Colin's posts

Ryker returned the hug, and smiled a little.

"There's a chance of it."' he said.

"And I'm not saying to not plan for your passing." he then said.

"All I'm saying is that nothing is 100% certain. Sometimes people stubbornly live well past a grimly short prognosis." he reasoned with a small shrug.

"But people are different." he said.

"I tend to let life carry me along in the drift."

Darrel nodded in response.

"Fair enough." he said.

"I'll see what I can do." he told her.

"For now, let's concentrate on food." he went on.

"What do you want here?" he asked.

"What are you in the mood for?" he asked further.

In his mind, however, he was thinking about the connections he had... specifically, one BIG one.

"............................." Darrel was silent as he heard that.

"I... uh..." he stammered.

"Well, I don't run a guild, no." he said.

"But... I DO have connections to people that work in the guild system." he told her.

"I might be able to find out more info for you." he went on.

"Try and get this through the grapevine, so to speak."

"Nothing in life is ever certain." Ryker responded.

"And I'm serious about that." he told him.

"It might be optimistic, but it's NOT hoping against a certainty." he continued.

"For all we know, something could happen that prevents your fate from happening." he went on.

"We don't know for sure what will happen until it's happened."

".....shit." was all Darrel could say in response.

"I... uh... hm." he muttered.

"That... really sucks, to understate it." he said.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"...admittedly, not sure what someone like me CAN do, but I figure I'll ask anyway." he added.

"Ohhhhh, I see." Darrel responded.

"Yeah, that makes sense." he said.

"I suppose information is important, knowing how to get what you want, and knowing how to get info and such... important skills to have." he reasoned.

"A proper guild does need that sort of thing." he went on.

"Wait..." he then said, pausing for a moment. "Wait, wait, hold on... hold on a second..." he muttered further, looking at his half-sister.

"WAS?"

"....mm." Darrel muttered.

"I suppose so." he said.

"Though you must have SOME fighting skills." he went on.

"I mean... wait..." he muttered, thinking about it.

"I can't remember if this has been asked, but... do you even have mana?" he asked her.

"If not, you have to have at least SOME fighting skills to have become a Hunter, yeah?" he asked further.

"Or am I thinking too narrowly about this?"

Darrel just sighed.

"I know." he replied.

"Had a few attempts on my life already." he said.

"But, as you can tell, they didn't rightly know what they were doing." he went on.

"Regardless, how's it going?" he asked her again.

"Any big hunts or anything to be your new crowning achievement?" he asked further with a light chuckle.

Ryker looked to be genuinely shocked for a moment, before he smiled again.

"Of course." he replied.

"I'd be honoured to." he told him.

"And don't you worry about our little family dynamic." he went on. "We're brothers, we're bros, and that's never gonna change." he assured him.

"If I ever find someone and have a kid, promise me you'll be THEIR godfather, too." he then added.

"Hard to, but not impossible." Darrel responded as they walked.

"Hunters over the centuries have sure found ways." he told her.

"Anyway, nice to see you again." he then said.

"Been a while since we've seen each other." he continued.

"Like, face-to-face." he clarified.

"How's it going?" he asked, making conversation.

"GAH!" Darrel exclaimed, as he was caught off guard.

He whirled around, and sighed when he saw it was Abby.

"Geez!" he said.

"Just.... geez!" he repeated.

"What was THAT for!?" he asked.

"You scared me outta my skin!"

Ryker was silent for a moment, blinking once or twice, before he broke out in a wide smirk.

"A girl?" he asked.

"Then go for it, man." he said, lightly tapping Eke's cheek with his fist.

"Seriously, you find a gal you like, and likes ya back, go for it." he insisted.

"The love of a good woman is a rare treasure in this world."

Works for me, I'll be there in a few. Darrel replied.

Even though Desiree had not said anything to him in response, her nod was enough to show him that she had heard what he'd said, and had acknowledged it.

So with that, Darrel put on some footwear, grabbed a light jacket, and disappeared into a portal, appearing in a deserted part of the park, closing it behind him.

He then heaved a small breath, and made his way towards the bar that Abby had mentioned.

Even though she was a Hunter, and this could've been seen as a trap by a more wary or suspicious mage, he trusted her completely, as she had proven to bear no ill will to them... or anyone else a Hunter would see as prey, or an enemy.

Darrel read the text for a moment, and nodded slightly to himself.

Diner. he sent.

I'm in the mood for something substantial, but not overly expensive, and has that sort of quality that you know the food's bad for you, but it's so damn tasty, you don't care. he then sent in an explanation.

You know what I mean? he asked.

He then looked around the room, did one more mental check that he had everything, before going to see Desiree, who was in their den.

He got her attention, and smiled when she looked at him.

"Heading out now." he told his mother.

"Just ironing out the last-minute details, but headed out."