How Nate's white pajamas maintained such brilliance without bleach did surprise the girl immensely. Over three months of laundry, on top of numerous other responsibilities, she learned just how to wash, dry, fold, and distribute to his needs. He actually had two pairs, with him wearing the same singular outfit for about a week at a time. With that, he didn't cause much staining in the first place, considering that about ninety percent of his workload was completed within the same spot he always sat in. The girl was grateful for that, because the clothes he wore at the moment hadn't been properly laundered, and there were no washing machines on airplanes.

"You never decided to just get your own jet?"

"I used to own one. Despite the monotony and irritation of commercial airlines, I'd rather just use them."

"You know, New York was awesome. I'm so happy I finally got to see it and tour around."

"That wasn't supposed to be a vacation. You had to accompany me. That was all."

She crossed her arms, "It's not like I abandoned you and went sight seeing- the crazy bastard fled and I had to be the one to drive and chase him. Do you know how hard that is?! Thank God I used to hang out with drifters in Tokyo, or we would have died. It just so happens that we passed by awesome points in the city on the way. Besides, we caught him."

He no longer paid her any attention and resumed his game. By now she understood not to take it personally, as somehow it stimulated his deduction skills. So instead of bothering him anymore, she relaxed into her seat and stared out of the window, admiring the nighttime city lights of Tokyo.

They eventually landed and exited the terminal. The girl had to combat drowsiness while Nate looked as if he had been waging that battle since adolescence. It was about to be midnight, and the streets were illuminated with activity and life. There was no standing on the sidewalk, unless one preferred to be knocked into multiple times in a day. The two went to a parking lot, where their car was waiting for them according to instructions Nate left for Anthony personally.

"Can't we just stay in a hotel for the night? It's a five hour drive!"

"I'll be fine, thank you."

She scoffed, as he clearly had no regard to the fact that she was slipping into short bursts of slumber as she stood. Stifling a yawn, she got into the driver's seat as he boarded passenger. It was a tediously long drive addled with fatigue. At about halfway there, stopped at a gas station, the girl considered honestly taking a quick nap upon the provided couches near a centered fireplace, but quickly realized the danger in that. Instead she picked up some candy for Nate while taking a coffee for herself. In fact, in a race, she downed the black cup immediately, and went on the purchase five more, needing a carrier. She returned to the car and drove off again, this time testing the speed limit.

"You shouldn't be speeding." He stated, clicking his seat belt.

"How about this; I haven't slept a bit in four days. That's normal for you, but I tend to sleep for about forty hours in between. I just forced a half of a pot of coffee down my throat, so we're gonna get there."

Impeccable timing was her strong suit that morning, as they reached headquarters just as the sun rose. The caffeine had worn off long ago in the girl's system. Herself and Nate entered the building. Grey dominated the walls and floors, but it wasn't unwelcoming, as the girl had introduced a multitude of flowers, plants, and small trees all about the building, in order to improve on the feng shui. He had once argued that was a Chinese practice. The girl felt insulted that he assumed she didn't know the difference, but she nonetheless decided to decorate every corner with a ficus, many different flowers on each table, and bamboo plants in random assortments. In all honesty the vegetation made the entrance much more welcoming than the first time she had ever walked inside.

They soon reached their designated floor. The open door revealed that Halle, Stephen, and Anthony were sitting around the table in the living room, or so it seemed to be, anyway. There was a couch, television, kitchen, and a bathroom to the side. It actually resembled that of a deluxe suite. The girl understood this area to be the employee lounge. In the corner, everybody had their own blanket folded away. The three of them turned their heads to the young adults walking in.

"Good morning, all," the girl stated, "When did you all come in?"

She grabbed herself a cup and poured some coffee into it. Stifling yet another yawn, she sat with them. Nate had already left them for his own quarters. Anthony informed her that they had all been there for approximately twenty minutes or so.

"Why don't you get some sleep? It was pretty risky of you to even drive before." Stephen noted.

"That's alright, I'm tired but I can tell it won't result in sleep. And believe me, I didn't want to drive either, but his royal highness wanted to be home."

"You know, he may be our boss, but you do have the power to tell him no within reason," Halle had noted before taking a sip of her coffee.

"I did it spitefully, actually. I was expecting a thank you. He hadn't said a word."

"You expected any different by now?" Anthony chuckled.

"No, I can't say that I did," she rested her head upon the table, "But dreaming is always fun."

"It really would be best if you slept," Stephen insisted.

"No, it wouldn't. I have to pick up new socks, I have to get more detergent and groceries, he wants to go to the toy store, then I have to catch up on the chores we missed when we were in New York."

They exchanged conversations with different subjects for the next few minutes until they disbanded. The girl sat up, ready to start cleaning, but she suddenly fell to her knees and violently hurled. She understood it was her fault for drinking so much coffee on an empty stomach. What was most concerning was the crimson pools within the vomit. She cursed, knowing it was only more to have to clean.

"You should have eaten something," Nate had said from behind her.

She whipped her head at him, baffled that he didn't even seem concerned that she had coughed up blood. He simply grabbed a bottle of water with his free hand and walked back to his room, twirling his hair the entire time. The only taste more bitter on her tongue than her anger was the taste of a cough medicine she had taken many hours when a cough was bothering her. She was relieved when she understood she did not vomit blood.

Her day was long, but the sun had finally hidden beyond the horizon and her tasks were done. That was not the case of the rest, however. All of them were visibly stressed, with loosened ties, shirts slightly unbuttoned. None of them stayed still for longer than a minute at a time. Sadly, the girl knew she couldn't really contribute anything vital to their work, but she did have with her a warm pot of chicken noodle soup. They decided to take the smallest break and eat, thanking her greatly. She poured a bowl and left them.

She was now in Nate's dark room. He was again in the center. She hadn't even reached him before she tripped just a bit, but she had knocked into a card wall that fell. Obviously she knew she had done wrong, but she could not help but wonder how mesmerizing the aerial view must have been. Ultimately it collapsed with a domino effect, and they scattered about in the air, making nothing but cards visible for a few moments. When it all settled, she could see Nate, only three feet from herself, sitting perfectly still. He hadn't spoken a word or even turned his head to her. With nothing to say she left his soup on the floor then ran out, trying not to cry a bit.

Nate was a bit disappointed to say the least. It had taken a fair amount of time to construct the fortress, and now it was all ruined. He then thought it was a perfect opportunity to begin building another design he had been toying with for a while. Besides, clearly it was an accident, and it was he who had opted for no lighting other than his computers.

The soup next to him had finally caught his attention. He hadn't eaten in about three days, but his hunger was very tamed. Still he decided to take a small sip of it. He debated it for a moment, then he actually ate the whole thing. Halle had seen this and nearly gasped; she had never seen him finish a single meal. He didn't even finish his chocolate bars completely.

"Tell her that her soup was good." He stated, picking up cards, making sure they all faced the same way.

"I think she would appreciate that much more from you. Besides, she would not believe me if I were the one to tell her."

The girl was finally over the crying and accepted her impending firing. The sight of the nighttime city had calmed her nerves a bit (or really it was the rum). The lights were flashing pink, blue, white, yellow, and occasionally green. Not to mention, the traffic was in itself a show to be watched. The gentleness of the night and the buzz of her drink made swaying a bit easier. She scooted back just a bit, knowing that drunks and rooftop ledge sitting often did not reconcile well. Her feet dangled off of the edge contently as she hummed to herself.

Her tune ended when she instead screamed for a brief moment. She was grabbed from behind, and acting on instinct, she pushed back forcefully, but her counterbalance caused her to slide off of the ledge and nearly fall off. Luckily she managed to grab onto it, but now her entire body dangled from the building rather than her feet.

"They were cards! My life is worth thousands of playing cards?!"

Nate had grabbed onto her hands, knowing that he had to act fast. She struggled to hoist herself up, and after three attempts, decided that she was meant to die after all. Her fingers slipped and she no longer held onto the ledge.

But she didn't move an inch.

Nate had used all of the strength he barely had. His feet were against the rising in the ledge as he pulled her torso up. Her stomach was on the roof, and he pulled her legs up. The both of them panted as they laid beside one another, breathless.

The decision to go back inside was a mutual and silently made one. She didn't dare to speak a word as they walked inside. Even their associates wondered what had traumatized her being, but knew better than to probe at the moment. The two were back into the room of disheveled cards. He began putting them in stacks again.

"Thank you."

The girl looked up, "For what?"

"Everything."

It carried into morning again, but this time, the girl was finally asleep on account of the alcohol. With her asleep next to him, he pulled a small blanket and laid it upon her. He gently rose and walked into the kitchen with the intention of getting water. Halle, Stephen, and Anthony all slept on couches and chairs, using their blankets from the corner. The young detective simply stared at them for a while before grabbing his water and scribbling something down on paper.

By the time the girl had woken up, she was amazed that she didn't feel even a bit hungover. After sending her boss a simple "Good morning", she wandered into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Her coworkers all sat at the table, scratching their heads at a note centered between them.

"What's going on? Did you guys get a lead or something?"

"No, but... It's a note from Near."

Speaking of the devil, he appeared from behind the girl, speechless. With his steps light and methodical, he sheepishly and awkwardly offered each of his associates a brief hug before receding into his room. The girl noted that she hadn't received one herself, but after reconsidering last night's events, she decided not to ponder on it much. She took the note from the table.

It said thank you.