December Open | I wear a coat of hope and desire

[lovinglefthand]

Who: First Aid (lovinglefthand) and anyone else who'd like to join in!

What: First Aid's reaction to his boon from Serranai and general opens

When: All of December and heading into January

Where: Winterbottom Clinic and around Pumpkin Hollow

Warning(s): None at the moment (12/4/23); will edit if warnings need to be added

Title is from "Winter Flowers" by Stanly Moss: link

Comments

For Sally (closed for now)

[lovinglefthand]

It happens slowly enough that even First Aid's sensors, finely-tuned though they are to detect dirt and potential vectors for contagion -- fail to notice them entirely. He simply wakes up one morning, shakes the stiffness out of his struts and servos, and begins opening up the clinic for the day -- and when he sees his reflection in one of the windows, he notices a little green patch on his shoulder.

It's moss. His sensors can pick up that much at least, although he still doesn't feel any dirt. Still, that doesn't mean he can just let it stay there...but when he gets a cloth and starts to wipe it away, he's interrupted by the sound of a woman laughing.

It's a soft and gentle sound, but also beautifully bright and clear -- just like the sky on that quiet autumn day a few weeks ago, when First Aid asked for help to better serve the people of this community. Could this be...?

Despite his efforts to stay calm, his hands are shaking slightly as he carefully folds the cloth, mossy side up, and puts it in a special compartment of his chest for analysis.

A moment later he's scribbling down a quick note for Chris -- Hi, something came up that I need to consult with Sally Boyle about (nobody's hurt!!) I'll be back in an hour, maybe an hour and a half. Hopefully with good news! Call me at the apothecary if there's an emergency, okay? -- First Aid -- and rushing out the front door. This is too big to trust to his sensors alone.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Whenever First Aid gets back to the clinic, he'll find Chris doing something in the main reception room. Chris looks up and smiles at their friend.

"Hey, Aidie, you've got a little..." Chris brushes a hand against their own shoulder, indicating the moss they see on him.

[lovinglefthand]

"Oh, I know!" First Aid says, still jazzed from his conversation with Sally. "It's moss -- and Chris!" And his excitement is just too much to be contained! He gently scoops Chris up under the arms, pulling them into a hug. "I have the most wonderful news!" he announces, and you can just tell that if he had a mouth, he'd be beaming.

[thelatechrisfreeman]

Chris is surprised by the sudden hug, but they just go with it, laughing and wrapping their arms around First Aid in return.

"What's the news? Tell me, tell me!"

[lovinglefthand]

"This is going to make our studies so much easier!" First Aid exclaims, so excited that he begins his explanation all out of order. "We can use it as a comparative sample, we can try propagating it -- it's the penicillin mold, Chris!" He laughs, too delighted to be embarrassed by his own fumbling. "It's in the moss! Sally just confirmed it for me!"

He turns Chris in a slow circle, visor bright and voice happy. "It's got to be a miracle, right? Like Jean's new outfit. A gift from this world's gods so we can do our jobs better."

[thelatechrisfreeman]

It takes a moment for Chris to piece together the facts, told out of order as they are, but once zie does zie squeezes First Aid in a tighter hug.

"I'm glad. I'm glad. And I'm glad it was you who got blessed with it."

[lovinglefthand]

"I did ask," First Aid says quietly, holding Chris close to his chest. "A few weeks ago, when I went out to talk to Eddie about the farm --" Chris had watched the clinic for him that day, so they knew all about the trip -- well, almost all. "I also tried...I guess you could call it praying?" First Aid shrugs slightly. "I'd never tried it before, it's not really a thing in Cybertronian culture anymore? But after I heard about Jean's outfit, I wanted to try. I didn't want to pass up on a potentially useful tool."

He sighs happily. "I didn't even think to ask for something like this. It's wonderful."

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"Sometimes, having faith is trusting that the divine has a plan for you. Maybe not asking for anything specific gave the goddesses a chance to be creative in how they could help." Chris hums thoughtfully. "Believing and knowing are sometimes thought to be opposites."

[lovinglefthand]

"That's a very human sentiment," First Aid says thoughtfully. "But I think I like it. If you think you know all the answers, you won't be prepared when you encounter something completely new. That's a lesson I'm still trying to internalize."

He holds Chris for a moment longer, squishing them very gently against his chestplates, before releasing them with a happy sigh. "Sorry for ditching you this morning," he says sheepishly. "I noticed the moss for the first time myself, and ran a few tests on it -- and then of course I had to go make sure my scanner wasn't lying to me." He shrugs. "I guess it could have waited, technically."

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"Don't be silly," Chris says warmly, "you don't need to wait for me with every little thing. You're allowed to go off on your own."

Besides, he left a note. That's more than Rick would do when he got fired up by something. At least most times.

[lovinglefthand]

"But I like doing stuff with you," First Aid mock-complains with a gentle little tap of his arm against Chris's shoulder. "Where are we in the schedule? At least let me pick up the slack..."

[thelatechrisfreeman]

"Aww, I like you too," Chris says with a giggle.

When First Aid asks about the schedule, Chris pulls out the appointment book and notes a follow up for the man who was in a construction mishap, a house call for one of their elderly patients, and an annual exam for one of the young ladies in town. Each patient will require some study of their file, and Chris lays them all out on the main desk.

"It all depends on who you want to read up on."