"I've been okay." he replied.

"Been... well... doing some things I'd rather not do." he said.

"Looking at the remnants of the ship, determining it's pretty much scrap..." he lamented with a sigh.

"...and deciding what to do with my brother." he then added quietly.

"He died on entry, so we need to lay him to rest."

Emerald shook his head.

"No. The people here have him preserved VERY well." he said.

"That being said, it needs to be done SOON." he then admitted.

"And back home it was customary to have a deceased loved one launched into space, where they would drift for eternity into the vastness of it all." he told her.

"But that recently fell out of usage, and an alternative wasn't really decided upon, as a custom." he reasoned.

"What about here?" he asked her.

"..........hm." Emerald muttered.

"Maybe it'd be best to... hm. I'm not sure." he admitted.

"This is a big decision." he said further.

"Anyway.... how are you?" he asked.

"As you said, it's been a bit since we chatted and such."

"Oh, I see." Emerald replied.

"Well, that IS convenient, in terms of finding you." he said.

"But... you're not feeling well?" he asked.

"From what you've told me, there's not a lot that can make you feel that way." he said further.

"What's up?" he asked.

"What do you think you're coming down with?"

"....well, that sucks." Emerald said.

"But at least you'll be okay." he said further.

"Probably, anyway." he then added.

"Still sucks you seem to have a bug, though." he went on.

"It's never good to be sick. Interferes with life and having fun."

"....that is odd." Emerald replied.

"Head spin?" he asked. "Weird." he muttered.

"Sadly, I'm not educated in medicine in any way, so I can't help." he lamented.

"But I hope this goes away sooner, rather than later." he added.

All the while, something was puzzling him.

'What in the world can infect one like Rylie...?'

".....oh, damn." Emerald muttered.

"That's horrible." he said.

"Your bike is awesome, and riding it is awesome." he went on.

"Then I REALLY hope this ends soon." he continued.

"At least I'll know where to find you now." he then reasoned with a shrug.

"But I know you really like being more nomadic."

Emerald nodded.

"Of course." he replied.

"I'll visit you every day!" he told her.

"Being stuck in one place can be really boring, so company can really help." he reasoned.

"Well... unless you don't want me to visit EVERY day." he then added.

"I don't want to be overbearing."

When she made her way into his office, she did NOT like what she saw... and not in an angry way.

Normally, one would assume that Hal got caught up in work, or something like that. That he'd gotten some priorities out of whack, or needed to do something really important, or forgot to inform her of this.

But this was not the case.

Hal had looked like he had honestly collapsed, and in a very awkward way.

It looked as though he had been attempting to get up from his chair, but had lost the strength to do so midway through it, and had fallen forward... landing on his desk. His face was flat on his desk, his arms were hanging limply beneath it, and his butt was resting on the very edge of his seat.

And his complexion was deathly pale.

The one in question was Jake, head of security in the Unit. And sure enough, she found him where she was expecting him, manning the front security check.

When she came in via the building side, he was surprised to see her.

"Oh, Lady Remmington." he said when he saw her, addressing her properly, as protocol dictated.

"Didn't realise you were here." he admitted. "...probably means you mana'd directly in." he then mumbled, thinking about it.

"Regardless, what can I do for you?" he asked her, noting that she looked VERY serious at the moment.