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It was a small thing really, but it was something perhaps to lift their spirits after their ‘crushing’ defeat at the hands (or was that the hooves?) of Conquest. Julie had helped set it up, red banners a streamers with gold glitter on vibrant red table cloths. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, as well as a tacky dragon kite that was probably too heavy to fly. Other hunters had pitched in as well, wanting something to break the mundane routine. The tables were lined with food of the holiday, (one pastry looking mysterious like a fish minipet from the life labs) and in terms of festivities, it was a rather simple thing.

No experimental food from Julie, no signs of anything going to attack them, heck not even any division leader to yell at them for not doing work. It was an open buffet, with tacky decorations. Sure, under the table, just peeking out one might find small firecrackers, but nothing big enough to damage, just to makes some noise. Red envelopes containing coins and cash could be found, as well as empty ones, for anyone who wanted to create and gift someone one on their own. A few cheap toys, little plastic dragon figurines with bad paint jobs, fake ‘lucky’ coins, little fuzzy ‘lion’ toys scattered here and there.

A party in passing, and not a monster in sight.

Hmm, interesting! Eva could never claim to have celebrated Chinese New Year--she actually wasn't all that updated about what exactly this holiday entailed--but a celebration was always fun! Well, there was that, and there was also the fact that she hoped that the party would help everyone get their mind off of, er, other things for a while.

"Other things" being the fact that a lot of them were sporting broken bones and bruises, and that they also had to drag themselves along at a zombie's pace to get anywhere. With a decent number of people still injured, and considering how the last few get-togethers had gotten, it was no wonder that Eva couldn't help but be a little paranoid. Was something going to show up and attack them? Dear god, she hoped not--not while they were like this.

As not many other people had arrived yet, Eva leaned her weight against one of the walls and did a quick once-over of the room with her eyes. She wasn't sure how she felt about all the decorations, aside from the fact that everything was very...red, but a party was a party! Hopefully there would be some fun to be had!

Perking up as someone entered the room, Eva gave a weak shrug of her shoulders. "Uhh, a Chinese New Year party, I think? I've never celebrated it before, but it's supposed to be around this time."

She fell silent for a moment as she stared at the other girl, scrunching up her brows in thought. While she was definitely familiar, Eva wasn't sure if they had ever been formally introduced. That being said, she knew her name, but she couldn't recall it right that second. All she knew was that it started with a "C". Ce...Ci...Ca...

...Ca...ss? Cass?

"Oh!" Her eyes lit up immediately as a grin spread over her face. "Right--you're Cass, aren't you? I'm Eva!" How funny--though they had heard of one another from Bix and had even exchanged small gifts during the holidays, they had never met in person. Or rather, they had never interacted in person--Eva was sure that they had been on a couple of the bigger missions together.

If Syd thought she was going to turn and leave she was sadly mistaken, for the moment she shifted her weight she was barreled against and pushed into the room by a rather exuberant and brightly grinning Ofelia. The Sun Hunter was downright delighted that this place had as many parties as it did (making it an awesome club), and she never took the chance to skip one, always attending them. "Come on now, ya dun jus' stand there an' block the entrance. Get in an' join the party!" She placed both hands on the other woman's shoulders and pushed her in, nearly toppling her over as she got into view of the two girls standing in place.

"Ni Hao! Or at leas' Ah think that's how it's said. Hello in Chinese that is, Ah never paid much attention when mah brother was speakin' it wit' his girlfriend."

"Yeah, I'm Cass... an- Hey! I think I know who you are...kinda.... by reputation and strange Christmas presents... Loved it, by the way! It's nice to meet you, Eva." she offered a hand to Eva before it seemed time to push people into the room, startling her just a bit. Nicodemus was quick to soothe her nerves and tell her to calm the ******** down. It was..hard..to not be jumpy after the pattern that had developed in the last year or so.

"Jesus, ********, Christ. Please don't make sudden movements like that.." she said, patting her chest. The gesture seemed to stir up a gut reaction as she suddenly turned away from Eva and began to cough miserably, her body shaking in pain with every one. Bruises be damned, she still had that nasty a** cough, and...she wanted that gone too. She wanted all of the pain to be gone.

However, Cass soon turned her attention to the pair who had come in - "And..sorry, I'm gonna have to ask who just walked in - my eyes are....somewhat damaged after the last mission, sadly. They're still kind of trying to figure out what they're doing, so I can't really tell what anything or who anybody is."

It didn't help there were strangers.

"Well if you're new, you might as well stay. Meet a few people from your division." Cass suggested, rubbing her eyes. Stop that. <> Which it didn't.

"I'm Cass - Cassandra Norris, Intermediate Trainee of the Mist Division." she introduced, extending her hand out to Sydney. "Nice to meetcha. I'm sorry ya'll have to come in just to see us at a pretty..rough..time. But it seems like everybody is healing up pretty well." Not that Cass looked like a beacon of health, bandaged up, semi-blind, and littered with nasty looking bruises and cuts to go with her broken and cracked bones.

It would probably get worse as other hunters came in with their own injuries to nurse.

Ice Queen

"Oh, um, I'm part of the Mist... division as well," Sydney said quietly. "Can I ask... what exactly are we required to know as Mist Division?" She wasn't about to ask why everyone looked like they'd gone through hell and lost.

"What are the real differences between the divisions? Other than the coats? I know they gave us a basic speech, but if I could learn exactly what I should be focusing on--"

Izy whispered in her mind.

"But why would they want to party when they clearly should be recovering in a hospital?" Sydney whispered as quietly as she could. She still didn't feel comfortable thinking for a conversation. The only reply she got was laughter.

"Izy!" she complained softly. It sounded as if she was saying "Easy!" which could easily be taken wrongly, until she went on almost under her breath, "Stop laughing, please."

Rown

demon_pachabel

"It was--I mean--Izy--Izadore," she said, flushing brightly and touching her choker. "He's my... partner? Bond? What do you call them? He was laughing." And had been teasing her ever since she got him, which was why she was feeling so flustered right now, she thought with irritation.

the weapon teased.

"He's ah... not exactly the type of person--or anything, really, that I'm used to dealing with," she admitted to Wilson.

Syusaki