Colin's posts

"Hello again." Illias responded.

"Let us not waste time." he told her, before pausing.

"Well... in a minute." he then said, just as a server approached.

"Good afternoon." the server greeted them.

"What can I get for you?" he asked them.

"Something to drink for starters?"

"The diner?" Illias asked.

"An hour and a half? Of course." he said.

"That works for me." he told her.

"I shall see you there in an hour and a half." he said further, before pausing.

"And odds are I'll be there before you, so be on the lookout for me when you get there." he added.

"Ah yes, hello again." Illias responded.

"I would like to meet with you to discuss your upcoming interview." he told her.

"I've been staying in a motel here, so we can still meet here in the city." he then assured her.

"Where would you prefer to meet, and when?" he asked.

Illias nodded in response.

"You do what you need to do." he told her.

"I look forward to hearing from you." he said.

"Now go on and get done what you need to get done." he finished.

"Don't let me hold you up."

Charles fell to his knees, clutching at his throat, but he also seemed to be a little paralyzed as well... possibly with fear.

But Averie noticed something a little different about Illias's eyes.

They seemed a tad more reptilian for a moment... but they then seemed to turn back to normal as soon as she noticed this.

"Yes. Indeed." he replied.

"Let us be off." he told her, before they left.

"...and no, we don't need to discuss your interview right away." he whispered to her.

"Feel free to disappear and do what you need to do." he told her, slipping her a card.

"Call me when you feel... well... more like yourself."

Before Averie could do anything, though, she felt Illias's hand on her good shoulder.

"Please don't." he said.

"You would be justified, but try and reign it in. Please." he told her.

"It will look better." he said further, before looking at Charles.

"And rest assured, this WILL be looked into." he said threateningly.

Charles looked like he was about to actually lunge at Averie, but he suddenly stopped when Illias glared at him.

"....Winchester, you will rue the day you decided to mess with me." he said to her.

"How very professional." Illias commented.

"Come on, let's go." he said to Averie, before stepping out of the room.

But as soon as he did, Charles opened one of his drawers... the one where he normally kept his firearm.

"There is nothing else." Illias responded.

"We shall be off." he told her.

"Winchester..." Charles growled. "You got lucky." he muttered.

"Luck has nothing to do with it." Illias quickly responded. "Her skills and dedication have caught the eye of the Unit, and as such, we wish to acquire her talent." he told him.

"Do not undermine the choices of the Unit." he finished, in a vaguely subtle threatening tone.

"ANYWAY." he then said loudly.

"Officer Winchester." he addressed Averie.

"We have things to discuss in relation to your upcoming interview." he told her.

"Excuse me?" Charles asked.

"On behalf of Agent Hal Sharp, and the officials of Special Unit 3, Officer Averie Winchester is to attend a job interview in San Diego to assess her capabilities and chemistry for a position for Special Unit 3, San Diego." Illias responded, putting down the proper paperwork.

"As such, she is to take mandatory time off to prepare for her interview, and any negative consequences regarding her position here that may happen to her will be immediately investigated by our internal affairs department." he went on.

Averie could tell that Charles was internally furious right now, but couldn't say or do anything.

"....and how long IS this time off?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"2 weeks." Illias replied.

"The paperwork is all there, filled out, and signed by Agent Sharp, himself. I assume there are no issues?" he then asked.

"Nngh." Charles grunted impotently.

Charles responded with shock at first, but immediately slammed his palms down on his desk and rose to his feet.

"That is IT!" he exclaimed.

"You've been nothing but trouble for a long time, Winchester! And, quite frankly, I'm sick of your superior attitude and self-entitlement for these days off you want to take at random willy-nilly times!" he continued.

"So it ends now! You're FIR-" he started to say, before they both heard a loud voice being cleared from behind them.

"I would suggest you not make any hasty decisions." Illias suggested as he stepped into the office.

"And who are YOU?" Charles asked impatiently.

"Illias Varela, Special Unit 3." Illias responded, showing his I.D.

That's when Averie noticed Charles clam up. Immediately.

If it hadn't been clear that his patience was being tested before, it was sure as hell clear NOW. He normally had a short fuse with her, but she could see that he was close to his boiling point right now. He was quivering a little, as his teeth gnashed back and forth, and he leveled a glare at her that would frighten most people.

"Don't push my buttons, Winchester." he snarled.

"You've been getting quite the attitude as of late. Just because you happened to get a few lucky breaks on some difficult cases." he said. "Don't think you're anything special." he told her further.

"You are on THIN ice right now." he went on.

"It doesn't matter what your case record is, if I let you go from this job, that stain is going to follow you for the rest of whatever career you can salvage." he threatened her, narrowing his eyes slightly, and staring right into hers.

"You have NOWHERE else to go, Winchester."

When she stepped into the office, she could tell that Charles was not happy.

"Winchester." he greeted her bluntly.

"I expected you to be here a half-hour ago." he told her.

"Trying to get those days off?" he asked her.

"Because that'll get you some PERMANENT time off." he growled.

"Mmm, I see." Illias responded.

"Well, regardless of the circumstances, thank you for the calmness." he repeated.

"At any rate, I'd say good luck in this upcoming meeting, but... it won't be needed." he told her.

"If there's one thing I enjoy, it's taking self-important people down a few notches."

"They'll be calm for the meeting with Charles." Illias assured her.

"I think right now, they just want to be free for a moment." he said.

"By the way, I appreciate how calm you're being." he went on. "Most people are at least startled when they see them." he said, gesturing to the reptiles.

"We truly appreciate it." he continued, before pausing.

"...'we' being myself and the snakes." he clarified.