Colin's posts

"Daughter, Kelly....?" Ash asked quietly, before pausing.

"Oh... wait..." he mumbled.

"Right... right, she was pregnant when I was put in the tube..." he realized, before sinking down to the ground.

"...my daughter..." he muttered. "I... I missed my daughter's life. Her birth... growing up... everything. I missed her... everything." he said further.

"That is of no fault of yours." Sorrel assured him.

"That's of minimal comfort." Ash responded.

"Ahhhh." Ash replied.

"Like Ashley." he said, before pausing.

"Ashley..." he repeated, this time more quietly.

"I wonder where she is... if she's okay..." he went on.

"I assume she's alive. She's too stubborn and tough to die." he added, more talking to himself.

"Yeah, I suppose I am." Ash agreed.

"And plan? For mana release?" he asked. "I would love to hear more on that." he told her.

"Also, drakes?" he asked.

"I know what a drake is." he said. "But I know that I'm thinking of a creature that I would hunt down on occasion, when I worked for this guild." he went on.

"I assume you're referring to something else?"

"....I see." Ash responded, looking around.

"Looks like a sanctuary of Anna and Andrew's making." he commented.

"Ah yes, you DID know them, didn't you?" Sorrel asked.

"Yeah." Ash replied.

"They were cool people. Kinda violent and unstable, but fun people." he told him.

Emi then saw Sorrel smile softly. It was a little sad, but it was a genuine and calm smile.

"Duly noted..." Ash muttered.

"As for questions..." he said, looking around.

"Well, this place is nothing like anything else I've seen in this world." he commented. "Is this a place for rest and meditation or something?" he asked.

"Sort of." the other male responded.

"Emi likes to be surrounded by lush and healthy plantlife. It relaxes her." he told Ash.

Ash nodded.

"She did." he said.

"She is feared, my brother is loathed." he told them.

"And you are considered to be a mere myth." the male then commented. "Your strength is legendary, as is your reputation." he said.

"Eh-heh, aw shucks..." Ash chuckled.

"You flatter me." he said.

"I'm Ash." Ash responded.

"Ashley Joseph Fyrane?" the other male asked.

"....maybe." Ash muttered.

"We will not judge you based on your heritage or family." the male assured him.

"The yeah. That's me." Ash confirmed.

"Ash Fyrane. 'AJ', as known here at the guild. When it... was a guild, anyway..."

"Hey." Ash said again.

"So... uh..." he mumbled, looking around.

"This place is... amazingly beautiful." he commented.

"Thank you." the other male responded.

"Yeah, sure." Ash said.

"So... I assume you're Emi?" he asked the female.

"Mina said you'd probably be here."

The male was silent for a moment.

"Our eyes can deceive us, yes." he said.

"But nothing deceives THEM." he told her, cupping a flower in his hand.

"I honestly believe that Vic was successful, finally." he finished, as Ash started to walk forward.

"Uhhhh... hey?" he greeted them with a small wave.

"I've become more confident since then." he responded.

"I believe it to be less of a crapshoot now." he told her.

"Relax, it'll be fine." he went on.

"Rather, you should concern yourself with our new company." he then said, not looking away from the plantlife he was tending to.

"Seems it's someone new. But not new, at the same time." he commented further.

Ash paused for a moment, and nodded.

"Right. Got it." he said.

"Get to dinner, or go without." he commented.

"See ya." he finished, before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

He was silent as he made his way through the corridors, before finally making his way to where the courtyard was. He paused for a moment, looking at the door it, before sighing.

"Right." he said.

"Here goes." he told himself, before going through the door.

"Pond in the courtyard?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, I think so." he said.

"I can make my way there, or fumble my way there, at the very least." he chuckled.

"Thanks for the info." he told her, making his way to the door.

"I'll take my leave now. Sorry to have bothered you." he finished.

"...eh-heh..." Ash chuckled sheepishly, as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah... yeah, that's true." he admitted. "Paperwork was never my favourite thing." he mumbled.

"I guess I should just go." he said, turning to leave.

He then froze for a moment, and looked back at her.

"Ah, right, the reason I came here." he remembered.

"Vic said I should talk to someone called 'Emi'. Jazz told me you'd be able to find her." he said.

"So... can you help with that?" he asked.

Ash raised an eyebrow when she said that.

"Oh?" he asked.

"Anything I can do to help?" he asked her.

"I've done a lot at this guild. Grunt work, dirty work, paperwork..." he listed off, before pausing.

"...and I'm known to overstep my boundaries..." he mumbled.

"If you want me to just get outta your hair, I'll do so."