Hal paused for a moment.

"Well... every little bit helps." he said.

"But it's still a venture that will require... considerable resources." he commented.

"...and as for how much for the place..." he then went on, looking around. "Give me a second." he told her. He then disappeared, and was out of the room for about 45 seconds, before appearing where he'd been standing again.

"Right place needs some repairs and upgrades, but it's still structurally sound." he confirmed.

He then made his way over towards her, and gave her a conservative estimate for an asking price.

Hal shook his head.

"No preference." he said.

"Whatever's the most convenient for you." he told her.

"And the framework seems sturdy as ever." he then assured her. "When I left, I checked all the key support areas, and a few other points as well, no signs of stress or anything." he continued.

"So, aside from minor repairs, and... major cleaning... this place is practically ready for them to live in." he finished.

"And we both know those can be fixed in a snap of the fingers." he laughed.

Hal nodded.

"Fair enough on the cleaning." he said.

"And yes, the repairs should be priority." he agreed.

"I'll make sure any of my personal belongings that may be here are gone, too." he went on.

"Essentially, make the "ME" gone from this place." he chuckled.

"Let it truly be THEIR home."

Hal just shrugged.

"While normally I detest choosing the easy way, especially when one is capable of doing it more... normally... less lazily... this may be an exception. For two reasons." he responded.

"The first is that, I do NOT want something to be overlooked." he told her. "If there's one thing I've learned throughout my life, it's that even the small things, if overlooked or missed, have the capability to become much bigger problems." he said. "And seeing as this is supposed to become someone's new permanent home, I think making sure using a method that guarantees all repairs done right, and without anything missed is reasonable." he said further.

"...the second reason is because it's you." he then revealed in a blunt statement.

"You're one of the few people that actually ASK me about that... well, among the ones that know who I am." he admitted. "And you'd be amazed how far that goes in loosening my guidelines." he chuckled.

"Also, payment through Csilla is completely fair, and acceptable." he added at the end.

Hal just crossed his arms over his chest.

"Watch your privilege there, missy." he told her.

He then sighed and raised a hand up, bringing his fingers together, and snapping them.

And nothing seemed to happen.

However, instantly, Hollie felt a pulse of mana reverberate throughout the entire building.

"And done." Hal said.

"All that's left is for me to erase my presence from this place. Any evidence of my being here in the past."

"Some help would be great." Hal responded.

"Shouldn't be too much, little odds and ends here and there, but 2 people can cover more ground a lot easier than 1." he reasoned.

And so they did. It took them a little over an hour, but they managed to find everything that was personal for Hal, and they placed it in a small box. It REALLY wasn't a lot.

"All right." Hal said.

"All that's left is cleaning, and for them to make it their own." he told her.

"We can worry about the transaction and red tape in good time. What's important is that they're free to come and live here whenever they want."

"I'm just glad I could help." he told her.

"Any stress off your shoulders is a good thing." he reasoned.

"And from what you've told me, those two have had hard enough lives as is." he went on. "They deserve a little help." he said further.

"I happened to be in a position to do so." he shrugged.

"Seemed like this was the right thing to do." he went on.

"And I'll make sure to meet them and properly introduce myself." he then added.

"Ah yes, getting out of this dusty atmosphere would be good." Hal agreed.

"And joining you for some food would be delightful." he told her.

"Where are you thinking?" he asked.

"And what?" he asked further.

"You feeling like having anything in particular?"

"They are." Hal replied.

"I'll need to get the keys later today." he told her.

He then approached and smiled, taking the proffered hand.

"I'm ready." he said.

"Let us be off."

Hal just looked at her and nodded.

"Makes sense." he responded.

"If we returned to your office, they'd be pestering us." he muttered. "Or, you, at the very least." he went on.

"And fair enough on being able to discuss food more easily now." he went on, taking a seat nearby.

"You have any preferences?" he asked.

"I can eat almost anything, but you know I love spice and bold flavours."