Colin's posts

"...ah..." Ash stammered.

"Well, about that..." he mumbled.

"I... well..." he said further, before pausing and shaking his head.

"Right. I need to... tell you something. AND Lindsay something." he went on, before they heard footsteps coming their way.

"Crap, you may need to hide." he whispered.

"As you said, a lot of people don't like you..."

"...yeah... I... I felt that." Ash responded.

"Just... yeah. I could feel that inside you." he told her.

"And... we." he then mumbled.

"So you and Lindsay." he said further.

"It... well, I'm amazed that you haven't gone nuts and just offed him yet, if he's being as much of a pain as you say." he went on.

"Because I can tell. You've changed."

"....Lindsay?" Ash asked.

"Lindsay's there?" he asked her.

"I... just... again, that makes sense." he then sighed. "That's probably what I forgot as well when I made the wish." he muttered.

"Also... I... I see." he then went on, addressing her commented.

"So he's... being a pain." he went on, biting his lip. "And I'll get a MASSIVE power boost?" he asked her further.

"That sounds... kinda ominous."

"..." again, Ash was stunned for a moment, before he nodded, and the two of them quickly made their way inside, mostly so that they weren't drawn to the place by her mana.

"That explains why I felt the nagging voice in my head, telling me not to wish for anything in specific to where you were and such..." he admitted.

"And that DOES sound like something I'd do." he went on.

"Sorry." he apologised with a shrug.

"But... how are you doing down there?" he asked.

"Is it at least productive?"

"..." Ash was stunned for a moment, taking in what had just happened, what he had just felt.

"I..." he stammered.

"...wow." he managed to get out. "Just... wow." he said.

"So THAT'S what happens when you spend time so close to a nexus for... uh... well... actually I don't know for how long." he then admitted.

"How long HAVE you been down there?" he asked her.

"And why were you hiding from me, Alice?" he asked further. "We're family." he reasoned.

"...I... I had no intention of doing so..." Ryker admitted.

"I mean... I was... when I..." he started to say further, before stopping and thinking about it.

"Actually, I don't know what I was doing, coming in here." he sighed. "I just... was angry. At myself. And just stormed off in here for... reasons." he went on.

"...though I might be able to guess why. On a subconscious level, anyway..." he then said further.

"Regardless... I'm sorry." he apologised.

"But Eke? I appreciate the sentiment, you're the only family I have, too... but don't forget, you have other family as well. It's not just you and me any longer." he reminded him with a smile.

"You have Savra as well, now."

Ash didn't say anything at first.

In fact, he didn't say anything at all.

The next thing Alice knew, Ash had his arms wrapped around her, and he was holding her close to him in a hug.

"...I never knew you were here all this time..." he whispered.

"I'm so happy to see you again." he told her.

"I've missed you SO much, Alice..."

A few seconds later, she felt him behind her.

RIGHT behind her.

Walking in step and hovering around her, essentially.

"Explains why you can use that dodge. I taught you that." he remembered.

"And Kimmy was feeling under the weather, high fever and such, so I stepped up and took her shift." he then explained.

"So what's this work? Why are you coming HERE? What's going ON, Alice?" he asked her.

"...what the...?" Ash muttered, clearly confused.

He knew that maneuver. But how did THIS person know?

He used the same move, and was in their way again.

"Answer me." he demanded.

"Otherwise I will treat you as an enemy, and attack you as such." he warned.

"Last chance. Who ARE you?"

"You're welcome." Ash responded with a smile.

-A few days later-

Ash sat atop the roof of the building, surveying the area, before his eyes halted upon a shadowy figure approaching the Council. He narrowed his eyes as he saw this, before readying himself, and jumping off from the building, landing in front of the figure.

"Halt." he demanded.

"Friend or foe?" he asked, ready to fight if need be.

Ash shook his head.

"That's just who he is." he said.

"He gets so absorbed in his work, he forgets everything else." he laughed.

"...a shame his work went from 'filing paperwork and keeping an organisation running' to 'being a living decoy for mana-hungry monstrosities'..." he then mumbled, sadness in his tone.

"At least you know now." he reasoned.

"If you want, whenever you're here again, I can keep making that wish just so you know. Like an update system." he then offered.

Before Ryker had a chance to say anything, he noticed Eke was gasping and coughing. And he knew that was from the sudden exertion that he'd done to catch up.

And he felt guilty.

Immediately, he got Eke to a laying-down position, putting his head in his lap so it was elevated, and raising Eke's knees up.

"Just breathe." he said.

"Don't worry about anything else right now. Just breathe."

Ash nodded in response.

"That would be great." he agreed.

"For everyone." he said.

"But now you have peace of mind, at least." he then reasoned.

"Good to hear that Hal's still fighting the good fight, too."

When Ryker looked back at Eke, the young dragon saw that his brother's eyes were filled with anger... and there was a darkness behind them. However, almost instantly, it seemed to disappear, and the anger turned to sadness. Sadness and regret.

He was silent for another moment... before he gritted his teeth, tears welling up in his eyes... as he bit his bottom lip.

"...I'm sorry." he whispered.

"I didn't want you to worry. This is just something that's happening. It's just a change..." he told him.

"...I'm sorry..." he repeated, falling to his knees and hanging his head.

"I'm sorry..."