The Conductor (Jolteon x Vaporeon)

Chapter 15 - The Marksmon

Down a short hallway that began opposite of the front door was a bedroom on one side, with a bathroom nearby, the absolute necessities of any den. However, behind the door opposite of the bedroom lay something entirely unique to this den. It was a large, storage-esque room with various shelves and units, far more than a lot of other dens.

There was also a table in the middle of the room, on which Tempest currently sat, dangling his legs over the edge. It had a comfortable, cushy surface, which made it pleasant to sit on. There was also an option to fold one half of the table up or down, indicating that it was some sort of patient or treatment table.

There was a desk that was a complete mess, cluttered with books upon books, leaves and papers scattered everywhere, and not a single writing utensil was in its usual home, completely contrasting almost every other room in the building. The best thing to refer to it as was likely a multipurpose study, but even that felt like a stretch.

The entire den as a whole was very dimly lit, despite the fact that there were the usual amount of candles littered about in convenient places. It could have been that it was easier on Aria, given her enhanced senses, or she could just prefer the dark. Maybe she didn't even need to see, with each bristle of her lilac fur acting like its own whisker, able to detect even the slightest of air currents.

Aria finally returned, now holding a small pouch that rattled around whenever it moved. Tempest accepted it as it was offered to him, though he gave the Espeon a questioning look, wondering what exactly the pouch had inside of it. How was this supposed to help his shoulder?

"Inside, there should be about 7 capsules that contain the nutrients required to help you heal up faster. You should only take one a day for a whole week, starting today. Before you ask, there are no side effects you need to worry about, as long as you follow instructions."

Tempest wasn't thinking at all about side effects, although that was good to know. His questions lay elsewhere. One, what on earth were these so called capsules? Some kind of pill? Was it just crushed up herbs and berries? Secondly...

"Uhm.. Do I just, eat them? Or.. I've never seen anything like these before.."

Tempest plucked one of the small, strange objects from the pouch, eyeing it from multiple angles to try and find a clue about how he was exactly supposed to consume it besides popping it right into his mouth.

"You're going to want to just let it sit under your tongue, just like the rawst berry the other week. It's pretty bitter, so the less you taste it, the better."

She had said to take one today, so why not try it? Tempest did as Aria instructed, placing the small, waxy pellet beneath his tongue. It was indeed very bitter, but it was still manageable. It would probably be a terrible idea to eat anything else for a while, at least until the bitterness finally wore off.

"Alright. I think that's everything, unless you have any other pressing issues you want to talk about while we're here. As a neighbor, I will happily blab about anything I feel like, but as a doctor, I abide strictly by the rule of confidentiality."

Tempest went to open his maw to speak, planning on telling her that he was perfectly okay. He felt better than ever, in fact. There was something in the back of his mind, however, that had begun to bother him lately.

When Aria was originally treating him, she had asked about the houndoom bite on his arm. Tempest had absolutely no idea that their flames contained toxins that caused some kind of eternal pain, for he bad never felt any pain like that. On top of that, they were shocked to learn about the fact that he'd encountered houndoom regularly, and lived to tell the tale.

Aria had asked eagerly about any other injuries, seemingly having the same question as Tempest;

"Is something wrong with me..?"