Colin's posts

"I'll... I'll bet." he said.

"You're a hunter." he then commented, shifting the subject again.

"What kind?" he asked.

"It's clear you're not a recreational sport hunter." he went on.

"Someone like that wouldn't have been able to hold their own against that Neo Helsing guy." he reasoned.

"So... yeah, what sort of hunter ARE you, exactly?"

"...................." Ryker was silent for a moment, before nodding.

"Okay." he said.

"Just... okay." he said further.

He then sighed, shook his head, and started to walk.

"Come on." he told him.

"Let's get moving. It's clear you want to move."

Jaden blinked a couple of times.

"A... a... a w-wendigo!?" he then exclaimed.

"Oh lord..." he said.

"I... I didn't think they really existed." he admitted.

"Or, they were extinct, at least." he clarified.

"Explains why she sounded so... absolutely terrifying... over the phone." he then added.

Jaden nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, it does." he said.

"So... uh... you're... you're still part of the Triad, obviously." he then commented.

Vyn nodded.

"I assume this Justine you mentioned back on the road is as well." he went on.

Again, Vyn nodded.

"...who is she?" Jaden then asked. "And... WHAT is she?"

"....uh..." Ryker muttered, before checking their funds.

".....maybe?" he said.

"We don't have much left." he admitted.

"And we don't have any real valuables to cash in." he muttered further.

"But... I mean, yeah, maybe we can?"

Ryker popped one of the mushrooms in his mouth, and nodded.

"Yep, not poisonous." he said.

"It'd have a weird tang to it if if were." he told him.

"And... okay, sure , we can move on." he then said.

"I still have some of the fish from the last one we caught. It's cured, so it should be okay." he went on.

"Just need to pack up the tent and supplies."

Ryker looked around, before making his way towards Eke and the mushrooms.

"Huh, mushrooms." he said.

"They look pretty good, too." he said further, before looking at Eke.

"You all right?" he asked.

"You're rubbing your head... got a headache or something?" he asked further.

Ryker, meanwhile, had stirred and was waking up, before he noticed Eke was gone.

"Ah!" he exclaimed.

"Crap." he said, scrambling to his feet and poking his head out of the tent.

"Eke!?" he called out.

"Where y'at!?"

Jaden just sighed again.

"I can't bring myself to." he said.

"It... it would be false. I'd be doing it for the sake of some twisted, perverted sense of pride." he told her.

"And I learned to swallow that a LONG time ago." he muttered.

"You look a lot different from when I saw you last." he then said further, slightly changing the subject.

As soon as she said that, she noticed that Jaden acquired a VERY sad and melancholy look in his eyes.

"..............I know." he said.

"And... and ever since we last met each other as Mother and Son... back when you effectively ended the reign of Jack the Ripper... I've felt like a heel about it." he admitted.

"As time went on from that... I realized that I was wrong." he told her.

"All you wanted was to protect me from a world that wished to hurt me... and I was too stupid to realize that." he continued, almost sounding like he was ready to cry.

"And I always wondered if I would ever be able to face you again..."

Jaden accepted the mug, and sat down across from her.

"...well..." he mumbled.

"Yeah, gimme a second to organize them all in my head." he said further.

He then took a moment, closed his eyes, and then sighed.

"Right, first one." he said.

"It was clear that that guy revealed info you didn't want revealed." he commented. "If he hadn't, how long before you told me you were my Mom?" he asked.

"Or is this a case of never telling, and waiting for me to potentially clue in?"

"Uh.... yeah, sure." Jaden replied.

"Some coffee would be good, sure." he told her.

"And yeah, about that." he then muttered.

"Due to your hunting, you say." he commented.

"You're not your average hunter, are you?" he asked her.

Jaden's mind raced with decisions for a few seconds... until he saw the portal begin to shrink.

Lightning-fast, he made his decision, and raced through the portal, emerging in a den-like area on the other side.

He looked around for a few seconds, and then to the portal that had just disappeared behind him.

"...wow." he muttered.

"A LOT smoother than the ones -I- create." he mumbled further.

Jaden watched as the man was taken away, and then looked at Vyn.

"Ah..." he stammered.

"Well... yeah. Yeah, I have questions." he said.

"Plenty of them." he told her.

"But I suppose it all depends on whether or not you're in the mood to answer them." he went on.

"As you said, that isn't going to be cheap." he continued, looking at where the car had been.

"Do you want to be alone right now?" he then asked.