Colin's posts

"......." Rene was silent, and then sighed.

"All right." he said.

"That's... that's fair enough." he muttered.

"I... I won't argue it. I can't." he went on.

He then looked at Serenity, and sighed once more.

"...you think he's turned a new leaf, eh?" he asked her.

"Well... knowing that she's willing to give him a chance, and knowing that you're fully willing to, means I will too." he assured Kalin.

"Just try and stay out of the way." he then told Chris.

"Right." Chris replied.

Chris just shook his head.

"I... I have no intention of fighting." he said.

"Even if I did, I wouldn't win." he said further.

Rene just sighed.

"Right, dinner sounds good." he commented.

"Kalin, what's the long-term plan with Jenkins?" he then asked Kalin.

"Knowing you, you have plans for him."

"I... ah... what?" Rene asked.

"Never had a FIRST chance?" he asked further.

"It's a long story." Chris replied. "One that's slowly coming out in my sessions with Dr. Fyrane." he added.

"...Lindsay?" Rene asked him.

"Of course." Chris replied with a nod.

"...." Rene was then silent, before sighing and shaking his head.

"All right, fine." he said. "I suppose I have no choice but to give you a chance." he told Chris.

"...but I'm warning you." he went on, stepping close and lightly grabbing the man's collar. "Step outta line just ONCE... and it'll be a bad time for you."

Rene was now stunned.

"Ah... I..." he stammered.

"Serenity!?" he exclaimed.

"Wait, he got to YOU, too!?" he asked her, before pausing.

"Wait, wait, wait." he then said.

"No, that doesn't make sense." he told himself.

"...does it?" he asked quietly, sounding confused now.

"Eh-heh." Ryker chuckled.

"Yeah. He did stop me." he said.

"I begrudgingly tagged along with him, as I didn't want anything bad to happen to him. And over time, he just... well... gave me a reason to live." he told her.

"Guess I found value in living after a while." he shrugged.

"...and I'm glad I met you too." he then said, holding her hand in his.

"I never knew that something like this would happen to me." he admitted with a slightly red face as well.

"Don't HURT him!?" Rene exclaimed.

"He's been Vanessa's willing lapdog, and even now he dares to try and worm his way into here!" he exclaimed.

"All right, look." he then said to Chris.

"You have one chance to reverse this." he told him. "You undo what you've done to Kalin, and maybe... just MAYBE... I'll look the other way regarding this little... transgression..." he said further.

"But... but I didn't do anything to Kalin." Chris insisted.

"All I did was... well... earn her trust through earning others trust." he said. "And not through mana, I swear!" he added.

"...." Rene was silent, before he started to walk towards Chris, rolling up his sleeves as he did so.

"Committed til the end, I'll give ya credit for THAT." he told him.

"Well, I DO get rather hungry." Ryker admitted.

"And how did I meet Eke?" he asked.

"Uhhh... well..." he mumbled, laughing nervously.

"Eke was in the middle of a forest, lost and alone." he told her.

"And he happened to stumble upon me... on a rock... waiting for the cursed wolves to show up and... rip me limb from limb." he then said.

"Yeah, I was out there actively trying to die."

Rene whirled back around to Chris.

"I swear... I didn't use my mana to do this." he told Rene.

"...not that my word means anything..." he mumbled.

"You're right. It doesn't." Rene agreed.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it." he then cursed to himself. "I thought we had seen the end of this when Vanessa died." he growled, before looking at Kalin again.

"Kalin... if you're in there, and can hear me, don't worry." he said to her.

"I'll save you. I'll make this right." he vowed, turning and narrowing his eyes at Chris again.

Chris gulped, and stepped out from the shadows.

"...h-hello." he said.

Rene froze when he heard the voice.

"......I'm going to turn around now." he told Kalin. "And when I do, who I'm thinking is there, better NOT be there." he said further.

With that, he turned around... and glared at Chris.

"...you..." he said, venom in his tone.

"How are you even-" he started to ask, before his eyes widened, and he looked at Kalin.

"No..." he whispered.

"Damn manipulation mana." he hissed.

Rene quirked an eyebrow when he heard that.

"Ahhhh... ha." he said.

"Sounds a lot like hyperbole." he commented.

"Like, seriously." he said further.

"I won't like them, Anna will hate it even more, and Casey will hate it even more than HER?" he asked.

"That sounds... almost impossible." he said further.

"Seriously. How bad can a houseguest BE?" he asked her.

Rene sniffed the air once more.

"Mmmm, jambalaya." he said.

He then sniffed again, and his eyes widened.

"Heeey, are their Razor Shrimp in there?" he asked.

"Is that what you had Ashley's help for?" he asked further.

"Because DAMN, that smells good!" he exclaimed with a smile... before he paused.

"...right what's the catch?" he asked.

Chris just nodded.

Kalin looked back over towards the door for a moment, and then looked back at Chris.

Or, rather, where Chris was.

He was gone. Just gone. No sign of him ever being there remained.

Seemed like one thing he was good at was disappearing when the need arose.

"I'm home!" Rene called into the house as he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Hey now, something smells goooooood!" he then said, sniffing the air.

Chris shook his head.

"No." he said.

"I don't." he told her.

"You know him better than I do. You'd know more than I would." he reasoned.

"So I'll go along with what you feel is best." he said.

"Last thing we need is for this to go as bad as possible."

Chris was about to say something, when he heard the footsteps as well.

"Sounds like it." he said.

"..." he was silent, before sighing.

"It's... still strange." he said further.

"To know what Miss Syraene is in that doll." he clarified.

"It's just... such a change."