"Well?"

"If we can keep this up, we should be all right," Riku said, checking his figures again. They'd picked up a lot of odd jobs, even with losing a good chunk of the day to the trip to the Tower, mostly setting up tents, tables and cabinets, running cables and stringing lights, hauling gear and putting up signs. "That weapons-dealer, Xu? She offered Sora and me a job during the week showing off her weapons. Pay sounded good."

"I think I can get work as a runner or something," Kairi said, "so we should be fine."

"Okay, so we need to tell Xu we accept in the morning, before we go see Hayner, Pence and Olette," Sora replied. "Uh, Riku ... what do you want to tell them?"

Riku hadn't been happy that Sora'd promised to tell them the whole story, without asking or warning them and now he closed up, his face and eyes suddenly blank and unreadable. Sora wrapped his hand over Riku's, running his fingers over calluses and old scars, and Riku sighed, expression leaking back onto his face. "I'll tell them. Just - let me handle that part."

"All right," Kairi said, getting up. "Anyway, I'm beat, so I'm going to sleep. See you in the morning."

Sora knew there were things Riku hadn't told them yet, and maybe never would; the story had come out in bits and pieces over the last few months, haltingly told. He probably should have thought of that before promising to tell them the whole story, but he couldn't explain the alternate Twilight Town - and Roxas - without explaining everything else. Including Riku. "Sorry. Should have thought first."

"You never do," Riku said, distinctly irritated. "You always just jump into things."

"I guess I do," Sora admitted, thinking it over. Roxas stepped out and went up on deck. "Sorry. They really helped me and Kairi and the King out, and DiZ got them involved anyway. Sort of. I just - "

"I know. And Roxas is hoping they'll be his friends in the real world and not just DiZ's fake one, and you want everybody to be happy - "

"Including you!"

"...yeah. I know," Riku said, sounding defeated. "I'm going for a walk. Don't wait up."

-----

He'd worn himself out wandering around Twilight Town before he came back to their ship.  Naminé was on deck, watching everything around her, fascinated even in the dark by the different ships, the harbor buildings and the distant lights and shapes of the town.  Heartless weren't much for sailing or ships, and that dead ocean had never had any ships on it.

"It'll be all right," she said, slipping her hand into his.  He could barely feel it, just a faint chilly pressure, not the warm, firm grip she'd had before.

He wasn't convinced, but he leaned on the rail next to her and watched the water slap against the sides of their ship.  "I hope the fairies' magic works."

Naminé nodded.  "There's so much to see," she said.  "The castles seem so small and dull in comparison to all these places." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.  "Go to bed.  Sora's probably still awake."

Below, he saw something sitting on the table;  Sora'd probably just forgotten to put something away again, although he thought it had been clear before he left.  He picked the canister up, frowning.  Tea.  Tea from the cafe they'd eaten at between jobs, the one with the really good tea and sandwiches.  The other object was a package of cookies, thick with nuts and raisins. Trust Sora to try to solve everything with food. His mouth tugged up at the corners anyway as he put it away and went to bed.

"C'mere," Sora mumbled, pulling him closer.  "You okay?"

Riku curled up around Sora and fell asleep without answering.