Aly just smiled, and placed a finger over his lips.

"Oh, Eke..." she said.

"Whether or not you can give me a family doesn't matter." she told him.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." she went on, before pausing.

"All that matters is that you're here, and you can give me your presence." she finished as she leaned in close and snuggled him.

Aly continued to hold Eke until he fell asleep, at which point she made sure he was comfortable, and checked his breathing, as well as his temperature.

"Ah, good." she said, resting a hand on his chest.

"Sleeping soundly." she said further, before laying back down.

"Sleep well, Eke. You deserve it." she finished, kissing his forehead.

Ryker had no intention of bothering Eke. He deserved his rest.

And Aly felt the same.

However, both of them were stirred from their slumber when a rather delectable scent filled the room, from downstairs.

They couldn't tell what it was, exactly, but one thing was certain:

It was meat.

Aly just looked at him, and chuckled.

"It's 5:30 pm, Eke." she said.

"It's just about time for dinner." she told him.

"If you want, I can see about bringing it up here for you?" she then offered.

"Regardless, it's not too early."

Again, Aly chuckled.

"I'll go tell him." she said, getting out of the bed.

"Don't fall TOO deeply back to sleep." she then told him.

"Wait until after you eat." she continued.

"All right?"

"Heh." Aly just chuckled, before she left.

A short while later, the door opened, and the smell of dinner filled the room.

"All right, then!" Ryker announced.

"Up and at 'em!" he said.

"Or at the very least, up to eat and then head back to sleep!"

Ryker just laughed out loud as he handed Eke the food, and a bottle of juice.

"A medic will show up here tomorrow." he told him.

"As well as the police." he went on.

"They just want a statement from you." he then quickly assured Eke.

"Seems that the guy that attacked you was wanted for various incidents of robbery, assault, and a case of manslaughter." he explained further.

"So... seems you did the city a favour by dealing with him." he went on.

"Regardless, they just want a confirmed statement from you."

"Well, the medic will be no shrink." Ryker said.

"And the police is just something you'll need to deal with." he continued.

He then sighed, and smiled slightly.

"Like the meat?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I added a new spice blend I concocted up, myself." he told him.

"Well...." Ryker muttered, before sighing.

"That's the thing." he said.

"I managed to get a bulk deal on some good meat, and I want to work through that before I get more." he told him.

He then paused for a moment, and thought.

"...but given that the meat will keep for a good long while, there's nothing stopping me from giving you some fish every once in a while..." he realized.

"So to summarize, no I did not forget you liked fish more, I was just being an idiot about it." he went on.

"I'll get some fish next time I'm out."

Ryker was silent, and sighed heavily.

"Hm." he mumbled.

"I wonder..." he muttered.

"What?" Aly asked, as Ryker made his way to a window and looked outside.

"...Eke." he then said.

"Tell me, would you be scare of ALL water?" he asked his brother.

"Or would shallow water be all right?"