Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was hard getting back into the rhythm of things again. Two months and yet it felt like everything had changed yet again.

Ennéa scrubbed at her face, feeling pale and wan. She hadn't really slept the night before. She had had so much sleep already, for a lifetime, really. She just... couldn't.

In her mind, Baraz sighed at her but didn't say anything. The ahriman had been subdued ever since they had awoken but that suited Ennéa for now. She made a face at him and the proceeded to studiously study her shoes.

The mission would be a welcome distraction but she wasn't sure if she was ready for this yet.

What's this? Jude got a text? What? He actually went through the pains of getting there on time? Shenanigans!

Either way he arrived and pretty much sat on his own. For the moment he just stared at his cellphone fiddling around with it for no particular reason other than he could that is why.

For the moment he was just keeping to himself and observing others.

Davey was almost tempted to ignore the text - important, mandatory mission text on April Fools? Yeah, right. But, he reminded himself, there was a chance it was a legitmate mission. Davey couldn't skive off. Even if it did turn out to be someone's idea of a great joke, no doubt they'd be pissed if no one turned up and all their effort went to waste. God, Davey worked with some utter basket cases ... Why was he here again? Some days it was hard to see to good side to all this.

Nevertheless, Davey made good time. He wasn't even one of the last to arrive - unusual for him, maybe this meant he was finally getting the hang of getting dressed and ready one-handed. (Giving up on shoelaces had helped A LOT. Thank god for whoever invented velcro, seriously.)

Davey spotted a few people he recognised. He almost walked over to Madison, but she was looking very quiet. Maybe someone hadn't been up early enough for coffee before this?

He made his way over to Gale and Bix instead, who looked a little more alive. "Bets on serious mission or someone's sadistic idea of a joke?" he asked. Well, and there was always the chance that it was a little of both - missions from Caelius, Julie and Dr H always seemed to be designed to have a good laugh at the poor trainees.

The pat startled Gale, who was so deep within his own thoughts that he hadn't heard the older hunter approach. He jumped a little, automatically tense, but then when the white haired head of Bix peered around him, and he felt the friendly, reassuring squeeze to his shoulder, Gale relaxed a little.

But only a little. He could not very well relax entirely, not with the mission that lay in front of them all like an impending doom that none of them could escape.

"...as set as I'll ever be," said Gale, attempting a confident smile - and failing entirely, his lips only barely twitching a little. He gave a sigh, reaching up to rub tiredly at his face with his hand, lowering it to cover his mouth a little as he looked around at the rest of the trainees and hunters beginning to gather.

"You?" he asked Bix, but a few seconds later another familiar face appeared - one that Gale had not seen for quite some time.

"Davey," said Gale, slightly more reassured, but wishing that none of them had to be there at all.

Jinhai?

<< Stay calm. Focus. You'll be all right. >>

He wasn't sure which way to interpret that, but it made him feel at least a little better anyway. When it came down to it, Jinhai's presence soothed him somehow. He had long since grown used to the voice in his head.

Gale glanced up at Davey, sighing. "I wish it was a joke," he murmured, with a look around the training field.

"But I know it's not."

Out of the corner of Gale's eye he saw yet another familiar face - another face he had not seen for several months at least. He gave a small, quiet wave to Ennéa, a simple lift of his hand in greeting, before turning back to the others.

You know who you could count on to still try and be a ball of sunshine even in oppressive atmospheres like this? That’s right. Molly. Yes, she had heard the murmurs, and yes, the atmosphere here on the field was already stifling…but what did she have to gain by bending to it? Nothing. No. She’d continue to be overly optimistic and cheerful, because life was too short and it took too much energy to be sad or depressed.

Thus she was sporting her usual, cheerful smile as she made her way to the field. She stopped at the small gathering of Gale, Davey, and Bix though, just for a moment. “Good morning everyone!” She replied, smiling wider as she looked around at them. She even gave a wave to Davey, despite not having been formally introduced to him yet. “I hope you’re all doing well and ate breakfast! If you didn’t or you get hungry, please some see me! I have breakfast bars.”

She then turned to Bix. “Hey um…I got you something for your birthday! Picked it up from my last External Mission…would it be alright if I gave it to you sometime after the mission?”

She didn’t want to think about if there would be an ‘if’.

Candace had been hoping it wasn't true, that everything they had learned was just some big joke or huge misunderstanding. It was all a trick to frighten the easily fooled trainees. It wasn't real. It wasn't true. Nothing was going to happen on April first. Nothing. Nothing...

She got the text and nearly hyperventilated at the implications. It had taken Atropos cooing and singing in her head to calm her down before she'd gotten carried away, but even still she wanted to throw up. She wished she hadn't learned any of it now. She wished she didn't know about the previous mission or its results, or about the apocalypse or..or just any of it. She didn't want to know where they were going anymore.

But on a happy face, Candace. You can do this.

Candace put on her coat, a pair of gloves, her favorite boots and clothes she really didn't mind getting blood or muck on. She had a feeling there would be a lot of it, be her own or someone else's. She was silent as she walked out onto the training field, her hands in her pockets and her thumbs rubbing circles around the gems of her rings. Just stay calm. Best behavior. How you handle this mission and survive it will reflect on future events, Candace. She heard Davey's question as she passed him and frowned, shaking her head. "Serious mission." Candace said with definite finality. She didn't question it; this was not just some joke mission like Julie would give. She paused when she noticed Gale, quickly hugging him and burying her face against his hair. He'd be okay. He was fine. He was strong. She'd protect him if she had to. Him, and Jerry, and Sasha and Molly and Mercedes and Jordan and..and Jude and Madison and Harrison. She'd protect all of them. They'd be okay.

Molly had breakfast bars? Well..maybe. You didn't eat anything yet. At least have that. Atropos cooed, making Candace sigh and smile. She loosened her hold on Gale but didn't release him entirely just yet, only moving enough so he could breathe and she could hold a hand out to Molly.

"I'd love to have a bar if you're offering, Molly."

Sydney yawned as she made her way to the field. It wasn't that she hadn't gone to a bed at a decent hour--it was that she had been so nervous the night before that she hadn't slept very well at all. She was nervous. She was confused, slightly, as well. A message from headquarters--one for both hunters and trainees. This was worrisome.

She looked around for familiar faces, wanting to cling to someone she knew but knowing that would be unprofessional. There was Wilson, Sasha, Aleister, Candace--

She took a deep breath and started looking for someone that would be telling them what to do. She didn't see Aria or Allen or any of the other leaders that she knew of.

Izy asked quietly.

Neither do I, she told him silently.