Colin's posts

"...heh." Nate chuckled after a moment.

"Sure thing." he said. "Sounds like a plan." he told her.

"Ring him up and tell him I'm down for that." he said further.

"...also, one your only friends?" he asked.

"I... huh." he mumbled.

"Always figured someone as nice and awesome as you had plenty of friends." he admitted.

"......" Nate was silent for a moment.

"I can wait until dinner to satisfy my burger craving." he told her.

"Why?" he asked.

"What are you thinking?" he asked her.

"You know of a better place to get them?" he asked further.

She could tell his interest and curiosity were thoroughly peaked now.

Nate thought for a moment.

"....burgers." he said.

"I feel like having some juicy burgers." he told her.

"Like from that stand that's about 5 minutes away." he continued.

"How about you?" he asked.

"Could you find something from there as well?"

"Love you too, Lunet." Hal responded.

He then left her in the room, making his way up the stairs, thinking about the wallet he'd left.

"...was there 600 or 700 in there...?" he wondered, having gone to the bank himself previously, and withdrawn some money to have on hand for the future. He then shrugged slightly.

"No matter." he said.

"It's going to a better use anyway." he reasoned with a smile.

He then yawned, and shook his head slightly.

"...either my own mana works better than I thought, or I really AM tired..." he finished, vowing to make it to his room at least, before he potentially passed out on the floor and called THAT a good sleeping spot.

Hal looked over towards her, and smirked as well.

"Dear, you know as well as I do that djinn magic is severely dampened on the djinn that's casting it." he told her.

"However, this shouldn't be a problem." he then added.

"Thank you." he said further.

He then snapped his fingers, before digging out his wallet.

"Here." he went on, tossing it onto the coffee table in the middle of the room.

"Use whatever you want out of that to get something delivered for yourself for dinner." he told her. "And then take whatever's left, and give it to your friend to help him out." he added.

"Just make sure to bring my wallet back up to my room and just toss it on my dresser." he finished.

"...right. You did." Hal growled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Damn it all." he said.

"I'm more tired than I thought." he continued.

"Anyway, sorry for the sudden grilling, but... I just needed answers." he then told her.

"And sorry to make you repeat yourself." he apologised, standing up.

"I'm going to go lie down in bed." he then said further.

"If I end up falling asleep, don't wake me up." he went on. "Just get something delivered for yourself, okay?" he asked.

"Love you, sweetie."

"...." Hal was silent for a moment, before sighing.

"Perhaps." he said.

"Does he know of the mage and mana world?" he asked.

"...I don't know, admittedly." Lunet responded.

"Well, if he doesn't, then a job with Angela at the Unit will be... difficult, to say the least, as I'm sure you're aware." her father replied. "Plenty of non-humans visit that area on a daily basis." he elaborated further.

"So until we know if that's a factor or not, he's just a solid '...eh, maybe'..." he sighed.

"No, no." Hal responded.

"Things with your mother are just fine." he assured her.

"It's work. The medical wing, specifically." he told her.

"Angela desperately needs some new staff there, and while it's in the budget, the applications I'm getting just won't do." he continued.

"Either they're qualified, but are unaware of the mage world, which just won't work... or they're severely underqualified, and will end up making things WORSE for her." he lamented.

"It's stressing ME out now." he admitted.

"And I can't find a decent workaround."

"....." Hal was silent, before sighing heavily.

"No." he said.

"It would not behoove me... as one that has routinely stated that my organization helps those who cannot help themselves, and are desperately trying to... to stop YOU from... well... putting what I preach and practice... into your OWN practice." he admitted.

"And... it's not like the account is in ANY kind of risk for being emptied or anything like that." he then reasoned. "Some smart investing, as well as payments from the odd jobs you do for me have seen to that." he went on.

"I was just worried that this was some kind of weird... I dunno, I just got worried that some not-so-nice things were happening with you." he admitted.

"I'm sorry." he apologised.

"I think it's because I've been generally a little stressed these past couple of weeks." he told her.

"..........." Hal was silent as he heard the explanation.

"I... ah..." he stammered.

"Well then. That answers my question." he said. "Now... for a new question that has now just come to mind." he went on, but Lunet just sighed.

"Why." she said.

"Yes, why!" Hal exclaimed, before composing himself and clearing his throat.

"Sorry." he apologised.

"But I'm serious with that." he told her. "What do you mean he can't do it himself? And that would explain the rise in lunch costs, but the spare money as well? Does he not have food for himself?" he asked her.

"How is he not capable of looking after himself, Lunet?" he asked further. She heard the irritation in his tone, but it was overshadowed by confusion, and... what she could only assume was concern. Most likely he was either concerned for this person overall, or... maybe he was worried she was being taken advantage of.

It had happened in the past with that double-crossing dev team for AoD.

"Well, these papers... okay, most of them aren't relevant here." her father admitted.

"This is just the mail." he told her.

"Mostly stuff you needn't be concerned about." he assured her.

"However... there IS one that has intrigued me." he then said further.

"The most recent bank statement for our joint bank account." he went on. "Even though it is technically YOURS, and I'm on it just for an added security measure... though at this point, as an adult, you don't really need it... I still have access to its records, and have the legal right to open mail relating to it. Which I usually do, as it's just easier for me to read it and file it away." he explained.

"Nothing ever changes in it, anyway." he shrugged. "UNTIL recently." he suddenly declared.

"Seems your lunch expenses have... practically quadrupled on average over the past month." he commented. "And I've noticed several additional withdrawals for... sizable amounts, to put it one way." he went on.

"Care to explain where all this extra money is going?" he asked.

"You're long past your teenage phase of being a bottomless pit. So what is going on, young lady?"

"No, no." her father replied.

"That won't be necessary." he told her.

"...I mean, if you want to get the visor, go ahead." he then went on. "Your own personal preference at this point." he reasoned.

"And it was in the kitchen." he continued.

"But I moved it out of the way, to a place where there wouldn't be as much water." he informed her.

"More specifically, the... dining room table." he then mumbled. "Yes, I set them there with the intent of taking them up to your room, but got distracted. So they should be there if you wish to grab it."

After a few seconds of silence, she heard him.

"In the den!" he called back.

"Could you come here, please?" he asked.

"I wish to discuss something with you!" he added.

In the den, he was sifting through some papers... and grimacing a bit.

But also finding what he saw confusing and concerning.

He caught the envelope, and looked into it... pausing for a moment.

"...really??" he asked.

"There's... there has to be at least 3 hundred in here." he told her.

"Are... are you sure?" he asked her, before pausing.

"Of course you're sure." he said.

"I should know by now." he reasoned with a small laugh.

"But thank you... so much." he told her sincerely.