Colin's posts

"Indeed." Azazel responded.

"We try to have at least a modicum of civility and humanity towards those that enter these walls." he told her.

"With some it's harder than others." he then muttered, as they entered the room in question.

"All right." Nate said.

"So you say you will heal from your physical injuries." he commented.

"And what was that about mana drain?" he asked.

Nate was silent as Vanessa said all this, before clearing his throat lightly.

"I'm sure I would have been." he responded flatly.

"She's here for a once-over, to make sure she's not going to die." Azazel told him. "Seems she has information that can help us with something." he said further.

"I see." Nate replied.

"And I am going to stay with her." Azazel then assured him. "Make sure she doesn't decide to try and make everyone around her puppets or slaves or experiments or resources or whatever." he growled.

"....this way, please." was all Nate replied with, before turning to head to an examination room.

"...." Azazel was silent as he heard that.

"That is... unnerving." he said.

He then paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes.

"And I have my suspicions as to WHY and HOW you know so much." he went on.

He then sighed, as Nate showed up, freezing when he saw Vanessa. More specifically, her aura.

"Wow..." he muttered.

"The fact that you're standing on your own power is impressive." he told her. "Though I can see you appear to be actively repairing yourself..." he continued, pausing again and looking closer.

"...in some regards..."

Azazel rolled his eyes.

"I realise that, as far as being a demon goes, yeah, I'm horrible at it." he admitted. "What can I say, I was made this way." he shrugged. "Dunno what happened in the... moulding... casting... process...? Whatever, when I was created, I came out with more of a conscience than most other demons." he said.

"And I like it that way." he told her.

"Then again, if I were made any other way, I suppose I'd be fine with THAT as well, as I'd have no other real frame of reference..." he then admitted.

"And oh yes, you ARE going there." he assured her.

'...whether or not you'll 'fit right in' is up to the boss...' he then thought, a cruel smirk playing out across his face.

"No trying to control and ruin the lives of the medical staff." he warned... before it occurred to him that there was at least one person (that was actually several persons) that would not like the fact that she was here. "...more than you already have." he added.

Azazel just growled.

"I know." he said.

"Trust me, I know." he told her.

"You've left your stain on the world." he went on.

"You've chipped the slate, smudged the paper permanently, you've spread the misery around." he continued.

"Quite frankly, you're a better demon than some demons down there." he admitted to her as they reached the medical wing.

"Sad, but true." Azazel responded.

"Also, sadly for you, the people whose lives you tried to ruin and dominate, have managed to find lives of their own." he told her.

"But then again, for all I know, you still think you own them." he shrugged.

"Or own their lives. Or their existences. Or whatever." he went on.

"I realise you think EXTREMELY highly of yourself." he continued, rolling his eyes.

"Then again... I suppose I would too, if I'd managed to make such a sweet contract with the devil." he then admitted sincerely.

Azazel could feel his blood boiling when she made her comments, but he managed to keep himself calm. For now.

"That's rich, coming from you." he said.

"You're such a shining example of your race." he commented.

"Oh wait, WHAT race?" he then asked rhetorically and pointedly.

"Sadly, your destiny is to be forgotten." he then shrugged.

"To be frank, at some point, people will have forgotten you existed, and you will disappear. Utterly."

Azari just sighed.

"I know." he replied.

"Believe me, I know." he said. "But frankly, whatever you do to us here is better than being under the control of that man." he told her.

"Something about him is... just unnerving." he muttered.

Meanwhile Azazel looked pointedly at Vanessa when she asked her question.

"Yes." he said.

"I am." he told her.

"Haven't been happier in my existence."

Vanessa and Azazel had left as well, leaving Jake to ponder her 'behind closed doors' comment.

And then to retch at the thought of it.

Meanwhile, Azari just sighed.

"Madam's complex." he said. "It's been taken over." he told her.

"Everything. Everyone. Someone wrested control from her." he continued.

"Forcibly. With stronger mind control that hers." he went on.

"She activated an emergency protocol, and... well... actually, that should be the end of that..." he then mumbled.

"I'm not sure why she's HERE..."

Azazel was silent for a moment, before clearing his throat a little.

"I may not be of this plane, but wow." he said. "That was... really something." he said further, shaking his head slightly.

"And yes, I am taking her to the medwing." he confirmed. "And she's not leaving my sight." he stressed, as Azari quickly got to his feet and nodded at Terra frantically.

"O-Of course." he stated.

"Huh." Jake muttered.

"Looks like you're NOT the be-all-end-all of his existence." he said to Vanessa. "Seems that, no matter how hard you try, you can't be a god over another elf." he shrugged, as Azazel stepped up.

"Jake, I know your comments are probably justified, but don't poke a wounded predator." the demon sighed.

Azari was shaking a little and, while Vanessa was still steadying herself on the desk, fell to the floor and started to genuinely genuflect in Terra's direction.

"..." Azazel and Jake were silent as they saw this, with Jake looking over the desk at him.

"Oh yeah." the Ramaarin said.

"Wood Elf." he remembered.

"If there's one person that can put the 'fear of God' in them, it's you." he then said to Terra, before leaning back and sighing.

"Seems THIS one..." he continued, gesturing to Vanessa. "Has some info that's relevant to our most recent out-of-town guest." he told the two that had just arrived there.

"Right then." Azazel replied.

"Which one are YOU dealing with, Miss Terra?" he asked the woman that had arrived alongside him.

Jake raised an eyebrow when she spoke the elven term.

"...god damn it all." he cursed. "I've spent too much time with you in the past." he muttered.

"Why do you say that?" Azari asked.

"...because I understood that." Jake growled.

At that point, the door opened and Azazel and Terra showed up.

Azari, seeing the latter, seemed to immediately grow frightened, the colour draining from his complexion.

The man behind the desk was silent for a moment.

He was stunned, until he actually LOOKED at the woman, before his tongue darted out, and he pressed the comm button.

"We have a code 'Soft Crimson and White'." he said into it.

"...the hell?" Azari asked.

The man just sighed and shook his head.

"Code Crimson." he said. "Vanessa Encrae is here." he told them. "SOFT Crimson. She's injured to the point of needing help." he continued. "...and White." he then said further. "Is offering assistance." he finished.

"...I see." Azari muttered.

Azari, helping her, made his way towards the building that overshadowed the parking lot, and he gritted his teeth when he saw what it was. The office-looking building... why did she come HERE?

He wasn't about ask... not right now, anyway, as they approached the doors and entered the security landing checkpoint.

"Good evening." a male behind the semi-circular desk greeted them... though he was a tad on the distracted side, as he was searching for something in one of the filing cabinets behind him.

"How can I-" he started to ask as he turned around... before freezing in place when he saw who was there.

And the two elves could see the shock, horror, and fear in his eyes.