A city of white and silver, doctors from all over the world come to converge here and find work. Hospitals of all kinds decorate the white walkways of the city. There are many notable ones you can visit if your pet is in need of some attention. (+3 Precision)

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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 8:41 PM

Cybele groaned and jumped a little when she woke up. “Huh?” she mumbled as she looked around, processing what was happening and where she was. “Did—did I fall asleep?” she asked, and she felt her face turn red.

Martin chuckled and unbuckled his seatbelt. “I don't know; you tell me.” He stepped out of his car, and Cybele followed shortly after, taking out her bag along with her.

The two reached the door, and only then did Cybele realize how fast her heart was beating. She felt a slew of different emotions; from guilt to embarrassment, and she couldn't even imagine how both Neil and Marcel would react to seeing her back. When Martin knocked on the door, she almost wanted to step back and hide behind him like a timid child.

Soon enough, clicking sounds were heard as the door unlocked, and Marcel appeared beyond the door. “Yes? Can I help…” he started saying, but he stopped when he realized who was at the door. “Martin?” Judging from his face, it looked like the two men hadn't seen each other in years.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 8:42 PM

But it wasn't even Martin that caught the most of Marcel's attention. Cybele was expecting the worst when they made eye contact. “Cybele,” Marcel said first, and she was steeling herself for the worst, “you came!”

It took her a moment to register what Marcel had just said. “After what happened yesterday, we both thought…” He trailed off for a moment, and then he shook his head. “I'm so glad to see you're here.”

Cybele was relieved to see Marcel's reaction, and she was about to say something when he cut her off. “Hold on,” he said as he put a hand up and turned around to look inside. “Neil!” he called out inside, “Cybele is here!” It took him a split second to remember, but he quickly added, “Martin is here too!”

She heard Martin sigh just a bit. “Here we go.” She couldn't quite place his reaction, and he looked just fine, too; he didn't look angry or anything of the sort.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 8:44 PM

“Please, come on in,” Marcel said as he turned back to the both of them and stepped aside to let them in. “Can I get you anything?” he asked as he closed the door behind Martin and Cybele. “Tea, coffee—”

“I'm good,” Martin said, lifting a hand to make Marcel stop. He didn't even bother to make eye contact with Marcel; he kept his attention in a specific direction, namely where Marcel had called out for Neil.

Cybele found Martin's answer a little jarring, but she smiled timidly at Marcel and shook her head. “I'm good. Thank you, Mr. Endzela.”

As she answered, she turned around and focused her attention where Martin was looking. Shortly after, she saw Neil stepping out of that room and staring at the two of them in silence. He looked at Martin for a moment, but his attention turned to Cybele almost immediately.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 8:45 PM

She looked back at him for a bit, but then the guilt and the embarrassment made her look away. Marcel was a nice man, so she could imagine him forgiving her; but Neil had been the receiver of her anger, and not to mention that she'd said awful things to him. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, but then she heard him say, in a quiet voice: “You came back.”

Cybele forced herself to look at him then, and she was confused to see that he didn't look upset. Had he wanted her to come tonight?

Martin knew it was mostly a time for the two of them to set things straight, but if they kept going at that pace, they would be here all night. “Hey, kid!” he said as he took a few steps towards Neil and spread his arms. “How about a hug?”

Neil had been so focused on Cybele that Martin had almost completely slipped his mind. “No?” he answered, pulling up both hands over his chest. “What are you even doing here?”
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 8:48 PM

Martin faked disappointment when Neil shot him down. “You kids just won't love me,” he said with a voice that bordered sadness. “But I'm happy to see you too, my boy!” he added, completely disregarding Neil's question.

He walked around Neil and put an arm over his shoulder, pulling him in closer. “Listen, how about we sit down and talk for a bit?” he asked, and he looked at Cybele. “Got any room on your couch?”

Neil didn't fight back against whatever Martin was doing, but that didn't stop him from looking perplexed the whole time. “I… Okay?” he replied hesitantly, and he felt Martin turn him around towards the living room.

“Alrighty then,” Martin said, and he looked over at Cybele. “You come along too now, lassie,” he added with a motion of his hand to invite her to come along.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 8:49 PM

Cybele walked over to the two of them, and the three were headed in the living room when Martin let Neil go and turned around. “Marcel,” he said, and his calling out made Marcel stop in his tracks. “I'd like to talk alone with the two of them,” Martin pointed out, having picked up that the father was going to tag along. “Do you mind?”

Marcel looked taken aback, but he complied. “Oh. Yes, of course,” he said quietly. “Sorry.”

“Thank you,” Martin said as he let Cybele walk past him and then followed suit, ending up being the last to walk in the living room.

Neil settled down on one side of the couch and picked up the remote to turn off the television. Still feeling uncomfortable, Cybele sat down at the other end of the couch. Martin, therefore, had no choice but to sit down right in the middle. It didn't appear to be a problem as he put both arms over the back of the couch and crossed his legs.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 8:51 PM

“So…” Neil started saying as he looked at Martin, “again: why are you here?” Honestly, he was a little concerned. Cybele's words still echoed in his mind, and he hoped Martin wasn't here to announce bad news.

“Just wanted to come and see how my favorite patient is doing,” Martin said as he went in and grabbed Neil's cheek, literally pinching it.

Neil hadn't expected something like that to happen, and his reaction after a solid second of cheek-pinching was to flail and push Martin's hand away. “Martin! What the hell?!”

“No?” Martin said when Neil pushed him away, and the grin on Martin's face made it clear he was doing this to embarrass Neil on purpose. When Neil gave him the stink eye, he pulled his hand away. “All right, all right,” he said to get Neil to settle back down.

“Listen,” he started with, and he paused to look at Cybele. She didn't say anything when Martin turned his attention to her; instead, she just looked away and tried her best not to look back at him.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 8:54 PM

“Listen, Neil; the truth is — and, please, don't be upset when I say this,” Martin said, and Neil could already tell he would have a good reason to be, in fact, upset, “but Cybele did tell me about what happened yesterday between you two.” When Neil's face changed, Martin put up a hand to stop him. “Hold on, hold on,” he told him. “Nobody else knows but me; everything's fine,” he assured him, and although he still looked worried, Neil relaxed a little.

“I'm sorry,” Cybele spoke up, shoulders up and hands clasped together. “I just—I felt so awful. I didn't know who else to turn to.”

“She did, she did,” Martin confirmed. “So — and, again, don't be upset,” he added, and the more he said that, the more concerned Neil got, “but I gave her your hematology file for her to read.”

Neil's reaction was instantaneous. “You did what?!” He'd raised his voice; he didn't know if he was embarrassed over the fact Cybele had read the file, or if he was angry with Martin for even sharing it. “Martin!” Despite the one-word protest, his voice definitely had a, “how could you?” tone to it.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 9:00 PM

“I mean,” Martin started, and he gave Neil a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, “you're basically one of her patients now. Not to mention, I'm sure you don't want what happened yesterday to happen again, right?”

Anger quickly turned into embarrassment, and Neil turned to Cybele. “Did you already read it?” He didn't sound upset as much as he sounded embarrassed.

Although she felt bad for him, Cybele didn't want to lie. “I did,” she admitted. “Just before we came.”

Neil turned white and looked nothing short of mortified. He shoved his face into both hands and bent over, letting out a sad, discouraged, and drawn out, “Oh.” He dragged his hands back through his hair. “Martin, how could you?” he asked without moving or looking at either of them. “Why would you even think to do that?”

Martin noticed Neil starting to tap his foot out of anxiety; he sighed and bent down a bit too, and he put a hand on Neil's back. “Hey, don't take it like that,” he told him. “She's still here, isn't she?” he pointed out.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 9:03 PM

Neil sighed, but he didn't say anything. “Neil.” Martin angled his head where he could try to see Neil's face. “I gave it to her because she wants to help you,” he explained, giving him a few taps on the back. “I didn't do it to embarrass you. Plus, there's nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Neil let his hands drop, and he glanced at Martin with an unconvinced look on his face. “You’d say that.”

Martin sighed a little, and he turned to Cybele. “Since Neil won’t believe me,” he started, “Cybele, was there anything to be embarrassed about in that file? You read the majority of it.”

Neil groaned and straightened up, letting himself fall against the couch. “I didn’t think so,” she answered, knowing Neil’s aggravation was with Martin, and not with her.

“See?” Martin replied, settling back against the couch nonchalantly. “Told you so. And she’s not ‘obligated’ to say that, like you think I am,” he added, doing quotation marks on the word “obligated”.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 9:04 PM

Neil still looked unconvinced and embarrassed, and he just sighed for a reply to the both of them. The three of them stayed silent for a moment, and Cybele saw it as an opportunity to change the subject just ever so slightly. “Neil?”

Neil turned to look at her when she called his name, and Martin looked towards her as well. “Listen, about… about yesterday,” she started, and she was so nervous that she fumbled with her hands. “What I did, and what I said; it was all wrong.” Her eyes were already dry and burning from all the crying she’d done that morning, so it was easy for her eyes to tear up; but she didn’t cry. “I’m so—”

“Don’t,” Neil interrupted her, and at first she thought he was telling her not to start on that; but when she looked up at him, he didn’t look upset. “Don’t apologize,” he clarified.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 9:06 PM

Martin had turned to look at Neil as well, and even he looked surprised by his answer. “What?” Cybele asked, baffled. “Why shouldn’t I? It wasn’t—”

Neil sighed and lifted a hand to stop her, while resting his head into his other hand. “You shouldn’t apologize because you were right,” he told her. “You were right to do what you did, and you were right to say what you said.”

Cybele sat on the couch in silence with her mouth opened just a little. She was lost; this whole time, she had expected Neil to be angrier: not to justify what she’d done the night before. Had her words scared him? Was he just relieved to see her again because it meant she hadn’t actually given up on him?

He sighed again after a moment and he quietly said, “The same way they were all right back then, too.”
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 9:08 PM

That statement didn’t help Cybele understand, but it triggered Martin to speak up. “Neil, stop saying that,” he said sadly. “None of that was any of your fault: you were just a kid.”

“Is that what you thought every time I hit you on the head with something, too?” Neil asked, scoffing and giving Martin the stink eye.

“Yes,” Martin answered without hesitation. “I never held it against you because I knew you were just a little kid who was hurting.” Before Neil could argue or tell Martin to stop embarrassing him even more, Martin scooched closer to Neil and pulled him into a sort of one-armed embrace. “I was there for you then, and I’m here for you now,” he promised, keeping a firm hold on Neil despite his protesting. “And so is Cybele; isn’t that right, lassie?”

She’d gotten caught up in that sweet moment the two of them were sharing, but she snapped out of it when Martin spoke to her. “Y-yes, of course,” she promised.
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 9:10 PM

Neil stopped struggling against Martin’s hold, and he turned his attention to Cybele. He looked like he wanted to ask something, but at that moment, he hesitated. Finally, he looked away and quietly asked, “You really didn’t tell Murray anything?”

Cybele shook her head right away. “I didn’t,” she assured him, and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “The only one I told is doctor Donato. I promise.” She looked down, shame in her eyes. “I didn’t mean those things I said yesterday,” she told him. “I still want to help you get your license back,” she promised him, and she scooched a little closer to Martin. “And I want to help you keep it, too.”

Part of her wanted to hold onto his hands to show him just how truthful she was, but the thought embarrassed her. Even when it was just the two of them, it was awkward to touch him; with Martin there, it only made it worse.

They were so close, and yet, he was right in the way. The two of them were so sickeningly obvious in it all; and yet, they were completely oblivious. Martin laughed at the two of them and let go of Neil. “Aren’t I in the way,” he mused. “Want me to move over, lassie?”
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Postby Jaykobell » 08/07/2017 9:12 PM

Cybele stared at him. “Huh? In the way of what?” Neil didn’t look as baffled as she did, but he did look a little embarrassed.

“Oh, you know…” Martin said as he quietly trailed off; and before Cybele or Neil could say anything, he got up. “Anyway, here, how about we switch places, hm?” He walked around to go sit down at the other end where Cybele had been sitting. “I’ve been hoarding him this whole time,” he pointed out, and just to help a little bit more: he gently pushed Cybele from one seat to the next, pushing her towards Neil.

“Wha—” She only managed to mumble confused sounds as she got pushed towards Neil, and for a moment, the two of them touched. Neil didn’t move, but within seconds, Cybele was scrambling away so there would be some sort of distance between the two. “D-doctor!” she said indignantly, her voice going high-pitched just a little bit.
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