Colin's posts

"Hazel!" Chris exclaimed.

"Wait!" he said.

"Don't! Don't kill him!" he told her, approaching.

"...let me do it?" he asked.

"Please?" he asked further.

"This garbage has done something inexcusable." he told her.

"Something I want to take revenge on him for. For myself... and for HER."

Chris nodded.

"I wish for everyone in here fighting against Vanessa and her cronies to receive a boost. An advantage." he told her.

"Whether it's power, speed, whatever. I want them to be able to defeat them all." he said further.

He then paused for a moment, before narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, uh... and if possible, bring the one known as Azari here. To me." he told her.

"And... well, Hazel as well, as she's fighting him." he added.

"...." Chris was silent for a moment.

"Oh, wait." he said.

"Right." he muttered.

"Uh... I wish for you to have... your personality back?" he then said, confusedly.

"I don't want you to be a mindless slave. I wish for your attitude, your personality, to come forth, so you are little more than a wish slave." he went on. It wasn't outright wishing for her freedom, mostly because he wasn't really thinking clearly at the moment.

Too much panic and adrenaline.

"..." Chris was silent, before sighing.

There was so much he could wish for right now, but just having this crimped Vanessa so much.

And gave him so much power. So much power, his imagination started to run wild.

But he then shook his head and mentally slapped himself.

"I wish any advantages Vanessa wished on herself and her followers, gone!" he wished.

"And I wish for you to be... the way you were BEFORE Vanessa got her hands on you." he added.

Azari started to panic a little, and felt himself desperately wishing to escape... but he had no voice. He couldn't call out. Vanessa had given him temporary rights to the djinn and her wishes, but he was unable to bring forth the voice to command her, to yell out so she could hear him.

Chris, meanwhile, ran past everyone.

Past Ash, past Jake, past everybody. He even was about to run past Vanessa's office, when he halted to a stop and then ducked in.

He looked around inside, before running to a safe in the corner of the office, looking at the electronic lock.

"..." he was silent, before sighing, and nodding.

"It's one of three things." he said to himself.

He tried the first one. Nothing. That meant she'd changed it. So he tried what it could be next. Nothing, and a warning of an auto lockout if the next one was wrong, too. He bit his lip, braced himself, and tried the third one...

...to watch the lights turn green, and to hear the door pop open.

He swung the door open and reached inside, finding a small ornate jewelry box. He took it out, before holding it up in his arms.

"Come to me!" he exclaimed.

Hal paused.

"Time rewinding is something that it takes a VERY strong djinn to do." he warned... before smirking. "Thankfully, I qualify." he said.

"However, I can't do it very much." he went on. "20 minutes, max." he said further.

"But... here goes." he finished, before snapping his fingers.

- - -

Azari knocked Hazel to the side, before glaring at Chris.

"You really think we wouldn't be bolstered and prepared for your arrival?" he hissed. "Now all of you will-" he started to say further, before pausing and looking around.

"...why am I getting a sense of déjà vu?" he muttered. "I feel like we've been here before, have we been here before?" he then asked Chris, who seemed to have some sort of flash of inspiration.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, before reaching his hand out and stopping time in Azari's heart for a few seconds... which was enough to cause the wood elf to collapse onto the floor in pain.

"Hazel!" Chris said to the woman.

"I know what I can do to save us, but I'll need to leave this room and find something! Will you be okay?" he asked her.

Hal raised an eyebrow.

"Generally speaking, interactions between djinn are... walled off." he told her.

"Which is to say, I cannot interfere with another djinn, and they cannot affect me." he went on.

"..." he was then silent, before thinking about it.

"HOWEVER, I believe we CAN affect each other's containers. Under specific circumstances." he told her.

"If I djinn wants their container to be found, it will be found. Even if someone else has to wish for someone to find it." he said further.

"Done." Hal responded.

He then snapped his fingers, and Angela's mind was, once again, filled with information.

At first, there seemed to be a barrier, but it was clear that Hal was stronger than it now, and she immediately learned everything about the djinn that Vanessa had under her command.

Name, history, previous masters, favourite colour, likes, dislikes, even the most minute detail was laid out before her.

And it was almost a bit overwhelming.

Hal nodded.

"Your wi-" he started to say, before catching himself.

"Done." he said.

He then snapped his fingers, and Angela was flooded with information... but it all organised itself in a helpful way for her.

She learned that if Hal knew about the djinn under Vanessa's control, and the djinn was not happy with their situation, then the connection to their master was severely weakened.

And anyone that possessed the 'container' of the djinn would have the simplest of times severing that connection.

"Angela." Hal said.

"I'm FINE." he told her.

"No, I don't like being under someone's beck and call, or direct command, or whatever. I can't shake the feeling of being a slave, even though I know I'm not. Not really. Not with YOU, anyway." he said further.

"But other than that, I'm fine. Really." he went on.

"Your earlier wishes helped immensely with that." he assured her.

When she got there, she saw Hal at the desk... and his hand was covering his eyes, as he rubbed them.

"Ngh." he grunted.

"I hate that." he said.

"My personality was there, but it couldn't get past the shell of subservience." he muttered further.

"Anyway." he then said with a small sigh.

"I see you got what you went for." he went on.

"Good."

"..." Hal was silent for a moment on the other side.

"I am not." he replied.

"Not yet." he then clarified. "I will be by the time you return, Master." he told her, his tone and words almost like a dagger through her heart.

"And I do." he confirmed.

"It is in the same place, activated the same way."

He snapped his fingers, and the next thing she knew, she was in his home. In his bedroom.

She quickly pushed the bed aside, and felt around, before finding the little hole she was looking for. Sticking her pinky finger into it, she was able to lift the board up, revealing a small chest.

And she knew what was inside.

She lifted the chest up and opened it... revealing a small ornate bejeweled bottle inside.

And as soon as she picked it up... she felt it. The contract had been made, and she could feel the connection between her and Hal... though it felt more like her holding a leash, if she were to be honest.

"I... no." Hal said quietly, defeatedly.

"I can't do anything." he told her.

"My power is... too... low..." he went on, before looking at her.

And she looked at him.

Even though her eyes were guilt-laden, he spoke first.

"You remember where it is?" he asked her.

"If so, make the wish, and you'll be at it." he told her, lifting his hand, ready to snap his fingers.