Colin's posts

"Hm." Ryker muttered, looking at the map.

"All right." he said.

"Sounds like a plan." he said further.

"But I've heard that many dragons respect strength." he went on.

"It's possible my little trophy will earn me a... tentative... pass." he mumbled.

Evan nodded quickly.

"Sure!" he replied.

"Whenever you want!" he told him.

"Just give me a call when you want to go!" he said further, before pausing and clearing his throat again.

"...right." he said, this time more quietly.

"Which is to say, I AM interested." he summarized, trying to regain his cool.

Again, Evan's eyes widened, and his face turned a shade of red.

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

"An... an... an upgrade?" he asked.

"El... eligible, huh?" he then asked further.

He then cleared his throat, inhaled slowly, let out a large breath, and was silent for a moment.

"And... and how might we go about this?" he asked him.

".........odds are I wouldn't be well-received, anyway." Ryker muttered, grasping at his 'trophy' necklace.

"Depends on the standing of the dragon I fought those years ago." he said further.

"But... okay, you need to go to the homeland." he went on.

"Where is that?" he asked.

"How far a journey are we talking here?"

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

"I... see." he said, sitting down and crossing his arms over his chest.

"By your statement, I can only assume that non-dragons are not allowed in the place." he went on.

"There any way to sneak in?" he asked Eke.

"Or any sort of way to prove I'm worthy of even a temporary pass?" he asked further.

Again, Evan blushed, but managed to shake it off rather quickly.

"Eh-heh..." he chuckled.

"Ah... well... I..." he stammered, before sighing. "I cannot deny that." he admitted.

"I was really worried about you..." he said. "And I'm very glad you're... well... going to be all right, at least." he said further.

"And... I'm your best friend?" he then asked.

"Really?" he asked further, a flurry of conflicting emotions raging in his mind like a tempest.

"Well, I'm not a doctor." Evan said.

"I don't know if it's needed, or if he's busy, or what." he went on.

He then paused for a moment, and looked at Blair.

"And if'd make ME happy?" he asked.

"I... well... I mean... this is about YOU." he said.

"How do -I- fit into this at all?" he asked.

"....no, I don't." Evan admitted.

"I can only imagine how bad it was." he said.

"I'm... just glad you're okay." he went on.

"And I still think my uncle Rene should take a look at you." he continued.

"You look really hurt." he continued.

"...makes me wanna kill that bastard." he then hissed, referring to Blair's father.

Ryker froze for a moment when Eke said what he did.

".....uh-oh." he said.

"That's never good..." he muttered, putting something in the oven and shutting the door.

He then sighed, and walked over towards Eke.

"All right, what is it?" he asked.

"What's on your mind?"

Lindsay shook his head.

"It's not your life any longer." he said.

"We'll make sure of that." he told him.

"Anyway, here." he went on, taking a tray of sandwiches, desserts, and soup, and setting it down on the table. He then went to the fridge and grabbed a 2L bottle of pop, setting it down on the table as well.

"Eat your fill." he told Blair.

"I'm going to call your mother." he finished, leaving the room.

"Found enough to actually make a cake." Ryker responded.

"And it IS your birthday coming up." he reasoned.

"Remember what I said a few years ago. You deserve a cake on your birthday." he said further.

"So I'm making one up."

"I will call her as soon as I'm done here." Lindsay responded.

"Leave her a message to call me back as soon as possible, regardless of the hour." he said further.

"But... I wonder something..." he went on.

"Wonder what?" Evan asked.

"Was your mother scared of your father?" Lindsay asked Blair. "Has he threatened her in the past?" he asked further.

"When she essentially told me you had been kidnapped, she said it in such a way that it could have been easily seen as code." he muttered.

Lindsay looked back towards Blair, and raised an eyebrow.

"I said we'd be back." he told him.

"Anyway, the trash is over there." he said further, gesturing to a window. "We have a small dumpster out there for non-food waste." he explained.

"Feel free to drop it in there." he finished.

"We're almost done the food." Evan then said to him.

"Making something." Ryker replied.

"Found supplies in here." he told Eke.

"My guess was this was used recently, and the previous inhabitants either left for the season, or are out for a bit." he continued.

"More than likely the former." he went on.

"But they left some stuff here, probably because they're forgetful.' he said further.

"So.... finders keepers. I'll use it."