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He'd been to a dozen meetings just like this before, and they all went pretty much the same. But this time, when he heard Eva's face, he looked up with legitimate surprise. Of all the voices he could have expected to check on him, that sweet little one was not one of them. He wasn't complaining, of course. Just surprised.

"Hey, sugar." Robert's gruff voice was quiet, keeping low and to himself. He assumed she needed something, and nudged a chair closer with one foot. "Sit down, tell me what you need."

Eva obediently sunk down into the offered seat, though she remained silent for a good minute or so, her brows knit in concern as she stared at him. This was certainly different from the Robert she had become so accustomed to seeing. What had happened?

"That's kind of what I was going to say to you," She admitted quietly, lips tilting upwards in a faint, lopsided smile, "I just...wanted to come over and check up on you, though I'm not sure if you want the company." She folded her arms on the table and rest her head down on them, staring up at the man with a frown.

"What's wrong?"

By the time Szczeosny had found his way to the meeting room, it was pretty full up. He grabbed the closest empty seat and sank into it. Only a couple of faces here were recognizable, and even the ones he didn't recognize all had a grim look. Training had been sort of beyond him initially. He'd tried, certainly. But it wasn't really in his fresh out of the real world physique to swing gigantic sawblades around with any sort of accuracy. His weapons were supposed to be keyboards and mice, computer screens and code. He had never imagined one could fight their demons so... literally.

Rather than getting entangled in the difficult-to-parse threads of conversation being woven around him, he instead fixated on the colorful hair of the woman sitting in front of him. And realized that, actually, he knew that person. He picked his poor posture up ever so slightly so that he could reach out to tap her on the shoulder.

"Mimsy? Is you?"

Robert let out a very sharp, very sarcastic laugh. "What's wrong." He rolled his eyes. "What isn't wrong? That'd be a better question." His eyes looked up at Eva, and softened, immediately regretful that his cold demeanor was being slung at her. She deserved none of it, but he had nothing left to give. "We're stuck in this ******** looney bin with no chance of a normal life. Let's just say that's what's wrong, for now."

He didn't want to get into specifics. Eva didn't need to know just how dangerous it was inside Deus, when it was their last safe haven. She didn't need to know that the devils were inside the walls.

"Your company is always welcome, sweetheart." He reached out, and took her hand, squeezing it. "Even if my company's pretty damn shitty right now."

"Can't do that brat." he chuckled back and pretended to lasso the boomerang hunter. "Otto gangnam style."

and grinned maniacally at him.

"Do you?" Robert's smile was weak, at best. "I admit, you've got enough cheer to light up the darkest night, sugar." His hand slowly slid away from hers, and his eyes looked to the door, as if waiting for something. His smile was gone. All that remained on his face now, was a strange emptiness. It was the kind of expression someone had when they were in the pods. Off, somewhere else, but still alive.

Just barely.

"You're free to try and cheer me up. I won't fight you. I just gotta warn you, it's not gonna work."

Only one thing could cheer him up, right now. Just the thought of it made his fingers tighten, and another weak smile tip the edge of his lips.

"I'm not going to force my terrible sense of humor on you, Robert," She replied with a small laugh, briefly lifting her head off of her arms to look at him, "But if I'm really not bothering you, then I'll keep you company for a bit. Just let me know if you'd rather be alone."

And then she set her head back down. There was nothing she could really say--no, "it's going to be okay" when she didn't even know what was bothering the man. Instead, until their mission details were announced, she would just sit by and serve as some silent company.

He hadn't seen Jude in quite some time, and Gale was relatively pleased to see that he looked well - though none of this showed on his face, of course, instead giving the other hunter a small nod before his gaze flickered up to stare absently at the ceiling, his hands in his pockets.

"Not bad. How have you been, mate? Doing all right? Ready for a mission that's bound to be dangerous and possibly life threatening? Unless there's miraculously a different sort, one that doesn't have the eminent threat of being decimated..."