Colin's posts

Sharp was silent for a moment, as the girl asked her question. He narrowed his eyes a little, before looking around slightly, shifting his gaze back and forth.

".....mm." he mumbled.

"Oh, you need help finding the Pizza Dudes location?" he asked, his voice loud enough that passersby could hear it.

"Sure, I can help with that." he told her with a subtle wink, as he stepped out from the chair.

"Come on, I'll point you in the right direction." he said.

"Let's talk where so many people can't overhear us." he then told her in a VERY hushed tone.

"......." the man was silent as she addressed him, before turning around and looking at her.

He eyed her for a moment or two, before sighing.

"Yes." he said.

"I am he." he confirmed.

"...oh, and before you ask, Grandma's house is that way." he then told her, gesturing to the left, and then smirking slightly.

"I kid, I kid." he quickly added, before clearing his throat slightly.

"What do you want with me?" he asked her seriously.

"Eh?" Ryker muttered.

"A burden?" he asked. "You still on about that?" he asked further.

"How can you be tired of being something you're not?" he asked him.

"Look, obviously you feel the way you feel." he then said.

"All I can do is try and convince you of the truth. You're not a burden."

As soon as he went into the tent, Eke noticed it really WAS pretty warm inside it. He also noticed the bedrolls on the ground, as well as the sleeping bags, made for a comfortable sleeping surface.

"All right, get comfy." Ryker told him, laying back.

"Sleep if you need to." he said.

"Not like we have a real destination in mind." he chuckled.

"So, buck up a bit. I'm depressed enough for the two of us." he then added with a smirk.

Ryker just sighed as he heard Eke sobbing, but he concerned himself with getting everything ready. It only took about 5 minutes or so, and he poked his head out from inside the rather spacious tent.

"Yoo-hoo." he called to Eke.

"Everything's set up." he said.

"Amazingly warm in here, too." he told him.

"So come on in." he finished, before disappearing back inside.

"It's not about the distance we put behind us." Ryker said.

"It's about what's in front of us, and what we do around us." he told him.

"So, seriously, let's set up the tent and the sleeping rolls, and rest." he suggested.

"It'll be fine." he assured him.

"You can get some sleep, and I'll try and do so as well."

Ryker just looked at Eke, before wrapping his arm around him, and holding him close.

"Hey." he said.

"Listen... it's clear this had made you exhausted." he told him.

"Do you want to set up here?" he asked.

"At the very least, we'll use the tent and you can be warm?"

Ryker silently accepted the candy and popped it in his mouth.

"Mm." he mumbled.

"I can't promise I won't submit to my curse if we're attacked." he then told Eke.

"If direct danger comes for either of us, that curse will come back and take over." he said.

"I know it will." he warned him.

"Ah, good." Azazel replied.

"Like I said, do whatever you need to do to fix it and get it road-worthy again." he told her.

"I'll reimburse any and all costs." he said.

"There anything else you need to know?" he asked her.

"If not, I need to talk to Sharp about something."

Azazel paused for a moment, and thought about all she said.

"Yeah... yeah, you're right." he said.

"We really DO need an on-site mechanic for the Unit." he agreed, before shaking his head.

"And if she's not going to be all right, which is to say, if she's still feeling the effects of it by tomorrow, I told her to call me." he told her.

"I'll yank it out of her, myself, if I have to." he declared.

"And yeah, let's go." he finished, before they left her dorm and made their way to where Aly's bike was... to find it not completely smashed to hell, but it needed work to make it road-worthy, at least.

Ryker fell to his hands and knees... but still held onto Eke's hand.

".....please...." he said quietly.

"Please... not... not right now." he said further.

"You... you can kill a bear or something later, I promise." he went on, almost seeming to bargain with... something... now.

"......" he was then silent, before he rose up to his feet... and then collapsed on his ass, leaning against a nearby tree.

"...................................I'm fine." he told Eke, his voice sounding more like... himself.

As it seems this topic's been more than adequately answered, I'll be locking this thread.

As he grabbed Ryker's hands, and looked into his eyes, Eke could actually SEE the curse trying to take hold of his friend.

He could see the edges of his eyes... a strange dark energy-like substance was starting to crawl and ink its way towards the centre of them, towards the pupils... but then then stopped, as Ryker's expression became strained.

He then collapsed to his knees, grasping tightly at his chest.

"Ngh." he grunted.

"No... stay... back..." he muttered, but he wasn't talking to Eke. Eke could tell he was talking to... the shard, really.

"I can take you to her bike whenever you want to see it." Azazel replied.

"I have it here at the Unit, in the garage/restoration area." he told her.

"I figured if anyone could do something with it, it'd be you." he reasoned.

"As for how and why and all that jazz, she's partnered herself up with a demon." he then said. "Lower tier, just a little above a minor demon, but one that owed a considerable debt of 300 O-Cores." he went on.

"Seems the gang he was in debt to decided it was time to forcibly collect, and she was dragged along for the ride, so to speak."