"Hmm? I mean, I'm not gay, hon. I'd like to use the active portion of Touch Heal now. What I hope to do is reduce the swelling and general damage in your leg. It'll also restore your HP. People have described it as 'cold', 'tingly' and 'sort of like stretching'. Is that alright?"

"Yes, ma'am." Not what? "Forgive me, ma'am, am I correct in assuming that you're the head of your household?" Although these Men are awfully cooperative and humble... "or do you have a more friendly arrangement?"

She looks confused. "I mean, on the tax forms that's Rick, but this isn't the fifties. I'd say we're partners. But I don't see how my marriage is much of your business, honestly, young lady." She leans back and sits straight in her chair, frowning. "...Come to think though. Now, this is still totally confidential. I won't tell anybody, either way. Do you know where your parents are? Did you run away from them?"

"My deepest apologies, ma'am.

My father is far away. I don't have a mother." In neither sense: her father has a harem without a primary companion, and she hasn't had a dedicated caretaker other than him for almost two decades. "I did not deliberately run away, but I have no desire to be returned to him. I'm with Sam and John now, of Dave's Landscaping."

"Alright then. If you don't want to go back, I won't make you. Touch heal?"

Whew. Not that it's possible to send her to her father here, but the attempt would be unpleasant.

(She would actually be fine returning to her father, after this is done, if he didn't catch her sabotage. She likes his projects, except for the one that involves killing people.)

"Thank you, ma'am."

The nurse reaches out and Touch Heals her, moving her hand slowly up her leg, leaving it feeling cool and a bit numb rather than raw and painful. Like a release of tension.

Neat. "Thank you, ma'am" she repeats.

"I assumed that you have already negotiated with Dave for payment, was that correct, ma'am?"

"No talk of payment at a time like this, hon. Besides, I got Experience for that.

If you have any questions about your health and body, part of my job is to answer those. I don't know what exactly your situation with Sam and John is but I'll be there if you need someone to talk to, as a young woman."

'Woman'; she's heard the term, but doesn't know the political meaning of identifying as one. Presumably her father choose for her to be female for a reason. Is it a D'Joanist thing? A fur rights thing? Just trying to cater to the market of attraction-impaired Men who aren't into furs?

She nods respectfully.

If this place is low-tech... "If you please, ma'am, what sexually transmitted diseases are common here?"

The nurse will very calmly and matter of factly go on about such diseases and associated symptoms and risks. The 'invisible' ones without obvious external signs are Herpes, Human Papilloma Virus, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus. And Trichomoniasis, at least in men it can be symptom-less. She's not sure that System won't make the information irrelevant by curing all these diseases - she knows someone who is no longer diabetic - or God forbid, create new ones.

C'Esther listens intently.

That's more than she's used to, yeah.

"Thank you, ma'am, for all the information. I will remember it carefully.

From your observations so far, can you tell if a balanced diet is still important to health, ma'am? With your Healing Touch, can you see the insides of cells? Can you see genetics?"

It's a pity she doesn't have any stroon.

"I can't, I'm seeing on what I'd call the tissue level - I can barely sense capillaries, even, though I'm getting hints that's something that could change if I keep going. And I really have no idea, but a good diet certainly can't hurt."

Someone yells, "MARIE?"

She 'tsk's. "Seems like it's time to leave, hon."

"Thank you for everything, ma'am."

Aah this took a while, is the truck still there?

The truck is still there! Marie and her husband run out and jump in. It rolls out as soon as everyone's loaded up.

She finds John.

"Do you have enough 'items intended as healing aids', sir? Do, say, lemons count, since they're a cure for scurvy? An ordinary knife is a healing aid for hemochromatosis and can be used for a crichothyroidotomy, does that count?"

"-Honestly you know more about medicine than me, it sounds like." John shifts uncertainly. "Were you in med school or something? Uh, I think the inhaler's good for another couple of shots. I asked the screens about it some and it has to be at least sorta related, and some sort of consumable? A lemon wouldn't work. Maybe a hot knife if I do the stupid movie trick of heating it and burning wounds shut, System, what about that? -It says no. Some kind of 'meds' are necessary. Well why'd you say 'items intended as healing aids'? Oh, f- Inhalers and items aren't pills, whatever." He glares at the screen, reading. "Has to be a consumable, has to be some sort of useful chemical. They just don't have to be quite what an actual doctor would use. So maybe I should raid a pharmacy for whatever random stuff they have."

"Oh, not at all, I'm not a doctor. I used to do medical research, sir. I've been studying biology since I was a kit. Mostly biochemistry. I guess I've picked up a few fun facts, that's all.

Long term, will it work with magically Crafted items? If a lemon doesn't work, how much does a doctor have to process an herb before it becomes suitable medicine?"

"More of a doctor than me. ...It just said 'healing items are an introductory level crafting recipe'." He snorts. "I'm sure, but will a willow tea or whatever do anything? Reduced effectiveness and chance of failure, there you have it."

"Well, thank you for telling me what you know, sir."

Time to check on the Pack Rats! Here's some English words for them to learn: fetch, urgent, relax, food, water, message, Crafting, cover, stay, go, hide, clean. Do they want to learn how to write them?

Are they good at tracking things by smell? How good is their eyesight - could they see a Razor Gull coming?

They can learn all these words! They can write all these words pretty easily too, though they prefer shorthand.

The Pack Rats have very good eyesight, all the better to find good Junk with. As long as they remember to be on the lookout they can see flying enemies, mostly. They don't really know if their sense of smell is stronger than humans'.

Great! Here's some more words: poison, doctor, yours, mine, nest, Tall, Rat, quiet, prefer, understand, no, loot, Essence, Junk, monster... Critter? Since she only knows one kind of Critter the general concept might be hard to convey. Dave, John, Sam, C'Esther, Nick, F'Wen. She puts on the Ratrophone and asks if they have names?

Gosh, names? Well this one is Loud, that's White, that's Keychain... Brownie is fine with 'brownie'... Lookout, Slow, Fuzzy, and Lay's finish out the lineup.

She sprawls onto the floor so she can get face-to-face with each one, touches them, and says their names.

(They don't need a fur-letter. They're not furs, and definitely not rat-furs of the type she knows, who are mostly based on naked mole rats. Maybe a Tall Rat is a fur - she'll see what they're like when that happens, if ever.)

The truck driving around and picking people up goes without further incidents. Or without any more monsters, at least.

Wynn talks cautiously to some of the new arrivals, then goes up to the truck cab instead.

Dave makes circuits and talks to everyone, leaving them looking determined and eager whenever a conversation is over.

One of the pickups, a twelve year old boy, beelines for the Pack Rats. "Are you guys like pokemon??? Can you learn moves like Quick Attack or Tackle?"

...Keychain, the rat being addressed, looks at C'Esther, then hides behind her.