Colin's posts

"I... hm." Nate muttered.

"I mean... well, it's like... I guess when you can't..." he stumbled over his words, before sighing.

"Right." he said.

"Before I potentially REALLY stick my foot in my mouth..." he mumbled further, sighing once more.

"Question." he said further.

"...how... how blind ARE you?" he asked.

"And feel free to... hit me or whatever if that's too personal." he added quietly.

Nate chuckled in response.

"I mean, it'd sure as heck would be handy, I admit." he said.

"Be quicker than a combination lock, too." he reasoned.

"And I can well imagine." he continued.

"I'd imagine that if it were a mess and disorderly, everything would... well, blend together, I guess?" he went on.

"If you know what I mean?" he then said further.

"I have trouble phrasing things sometimes." he admitted.

"...oh, wow!" Nate exclaimed lightly.

"That is really neat." he said. "Seriously, that is a really cool lock." he told her. "And I bet it DOES come in handy. Lets you get in easily, and keeps others out more efficiently." he reasoned.

He then looked over to her locked, and raised an eyebrow.

"Also..." he mumbled.

"Your locker is... really REALLY clean." he commented.

"Seriously, it's... pretty amazing." he went on.

"I've never seen one so orderly and clean."

She may have been blind, but that didn't mean she wasn't perceptive.

Nate was, in fact, blushing. His face was a notable red, and he found himself with the inability to speak.

However, he cleared his throat (several times), and managed to lead Lunet to where her locker was. Once they were there, he stopped and made sure she was facing the locker.

"We're here." he said.

He then looked closely at the lock.

'Is there braille on it, or something...?' he wondered.

"Oh!" he said, before nodding slightly.

"Right." he told her. "Sure thing." he said further.

"...oh, and, uh, I'm Nathan." he then introduced himself, realising he hadn't properly done so before. "My friends call me 'Nate'." he continued. "Or, well, the closest I HAVE to friends, anyway." he muttered.

"But anyway, yeah, let's get going." he suggested, before starting to walk off... and then pausing.

"Er..." he muttered.

"Need a hand getting there?" he asked, stepping closer and seeing if she needed to put her hand on his shoulder or anything.

"Huh?" Nate mumbled.

"Oh... o-oh, okay then." he then stammered.

"And... and all right, sure." he said further, looking at the cane.

"I... uh..." he then started to say further, before sighing again.

"I can pay to replace that or repair that." he told her.

"It's clear you need it." he said further.

"And the collision I caused broke it." he lamented.

He just sighed.

"I just gotta get to my next class." he told her.

"I've been late several times this month already, it wouldn't look good for me to make it a predictable trend." he said further.

"And Mrs. Gardens is a really nice and patient professor. I don't want to let her down." he lamented.

She knew that name.

In fact, she had that very same professor for the very same Language class he was talking about.

Which made it even MORE surprising that he was so panicked about getting there on time, considering hr class started 5 minutes later than other classes because she was so nice about late students.

But it also made the fact that he'd been late to her class a few times this month even MORE concerning.

The one that had run into her now seemed to see that it was even WORSE that he ran into her, if that cane was anything to go by.

And his face paled a little.

"Don't... don't worry about me." he said.

"I'm SO sorry." he apologised profusely. "I... I should have been paying more attention to where I was going." he then admitted, shaking his head, guilt welling up in his conscience.

"Here, let me help." he then offered, gathering everything around that wasn't his... and should therefore be hers. Well, he was gathering what the young lady seemed to be missing.

"Again, I'm so very sorry." he apologised again.

"You're not hurt, are you?" he asked her.

He was silent for a moment, his mind in a bit of a daze, before a hand was placed on his shoulder, gently shaking him.

"...ude. Dude, come on." the one that owned the hand said. "Quit spacin' out and come on. You don't wanna get into trouble for lingering after class and missing another lecture." they said.

"Huh Wha!?" the one they were shaking groaned, before shaking his head and snapping back to reality.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. "Right!" he said further, shoveling his smaller items into the shoulder bag he had.

"Geez, space case..." the other person muttered, heading off.

The one they had 'woken up' then quickly grabbed the books he had off to the side and speed-walked out of the lecture hall, looking around and deciding on a direction to go. Once he did, he continued to walk, albeit at a slower pace than before, but still a quicker pace than your average person.

As he did, he sighed, as his mind started to wander a little, but more towards what his plans for the rest of the day were.

However, as a consequence of this, his mind became completely focused on that, and almost no attention was paid to where he was actually walking. More specifically, any obstacles that were in his way.

Even MORE specifically, the person that he had rammed directly into, causing them both to fall back on their asses.

"Agh!" he exclaimed, before noticing what he had done.

"Oh! Sorry-sorry-sorry!" he apologised frantically, as he looked at the debris that had been strewn about from their collision.

Hal shrugged.

"I've dealt with such things before." he said.

"He really has." Jake chimed in.

"But if you're ready, let's get this started." Hal then said further, finding the papers.

"Cool." Jake said to her.

"Looks like you're officially a workin' girl now."

Hal just laughed.

"You're fast." he said.

"And from what I hear, you have a punch that can crack a bone." he told her.

"Plus, you have fire mana." he continued.

"Sounds like you have the makings of a GREAT security guard here!" he then declared.

"So if you're willing, we can sign an employment agreement, right here and now."

"Good to hear." Sharp replied.

"Now... the reason I called you here." he said.

"We have someone that's been working security here for about 12 years or so, but they've recently gotten married and have decided that, instead of their significant other uprooting their life in another country, they'll be moving THERE, and taking a security position at THAT particular branch of the Unit. More local travel, I suppose." he explained.

Jake could already see where Hal was going with this.

"We'll need someone to replace them when they leave us... relatively soon." Sharp continued.

"And you've been adamant about paying me back for all that I've done for you." he then said further.

"You up for a job?" he asked.

"Not at all." Sharp replied.

"Take a seat." he told her, gesturing to the empty chair beside Jake.

When she did, Jake looked at her and sighed quietly.

"You're looking much better." he said.

"Though those glasses DO hide the consequences of working with that asshole." he then growled.

Sharp just sighed quietly.

"ANYWAY." he said, clearing his throat.

"I heard that my daughter and Leonard visited you in regards to your eye." he commented.

"Is there a cybernetic replacement for in it your future?" he asked.

"I know, but... still." Hal responded.

"Thanks. And I'm sorry." he repeated.

-A couple of days later-

"...so yeah, have you come up with any ideas for a replacement?" Jake asked Hal, as the two of them chatted in his office.

"Matter of fact, I have." Hal replied.

"Oh?" Jake asked. "Promising new applicant or something?" he asked him.

Hal just smirked.

"Something like that." he responded cryptically.