Colin's posts

He nodded in response.

"Of course." he replied.

"That only makes sense." he told her.

He then paused for a moment, looking at her face.

"...hey." he said.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"You look like you've got something on your mind. A bit distracted." he said further.

"Everything all right?"

Sharp raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm." he mumbled.

"Let's... try 'dark and nutty'." he told her.

"Sounds like it'll have a bolder flavour that stays with you longer." he reasoned.

He then smiled a little, and laid back in the chair slightly.

"It's always exciting to try her new blends." he commented.

"One of the reasons I actually enjoy coming here to see you. Besides... your own company, yourself, of course."

Sharp paused for a moment, before clearing his throat.

"Ah yes, right. Csilla." he said. "I need to remember that that is how I am to refer to her here." he told himself.

"And some new tea blends?" he asked.

"That sounds divine!" he told her. "I'd love to try some." he said further.

He was then silent, before placing the papers he had down on her desk.

"And these are for you to review."

Sharp nodded and closed the door behind him, making his way over and sitting down in the chair across from her.

"We do, indeed." he said.

"Thankfully, it's nothing too major." he told her.

"The heaviest is continuing the negotiations regarding the lycan that attacked and killed that pair of mages, and whether he is to be tried and sentenced by the Triad or the Council." he continued.

"Other than that, things that I really don't need to be here for, but have to be because it makes them feel better." he muttered.

"Except Sydney, but she's only one voice of three." he added.

After about a half-hour of her pondering, there was a knock on her door.

"Yes?" she said.

"The liaison from the Triad is here to see you." the voice on the other side of the door replied.

"Send them in." she told them.

After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a taller, thin man of darker skin tone... but what really stood out about him was his one black eye, which directly contrasted his other eye, which was a cloudy white.

"Good afternoon, Lady Remmington." he greeted her.

Lex nodded in response.

"Thank you." he said again.

He then trudged off, his steps heavy and a little lethargic, but nothing to worrisome. For him, anyway.

But now Hollie was faced with some challenges.

She needed to tend to the remains of their former home, see if anything was salvageable, and she needed to find them a new place to live. Being with her was a temporary solution, and she knew it.

Lex and Aimee knew it as well.

But the ball needed to get rolling, soon.

Lex held onto her tighter for a moment, shaking ever-so-slightly. It was times like this that showed how much he, at least, saw her as a mother figure... even though she was more of their aunt.

Vincent had adopted them, yes, and was very much their father figure, but Hollie had been their main maternal influence in their lives after Vincent had found them.

And it showed a times like this.

He then let go and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"...I'm going to take whatever room Aimee doesn't." he told her.

"And... I think I'm just going to fall asleep when I get there." he added.

Lex could only smile as she said what she did.

"...thank you, Aunt Hollie." he said.

"So much." he added, before getting closer and hugging her.

"It means a lot to us." he told her.

"Just... thank you..." he repeated, his tone quiet.

She could hear how he just wanted to cry... probably from relief, and just the reality of what had just happened sinking in fully.

Lex just smiled in return.

"Thank you." he replied.

"You were the only one we could think of that could help us." he told her, before pausing.

"...that... we could reliably contact." he clarified.

"We know Vincent would help us, but... well..." he mumbled further, sighing at the end.

"...he's impossible to find."

Lex just sighed.

"We are." he said.

"Well, I know I am." he told her. "And by that, I mean I was out getting some fruit and vegetables at the time. When I returned, the house had been burned to cinders." he explained.

"I called out for Aimee, she called back, and I found her in the backyard." he said further.

"She seemed to be just fine." he went on.

"But she'd know better than anyone else." he added, looking at his sister.

Lex nodded in response.

"Sure." he replied.

The two of them then held hands, and disappeared in some black mana, appearing at the front door of a rather imposing... but still friendly-looking... manor. Lex then sighed, and knocked on the door loudly, so she would hear.

Assuming she was home.

"Hope she's in." he said.

"Not sure we can get through the proper Council channels to actually SPEAK to her." he admitted.

"....we really don't." Lex responded, looking at what used to be their domicile.

"The house that Vincent built for us..." he said further, trailing off a little.

"And we don't know where he is, nor do we have any way of contacting him..." he went on.

"...." he was then silent for a moment, before snapping his fingers.

"Aunt Hollie!" he exclaimed.

"She'll be able to help us!"

"....." Lex was silent again, for a longer period of time, looking at the feather she had produced.

"I..." he stammered.

"That could just be the feather of a large white bird." he said. "...is what I would believe if I couldn't feel the definite mana emanating from it." he then admitted further.

"Look, Aimee, you don't have to prove anything to me." he told her.

"However, you might not want the attention you may receive from people that... well... look down on those that believe in such things." he reasoned.

"Right now? I don't care. If it was an angel, then I'm eternally grateful they saved you. If not, I'm just still happy you're alive and seem to be all right."

"..." Lex was silent for a moment when he heard her explanation.

"An... an angel." he said.

She nodded in response.

"I... Aimee, I'm going to admit, I have... serious doubts about that." he told her. "Are you sure you didn't just... imagine it?" he asked, before pausing and thinking about it.

"But... I also know that there is a lot more to this world than there seems." he then admitted.

"Aimee, I wouldn't be... answering the question like that to others." he warned.