Chapter 10:
"And... that's what Amiya said that time", the Doctor concluded.
"What kind of cliffhanger was that? It's outrageous!", Gitano then turned to Nightingale. "Wouldn't you want to know the end too, Nightingale?"
Shaken, Nightingale suddenly nodded, "I-i think I do want to know too, Miss Gitano"
"What do you mean?", he questioned.
"I don't think... the tale ends there, Doctor", Specter spoke up, partly giggling.
"I know but...". He looked at Gitano then to Specter, both of whom seem to look at him with pleading eyes. With a smile, the Doctor decides to finally continue to finish his tale of the two odd girls.
Mildly provoked and confused, the Doctor quickly grabbed Amiya by her shoulders and made her walk away from the table a bit along with him. This left Silence and Specter confused as to why the two of them just suddenly walked away without any warning. Not to mention how the Doctor handled Amiya to move away.
Over by the Doctor and Amiya, the two of them began a secret conversation. He began telling her how its too risky for Specter to be on the battlefield even if she has had years of extensive combat, especially since she has a mental disability that might hinder her midway in the heat of the battle. However, as attentive as Amiya may have been listening to him, she eventually continued to whisk away all of his arguments by just hearing him out overall. And once he was done, Amiya continued to just stare at him, emotionless.
"Hey, Amiya, are you listening?", he questioned her.
She then snapped out from her daze, slightly nodding her head side-to-side as if to snap out. "Y-yes, Doctor. I hear you".
"Then good, I can't have a casualty when we have a difficult operation at hand too". Satisfied, the Doctor started to walk back to their seat, but then he noticed that Amiya hadn't followed along with him yet.
"Amiya?", he turned back.
Amiya still stayed behind, looking down on her feet, and as the Doctor looked back to her, she faced him. "Doctor hold on".
Puzzled, he heeded her request and then went back to the spot he previously stood on. When settled, Amiya began to talk.
"I understand your concern, Doctor. But have you considered at least what Miss Specter wants as well?", she asked him.
"I-", he paused.
Once again, he made the same mistake. He wasn't thinking of what others wants, and only just thinks of what is best for them, but not what they think is best for themselves. He made the same mistake before again, just like the time when he was recruiting Nightingale. The Doctor looked back to take a peek at the twosome who are still seated. Specter seemed to still be calmly seated on her chair, her red eyes fixed on the floor. While Silence was already starting to feel drowsy. Her eyes began to feel exhausted just by them being open.
And so the Doctor had to think quickly, and in no time, he did think of something. He grabbed Amiya by her hand and hurriedly went back to the desk. On the way, Amiya felt like she was just scooped by him in a flash, but she realized that when the Doctor did that, she knew that she'd give him the expression of: "I know what I'm going to do". Including a nice quick thumbs-up that she thinks she saw from her peripheral vision.
The two of them carefully went back to their seat. The Doctor cleared his throat while he faced Specter who seemed to be a bit nervous from the weird tension. Silence calmed her down in order for everything to get finalized. She even lost her slight drowsiness for a moment there. Having a look at the papers again, the Doctor warily sorted out his speech towards Specter.
"Miss Specter, me and Miss Amiya have sorted things out regarding the request brought upon you by Dr. Kal'tsit"- he paused then looked at Amiya who is attentively listening to him. She was facing forward when she noticed the Doctor was eyeing her.
However, she gladly nodded, gesturing to him that it was all going to be all right. Silence and Specter may not have noticed but the two of them just remained to listen to what the Doctor is going to say.
He continued, "And so I think that we will gladly accept your service to Rhodes Island in order for you to continue being treated. As long as you have no objections. Dr. Kal'tsit's decisions, everything will be fine. But you don't, do you?"
After finishing, the Doctor then waited for her answer. Amiya nodded contentedly, giving him thumbs up just under the desk then faced Specter who is now deep in thought. Silence did so too, looking at her with quite a concerning gaze while still retaining that drowsy expression of hers. Although, Silence is looking at Specter for a reason. She might lash out if she is to be put under too much pressure, or something like sink deep into madness if she thought too much.
The three of them awaited her response, intently hoping for her to just answer something short like a 'yes' or 'no'. However, when Specter opened her mouth to speak, she giggled mischievously. A response that the Doctor and Amiya didn't exactly expect, but it's a response that Silence had been expecting. Her eyes now squinting with a full focus towards Specter who still continued to giggle with such liveliness.
Slowly, Specter's laugh began to slowly cease which greatly worried the Doctor and Amiya but also unsettle Silence who stood her guard beside her. Unexpectedly, her right eye faintly glowed a bright red, almost visible if not for her right hand covering most of the right side of her face. Silence was starting to get jittery, her eyes still fixed on Specter like she has to do something quick. Specter contained herself, her right eye slowly losing its bright red glow and her hand placed down off her face.
"Are you... all right?", the Doctor asked with some uncertainty.
Specter chortled, "All is well, Doctor. Worry not, everything that I may be able to do for you, for all of you, I can be of service to".
Then she proceeded to laugh again altogether. But is stopped by Silence injecting her with a miniature syringe that she quickly pulled from her pockets, just in time before things got out of hand. Specter fell silent afterward, however, she is still conscious; having both of her eyes open and still being able to talk but in a more fatigued tone. Just like she is shot by a tranquilizer dart, except she is still negating most of its effects. Silence grabbed her by her shoulder before she fell face flat on the floor. Although Specter may still regain some consciousness, her body became a bit numb from the effects. Disabling her most bodily movements, if not given any assistance.
"Is she going to be fine, Silence?", the Doctor looked at Specter with some concern.
"It's okay, Doctor. I just gave her a drowsy serum, it suppresses her crazed episodes for a moment until she can calm down. Rest assured there are no hidden side effects as well", Silence explained to him.
With all the tension that was brought up, Amiya felt like she could take a break from all of it. "I think that's enough for Miss Specter this day". Then she turned to the Doctor, "Doctor, I hope that you can instruct Specter properly during operations. It might prove to be a difficulty but let's hope this doesn't discourage you in your future endeavors."
"Future endeav- what? Well... let's hope so too. I'm hoping that Specter too can recover from whatever she went through", he watched Silence help up Specter stand up.
"Mm, I hope so too", Amiya nodded.
Silence carried Specter by her arm over her shoulders as they walked towards the door with the Doctor and Amiya right behind them as they do. The Doctor then opened the door for her once they were already near it. She thanked him for his pleasant gesture. Since Amiya came out last, she switched off the lights as they left outside, carrying the papers with her as well before they moved out.
It was still daylight that time, though none of them ever noticed due to the blinders covering the window walls inside the room. But once they left the room, the four of them are met with a rising heat and a shining blanket of light. Silence even moved away a bit from the light getting into her eyes. The two pairs exchanged goodbye-waves at each other as they crossed paths. Amiya and the Doctor are both to walk to Silence and Specter's direction and the latter is to the former's direction as well.
And when they did, well, along the way, Silence whispered something loud enough only both of them could hear it. Something that made him pause and look back as she carries the temporarily disabled Specter over her shoulders. Amiya notices him not keeping up the pace and grabs his attention.
"Doctor?", she looks back to see a distracted Doctor looking back. "Something the matter?"
"... It's nothing", his mind trailed off, walking beside Amiya again after his series of doubts.
Although it isn't exactly a 'nothing' on what he had just heard. It was more of like a warning of sorts, though that may be because of how Silence spoke. 'Be careful', she said in a tone that felt like she was scared of something, something concerning Specter and her own anonymity. But of course, he couldn't say that in this storytelling, not when all three of them are people who know he couldn't share it with. Well, not right now anyway.