When World Eaters Fall

When a ringing at Marcie's door caught her attention, she had listlessly lived through two days of rest in her apartment. One wouldn't say that she was experiencing gaps in her memory, rather that her mental state had been shaken so much that she was experiencing long drones of time where she couldn't be present in her own thoughts. Was this a form of depression sinking in? She had a tendency to slip into these moments when the stress in her life was at its peak and no immediate action was required of her.

A sharp deep inhale was like a signal for her mind to wake up to the moment and she wheeled over to the door. She couldn't even recall herself getting dressed or getting ready for the day, but here she was, ready for the events to come as though her body just instinctively knew what to do. The smile that met her at the door had eased some of the worry in her mind and her subconsciously stiffened body began to relax.

"Ready to go?" Richard moved aside to let Marcie leave her apartment and closed the door behind her. He smelled of a freshly showered man with the smell of his cedar body wash gently tickling Marcie's nose. It was a very pleasant scent to her which enforced his presence in her mind even more.

Every time she caught that scent, it was always in moments where he was rescuing her from a horrible situation. Marcie dared not comment on the comfort it gave her and the sense of security it created.

"I-is it normal to be this nervous?" She asked the veteran hunter as he drove them to their destination, the Atlas Guild. Richard made sure to take detours where needed to avoid the crowds of street protesters.

"Sure is. In fact, when Angelo joined last year, the man was an absolute cowering mess." Marcie could hardly imagine Angelo being a timid young lad, he always carried himself with quite a lot of confidence. "But he adapted quite well, and you will too."

The guild had been given a heads up that they were receiving a new member who was disabled. Marcie was actually quite surprised when she saw the wheelchair ramp at the entrance. Some areas had little scuffs and the railings showed signs of recent touch-ups of paint. This was not a new ramp by any means, but it showed signs of fairly regular management. "I didn't know the guild had one of these…"

"It's not just for the disabled, though it does encourage disabled people to come seek our services. I would say it's more often used by our hunters while they are recovering from injuries. The damn lads just don't understand the concept of rest I tell yah." Richard gave a sigh as he thought back to how often he was to fight with his men forcing them to take needed days off. Marcie relaxed a bit more as they reached the doors.

"The Atlas Guild sounds like a great place to work…" While he seemed genuine, she couldn't help but feel some concern about the fact that the hunters get injured so often. She wondered if there was something she could do to protect them.