second ☕✨ text (opening a clinic & a game!)

[cadeuces]

Guete Morge, everyone!

I will try to keep this brief. I've posted once before but I imagine it's more likely that if you know me, you've met me in person or know a mutual acquaintance; my name is Angela Ziegler. I'm the doctor that has opened the Second Nature Clinic on level 2. It has officially been set up and I've worked up a preliminary amount of basic medications that should be familiar to most such as allergy medication, pain management, decongestants, and other such things.

More importantly, there is no charge for any of my services if anyone ever needs to come by or contact me. I'll also gladly come to you if you're not comfortable in medical facilities or don't wish to leave your apartment. I think we all know by now the effect we can have on others, depending on the time of the month. I want everyone to know that they're welcome, for any reason, whether it's for questions, concerns with the moonblessings this place bestows upon us, medical aid, or simply for a cup of coffee and some fresh pastries for the company. We are all here on our own and it's the least that I can offer to support others.

( You know, Understatement Of The Century™️, but moving right along. You can practically read the warm little smile like to be on her face if she were speaking this aloud. )

I've seen countless posts here seeking commiseration on feelings and effects people have experienced, worries, concerns— and nowhere else to put them. I hope you're all well and have found the answers you need. While I am primarily a surgeon and combat medic, I never mind listening or offering another perspective if you ever wish for something more private and a touch professional. You could call it part of my job to assist others in shifting their typical way of thinking into something a little more positive after a life-changing injury and its recovery.

I do plan on joining the trip so that a medic is present, so the clinic may be closed for a few days. If anyone wishes to post their contact information on the door for others remaining in Prismatica, please feel free to do so! I would rest easier knowing that there are eyes out for all of us, across both places.

And if you wish to know me a bit better, why don't we play a game? Two truths and a lie. Let's see, I'll start...

1. I once won a spider-catching competition.
2. I've spent more time camping than living in my house.
3. My favorite color is yellow.

Comments

[cadeuces]

That sounds sweet; and the foxes have been quite entertaining short of the one religious group, at least. I'm sure their home is wonderful and you'll enjoy it as well.

( Kidnapping's no good, dog. Freakin zealots. )

Rest assured even if I didn't have terribly many patients for the day, I'd absolutely bring the excess home and share with my neighbors. You would still make plenty of people feel better, Ned. ( The message that comes up short and continues in earnest already has her laughing behind the screen, and she sends a little picture in the meantime. It's a very cartoony spider that is difficult to be afraid of with the annotation "actual size". ) Camel spiders were thought to be the size of dinner plates and live in the desert, but they're actually quite small and harmless.

And I suppose I do like near-every color, so you're not terribly far off! But blue is my favorite by far. Like the sky. 😊 And yours?



Hmmmm, are you sure you didn't get this format backwards? I can only really believe the "bees" are true! You seem like the sort of gentle spirit they behave for.

[tartes]

Yyyeah, the cult really wasn't my cup of tea. But I've learned to tell the difference between creeps and people who just SEEM creepy. Sort of. I guess I'll have to save that explanation for other rounds :)

[ It probably isn't fair that most of his life could be used for a "Would I Lie to You" episode, but that's the fun part, right? ]

I don't think I can decide between red, orange, yellow, or brown. Am I allowed to pick a whole range as a color? Or can I just declare "kitchens and dogs" as one?

I promise it isn't backwards, but you're right that the bees is one of the truths. They're not mine though, I just help them live there. It's not really about being gentle I think, the trick is not to offend them. But hey, you get one more guess!

[cadeuces]

I should hope people never have to develop such a sense, but that is, of course, wishful thinking.

But those are all such warm and comfortable colors!
They suit you. I'd certainly allow it.
As does beekeeping! Even if it's unintentional and partial.

Let's see, then, for the other one...
Jockeys are supposed to be quite short, aren't they?
So perhaps you really do have an acquaintance that "practically lives in the sewers"?

[tartes]

I did not know that about jockeys, but it explains a few things and probably made that one easy.

His name is Oscar. I don't know if he really lives in the sewers or not, but he works for the local DWP and used to be an academic in... you know, I never asked what the official name for it was. Olfactory science? Anyway, he has a really sensitive nose, but he likes natural smells, even bad ones. Like sewer atmosphere and skunks, that kind of thing. He hangs out down there a lot, even when he isn't working. I don't ask.

You know, now that I think about it, a lot of the most interesting things about my life are interesting because of the people I know. I wonder if that disqualifies me.

[cadeuces]

Hahaha, I would imagine so!
I believe it's something about the lower center of gravity and less mass for the horse, leading to less strain, leading to more stamina and speed.
But I'm not exactly a horse race expert, so that's just an educated guess.

Olfactory science, is it... But I suppose that makes some amount of sense, depending on the time!
Does he have a preference for smelly things?

And it doesn't disqualify you in the least; like attracts like.
If you were a boring person, Ned, you wouldn't have the tolerance to have such adventurous friends!
They all sound quite exciting which, in turn, makes your experiences quite exciting to hear about. 😊

Shall I go again?

[tartes]

It sounds really well informed for a guess, and being a doctor probably gives you an advantage anyway. I'm confidently taking your word for it.

He does. Good or bad, as long as it's strong and not just chemicals. He got into a whole rivalry over natural vs. synthetic fragrances that turned pretty ugly, but you could say he came out on top of that one.

Maybe I just surround myself with interesting people to be an interestingness sponge. Or maybe I'm a vampire of fun. You never know. But if what you say is true, that makes you exciting too, right? So yeah, it's your turn. Tell me adventurous things! Or boring things. If spiders are boring, then I'll be really intrigued.

[cadeuces]

Well, I hope I won't let you down, then.

He sounds like a character!

You've led quite the life and met quite a lot of people.
I don't think you're just soaking up what makes them interesting; everyone has something wonderful to share with the world.
You're kind, and you have a warm heart. You like to give others something warm and delicious to eat and a comfortable place to do so.

Let's see...

1. I once ended up stranded near Peak Bolívar in the Andes Mountains.
2. I've seen wild tigers mere feet away.
3. During a fundraising gala, I've been stepped on by a Sultan.

[tartes]

Aww, thanks. I know a couple of people back home who think the same way about people. I kind of have to agree with all of you, but I also kind of have to counter it with a fake insult: it takes one to know one.

I've only ever been camping near the Eastern seaboard so I don't know if tigers are a thing that happens when you camp somewhere else in the world, but if bears can be, then I guess tigers can too. Being stranded can definitely fall into the camping category... but the only way I can imagine anyone stepping on *you* is if they were blackout drunk maybe. I'm gonna have to call it on the sultan one.

...I think.

[cadeuces]

That's just the sort of insult I can abide by. ♥

Haha, your uncertainty's well-founded!
I have actually been stepped on by a Sultan.
He was from Oman. And quite excited to show off his waltz training.
It was a little premature, in my opinion. But his enthusiasm was refreshing. He was only 16.

Thankfully I was not lost in the mountains. One doesn't exactly pack for snow when visiting Venezuela. 😊
But I have been to one of the other mountains for the winter, just for a taste of the cold.
Do you like the snow, Ned?

[tartes]

I guess cultural boundaries can't smother puberty no matter how hard they try, huh? I don't think dancing can be mastered til probably a while after you can legally drink. Developmental settling and all.

I mean I wouldn't, but I'd probably stick to the beaches if I were in Venezuela. Is it supposed to be warm in the mountains there? Because I always thought higher altitudes were just supposed to be colder than sea level no matter where they are. Science wasn't my strong suit in school though, so I wouldn't take my word for it, especially if you travel that much.

[ There's a pause here, though not long enough to seem like a blow-off. He just has to sort out some emotions related to snow and winter, that's all. He'll just... focus on the positives. Like gloves for holding hands with. ]

I like snow sometimes, yeah. My girlfriend and I would build snowbees on roofs around the city when we closed early during the winter. She's a really good sculptor.

[ There, that doesn't sound clingy or desperate. ]

Do you like snow too, or just the cold in the air?

[cadeuces]

Hahaha, they certainly can't.
And I would be inclined to agree, though there are certainly the talented outliers who make everything look easy; we all have something we were good at before many others.
And sometimes above all else!

You're right that the temperature depended on the elevation; many of them did have snow-capped peaks if you went high enough, even for South America.
They were quite beautiful. And your science courses still did you well!

It sounds like you have some good memories of winter, as well!
It's my favorite, and I do like the snow. I'm from Switzerland so there's no escaping it when I'm home, though to be honest, I am rarely ever home.
All my best memories were during the Christmas Markets with my parents when I was very young.
I have to ask, though:
Were the snow bees to scale? They must have been so cute!

[tartes]

Tell me about it. I can think of a few of those types back home, right off the bat.

She managed an almost-to-scale bee once or twice. I never could, my knuckles locked if I kept them in snow too long. So all my bees get to be big and cartoony with toothpick skeletons for legs and antennae. I did upstage her once by turning one into a snowcone with lemon and blueberry syrup stripes with some of her honey frozen over it as wings. Not sustainable enough to put on the menu, but it was worth seeing her face when I gave it to her.

Do snowcapped mountains look different in different parts of the world? I don't get out much, so most of my mountain experience is along the seaboard states. And postcards.

BEE SHOWER!!!

[cadeuces]

That sounds like it was adorable!
It'm sure she knew it to be a labor of love. You're very creative in other avenues, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that.

As for the mountains, the mountains themselves often look much the same. It's the scenery around them when you're scaling them that's breathtakingly unique, from each one. You could be looking down across deserts, rainforests, meadows and conifers, crystal clear lakes, an ocean— anything, really.