"Hmmm." Ryker mumbled again.

"This one pays more... but this one had better benefits..." he said to himself.

"This one... hmm..." he then muttered further.

"Damn it." he cursed.

"....well, how long will I be there...?" he then asked himself.

Ryker looked over towards Eke when he said that.

"Uh.... yeah, sure. Tea would be good." he told him.

"Also, good point about the benefits." he agreed.

"But... uh... you've been drinking a lot of tea lately." he then said. "Like... that's what you've been solely subsisting on." he clarified further.

"That can't be healthy."

Ryker sighed and put the papers down, before following Eke to the kitchen.

He approached him, standing behind him, and sighing.

"No." he said.

"You're not fine and you won't be fine. Not if you continue like this." he told him.

"You said you would look for a shrink yesterday. You spent most of it sleeping." he went on.

"I thought you promised me that you would fight to stay with me as long as you could." he then told him.

"Is there some way I can help you try and keep that promise?" he asked.

"I can." Ryker replied.

"And I WILL." he told him.

"I promise." he continued.

"Eke, we both need help." he then said with a sigh.

"And we need each other." he went on.

"Let's try not to lose each other."

"Yeah. I do." Ryker responded.

"Just... a different sort of help. It's weird." he muttered.

"Regardless, can you at least try to eat?" he asked.

"At this rate you'll waste away." he told him.

"I don't want to see that..."

"......." Ryker was silent for a moment.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"I saw that shiver." he said.

'....this can't be good.' he then thought.

'Eke seems to be on a path of self-destruction...'

"........................." Ryker was silent as Eke closed his eyes, yawned, and then fell asleep.

"I..." he stammered.

"Hm." he muttered.

He then picked up the half-drank tea, looked at it, and shrugged.

With that, he carried Eke to his room and laid him down on his bed, sighing and stroking his hair gently.

There's one thing that Eke could definitely tell, though.

Breakfast was cooking.

And it smelled GOOD.

It smelled like bacon and eggs, as well as hashbrowns. And it was coming from within the house.

Odds are it was Ryker making them.

And he would be right in assuming so. Ryker was down in the kitchen, making a large amount of everything. He was feeling hungry, but hoped Eke would join him to eat.

"Wait, what?" Ryker asked, looking over towards him.

"Heading out? Already?" he asked.

"I thought you could stay for a little breakfast, at last." he said.

"Eke, where are you going?" he then asked him.

"And how long will you be?" he asked further.

"...do you at least want some company?"

"Eke....?" Ryker said quietly, but Eke was gone already.

"..........." he was silent, and then sighed.

"....I can't do anything." he said.

"I try, but I still can't do anything." he lamented.

"......." he was then silent once more, and looked at the food he was preparing, wondering if he could even eat it now.