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Bix knew what the red flag meant and it had settled a somber tone over the island. It was always like this after a big mission but it was a small comfort that their losses had been so few. Unfortunately almost everyone had known Clarice and the majority of the Life Division had looked up to her for guidance, not to mention all those she'd been like a mother hen to when they had been trainees.

He'd been forced to wear pounds of sunscreen and his sunglasses with the fog gone, but it only further the look that he was attending some sort of funeral. Unfortunately he didn't have anything to bring, to leave her, except for a my little pony plush that he'd once scavenged from Julie's room after her own passing. it was almost shocking to see that Clarice hadn't been given a marker and he felt a tightness pressing in his chest. Honestly Bix wasn't sure he'd be this affected but now standing here, staring at the dirt that was being used to mark her death, all he could do was fight the slight burn that began to pull at his eyes.

Bix had pulled up some dandelions, weeds that never showed up on the island due to lack of sun, but valiantly fought their way through now that the fog was gone. It was all he could manage by way of flowers and he set them down on Clerise's grave, touching the stone briefly. This same spot had been where his stone was. The one he'd come and knocked down and defiled when he'd 'returned from the dead'. Bix didn't think this time that would be happening.

He finally crouched and set the Rainbow Dash doll on the pile meant for Clarice. It probably wouldn't mean much to her but.. it had been Julie's and Clarice had been the only one who cared enough about her to go with him to help clean out her dorm room. They hadn't spent a lot of time together but he valued all of it.

After a moment of silence, he withdrew, moved to Ben's and Julie's graves and then a few others who he'd met once, enough to make them stick in his mind, before finally leaving.

She would be visiting twice today.

Candace had taken care of everything she needed to before she ventured to the cemetery. She would come later with Dakota but for now she wanted to pay her respects privately in hopes that allowing herself vulnerability on her own would help her be strong for Dakota later. He needed it.

She stopped at familiar graves first, pressing her fingers to her lips and then to Julie's gravestone in a quiet kiss before she moved on. Her heart pounded in her chest the closer and closer she got. This was it. She had to accept it. She couldn't play the denial game any longer. No more chanting about it not being real to herself, no more telling herself she would just wait a few days and then stop by Clarice's office with this hilarious story of this dream she had had of her dying. Totally hilarious, right? Stupid. You can't die. It's not possible. You, like H, cannot die. So let's go get lunch and hang out because it's been forever and I miss hanging out with you, I miss your company. You work too much, Clarice. Take a break. Take a vacation.

Candace had waited, and waited, and waited some more. It was like with H when she had been so sure he was dead, no one could escape the hundreds of mouths of that titan, but he came back. And learning of Clerise's death had been..something of a shock; to hear who had been involved was not so much..for the most part. It disgusted her to see how giddy Mimsy was, she had harbored no ill will toward that girl, she had thought she was interesting. No longer.

She closed her eyes as she approached what she had assumed would be two gravestones, Clerise and Clarice, but when she opened them and looked down..there was only one.

That was complete and utter bullshit. After everything Clarice had done for them she deserved a goddamn monument. Clarice had been a Hunter over six years. She had done so much for them, been so important. How ******** dare they cast her aside like this. No. This would not stand.

Candace left.

When she returned she was carrying as large a rock as she could lift in her arms, carefully placing it behind the large pile of gifts and flowers. She could only find a permanent marker on such short notice, she wasn't a carver or anything of the sort, and she couldn't find chalk. With a silent promise to find something better, Candace stood the rock in a way that it would be stable and opened the marker.



Beloved for Clerise, for Robert, for every one of them who loved her. The Life Division Assistant. That shoddy replacement had some very large shoes to fill.

"Hey, Clarice? How long have you been a hunter anyway?"

"But then, I've been doing this for about six years, with like...forty in hunter years, so a gap in skill is to be expected."

"I see...hunters don't have very long lifespans, hm?"

"Well...no. We really don't. And when you add in the fact that the things we fight are pretty close to immortal? It gets a little depressing."

Candace got down on her knees in front of Clarice's spot and reached into her pocket for a pair of gloves. "They want us to turn over anything that was yours..." The gloves were put back in her pocket. "You made those for me. I will never turn them over. Not to anyone.." Candace frowned, looking down at the pile of stuff already left for her and Clerise. They would be missed, oh would they be missed. "I'm sorry..."

Her shoulders shook and her breath caught after she spoke and she forced herself to stop, taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out before she continued. "You worked so hard...it was for us, huh? You just..wanted to protect us. You loved us..you made it obvious with how much you cared, the concern you always showed for us." She paused, blinking a few times to fight back tears. "I'm sorry," Candace breathed out desperately, wringing her fingers. "I...I'm so sorry if I disappointed you. I should have listened to you. You were always warning me about him..a..and you were right. I'm sorry. I...I should have come to you sooner. Made more effort to pull you away from work to take a break and have lunch with me or have that rematch or just...hang out with you. B-but I took you for granted." Her breath caught again and Candace shook, the tears she had been fighting against falling down her cheeks. She plucked up a pair of sunglasses she had hooked over the neck of her top and put them on to hide her eyes.

"I took you for granted, I always...just..I never saw a future where you weren't here, you know? I think we all did.." Candace cleared her throat. "I'll miss you..we all will...we all loved you in some way.." She sniffed, kissing her fingertips and then pressing them to the rock the way she had Julie's marker before she moved to Clerise.

"Hey, you." Candace sighed, rubbing her lips together. "Sorry I shoved you.." Yes, a year later she was apologizing. Good on you, Candace. "I.." She frowned. Candace cleared her throat. Her heart hurt. She was just glad no one was here.

"You were right about...a lot of things about me..I was kind of jealous of you sometimes, you know.." Candace rubbed her face. "I'm so sorry...I just...don't know what to say. It was bad enough with Clarice, but when I learned of you, too..a-at least you're together, I guess.." She never handled death well. Candace both did and didn't want to allow herself time to mourn, time to sob and cry and beg God for reasons why. She was angry, she was sad, she was just so many things.

Candace couldn't play the denial game anymore and she hated it. She couldn't do this.

She stood, her legs shaking, but she moved away. When she visited later she would bring them something. Flowers, maybe..