interrupted her thoughts, she saw Corbin at his usual stand selling his apples. She bounded over quickly to say hello.

"Hey Corbin! Long time no see!" Reese replied with a huge smile. Corbin was another person that she couldn't help but befriend. Not only was he the first person she had met here, but he was such a kind old man that she couldn't have disliked him if she tried. "One apple my good man," she told him as she placed some beri on the stall.

"Sorry my dear," he answered as he reached under the stall and handed her an apple from his bag, having put it aside for her. "but your beri are no good here."

"Then consider it a tip, for the outstanding service!" she retorted. This was a ritual that they completed every time that he came back to town, and both enjoyed it. She stood there chatting with him for a few minutes, when she noticed someone's hand reaching for an apple.

Stepping to the side, so that Corbin could complete his sale, she saw that he had a scowl on his face. Reese turned back to the newcomer, and saw the back of a blond headed guy followed by two marines in uniform. Then she noticed that he was munching on an apple.

"Hey!" she yelled after the men, furious to see her friend stolen from.

"Hmm?" the blond and the marines with him stopped and turned to look at her. She tried not to snort as she took in his unfortunate bowl style haircut, wondering if it was because he lost a dare, or if he thought it actually looked good.

"You have to pay for that!" she scolded him as Corbin grabbed her arm and tried to shush her.

"It's fine Reese, don't make a scene," he said quietly. Was he kidding?! she thought, looking incredulously at him. No way was this jerk going to take advantage of my friend simply because he was walking around with some marines. She turned back to speak again, and immediately stepped back, as the man was very close and in her face, continuing to eat the apple, with the marines flanking him.

"Were you speaking to me?" he asked snidely.

"You bet I was!" she sneered back. "Even if you have the marines with you, it doesn't make it alright to steal from others!"

"Steal? Me?" He asked innocently with a hint of malice behind it. "I wouldn't say such things when you obviously don't know who I am." He turned to Corbin, asking, "Did I steal from you old man?" while taking another bite of the apple.

"N-no, please enjoy an apple as my gift." Corbin answered, and Reese turned to gape at him. He was letting this jerkwad get away with stealing from him?

"Ah, you see?" the guy turned back with a smug expression. "You should watch your pretty little mouth, or you and your… friends… will regret it." He laughed, and she gave him such a look of disgust and anger that he seemed to enjoy it. "Yes, you wouldn't want to upset me, you wouldn't like the consequences." With a final parting shot, "See you around, sweetheart!" the three of them turned and continued on their way.

Reese whipped around, crossing her arms, and glared at Corbin. He smiled back sheepishly, and then took on a stern look and glared back at her.

"How could you just give in to him like that?" she demanded.

Corbin shook his head and said, "You don't understand Reese, there's a delicate balance that we must maintain here so that we can keep the town safe."

"You're right, I don't understand!" she retorted, and before giving him a chance to explain, turned away and stalked over to the restaurant and went inside.

Reese stalked to the back of the room and over to C.C.'s table. She wasn't there but her paperwork was, so she obviously would return. Reese needed someone to explain what that whole scene had been about, but she was too angry to let Corbin try before. It didn't take much to let her temper get hot when someone was picked on, and she tried to reign it in quickly before she lost it. She would have to apologize to Corbin later.

After a few minutes of sitting and waiting, she began to calm down and soon C.C. returned to the table. She looked at Reese and raised her eyebrow in question. Reese took a few deep breaths before looking up at her. She smirked and Reese could tell she was amused, but when she didn't smile back, she became serious and sat down opposite of her employee and friend.

"C.C." Reese began, "I need you to help me understand what just happened outside." Ririka walked over and listened as she explained what had gone on at Corbin's apple stand, and how upset and angry it made her. "Why did Corbin give in?" she asked when she finished. "Who was that blond moron?"

C.C. and Ririka glanced at each other, and without a word Ririka left and returned with a drink that she placed in front of Reese. She sat down and gave C.C. a nod. Reese waited patiently sipping at the juice she had been given. I have a feeling that I won't like what they are going to tell me, she thought.

"It's not something we're proud of Reese," Ririka said quietly. "But we decided awhile ago that we couldn't afford to fight back. We assumed that if we made the captain look good, he would get promoted and would leave our island for good." She kept her eyes downcast.

"He is the son of Captain Morgan, the leader of the marine base here on the island." C.C. added, also keeping her voice soft. "He is a coward and a bully, but with the might of his father as the threat behind him, we let him do as he pleases. Because if we do not, it brings the captain's wrath down on all of us."

"The marine captain punishes the townspeople for not giving his son whatever he wants?" Reese demanded, outraged on behalf of her temporary home.

"Not exactly," C.C. replied. "He is… a little unstable," she said in a lower tone of voice so that only Reese and Ririka could hear her. "He sees traitors everywhere and takes every opportunity to punish us. We couldn't care less about his son, he is a minor nuisance. We really want to be rid of the captain."

"He's that bad?" Reese asked quietly.

"Worse," Ririka answered. "Even the marines are afraid of him."

"Well, that explains the two following that creep around," Reese said. "This whole thing stinks!" she yelled suddenly.

"Yes, it does." Ririka said, as she and C.C. both looked away. "But it will not last forever. We're simply enduring it for now."

There was a quiet pause before the door to the restaurant slammed open, and the blond they were just speaking of walked in with his escorts. He looked around with a look Reese couldn't decipher, but realized that she also didn't care. He was rude and obnoxious, and she just wanted to ignore him.

Since it was technically her night off, she stood and followed Ririka back toward the bar and sat on a stool next to Rika, Ririka's daughter. Deciding she may as well have dinner while she was there, rather than coming back later, she struck up a conversation with Rika, knowing the child would help her feel better.

"What are you up to Rika?" Reese asked her.

She looked up from her paper and smiled. "Hi Reese! I'm glad you're back! Do you want to draw with me?"

Reese tried not to grit her teeth, hearing the blond moron making some sort of commotion behind her. She shifted to look down at Rika's paper instead. "What's that?" she asked, pointing. "It looks like a horse flying over a rainbow?" She has a natural talent, Reese thought proudly, thinking of her sister.

Rika's face took on an even bigger smile at the question. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "It's a horse with wings that can fly anywhere. One day, I'll find one and going flying all over the sky!" she raised her left fist in the air to emphasize her excitement.

Reese chuckled at her exuberance. "Did you know that there is a name for a flying horse?" she asked Rika.

"There is?" Her eyes went wide and her mouth gaped open.

"Yep," Reese answered. "It's called a Pegasus."

"Pegasus…" the girl looked thoughtful, and then grinned. "That's awesome!"

"Pegasus, how ridiculous." The girls turned around, and saw the blond guy right behind them with a sneer on his face. "There is no such thing."

Reese gave him a dirty look, noticing that his friends were sitting at a table several feet away, and talking to each other, ignoring everything else. I guess I wasn't the only one trying to ignore him, she thought. "You shouldn't tell stories to little kids, they'll believe anything," he added.

"I wasn't telling a story," Reese replied, and turned back around to face the counter with Rika following suit. "So Rika," she asked, "What else should we draw?"

"Um…" The kid glanced between her friend and the blond man, seeing he was starting to look red in the face. "whatever you want, Reese."

"Okay," Reese nodded. "But… I think I need an idea or two to choose from." She smiled and nudged her shoulder, keeping her attention away from the moron.

Rika giggled. "I've got plenty of ideas!"

"Phew, I was worried I wouldn't be able to think of anything to dr-"

"Hey! Don't you ignore me!" Reese turned to look at the blond, glaring at him for interrupting. His face red, he glared back and she was reminded of Rika throwing a tantrum when she didn't get her way.

"Excuse me sir, we were just leaving," Reese said icily. "Come on Rika, let's go see what C.C. is up to."

"Okay Reese!" she replied. She jumped off her stool and took her hand, and they walked away. Rika may have thought that they were looking for C.C., but Reese was simply looking to get away from the moron. She glanced back and saw him stomp his foot, fuming at them.

The next day, Reese was still annoyed at the whole situation. C.C. gave her a delivery to make at the marine base, and though she tried to refuse, C.C. wouldn't take no for an answer. She was lectured a bit about keeping promises, and she realized she had no real excuse, she just didn't want to see the blond again, even by accident.

She walked through town with a large pack on her back, heading for the large white building on the outskirts of the town. C.C. would tell her about most deliveries, but was strangely silent about the marine ones. The couple of marines she had befriend also refused to talk about the deliveries, but that was because they were ordered not to look at them as well. Reese assumed then that it was something that C.C. was embarrassed about, and given the conversation the day before, it was most likely money that the marine captain demanded from the townspeople as taxes or some such thing.

As she came to the gate of the base she smiled, happy to see her friend Greg standing guard. She gave a small wave, and walked up to talk with him.

"Hey Greg, nice day, huh?" she asked.

He smiled and replied, "Hello Reese. It sure is." It had taken over two months to get him to finally call her by my name, and she smiled again as she heard it. "Another delivery?" he asked me.

"Yep. Do you get to see me for any other reason?" she teased.

"One of these days I figure you'll come to finally join us," he teased back. He was the only marine she had told about her future plans, but he was also the one that told her to hold off on joining yet. There were reasons that he refused tell her directly, saying his captain would see it as treason, but he warned her away all the same. He was one of the few people on the island that she actually trusted.

"Sorry, not today," she said as she grinned back at him, taking off the pack and handing it over to Greg. "Maybe next time."

"Ah well, can't blame me for trying," he smirked as they enjoyed their little joke.

"So when are you coming into town next?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "I still owe you dinner at the restaurant like I promised."

"And I told you that you don't owe me anything," he replied.

"I say I do," she argued.

"Fine, fine. I know when I'm beat." He put his hands up in mock surrender. "I can make it, hmm, three days from now, will that work?"

"I'll plan on it," she smiled again, and turning, waved goodbye. "See you then!"

"Until then," he answered, waving back.

Marine Recruit Greg picked up the pack that Reese had left at his feet, and began to walk it into the base. He called to his fellow guard and asked that he watch both posts for a few minutes. Greg whistled under his breath as he hefted the bag on his shoulder.

"That Reese is quite pretty, isn't she?" a voice asked.

"She sure is," he answered before he realized he was speaking. He stopped and turned to the source of the voice, and saw Captain Morgan's son, Helmeppo. His good mood vanished as he saw the look on the kid's face.

"It's fairly simple," Helmeppo said with a smirk, his arms crossed over his chest. "You speak to her again, and I tell my Daddy about your traitorous actions."

Greg's face showed no emotion, but Helmeppo could see the fear in his eyes. It had been a gamble to bluff like that, but based on the fear he saw, the marine had done something. He didn't need to know the specifics, he just needed the man to think he did. His smirk grew as he looked at Greg.

"I think we understand each other, yes?" Helmeppo asked. "I'd hate for Reese to see you being executed."

"I understand," Greg responded quietly. He had been wracking his brain to think of a way out of this trap, but he couldn't put his or Reese's life in jeopardy. It would be easy to avoid Reese in the future. He adjusted the bag on his shoulder and continued to walk into the base, dejected. He no longer felt like whistling.