Colin's posts

"I try." Vincent replied.

"Oftentimes it has to be the hard way, though." he then sighed.

"Seems I still have a lot to learn." he added, shaking his head a little.

"Regardless, it seems things here at the Council are sorted now." he went on.

"One less headache for you."

Vincent was stunned silent as Hollie said and did what she did. After a moment, he returned the embrace, and held her close.

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

"I'm still just as much of a fool as when I was young." he said.

"Please... forgive your brother his stupid prejudices." he begged her.

"For, with hard word and a little openness... they will be gone from me."

When she stepped inside, she saw that Vincent was, indeed, there.

He was leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You told me to meet you here, so I did." he said.

"What is it you want?" he asked further.

"Let me help you get started." Vincent told them.

With that, the members of the opposition found themselves lifted up by wind mana, and then tossed out of the room... and then down the hallway.

"Right." he then said.

"I... should go." he commented.

"I just came here to help you kick THEM out." he finished, pointing down the hall.

The one that she was speaking to nodded in response.

"Of course." they replied.

"What!?" one of the opposing mages exclaimed.

"You heard her. And me." the other mage replied.

"I'm just as sick of this as she is, and this will finally be what kicks you and your antiquated views OFF this Council." they declared, as Vincent clapped his hands.

"Bravo." he said.

"You need to know your place." one of the people replied.

"If enough of us put together our own power, we can veto your power, and throw you off of your throne." they continued.

"All we need is someone that can see things for how they really are, and keep the correct attitude about other... creatures... in this world." they went on.

"And Vincent is just the-" they started to say, before a small pressurized orb of air slammed into the side of their head.

"Not ONE. MORE. WORD." Vincent said, venom in his tone.

"I do not want the position, I despise your company, and the very fact that you feel my views are correct is the biggest insult that anyone could EVER throw at me." he hissed further.

"So you can take your 'compliments', and shove them so far down your throat you will be literally speaking out of your posterior, as opposed to metaphorically." he continued.

"Hollie will remain as Head of the Council, and if you don't like it, then you'll contend with the BOTH of us."

"You're right." Vincent replied.

"I should speak with Rowena, and then with Hollie." he agreed.

---

Hollie was sitting at the head of a conference table, with many other people there, each of them ranting at her.

"How could you stoop to this level!?" one of them asked.

"You're not fit to be the head!" another declared.

"If you do not step down, we will pull all our power together and force you down!" yet another threatened.

Just them, as still another started to ream into her, the door was violently blasted open (and off its hinges), by Vincent, who stepped inside the room.

"SILENCE!" he bellowed.

"Regardless." Vincent replied.

"I needed to go away. I needed to sort through everything, before I potentially said something that I would have regretted even more, and made things even worse." he went on.

"I invited Hollie and Rowena out here to see if they wanted to speak with me in private, but... perhaps they do not." he then said further.

"As evidenced by yourself being here."

"Because I was a danger to people." the man replied.

"My mind was unstable, and I was afraid of what I might do." he said further.

"I did not want to say anything else that was in the heat of the moment, and cause further damage." he went on.

"My own sister probably hates me right now, my wife wishes divorce..." he listed.

"When my world comes crashing down around me, I need to remove myself from it."

Her target was the sort that, if he didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be found.

So it was immediately clear where he was.

She saw a man sitting in front of a fire, with a dingo laying down, head in his lap, as he roasted some meat on the flames in front of him.

"Hello." he said to her as she approached from behind.

"Came to get me, did you?" he asked.

What happens, happens. was all she got in response.

It was clear that Ash was not happy.

He hadn't been directly involved in what happened, but it had hurt Rowena.

And that had made him particularly mad, himself.

Got it. Ash replied.

I will concentrate all hunter power to Australia, and force him back. she then received.

Do you know whereabouts? he then asked.

That's when Hollie noticed numbers on the bottom of the letter... obviously coordinates.

She relayed them to Ash, who said they would have him back within the hour, whether he liked it or not.

"....hm. Fair point." Ash responded, before sighing.

"Just... all right." he said.

"I'll keep you updated." he told her.

They then ended their conversation, as Lindsay returned.

"Odds are he's gone to do some serious soul-searching and head-clearing." Lindsay commented.

"Whatever." Ash growled.

"I'm going to get some hunter power after him." he said, before disappearing.

"....good points." Ash admitted.

"Regardless, Lindsay's gone to scry, and I'll head to my guild." he reiterated.

"...what about Hollie?" he then asked.

"Should one of us tell her about this? Or should we assume she already knows? Or not bother?" he asked further.

"Because, I admit, I have no idea how to handle this kind of situation, informing-wise." he then sighed.

"I never thought it would come up."