Welcome to Gaia! ::

A water bottle was suddenly thrust into Candace's peripheral vision, along with a towel folded over one arm. The hand holding the bottle of the water was partially masked by a fingerless glove. Candace didn't need to notice the well manicured nails to know that the hand belonged to her division leader. "Good job," Aria complimented, gesturing with a roll of runic bandages in her other hand. "Straighten up please, you've taken some damage. You and I also need to-" the division leader turned to one side and sneezed into the crook of her arm, finishing her sentence with a "Talk," that was followed by coughing.

"Should," Aria agreed, grabbing hold of the end of her scarf and coughing into it. "But can't. Got pulled outta bed. There's some things that only a division leader can do."

Aria turned, walking away from Candace to retrieve a bag. She hefted it up and brought it back to Candace, dropping it in front of her. She then held out her hand, the hand that was not clutching the scarf towards her face. "Desummon your weapon and give her to me. Then put these on." There was no please. This was an order. The bag contained a pair of boots, a necklace, and a pair of runic weapons.

Aria did not offer an answer. She had turned her head to one side and began to cough into her scarf, her hand curling protectively around the rings that were gently deposited into her hand. While Atropos wasn't her weapon, she wasn't going to drop her. She continued to hold her hand out. It wasn't to offer Candace the rings back, however Aria also was not the sort to disrespectfully dump a weapon into her pocket.

"This is the sort of talk," Aria finally answered, "That I hope that I will not have to repeat to you again. I know what you did after Allan's mission. Lance was doing his job and his duty, unlike a certain intermediate trainee. I don't think you quite understand our position, Candace." Aria paused as a fit of coughing shook her. Her shoulders continued to shake after she was done, but not with sickness.

"We are the bottom of the barrel. I would like to think that my division is above the petty disputes of other divisions. But let's stop lying to ourselves and face the truth: we are below them. We are nothing. The only reason for our existence is because we aren't wanted, Candace. We are the ones who are notified five minutes before a mission that we're needed to fill in for a hunter who has a headache for a month-long external mission. We are the ones who are expected to be able to fill in any role as if we had trained all our life in that division. We rely on the other divisions more than you can even fathom or believe. Where do you think we would be if not for them? I'll tell you: we would still be in the pods. If we were lucky. Most likely we would've never awakened from our trials, quietly killed off before valuable resources were wasted on us."

Aria's voice hardened. "I don't care that it was a trainee, Candace. We of all the divisions can't afford to have petty fights and arguments. You can't afford to alienate potential team members. You can't afford to make enemies. We don't get a choice in who we work with. Why do you think I was so desperate to get Lance? No other division would want him. We need someone to watch and pay attention to give us a small smidgen of a chance to be prepared. You know what would have happened if I didn't claim him?"

The division leader took a step forward, her voice dropping low. "I would have had to kill him. Do you think being a Mist means we have opportunities? Oh, we get opportunities all right. We get to do the things nobody else wants to do. We're the lucky ones offered clean-up duty. Nobody wants to be the one to murder their former teammate because they can't function as a normal hunter anymore. Nobody wants to be the one to creep up on a former lover and drag a knife across their neck quickly. Nobody wants their last memories of that person to be picking up their cooling corpse and dragging it into a field to watch it burn then scatter the ashes. Nobody wants to own the hand that writes killed in action when you know damn well that they were murdered by that same hand."

Aria took a step back and turned, her coughing coming in full force. Hey Candace, want to know what sort of idiot would pull a sick woman out of bed? Have three guesses as to who it was. When the coughing subsided, Aria stared into Candace's eyes. "I do not want to be the one responsible for killing you. Nor do I want to be responsible for your death from someone else because I was a piss-poor leader and didn't get you to understand first."

The division leader pointed at what Candace was now equipped with. "You insisted on creating strife with a Life division trainee over a non-Mist. Very well. Who do you think makes the runic weapons? Who would repair your weapon should it sustain damage? You might recall what Caelius did to my own," she added bitterly, pausing long enough to cough. Her voice was beginning to grow hoarse. "Imagine the same happening to Atropos. What then? If you manage to piss off the Life division, you would be S.O.L."

"As for the Sun division, it is not my place to comment on relationships. I will acknowledge that even Hunters need contact to remind us that we are human. What I will not tolerate, however, is when a relationship interferes with your duties. You are a Mist, Candace. How much time have you spent learning from that Sun? How much have you spent doing nothing? Time is a luxury that you need to be more aware of. As a Sun, he can fight his own battles. You do not need to fight them for him, nor should you."

"I have issued you two runic sickles. They have no charge, no effect. You can use them in your hands, or attach them to the notches on the boots to mimic Atropos. It is not the best, however you are going to learn first hand why we rely on others. You are going to be completely and utterly alone, Candace."

She paused, raising Atropos up to meet her eye level. "And before you ask, no, she will not be able to hear you."

The hand was lowered, Aria's eyes focusing on the necklace Candace now wore. It should have looked familiar. "You will be provided a Fear shield by means of the necklace. You will have no Fear charge. You will run the Shadow Run alone."

Aria paused, adding, "This is not training for the inner Mists. You are going to be truly alone. With the inners, we at least had each other."

"Now. Go. Do not return until you are successful. If you are defeated, remove your necklace and grab another one that is waiting for you and go back in."

ATTEMPT ONE

No Atropos. No..Atropos. You can do this. Candace took a deep breath and gripped both sickles tightly in her hands. She was nervous, her hands were shaking and her heart was pounding so loudly she could hear and feel it in her head. You can do this, Candace. Prove to Aria you meant what you said and believe. Prove to her why Mist is not the bottom of the barrel, why Mist was not the dumping grounds division. The doormat. The bottom of the hierarchy.

Candace turned one weapon so the blade was toward her and the other so the blade was pointed away. They were lighter than she thought they would be. She could do this. She was ready.

The shadows came at her and Candace didn't allow herself to hesitate. She had no weapon to guide her, to offer her tips and warnings and work in tandem with. She had to do this alone. She turned on her heel and planted her feet firmly on the ground to keep herself in place, holding one hand behind her and one in front of her before she quickly turned on her heel again. Seven shadows cleared, slashed in two halves.

She ran down the tunnel to the next wave.

Seven was nice and all but she would never impress Aria with constant mediocre performances. She needed her leader's approval. Candace jumped, her feet planting themselves into the back of a shadow close to the floor and then using it as springboard right before it dissipated into fear. Momentum, momentum gain mome--got it! She turned using her leg and slashed right through a particularly nasty shadow, reaching down to hook one of the sickles into the boot as Aria had said she could before dropping to the floor. She put her weight into one leg, the other one extended out with her foot pointed much the way she would while using Atropos. She put her weight into the ball of her foot and spun herself with one hand, using the other to slash at several more shadows with both her hand and her foot.

Once that was cleared she ran some more. She was feeling a new kick of adrenaline from all of this. She could do this. She could pass it on her first try!

There it was! The end! Candace nearly cheered until the light of the portal was overcast by shadows approaching her and blocking her way. Oh hell no. This time both blades were clipped to the boots she was wearing as she ran right for them. They didn't scare her! Hell no!

It wasn't as impressive as the flips she would do with Atropos but she managed a cartwheel and a twirl with one leg kicked up. ******** yeah cheerleading like a boss.

The shadows dissipated and the glow of the portal lit the tunnel for her. Sighing with relief, Candace grinned as she stood tall and walked out of the tunnel with all the confidence of a trainee who had just cleared the shadow run on her first try without her bonded weapon.

"All finished, Aria. I believe I cleared forty of them that time." Candace called out as she stepped into the hall, looking around for where her leader had gone.

Ugh, Aria was still standing. She had been hoping the leader would take her health into account and at least leaned back against the wall but she did nothing of the sort. Candace frowned, gently dropping the sickles onto the bag Aria had offered them in and picking up the towel she had dropped to wipe away more sweat. It as harder work not having Atropos! She'd be happy when she had her back in her possession. Though she did appreciate the compliment, it brought a smile to her face again. So she could solo. She was so happy to hear something positive, a pleasant encouragement that she wasn't a complete ******** up. She'd be okay. This day was going from terrible to good again thanks to her leader. "Thank you, ma'am." She gasped with delight as Atropos was held out to her an she quickly reached out to take her, putting the rings on with the happiest grin and kissing each of the rings. "Ohhhh! I missed you~!" Atropos sighed contently. I missed you as well. Don't you ever hand me over to anyone ever again! Do you hear me?! Despite the scolding she still sounded relieved and Candace was still smiling down at her rings, looking the happiest she'd been in weeks. It hadn't been long but not having Atropos' presence in her head was so unnerving.

Candace nodded and took off the necklace as ordered, reaching down to get the boots off and replace them with her sneakers until Aria came up close and whispered to her. What she said made Candace's eyes widen and the woman stood straight again, looking shocked by what her leader was giving her permission to do. Was she seriously saying what she thought she was saying?! If her earlier statement as any indication...yes, she was. Candace swallowed hard and gave a slow nod. "Understood." She would not be doing that to anyone anytime soon, especially as a trainee. She couldn't do it. She refused..

She was quiet after that, removing her borrowed boots and putting her sneakers back on. The boots, the necklace and the sickles were packed in the bag which she carried from her shoulder, straightening herself out with a sigh and looking Aria up and down. She looked terrible. "..I'm sorry you had to come out here for this. I won't disappoint you again." Oh, Candace had learned her lesson. She would not be making that humiliating mistake again. Hell no. "Will you at least let me escort you back to your room to make sure you get there okay? You look awful..." She wouldn't feel comfortable leaving someone so sick alone. What if she fainted on the way there and got sicker being unconscious outside? Or in the hall? It wasn't safe. Candace didn't like it.