"Where is he, I'll just go there." Sydney said after a moement or two.

"Better that time isn't wasted."

". . . He's in his room." Lindsay told her. "Sleeping, I think." He added, almost uneasy. Sydney seemed rather... official, for lack of any better way to put it fo rthe moment, and that was very rarely a good thing. Along with that, she didn't have her parasol, it was the middle of the day, she hadn't shown up with coffee, and it wasn't hard to tell that there was blood in her hair and on her clothing a bit. She'd done her best to clean it up, but hadn't been able to get it all.

She didn't say anything before heading off, heading down to the room in question. Once there, she knocked, waited for the silence she'd expected, before just making her way in and sitting on the edge of the bed before using her portals and having him fall through the bed back onto it.

"Ash. Ashley returned." She said before he could curse her out for that rather rude awakening.

---

♯ And I wonder what you've done to me || I've lost all my ability to think logically || I know I've never felt this way before || Like someone pushed me through a door || And there's no turning back ♯

"No one knows, Ash." Sydney answered with a light sigh.

"Emelie did all she could, but even she was saying she couldn't fix her completely." She paused a moment, letting Ash absorb what she said and process it for a moment before she continued.

"She's at the guild, unconscious." She continued. "No... one is sure when she'll wake, either." There was a kindness to her words, her voice, that one didn't hear often. She cared for Ash, and it was times like this that it did show. She could have sent someone else to do it, but knew that he'd possibly need someone there, so she wanted to be the one to do it. She could have had Cass just call him to the guild, but knew it'd be better if he was at home - or at least was reasonably sure it would be better, so she went there.

---

♯ And I wonder what you've done to me || I've lost all my ability to think logically || I know I've never felt this way before || Like someone pushed me through a door || And there's no turning back ♯

"You should, but Emelie is sure that Ashley won't die." Sydney told him honestly.

"There is more, but I feel Emelie should tell you." She continued before sighing. "I think it might come better from her, is all."

"Anyway, Ash, I am sorry about this news. I can give you a lift back to the guild if you want me to." She added after a second or two before getting to her feet a second later.

"I'm.. going to go tell your brother about Ashley, unless you would preer to" She told him, not entirely sure what he would think was best.

---

♯ And I wonder what you've done to me || I've lost all my ability to think logically || I know I've never felt this way before || Like someone pushed me through a door || And there's no turning back ♯

Sydney nodded.

"I'll see you in a few, Ash." She said before heading off with a light sigh. She didn't want to be the one to bring that news, but also realised that she really was the best one TO bring it, if only because she knew that Ash trusted her and valued what she had to say. Both as a woman, and as a friend.

She made her way upstairs and looked around, finding Lindsay in the den.

"Hey." She said, he could hear the weight to her voice still.

"I'm sure that you have questions, so I'll just answer 'em right off the hop." She continued as she sat down in the chair he wasn't sitting in.

"Ashley was found in Maine." she started, "brought back to Emelie. Emelie outright said she can't fix emelie, something is blocking it." She told him.

"Girl hasn't woken up yet, and it's been a few hours."

---

♯ And I wonder what you've done to me || I've lost all my ability to think logically || I know I've never felt this way before || Like someone pushed me through a door || And there's no turning back ♯

Sydney just sighed.

"There's an answer." She stated, "But... I think it would be better for Ash to learn it first." She paused here though.

"Err... maybe. Maybe you should know what emelie suspects to act as a way to keep him level. Damn, I've never been the best with human relations." She admitted after a moment, a bit of a sheepish tone to her voice.

"Because I do know that Ash will not like it."

---

♯ And I wonder what you've done to me || I've lost all my ability to think logically || I know I've never felt this way before || Like someone pushed me through a door || And there's no turning back ♯

Sydney pausd a moment, debating it before sighing.

"I'll tell you after I send him to Lux." She told him simply.

". . . I would much rather he didn't overhear it from me. emelie should tell him, not me." She added. It was about then that they heard Ash's footsteps coming upstairs.

"Speaking of..."

---

♯ And I wonder what you've done to me || I've lost all my ability to think logically || I know I've never felt this way before || Like someone pushed me through a door || And there's no turning back ♯

Sydney nodded before tossing an orb of ink onto the wall that was near Ash.

"As usual, you'll probably feel hellish for a minute or two after." She told him.

"But go, it'll drop you off in Emelie's office - yes she's expecting you - no she probably won't be in there. You'll have to find her in the wing, but knowing her, there's a note." She said with a light laugh.

"Anyway, go. As Lindsay said, I need to talk to him about something."

---

♯ And I wonder what you've done to me || I've lost all my ability to think logically || I know I've never felt this way before || Like someone pushed me through a door || And there's no turning back ♯

Emelie didn't look over to him before just lightly closing the book she'd been writing in and sighing.

"You won't like it." She told him bluntly, candidly. Ash just sighed himself before shaking his head lightly.

"I've heard tha tbefore, a lot. Just tell me." He stated. Emelie didn't say anything for a moment before sighing, again.

"I literally cannot do anything to save her." She stated. "Outside of normal mortal means."

". . . there's been a blockage." She continued, her tone kind as was usual, but there was a certain weight to her words, something he wasn't used to hearing from her.

She was honestly worried.

---

♯ And I wonder what you've done to me || I've lost all my ability to think logically || I know I've never felt this way before || Like someone pushed me through a door || And there's no turning back ♯

"And here is what you won't like." Emelie started before holding a hadn up to stop anything that Ash may have wanted to say, as she was reasonably sure there was something he'd want to.

"A 'deal with the devil' is very much a real thing. There are people who have most certainly done it, ever since before I acquired my position, before my parents even considered a child." She paused before smirking lightly, "Before Vincent's parents were conceived, even." She knew that was a testamnet to time, after all.

"There is one that made a deal with my sister. The agreement involved her not dying before it was honestly her time - no accidental deaths - among other things," she continued before pausing. This entire situation pissed her off to no end, and the las tthing that was needed was a violent and vengeful god for the moment.

"But also that Liz and I could not interfere." She told him.

"At all. Period. If we were to do something via mortal means, that's fine. But we cannot do anything that is mana based to fix this, and that goes out to anything that she has in motion for plans." She paused, letting him absorb what she said. After a few seconds, she said the final piece.

"And she's the reason that Ashley is in her current state, and why I cannot do anything about it, aside from use mortal medical techniques to help. Dani has been able to come and use her mana to help, but that can only go so far with the alignments that they have."

---

♯ And I wonder what you've done to me || I've lost all my ability to think logically || I know I've never felt this way before || Like someone pushed me through a door || And there's no turning back ♯

"You're.... very well aware of who it is." Emelie said simply. She didn't get anything from him though, which just net her pausing.

"Do you know Ashley's family name?" She then asked after a moment or two, wanting to see if he could come to the answer himself before she were to outright tell him. She was sure tha tmaybe, just maybe, it would go better.

Of course, she had absolutely no idea.

---

♯ And I wonder what you've done to me || I've lost all my ability to think logically || I know I've never felt this way before || Like someone pushed me through a door || And there's no turning back ♯