[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Vocalia]

Worried about how Sean ate, Eryn's caring instinct prompted her to act. She gently tapped Sean's shoulder and calmly said to him, "Sean, I'm glad that you like the food, but please eat a bit more slowly or you'll throw up. It would be a shame to waste all this food." Noticing how Eryn was quick to act out of her concern, Alexis began to wonder why she was willing to act in a situation that gave her little benefit, interested in the idea of "kindness" and "compassion".

[Daxam]

Sean grins and swallows his food, saying, "Thanks, babe. It's awesome having someone like you looking after me." While Vincent grumbles in disappointment, Isaac chuckles and says, "That really is a good thing, considering how much danger you like putting yourself in, especially with those experiments of yours." Sean turns to Isaac, shushing him, but Nigel asks, "What experiments?" Sean sighs and says, "Well, sometimes, I like to mess around with different chemicals to see how they react...which is explosive, 90% of the time." Turning to Eryn, he hastily adds, "But I only use very tiny quantities so I'm not in any danger, I swear!"

[Vocalia]

Eryn sighed, then broke into a fit of giggles, realizing that she had her work cut out for her in terms of getting to know Sean. "Well, you're old enough to be ale to be responsible with your own safety. I can only tell you to be careful, especially when mixing volatile chemicals, and make sure you open the window in case it results in fumes and smoke," she replied calmly. "Wow... You sound surprisingly calm about the whole thing," Hayley remarked with mild surprise. "It's not something uncommon in the university where I'm studying at," she replied with a giggle.

[Daxam]

Sean grins and wraps his arms around Eryn, nuzzling the side of her head like a cat once more, saying, "I'm so lucky to be with you, you know!" Then, he pulls back, only slightly, and says, "I know I told you this before, but if you never need any help with your homework, come to me. I know than all of these guys put together and multiplied by a thousand!" You calling me an idiot?! Vincent cries, but Isaac only sighs. "I don't think you're that smart," Nigel says, leaning against Arlia as he takes a bite of his stew. "Wanna bet?" Sean asks, a challenging gleam in his eyes.

[Vocalia]

Arlia and Eryn looked at their respective partners, Arlia looking rather intrigued while Eryn looking as if she was about to be pulled into a problem not of her causing. "I-I'm sure you both are intelligent men with knowledge and education. I'll surely remember to ask you all if I need any sort of help, so please don't worry," she replied, trying to defuse the situation. Arlia, however, had other ideas and promptly spoke up after Eryn spoke her mind, "Eryn darling, I can vouch for my love and his intellect and he's certainly comparable to your man with an ego the size of the entire western Europe."

[Daxam]

"Really?" Sean asks. "I say we put it to the test, then. What do you say?" Nigel, after giving Arlia an incredulous stare, turns to Sean and says, "Uh, well, I don't really--" Isaac then jumps in, smirking, and says, "Come on, Nigel, don't be a poor sport! Let's see just how smart you are!" Nigel turns to Isaac and asks, "What about you, Ryder? Why don't you test yourself against him?" Isaac shrugs and, wrapping an arm around Hayley, says, "I know I'm not as smart as Sean and I'm alright with it. 'It's better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt,'"

[Vocalia]

"For once, I have to agree. I don't mind being called an idiot if you're comparing me, a high school graduate, with this guy," Hayley replied, gesturing to Sean with a delighted smirk on her face. Eryn, realizing that Nigel might had bitten more than he could chew this time, quickly moved into action. "Sean, actually, there is something I've been wanting to ask you. If you don't mind me asking, do you have a small, empty room in your penthouse? The reason I'm asking is because... well, I'd like to be able to have a room to myself to work with my electronics. I'd rather not do that in my bedroom because I might lose bits and pieces or small parts under the furniture. I promise I won't make a mess and I will clean up after myself."

[Daxam]

Sean, his attention successfully diverted from Nigel, thinks for a few moments before saying, "I think I have a room you can use. It's one of my office rooms. You can use that, if you want." Isaac says, "I don't know which to be more impressed over: the fact you have multiple studies or the fact you had to think about Eryn's question." Nigel, grateful that Sean seems to have forgotten about him and the challenge, finishes his stew and wraps his arms around Arlia, sighing happily with her in his embrace.

[Vocalia]

"Thank you very much, Sean," Eryn replied, relieved that she was able to secure a room for herself and divert Sean's attention to her instead of Nigel and his overconfident challenge. "Electronics?" Hayley asked, not being able to help herself from becoming curious. "Ah, yes. I like to tinker with gadgets and computer software. It's a small hobby of mine," Eryn happily, but still timidly, replied. "I'm still not very good at it, but I'm hoping that I could put my skills to good use."

[Daxam]

"I bet you're amazing at it," Sean says immediately, hugging Eryn and resting his head on her shoulder. After a few minutes, during which, everyone finishes their meal, Isaac stands up and stretches. Turning to Arlia and Nigel, knowing the latter was still grieving over Sarah, more so than he was, Isaac says, "I'll go ahead and put the leftovers away for later." Nigel, smiling gratefully, nods and rises to his feet. Turning to Arlia, he says, "In that case, I think I'll turn in early. Do you want to come with me, love?"

[Vocalia]

"Gladly, my dear," Arlia replied and stood up, giving the rest of the table a quiet nod. Seeing that the couple were still in the process of grieving, though not as overt, Hayley decided that their rivalry could take place another day and silently gestured to them to leave the rest to them. "Lemme clean up the table, then," she said as Eryn also stood up and said with a kind smile, "In that case, please let me clean up the dishes and the kitchen."

[Daxam]

As Nigel and Arlia disappear into their room, Isaac and the others, even Sean, work on cleaning up the dining room and kitchen. Once finished, Isaac leads Hayley into the living room as Sean and Eryn clean the dishes, and sits down on the couch, his arm around her shoulders. Glancing toward the bedrooms, he asks Hayley, "Think they'll be alright?"

[Vocalia]

"They're strong. I'm sure they'll pull through," Hayley replied without hesitation. "As much as I hate those two, they're still pretty strong and resilient about a lot of things. They'll be fine, Isaac." Playfully ruffling his jet black hair, the blonde smiled and said to him. "You seem awfully worried about Nigel when he'd almost roasted you alive when we first met and nearly turned you into swiss cheese. To be fair, even when Sarah was still alive, we were this close to disregarding her feelings and just tearing each other apart."

[Daxam]

Isaac chuckles and, pulling Hayley onto his lap and resting his head on her shoulder, says, "I can't help it. It just feels natural to feel worried about them, especially Nigel. I think Sean was right when he said we were friends before everything happened." Lacing his fingers on top of his girlfriend's stomach, he nuzzles against her shoulder, staying silent for a few minutes. Eventually, he sighs and says, "Thank you, Hayley, for being here for me. If it weren't for you, after what happened today...I don't know what I'd do."

[Vocalia]

"Hey, you've stayed with me at my shitiest moments. It's only natural that I return the favor," Hayley replied and playfully ruffled his hair. Looking out the window, she could see the glowing moon taking the sun's place in the skies above. Suddenly, as if being pulled, Alexis suddenly spoke up, "Requesting permission to leave the building." Hayley was quickly caught off-guard by Alexis' sudden request, but seeing no harm and knowing that she knew how to hide, she replied, "Umm... Sure, but where you're going?" Alexis turned to look at the moon, saying, "I have a sudden prioritized objective to go outside. I will not leave the vicinity of this location." Hayley, now taking control, looked at Isaac with a confused look on her face.

[Daxam]

Isaac looks back at Hayley, equally confused. Shrugging, he says, "We could all do with some fresh air, I guess." Standing, he leads Hayley by the hand outside to the balcony, where he wraps his arm around her and looks up at the sky. "It's a nice night," he says, smiling as he looks from the full moon down to the city, bathed in it's silver light.

[Vocalia]

"Yeah... It's nice to see a clear sky at night for once," Hayley replied as she gazed at the moon. While the two were busy with one another, however, Alexis slipped out of Hayley's shadow, crawled up the walls and made her way up to the roof. The black, gelatinous mass seemingly gazed up at the moon, even though her current form had no discernible face, or eyes for that matter.

[Daxam]

Wonder what she's doing, Vincent says, having been the only one to notice Alexis make her way to the roof. I'm not sure, Isaac says after seeing the black mass behind them. After a few minutes, Vincent says, Wish I could talk to her. You know, just the two of us, without you or Hayley to listen in. Isaac chuckles and says to Hayley, "Looks like Vincent really is pining for Alexis. He just told me that he wishes he could have some alone time with her."

[Vocalia]

Chuckling softly, Hayley turned to Isaac with a grin and said, "Funny how opposites often attract, huh? If he really wants to talk to her that badly, I guess I could cut him some slack and let him have a go at Alexis when we sleep." Although she lacked any form of magical bond with Alexis, she could feel a sense of emptiness after she left for the roof, so she knew that she had gone off on her own. "Would be nice if you two could talk without us needing to get some shuteye, but hey, what do I know about spirits and all sorts of this crazy stuff?"

[Daxam]

Isaac chuckles and says, "At least they can speak privately when we sleep." Thanks, you guys! Vincent says, sounding as happy as a kid being taken out for ice cream. Isaac chuckles, then looks back up at the moon. Sighing, he whispers absently, "I remember when Sarah and I used to stargaze. We'd sit outside until the sun rose and spend the rest of the day sleeping." Then, realizing that it probably wasn't right to talk about his previous girlfriend to his current one, he says, "Sorry, Hayley. I didn't mean to bring that up."