#shadeandsuffering

❍ "Miss Nyx? What do you think is softer to the touch? A cat or a dog?" For someone that had lived a normal life, that would have been a silly question with an obvious answer. Castorice hadn't lived a normal life though. She'd already been able to live without her curse in Spirale, but now that it had become a permanent affair even in Amphoreus, she was trying to make up for lost time.

"I'm not sure if my knowledge is really compatible... I mean, you're not exactly like a Skydweller. I didn't even know you could get sick."

This girl, the primal beast Lich, is someone Tikoh's only a little familiar with. Their circles don't really intersect, but it's nice to see a familiar face. Kind of. Tikoh is starting to think she might be faking it a bit.

"Well, what you're describing sounds similar to long-term fatigue; lack of sleep, lack of exercise, lack of nutrition, that kind of thing," she says, looking over her notes. "Normally I'd just tell the patient to try and eat a more balanced diet and make sure they balance their rest and activity, but I'm not sure you even need to eat. Do you even sleep?"

Lich will be dropped for you!

❍ "I suppose it isn't surprising to you to learn that I'd find a place like this comforting." The underground graveyard in Cotes Ward wasn't a place that many people ventured to, and certainly not often. But for Castorice, who remained attuned to the dead through the virtue of the Coreflame she had once wielded, it was still a place of comfort.

And she still felt like she had an obligation to comfort the deceased, whatever that meant in a world like Spirale.

"It might have to come out," says Tikoh, putting her tools down.

Below her on the exam chair, Lich scowls. "What? Check again, doc."

"I already have. It's a... a very large cavity. I can put a crown on it, but if it doesn't help we'll likely have to remove it," she says, turning away. "A crown is like a cap they put on top of the tooth. Though I can't say I've ever done one shaped like this..."

Lich sits up, her eyes twitching towards the door. "H-hold on, the last time I had these looked at, the guy just said I had to brush them. And I do!"

"How often?"

"At least once a month."

"It's supposed to be twice per day."

"Oh."

Tikoh writes a few notes in her log while Lich ponders, and the primal beast finally sighs.

"Guess he was just so entranced by working on a cute girl that it slipped his mind!" she says. "I'm sure it's fine, I bet the Astrals built something in that'll make it grow back or something."

"I can pull it if you like," says Tikoh, nodding. "In fact, I'm kind of curious how-"

"H-hold on, I'm not gonna be your guinea pig!"

"This isn't an experiment, I've removed teeth before," says Tikoh, frowning. "Just not on a primal beast. But I'm sure we can sedate you so you won't feel a thing-"

"Ooh, you wanna get me vulnerable so you can operate on me, huh doc? That how you get your kicks?" says Lich, She grins, but a droplet of sweat trickles down her temple.

Tikoh sighs, leaning over her. "I'm a doctor, and I take that very seriously," she says. "I don't do unethical things to my patients."

"You sure? I see you looking at the captain sometimes," says Lich, her eyes flicking towards the door. "Is that ethical? Playing doctor with the boss of the crew? Your boss?"

"Th-that's all strictly professional," says Tikoh, her ears flicking. "I'm just taking care of them. We're just... friends."

"Hey, no shame in it. The captain's a real catch. Can't blame you for being interested. You've got a lot of competition, though."

"And what about you? I see you lurking around sometimes. Don't even get me started on White Day."

Lich waves her hand, her sleeve flopping in the air. "No, that's different. They're still young, so they're shy, you know? Obviously with someone like me, they'd be scared to approach. Because I'm so beautiful."

Tikoh rolls her eyes. "Right, that's why."

"Look, I'm older than you, okay? By a lot, so I have a lot more experience with this kind of thing. I mean, have you ever even-"

Lich stops short as she realizes how groggy she feels. Her eyes snap to Tikoh, sweat beading down her forehead. "Hey, w-wait. What did you do to me?"

"Oh, just a sedative spell," she says, shrugging. "Figured we could just do the procedure now. Since obviously you don't have anything better to do."

Lich's eyes begin to flutter, but she finds her body isn't quite responsive to her efforts. "C-c'mon, is this for teasing you? Don't be like that, I was kidding!"

Tikoh leans in, smiling softly. "Well, dental health is no joke. We can keep talking after the procedure, alright? Now, I'm going to count backwards from ten. Ten..."

"I'm telling the captain! That you're doing weird shit to me!"

"Nine..."

"I'm... I'm telling... the..."

"Eight..."

"Well, I didn't really expect to see you here, Lich," says Tikoh. "At least, not for something that's not just a social call."

There's so many people in this city with novel physiologies that primal beasts like her are almost normal in comparison. There's still a lot that Tikoh doesn't know about primals, but seeing a physical condition like this is almost a relief. It's something that makes sense.

"And I guess I wouldn't have expected this considering your... lifestyle. But that's a pretty bad sunburn. I guess even primal beasts need to make sure they use sunscreen when they go out. I know the weather is getting warmer, so we want to make sure we're taking care of ourselves, you know?"

"Only one wish? That's a bit tricky... It would be easy to just want strength to win my battles, or to make sure all my friends and crewmates stay safe. I could wish for the health of the captain, or maybe I could wish for Shannon to come back to life. It's a bit grim, but could I wish for Ferdinand to die for real? I guess this is all just a hypothetical, anyway..."

@shadeandsuffering

Benches are a nice invention. If Ralsei had any hope of returning home, he'd consider putting them in Castle Town -- if only for how convenient they are here.

No fatigue in his feet exists, really, but it's easy to forget the manual task of walking as something to do when his head's so full, and at the moment he'd like a break from thinking. Observation becomes easier when it's still, taking in the little details that he might have otherwise just passed by. It's strange to feel a breeze through his fur, like as if it exists and isn't a projection of Lightners' fantasies. There's an ever-present idea that he isn't meant to be in this city, so starkly out of place with his delicate features and its storied history that he was never a part of. With a few other Darkners present in this city, he wonders if any of them feel the same.

Not that he's in the business of asking. It'd expose him to the ever-present, ever-looming idea that he wouldn't be able to do anything about it, after all. No matter how selfish such a sentiment is.

His paws lay neatly within his lap as he takes a look at the sky, which, as far as he can tell, is an actual sky. When could he ever see that within the Dark World? Something like this, it's a distant dream. It's... difficult to appreciate it, in the wake of everything else.

"Sensing" Darkness was easy to do, but there's nothing he can sense here. And, being unable to do just that... Well, it means a looming presence behind him isn't so evident to him. In this place, in this world, in this moment, he's alone.