Adjusting the Clock [K]

Right away, K seemed at least a bit 'put off' by the idea, if not outright shocked under her furrowed brow. To Dr. Mikemon, this was the expected result, and anyone else in the world would probably have moved to explain themselves first. But then again, that just wasn't how this doctor worked.

In short order, he learned a few more things about the fox: not only was this Renamon a field medic, she'd actually been in active duty. And to that, the Mikemon gave a nod: "Angel army... ah yes, about eleven years ago, there was a bit of an upright figure from the Empyrian Skies wanting to whittle down a little group, who wandered just a little too close to the edge of the Dark Area." Was this the same fight? Mikemon didn't know, but its what came to mind! At any rate, the topic passed soon enough, the Mikemon giving his coffee an idle stir.

K's next question, though, made him raise his own brow. "I'm the sole - oh, no, sorry, I'm a sole practitioner in Whitewater. The coast has the second-largest hospital in the Digital World, second only to Terminus itself. But I'm both a medical researcher and a data-analyst specialist, so I'm permitted a few... 'levels of separation' from the rest of the community. Case in point, if I was a doctor who came upon a town this... I apologize for saying this, 'lacking', I would have to assess if I should just settle down here. And if not, I'd have to find someone willing to."

The Mikemon spoke of this casually, and was just a bit rough on the edges with the details. Clearly, this wasn't a responsibility he held to heart. "I'm not saying you have to come with me tomorrow; I'm saying come by my office when you do."

And to that last point... well, he sighed. "... Because as a medic, you have a rare 'sense'. Straight to the point, willing to bite your own lip for what's better, and not to mention way more 'kind' then I'll ever be with a patient. You'd do well as my second pair of hands."

Was that even a compliment?

"Hm, that so? The angels are a lot more active than I thought, then..." The Mikemon didn't mind being corrected, just shrugging the harmless mistake off. After all, she was still here, so they had to handle that demon-whatever-thing one way or another, right?

The Renamon soon turned the spotlight on him, though: would he be better off here? The Mikemon took another sip of his coffee, before giving a sigh. "For me, not at all. I've got quite a bit more on my plate than this place... that said, there would probably be someone who'd like this place's local charm. Someone who would like a nice, tight-knit town like this..." He almost seemed to consider it for a moment, before shaking the thought out of his head. It seemed the matter of her coming to Whitewater at one point or another to request for a doctor was settled.

Her supposed apprenticeship, on the other hand, was still something that was held on the table. The doctor listened as she explained her training - the doctor knew there was more to it than she was saying, or at least he believe that - as well as her 'complaint' about giving her so much credit this early on. Closing his eyes, he spun his coffee stirrer between his fingers, just letting that all sink in. "Well, I already have a Stingmon as a receptionist... the minimum required for that was having a good word with most of the city's markets. But starting out, you'd be an assistant, then a nurse."

The Mikemon gave a nod. "And your 'test' would be attending classes or viewings at the hospital. I could see if you're worth it off the test grades... and if it doesn't work out, you'd have another trick or ten to use for your impromptu patients at the inn. But, really, that much is up to you. To take it this far, you must really be considering the offer."

He left it at that, the cat stretching his back out. "Anyway... I should probably take a look around town, see if I can pick up on any clues. We might be able to corner this spider if we can figure out where it lives..."

Ah, yes, structure would be a problem way down here in the middle of nowhere. To that much, Dr. Mikemon gave a nod in agreement, ear twitching as that fresh mug of coffee was poured for the fox. Though to that point about a virus attribute, the cat rolled his eyes.

"Tell me about it... I'm even 'Data' and our impromptu patient was giving me quite the look about the sphere. Still, thanks for the warning, I'll try and keep a low-enough profile about it." It didn't seem like he was about to explain that sphere - his tone was enough to tell that he was trying to brush past it, anyway - instead moving past to focus on his quip on taking the Renamon on as an assistant. And K seemed keen enough to try and put it out in the worst light possible, to which he shrugged.

"If you want to think about it that way, sure, but only jobs truly worth my merit ever hit my desk. You'll see long-term patients with conditions I get to name... well, except during the vacation rushes, I guess. Gotta have everyone on-hand for those silly beach-goers..."

To that bit about undervaluing class, though, the Mikemon gave a chuckle. "See, its that kind of thinking is why I would like you under my wing. You actually give a damn... but, as much as I hate to say, there's a certain level your basic skills have to be at before you can really afford to have that thought. And as for cost... let's just say, the only cost you have to actually consider is the time you'd have to spend on it. That's real."

Yes, he was saying he would cover her training expenses. No, he was not being explicit about it. As he took another sip, his ears gave a sudden twitch, the cat looking down at the table to see the coffee run over. In a moment that was rather surreal, this tensed-up fox grabbed a towel, and started quoting some Empyrian thing that he'd heard a few times before. And he retorted, like he always had: "'But that greatest path is the one you carve for yourself, lest you look back onto that mirror and not recognize the person staring back.' But in any case, that's up to you... I hope to at least see you there to convince a doctor."

Was all that settled? The Mikemon hoped so, setting down his mug on the dry coaster. Now, they were back on the topic of the spider, and K had a good starting point: just figure out where those mushrooms grew. "Mm, I suppose that's the case. Then I'll just-" The Mikemon's expression, in an instant, went from a casual tone to a focused one, his ear twitching. It was clear that a light-bulb had just turned on in his head, an audible 'tch' escaping the cat's fangs.

"---ing hell." He swore, under his breath, giving his head a shake as he stood up. "Sorry, I'll be back. Um, the Gazimon... you know where he works? Employer, family, anything?"

Honestly, he'd like to just keep talking to her about her options in Whitewater. Conflicted or not, it did seem like K was warming up to the idea - or at the very least, questioning her existence of 'staying in this down until she dies' - but the Mikemon's sudden revelation opened his eyes.

Things clicked together - between the fact that so many die to the same cause in this tiny village of twenty or less, that the Gazimon was out gathering the mushrooms, and that K could so casually guess that the Dokugumon would be near the mushrooms in the first place, the Mikemon knew something was up. At the very least, there was a nagging feeling at the back of his head that he wouldn't be able to let go.

This was something that he could solve only if he encountered the spider in the woods.

"Right, then the General Store and the Apothecary. And... at the very least, the Gazimon in your care's got nothing to do with it. Urge him to rest, though, he shouldn't be out on his feet anyway. You got me?" The underlying 'point' behind his words was clear enough, as he trotted away from the chair.

"Thanks for the coffee. I'll be around later."

And with that, and the bell dinging at the front door, he'd be out into this 'peaceful' town.

Well, Mikemon didn't come back for quite a few hours, in what would probably be a quiet morning for the inn. K would probably have her regulars for breakfast, and her ordinary scolding of the inn's staff, but nothing would seem quite off. At least, not for a few hours.

But, the tight-knit nature of this forest town wouldn't have it kept this way for long. If K were to take a look out the front window, she'd definitely notice a different air over this town, a new 'gossip' in the works as various Digimon huddled over their porches, and muttered to each-other about 'something'. The Mikemon, it seemed, had been spreading quite a stir around the town, and the story spread pretty fast:

"And he said that he'd handle the spider! Well..."

"I don't like the look in his eye."

"Ah, he's cute! Trying to play the little hero!"

"Oh, I heard he was harassing the poor Gazis! Well, he'll blow away soon enough..."

To note, these quotes weren't around the same time, nor were they everything that was said. But the cat had caused quite a stir, trying to figure this whole thing out... and eventually, he'd be satisfied. Once more, at around 2 in the afternoon, there would be a ringing bell at the front of the inn, and if K was there to see, she'd see the Mikemon step in. Behind, Starmon - another outsider who had moved into this town, eventually being known as 'sheriff' despite his lacking of any rank - looked curiously from across the street before walking on.

He had turned half this town inside-out, and he was here to ask K for a favor:

"I need you to come with me. We have a spider to catch."

'Catch'. Not delete. That one word held a careful tone in the Mikemon's voice.

Well, K was right on board for it, wasn't she? Seeing the Renamon respond so quickly from the other side of the counter, Dr. Mikemon gave a nod. A nod, and a quick warning:

"Don't expect it to be peaceful. Keep your eyes on my back, and I'll keep mine on yours." He sighed, turning to face the door. "Sorry about this. But you're the only one whose given me a straight face all day." That much was certain, as this town didn't warm up to outsiders very quickly!

---

But, soon enough, the two of them would be on their way, past the several silent or whispering eyes of the town. Mikemon had picked up a few supplies, at least: he had a small bag tied around his left arm, and a coil of rope over his right. Besides this, he hadn't armed himself further, even that mysterious red orb out of sight. For a while, the two would just be on the forest path, both likely keeping their ears open for any sort of movement in the woods. Still, there wasn't a sign of webbing around yet.

"... There?"

Nor would there be, it seemed! But the two had stumbled upon what was likely the last place the spider attacked. In this clearing, right at their feet, the ground had been torn up with mud, clawmarks, and heavy footprints tossed haphazardly around. And just past this 'carnage', he spotted the mushrooms, with almost-glowing white caps in the shade of the trees. They perked out of loamy soil, growing right of their roots. At the sight of them, the doctor gave a 'tsk'.

"Nocturne Whitecaps. Known for medical use and spices alike, they only grow where light doesn't reach in the depths of the forest. It takes a good sniffer to ever find them... and yet they're here, growing in the open." Rather than wondering why this was possible, he stood, shaking his head. "Because of that-"

His ear twitched, involuntarily: the sound, like a cord of thread being ripped from a spool, briefly filled the air. "Tch, damn it!" In that moment, several things seemed to happen at once: the Mikemon pushed off the ground and kicked to the right; purple thread fell onto the area in mass, and the doctor was suddenly swearing under his breath.

Practically without a sound, the Dokugumon had appeared, blocking the path right back to the village:

From its fangs dangled a dangerous, purple thread, one that the doctor had avoided being completely buried in. But still, the doctor's left arm fell limp, the purple, sparking thread sparking off its elbow. With another push with his legs, he'd stagger, gritting his fangs. "He stuns, then..."

On cue, the spider charged straight forth, aiming to barrel right into the Mikemon!

"Tch..."

Well, this was frustrating. Not only could Dr. Mikemon not move his left arm - the nerves just past the elbows simply felt like fire - but the thread's poison carried with it a great bit of damage. Clenching his teeth, he felt his pulsate between 'blazing hot' and 'ice cold', his joints clicking with slight movement. This must have been the same pattern: Dokugumon would entrap a rookie with the thread, then in the follow-up, deliver a fierce bite. If the Mikemon was alone, this jump-attack would have him sharing the same fate as the Gazimon, if not worse!

Fortunately, the Renamon who wasn't arbitrarily targeted by the spider was quick to retaliate, and boldly so! Mikemon's eyes widened as K dashed forward, right at the charging spider, the fox aiming to fight the charging monster head-on! "H-hey! Damn it, let me-" He started charging an orange ball of energy between his teeth, only to feel it immediately pop and sizzle out into hot air. It seemed that the feline had jumped the gun a moment too soon, leaving the fox to fend for herself.

And the Dokugumon would react rather predictably to what it perceived as an approaching morsel! K's aim would be more-or-less true: the spider was a feral Digimon, and didn't know the finer aspects of combat. That said, the yellow-furred fox quickly became the focus of its attack, all six of its green eyes locking on the fox. As K would ready her claw, the Dokugumon would lunge forward, fangs open and dripping with purple venom! At her current angle, the Renamon's claw would end up inside the spider's mouth, its side fangs moving to close against her sides in a fearsome vice... not to mention its normal fangs clacking shut, aiming to bite at her arm above the elbow!