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Food. Food please. Food. Candace was starving for food that wasn't a ******** MRE or a granola bar or sludge coffee or an energy drink. She wanted real food. That had been what Candace was most motivated for when it came to clearing the main building. She wanted real food.

Besides, waiting for something to heat up in the oven gave Candace time to sit and plan. She was on the counter, her back against the wall and a leg propped up with her foot on the counter, a notebook balanced against her leg. She didn't need to pay attention to anything since all she'd done was find a tv-dinner style meal and toss it into the oven for the allotted time. Candace was not skilled in the art of cooking. Her mother had tried but it was something she didn't pick up on quickly enough to garner some kind of interest in. Just like singing.

She needed to find this girl, the one from before. She'd be perfect. A wolf weapon? It would be very nice. Loyalty, strength...and the girl had spunk. She had a bite to her. She was lovely.

Plus, taking her would piss off the boy who had killed Stacey. Candace held no personal feelings toward Stacey himself but the fact of the matter was that he had killed a hunter. One of those things had killed a hunter. While she was sure the higher ups were already well aware of the situation it just didn't sit right with Candace. She wanted something done, and taking his girl would perhaps be a wise idea. It benefit everyone here.

Candace hummed cheerfully to herself as she jotted down notes, mostly anything she could recall of the two to jog her memory. There were also ideas of what she could possibly do to lure the girl out of that place scattered throughout the page. Brainstorming, just brainstorming. Nothing concrete..

Candace didn't actually notice Sasha until the girl greeted her. She immediately looked up from her notebook and smiled. Oh, good! Sasha seemed in better spirits! "Good morning, Rose Bud~!" She chirped, watching the girl go straight to the coffee pot. Candace blinked, tilting her head to one side and humming thoughtfully. Strange..she always thought Sasha to be more of a tea kind of girl.

"You're looking well." She began conversationally, acting as if her bratty tantrums from their last encounter had never happened. That was the best way to deal with that; put it behind her and just move on.

She didn't want to dislike Sasha.

Now this was interesting! Candace couldn't help but watch as Sasha took meticulous care in making sure the coffee pot was practically sterilized. Germophobe? No, Sasha never freaked out when Candace had kissed her, and she wasn't opposed to being touched. It couldn't be that. OCD? That seemed more reasonable. She was completely unaware of her arrangement with the doctor. Ah! That smile! It warmed her heart to see that smile again! It had been far too long. It made her smile grow brighter, closing the notebook. "Insanity's gone, I got something I desperately needed, and I can finally get out from the underground and have real food. I should hope I look as good as I feel right now." Candace said with a dreamy sigh. Now she just wanted her bed back. Privacy was something she missed. The only time she got any semblance of it was if she went to the doctor's office while he wasn't there..which wasn't going to be often now.

"Hmm?" Candace was pulled from her thoughts by Sasha's question, looking down at herself. What was she--oh! The notebook! She grinned, giving a shrug. "Just some brainstorming. I already know exactly who I want for the weapon candidate capture mission, it's just a matter of finding her so...I'm just jogging my memory on what she and her little boyfriend look like, while also writing down ways I can think of to get at them and get her without also taking him." She set the notebook down on the counter and turned to hop down, stretching her arms up high over her head with a strained groan before letting them swing back down at her sides. "Never took you for a coffee drinker, though. Mind if I have a cup when you're done making it? It'd be nice to have something that doesn't make me think I'm drinking something no human should be putting into their body..ever."

One or two coffee beans plucked out would not have gotten Candace's attention, but when beans five, six and seven were removed she got curious. This was more than simply being picky. She was making a serious task out of this. Why?

Ohhh it was for someone else! Okay, now it made sense. Candace gave a chuckle. "Aw, that's sweet of you. Is it for Jerry, then?" Did Sasha know how he liked it? She could let her know if she was trying to make this a sweet morning surprise or something. Candace was trying very hard to move on. Jerry...deserved Sasha. She was the better match in the end, after all...

That wasn't fair.

At Sasha's question Candace perked a bit, a bit of sadness over those thoughts having betrayed the cheerful smile that had been on her lips moments ago. "Mm! Weren't you at the...ah..'debriefing'?" Mission debriefing her a**. That had been a cover up. How ******** dare Caelius use them like that! "There was a girl I had an interesting interaction with while on our last mission. I think she'd make for a particularly lovely companion." A shrug.

Sasha's concern surprised her. Don't get hurt? Candace's smile softened, reaching a hand out to brush the back of her fingers against the girl's cheek. "I won't." A pause. "A kiss for good luck could help though, I'll bet." It was a joke, but it would be fun to see how she reacted nonetheless.

"Yeah, that one." Candace sighed and shook her head. Suicide. Right.

Sasha was just acting stranger and stranger. Was she not listening? Was she tuning Candace out? That...kind of stung. Until the mission she and Sasha had such fun conversations. She was so sweet and innocent, always eager to be around her...what happened? Had she done something? She couldn't think of anything she had done to Sasha to make her act so aloof. It made her worried. Even the kiss had seemed like she wasn't all there though she returned it anyway, a light kiss against the girl's cheek.

It..wasn't for Jerry? O...kaaaay. Odd. Well, that was fine. If Sasha wasn't telling her who it was for the. She wouldn't try to pry it out of her just yet. Maybe later.

Candace leaned back against the counter, lips pouting. Sasha was being odd even for Sasha. "...Is..is something bothering you? Are you upset with me?" Had she not proved as much as Candace thought she had? She was just being so short with her.

Busy...making coffee. Candace looked skeptical at first, at least until Sasha smiled. Her worries faded and she couldn't help but smile back at her, even reaching out to toy with a bit of Sasha's lovely long hair. She missed her long hair. It was growing back but it was still only just past her shoulders now. She kept having to cut it because if it got too long it just got in the way. Maybe if she just...invested in cute new hair accessories she could put it up more often.

Priorities. Candace has them.

Sasha seemed to completely zone out for a minute there. Was she really okay? Was she not getting enough sleep? Was she not eating enough? She was such a small girl already not being in top shape was just..

A lot of important things, huh? Candace frowned. "Is that list still bothering you? I thought you said H was going to see you about it when he returned..." And he has definitely returned. Candace had been thoroughly reminded. She paused a moment to fix her scarf, covering the marks on her neck without a word.

"Ah, yes! I am. In a golem...I just hope I get a female golem this time. I've gotten a male one before and it is just..ugh. I'm going to spend a week in to look for this girl, and then I'll come back for a few days to figure out what to do. She's a little.." Candace was about to describe her, only to pause and smile, playfully tickling Sasha's cheek with her own hair. "She's a little like you, actually. Adorable little spitfire. But she's probably not nearly as special as my rose bud."

"Oh! Did you? Good, I'm glad." Candace released that bit of hair that she had been messing with. Sasha looked very happy to recall that. A good sign! "Good meeting, I take it? Gotta admit I'm a little envious." Her name hadn't been on the list, and while a bloodline shouldnt define someone...it would be nice to feel like she had some pedigree, like she was literally born for this. On well..

Sasha's protest earned her a laugh and a playful tap on the nose. "No. You are. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. There's a reason I call you rose bud, you know. Maybe one day I'll drop the bud." She smiled. This was nice. Sasha was cheerful again.

And then Sasha was on the move again without so much as a goodbye. Candace was kind of left just staring until the girl stopped herself, informing Candace this coffee was important and telling her to stay put. Well then! Would she really return? She had no real reason to doubt her. Candace shrugged, attending to her food when it was finished.

Whenever Sasha returned she would find Candace still in the kitchen just as the girl had asked, writing in her notebook again; nothing important this time, just scribbles and doodles to pass the time. She'd even played hangman with Atropos.

Turns out you really can play hangman with yourself. Who knew?

She actually returned! Wow! Candace looked up again, laughing at the sight. "Did you run here, rose bud? That's so cute!" She closed the notebook and tucked it and the pen in the pocket of her coat, hopping off the counter again and straightening out her clothes a bit. Okay, Sasha was definitely back to normal now. See, Harrison? You're wrong. Sasha isn't a b***h. She's sweet. Candace didn't want to dislike her. At her encouragement Candace smiled. Such a sweet girl. "Aw, thanks. I hope so. I'm ready for a promotion, really. I'm so done being a trainee." She said this with a bit of a groan. A ******** year, man. She was so done. ********. She glanced Sasha's way as she began to cool herself off with a water bottle against her skin. "Do you have a ribbon or a hair tie of some kind? I'll get your hair off your neck and let some air get at it if you do." It was Candace's totally tactful way of saying let me play with your hair oh my god please.

Because, you know, saying that would be totally undignified.

Wait. Shadow man? The one that...didn't he run away? Secret room? Candace blinked, looking very confused. "...That does explain why his desk was a mess. Usually he's so orderly..I thought it was strange." Especially when she hadn't even realized he was back yet. But good for you, Sasha! Taking charge of getting your answers! "Ooh, you took something? Naughty." She winked, grinning as she teased her. Though at the reminder of Jerry not trusting the doctor her grin fell and she looked away. "Yes I am..well aware of that..." She rubbed at her neck through her scarf, cheeks flushing. "You're a good girl, though. He should know you wouldn't...do what I did. Hell, I didn't even want to do what I did. It was kind of...one of those things I promised myself a long time ago I would never put someone through." She shrugged. What was done was done and...maybe it was for the best. Jerry had Sasha now. She was...a better match for him. Candace should be happy! She was always the one who had said that whatever made him happy she would support. She'd even told Jordan that...

At the question she looked up, blinking and taking a second to remember where she was. Oh! Right! Coffee. Candace smiled again. "Nah, I drink it with a lot of cream. Thank you, darlin'~." She would have eventually poured it for herself! Maybe. It'd kind of slipped her mind she'd even asked for it to begin with. The promise of a real breakfast had completely taken priority over coffee.

Again with the shadow man. Candace nodded. "Harrison told me about the shadow man a few months ago. Those scars of his? The shadow man did that. Top hat, right? Likes to play piano or something? I've never seen him myself..is there something else I should know about him?"