>Say hello
You decide to take the initiative. Leaving Hiki for a bit, you rap your fingers lightly on the table. Yuuko doesn't speak very good sign, but since you can hear and she can understand enough to get the gist if you use simple words it's never been much of a problem. You can always mouth the words anyway, even applying a bit of breath, which never goes farther than the barest whisper without a voice.
She looks up in a most un-Yuuko like way. "Yeah, 'sup?" Not only is she a terrible receptionist, she doesn't sound anything like Yuuko, which makes you blink a few times in confusion.
[Yuuko?]
She watches you sign with impassive eyes. You can see the meaning fly through her head and out the other side like a ghost. "Shit, you're one of those Yamaku kids aren't you." You nod, which measures a bit of surprise, but not much. "Oh, so you ain't deaf. Cool." The casual way she says it either implies she deals with Yamaku students all the time, or she simply doesn't care. "Yo Doc, we got a signer." She calls, oblivious to you.
A flustered old man appears in a shower of papers over the desk behind her, literally sending yellow medical forms flying as he arises from a pile like a gopher. His hair is gray and fizzled in a sterotypical mad-scientist fashion, bald on top while quite large on the sides, like a colorless clown. He's wearing a pair of glasses that look surprisingly normal, save for the paw-print on the arms. All you can see is his head, twisting back and forth like a meerkat. Despite his age and odd habits, his eyes burn with a intensity you've rarely seen before. He takes in everything in the surroundings, noteing, storing, and observing everything about the situation.
"Yes, yes, what is it? A signer you say? Signing what? Signing papers I hope. Lots of papers to sign. I was signing some." He looks directly at you and blinks once. That seems to be all the time he needs. "Oh, that kind of signer. You're alright. You don't need to sign any papers. We have lots of papers. Too many papers really. Oh, but you can't hear me can you..." Before you can get your hands up his are already popping out of the pile.
Something major seems to have shifted, as the pile leans. The Doc lets out a small cry somewhere in between surprise and delight as the avalanche of paper carries him about like he was a cartoon. You have honestly never seen this much paperwork in a doctors office before. People here must keep a lot of pets.
[I'm ok!] He signs. Not-Yuuko just shakes her head and sighs. She seems to find something interesting in feeling her eyebrow. She yawns.
The Doc appears before you as Hiki stands up to investigate. [Terribly sorry it's just a bunch of old paperwork that needs to be signed and resigned to tell them that I didn't kill their dog.]
[Um... Did you kill their dog?] You sign awkwardly.
[Of course not! It was a fleabath. Special chemicals. Perfectly harmless. Unless you're a flea. But they don't have paperwork and not many people keep fleas as pets, you see. But people are paranoid sometimes. Especially doctors. One dead dog and it's a sued hospital or vet or dentist. Full lawsuit. Medical malpractice. Losing a lawsuit to someone with snaggletooth. Terrible thing. Lots of paperwork makes sure that doesn't happen. Waivers. Agreements. Well wishing cards. Valentines. Lots of signatures. I write my name a lot.]
[Talk a lot too, I see.] You say, smiling. But Doc seems to have finally noticed Hiki.
"Nozomu? Hello. Haven't seen you in a while. Did something happen to Niji?" Hiki nods sadly.
"Old age. I'm over it though."
"Good! Good. Except the dead dog. That's not good. But I'm being rude. Is this your friend? Or is it rude to assume your friends? Could you be not-friends? Is this your not-friend? Or does she have a problem? Because I don't do people. There's a hospital around her you know. In the school actually. They deal with people. I can't wrap my head around them. Doctor-patient confidentiality. Who cares? I don't. But people do."
"She is a friend, actually. She's looking into adopting a wild fox she's befriended, but we want to get it checked first."
Doc clicks his tongue a few times, looking dissatisfied. "Foxes. Foxes. Kitsune from old legends. A lot like people. Foxes are real though. Not Kitsune. I don't think. Probably a red fox. Lives in this area. Foxes are smart. Don't usually deal with too smart animals. Usually dogs and cats. But they're pretty smart sometimes. Unless they aren't. But foxes are always smart. Not usual pets either. Would normally be extra cost." He takes a deep breath, then looks at you and Hiki. "But for a friend I'll cut it down to normal. Also, I'm not sure how good I'll be. Foxes are hard. Don't teach you in medical school. But I was a zookeeper for three years. Learned a lot about what stays the same. Can check that. Diseases. Can check that. Disabilites. Can check that. If you're alright with that. I'll check that. Lots of checking. Plenty. Not as much as I normally do. I'll look up more things. Do research. find out more about Foxes. Probably going to be a regular. Unless I mess up. But that's unlikely.
"So. One fox. Appointment. Need a time. When does school end?"
"About two thirty."
"Does four work?"
"Easy."
"Good. Four. When is the earliest day I can see them, Haruhi?"
Haruhi, who still looks like a very collected Yuuko, turns to her computer. Scrolling her eyes down with a vacant mouth, she yawns and says, "Tomorrow's empty. Day after you have miss Ibarazaki. Then four is open for the rest of the week." She yawns again.
"Good girl. Is tomorrow good? Signer? Hiki?"
[Yes.]
"Sure."
"Then set the appointment. I'll go get fox food. Actually, dog food. But fine for fox for a little while. Not a long while. Make the fox feel bad. But a little while. A lot like dogs, foxes." He shuffles off, muttering inanely.
"He's quite the character, as you can see." Hiki says benignly.
"Yeah, Doc's something special alright." Haruhi says deadpan.
You're afforded a small moment to collect your thoughts on this Doc person. He certainly seems nice enough. But are you sure someone so scatterbrained would be good for Eiji?
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Ruby Doll
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Topic: DAISY [Act 4: Voiceless] (Read 67880 times)