Colin's posts

"Just about done?" Ash asked.

"What's left?" he asked her.

'Also, she's not done yet? But she said she ate...' he then thought. '...did she take a break and eat? No... I don't see her being the sort to do that right now...' he thought further.

Was she lying to him?

"And it's okay to take a break if you need it." he assured her at the end.

Ash cringed when he heard the word 'Mistress'. It brought back SO many bad memories, and he knew that that woman that she was referring to did NOT deserve to be called that. By ANYONE.

"...I'm still a bit worried." he said.

"I don't want you being hurt while you're here." he told her.

"Or... well, I don't want you being hurt when it's avoidable." he stated.

"Seriously, don't push yourself too far while here. The chemicals looked to have burned you." he commented.

"Or at the very least, caused a reaction or irritation."

"I..." Ash stammered.

"I... okay..." he said. "Good... good to know..." he went on.

"Hazel... Hazel, your face is red. And... and I can smell the odour of chemicals on you." he continued.

"Are you... did... I mean..." he stammered further, before shaking his head.

"Are you all right? Were those chemicals too much?" he asked.

"...woah." he muttered, seeing the clean area, and smelling what she had made.

"That smells... so good..." he mumbled.

"And wow, that is clean..." he went on.

"Hazel!?" he called out.

"Thank you!" he said.

"Did you make food for yourself!?" he asked.

He shook his head.

"Firstly, I do not want you to leave." he told her.

"And... no. Don't think so." he answered.

"Most of the things I have in here that I care about are... uh... still in boxes, I think..." he then admitted sheepishly.

"Oh, I guess the boxes I have piled up in the corners then." he realised.

"..." again, Ash was silent, and could only stare at her dumbfoundedly.

'All right, cool. Just ignore my question again.' he thought angrily, as he walking over to one of the comfier chairs and sat down in it. 'Every single time. I ask about it, she doesn't answer.' he went on.

'Before? I can see that. But she seems to have a lot more of her wherewithal again. Why is she ignoring me AGAIN!?' he mentally yelled.

Before pausing and thinking.

'Is it a sore spot...?' he then asked himself. '...maybe I'm bringing back bad memories by asking...?' he wondered, shaking his head slightly.

"Do you have anywhere to go?" he asked her.

"If not, you are more than welcome to stay with me." he offered.

"Huh. I see." he replied.

"Well... I suppose, right now, a good stew would be good for the both of us." he admitted.

"I have everything needed for it... though the only meat I have right now is some razorhoof deer." he went on. "If you're all right eating some of that, then make some up for the both of us." he offered.

"...oh, also, question." he went on.

"What is up with your blindfold? The one you were wearing the other day." he asked.

He paused again, taking in her question.

"Ah..." he stammered.

"Well, I mean, I could eat, yes." he told her. "You should probably make food up for YOURSELF, too." he went on.

"...wait." he then said.

"Wait, you can cook?" he asked her.

He had to admit, even though he was taken aback by her comment on the state of his kitchen... the fact that she'd said it at ALL was a MAJOR step forward. He then looked at his kitchen area... and hung his head a little.

"I... won't deny that..." he admitted.

"All right, if you could help me by cleaning it, that'd be grand." he told her.

And already, he was making mental plans about her future... especially if she were to continue to stay with him. He guessed she had nowhere to go, and this place was so tiny.

"Are you feeling hungry, by the way?" he asked.

He was silent again for another moment, and then sighed quietly.

"Ah... well... hm." he mumbled, looking around his apartment.

"At the moment, all that needs to be done is the laundry in the basket, and I suppose cleanup of the kitchenette area." he told her.

"You got a preference?" he asked.

"I'll do one, you do the other?"

He looked over towards her, and, while he didn't like the flat, devoid tone she had... he had to admit that it sounded a LOT better than before.

'...Miss Syraene really is a miracle worker at times...' he thought.

"Hey." he responded.

"So... ah, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better than before, I hope?" he said further.

"...fair." he responded.

"I'll leave, then. Let you get on with it." he told her.

And so he did. He left his place and tried his best to occupy his time and distract himself... though he was always keeping tabs on the time, almost counting the minutes down before he could return.

And he did return after an hour. On the dot. He made his way back and slowly opened the door.

"Hello?" he said, poking his head in, and then stepping inside, closing the door behind him.

He nodded in response.

"All right." he said.

"...an hour, huh?" he then asked.

"Tell me." he muttered. "What will I be returning to?" he asked her.

"Will you still be here? Will Hazel be awake or unconscious again?" he asked further.

"Just so I know what to expect."

He paused for a moment, thinking about it.

"Ah... barricaded?" he asked. "Eh-heh... not... not very." he admitted. "Admittedly, it's not been a thing that I've been concerning myself with, as I have my OWN mana under control, and I wasn't expecting this sort of situation." he sighed.

"So... I guess I SHOULD clear out." he concluded.

"I suppose just... find me when you've done all you can?" he then said with a shrug.

"...and also, thank you for coming to help Hazel." he added quietly.