[Jaykobell]

Medicai: the most prestigious city in terms of medical advancements. No city or town could even dare to compare themselves to Medicai. If a doctor wished to hone his skills and become one of the best, Medicai was the right place. Studying, working, and learning in Medicai was a great opportunity for anyone who appreciated the medical field.

Just at the entrance of the city, a tall man was carrying a young boy on his back. The child looked worried, but the coat-wearing man, a doctor, was being stubborn.



"Doctor... Please rest," Amaury insisted, gripping the doctor's coat tightly. "You've been walking for so long."

After the identity drama that had happened back by a town between the Vast Plains and Wilt'no Desert, Paxton and Amaury traveled together. After running for a few miles and after jumping down a gorge, the two had to find a way to civilization. The doctor was injured, dried blood all over his injuries, and the nurse had suffered from a sprained ankle, which was why the doctor was carrying him.

Overall, they had spent a few days in the area separating the Vast Plains and Medicai City. Resting when he needed it, Paxton had been carrying Amaury all this time, and he wasn't planning on stopping now, despite his energy running low.
He huffed and panted as he continued to walk within the city. "Huff... I'm fine. I'm not that old, Amaury," the doctor scoffed, keeping an eye out for a hospital. There was a bad feeling in the back of his mind that if he entered a hospital, people would recognize him and chase him again. However, he had to push it in the darkest corner of his mind if he wanted to get Amaury the medical attention he needed.

[Jaykobell]

"Y-your age has nothing to do with this, doctor," Amaury replied, flustered by Paxton's humor. The doctor was in his early to mid-thirties; that was far from being old. "We're in Medicai now, you can rest."

"Huff, resting in a city is actually more dangerous, Amaury," Paxton argued, panting more by the minute. "It's probably been all over the news by now. Someone might recognize me and notify the authorities. We have to move quickly." Quickly, however, wasn't very foreseeable or doable at this time. Paxton could barely feel his legs anymore, and his chest was starting to highly disagree with the amount of stress Paxton was putting on his body. Still, Medicai was the biggest medical city in the entire world; finding a hospital wouldn't take long.

And by following the hospital signs, it didn't take too long to find a suitable hospital. Forcing his legs to bear with him for a little longer, Paxton continued to carry Amaury all the way to the hospital, the silent doors sliding open as they sensed someone in front of them. The cold air of the AC hit the two of them right away, and both had to admit this was quite welcome after the trip they'd done in a desert-like environment.

Paxton huffed and panted as he finally stopped walking, now standing in the lobby of the hospital. "Finally... I swear to God I'm never doing this again."

[Jaykobell]

The hospital wasn't anything fancy. It was acceptable for a hospital, but it looked normal. At first sight, it looked nothing like a modern, advanced Medicai hospital. And really, their location being so close to the entrance of the city was a strategic location. Upon arriving, the odds of people stopping here was much greater than them going to another, much farther hospital. However, the city had various entrances, so really, the strategic location also had to cross its fingers for some luck.

The doctors working here weren't anything special. Oh, sure, they had some good skills going on, but they were nothing compared to the ones who could afford to work in one of the top hospitals. This one here was almost a hospital for all the rejects that hadn't been able to score a job at one of the big hospitals. However, it did have something in its favor...

The translucent doors slid open quietly with a soft hiss as one of the doctors made his entrance to the lobby.



The doctor looked less like a doctor and more like an intern still trying to understand the meaning of a "dress code." His fiery red hair was up in the air like a flame, and his eyes glowed a bright emerald green. His ears were pierced with countless little black dots, and a pair of feather earrings hung from his ears as well. Under his pristine coat was a bright red stripped shirt with sleeves longer than the coat's, and underneath the shirt was a white top with a tall neck. His pants were so floppy that it looked like they were about to fall any minute. He also wore black fingerless gloves, and finally, the only acceptable thing he was wearing was a pair of thin, small glasses.

Quite frankly, anyone would prefer an actual intern to this fashion clown. But the doctor was here to pick up a patient or two. That was when a very specific person piqued his interest...

[Jaykobell]

"Excuse me. My little friend here sprained his ankle; could someone check him out?"

Not only did he have to walk all the way here with Amaury on his back, Paxton also had to wait in line for the receptionist to ask for a doctor. Thankfully, Amaury had said for the doctor to just let him sit down in the waiting room while Paxton would wait in line. This had allowed the doctor's back to recover.

However, the situation didn't look any better. "I'm sorry, sir," the secretary replied after she'd given a few clicks away at her computer and checked her many agendas. "The only free slot we have, at the earliest, is next week. I would propose going to another hospital."

Paxton grumbled, but he wasn't too surprised. Waiting lists were incredibly full nowadays, with the lack of doctors and the increase in injured and sick people. Still, a week or so wasn't too much of a wait. In their case, however, Amaury had to see someone now. "Isn't there anyone who could just take a quick look at him?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but as I've said, there's no open sl—"

The secretary had no time to finish her sentence when a black-gloved hand slammed on her counter. The lady gasped and jumped slightly, and Paxton only turned to the source of the noise, alert. A coat-wearing man was there, his outfit reminding the doctor of a street punk. "My dear secretary," the red-haired doctor spoke with a silky, mischievous voice, "please cancel my next appointment and add the sir over here," he asked as he pointed at Paxton. "Erm, for his... puppy dog, or whoever," he added quickly with a grin, sharp canines protruding. "He obviously needs help."

[Jaykobell]

The strange doctor's words surprised Paxton. The secretary was also surprised, and she even seemed to disagree with the doctor's impulsive decision. "Doctor, with all due respect, your next patient—"

"I know my patients, miss secretary," the doctor replied, crossing his arms. "But you can see this man is also injured, and his little friend can't walk, either. And if the good sir can't swallow being moved to next week, then tell him to patiently wait. It shouldn't take too long to help with cuts and a sprained ankle, am I right?" Of course he knew why his patients were coming to see him. He reviewed his files before talking to them, you know. You couldn't be fooled by the cover; he was actually pretty awesome as a doctor, if he did say so himself.

The secretary got nervous for a while before simply sighing quietly and just nodding to the doctor's instructions. "If anything happens, I will relay your message, doctor..."

"Good, good," the doctor replied with a grin. "Oh! And get a wheelchair for his puppy dog, since he can't walk," he added as he snapped his fingers, once again referring to Amaury as a dog.

While grateful, Paxton wasn't so sure he agreed with this doctor's behavior. A sprained ankle wasn't anything dangerous, so wouldn't treating his other patients be more important? Still, Amaury would probably get something for his ankle, and the two could continue traveling. "Thank you for your help," he thanked the other doctor, nodding politely.
The red-haired doctor didn't reply right away, his green eyes staring at the other doctor's blue eye. "You're very welcome," he eventually replied with that same grin. "As for me, I'll be waiting in my office. Secretary, please ask a nurse to lead my patients to my office!" he requested with a gesticulating hand as he casually walked away to go back to his office.

[Jaykobell]

Paxton was looking at the doctor leaving when the secretary talked to him. "I'll book you with doctor Ashenmil for right now, then," she said with a loud sigh. "He's so irresponsible..." she muttered to herself, too softly for Paxton to hear.
"Ah, thank you for your help. I really do appreciate it," the doctor replied with a nod.
"A nurse will be here shortly with a wheelchair for your little friend. Please wait for her with him in the lobby."

"What happened?" Amaury asked the doctor when Paxton had come back. "Who was that talking to you?" While he'd been able to watch from his seat, the nurse had heard nothing from their conversation. He could only hope someone could see him here, and that they wouldn't have to move from one hospital to the next.

"A doctor here," Paxton replied as he sat down next to Amaury. "He cancelled his next appointment to see us." He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I don't agree with his decision as a doctor, but as a patient, I am rather grateful," he admitted, despite his inner mind nagging him for it. As a doctor, he should disagree entirely, not partially. That other patient might have a very serious problem, whereas Paxton and Amaury weren't in any life-threatening conditions. Still, that doctor wouldn't simply turn away a patient with a serious condition for complete strangers, would he? Paxton could only hope so.

"He cancelled his next appointment for us?" Amaury paraphrased, tilting his head at the doctor. "I don't agree either, but I guess it's convenient for us," the nurse admitted, fiddling with his hands nervously. He, too, didn't really feel good admitting this, but sometimes you just had to think about yourself, right?

[Jaykobell]

"Did the pain lessen at all?" Paxton asked Amaury as the two waited for the nurse to come with the wheelchair.
"It still hurts and it feels numb, but it's a lot more bearable," the nurse assured the doctor, looking down at his swollen ankle. Back when it had happened and a while after that, it hurt a lot and the pain wasn't really tolerable. With time and rest, and however, the pain had lessened. While still noticeable, it was bearable.

The two of them stayed silent as they waited for the nurse to appear. Unlike the hospital they used to work for, this one wasn't as busy. While the waiting room was crowded, Paxton had seen worse. Perhaps this was a reason why the red-haired doctor had moved his patient to next week; he probably figured he could afford the decision. Paxton would've had to push him back a month, maybe two, maybe even three. Some doctors had it worse than him and patients couldn't book an appointment until a good six months away.

He was daydreaming about that when a nurse suddenly made him snap out of it. "Are you doctor Ashenmil's last-minute patients? I have the wheelchair ready," she asked, pushing the wheelchair forward to show the two of them.
"Ah, yes. He's the one who needs it; he sprained his ankle." With help from the nurse, Paxton got Amaury to get up on one foot to reach the wheelchair. Quite honestly, Paxton had to be grateful for the wheelchair. If he had had to carry Amaury again all the way to the doctor's office, his body would've started crumbling into pieces.

"If you can follow me, please," the nurse inquired, turning around and leading the two of them to the doctor's office, with Paxton pushing Amaury's wheelchair. The nurse lead them down the hall, took a turn, and then down another hall. Unlike the previous one, this hall had the doctors' nameplates besides their door, whereas the previous hall had specialized rooms for specific treatments and machines. Down the hall, almost at the very end, was the door they were looking for, with the golden plate bearing the name "Dr. Ashenmil."
The nurse stopped besides the door and turned to Paxton and Amaury. "You can enter. He is waiting for you."

[Jaykobell]

Paxton nodded politely at the nurse, whom also opened the door for them. "Thank you."

The inside of the office was just like any doctor's, not considering the personal touches each doctor added. Posters and images of the human body and human parts were all over the office, and despite the doctor's look, his office was surprisingly tame in terms of decoration. Perhaps the hospital had strict rules concerning the offices, but it was different for every hospital. The only thing Paxton could see on the spot was a few things related to astrology and the twelve zodiac signs. Besides that, everything looked like your typical fancy office.

At the end of the office and behind his desk, was doctor Ashenmil, waiting for his patients to sit down. "You're here so soon! Do sit down," he invited with outstretched arms and a mischievous grin. He got up from his seat and walked around his desk to meet up with his two new patients. "I'm doctor Talbot Ashenmil. I'm gonna fix you in a flash!" he introduced himself as he took Paxton's hand and shook it. "What about you?"

Paxton had to commend the doctor for at least being professional and introducing himself. "It's nice to meet you. This is Amaury Napier, he's the one with the sprained ankle." He had caught himself at the last second. His name was probably all over the news, if not his picture. He just realized how lucky he'd been that the secretary hadn't asked for his name.

But Paxton didn't have to tell Talbot his name. There was a specific reason why Talbot had jumped on the opportunity to meet these two; specifically, the doctor. He stared at Paxton for a while, waiting for him to officially tell his name. However, when that didn't come, Talbot didn't press. "All right, Amaury then? Come on over there, I'll check you out," he said as he motioned to the chairs right in front of his desk. He could push away one of the chairs to leave enough space for the wheelchair.

[Jaykobell]

"So, however did all this happen?"

With Paxton sitting on one side, Amaury sitting in the wheelchair on the other, and Talbot sitting in his own chair, the three had started talking. Talbot was sitting casually with his legs crossed and his chair leaning back slightly. His fingers were spread out, and both hands touched at the fingertips as he discussed with the two. "Knowing the cause would help me know if I need to check anywhere specific, too."

At the question, Paxton got slightly nervous. If he did say what had really happened, that would also be a dead giveaway; not to mention pretty unlikely that they would survive a fall that high. But then, neither of them had thought of anything. As careful as he usually was, Paxton hadn't thought about a believable alibi. He had to think quick. "Ah, well..." Not only that, but he couldn't only say they'd fallen down the stairs at home. Stairs didn't cause cuts as deep as they had. Being home also meant they would've had something to take care of their injuries; Paxton wouldn't be here with a bloodied coat. "We had... an accident," he started, feeling the doctor's eyes staring attentively at him. To be honest, it was slightly unnerving. "A car accident," Paxton suddenly blurted out, although his voice didn't sound as confident as he would've liked. "We were walking somewhere when a car didn't brake on time on a red light." Saying they were in their car would've pressed Talbot to ask about it. "Where was the car now?" So Paxton had to twist it around to make it sound plausible.

Still, it was pointless. Talbot knew about Paxton, and he knew about the two jumping off a cliff to escape. That was why he'd jumped on the opportunity. Were they actually the two fugitives? Were they simply extremely similar? Coincidences could be frightening at times; the possibility was still there. Talbot didn't reply for a moment, but he eventually nodded. "A small car accident, eh? Well that's unfortunate. Okay then!"

He got up from his chair and walked over to Amaury, bending down on one knee to check him out. He got close to him, and the young nurse blinked uncomfortably at the doctor. Talbot lifted his hand gave the kid a thumbs up. "No worries, I'm gonna fix you up," he assured, closing an eye confidently and grinning widely, those sharp canines protruding like a vampire's. "Let's check out that ankle." And before that, he looked at the doctor. "If you're tired, you can lie down on the examination table, sir," Talbot invited, pointing at the table right next to the wall. Knowing the doctor had probably walked all this way, he was probably exhausted.

[Jaykobell]

Without further ado, Talbot started looking at Amaury's ankle. He carefully pulled up the pants and slowly took off the boy's shoe. He would sometimes ask if it hurt as he was withdrawing the shoe, and at times Amaury would hiss or complain about the pain quietly. Once the shoe was off, Talbot also got rid of the sock; and even with the sock on, it was easy to see the injury, swollen as it were. "Well doesn't this look painful," he commented as he put the sock together with the shoe. "Can you move it?"

Amaury listened attentively to Talbot's questions, but his head slowly started getting foggy and light. At first, he wondered what was happening, but then he figured it was most likely fatigue. Even though he hadn't been the one walking all the way here, sleeping on and off on Paxton's back hadn't helped much. He yawned a little, now and again, but he was still alert enough to answer Talbot's questions. "Uh... a little bit, but it hurts when I move it too much or too quickly," he answered as he slowly started moving his foot, but barely. If he moved it too much, the pain would shot right through his leg.

As he heard the boy yawn, Talbot smiled happily. However, he didn't comment on it. "That's good. It's moving naturally, so the bone isn't broken. I want to see if your ligament is completely ripped or if it just got stretched." He stood up and put his hands on his hips. "I'll ask a nurse to come get you so you can get an x-ray. Is that okay?"

Amaury blinked dizzily at the doctor. For a moment, he had seen double, but as soon as he'd blinked, it was gone. "An x-ray? Oh... sure," the nurse replied passively, yawning loudly again. He waved a hand in front of his mouth as he did so, with his eyes blinking slowly when he was done. He figured they might hospitalize him for a little bit, until they could do something for his ankle. Maybe he could have a snooze then...

"Right then." Talbot left the child where he was — with Paxton, whom hadn't moved from his chair, despite the doctor's invitation to lie down — so he could dial on his phone. It rung up and a female voice answer. "Miss secretary," Talbot greeted with a grin that the secretary couldn't see through the keyboard or speaker. "I'd like a nurse to take little Amaury Napier for an x-ray for his sprained ankle. I want as many angles as you can scan! Please relay the message to her."

[Jaykobell]

It didn't take too long for the nurse to get to Talbot's office. Meanwhile, the doctor had asked Amaury basic questions, such as if he could put weight on his ankle, if he could feel it at all, when he had injured it, how, precisely, he had twisted his ankle, and a few more. At first, Paxton had been reluctant to trust the doctor; not only did his appearance look suspicious, he was a young doctor and his behavior wasn't very appealing, when it came to professionalism. Still, he had been serious and careful with Amaury, and he had asked any question Paxton would've asked himself. Perhaps he had been the one to judge the young one too harshly.

"It shouldn't take too long," the nurse had told the two doctors, dragging away a sleepy Amaury in the wheelchair out of the office and to the radiology department — which, to the two patients' ignorance, was actually relatively far from here. This would give Talbot ample time to fraternize with the doctor...

"So, sir," Talbot inquired as he went back to his desk and leaned on it on his hands. "You still haven't told me your name. I'd like to know my patient's name if I'm going to fix him up..." he said as he leaned down towards Paxton, their faces rather close; anyone with a personal bubble would've reacted uncomfortably to his approach.

Paxton reacted accordingly and withdrew slightly from the doctor's face, raising an eyebrow. However, something went wrong extremely quickly. Ngh... I can't... My body is going numb all over, Paxton noticed as his body started reacting less and less at a sickening pace. He would've blamed the fatigue, but something happening this quickly and this strangely couldn't be natural. He looked up at Talbot, expecting the doctor to give him an answer.

However, the doctor's expression had completely changed, and slowly, a sly white grin appeared on the doctor's face. "Doctor... please stay still," Talbot inquired, narrowing his eyes excitedly at the doctor. "I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

[Jaykobell]

As much as he tried to move his body, Paxton soon realized it wasn't just extreme fatigue. His guess was that Talbot had something to do with this, considering the sudden change with the doctor's behavior and expression. "Doctor...?"

"Yes, doctor." Talbot sat on his desk and looked at the paralyzed doctor in front of him. "I'm no idiot, doctor; anyone in the field with a little bit of knowledge knows who you are." Doctors were especially easy to recognize if they had particular quirks. In this case, Paxton's eyepatch was a dead giveaway. A brown-haired doctor with blue eyes would be too vague; but a doctor with brown hair, blue eyes, and an eyepatch on the right eye? That was specific and easy to notice. "Doctor Paxton Hugh... wanted for being a threat to society, and now presumed dead after jumping off a cliff with his assistant nurse, Amaury Napier," Talbot told the doctor in front of him, basically telling him the latest hot news. "Anyone with half a brain would recognize you."

"What of it?" Paxton replied, grateful that whatever was numbing him still let him speak normally. "Are you going to turn me in?" Was that why the doctor had cancelled his next appointment for the two of them? Had he planned this all along?

Talbot stared, in silence, at the doctor with wide eyes for a while. Eventually, he just bursted out into laughter. "Turn you in?!" he echoed, wrapping an arm over his stomach. "No way! Their little cash reward doesn't interest me," he continued after he was done laughing hysterically. "No, you are far more precious than some cash."

[Jaykobell]

Paxton blinked an stared uncomfortably at the doctor, whom was laughing loudly at his comment. What was so funny about this whole situation? Paxton was wanted by the law, at this point, and if someone knew he wasn't actually dead, turning him in would prove advantageous to anybody. Does this guy take anything seriously? Paxton wondered, getting a little unnerved at Talbot's reactions. He had changed, yet he wasn't all that different from earlier.

"You're really funny, doctor," Talbot commented with a huge grin. "Turning you in would be one of the biggest mistakes of my life." He got up again from his desk and leaned forward, just enough so the two of them could feel the other's breathing. "I heard you have an ability like no other... An ability no human being could ever possess." An ability that had scared that hospital so much that they had labeled one of their most gifted doctors a danger to society. There was little doubt left in Talbot's mind.

Paxton groaned quietly at Talbot's comment. How much did this doctor know about him? He didn't like where this conversation was heading. "I'm gifted, is all," he replied a little more confidently than he would've liked. Still, maybe the confidence would hint the other doctor to leave him be.

"Oh, no..." Talbot replied, shaking his head. "It's beyond just being 'gifted,' doctor," he added, putting an emphasis on "gifted" with quote fingers. "Obviously, you won't just admit it to me," he continued, his expression becoming just a little bit darker. "Let's see what you have to hide... doctor Hugh."

[Jaykobell]

Slowly, Talbot made his move. He backed up a little before reaching for Paxton's eyepatch. "As far as I know, your medical papers don't say anything about an eye condition. Supposedly, you lost your right eye when you were little... let me check to see if that's true or not!"

Since his body was paralyzed, Paxton couldn't get away from the doctor. His eye widened, and he gasped. "No, wait! Don't touch the eyepatch!" He couldn't let the doctor pull the eyepatch up to check his eye. He had to buy himself some time, but it was pointless. Moments after Paxton had argued, Talbot was already lifting the eyepatch up to look at the eye behind it.

Talbot stared at Paxton for a while, eyes wide and his expression displaying utter disbelief. The two doctors remained silent for a while, with Talbot staring and Paxton staring back, his heart skipping a few beats from the stress. Talbot observed the eye he'd just revealed. The lush, bright blue color of Paxton's right eye had faded away and turned into a dark purple-blue color. The eye had no pupil, and within the dark purple-blue iris, was a minuscule constellation. Dots shined brightly in the appropriate lines. At the top was a triangle, formed by three dots; two lines fell to the sides, the right line shorter than the left. "... I can't believe it..." Talbot finally said, his voice barely above a whisper as he continued to stare. "I was expecting something like Virgo... but no... Oh no..." Suddenly, his expression turned into an ecstatic face. "You're far beyond that! Your parasite... You're a Libra parasite!"

"What are you even talking about?" His patience was thin enough as it were, but now that doctor was getting more and more unnerving. "How did you know about what I am?" Not only that, this doctor seemed to know more than Paxton himself knew.

[Jaykobell]

Talbot was about to dismiss the doctor's questions when he took a good look at Paxton's face. "Wait... you're not kidding?" Talbot asked himself with a baffled look. He always thought the hosts were ingrained with the knowledge of what and who they were; this explained why they all felt that they weren't human. Paxton seemed to know that he was a parasite, but not what kind of parasite.

"I'm paralyzed from head to toes, I don't really feel like trusting you, and you've just said nonsense to me," Paxton replied rather impatiently, irritation showing in his voice. "I don't think I'm the mood for jokes." This doctor was surreal. With that ability to paralyze people, Paxton had no reason to trust him at all.

"You're harsh, doctor," Talbot replied with a sly grin, crossing his arms. "I'm surprised you don't know, though. Isn't it ingrained in you?"

"All I know is that I'm not human, and because of that, I have a power no human could have. Beyond that, I don't know anything." If it were supposed to be ingrained, then that was strange indeed. Talbot definitely seemed to know something, even if only a little bit more than Paxton. "You seem to know something. What does Libra have anything to do with this?"

"Are you kidding? When you noticed that your eye had a constellation in it, you never thought about researching it?" Talbot stared at the doctor in front of him, wondering what to think. Either he was extremely passive to even something like that, or he was just... well, stupid, for lack of a better word.

"Well..." Paxton frowned at Talbot's question, and now that the kid was mentioning it, Paxton realized he had never tried to look into his "condition." He knew he was a parasite inside a human body, and that combining the two provided him with an amazing ability, but beyond that, his curiosity was satisfied. He had never questioned his existence any further. "I suppose it never intrigued me enough to really pursue anything."

"Never intrigued you enough?" Talbot echoed in disbelief, gasping at the doctor. "You, my friend, need a good lecture." The poor doctor! Talbot had to take it upon himself to educate his poor guest.