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Candace was used to sore legs. She knew stretching was important to prevent pulled muscles, and that one should stop when they felt they were putting too much strain on their body. It would only make things worse. But something Candace wasn't used to was: Being set on fire, being hit with a hammer bigger than her head at full force, being hit with and tripped with a ball on a chain and finally...being stabbed with the spike of a rotting monster. It wasn't that she had been avoiding seeing a doctor or anything she just didn't have the time, lately. Missions kept cropping up. Things kept happening.

And now her leg really hurt.

The mist trainee was walking with a slight limp as she walked through the life hunter labs, trying to ignore glances from the hunters that recognized her from her pathetic display of weakness toward Caelius. She was headed for Clarice's office, deftly avoiding any sign of Dr. H. She did not want to be anywhere near that man.

Unfortunately she didn't know that Clarice was conveniently MIA for..personal reasons. Not yet, anyway. So Candace was completely oblivious to the fact that she would not be able to see the saner of the two life hunters she was familiar with when she knocked on the door.

Why are you even bothering? It's not like you really want to use me. Go find some nice scythe somewhe--

"Stop it, Atropos. It's getting old. Do we need to go to therapy or something like a married couple with problems?"

Atropos was quiet until Candace heard what sounded like an attempt to hold back a laugh. Instead she chuckled, coughed a second later and cleared her throat...or she would have if she had a throat. Not funny. Candace smirked. Sure. Not funny.

It wasn't the hand grabbing her that made Candace tense and refuse to look behind her, it was the voice that belonged to the owner of said hand. You had to be ******** kidding her. The voice alone was enough to send unhappy shivers up her spine. Ugh. Ugh.

Wait, Clarice was unavailable? But...no! Why?! ********! He leaned in close and the distaste was clear on her face. Ugh. Whyyyy. "...Er.." No! She was fine! Really? Her eyes flickered down toward her left leg, the one she could barely put weight into without it hurting.

Finally she sighed in defeat and slumped unhappily. "Fine. My leg's been taking a beating lately..." She narrowed her eyes and looked back at the hooded man behind her. "I'm only doing this because I kind of need my legs." Just so things were crystal clear.

...As..did he? He needed her legs? Candace grimaced and looked sick to her stomach for a second there. Were it anyone else she might be flattered, but being that it was Dr. H just made her want to throw up. Ugh. He lifted their hands and she blinked, looking down to make sure no funny business was going on. Was he..hugging her? The fu--augh! Why did he make everything so creepy?!

Candace spun, unbalanced from keeping her weight almost entirely on one leg, and watched him bow and offer her his services. "...Yyyyyeaaaah." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, resting her other hand on her hip. Did she really have to do this? "Fine. Whatever. Just..." Candace had been about to warn him that she did still have one good leg but she remembered her promise to ********, why did she include Dr. H in that?

"Lead the way, Doctor." She sounded a little defeated, giving the door to Clarice's office one last disappointed look before turning back to the doctor. This was going to suck. She was glad she wore shorts though, no excuses for him to ask her to take off her pants for better examination or something.

"Being a little less of a creep tends to help." Candace mumbled as she followed alongside Dr. H, looking everywhere but at him. This meant she saw the office right away as they walked in and stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide and looking all around the room. "Whoa." How the hell did he get an office like this? Honestly she was expecting cages and computers and possibly even a chained up person, possibly a pretty young girl..or boy. Or both.

This room wasn't any of those things.

You're an idiot. Atropos chimed in all too willingly, breaking Candace's moment of slight awe and making her frown again. Damnit, Atropos. But the comment meant that she actually paid attention to Dr. H's invitation and sat down, sighing with relief and rubbing at her leg. Ow. The sooner it stopped hurting the better, please.

..A drink? Candace looked up and actually looked surprised. Dr. H? He was being normal. He was being polite. Professional. He was being nice without the edge of creepy undertone that made her imagine all the ways she could punt his head across the training field like a football. Just his head. But the mention of her adventures lately had her looking away, leaning back in her chair and rubbing at her face a little. "Sure, sure. A drink would be good. Er...youuuuu wouldn't happen to have anything alcoholic?" She peeked through her fingers, looking a little hopeful. It wasn't like she would die without it but it'd been months since she had a good adult drink. And with the reminder of her lovely walk with Circe she could use one right about now. Speaking of which.. "What..have you heard, exactly?"

Candace looked very surprised to hear that yes...there was booze on this island. And good stuff at that! She tried not to look as terribly delighted as she felt by the mention of bourbon. Sure, she loved a good fruity girly mixed drink or an I'm-going-to-regret-this-when-I-wake-up-tomorrow shot but bourbon...that was her favorite poison. You could take the girl out of the South but you couldn't completely take the South out of the girl. "That's..great, actually. Thank you. It's way more than I expected." Especially from H. Really? This was Dr. H being this nice to her? He was being so...pleasant! And kind! This was so unlike the man she had been forced to interact with for months. It blew her mind, man. She wasn't sure whether this was an act or not either.

When he continued on about "Caelius' toys" she sank a little in her chair, looking away. Yeah, play with his toys. That sure was a funny way of putting it. She saw the movement of his hand and looked up to see the cup of bourbon, giving a small smile as she accepted the drink and took a sip. Her throat felt warm as it went down and she actually squealed quietly with happiness. Oh, bourbon! How she missed you!

...And now you're an alcoholic! Great! Just great! Tell that doctor I want a new partner! Now. Candace frowned again. Damnit, Atropos. Way to kill the moment. But Dr. H sure seemed quite knowledgeable about her adventures with Circe. Oh yes, she learned a lesson. And she was still recovering from it.

"Ah. So..you know a lot. Heh." Wait. Candace paused a moment. Did he really just say that? She looked quite perplexed by the talk of bets and rebounds. He had to be kidding. He couldn't be serious. A look was given to the door out of the office behind them but not the 'I want to leave now!' kind she would be giving if Dr. H was acting his usual a*****e self. He had to be kidding with her. "Yeah he...he didn't...did they really make bets?" It was a boost to her crumbling ego if nothing else! She had no interest in breaking Jerry's heart..again, but to hear there were several possibly fictional young men crushed they couldn't get a rebound off her made her feel a little better about herself. If he let her think it was true she'd even feel a little less like a complete and utter failure as she did right now.

Candace took another sip from her bourbon and fell quiet for a few moments. He knew a lot, huh? "How am I not in huge trouble right now, then? If even you seem to know as much as you know?" She could understand if maybe it had only been Caelius, the ones involved and the nosy life hunters that had watched her forsake all dignity to beg for Caelius' help but if it was known by another leader then how was she not being given some kind of punishment other than her weapon hating her and needing to clean up her mess by herself? That just did not seem like the Hunter Style.

She was nursing quietly at the bourbon when the doctor told her to give him her leg, having almost forgotten why she was even here to begin with. Wow, look what a little bit of manners does to change the comfort level. Huh. Candace nodded, extending her left leg--the more beaten up of the two--and offering it to him like a good girl. "I went through a list of the s**t my legs have been through the other day. Fire, Jordan's hammer, Ariane's ball and chain, being cut by a spike on that beast from the Sahara desert mission..how I'm even walking right now must be some kind of miracle." A curious look was given to the jar on his desk. What was in there?

Huh..just like tiger balm? No magic-filled science-y formula made by the life hunter division? Surprising! "I've heard of it but never used it, no. The joys of proper stretching and knowing my limits in high school." She sighed, settling in the seat and sipping quietly at her bourbon. "...You're being creepy again." Candace said calmly. The bourbon was helping keep her nearly completely shot nerves stay calm and easy. He began to rub her calf and she tensed, though she didn't shy away from it. ******** that felt really good. Candace bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly, holding her breath a few moments. It was warm! Haha! But she didn't want to give Dr. H the satisfaction of knowing she liked the rubbing. It was certainly beginning to ease the aches and pains her leg had been developing with every abusive treatment it suffered through! She did make a happy little noise though as she sipped at her drink some more, the happy noise dying away as she stared into the now empty glass. Oh noooooo! Candace pouted, eyes darting toward the bottle sitting on H's desk. Could she have more? She was feeling very warm and toasty but she had a feeling that was because the weather outside sucked and she was being rubbed down with whatever was in that jar.

At his question she shook her head. "I'm not worried just surprised." Candace sounded very relaxed, actually. She even purred a little and sank back into the chair, eyes closed and a smile on her face. Of course then he went on to explain the betting and why there was so much of it. It made sense, really. Candace could see how it was fun. Maybe she'd try it herself sometime! She'd need to find some betting partners. "I'm not sure taking Circe for a walk and nearly killing four people then throwing all dignity out the window and begging Caelius for his help only to be dismissed is really something I want to be 'of note' for. I'd rather have a good reputation, not a pathetic one." Candace sighed, opening one eye and reaching for the bottle to pick it up. She held it questioningly first. "May I?" It'd been so long! She wanted to enjoy this stuff.

He got to her knee and she squeaked, her leg jerking slightly and her eyes opening wide. Her mouth set in a hard line and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Ah..sorry..." It'd been reflex. Honest. Candace cleared her throat and relaxed again, uncapping the bottle and pouring herself half a glass this time. Yes, just half. She had no intention of letting herself get drunk in Dr. H's vicinity. The bottle was placed back on the desk before she settled into the chair again. "I don't know...I meant..higher ups? Or is there no one higher up on the totem pole than you and Caelius?" It'd make a lot of sense if that were the case. But at least he recognized she was suffering from the consequences of her own actions. Her own stupid, weak actions. Candace frowned and fell quiet, just looking down at her reflection in the drink. A life without consequences would be pretty awesome, huh?

She felt H's hands move higher up on her leg and her eyes turned up to watch them. "...It wasn't too bad. Just really nauseating. The new trainees did pretty well for their first mission, too." Some of them even did better than her. Candace frowned again and looked at the rings on her hands. When would Atropos forgive her? "I'm getting used to going on crazy missions anyway. It's fine, I guess. I was doing fine until Caelius let me play with Circe, right?" Candace actually looked at Dr. H for approval for once. The drinks were helping tremendously.

"Ah, okay. I see now." Candace hummed thoughtfully, savoring each little sip she had of her bourbon. This would be the last glass, she told herself. The last one. Lavender eyes darted down to his hands as they continued to move along her thigh, narrowing slightly. Be good.

Whore. What would your precious Jerry think if he saw you letting someone you say disgusts you touch you like this? Candace shrugged at Atropos' words, sipping quietly at her drink and watching Dr. H's hands like a hawk. He was not going to be going anywhere that she deemed inappropriate. But he didn't...he stopped and moved his hand again. The way he did it made her eyes widen and she shivered, looking away with a soft cough and slouching in the chair again. That felt too good. Two years, damnit. Two. Years. Ugh. You humans are disgusting sometimes. Candace rolled her eyes. He's helping, damnit. Atropos snorted. Oh yes, because helping requires subtle fondling. Candace visibly paused now, lowering her leg when H was clearly done with it and actually lifted her other leg for him with a surprising lack of complaint, putting that foot on his knee now. It was a little more awkward like this but she could deal with it.

"Thank you, by the way. For the leg thing. Though I have to admit it's almost more unsettling seeing you act polite and professional as opposed to a jackass that calls me delicious." It was as much of a compliment as H was going to get right now. The leg rubbing felt almost too good; she didn't want to make him think he had any chance to take advantage of this situation or something. She still only trusted him about as far as she could throw him.

Wait, even with Circe? Candace looked taken aback by the compliment, tilting her head to one side. Of course it was regrettable, it was clear he didn't like Caelius all that much. "Would you have preferred I want your weapon?" She raised a brow and smiled right back at him before finishing off what she was going to force herself to remember was her last glass of bourbon. She even made sure to put it on the table so it wasn't on her person anymore. No temptation. None. He was right...no one died. It wasn't like last time. "I don't want anything to do with Circe. I...I just want Atropos." Her smile became a frown as she held her hands up enough to see the rings without moving her head. Atropos had been calmer lately but she still hadn't completely forgiven her. She actually chuckled at the compliment, grinning again and folding her hands against her stomach. "She is pretty great, huh? Really fun to use, too. I was a cheerleader in high school, you know. So dance-like movements aren't completely foreign to me..but using them to fight's kind of a challenge. But right now I just want her to stop being so angry with me. I mean, she has every right to be but...I can hardly even summon her without her desummoning herself and calling me a whore."

Ah, yes. Have I called you a whore yet today? Candace sighed and nodded. Yes, several times.

Candace shuddered this time not with pleasure as she had been before. Ugh, he had to go and call her succulent and ripe. "Points for honesty, I suppose. But you also lose a few points for using words that make me want to kick you in the face." How was that for telling the truth? She'd been doing a lot more of that lately. It was rather relieving! Almost as relieving as Dr. H's hands on her leg oh god! It felt even better with a less injured leg! She hissed under her breath and closed her eyes, resting her head back against the chair. He certainly did get the job done well! He wasn't kidding!

"Hmmm?" She raised a brow and opened one eye. Was...he implying what she thought he was implying? Candace smirked and sat up, putting her arms on the armrests of the chair and leaning forward closer to Dr. H. "Oh, doctor." Candace purred, looking upon him with lidded eyes. "I'd hate to make you cheat on Marie." A hand lifted to walk her fingers up his arm and along his shoulder until she could hook a finger in the corner of his hood and tug him closer to her until their faces were inches from each other. "Ah, but...it's a shame. Your weapon is a bit too..limp for my tastes, I'm afraid." Candace released the man and leaned back in her chair again, sighing contently and snuggling into it. She was so comfortable right now. The doctor was more fun to play with than she had originally thought!

When his fingers brushed her the back of her knee she squeaked and jerked again, her cheeks flushing. She pursed her lips and closed her eyes again. That tickled! But what he said made sense. "I understand. I'm working on that. I think she's...less angry today. I actually made her chuckle. That's progress." Candace fell quiet after that. Potential, huh? That was probably something they said to all of the trainees...even the ones who didn't look to her like they even had any potential in them. "I bet you say that to all the trainees~." She kept the words lighthearted, not actually looking for pity of fishing for compliments for once. Candace stretched her leg out more comfortably across Dr. H's lap and drummed her fingers against her stomach.