Welcome to Gaia! ::

A single wide-eyed Hunter, just in the middle of errands caught sight of the Hunters arriving back. His mouth was shaped in a literal "O" before his wits caught up to him and he pulled out his cell phone. "They're back. We need a medical team, everyone you can spare, now!" A pause. "Jim, this isn't a prank for the love of Christ."

The rest of the time went by quickly, the blur of coats, white, all white, arriving and settling down. Questions were asked, and oddly enough, shots were administered. A few stretchers were placed closest to where the portal had been.

Everyone was quiet however, and kept mostly to themselves. They had survived however, this time, and that was okay.

Marcus was just pretty stone faced about the whole thing.

Ami ran a hand up and down Otto's back. "It's ... not okay, I won't say that. You don't get used to it either, don't expect that."

A tight frown crossed her face. Otto didn't deserve this. Ryan didn't deserve it. Gale, Dakota. They were children. True she was only a few years older, but it somehow hurt more to see people younger than her suffering.

"But I'm here. If you wanna talk, I'm here ..." She couldn't offer anything else.

It might have seemed clingy, strangely affectionate for Ami. With Marcus gone now, she didn't have much left to cling to. She was starting to get what Junpei and Marcus had always been telling her, about being nice to people. She contented to sit in silence with Otto, words- for once- failing her.

Lex made his way through the portal, Regal's tablet tucked into his coat pocket for now. He knew the situation was bad, but what could they do about it? He hissed at the shot, and shooed other Life Hunters away. He was fine, hardly any scratches. Tend the more wounded, he told them.

He took a seat in the vicinity of both Otto and Solia, not saying anything. Words were useless in times like these - presence was what was needed.

While Cass hadn't been on the mission, she had made a serious attempt to be there and to be helpful once everybody got back. Worry had settled into her gut and with two at least semi-workable arms in her possession it was time to get off of her moping a** and get back to work -

but she didn't exactly look too happy about what it was she saw as people passed through the portal either. So many sad faces, distraught looks, and she couldn't place why just yet.

Perhaps it was for the best she hadn't seen Marcus yet.

As Tedan walked through the portal, he stumbled just a bit, managed to take a couple more steps and then collapsed to the ground, utterly limp. Blue eyes were flat and held little to no awareness of his surroundings. And within his mind, he just kept on chanting silently... Nonono... they're dead ... really dead...gone... gone for good...no ... dead ... dead...

He couldn't make the words stop. Couldn't make it be not true. He didn't have that power, no one did. No one ...

Candace was silent as she stepped out of the portal, quietly allowing herself to be tugged and pulled and guided and prompted to sit wherever the medics needed her to go. Physically she felt fine, it was like nothing had ever even touched her, but emotionally she felt...numb. She answered their questions and took their shots but absolutely refused to let go of her tablet. Her Atropos. Say something... Candace's body trembled, her throat felt tight and her eyes burned. Atropos. Please. Say something. She looked up, quietly searching for everyone else who was returning. Ceres and Bix..

"You are weaponless... Return your dead."

No...not them too. The lump in Candace's throat grew, making her cough and hug her tablet tighter. We're home, Atropos. We're safe now. You can wake up.. She would not cry. She would. not. cry. A high-pitched whimper escaped her despite her best efforts and she quickly wiped her face with her sleeve. No. No crying, not in front of everyone.

Wake up. Please. Just wake up.

This was all her fault. Jerry's scars, Ceres, Bix, Atropos, all these tableted weapons...it was all her fault. She needed to ******** die again. Permanently. Candace curled up against a wall and cradled her tablet against her, pressing her forehead against it and doing her best to just hide. She would not cry. She wanted to so badly but she wouldn't do it, she'd resist. She'd fight it. She was stronger than that.

"Know your rightful place, to be nothing but fodder until death finally accepts you." Candace's eyes opened to stare down at her tablet. Was he really dead? He'd survived worse, right? He'd fought the Horseman of Conquest and survived, just like H had been taken by a titan the size of a small state and come back that very same mission. He could still be okay, right? Somewhere..

Good riddance.

She heard someone crying and looked up again, sniffing and rubbing her lips together while she wiped the corners of her eyes. Dakota? Why was he--oh god..Ceres. Candace had to close her eyes and take a deep breath to keep it together. "Dakota." Candace half choked, half squeaked out. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Dakota."

He was not moving from where he sat, on the floor beside Bix's cot, refusing to get up or to let anyone else drag him away. In his lap rested two things - his own tablet, which he was running his fingers over absently, as though touching it would allow him to hear Jinhai's voice again; and Bix's tablet, which was held in the loosely curled fingers of his other hand.

He knew it was useless. He knew there was nothing to be done. Yet Gale still refused to move, instead staring out at the wall across from him as though not really seeing it, his horribly empty mind free of all thoughts except for one, and only one, one that he wished he could erase and pretend had never happened.

Bix was not dead. He was not dead, he couldn't be dead, it was impossible. Any minute now, the albino would sit up, say something stupid, and ruffle his hair, and tell him that he was being too serious again and that he needed to "lighten up if he was going to get any ladies."

Gale tilted his head back so that it rested against the side of Bix's cot, staring blankly up at the ceiling, and wondered why it was that things always had to be exactly the way they shouldn't.

It was only when he felt warmth on his cheeks that he realized he was crying.