Colin's posts

"...yes and no?" Azzy responded, sounding unsure.

"I mean, only if you're comfortable with this." he said.

"If you're willing to show me, I'm willing to see it." he told her.

"Because this familiarity is driving me a bit nuts." he admitted.

"I REALLY want to see it in its entirety." he continued, before pausing.

"Well... within the limits of your comfort zone, that is." he then clarified.

"Oh, you know what I mean." he finished, shaking his head.

Azzy nodded.

"Exactly." he responded.

"It's... priceless." he said.

"It's a source of great security." he continued.

"It can really help you get through the day." he said further.

Azzy nodded.

"I am." he replied.

"It's a wonderful feeling." he told her.

"I feel safe. I feel welcome. I... I've made friends." he said further.

"Something I've never had before in my life."

"Not long." Azzy responded.

"A few months or so." he said.

"I've worked for the Unit for a while, but I've recently moved into the dorms." he continued.

"Mostly because I'm not welcome back in the town I was living previously." he said further.

"...it's complicated..." he mumbled.

Azzy raised an eyebrow when he heard that.

"Okay then..." he replied.

After a couple of minutes, he was handed his milkshake, and looked at Erica.

"All right." he said.

"Let's go." he told her.

"I'll show you the dorm areas." he finished, before starting to head out of the cafeteria.

"In a second." Azzy replied.

"Can I just get a milkshake?" he asked the male.

"What kind?" the man asked.

"Choco-peanut-butter. Same as always." Azzy responded with a smile.

"What about you?" he then asked Erica.

"You want anything to drink, or a snack, or something?"

"Come on, then." Azzy replied, as they got up and left.

A few minutes later, they stepped into a cafeteria-area, but it was far larger than anything Erica had seen in her past. It looked at least twice as big as the cafeteria from the school she'd gone to.

And it smelled absolutely fantastic.

"This was." Azzy told her, as they made their way to the long counter, where various snacks and small food items were on display behind glass, and a sign hung above someone, reading 'order here'.

"You name it, they can make it." Azzy reminded her.

"Yep." the man behind the counter confirmed.

"We guarantee it!" he told her proudly.

"Well... not gonna lie, I AM very interested in it." Al replied.

"Oh, and call me 'Azzy' if you like." he said.

"I... alternate between the two names." he mumbled.

"One's plain and boring, and the other sounds like some weird name for a rock and roll tribute singer." he said further, shaking his head slightly.

"Anyway, where do you want to head to first?" he asked.

"Dorms or cafeteria?" he asked further.

"Because, yeah, I do have a dorm here." he confirmed.

"Well, there's two more places." Azazel responded, putting the ring back on, and reverting to how he had looked before.

"The cafeteria, and the dorms." he told her.

"Both seem humdrum, but they're both pretty sweet." he said.

"The cafeteria stocks anything and everything. You name it, they'll make it." he continued.

"And the dorms have... well... proof-walls." he went on.

"Like... you name it, the walls are proofed from it." he said further.

"It's so mana doesn't go haywire, or mix with other manas while people are asleep." he explained.

"I... guess?" Azazel responded.

"Maybe?" he said further.

"I don't know." he admitted.

"Mostly because I don't know what THIS is." he told her, looking at her arm.

"So.... yeah..." he muttered.

"All I can say is... maybe, yeah."

Azazel sighed.

"I... well..." he muttered.

"Your mark." he said.

"It... it feels... like... warm...? I guess...? Comforting?" he asked.

Erica just looked confused.

"Hm." Azazel then mumbled.

"I guess... it feels... kind of... familiar?" he said. "If that makes sense?" he asked further.

"It feels like... a piece of... 'home'..." he finished, trailing off a bit, and slightly gesturing downwards.

"....doubt it." Al replied.

"I wouldn't feel the way I do because of a simple tattoo." he told her.

When she looked confused, he sighed.

"Right." he muttered.

"Remember when I told you about the glamour apparel you can get here?" he asked.

Erica nodded, which caused Al to raise his left hand, the silver ring on it sparkling in the light. He then grabbed it, and took it off, allowing his disguise to fall, and allowing Erica to see what he was really like.

His skin was as black as anything, with red crack-like markings all over, which made it look like magma was ready to burst out from inside of him. And he had a pair of dark grey horns coming out of his head... which was more like one and a half, seeing as one of them was half-gone, seeming to have been broken off half-way.

"My real name is Azazel." he told her.

"As you can see, I'm... a demon."

Al paused when he saw the mark, and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh..." he muttered.

"Erica?" he said.

"Pardon me is this is too blunt, but... what is that?" he asked pointing to the tendrils.

"Is that, like, a tattoo or something?" he asked her.

"Or is it... more...?"

"...." Al was silent, before sighing.

"I like boring." he told her.

"Regardless, nice to meet you, Erica." he said.

"Now let's get going." he suggested.

"Our first stop will be the gym and workout facilities."