Colin's posts

"A pool?" Ash asked.

"A pool." Harmony confirmed.

"Not bad at all." Ash chuckled.

"So a pool, and extra bedroom, and the actual apartment is over there." he went on.

"Interesting set-up." he commented further.

"Already, I'm impressed."

"Yes... yes, let's." Ash responded.

He'd hoped that Harmony wouldn't take Hazel's curt responses, and initial refusal to enter, as her being rude of anything. He would try to explain if he needed to, but for now, he thought it best if they just went with it.

"Let's go." he told her, as they started to head towards the stairs that led down to the apartment.

"Is the only access through the main building?" Ash asked her.

"Or is there a way that leads directly outside?"

Ash didn't have time to say anything more, before Hazel ushered him back inside, and deeper into the building. He tried to look back at her, but her insistence kept him moving forward.

And they kept moving forward, until Harmony was back in sight.

"Uh... sorry..." he apologised to her.

"There was a bit of a... thing...? I guess...?" he 'explained' confusingly. And with confusion in his tone as well.

"Anyway, you... mentioned brownies." he then said.

"I'll take one, sure." he told her. "Do... YOU want one, Hazel?" he asked Hazel.

"Wh... I... wait, what?" Ash stammered, as he watched her stand up and turn around.

When he swore he saw her eyes being turbulent, and then swore he saw lightning strikes inside them, he took an unconscious step back.

"Hazel?" he muttered.

"Hazel, what...? You just said you couldn't come in her... and now...?" he went on, shaking his head.

"Hazel, what's WRONG?" he asked her.

"If this place isn't going to work, then we'll just leave now." he told her, his frustration peaking to the point of almost getting ready to angrily cry.

"No, Hazel!" Ash almost exclaimed.

"No, I don't want you to leave." he told her.

"I want you to have a place to live. A nice place. Not a cramped place." he said further.

"I want you to just... come inside and give this place a chance." he went on, in an exasperated tone.

"...but whatever." he then mumbled, turning around.

"Guess that's not happening." he said under his breath.

Ash was now visibly frustrated. He was trying not to get angry, and succeeding, but he was still frustrated. She wasn't giving any REASONS for her refusal or behaviour, and that frustrated him.

"Ohhh, Hazel..." he groaned.

"You always say stuff like that." he told her.

"And it's getting to the point where I'm seriously starting to wonder if there's some part inside you that just wants to be difficult, or just wants to keep secrets for the sake of secrets." he admitted.

"Look, either tell me why you can't come in, or just come in." he then told her.

"Please?" he practically pleaded at the end.

"Wh... what?" Ash asked.

"You can't come in here? Why?" he asked her.

"Hazel, the whole point of coming here was to check this apartment to see if we can live here." he said. "If you can't even come into the building, then we can't live here." he reasoned.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"Why can't you come in?"

Ash was ready to take one, but then paused and looked behind him, noticing that Hazel wasn't there.

"....huh?" he muttered.

"That's... what the...?" he asked quietly.

"One second." he said to Harmony, before slowly making his way back to the front door.

"Hazel!?" he called out.

"You okay!?"

Ash approached the open door, paused a moment, and looked at Hazel briefly.

"All right... in we go." he said.

He then turned back, and stepped through the doorway, nodding to himself as he did so.

"...spacious, already." he mumbled.

"All right!" he then called back to Harmony. "Coming!" he told her.

"Nice place!" he added, walking further in.

Ash got out of the vehicle and opened the door for Hazel, who got out as well. He shut the door she got out of, as well as the one HE'D climbed out of, and sighed quietly, looking at the manor that towered above them.

"...impressive." he commented.

"And... I do love coffee." he admitted.

"So... sure, I guess." he went on.

"And then you'll show us the apartment?" he asked.

Ash DID glance back, and saw the pain, and wondered if it was her headache getting worse. However, before he could say anything, Harmony spoke up and said what she did to them.

"...all right." he replied.

He then sat back and sighed quietly to himself.

Something about this woman was eerily familiar. But what?

And she knew a LOT about him, somehow.

What on earth was happening here?

Ash looked back and forth, wondering where to sit, but when Harmony gestured for him to get in the front passenger's seat, he did so. And once he did, and they were all buckled up, his sighed and looked out the window.

"Well, we're off." he said.

'You cool with my letting some air in?" he asked.

"It's fine." Harmony responded.

"You all right back there, Hazel?" Ash then asked.

"...explains why we met HERE." Ash muttered.

"But fair enough." he said.

They spent another 20 minutes there, finishing what they had, before they decided it was time to go.

"So. The barriers." Ash said as they stepped outside.

"They prevent both ways? Or just incoming?" he asked her.

Ash looked over towards the vehicle, and nodded.

"Well, obviously, to get from where we were... I'm sure you can figure out the rest from there." he told her.

"I mean, we can get there the same way, we can catch a cab or something, or if you don't mind, we can all use your vehicle." he went on, pausing for a moment and thinking about it.

"As long as it's all right with you." he stated.

"And YOU as well, Hazel." he then added.