The door to her pod was shoved open and Candace launched herself out of it, a hand clamped tightly over her mouth and her eyes closed. She only stopped when her body slammed against the wall and she sank down to the floor, her shoulders shaking with sobs she was trying to hold in and failing. She was glad she was alone in the room right now so no one would have to see her like this. Candace turned so her back was against the wall, her knees bent to her chest as she held her knees and sobbed into her own lap. ********! You were over this, Candace! You were past this! Why? Why were you letting this happen to you?! <******** style="color: #737Ca1">Why is it that you like me? What is it about me that you love?"
"The easy answer would be to say.. everything. It's.. hard to describe and I'm not really good with explaining these things,"

Why. Why did she ask that. What brought that on? Why did she think it was a good idea?

"Why me? I'm not exactly the easiest woman to please, nor am I really a walk in the park.."
"...You'll laugh."
"Probably. Come oooooon. I told youuuu."
"Honestly... You'reverypretty,"

Had that been all? Really?

"I see you here below me and everything about you is a question I'd like to see answered."
"I want you, Candace,"
"I'm not messing with your head, Candace. I just like the way you look, when you let that sweet, socially acceptable facade slip down, granting me a glimpse of something all too enticing. Can you truly blame me for seeking it out?"

"Terrible creature. Marvelous woman."

That was all he wanted from her, huh? She swallowed in a vain effort to rid her throat of the lump forming in it, sniffing and rubbing at her face again.

Shun had so many more reasons to love her than--...no..he hadn't said those things to her. Candace sniffed and coughed a bit, tilting her head back against the wall and staring up at the ceiling. No...he hadn't said that to her. He hadn't said any of those things to her. Her eyes turned down to the lone pod that had been set up for her after the siege. She inhaled deeply, an attempt at calming herself. The tears just...wouldn't stop. It hadn't hurt at first to have someone take care of her, it had actually been really ******** annoying. Candace didn't need taking care of and to see someone exhausting themselves, not sleeping, barely eating, and just all together not taking even the slightest bit of care for themselves and calling themselves weak and powerless in order to take care of her when she didn't need it was irritating. It pissed her off. She was strong and capable. She didn't need anyone's goddamn help. Candace needed just one minute to herself to adjust to that goddamn golem and he wouldn't..ugh! And the self-loathing and the whining ******** then Candace woke up in the doctor's office and remembered it wasn't her Shun was taking care of.

...It wasn't her he was talking to.

It wasn't..her..that he was saying such sweet confessions of love to.

He was speaking to her, but the words were not for her. They were for the girl she was pretending to be...the girl in the labs..

She shuddered and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes, already on the verge of tears again. No. Stop that. <******** stop it.

"I don't know how I should act around you because...you don't like who I am at current....you love the Mitsu I represent." Those words had hurt. It had practically been a confession to Shun, one he hadn't picked up on.

"I love you..so much.."
"...and I love you."

Fresh tears rolled down Candace's cheeks again, tears that she had had to fight hard against when she first spoke those words to the reaper. No, Shun..like you weren't saying that to her, those words were not to you. Her chest felt too tight around her heart and lungs and she gasped for breath, a hand coming up to rest over her racing heart. It hurt. It hurt so much.

H did say if it was too much--

No. No, don't take this away from me. Candace curled up again, her forehead against her knees and her eyes closed. Please, no. Just...just let me pretend a little longer..

It's not Shun's love you want, though. Atropos' voice was soft, a warm caress that Candace could practically feel envelope her in comfort. She shuddered. Candy--

"Don't ******** call me Candy right now." Candace spat, biting down on her lip after and burying her fingers in her hair. She clutched her head, nails biting into her scalp. "N-not right now. I just...I just need..air. A break. Yeah...I'll just.." She cleared her throat and lifted her head again, ruffling her hair a bit before she wiped at her face with the sleeve of her coat. Get it together, Candace. You're not some weak child who cries because she's a little hurt. You don't need love. I'm fine.

She was fine. She'd be okay. Candace could tell herself this all day, really.

I'm getting soft. I would never have cried like this a year ago. Candace thought bitterly.

You tend to feel better after a good cry, I've noticed. Atropos offered up. Candace shook her head.

No more crying. I'm fine.

The room was quiet for a long minute that felt like an eternity. The only sounds that filled the room was the occasional sigh or sniff from the Hunter sitting on the floor, her arms relaxed on her knees and her head tilted back against the wall again, face turned up toward the ceiling and eyes closed. Are you sure? Atropos finally asked, breaking the silence between them.

Candace chuckled and nodded. "I'm okay. No more crying. It was just an unpleasant shock to my system."

How can something shock you when you've been reminding yourself for months--

"I wasn't prepared for that conversation. You wouldn't understand...I never knew it could be painful to..have someone say they love you and it's not...at you."

Atropos was quiet again. I love you, Candace. Her words were sincere. The corner of Candace's lips actually twitched up in a small smile.

"And I love you, Atropos. More than anyone in the world." Her eyes opened and gazed up at the ceiling. "Do you want a polishing today?" Atropos made a happy little noise in response and Candace actually laughed, taking her phone out of her pocket and nodding. "Okay, I'll give you one in a few minutes. Just need to keep up social appearances~."