Disclaimer: I don't own LWA!
She would have really liked her first, new, friend to be here for the occasion, but Lotte had class and Akko could understand. Besides, they were going to have brunch at a cafe the following morning—and Lotte was bringing a friend!
She was definitely going to master biking today. Any minute now! She could feel it in her bones.
…at least, in the ache of her bones.
A few days prior, Lotte had dutifully brought Akko downtown where shops lined the streets and market stalls set up camp in the few open lots. It was a wonderful experience; they made a girls' night out of it. By the end of the evening, Akko was the proud owner of a brand-new bike.
Never mind that she didn't actually know how to ride it. Yet.
'Yet' was very important, because whenever Atsuko Kagari put her mind on something, she did every damn thing she could to get it done. She had a new bike, a lot of free time—I probably need a job soon—and nothing to lose. She popped her knuckles, tongue-in-cheek while she gripped the leather coverings of the handle bar. Like a sniper, the brunette surveyed her surroundings. The park was in a state of relative peace, apart from the grade school football team practicing at the center field. She was in the designated bike lane which encircled the field, and the weather was dry and overcast. It was three in the afternoon on a Thursday, only a few locals had come out for their afternoon runs, so she was going to have to maximize the time she had the lane all to herself.
She remembered being seven, sitting cross-legged in front of their TV while she watched a famous triathlete finish the Samhain Cup in record time. The woman said something about believing in your heart—Akko couldn't remember the exact words—but it was enough to get her going. She pushed the right pedal down, and with excitement in her chest she felt the bike roll forward. When the momentum was enough to keep her upright, she grinned, bringing her left foot to its respective pedal, pushing down on it with renewed confidence because she was going fast enough to feel the wind against her skin!
She was biking!
And then she was screaming.
"Shit!" was an understatement—she completely missed a rock and was unceremoniously tossed off of her bike. She hissed, feeling a sharp, stinging pain at the knee, blinking through the mess of brown hair that had flown forward and covered her face. She pushed herself up on her palms and could hear the bike's rear wheel still spinning on its axle. At least it wasn't broken?
"That—"
Akko saw a strong hand thrust in front of her face.
"—was a complete embarrassment."
"I noticed." Akko groaned, clasping the hand. She mumbled a small 'thank-you' while she was pulled up—her knee was bleeding pretty badly.
"You need to have that cleaned," the woman pointed out. "Then buy some knee pads. Or borrow some from the kids," she pointed over her shoulder towards the football team.
Akko regarded her wound with a cringe. She bent downwards, trying to dust off the grime around it, but when she looked up to ask for her name, the lady had turned on her back and was walking towards the field. Akko shrugged, figuring she'd be hanging around the park often enough to see her again anyway.
But for now, she needed to see a doctor.
15:58
Or not. That's going to have to wait. Skinning her knee wasn't part of today's schedule and she had Applied Physics by five-thirty. Soap and a bandage would do, and Akko cursed her luck while she walked her bike back to the apartment; she didn't feel like sprinting across town again.
By five-fifteen, she was freshly showered and seated in class. Akko did a little dance because 'small victories count!'
Applied Physics wasn't as bad as it sounded. She thought it would be full of undergrads like Sociology was, but it seems this was the nightshift class—full of post-grads who needed units in science 'for formality's sake' like her. There were only a few in attendance, and she had acquainted herself with a peculiar girl named 'Sucy'. Akko had, in her usual fashion, declared them friends out of 'Asian solidarity', and honestly Sucy didn't look like she cared so she took that as a yes.
—
It was a pleasant surprise when she discovered that the friend Lotte was bringing for brunch was Sucy from Physics.
"I can feel the beginnings of a solid friendship!" Akko grinned, starry-eyed while she looked between Lotte and Sucy.
"I thought I was through with this idiot last night," Sucy drawled, to which Lotte only sighed.
"Sucy and I have known each other for a while," Lotte supplied. "We're roommates."
"You guys live together?" Akko asked in wonder.
"Yeah," Lotte smiled, "helps cut costs. Tuition is expensive, and I'm trying to finish my degree as quick as possible because I chose to study full-time."
"I intern at the Chemistry department," Sucy interjected.
Akko shot her new friend an expectant look, taking the opportunity to observe her appearance. She exuded an over-all 'I honestly don't give a fuck' vibe, and her long, purple hair which mysteriously covered her eye added to the effect. It suited her.
"And?"
"That's it," Sucy punctuated. "I intern at the Chemistry department."
Facts and interests were shared over a brunch of eggs and toast, and while it was mainly Akko and Lotte who did the talking, she eagerly learned more and more about Sucy Manbavaran and her talent in mixing things that either exploded, corroded any organic material it interacted with, or corroded the material before causing it to explode. Akko thought it was 'really cool' that she cultivated a mushroom colony underneath her bed, but apparently Lotte didn't because 'fungi' and 'potentially dangerous spores'.
The minutes ticked by and their drinks had gone cold. The cafe owner—a kind, soft spoken Russian woman—would occasionally join in; Akko learned that Lotte and Sucy were regulars and the owner seemed happy to welcome a new face to the neighborhood. Lotte had ordered and slice of cake ("They are to die for!"), and the group was sucked into a detailed report of Akko's biking progress and subsequent accident.
"I can't believe I let you buy a bike," Lotte massaged her temples. "Let me see the wound?"
Akko pulled her skirt up, and Lotte winced.
"Akko!"
"I think I have something for that," Sucy had fangs in her grin.
"Sucy—" Lotte hissed, "—no."
Akko blinked, "but if it helps—"
"Nope!" Lotte set her palm on the table. "You're going to see a doctor. It's looks terrible!Why did you leave it untreated over night?"
"I… was late for class?"
When the door to her office swung open, Diana retracted her pen with a click, looking up from the patient file Barbara gave her with a practiced expression of professionalism. She would nod politely, greeting them a good morning before engaging in small ta—
Brown hair and… red eyes?
"Wait, you?"
Diana didn't expect the reaction from herself, and apparently her very confused patient didn't either. She stole a quick glance to the patient file.
Atsuko Kagari
F | 24 | Blood type O+ | 161cm | 48kg
"Er—what?"
Her gaze flitted back towards the woman, and it dawned upon her that this was no way to behave herself at work. She cleared her throat and put a cool facade back on, internally scolding herself for the slip-up. "My apologies," Diana stood to offer a handshake, "there was a woman at the crosswalk some days ago, I may have mistaken you for—"
"You're the pretty blonde chick!"
Atsuko-Kagari-With-Red-Eyes-and-Blood-Type-O+ had a finger pointed towards Diana and a slack-jawed look of recognition.
"Excuse me?" Diana snapped.
Her patient visibly cringed. "Shit. Not going to repeat that—doesn't mean I don't mean it! It's just my mouth spews out crap before I really think about it and—anyway—what I'm trying to say is I think I messed my knee up pretty bad."
Diana crossed her arms, choosing not to react because this woman just made her cycle through three different emotions within fifteen seconds. The best defense was a statement of facts, "so you were the one who shoved me in the middle of the road."
"Yeah," the other woman grinned sheepishly, looking away while she scratched at the back of her head. "Sorry about that. Was late to class."
"Interesting." Diana raised an eyebrow, "and your knee?"
"Biking accident."
She relented, choosing to let the circumstances of their first meeting slide in favor of the automaticity of a check-up. Barbara had taken care of the preliminaries—blood pressure, vital signs, and other pertinent information.
"Tell me what happened."
She directed the brunette towards a nearby stool while she fetched a pair of rubber gloves and pulled the lamp closer. 'Atsuko' recounted yesterday's events in a jumbled run-on sentence and Diana felt her exasperation grow because the brunette simply couldn't stay still.
"Stop fidgeting."
"But it tickles!"
To her frustration, Atsuko just kept squirming. Diana held the other woman's knee steady with a gloved hand, brows knitting together in thought while she scrutinized the injury. The surrounding area was red and seemed a bit swollen. She gently put pressure around the abrasion—
"Ouch!"
"Tenderness and pain," she mumbled. "It's infected." Early stages; no pus or liquid discharge.
"So what do I need to do?"
"First off—why did you let it get to this? You should have come in yesterday."
"You aren't the first to tell me," Atsuko groaned, crossing her arms. "But I would have been late to class."
"Again."
"Would have been," the brunette emphasized, shooting a challenging glare to her direction. "And I wasn't, for the record."
"Lovely. Will a pat on the back suffice?"
Atsuko frowned, her lip jutting out in a pout, "I don't need your approval!"
"While this is true, I believe that running around town—constantly late for class—is no way for a college student in Luna Nova to behave."
"I'm a graduate student," the brunette huffed.
Diana raised an eyebrow. "Then even more so. You're already at the professional level, Atsuko."
"Akko."
The physician tilted her head in inquiry.
"It's my nickname." 'Akko' rubbed at the sides of her head. "Calling me 'Atsuko' in that nagging voice of yours is reminding me of my mother and giving me headache."
"Well, Atusko," Diana said pointedly, "perhaps I should just include an aspirin in your prescription."
She pulled out her pen in a sharp motion that signaled the end of their conversation and scribbled something onto a prescription pad. She tore off of the leaf of paper and held it out towards her patient, who had snatched it up and was now inspecting it with those big, curiously red eyes.
Those same red eyes which were now narrowed in thought. "I'm not even going to pretend to know what these are."
Diana almost chuckled. Almost. "Fucidic acid—it's a topical anti-bacterial. Apply it twice a day for a week after thorough washing, and then dress your wound according to the instructions I've written. If the wound begins to close and there's still pain or swelling, you'll have to come back and I might need to give you oral antibiotics."
"Right," her patient dutifully nodded.
"If there's pus, or if it becomes watery you need to come back immediately. May I ask where you're staying?"
"Why?"
The blonde rolled her eyes. "So I know which pharmacy to refer you to. The nearest is along Orion Street."
"Oh—that's on the way home!"
"Good. The attending pharmacist is a good friend—"
"Glad to know you actually have those," she mumbled.
"—named Ms. England." Diana punctuated, purposefully ignoring the jab.
"Her surname is seriously England?"
"Yes."
It looked like she was trying her hardest not to snicker but— "we're in England."
It must have been her hundredth eyeroll, but Diana did it anyway.
"It's like… if my surname was Japan," she giggled.
"Anyway," Diana interjected, "there will also be no biking until the abrasion heals"
"But—"
"No buts. The wound will open—you'll just be susceptible to infection all over again."
"Mou," she pouted. It was rather disarming. "Fine."
Diana heard the front door's bell ring. Her two o'clock appointment was on the dot. Unlike 'Akko', she noted with a mixture of annoyance and… something.
"Well," the brunette blurted out, spirits evidently dampened. "Thanks. I'll just head out to the reception for my due."
The blonde nodded, wordlessly allowing Atusko to collect her things.
"Atusko Kagari," Diana muttered to herself once the woman in question was out of earshot. She leaned back into her leather office chair. "Akko." What a peculiar woman. They were roughly the same age, with Diana being older by a little over a year, but there was a glaring difference in maturity. And an over-abundance in child-like glee. Which isn't inherently a bad thing, she hummed. It was… rather refreshing. She deduced that her patient was likely new in town.
"You?!"
The sudden shouting jerked her up in her seat. She leaned forward to get a view through the opened office door and saw that new arrival's usual scowl was a little deeper today. The lilac-haired woman had an accusatory finger pointed towards none other than Atsuko Kagari.
"You're the crazy-ass woman who vaulted over my equipment a few days ago!"
"You were the weird-looking computer lady!" the brunette gasped. Then she squinted, rubbing at her chin in thought, "…though I swear I've seen you somewhere else before."
"Did you just call me weird!?" the woman in glasses glowered.
"Holy shit," Akko gaped.
"You two know each other?" Barbara, who was watching from behind the front desk, looked like she was about to burst a nerve from all the yelling.
"Aren't you my Physics professor?!"
"If you attend the five-thirty on Thursdays, then yes."
"How do you not recognize me?" Akko flailed her arms. "There were like, eight of us."
"Because I don't give a fuck," the bespectacled woman grunted. "My job is to teach and give you tests, not hold hands and make friends."
"But you're supposed to be a mentor to look up to!" Akko whined, and Diana was amazed at how she didn't seem to care that this woman was apparently her professor and that she already had two strikes against her before their second meeting in class.
"What are you?" the older woman scoffed. "In elementary school?"
"Why does everyone keep talking to me like a kid!" the brunette cried indignantly, slamming her payment onto the front desk without bothering with the receipt. She dramatically stomped out of the clinic, and the three other women could only watch in bewilderment.
"That girl is going to give me an aneurism," Barbara blinked.
"Or a heart attack," her latest patient agreed. The woman let herself into Diana's office, lazily falling into the vacant chair with her arms crossed.
"Good afternoon, professor." Diana picked up her stethoscope—this one was a pulmonary case. "Have you been considering your options for cardio exercise? Perhaps light jogging to build lung stamina?"
The woman shuddered, "can't I just rely on my inhaler forever?"
Diana sighed, clicking at her pen before looking down to review the patient record. This time, it was a regular.
Dr. Croix Meridies
F | 35 | Blood type AB- | 172cm | 57kg
Instructor: Department of Engineering & Actuarial Sciences, LNU
— Asthma & Misc. Pulmonary Complications
One difficult patient after another, she supposed.
Hey guys! I just need to clarify that I'm not a medical person so I really just tried to wing the technicalities of this! [Thank you Google and WebMD - but please don't self-medicate using Google or WebMD!]
Thank you to everyone who commented on the first chapter! Your response to it really got me up and writing and smiling silly! Anyway I hope u enjoy ehehehe
