Colin's posts

"I... uh..." Jaden stammered.

"I mean... well... that is... I..." he went on.

"I mean... I asked, but... you..." he continued, before pausing.

"What I MEAN to say is..." he then said further, pausing once more.

"I guess... I wouldn't complain... if we WERE..." he admitted.

"He is precious." Nico said quietly to Sydney.

Jaden's eyes widened when all that was said.

"I...!" he stammered.

"I... wait...!" he said.

"Anniversary?" he asked.

"Hold up, hold up, hold up!" he went on.

"We're not... a thing!" he insisted... before looking at Desiree.

"Are we?" he asked her.

"Now! Onto a bit of a lighter topic." Nico said.

"How's the food, Desiree?" he asked.

"Sydney makes some darn nice pasta." he commented.

"Living in Italy as long as she did, it's not surprising." he went on.

"But how is it for YOUR taste?"

"Pretty sure nobody's squarely to blame here." Nico commented.

"Regardless, before you leave, Desiree, the barrier WILL be changed to allow you entry." he told the young woman.

"...so... both Desiree and are half-hunter." Jaden commented.

"Yep." Nico replied.

"But don't get too hung up over it." he said.

"Doesn't change who you are."

Upon hearing that, they all saw Jaden look even more guilty.

To the point where he was barely picking at the food that he'd been gorging himself on earlier.

"Don't blame yourself, completely." Nico said.

"If anything, this is a culmination of several different things coming together." he told him.

"You were doing what you thought was best, and you were trying to give Desiree another layer of protection from those that would harm her." he continued.

"I can understand that, and I commend you for it." he went on.

"Just... the execution of it ended up having some... major kinks in it..." he then mumbled.

Ryker just groaned again, louder this time.

"Fiiiiiiiine." he said.

"And huh?" he asked.

"What's the other say about the sweater?" he asked him.

"What do you mean?" he asked further.

He then looked at some red cashmere sweaters, thinking Arissa might like one.

Nico just sighed deeply.

"You're a good woman, Desiree." he told her.

"TOO good, for the likes of them." he muttered, however, a quick glance from her caused him to change the subject.

"Right." he said.

"Sorry." Jaden apologised.

"I thought it would be a nice surprise for you to learn that the barrier would now keep them out." he told her.

"Guess... that really backfired, huh?" he asked.

Nico watched Desiree get herself some food, and didn't say anything until she sat down.

"By the time you leave here, you'll be exempted from the barrier." he told her.

"But anyway, how have you been?" he asked.

"...other than the recent... incident I heard about. Before this barrier nonsense." he clarified.

"I realise those two incidents bring it down some." he reasoned.

"But... aside from those... how are you doing?"

Jaden just sighed.

"Um... care to join us?" he asked.

"Mom makes the best lasagna." he said.

"Is... is that okay?" he then asked.

"Fine with me." Nico replied.

"Sydney?"

Jaden and Nico watched them go, before son turned to father.

"...Damn you." he cursed at Dom.

"Where...? Why...? You're...!" he growled, his hands balled into shaking fists.

"..." Nico was silent, before sighing.

"Jaden." he said. "Whether or not I deserve to be in your life is up to you." he told him. "But believe me when I say that everything I did in my life after meeting your mother, I did because I believed it was the best thing for the both of you, and to protect you from those that truly did wish you harm." he said further.

"Will you allow me, at some point, to explain my past, and everything in it, relevant to you?" he asked.

"..." Jaden was silent again, before sighing.

"All right." he said. "But for now... this is for Mom. NOT you." he insisted.

"Fair enough." Nico replied.

".......so." Jaden then said. "The nose thing is... A-Tier, huh?" he asked.

Nico just chuckled.

"Yeah." he replied. "The Eye is S-Tier. The nose is great for sniffing out and locating targets, but if the target is aware they're being hunted by someone with that trait, then they CAN disguise their scent, or leave false positives around." he explained.

"That... makes sense." Jaden admitted.

"When an eye can see one's true inner-self... there's no hiding from that. No matter what." Nico added, about Desiree's trait.

Nico just sighed.

"That's still bad." he said.

"Desiree, if you want to, Jaden and I will leave the room and let Sydney tend to those." he offered.

"...you two know each other?" Jaden asked him.

"Yeah." Nico responded.

"We've met, on occasion." he continued.

"Not regularly, by any stretch, mind." he then said.

"But she knows who I am, and I know who she is." he shrugged.

For the brief time that Jaden was looking right into her eyes, he was frozen.

Frozen in place, staring at it. It seemed like he wasn't even registering the outside world. He was all about looking into her one eye, and not moving at all while doing so. As though he was compelled to, like a survival instinct.

However, when she lightly shook her head, he shook his as well, and looked around slightly.

"Eh?" he muttered.

"What happened there?" he asked.

"I think I'm missing time." he mumbled.

"Just a few seconds." Nico told him.

"However, you just experienced the full effect of what that eye can do." he added.

Ryker gave him a thumbs-up.

"Oh yeah." he said.

"Perfect." he told him.

He then looked around, and saw a hoodie with a motto on it... groaning slightly.

Eke looked over, and saw it was black and white, split down the middle, with text on it:

I CAN BE YOUR ANGEL; OR YOUR DEVIL

Jaden looked... horrified, and guilty.

"I... I didn't know..." he said.

"W-wait..." he then said.

"Is... is that what I smell?" he asked. "Your hunter gene?" he asked her.

"AND her trait." Nico chimed in.

"She has one that far outclasses ours, Jaden." he told him cryptically.