The Doctor worked at his desk, sorting through mission schedules for operators and signing his signature on paperwork. Around the same time the three children visited his office, Shamare appeared with no delay. Her friends, Suzuran and Popukar, were assigned to a mission, leaving the hexer to find comfort in his office. However, because of the Doctor's busy work schedule, he greeted her and returned to work right away.
Eventually, the Doctor peeked around his computer to observe Shamare. She was on the sofa with her sewing materials laid out and a clone of Morte materializing into the world of Terra. Shamare crafted it with passion, trying to make it perfect.
Shamare's focus was so riveted she didn't notice the Doctor looking at her.
Shamare was still a mystery to him. She unsettled him whenever her knowledge of evil spirits was mentioned. But that was fine. There were plenty of unique operators. Maybe today was a day he could learn about her, given her other friends weren't here.
Shamare hopped down from the sofa and approached the Doctor with the clone of Morte in her hands and the original Morte in the other. The Doctor whipped his head behind the computer to feign he wasn't staring at her, but he was sure she already knew.
"Here, Doctor. I made you a clone of Morte. This way, you can keep it on your side at all times."
Hesitant to receive it, the Doctor felt compelled to ask her a question. "Is it cursed?"
"Cursed? N-No, I wouldn't think of doing that, Doctor... But if you take this clone of Morte, it'll almost be like I'm with you all the time... Is that okay?"
"Of course… Sorry, I'm just paranoid."
"Morte can eat it if you want."
"Er… I'm fine."
Shamare said nothing more, holding the clone of Morte close to her chest without emotions. She lifted the clone of Morte to him again. This time, he accepted it wholeheartedly.
The soft feeling of cotton induced a fluffy experience for his fingers. It was nice, but the button eyes relentlessly gazing at him encouraged an uneasy emotion to stir inside. He put it on his desk but noticed Shamare staring at him. He pat the clone of Morte for good measure and to assure her he was keeping it. This didn't convince her nearly enough.
"Doctor, keep it with you at all times. There's nothing wrong with it. You're free to carry it with you wherever you go."
"I will. Don't worry about it."
Shamare nodded her head and stood still for a few seconds. She faltered between two choices that fought for dominance in her head. Patient as he ever was, the Doctor waited. Ultimately, she gave in to her desire to ask him a question.
"Doctor, do you want to sew something with me? If you're too busy, we can always do it next time, but Morte here is happy."
"I have to go on a break, anyway. Seeing as how this is my first time, could you teach me? I want to learn."
Shamare nodded her head and took dainty steps to reach the sofa. The Doctor stood up and followed Shamare to the sacred sofa every operator gravitated to. Threads, cotton, needles, and buttons were laid out in an organized manner. The materials were consistent with the doll Shamare made for him.
Shamare set Morte on the sofa, allowing the Doctor to sit on the other side. Shamare didn't sit, opting to stand. This way, she could instruct him better.
With Shamare's concise guidance, the Doctor inserted a strand of thread through the eye of the needle. The thought of creating another clone of Morte didn't bode well with him, but it was pleasant to understand Shamare better. While sewing, the Doctor ignited a conversation between the two of them to keep it lighthearted.
"So, Shamare..." The Doctor started, pushing the needle through the brown piece of fabric. "How are you holding up today? I apologize if you wanted to be with Suzuran and Popukar today."
"Doctor, the battlefield is your area of expertise. Morte also thinks so too... You can start stuffing it with cotton now."
The Doctor complied with her instruction, grabbing handfuls of cotton. "Got it... I'm glad you aren't too lonely."
"I have you too, Doctor."
"Right..."
Admittedly, the Doctor hadn't thought of that. Shamare visited him for a reason: because she trusted him. Even Popukar visited him, despite her other friends being absent. Once the Doctor finished stuffing it, he sewed again according to Shamare's directions.
"Did you want anything to snack on while we sew?"
Shamare gave it some thought. Concurrently, she relayed several warnings to watch his fingers. "Do you have any apples?"
"For eating, right?"
"For eating."
"Sorry, I wish I did. Perhaps Matterhorn has some in the kitchen, but right now, I have a mini apple pie. Would that suffice?"
"Is it good?"
"Yes, it's excellent. Better than apples." The Doctor said, following the needle through the fabric.
Except something wasn't right. A prickly sensation surged through his finger and into his brain, triggering a response from him. He flinched and winced in agony.
Shamare's ears flickered around, her eyes tracing him. With each second, the Doctor felt more and more uncomfortable. Shamare knew, despite his best to obstruct her view and keep his pain discreet.
"Doctor... Did you nick yourself? I told you to be careful. Come on, Morte, Doctor needs our help."
Shamare squeezed Morte in the tightness of her embrace. The doll said nothing, staring at him no matter what angle it was in. Meanwhile, Shamare tried to get the Doctor to show his injury with her free hand.
"I'm fine, Shamare. You don't need to be so concerned." The Doctor protested but yielded to her request to examine his injury all the same.
"Sewing can be dangerous for beginners. Let's fix you up, Doctor... Do you have band-aids?"
"It's in the drawer, next to my desk."
Shamare opened it and set Morte on his desk while digging through the contents of snacks and stored documents. With how long she took, the Doctor was coerced to join her, confirming the band-aids were even in his unkempt drawer. A spiral of disappointment flew out from Shamare's head when she commanded Morte to join them a second later.
The Doctor discovered an antiseptic towelette to disinfect his wound while Shamare located the band-aids. The Doctor rubbed topical ointment on his laceration and waited for Shamare to step in to do her part. Shamare wrapped the band-aid around his finger with careful intention and sealed his laceration.
"Thank you, Shamare. I don't know what I would have done without you helping me like this."
The Doctor gently caressed the top of her head with affection, expecting her to say something. Sure enough, he could feel Shamare shift her head up and gaze at his hand, patting her.
"Hey, I thought I told you already; don't pat my head..." Shamare muttered but trailed off as she accepted it quicker than he thought she would.
"Sorry. You're not upset I pat you, right?" The Doctor asked.
Shamare stayed silent, invoking a sensation of uneasiness for the Doctor. When she finally answered, the Doctor wasn't expecting it, so his flinch was noticeable. "No... Whatever, Doctor."
"Eh?"
"Never mind, let's get back to sewing if you're feeling better. Let's go, Morte." Shamare said.
The Doctor hid his chuckle and followed her back. But not before he halted to grab the mini apple pie for Shamare. The Doctor handed her the apple pie when they resumed their sewing project. With reluctance, Shamare ignored the apple pie until the Doctor's words encouraged her to take a bite from the sweet treat. Her facial expression didn't align with her interest in it, and her preference for apples took hold of her as she discontinued snacking on the pie for the rest of their session.
Right as they finished another imitation of Morte, Suzuran and Popukar burst into the office with their usual upbeat and sunny demeanor. Their mission had gone smoothly and ended earlier than expected. A greeting later, Shamare was whisked away to join them with her belongings packed up.
The once vibrant atmosphere was now replaced with silence. The Doctor stood up from the sofa and walked over to his desk. He placed the second Morte duplication with the other one and sat on his office chair.
"I hope they don't come alive."
Author's Note: I wanted to write a chapter focused on Shamare and the Doctor. I didn't see a lot of story materials where I could try and understand the speech Shamare spoke, so I made it up as I wrote. I tried my best, so hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter! Until next week!
With bewitching love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!