"And in the meantime, I'll try to think of a way to get the damn thing to the Treiha discreetly," Numair said, half to himself, as Hawk moved to leave. He looked distractedly over the desk, and then picked up the small notebook he'd been copying out of, muttering, "...once I've come up with a statement, or something...supposed I'd better get these timetables to the Enodian City Council first..."

"Hey," Hawk interrupted, turning to look at him. "'S long as we ain't lyin' to each other...did you ever actually get to sleep last night?"

"Some," Numair replied absently, now poring over the ledger. Hawk sighed.

"Mari..."

Numair finally looked up, exasperated. "I did try, you know, I've just got a lot on my mind! Once I've got R.I.T. to a certain point, I'll be able to relax a bit. There's just a lot of er, up-front cost." He pressed his fingers to his temple, a pen threaded between them, and gave Hawk an imploring look. "...Please be patient with me, love."

Hawk paused. "Hey, I'm bein' patient," he reassured Numair. "I'm just fussin', I guess. Can't ya at least try an' nap after you finish one a' those things?"

Numair seemed almost relieved by that. "I will, I promise," he said. "I love you."

"Love you too, Mari," Hawk replied. "See ya tonight."

[Part three starts next week on the usual schedule!]