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RESPITE FALLS CLINIC - MORNING
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Doc Plume walks around the one-room clinic, still getting things the way they like them. It's still not quite right, but these things take time, of course...
Nesseth nudges the door open, wincing slightly as he holds a brown-scaled hand over patch of gauze on his cheek. He appears to be a Lizardfolk, one of the denizens of Orela's numerous (literal) desert islands, though his current regalia and crossbow suggest an affiliation with the Explorers' Guild. He glances around upon entering, then smiles upon seeing the room's occupant. "Oh, good! I'd heard we had a new doctor in town!"
Doc Plume sets down the books they were organizing and turns to greet the newcomer. Doc is dressed in only dark grey trousers and a crisp white shirt, as well as a pair of black suspenders. They walk over to Nesseth, frowning at the sight of the hand held over the cheek. "Yes, I'm Doctor Plume. You must be Nesseth. You have the quite the file from when Dr. Hooktail was here..."
Nesseth chuckles, then grimaces as the motion causes a short jolt of pain to shoot through his jaw. "I'm not surprised. Doctor Hooktail's attachment to the Explorers Guild means they were pretty well aware of what we run into out in frontier towns like this. Just, this time, I stayed behind, they didn't."
Doc Plume takes a moment to tuck their fluffy tail into a loop on the back of their suspenders before raising a taloned hand to Nesseth's cheek. "Yes, I wasn't quite clear why he left, though... but that can wait. Show me what's wrong."
Nesseth nods and carefully peels back the gauze, revealing a pretty fresh slice on his cheek, with loose scales clinging to the edges of the wound. It doesn't seem deep, just painful, and the bleeding appears to have mostly stopped already. "Got nicked while helping some of the town guards patrol out on the brushlands. Nothing serious, but it does sting a fair bit..."
Doc Plume nods. They step back to their desk and fetch up their head reflector, setting it into place before beckoning Nesseth over to the examination table. "Come into the light here."
Nesseth ambles over and takes a seat on the table, leaning over a bit so the doctor can get a good look. "Sure thing. How's this?"
Doc Plume turns Nesseth's head carefully in their hands as they get the right angle to reflect the light onto the wound. "Yes, not very deep, no real risk of infection... let me just clean it up for you..." They move to the supply cabinet and fetches a few cotton balls and a jar of iodine before returning. After wiping the wound clean with a fresh piece of gauze, they dab a cotton ball in the iodine. "Now hold still, this is going to sting." And indeed it does, but the brusque antiseptic will serve its purpose. They then press another piece of clean gauze over the wound, letting the iodine hold it in place for the moment. "Leave it there until it falls off, and don't pick at it."
Nesseth winces again as the iodine basically burns the wound clean, but otherwise stays still until the doctor's finished. He nods, his hand drifting up for a moment before he catches himself and drops it back onto his lap. "Gotcha, Doc. Thankfully, it's not on the side I use to aim. So... how much for the visit and stuff?"
Doc Plume takes a few moments to trim the gauze with a pair of scissors and tuck the loose ends between Nesseth's scales. "Something like this? No charge. You said something about Dr. Hooktail, though?" They wipe their hands clean on a towel before putting the supplies away and dropping the used items into a lidded wastebasket. They remove their reflector and set it back on their desk, next to a traditional plague mask that bears a somewhat passing resemblance to the doctor.
Nesseth nods. "Oh, yeah. Doctor Hooktail was the previous doctor here in town. They stayed around long enough for someone else to come in, which would be you, and then left to continue helping the main body of the Explorers Guild." He flashes a sharp-toothed grin, "Not minding getting hurt is almost a requirement whenever we set out for new frontiers."
Doc Plume nods absently as they idly rearrange a few quills on their desk with one hand. "Ah, that makes sense I suppose. I won't be following him, of course. I think I'll be happy enough here."
Nesseth hums and dips his head as he slides off of the examination table. "Well, that's good. It'll be nice to have a more permanent doctor on hand, since the town's still growing pretty fast." He holds out a clawed hand, "You already know my name, Doc, but I don't think I've caught yours yet."
Doc Plume walks back around their desk, their tail twitching behind them in a fluffy white arc. They take Nesseth's hand and shake it. "Dr. Plume. A pleasure to meet you, Nesseth, though hopefully I won't need to see you as often as Hooktail did..."
Nesseth shakes his head with a smile. "I doubt it. I just got a little unlucky during that last patrol, but the surrounding brush has definitely calmed down from what I used to hear from previous expeditions."
Doc Plume takes Nesseth's file and flips to the back of it. The walk back to the desk, dip a quill in some ink and make a brief note about the visit and treatment before setting it down on the desk still open. "Good, good. I am a licensed surgeon, but I'd rather save that part of my practice for special occasions."
Nesseth looks out of one of the windows in Plume's office with a small smile. "Well... here's hoping you don't have to practice that skill too much. Of course, with the older tech that the town's built around, it's still kind of shaky around here. Y'know, technical mishaps and the like."
Doc Plume gives a bit of a croaking laugh. "New tech is just as dangerous, but in less reliable ways. I know ten ways to treat an ICEE burn, but so far there's only one or two ways to handle AMP injuries, and those don't always work."
Nesseth laughs a little. "Heh, fair enough. I guess the ICEE tech's been around long enough that we at least know what to expect of it. Maybe it's not such a bad thing that this town's using older tech, then..."
Doc Plume smiles with their eyes. "Indeed so." They close Nesseth's file and lean back against their desk. "So what can you tell me about folks in town? Mostly good types or should I keep my talons sharp?"
Nesseth smiles a little more brightly. "The folks in town are all here to explore, or to help settle the land. Some few residents can get a little rowdy when they're deep into a mug, but we're all here for similar reasons at the base of it: to make the best of a new realm to explore, however that comes around."
Doc Plume shakes their head. "I'll steer clear of the inn in the evenings, then. Got more than my share of annoying questions in the academy quarter of Westport."
Nesseth nods. "Probably not the worst idea. The inn's got some good food, but you can always get that earlier in the day."
Doc Plume takes a seat on the edge of their desk, holding their tail under one arm so that it doesn't sweep the surface clean. "Are you really not even a touch curious about me?"
Nesseth tilts his head a bit, glancing around a little at the still incomplete office. "Well, you're the town's new doctor, and you're still obviously getting things set up. I didn't really want to interrupt you getting settled by taking up more time than necessary." He grins again and shrugs, "But, if you don't mind, then... sure, I wouldn't mind learning a bit more about you."
Doc Plume walks to the corner behind her desk where a small gas burner is set up. They light the flame and set a kettle of water above it. "What do you want to know?" they ask, their back still turned.
Nesseth turns and leans against the examination table, making himself comfortable as Plume goes about their business with the kettle. "I have to admit, I'm a bit curious as to what made you want to travel so far out to ply your trade. If I'm not mistaken, Westport's all the way across the ocean in Vamas, right?"
Doc Plume nods in affirmation as they measure out tea into a teapot, then pluck the kettle off the flame just as it boils. They fill the teapot before setting the kettle back and cutting the gas. "Yes, I'm a northern Vamanese gryphon, if you didn't know. And I came here because it's far from there."
Nesseth raises an eyebrow. "Northern Vamanese? I figured you were a gryphon, just from appearances, but wow... from cold and ice to arid and hot. That's quite a move to make, environment-wise."
Doc Plume pours two cups of tea before turning back to face Nesseth. They set one on the edge of their desk nearest to Nesseth before taking a sip of their own. "Quite. The fur doesn't help, trust me..."
Nesseth smiles as he leans forward and accepts the cup of tea, holding the drink with both hands. "Thank you, Doc, much appreciated." He sighs and nods, "I can imagine. Though, at least the nights are really cool around here because of that desert just south of town. It might be worthwhile to chat with the town's head mechanic, see if you can get something set up to make the days a bit more comfortable, too."
Doc Plume gives a little nod as they carefully dip their beak into the teacup. "Yes, well, it's also more sanitary to keep the clinic cooler. My apartments upstairs gets a nice cross-draft through the windows, though."
Nesseth nods softly and likewise takes a sip of his tea. He hums in appreciation of the flavor. "Mmh, this is good... Doc Hooktail got a good location for the office, definitely." He pauses for a moment, "So... you said you came here just to get away from Vamas?"
Doc Plume shakes their head. "Vamas is fine. It's my family that isn't. And no, I won't say anymore about it. Let's just leave it at the fact that I'm better off far away from them." They take another sip of tea and smile a bit. "I imagine it's not too rare of a story in these parts, though."
Nesseth chuckles and nods, understanding at least to a degree. "I understand, Doc. It's not that rare of a story around here and the port, no. So... don't worry, whatever your reasons, this town's a good place to settle down in."
Doc Plume is about to reply when a mother wolf rushes in with a pup who is holding a clearly broken arm. The leap up and direct the mother to set the the pup on the examination table. The doctor is a flurry of movement as they collect their reflector while tucking away their tail and wiping off their hands again. "Duty calls, Nesseth. We'll continue another time."
Nesseth hastily moves aside so Plume can go about examining the pup's arm. He nods as he takes a moment to finish the rest of his tea, then sets the cup back down next to Plume's on their desk. He waves and smiles as he makes his way to the exit. "Of course, Doc. I'll see you around soon!"
Doc Plume has no time to acknowledge Nesseth's departure as she works to calm down the pup and get to work on its arm.
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RESPITE FALLS - MORNING
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Vix hums happily as she carelessly strolls down the street, having just pocketed a valuable-looking find~
Maybelline trods suddenly along, the tiny red and white stoat stands short at just under four feet tall. Wearing a poncho with the hood up to keep the sun off, all that's readily seen is her pointy rodent-like nose. Right now, she's mostly mumbling to herself as she carts her luggage behind her, making her way to her new 'home'.
Vix blinks as she notices a traveler-looking person ahead of her. She waves to them, sensing a fine chance to solidify her position as the unofficial town mascot. "Hey there~! Moving in?"
Maybelline lifts her head and squints at whoever addressed her. "Bwah? Eh. Yeah, I guess so." She doesn't sound terribly happy about the fact, and quickly keeps walking.
Vix turns on her heel as the stranger passes her, and walks alongside her. "Great! I'm sure you'll love it here~! We've got uh...plenty of things to do!"
Maybelline growls, "Oh, blah, plenty of things to do, I'm sure. I counted all the things to do here from the moment I stepped off the caravan wagon after the... how many weeks of travel? I could go to that one dusty house! Or that OTHER dusty house! And for a change of pace, I could go to the filthy hovel!"
Vix seems unfazed. "Oh come on now, you haven't even looked around! The market square is pretty fun! There's all kinds of shops, and even a couple bars if you like that sorta thing~"
Maybelline stops for a moment, "Bars you say? Well... alright..." She tilts her head at the cat, "Uh, you. What's the best bar this deadend town has?"
Vix smirks a bit. "Hah, I knew it! You should give the Thirsty Minnow a look. Nice folks there. Cozy. And I'm Vix, by the way! You should check out my shop!"
Maybelline sighs beneath her hood. "Well, while I'm here maybe I can get so drunk that I wake up from all this back in my dorm in Sarn Central University." She slumps a little, shaking her head. "But it's fine. My life is just ruined... I'm May."
Vix lightly pats May on the head. "Aw, look on the bright side though! You can meet all kinds of new people here~!"
Maybelline flinches a bit at the pat, then merely rolls her eyes. "So many new people... great..." She looks up at Vix and her expression drops, "I... just want to get to my new quarters for now and unpack. This whole trip was exhausting. At least now I can actually lay down somewhere in peace... assuming this place actually has beds."
Vix: Pfft. Of course we have beds, silly. We're not animals!
Vix stops walking and considers this.
Maybelline raises an eyebrow at Vix, then slowly facepalms, "Well... good to hear there's beds, at least."
Vix catches up with May again. "Need any help finding your house?"
Maybelline holds up a piece of paper, "Directions seem pretty clear to me. Besides, it's not like it's hard to miss the town ICEE Generator. I could follow that hum from a mile away."
Vix hums as she looks over the map. "Yyyeah, you're on the right track. Think you'll have trouble sleeping while living next to that thing?"
Maybelline shakes her head, "I apprenticed at the big Mark VI generator in Poliscaster. Was like falling asleep to a gentle rain everynight. I'm sure this town's Mark IV will be fine."
Vix: Oh! Umm...I actually found something that might help with that this morning, if the noise is too much...
Vix digs in her satchel and pulls out a pair of fluffy earmuffs. "Here, you can have these!"
Maybelline tilts her head at Vix. "I can... have these? Okay? Why? I mean, for the noise, but why are you just giving them to me?"
Vix shrugs and smiles. "You just seem like you could use a break. Think of this as your official welcome to Respite Falls~!"
Maybelline manages to smile back, as she reaches out and takes the earmuffs. "Uh... hey... thanks. I mean, this wasn't my first choice, but I'm here now, I guess. And maybe it won't be so bad as all that, you know?"
Vix nods. "That's more like it! And hey, looks like we're already there!"
Maybelline glances at the door to a rather small building built on the side of a much larger structure. "Then that's my new home, eh? Office of the Head Engineer to the Respite Fall's ICEE Generator. I guess that's me now." Her smile fades just a bit, but she shrugs, "Thanks for all the advice Vix. I'll see you around town, I guess? At the Thirsty Minnow?"
Vix smiles and waves as she starts to make her way back down the street. "Nice meeting you, May! See you around~"
Maybelline waves to Vix as she goes, then turns back to the door and fidgets with the key she was given. "Oh huh... it's unlocked?" She pushes it open and steps inside, lugging her stuff in behind her.
Maybelline glances around the room, a modest but not too small living room, a tiny kitchen, and bedroom and bathroom each in a seperate room. It's nothing huge, but still bigger than her university dorm. She hears a weird whining noise and follows it towards a small hallway connecting her living quarters to the generator.
Maybelline goes to unlock this door but finds it open as well. As she pushes it open she glances at the Mark IV generator... or what she thinks is a Mark IV generator, with its multiple redundant components, missing pieces, something sparking, and all of it held together by duct tape and hope.
Maybelline drops to her knees, eye twitching as she stares at this monstrosity, "Oh gods. It's worse. It's so much worse..."