Hal was silent, before raising his hand.

"...you're sure." he said.

"Do it." Kiah told him. "...please." she then added.

Hal then snapped his fingers, and she felt the amazing rush of knowledge that came from reading the journals... as well as flawlessly remembering everything that was in them, as well.

At the same time, she felt that moral compass inside her spinning. It managed to land where it should, with her morals intact, but she could feel the 'needle' in it vibrating... almost like it was precariously staying where it ought to.

"The big difference between you and K... is that you have us to keep that moral compass pointing where it should." Hal said, knowing what Kiah was experiencing right now.

"As long as this knowledge is used for advancement and betterment... without needless sacrifice." Hal responded.

"Always remember the world that you had a glimpse of." he told her. "If ever that moral compass starts to shift, then remember that THAT is the world we're headed for." he reminded her.

"Lindsay will no longer be the catalyst that drives us to that hell." he continued.

"Do NOT take his place." he warned.

"Now... do YOU need some time off?" he asked.

"Ilias will be gone for a couple of days... will you need time as well?"

"Very well." Hal responded.

"Is there anything else?" he asked her.

"Anything you need to say, anything you need answered?" he asked further, before raising an eyebrow.

"...besides your glasses." he then said.

"Because it's clear you need a new pair." he told her.

"Anything I can do to... help with that?" he asked, clearing his throat before the word 'help'.

Hal nodded and snapped his fingers.

As soon as he did that, Kiah's glasses shone brightly for a moment... and when they calmed down, she found they were in perfect condition.

"There you go." he said.

"Good as new. Literally." he told her.

"It's the least I can do." he added with a smile.

"...welcome back, Kiah." he then told her.

"I missed you."

Hal sighed again.

"Seems Ilias was a major turning point, as well as her realising this wasn't some dream or vision." he told her.

"From what I gathered from her, even in her dreams, she's never prepared to see Ilias again." he went on. "And once she realised this was real, the desire to stop her future from happening took over." he continued.

"It looks like you never become too far gone, Kiah." he said. "Even when led down the path of insanity." he added.

"There's a certain comfort in that." he admitted.

Hal shook his head.

"That's all." he said.

"You're good to go." he told her.

"Get done whatever you need to get done." he went on, before looking at his screen again.

"...and I'm sure you already know your paperwork is done for the next little while..." he mumbled.

"Not going to lie, it's nice to have it all ready ahead of schedule, but... uh... let's not make a habit of it." he said further. "For either of you." he muttered.

"It's scary how focused and tunnel-visioned he became on it."

Hal sighed in response.

"Well... hm." he mumbled.

"YOU could always fill those days of work with transcribing your now-vivid memories of those journals." he told her. "If you feel that information is safe to have in physical form, anyway." he then said. "Physical, digital, something that isn't just mental." he clarified.

"Something tells me that that would fill hours." he reasoned.

"And I won't dock you anything if you use work time to do that." he then assured her.

"Because, as you said, being idle is not a good thing." he added.

"Also, don't punish the poor boy too much." he told her. "After all, he only did it to stop himself from obsessing over his concern for your well-being." he continued, shaking his head.

"But... far be it for me to suggest something about your relationship." he quickly said further. "Serious or not, do whatever you feel is justified."

Hal pursed his lips as she called him that and booked it out of the office. He was silent for about 5 seconds afterwards, before shaking his head and bringing his head forward, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"...'uncle', huh?" he mumbled.

"Maybe it's time I started getting used to it." he said further.

"...maybe it's time I actually allowed myself to truly have a family..." he went on, leaning back in his chair.

'...maybe, after all this time, after all I've been through, after all I've done... maybe I'm finally allowed to experience what having a real family is about...' he thought, looking towards the ceiling absently.

---

Nate sighed quietly as he made himself a cup of tea, when he heard the doorbell ring.

"Eh?" he mumbled.

"Who could that be?" he wondered, making sure his newly acquired blindfold was secured around his eyes, before making his way to the front door, pausing at it, and then opening it.

"Oh, hey Kiah." he greeted the one that was there.

"Come in." he invited her, stepping out of the way.

Nate closed the door behind her, and sighed.

"I'm fine." he said.

"Don't know how Hazel deals with this, though..." he muttered.

"Have a near-constant headache." he went on.

"And I wonder if I'll ever not need the blindfold." he then said further.

"But I'm otherwise fine."

As she sent her text, Nate crossed his arms over his chest.

"I see." he said.

"Well, fair enough then." he muttered.

"Suppose I should count my blessings." he then went on, shaking his head slightly.

Kiah was waiting close to a minute before there was a response. She got it, and she saw it was, in fact, from Lindsay. But it was short, merely containing the answer to her question.

Mellow Meadow. it read.