The statement wasn't meant to be harmful, but Marie can tell that her words have done something to Adia's mood, based on the way she looks downward. It's not easy confiding weaknesses to anyone, especially not someone who was hurt in the past. Marie sighs, running her fingers along the side of her glass in thought.

"Do you know much about Hinduism? There's an ideal known as karma, a belief in which good actions reward a person with good fortune. Do bad things and you receive a terrible future." She pauses, letting those words sink in, before continuing. "That's my life, trying to balance out karma so I can find the answers I'm looking for. Lately, my actions have cultivated a negative future that could probably be tracked back to poor decisions."

She takes her hand away from the wine glass. "People I trust have asked me to stop pushing myself so hard, take a break, but I can't. My work defines who I am and to step down, even for a little while, is simply frustrating."