Colin's posts

Ashley was... stunned. He didn't know what to say for a few seconds, before shaking his head slightly.

"Ahhhh... wait, what?" he asked.

"Seriously?" he asked her.

Demitra smirk, which she continued to hold, told him everything.

"Oh... wow." he mumbled.

"Holy crap, didn't think I've ever hear THAT news." he admitted.

"How'd he react?" he asked.

"Or Aunt Racquel, even?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow.

"Eh?" he muttered.

"My opinion on Julien?" he asked, before shrugging.

"He's all right." he said.

"Seems like a good man. Crap hand in life, making the best of it." he went on.

"I like him." he continued.

"Why?" he then asked her.

"I'm on the verge of it." Ashley shrugged.

"Pretty sure the side I'll take next time is the 'tired of your crap, scram before you're thrown out' side." he growled.

"Anyway, come on in, have a seat." he offered.

She nodded and came in, shutting the door and making her way to one of the chairs, sitting down in it.

"So what's up?' he asked.

"There someone you want to fire a complaint about, seeing as it seems that's my new role here in the guild?" he asked.

"....door's open." her cousin responded, his voice a bit... ominous, and on the warning side.

When she opened the door and peered in, she saw her cousin glaring at her... before it suddenly softened.

"Oh, it's you." he said.

"Good." he said further, heaving a heavy sigh of relief.

"I have had it up to HERE with Torch and Nighthawk squabbling with each other, and always coming to ME to break it up or take sides." he told her.

"FOUR times so far today!"

He paused when she said that.

"....months, right." he said.

"Ohhhh, this is WAY to early to consider being seriously tasted, then." he commented.

"...least I know now it has the potential." he went on.

He then looked at her, and sighed quietly.

"What would you like to drink for right now?" he asked.

"I'll get it for you." he offered.

Julien was silent, but nodded.

"All right, that's fair enough." he said.

"I'll let it rest for... another week or so, before trying it again." he told her.

"But the fact that you were so positive is already encouraging." he said further.

"Thank you." he then told her.

"It's been hard to get opinions for other people in the past." he said with a light laugh, though there was a hint of sadness under it.

"Of course." Julien responded.

He then helped Racquel get into one of the comfier chairs where she could relax, before disappearing into the house. About a minute later, he came back with a bottle of mead, and a glass for her to drink it out of.

He handed her the glass and poured some gorgeous amber-coloured liquid into it, that smelled faintly of the berries that grew around their home.

"My first time making it with what grows around here." he told her.

"I think I managed to make it decent, but... well, an outsider's perspective is often more truthful." he reasoned.

"The one that made it is generally biased in one way or the other."

"That's fair." Julien replied.

"Just need to wait for her to return." he said.

"And... well, I suppose, since we haven't yet, we might as well swap tastings of each others drinks." he reasoned.

"My mead should be ready to drink." he said further.

"Should have been ready since... yesterday? I think?' he went on.

"Regardless. After that, you could probably use a drink more than ever."

"..........yes." Julien replied.

"It IS good." he said.

"If anything had happened, Demitra would have legitimately killed me." he muttered quietly.

"...and I would have let her." he sighed.

"But... we know you can stop my own net from growing too much." he then said further.

"At the very least, you can save yourself and Demitra from me."

Again, he let out a heavy, drawn-out sigh.

"...I can't argue that." he said.

"I really can't. You're right." he told her.

"I need to be able to do this." he said further.

"I need to know how to control this in order to keep it from bursting out." he went on.

"...at least YOU can overpower it." he then added.

He sighed heavily in relief when he heard that.

"Oh, thank heavens." he said, falling onto his ass.

"Thank... just thank heavens." he repeated.

"Well, as you can tell, it got away from me." he muttered.

"I tried to hold it back once it got out, but... didn't work." he went on.

"I hate it." he then growled.

He forced the mana back down, before racing towards where he'd heard Racquel drop.

"Miss Racquel!" he exclaimed.

"Are you all right!?" he asked.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it!' he cursed mentally.

"I'm so sorry!" he then apologised.

"How badly did it hurt you?" he asked her.

"Do you need medical attention?"

"...ah... ah..." Julien stammered, clearly overwhelmed now.

His mind was racing, and the thought of his bloodline's ability going nuts and taking him over frightened him... but he couldn't argue that the Fryane's rune would surely trump his own ability.

".........all right." he finally got out.

"Just... all right." he repeated.

Racquel then stepped into another room, and called for him to try it.

Upon hearing that, he stopped consciously keeping down his mana, and immediately he felt it course through him, and almost take over. A red net-like rune spread out further than he could tell, and Racquel could see it encroaching upon her quickly, though it seemed erratic, going back a little, but then spreading even further.

Julien was silent for a moment.

"...the thought of that scares me." he told her. "More than you can image." he went on, before pausing.

"Actually, scratch that last part." he said.

"You probably have a VERY good idea what I'm talking about." he murmured.

"...the thought still terrifies me, though." he admitted.

"I... suppose I can try and let it seep out..."