Colin's posts

Hal just sighed.

"I'm not saying your sister is guilty." he told her.

"The fact that she came to you and..." he started to say further, before realising who this Marc may be. "...to you and Marcus..." he went on, taking a bit of a shot in the dark. "...and how she shooed Levi away when she saw what had happened with the gem is already saying a lot for her." he assured her.

"We don't intend to take her in or persecute her for things that aren't her fault." he went on.

"That's not what we do." he said.

"...I can testify to her being genuinely shocked and concerned about the presence of the gem." Levi interjected.

"Gems?" Levi asked, before shaking his head.

"A-anyway, yeah. Yeah, I did." he said. "I went to pick up an order for Ally, and while I was there, I was going to buy a book from the place." he told them. "When I got it, I saw a weird blue gem that looked like a sapphire, and figured it was supposed to be where the jewelry was." he went on. "When I picked it up, it seemed to just shatter and disappear and dissolve, so I thought I broke it." he continued.

"But the woman there said she didn't know what it was, and then said that... well, as a first-time customer deal, or because Ally's order was decently priced, I could take the book as a gift of sorts, and... well, looking back on it, it seemed like she really just wanted me to leave." he finished.

"Possibly to investigate the gems." Hal commented, before looking back at Jasmine.

"It DOES seem like your sister is complicit in this, though her willingness is suspect." he concluded.

"I'm so sorry." Levi apologised again.

"All right, all right." Hal said. "Now what's this about an attack?" he asked.

"I... something foreign entered my body." Levi responded, remembering why he was there in the first place. "I've always been a... well, a scared, nervous, paranoid person. But ever since finding this place and the people within, I've been getting better at it." he continued. "However... recently... it seemed like something entered my body and was forcing that part of me to come out to the surface, and... amplify it." he went on.

Hal just narrowed his eyes as he heard that.

"It got to the point where I was starting to freak out over anything and everything, but... they stepped in and essentially cleansed my body of it, ridding me of whatever it was." Levi then said.

"Hence the incident a few days ago." Hal commented.

"Yeah..." Levi confirmed.

Hal then looked at Jasmine, allowing her to have any sort of commentary, if she had anything to say.

Levi just sighed and nodded.

"Yeah." he replied.

"A damn good one." Hal commented. "One of the most talented we've seen." he said further.

"Always been this way, from what I remember." Levi then told her.

"And yeah... it's... it clear you know how good of a one I am." he then murmured, looking away from her a little.

"But... well... I deal. I cope."

Hal just sighed quietly.

"Best HE explain it." he said, before buzzing the receptionist.

"Send him in." he told her.

About 10 seconds later, the door was opened, and Levi poked his head in reluctantly, hesitantly.

"It's fine now." Hal assured him. "Come in and sit down." he said.

Levi did so, shutting the door behind him, and looked at Jasmine.

"S-sorry if you heard them..." he apologised.

Hal looked over towards the receptionist for a moment, then towards Jasmine, and after a few seconds, he seemed to start piecing some things together.

"Shut the door." he told the receptionist.

"Tell him I'll buzz him in a minute." he told her.

She nodded and just as she was about to shut the door, Levi forced his head in.

"Sir, we may be under some kind of attack!" he declared.

"Levi, please!" Hal responded sharply, gesturing to Jasmine. Levi was silent for a second, before looking EXTREMELY guilty and withdrawing, allowing the receptionist to close the door.

Hal then reached into a desk drawer and withdrew a pair of strange looking earplugs.

"Put these in. Now." he told Jasmine, handing them to her.

"...I see." Hal mumbled.

"That is... disturbing." he said.

"I certainly hope that she is... well, being dealt with, if necessary." he commented, before looking at her oddly.

"Also, are you all right?" he asked.

"You seem... confused and distracted." he commented.

Hal shook his head.

"Well, you would have attacked me, but... I assure you, you would not have killed me." he told her.

"Not unless that blade has MUCH more to it than meets the eye..." he added, looking at the embedded blade.

"Please, take a seat and regain your composure." he offered.

"Also... your sister...?" he then asked her. "What, prey-tell, does your sister have to do with this?" he asked further.

Jasmine accepted the offer and sat in the chair, meaning to get the blade when she was feeling more stable, but before she could say anything more, she started to hear... something.

Something that chilled her and unnerved her... but she couldn't even make out, or understand or comprehend.

"...." Hal was silent, before setting the metallic box onto the desk.

"Put them in there." he told her.

"Because I am having a VERY hard time not making you a literal plaything for my whims." he said darkly.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes, but dropped the bag into the box, and when Hal closed the lid on it, they both felt a sudden rush of clarity. Hal slumped forwards a little, and heaved a heavy sigh.

"That... was unpleasant, to say the least." he muttered.

"I apologise for my previous potentially threatening statement."

Hal was silent again, before nodding.

"Yes." he said.

"I do." he told her, before turning his back to her and searching for a suitable containment unit.

As he did, though, he could feel his... latent urges... threatening to come forth. It seemed like he wanted so desperately to say something to her. Something... that he knew he'd regret.

So he bit his tongue, and focused on the search.

Hal was immediately taken aback by the gem... because he could feel what it did. Even from over there, he was sensitive to what that thing could do. Or perhaps it was just the aggregation of a bunch of them together that was doing it. He'd guessed it was that.

"...hello." he responded.

"And... yes, I can certainly tell that those are... not to be messed with lightly." he commented.

"I get the feeling these will explain why some of my agents have been acted the way they have been." he went on.

"Thank you for bringing them." he said to her, before thinking about it.

"How did you find these? Or come into the information that these are the culprit?" he asked.

Tyson nodded in response.

"It is." he told her.

"See ya." he said.

"See ya." Jasmine responded with a smile, before Tyson parted ways with her.

After a few seconds, and the receptionist buzzing the man behind the office door, she looked to Jasmine and nodded.

"Agent Sharp's waiting for you." she told her.

"Please go in."

"Huh, I see." Tyson responded.

"Well, fair enough." he said.

"We thank you for your help." he told her further, sighing.

"We can use all the help we can get." he mumbled.

"Some of our agents are going nuts, it seems." he growled.

"....what you are." Ty mumbled.

"...ah!" he then said.

"Well, don't worry TOO much about it." he told her. "We're a hunter-friendly place, as long as the hunter means no harm to us." he assured her.

"And yes, Agent Sharp IS quite the capable individual." he confirmed, before looking at the satchel again.

"Why are you here, anyway?" he asked.

"You're a new face. I've met a few hunters in the past, but you're certainly new to me." he commented.