Colin's posts

Nate stopped for a moment, took a small breath, held it, and let it out.

"Right." he said.

"Okay then." he told her.

"If you say so." he said further.

"That... well, that just leaves two very important questions, one of which I still need to ask." he then continued.

"When?" he asked.

"And WHERE?" he asked her.

Sorry to 'butt in' here, (and while I cannot speak for anyone other than myself) but speaking as someone that absolutely loves spicy food (and at one point would pop habanero peppers... not like candy, but on a semi-regular basis), it can really make one feel alive, and to have that sensation in your mouth. That tingling, that HEAT! But yes, the hotter one goes beyond one's tolerance, the less one actually TASTES the peppers.

From a biological/chemical standpoint, the spice in hotter foods is, essentially, a pain reflex. Capsaicin makes your brain to release chemicals that make some people feel... well... buzzed, or high. And as a response, the brain releases endorphins and dopamine, making one feel... well... good.

It's why that 7th spicy chicken wing goes down a lot easier than the first one.

"Really!?" Nate exclaimed.

"Oh my god, yes!" he said.

"I'd love to get my foot in that door, so to speak." he told her.

"Even if it's just an unpaid intern, doesn't matter." he went on. "With all the free time I have not needing to go to the temp agency, I can easily fit in an internship." he reasoned.

"When is it?" he asked.

"How will I need to dress?" he asked further.

"I should probably try and get a quick haircut, mine's starting to get a bit long..." he then said, starting to fret over the little things now.

He just groaned.

"Might take you up on that." he said.

"I heard their hooting and hollering, and heard them yell 'HELL YEAH, THREE-DAY PARTY!'..." he told her.

"All because... I think it's got something to do with a holiday in Australia, which one of them is from, so they're using it as an excuse to get trashed and trash their place for days." he growled.

"So yeah, might take you up on-" he started to repeat, before pausing.

"Hold on." he said.

"Say again?" he muttered.

"My... interview?" he asked.

"Aside from last night, been okay." he replied.

"Been a while since I haven't gotten good sleep, so I've managed to stay awake during classes and lectures." he told her.

"REALLY don't want to go through that 2 nights in a row." he groaned.

"I swear I heard some furniture being destroyed." he then said.

"I'm serious. Pretty damn sure I heard a bed just shattering." he continued.

"Just... ugh. Drunken losers."

"Cafe food works for me." he replied.

"I'm in the mood for a bit of a lighter lunch, anyway." he said.

"Maybe a wrap or panini if they have them." he continued, yawning again.

"Let's go." he then said.

"So how ya doing?" he asked.

"Been a good day so far?"

After a minute or so, she heard someone approaching her. They were getting close, and then stopped closer to her.

And then they spoke. It was Nate.

"Hey." he greeted her, his tone unimpressed.

But before she could question him about it, he yawned.

Loudly.

"Sorry." he apologised.

"Got 6 hours of sleep, but it was 3 hours at a time." he told her.

"Damn drunken neighbor dorm." he growled.

"When we do lunch, let's go somewhere with espresso." he suggested with a small laugh.

"I don't know." he admitted.

"You're free to check if you like." he told her.

"I know she mentioned something about needing to see how bad their storage organisation was, but... I don't know how long she's taking with that." he admitted.

"So if you want to go check, feel free." he said further.

"Cannot guarantee anything." he then stressed.

"Want me to wait for you, so we can go home together?" he then asked her.

"Hmmm, I see." Hal responded.

"Well, he could definitely be of use to Angela." he told her.

"Seeing as you know him better than anyone else, you may want to talk to her directly about him, and set something up." he then suggested.

"Because using myself as a middle man would be... less than optimal." he muttered.

"And I generally like Angela to have more direct influence and input on who gets hired there." he went on. "The more someone gels with the medical team, the smoother things go." he reasoned.

"When is the soonest you can speak with her, you think?" he asked.

Hal paused when his daughter said what she did. He turned towards her, and sighed, before opening the door to his office again.

"Let's talk." he said.

They then went back into his office and sat down in some of the chairs.

"...he can see a person's life, huh?" he asked.

"I admit, that sounds... amazingly handy." he commented.

"But the question is... think he has the nerve to work here?" he asked.

"Like I said, I trust you." Nate replied.

"So I'll trust you on this." he finished, as Cain returned with the rest of everything.

"...wow." Nate mumbled.

"Burgers, dogs, corn... and a lot of them." he commented.

"Yup. Lunet still eats a lot!" Cain told him. "Doesn't gain a pound, either." he added with a chuckle.

"........do YOU eat?" Nate then asked Cain.

"Kind of." Cain responded. "I mean, the food that goes into me is... pretty much obliterated into nothingness. But my tongue still seems to work, so I eat because I enjoy the taste of it." he explained.

"...and you're dead." Nate then said further.

"Ah-yup." Cain confirmed.

"Suppose that explains the bluish ring I see at your collar, then." Nate went on, as Cain looked and saw that his choice of looser clothing had resulted in his true skin tone being slightly exposed.

"...woops." he mumbled.

Nate just sighed.

"Which is great. I truly appreciate that." he told her.

"It's just... you raise a LOT of questions in my mind." he said. "Being all evasive and cryptic and such." he continued.

"But I suppose that's just who you are." he mumbled.

"I'll admit, I STILL don't like the idea of machinations being put into place that highly involve me, and not knowing what the hell I'm now a part of, but as Cain said, it shouldn't be an issue, because it's you." he then went on.

"And I trust you. Implicitly and completely."

Cain paused for a moment.

"You are stealthy as hell." he said. "Sorry." he apologised.

He then looked at Nate, and raised an eyebrow.

"One sec." he told her, stepping closer towards Nate.

"Er... you okay?" he asked.

"Peachy." Nate responded. "Apparently watching as my life is planned out FOR me." he commented.

"...do you not trust Lunet?" Cain asked.

"That's not the issue at all." Nate insisted.

"Then just go with the flow and see where it takes you." Cain then suggested. "Getting worked up will just end up ruining your mood, and other such things." he reasoned.

"..." Nate was silent, before just sighing.

"Can't argue that." he admitted.

"Good." was all Cain said, before making his way back to Lunet.

"What, no, no-" Nate said, before Cain yelled back.

"Come grab stuff that isn't meat and take them to the table!" he told Lunet.

"Hold on-" Nate protested, bit Cain continued.

"Buns, condiments, and the slaw, specifically!" he told her. "And get the drink cooler over to the table!" he added.

"Wait just a-" Nate then tried to interject, before Lunet got to her feet.

"Sure thing!" she said happily.

"....." Nate was now silent, before he merely let his head fall to the table, letting it just... rest there.