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For someone of her rank and position, the status of the kitchens wasn't a problem. Aria had her own pantry and kitchenette to cook in. She was well-off. The rest of Deus Ex? Not so much. Lance had reported to her that the vending machines were often hit upon, and someone had consumed the free complimentary crackers he had stocked in the Mist Lounge as a joke. In addition, all of this was told over her table while he ate her food while breaking in to her suite.

There were days when Aria regretted teaching Lance how to pick locks. It was an essential part of Mist training, one that Aria did not expect to have used against her. And yet... It did come with its perks. One of which Aria would need some help with.

Aria breathed a sigh of relief at the prompt reply. Excellent.



When Cass arrived, she would find Aria waiting for her in a blank shirt, dark blue jeans and boots. "Hey," Aria greeted with a wave. "Hope you don't mind getting dirty a bit. Ready for some gun practice with your weapon?"

"You would be surprised," Aria began as she lead Cass into the portal room. "Sometimes the most mundane missions turn out to be the ones with the most action. Hopefully we won't run into anything this time around. Speaking of..." The Mist lead stopped to key in their destination before pulling Cass with her through the portal.

The other side could be described as... cozy. Originally it was probably a small log cabin of sorts. Now it was plain to see that the hunters had made their mark on the place, expanding and updating the rural building with runic wards and modern-day equipment. Despite this, there was still a rustic quality about the cabin. Aria paused long enough to close the portal behind them before gesturing for Cass to follow her further into the room.

"There's a closet over there with some overalls and orange vests in them. Could you grab a couple? We'll need to put them on before we go hunting," Aria began as she moved towards the gun cabinet. She didn't bother with a key: she withdrew a set of lock-picks and sorted through them until she found the ones she was looking for. She picked the lock and selected a rather mundane non-runic rifle. The division leader paused awkwardly, turning to face Cass. "Er, you're not a vegetarian are you?" She asked worriedly, "Or wouldn't mind hunting a bit? It might take us awhile, but it'd get you some practice with your weapon while also scoring us some food while the kitchen's down. Think of this as some training in survival, just in case a portal's down and you're stuck in a specific location for awhile."

Outside, the barking of dogs could be heard followed by the muffled shout of someone trying to quiet them down. This seemed to encourage the dogs, who proceeded to bark even louder.

Cass' response drew a nod from Aria, followed with a sigh of relief. "Good. I should have asked you earlier whether you were a vegan or not -- I'd have hated to drag you out here only to find out that you were." Of course then for her troubles Aria probably would have dragged Cass to a resteraunt to make up for the awkward.

"We're in Manitoba, Canada. Some hunters pitched together to buy this land in order to have a place to do some hunting -- the normal kind, at least." Aria explained. "Technically we're out of season, and water fowl is next month. But since we're on private land..." Aria grinned. "It's technically breaking the law, but not many hunters come out here to hunt anyway. I think most of them have forgotten about this place in light of recent events."

Aria set the non-runic rifle down and accepted the overalls, slipping into them with a fair amount of wiggling. "Tch, I hate these things." She complained as she adjusted the straps. "There! Alright. Since Deus Ex isn't exactly the best in terms of food right now, we're going to have a crash course in roughing it. That is, hunting, cleaning, skinning, and cooking food the rough old fashioned way."

The division leader swung the rifle over her shoulder and grabbed a couple boxes of extra ammunition before closing and locking the cabinet. "Do you have a knife? Flint and tinder or swedish fire steel?" Aria asked, glancing over to Cass. "Also, what are your thoughts on duck?"

"Not worth it," Aria responded automatically, "Most of the edible plants on the island are already claimed or plucked. Or they're staked out by Life hunters." She made a face, shaking her head. "Trust me, you're better off learning and experimenting with edible plants elsewhere. If it grows on the island, chances are someone already discovered it before you and..." She waved her hands vaguely. "Trust me. Leave those plants alone."

"Recent events as in the kitchen blowing up," she offered. "It's turned into every hunter for themself." Aria grimaced, "I should have kept a better eye on you Mists. How have you been surviving without the kitchens?" Or should she even ask? She knew Cass was with Marcus, and he seemed like the reliable sort. Perhaps they had teamed up? Or something else.

Aria accepted the combat knife and examined it. "This will do. I'd suggest keeping it on your person. A knife is very useful, and it doesn't do you much good if it's in your bag when you lose it, right?" Aria handed the knife back to her, pulling on her own orange vest at the same time. Aria herself did not take anything more than the rifle. Either she had everything already in her pockets, or she was really roughing it. Or depending on Cass to bring everything they needed in her bag.

The division leader gestured for Cass to follow her as she lead the way out of the cabin and around to the back. Here the source of the barking dogs were revealed. The dogs barked louder upon catching sight of the two ladies, tails wagging as they were almost set beside themselves. Aria exchanged words with another hunter who came out of a nearby shed, their conversation lost to the barking din. Finally Aria pulled away as the hunter went to release a dog. The dog was a yellow labrador with a blue collar that bounded next to Aria, nearly tripping her before giving Cass the same treatment.

"Meet Beau," Aria laughed. "She's Lance's little retriever. Come on, girl! We're gonna get some ducsk! Yeah ducks!" The word "duck" had the retriever's tail swishing madly from side to side as she danced in place, excited.

"Once we get down to the lake, we'll need to be quiet." The division leader added, glancing over towards Cass. "Do you have any questions you've been dying to ask anyone or anything? Either about Deus or myself, the Mists, or...?"

As Cass tucked the knife into her pocket, she signaled for her attention again. Aria twisted to one side and moved her overalls down, showing off her own knife. "While she's also my weapon, consider getting a sheathe like this," Aria touched the knife strapped to her leg, stroking it before pulling her overalls back up. "She's always with me, and with a sheathe you can easily shift it onto your arm and attach it to your belt. Whichever is comfortable."

Aria only beamed when Cass reacted to the dogs as she did. Congratulations, Cass -- looks like you just acquired extra doggy-duty in your near future. "They're useful for hunting, but our kind of hunting? Nooot so much. Dogs run away from Fear, hence why we don't keep any at Deus Ex. They dislike the island too much, so we keep them at outposts like this one."

The division leader stopped and knelt down to fondly rub Beau behind the ears when the dog came back to her, lavishing attention before the canine darted off ahead of them. Aria stood up, brushing her knees clear of debris before laughing at Cass's questions. "I've been a Hunter for about... sixteen years, I think?" Aria answered, shrugging. "Pure Mist, I was taken in by the Mists as soon as I enlisted. Everything I learned I had to learn either on my own or I had to shadow someone for training, too. I recommend doing that too -- just buddy up with someone that's not a Mist and shadow them for a day. Or volunteer to help them out. It means more work, but it's also more hands-on experience."

"Funds? Runes? Dunno. And the Life division is in charge of the golems, they'll know." Aria shot back her answers with a grin, a grin which faltered and faded. The division leader had stopped and was staring into the forest, seeming to fight with herself. "The world," she began softly, "Actually very nearly did end in December once."

Aria took another slow breath as she forced herself to keep walking, glancing towards Cass. How much should she tell her? How much should the younger trainee know? She didn't know the trainees had access and had seen the reports from 1999. What could she even say?

"I was only a trainee when it happened. I had about a year's worth of training as a Mist. It wasn't the training you received. It was..." She trailed off, then shook her head before finishing with, "I survived."

Her breath caught. Aria stopped and very carefully set the rifle on the ground before kneeling, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. "That was the main force," Aria corrected quietly. "The Mists... The inner Mists, all Fear hunters. All dead except for me. And I? Barely." It had taken her months to reach Deus Ex again on foot. She did not trust the portals as a trainee, nor did she know how to work them. She was always given the vague promise of soon. It was a promise that was never kept.

"You need more than strength to survive against the likes of them. You need your wits, allies -- anything and everything." It will not be enough. Aria looked at Cass, really looked at her. Cass was roughly the same age Aria was when the events of 1999 unfolded. But there the similarities ended; Aria had the Mists at the time. Who did Cass have? Not her. Aria closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I'm sorry. I've failed you."