Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Come in." It was Aria's voice. When Nevada would stumble into the room, she would find both Aria and Lance sitting across from one another studying a game of colorful tiles between them. The tiles clinked softly against one another as Aria made her move, at last looking up to see who entered. A look of shock crossed her face. "What happened to you?"

Lance turned, then moved to get up. He grimaced, instead gesturing towards an empty chair nearby.

Not quite. The tiles were colorful, far more colorful than checkers. They were also the only thing on the board, however the board was forgotten as both superiors focused on the trainee.

They stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. Aria gave a slow, encouraging nod.

When Nevada had finished, Aria sighed and began to rub her temples. A hush fell over the room, the silence broken by the division leader quietly counting backwards under her breath. At last she stood, walking around the desk until she stopped in front of Nevada.

SLAP!

Aria backhanded Nevada across her right cheek before both hands slammed down on her shoulders. "You idiot!" Aria snapped at her. "What the hell were you thinking, going into the Haunted House?! You're not nearly experienced enough and look where it got you! When we tell you things you damn well better listen!"

The division leader pushed away from the trainee, turning her back to her. A hand was raised to pinch the bridge of her nose as she began walking back to her desk.

She stopped, turning to march back to Nevada in order to jab a finger in front of her face. "What the hell were you thinking?! You were goddamnibly lucky, all things considered."

"As for what to do with you..." Aria trailed off, looking towards Lance. "Suggestions?"

Lance began to look thoughtful.

Aria shrugged. "That depends. Do you wish to stay? Or do you want to try your luck elsewhere?" Aria gestured towards Lance, adding, "Keep in mind that not all divisions are as... considerate."

"Harsh," Lance winced, holding his hands up. "But Aria's got a point, Nev. You're still recovering, and you said yourself that you can't see out of one of your eyes. You're not exactly going to be useful to any of the other divisions. Sun and moon? No two working eyes, even though your weapon doesn't need to be accurate you can't spray bullets all over the place. Death? You're not going to be pushing files any time soon. Life?" He shook his head. "You're better off sticking with us, but it's up to you. Hell, I can't walk and I'm still here."

Lance shrugged, adding, "Of course, if you stay here you're going to have to face the music. And by the looks of things, Aria looks like she wants to throw something."

With a hollow clonk, Aria carefully placed the vase she had picked up back onto the desk.

Another sigh from Aria, this one lighter than the other. Relief, perhaps? "That's good to hear," her tone was softer now, yet there was still a hint of an edge lurking beneath the softness. "But regardless, you placed yourself in unnecessary danger. The Haunted House is never to be taken lightly. Halloween is never to be taken lightly."

The division leader approached Nevada again, this time grabbing her good hand. With a snap a suppressant bracelet was attached, the runes quietly fluttering to life as the division leader activated them. "This is to ensure that you don't do anything else," Aria began, "Except get better. You will help out with paperwork while you aren't recovering. That is your primary objective: get better. I have no use for half-dead Mists, even less trainees."

Lance rolled forward, adding, "This is more for your own benefit than anyone else's. You're also banned from the practice field, so no practicing with another weapon. You'll turn the Mists into the laughing stock of Deus if you collapse on the practice field and have to be hauled back. As far as your fear goes..."

He trailed off as Aria stepped back, returning to the desk. "You're useless as you are. Don't concern yourself with revenge, take the time to think and plan. I didn't get mine for awhile, not until I had a group I could trust who'd help me out and let me get a turn." As he spoke he patted his legs, looking at her beneath his lashes. "While my looks have gotten me this far, it's having those you can count on that'll take you further. We could easily go in and... take care of it for you," he began slowly, "But ultimately, what good will it do for you? This is... something you will need to decide what you want to do. If you want to put a bounty out, that's up to you. If you want revenge, that's fine. But you're not going to face it right now. The last thing we need is another dead trainee."

Lance sighed, slumping in his chair. "It's damn hard enough to find female Mists now anyway."

"That's not how we do things in the Mists," Aria said sharply. "Even if they are idiots, they're still our idiots. We aren't as... wasteful as other divisions. We'll find a use for you, even if your injuries never recover." Aria approached Nevada again, this time holding out a box of kleenex for her to take.

"True story." Lance jerked a thumb towards himself. "I should've been podded, then quietly taken off life support. No use for a Sun hunter who can't fight. But as far as training goes..." The assistant shook his head. "If you trained with us as soon as you healed, you'd go right back into the infirmary. Ask Candace for help once your cuff comes off and she'll set you on the right path. If you can't sleep at night, go talk to Molly or Cass. They can help you with that, too."