Lindsay bit his lip when Rowena said what she did.

"Mom..." he said.

"It's... it's not that you're not welcome here. You're always welcome here." he told her.

"And it's not like we don't want you here. Not in this case, not ever." he went on.

"But... how do I put this..." he wondered aloud.

"Even if you don't know it right now... YOU don't want to be here." he told her, before pausing.

"And I probably couldn't have put that ANY more awkwardly." he admitted, Rowena being able to hear the awkwardness and guilt in his tone. It was as though he wanted to tell her the truth, but couldn't, for some reason.

Lindsay continued to bite his lip, before he leaned in gave her a hug, still holding onto the brownies.

"I promise I'll explain in a bit." he told her.

"But for now, I'm sorry I have to be vague like this." he said.

"Also... um... perhaps try to be a light sleeper for now." he then informed her.

"Seems that dreams are being... disrupted... right now." he went on, severely truncating it.

"And sleeping soundly might not be the best thing for anyone at the moment."

"Yes, it is." Lindsay replied.

"But... dreaming might not be in one's best interest right now." he mumbled.

"There's some... disharmony in the Order right now." he then said. "So we're trying to figure out how to right things, is all." he continued.

"People MIGHT experience an uptick in the frequency of nightmares." he continued, understating it.

"So while sleep is good, don't be surprised if your dreams aren't the nicest... for now, anyway." he warned her.

"I will, I promise." Lindsay responded.

"Once this is cleared up, you'll get a full and complete explanation." he said.

"In the meantime, perhaps warn Aunt Rocky about this." he then suggested.

"For whatever good the knowledge will do." he went on.

"Just... it might be wise for her to know something fishy's happening with dreams." he reasoned.

"........." Lindsay was silent, before he closed the door and made his way back in, where Ash was waiting for him.

"You're a terrible liar." he said.

"...I know." Lindsay muttered.

"At least she was understanding, though." he then said.

"Mom's not unreasonable." Ash responded, before sighing.

"But I can't blame you for feeling like crap for lying to her." he then admitted.

"You OWE her the truth after this, though." he added.

"Hmmmmm." Vincent muttered.

"We may need some help right from the Earth itself." he said.

"...you're seriously thinking of the draydins?" Ash asked.

"We need what we need, Ash." Vincent responded.

"Ngh." Ash grunted.

"Fine, but who?" he asked.

"Even though Anna and Andrew don't really have any sort of... well, all right, it can be argued that Andrew has a negative connection to Vanessa, won't their genetics tell them to essentially kill Vanessa, as she's a drow?" Leo interjected.

"You'd be surprised how people can rise about their genes." Lindsay replied.

Again, there was silence.

"I did not." Vincent admitted.

"If I was told it, I forgot it." Ash said.

"Well, obviously -I- didn't know about it." Leo commented.

Lindsay was silent for a moment, as Leo looked over towards him.

"Lindsay?" he asked.

"I cannot comment on that matter." was all he said... which essentially meant he DID know, but it was revealed in a therapy session she'd had with him in the past, and he was honouring doctor-patient confidentiality.

"All right, so can we even trust them around Vanessa?" Ash then asked.

Vincent just sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Look, whomever has the best relationship with Anna, give her a call." he said.

"And broach the subject carefully, to test the waters." he suggested.

"Who might that be?" Lindsay asked.

"Probably you or Leo." Ash responded.

"You're her therapist, and she has no strong opinions on Leo, which... for Anna... is as close as you're getting to her liking you." he reasoned.

"I volunteer to be one of the ones through the 'gate'." Lindsay said.

"You?" Vincent asked.

"Well, neither Leo nor Miss Syraene should go through, lest they be affected by whatever is happening in that realm." Lindsay responded.

"....that's fair." Leo agreed.

"Plus, we'll be needed to maintain the gate." he added.

"And of all of us here, while my genetic abilities may be the strongest, my actual mana is the weakest." Lindsay then admitted.

"That's... a good point." Ash responded, unable to argue that point.

"So, it would seem I am the best candidate for making the journey." Lindsay summarized.

"That makes sense." Vincent admitted.

"Miss Syraene, you're a no-go." Ash said. "I need to stay here, as my mana is insanely strong, given what I am." he reasoned.

"Insanely strong. Period." Lindsay corrected him.

"Whatever, anyway." Ash muttered.

"What... well, what about Ashley?" he then suggested.

"I mean, she's related to Miss Syraene, so that might count for something, as far as Chronos is concerned." he reasoned.