WILL I BE TOO SLOW? ☆ blood division ceremony

[LUMIA CIPHER.]

Excitement. Pride. Those had been two of the main driving forces inside of Lumia as she rushed down the path of the volcano, a broad grin on her muzzle. Now, although those feelings still very much remained, exhaustion had joined the mix as well. The journey, although fairly short, had been a grueling one, and the young Cipher found herself wanting nothing more than to sleep. She wouldn't do that yet, though. Approaching footsteps causing the feline to raise her bright green gaze. She couldn't help but smile at the faces that greeted her – Vayne and Danny. She should've known they would be here, waiting for her near the base of the volcano. While she hadn't widely advertised that she was taking on the blood division ceremony, it wasn't as if it was hard to put the pieces together. Gossip was surprisingly rampant around The Typhoon, and when someone was wandering around the territory, a map clutched in their jaws as they dug at the ground, people began to talk. She was sure this wasn't the last time she would be approached about the ceremony today, but others would probably be more interested in asking her what division she had chosen. For now, she was just glad to see a pair of calm, familiar faces. Her friends. Her family.

She addressed Danny first, her short tail flicking behind her as she grinned lopsidedly at the canine, "Thanks... was there ever any doubt about what division I'd choose? After all, I've gotta make sure you don't get into too much trouble." Not that she could ever imagine Danny being the cause of that trouble. He was far too sweet for that, and she had honestly been pretty surprised when he had chosen the Grim Rays as well. As time had gone on, however, she had begun to understand. While Danny didn't really seem like the type to pick fights with others, the wolf did seem like the type to protect those he cared about, no matter what. There was no doubt that the Grim Rays were the best division for that, and Lumia was honestly glad to be in the division alongside him. Her wandering thoughts almost caused her to miss Danny's follow-up question, and it was a moment before she blinked in confusion. Was she... cold? She didn't feel cold. Shaking her head from side to side, she answered simply, "Cold...? Uh, no, I don't think so. It was pretty warm up there, actually." A couple of chuckles left her after that – and sure enough, they were accompanied by coiling puffs of cloudy air.

Turning her attention then to Vayne, Lumia found her smile growing even broader – if that was even possible. She was quick to move forward and embrace the other, muttering once she pulled away, "Thanks, Vayne... I honestly wasn't sure I'd be able to do it." She had tried to project as much confidence as possible while scouring the territory, but honestly, she had been pretty afraid. Scared that she would fail, and end up making her fellow crewmates disappointed. Hell, she had almost thought that the first totem would take her out, the memory of her lungs burning still rather fresh on her mind. Regardless, she had actually done it, and she wasn't sure there was any way for her to be happier. Well... maybe things would be a little better if she didn't have to worry about strange questions from her friends. A similar expression of confusion came across her face as Vayne asked her about her health, and she was quick to shake her head once more. She answered a little awkwardly, scratching at the back of her neck, "Sick? No, I'm not sick. Not that I know of, anyways. I actually feel pretty good..." The fog around her mouth had seemed to lessen slightly, although had not fully gone away just yet.

She didn't want to focus on that for the moment, though. Instead, she wanted to focus on what she had achieved... and a bed, honestly. With another little laugh, Mia found herself muttering, "Anyways... I think I'd better get back to my quarters. I promise I'll celebrate with you guys later, but I'm feeling pretty exhausted right now." She scrubbed at one of her eyes as she spoke, yawning as if to drive the point home. She felt an odd and cold weight in her chest, chilly but not unbearably so, but she simply took it as another sign that she needed to get some rest. It was probably just her imagining things due to exhaustion.

☆ — something's going on underneath your skin