Colin's posts

Jake was silent... before sighing.

"Izea, you don't-" he started to say, before Hal interrupted.

"It's clear we're not changing her mind." he told him. "And she IS capable of taking care of herself." he went on. "Jake, go home and get ready for your evening. Have Anya calm you down." he finished.

Jake responded simply by standing up and walking past Izea.

"You'd better survive this." he told her as he did.

"That's all I'm saying."

Hal just pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That is... distressingly pragmatic of you." he said.

"It's depressing, is what it is." Jake commented.

"No family or anything?" he asked her. "What, does being one of my closest friends mean nothing?" he asked further.

"Jake, I'm sure that's not what she meant." Hal responded.

"Then what DOES she mean?" Jake asked, looking at Izea afterwards.

"What DID you mean by that?" he asked her.

"Is... just..." he stammered, before just shaking his head and looking away.

Both men 'jumped' a little, and looked over.

"Izzy!" Jake exclaimed.

"How long have you been there?" he asked.

"Clearly long enough to hear that specific terminology we used." Hal responded.

"....are you certain?" he then asked Izea.

"This could be quite dangerous." he told her.

"We have no idea what he's capable of."

"...quite the conundrum." she heard Jake say.

"I know." Hal responded.

"Enough reports have come filing in, but he's either very good at convincing his victims to hide it, or he's using some sort of mana to erase their memories of the incidents, or who knows what." he continued.

"Regardless, it's not fallen onto OUR doorstep." he said further.

"...and you want me to ask Anya to do it?' Jake asked.

"No." Hal replied. "I don't expect her to volunteer. But maybe ask if she knows anyone that... well... might appeal to his... exotic tastes." he continued. "I absolutely loathe asking my own staff to undertake such a thing." he admitted.

"I know." Jake muttered.

"Well, my date night with Anya doesn't start for another... 45 minutes or so... so I guess I can ask." he sighed.

"I don't like it, though." he then said bluntly.

"Neither do I, Jacob." Hal said. "Neither do I." he repeated.

"But this photographer has a penchant for having unique and interesting models... if we are to prove or disprove these abuse allegations, then we'll need someone on the inside he won't be able to turn down.

"As I said, if anything comes to mind, I'll let you know." Hal responded.

"Anyway, have a good afternoon, Izea." he told her as she got back down from the chair.

He then checked the form again, and nodded slightly.

Sure enough, on Friday, when Izea came back to her dorm, she saw a package waiting for her... one that was small enough to contain a phone she definitely could hold.

There was also a note attached to it.

It was from Levi, and it was essentially him giving her his number so she could text him when she received her device.

"I understand." Hal responded.

"A dorm or a house or whatever means different things to different people." he told her.

"Some see it as a bastion. A safe haven from the outside world." he said. "Some see it as a base of operations, where they can plan their lives from." he continued.

"And some merely want a comfortable and safe place to reliably return to and sleep in." he reasoned.

"Anyway, is there anything you feel you need to bring up?" he asked.

"If not, we're done here, I believe."

Hal just sighed.

"Normally Jake doesn't get too involved in these sorts of situations." he told her.

"Now, Richard's dismissal was NOT unwarranted. It was certainly something that had been coming for a while." he then said. "However, it seems like the impetus for Jake to find this info was... your encounter with him." he added.

"Or, well, that's my guess." he continued.

"He has REALLY taken to you." he went on.

"It's been a very long while since I've seen him THIS devoted to someone... without being romantically involved." he chuckled.

"Eh?" Hal muttered.

"He brought up the trouble he caused you, yes." he said.

"In actuality, he produced a mountain of evidence to show that Richard was a generally toxic individual, and was costing us money in the long run." he told her.

"..." he was then silent, before raising an eyebrow.

"...did he do this BECAUSE of you?" he asked her.

"If I think of anything, I'll let you know." Hal replied.

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

"Ah, yes." he said.

"I feel you should also know that Richard has been let go." he told her.

"Due to some recent evidence being turned up, he was let go yesterday, and I wish to official apologise for the trouble you received from him, as well as myself, the one time." he continued.

"Rest assured, he will NOT bother you again." he went on.

"Well... not in this building, at the very least."

"Of course." Hal replied.

"I'll make sure to note that the size should be one of the smaller models that you selected." he told her.

"Odds are it'll arrive at your dorm, through your mail slot." he then said.

"But there will be a knock beforehand. So if you're not in at the same, it should be waiting for you whenever you get back." he assured her further.

"Oh, and there will be some instructions for setting it up if need be." he added.

"Obviously."

Again, Hal raised an eyebrow as he watched her fill out the form. He accepted it when she handed it back, he checked it over, and nodded.

"All seems well." he said.

"Mmhmm... mmhmm... everything's in order..." he went on.

"Well, then. I'll have this filled out, and you should receive it by the end of the week." he continued.

"Also, your penmanship is... remarkable." he commented.

"Considering your arm is still... very new." he reasoned.

"You're adapting to it VERY well, I must say."

Hal raised an eyebrow.

"....assuming you did that, then another solution would need to be found." he told her.

"On your own, most likely." he said.

"Dr. Edwards explained the situation to me, and I am not sure if there are many other viable options in dealing with this issue." he admitted.

"It IS your choice, though." he continued.

"You are not an employee here, so a cell phone isn't mandated, but I wish you the best of luck in dealing with this problem if you reject this."

"Yes." Hal replied.

"Take a seat." he told her, gesturing to one of the chairs.

When she got into said chair, Hal sighed.

"I'll make a long story short." he said. "Dr. Edwards came to me with a case for you receiving a cell phone from us, and, quite frankly, I agree with her." he explained.

"So.. I have some questions for you." he continued, before taking a piece of paper out from a drawer, and handing it to her.

"Just pick what model, any colours or other specifications, and we should have it in for you by the end of the week." he said, the paper being, essentially an order form for a cell phone.

"Just takes time." Ryker responded.

And in very little time, the fillets were cooked up, and Eke could see the light golden brown they turned.

Ryker emptied them all onto a plate, and handed them over.

"Dig in." he said.

"I need to carve the rest of this monster up, then toss the rest of the carcass for some wild animals to probably gnaw it."