Colin's posts

Ty shook his head.

"Whatever." he said.

"I just need-" he started to say, before the two of them felt something... pulse... from within him. The glyph in his eye became a little more pronounced... before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed forward, with Anya catching him.

It seemed like everything that had happened, and was happening, was finally too much for him, and this was just the final straw.

He couldn't keep going.

"..." Ty was silent again, before shaking his head.

"SSE." he told her.

"Feel like... 15 miles out." he went on.

"I'm going there now." he then told her. "The closer I get to it, the more I'll be able to hone in on it."

Ty started to enter the home, and was about to respond, when Anya suddenly saw him stop. And he fell heavily against the closest wall... clutching at himself. And by that, he was grabbing at his sides, like he was in pain.

"AH!" he exclaimed.

"What the he-" he started to ask, before freezing.

And Anya then saw a faint glyph-like pattern glowing in his eyes.

"...a Lazarus Pit." Ty whispered. "...one's been activated. And it's close." he said further.

"Excellent." one replied. "Once it's done, we'll throw her in." they said.

"...how do we know if it's made right?" another asked.

"We don't." was the response.

"We just toss her in and hope for the best." they said, almost flippantly.

---

Ty just shook his head and made his way back to Anya and Jake's home, knocking on the door. When Anya answered, he looked at her.

"Find anything?" he asked.

"Because my street searches have been turning up NOTHING."

"But she's an adult." the first one countered. "Didn't we need a tormented child for it?" he asked.

"A child is best. However, no other candidates have been found to be more suitable." the second one replied. "Yes, she's moved on and seems to have a better life... which crimps things, admittedly, but we can work around it." they went on.

"We will teach her suffering. Again and again." they chuckled.

"We just need to wait for her... bath... to be prepared."

"Right." Jake responded.

He then stepped out of the area, shook his head, took out his phone, and started dialing.

Meanwhile, Lunet found herself in complete darkness without her visor. She was locked in a small room somewhere, but could hear voices on the other side of the locked door.

"...you sure it's her?" one asked.

"Positive." the other one responded.

"She's the one that was perfect. We'll make her perfect again."

"...hm. I see." Jake replied, watching the spiders skitter into the shadows.

"Man. Anyone with arachnophobia would literally DIE of fright here." he mumbled.

"Anyway, I'm going to get into contact with some people I know." he told her.

"See if anyone's seen anything." he reasoned.

"...here's to hoping we find SOMETHING."

Ty nodded as she said that, and left the house, with Jake following Anya.

"Hey." he said to her.

"...about Hal." he mumbled.

"You seem to know what happened." he commented.

"What are the chances of him surviving this?" he asked her.

Ty didn't hesitate. He took and ring and placed it on one of his fingers. And almost instantly, Anya and Jake saw him become... calmer, and more focused. He looked ready and determined now.

"Right." he said.

"I need to keep looking." he told them.

"Thank you." he then said to Anya, gesturing to the ring that was now on HIS finger.

"I'll return this as soon as everything's solved."

"....damn it." Jake growled.

"Now not only is Lunet missing, Hal's on a damn timer." he muttered.

Ty... was not happy now.

Anya could see it in his eyes. He was angry, worried, concerned, almost panicking... and it was understandable. He cared about Lunet immensely, and she knew it. And now his best friend faced the real possibility of... disappearing.

It seemed his entire world... or the biggest parts of it... were crashing down around him.

Ty shook his head.

"No." he said.

"I just... I need to find her." he told them. "I don't know what's happened to her, but it can't be good, and I need to find her and make sure she's safe again." he said further.

Jake was silent, before nodding his head.

"I know." he said. "And Anya and I will do EVERYTHING we can to help you find her." he told him, before pausing.

"...the HELL happened with Hal, though...?" he then wondered aloud.

Ty was silent, before taking a small breath. He then proceeded to explain where he was going to meet Lunet, how she had not been there when he arrived, but had been there before, and how her bag had been left behind. With the visor.

"...did you ask Hal for help?" Jake asked.

"I did." Ty responded, before telling them what had apparently happened THEN.

"...good lord." Jake muttered.

"I need to get in contact with some of the street lizards I know." he commented.

Ty nodded, and the two of them made their way into the room where she had been. He didn't even seem to care about the spiders all around, either. Normally he had SOME kind of reaction, but none right now.

The other male in the house came into the room a few seconds, later, and raised an eyebrow as he wiped his hands with a wet towel.

"Ty?" he addressed their guest. "What's going on?" he asked.

"....Lunet's missing." Ty responded.

The man froze when he heard that.

"....what." he said bluntly.

Ty stepped inside, and then shook his head.

"No." he said.

"No, the LAST thing I need right now is alcohol." he told her.

And this was something that was shocking for him. Yes, she knew that he'd stopped becoming an alcoholic, and had quit the drink ever since he gained guardianship of Lunet, but when she became a teenager, he allowed himself a little. And then a little more. And he started drinking like a responsible adult.

However, he had never just flat-out refused a shot so quickly. There was usually some deliberation, even if short, before he either accepted or rejected.

But this was instantaneous.